Ashton Wu Website

Ashton Wu

Board Game Expert

Ashton Wu is a Board Game expert at Shelfside. After delving into the Yu-Gi-Oh tournament community while growing up, Ashton launched himself into the board gaming community in 2014 and went into reviewing board games as a career full-time in 2019. His YouTube channel Shelfside has over 53K subscribers and over 4 million views, assisted by written reviews on the Shelfside website and BoardGameGeek.com. He also consults with gaming companies to build high-quality gaming products. Ashton is a tournament commentator, board game playthrough director, and host of the Shelfside Podcast, where he talks about board games with his business partner, Daniel.

Education

  • University of California Santa Barbara, BA, Economics,
  • University of California Santa Barbara, Technology Management Certificate

Professional Achievements

  • All Time Wrestling 2023 Finalist (Shelfside)
  • Primal Showdown 2023 Winner (Shelfside)
  • Storm the Block Tournament Commentator
  • WSBG 2024 Commentator
  • Fanime Yu-Gi-Oh Top 8
  • Has achieved 1st place at numerous local Yu-Gi-Oh tournaments
  • Created a board gamer personality test - https://www.shelfside.co/bgamer-personality-test

Favorite Piece of Advice

There's a board game out there for everyone! Use my board game personality test to find your perfect match: https://www.shelfside.co/bgamer-personality-test.

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Forum Comments (5)

Uno Card Game Variations Explained
The most "quick" silly fun UNO product is UNO Attack, where instead of drawing cards as a penalty, you press a button on the given machine instead! Sometimes 1-6 cards will shoot out, sometimes nothing will shoot out! It adds randomness to UNO, but also doesn't add too much complexity or time length, with a fun gimmick and some new take-that cards and ways to discard cards.

The most thoughtful UNO product is UNO Golf, where you have a 2x3 grid of facedown UNO cards in front of everyone, and the goal is to remove them to score the least amount of points when the game ends. You play multiple rounds, like "multiple holes' for golf. There's a surprising amount of new ways to think about clearing cards, because sometimes you want to wait to clear them before your opponent(s) clear, because you can clear on anyone's turn, and clearing may trigger an effect.
How to Create Engaging Content for Beginners?
Authenticity and being respectful of your time are key! There doesn't necessarily have to be a unique topic to cover, like you could do a review on a popular game like Catan, and if it's done well, the views will come.

Also, you just have to keep making content and fall in love with the process! To start, I would just film with whatever camera you have and see where you go from there. The first thing to upgrade is audio.
Do you have recommendations for 2-player board games?
Here are some great 2-player games by category.

Shortform:
  • Patchwork
  • Splendor
  • Magic: The Gathering
  • Android: Netrunner
  • 7 Wonders Duel
  • The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth
  • Wingspan
  • Splendor Duel
  • Earth
  • Cascadia
  • Jaipur
  • Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game
  • Hive
  • Hanamikoji
  • Sea Salt and Paper
  • Harvest
  • Evokers
  • All Time Wrestling
  • Summoner Wars 2nd Edition
  • Undaunted Normandy
  • Skytear
  • Solforge Fusion
  • Re;ACT The Arts of War
  • Blitz Bowl
  • Ashes: Reborn
  • Dominion (2nd Edition)
  • Monolith Arena
  • Parks
  • Takenoko

Longform:
  • Brass Birmingham
  • Twilight Struggle
  • War of the Ring
  • Caverna: The Cave Farmers
  • Dune: War for Arrakis
  • War of the Ring: The Card Game
  • Dune: Imperium Uprising
  • Lost Ruins of Arnak
  • Gaia Project
  • Quartermaster General: WW2

Cooperative:
  • Arkham Horror LCG
  • Eldritch Horror
  • Sky-Team
  • Lost Cities
  • Spirit Island
  • Mansions of Madness
  • Codenames Duet
  • Primal
  • ISS Vanguard
  • Tainted Grail: Kings of Ruin
  • Skytear Horde (solo/co-op)
  • Pilfering Pandas
  • This War of Mine
  • Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion
  • Suburbia

Here are some additional recommendations for different types of games:
  • Star Wars Rebellion: for a cat-and-mouse experience
  • Gloomhaven/Frosthaven: for co-op dungeon crawling
  • Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: a good mystery for 2 people to go through
What are the best board games of all time?
This is totally subjective, but I love:
  • Brass: Birmingham
  • Star Wars Rebellion
  • Dune Imperium Uprising
  • Sid Meier’s Civilization 2010 (with 2 expansions)
  • Ashes: Reborn
  • Last Word
  • Twilight Imperium 4
How do people actually make money on Youtube?
Don’t rush anything! It’s best as a hobby, so start simple - just make content! Most importantly, it should be fun (because of how much work it really is), and you should figure out what your niche is. One more thing - audio is king if you want to upgrade anything.

Q&A Comments (7)

Are there any other tips when playing Ticket to Ride?
It's also interesting to note that during Ticket to Ride tournaments, the strategy initially adopts a conservative gameplay style. This involved amassing a considerable number of trains, surpassing the typical expectation of holding only a quarter to a third of the points compared to other players. Around two-thirds into the game, the winner shifted gears and became notably more aggressive. This strategic transition is fascinating because going all out in the late game allows for the efficient deployment of additional trains. Moreover, a clever tactic emerges: if you manage to exhaust your train resources before your opponents, the game concludes, providing an opportunity to stealthily secure a victory.
What's a great strategy for beginners?
Prioritize your main objective in Wingspan and delve into the underlying statistics that provide insights into the probability of drawing or encountering the desired cards. For beginners, focusing on laying eggs is a solid strategy. This approach ensures guaranteed points that spread across all your cards, serving as a foolproof method, much like employing a strong beginner's strategy in games such as Dominion. It provides a reliable baseline for starting out. As you become more familiar with the game, you can explore more intricate strategies. While my experience with the game spans several years, laying eggs is a fundamental tip I always emphasize for players of all levels.
Is Flapjack a two-player card game as well? How do we play it?
It is a two-player card game, and it involves speed and coordination as players try to build stacks of cards in ascending order from ace to king. The deck is divided evenly between the players, and they simultaneously flip cards from their individual stacks onto a central pile. When both players reveal cards of the same rank, a "flapjack" occurs, and the first player to slap the central pile gets to collect the entire stack. The real-time aspect of the game adds excitement, but it's essential to pay attention to card ranks to avoid penalties for incorrect slapping. While Flapjack may lead to some intense moments, its quick rounds make it a favorite choice. Alternatively, when opting for a more strategic and traditional card game, poker with a standard deck is our preferred choice during these gaming sessions.
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