Death of Monopoly

DragonFlame - review by Daryl Andrews

noreply@blogger.com (Daryl Andrews) — Mon, 03 Nov 2014 23:38:00 +0000

Any game where players are each DRAGONS has to be a fun game! Every dragon needs a cave full of treasure. Also, any fierce dragon needs to flame down some little cute cottages, avoid knights, and capture a princess. Winning DragonFlame takes exactly that - the best loot and destruction.

*Full disclosure, I received a free advance copy of the game from Minion Games.*
You can purchase your copy on Kickstarter at: http://kck.st/1rSAj1Y

I have enjoyed about a dozen plays of the game so far, and I plan on playing DragonFlame many times more. Matt Loomis, a first time designer, has made a great game. The game is very compact in size, but lots of interesting decisions to be made.

Each round players are dealt a hand of cards. Players go in turn order, loading each of the castles with interesting loot (some good, some bad). The twist, some cards are placed face-up, while others are placed facedown. Its the classic mechanic of cutting the cake, but each player has partial knowledge of which castle has good loot. Also, because of the unique and interesting set collection scoring, sometimes one man's junk is another man's treasure.

After each castle has been loaded with loot, each player steals the treasures from a castle. Most cards are straight forward, worth positive or negative points. Some of the set collection scoring is neat, with things like statues only scoring if they are unique, while treasure chests being most valuable if you collect like kinds. However, not all treasures are helpful. For example, players must deal with nasty knights and cursed treasure. In general, the set collection is clever, but the game does require some initial teaching time to get all players clear on scoring.

The real thematic heart of this game is found in the DragonFlame cards. Not only can players acquire loot, but also in the mix of cards, players can also acquire DragonFlame cards with strength value of "1", "2", & "3". These cards are used to burn down the village cards. Players use their DragonFlame cards to fly over the city cards (arranged in a 3x3 grid) and destroy the towns. I did mention each player is a dragon. It only seems appropriate that we get to fly over little villages and burn them down. Each village features some area control scoring and is awarded to the dragon(s) who contributed most to the destruction.

Overall, I find the game is like 3 mini games working together. The first is a fun twist of cut the cake, dividing treasures amongst the castles. The second game is area control, with flames on the villages. The third game is the treasure set collection. Each experience weaves together interesting decisions, creating a great 30 minute card game. DragonFlame might be small on price but packs a dragon size amount of fun.

By: Daryl Andrews (DeathOfMonopoly.com)

FanExpo 2014...

noreply@blogger.com (__ Eric Martin) — Thu, 28 Aug 2014 17:03:00 +0000

If you're in the Toronto area this weekend and find yourself attending the massive FanExpo convention downtown, make sure you stop in and say hello. On Friday, my co-blogger Daryl and I will be volunteering at the Z-Man Games section in the board game room 718. I'll be helping to teach Pandemic and the adorable and violent Krosmaster Arena.

And if you're around Friday night or Saturday afternoon, you should definitely sign up for the Pandemic: Survival competition. Multiple players playing the exact same game - card order, etc. Basically Pandemic played like Duplicate Bridge. What an awesome idea.

The rest of the weekend I'll be manning the My Pet Skeleton booth in artist alley so come say hello and check out some of my hubby's amazing artwork.

Or even sign your butts up for the Great Canadian Board Game Blitz with my friend Ray on Sunday afternoon if you're looking for something to do. It's running across the street from the convention centre at the Royal York Hotel. So many options!!!!!

Okay, the new Days of Wonder game is good.......

noreply@blogger.com (__ Eric Martin) — Sun, 24 Aug 2014 05:00:00 +0000

Really, really freaking good. Two weeks to release. TWO weeks....

First Play: Caverna (or Agricola: The Dwarf Edition)....

noreply@blogger.com (__ Eric Martin) — Fri, 22 Aug 2014 20:57:00 +0000

Agricola is definitely an obsession forming game, deep, complex, but utterly thematic with tons of variety. It was sort of the start of Uwe Rosenberg's nose dive into complexity. I mean, to think this guy designed great the great card games Bohnanza and Bargain Hunter and now he churns out crazily involved titles like Le Havre and At The Gates of Loyang! Caverna definitely feels most similar to Agricola and much of the game is nearly the same. But after muddling through one game, this definitely feels like a tribute to the Uwe fans - tons of rules exceptions, a million things to have to read at all times, and way, way too many choices. In fact, I think teaching this to someone who hasn't played Agricola probably isn't the best idea.

So. Many. Action spaces!

Having said that, I enjoyed my first play but did terribly in the final scoring, despite thinking I was handling my own. Turns out the "fingers in every pie" strategy that Agricola is known for doesn't actually work that well in Caverna. This game actually favours some specialization. And there are some interesting new elements - dwarf characters who go on expeditions and return with tons of loot. But even there, near the end of the game with a high valued dwarf it's possible to have to pick 4 different rewards (resources, land, animals, etc.) from a possible 16. And then if you pick a room for your home, you are looking at 40+ choices depending on what you have.

So. Many. Rewards and ruby uses!

Honestly, I found myself just building things I could afford because the choices were too numerous. Instead of planning ahead, I'd instead take actions and build rooms with the mindset that things fit with the direction I was going. I find the same issue arises in Glass Road, another recent and very enjoyable Uwe game. There are just too many options in one turn that you just end up doing what's easiest. It seems to foster less strategy. At least with Agricola you have one hand of cards. That's it. Deal with those. Imagine having the whole deck face up and at your disposal every turn....

So. Many. ROOMS!!!!!

Despite the criticisms, I'd like to play it again. The game feels more like a sandbox than any of his other games, building and playing in any direction your heart desires. Choices piled upon choices.

But after a 2-hour game with 3 people, I will never, ever play with the maximum of 7. Ridiculous.

Home Sweet Home.

Seen at Canada's Wonderland this past weekend......

noreply@blogger.com (__ Eric Martin) — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 20:41:00 +0000

Okay, Daryl may have spent this past weekend at GenCon playing brand new swanky titles. But at least I saw a gigantic arcade Operation.....

Before Gen Con - Top10's

noreply@blogger.com (Daryl Andrews) — Sun, 10 Aug 2014 18:11:00 +0000

This will be my first year attending Gen Con, "the best 4 days in gaming." The convention takes place this week, from August 14-17, in Indianapolis. Gen Con is the original, longest-running, best-attended, gaming convention in the world. Last year, the 46th event, the attendance record was set at 49,000. However, all indications point to this year breaking the attendance record again.

I will be arriving in Indianapolis on Tuesday evening. I will do my best to take lots of pictures and share some tweets. You can follow me on twitter at: @darylmandrews

Meanwhile, I can't help but think ahead to all the amazing games I will get to see, demo, and maybe even purchase. Really I have been thinking about this for weeks. Reading reviews, watching videos, and chatting online with friends. After doing so much research, it just makes sense to share my TOP 10 list. I have decided to include two lists. The first list is my Top 10 games I am considering to purchase. The other Top 10 list will be games that are not for sale, but I want to see/demo.

TOP 10 Games (for sale) at GEN CON:

10) Diamonds (Love trick taking games - anything designed by Mike Fitgerald has my attention)

9) Consequential (Sounds really innovative. I love the app integration and legacy mechanic)

8) Abyss (Love any game designed by Bruno. Plus the box cover is awesome!)

7) Lords of Xidit (Loved Himalaya. I enjoyed the play test when I saw it in April)

6) Imperial Settlers (Ignacy Trzewiczek is a brillant designer. Rules look solid)

5) Hyperborea (I wish I could afford this game. From the designer of Kingsburg. Looks great)

4) Five Tribes (Again, anything designed by Bruno I usually enjoy. Played in April and I loved it)

3) Sheriff of Nottingham (Been on the search for original Brazilian game, Robin Hood. Must have)

2) King of New York (I love the idea of smashing around a map of NYC. Cant miss with this)

1) Panamax (Not many great med-heavy euro games coming out. This looks like my kind of game)

Next10 Honorable mention:

City Hall (on the bubble)

Subdivision (on the bubble)

The Battle of Kemble's cascade (on the bubble)

Argent: The Consortium (on the bubble)

Chimera (came down to this or Diamonds)

Fief: France 1429 (Im not a war game guy)

Battle of the Five Armies (Im not a war guy)

Epic Resort (Love the art but need to try the game first)

Tortuga (already out)

Dead of Winter (already out. Kickstarters delivered)

TOP 10 Games (for demo only) at GEN CON:

10) Bomb Squad (Im interested in trying this game due to the timer aspect of the game)

9) Scoville (Im a sucker for all games featuring Josh Cappel's art)

8) Gold West (I don't know much about this game - but I am interested.

7) Steam Works (Wow - I guess I love TMG. I will be in room #137 a lot at Gen Con)

6) Aqua Sphere (Im a sucker for Feld games. And yes the first 5 games on this list are TMG.)

5) Colt Express (You had me at 3D train)

4) X-Com (Designed by friend Eric Lang. Hopeful App integration game will be awesome!)

3) Pay Dirt (Designer of Alien Frontiers. Great designer + Great Art = I want)

2) Castles of Mad King Ludwig (Really fun game. I love the spatial building of the castles)

1) Kanban: Automotive Revolution (Next to Panamax, this is my most wanted game

Honorable mention:

The Walled City (Im bias. I like it. Im really excited for people to experience the game)

Pack O Games

noreply@blogger.com (Daryl Andrews) — Sat, 09 Aug 2014 01:25:00 +0000

Daryl (me) just recently was hired as a game experts at Games On Tap board game cafe in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. So it only seemed appropriate to bring the Pack O Games to work with me.

"Little Game. Lotta Fun!" These Juicy Fruit stick-gum sized games, pack a great punch. From Perplext Games, we find some wonderful micro packaged games designed by Chris Handy. That name might sound familiar because Chris is responsible for designing Cinque Terre and Long Shot.

Currently, Pack O Games is on Kickstarter. Please be sure to check out the Kickstarter campaign, and consider supporting this great game. Games like this are only possible when people support them. But if you are unsure if you want to purchase the games, maybe read on to see why we think they are worth your support!

Game Overview:
The Pack O Games are actually a variety of different games. The Kickstarter pledge comes with4 base games included (HUE, TKO, GEM, & FLY). However, Im hopeful the game can reach many of their stretch goals so we can discover more games in the line like: TAJ, LIE, SHH, BUS, and maybe even more! Its actually pretty amazing how different each game is, while constraint to a tiny package. And not only does each game feature a very different theme, and very different game mechanic, but each game also feature 1 of 3 levels of play, so you can pick the best game for the type of player(s).

It might be hard to believe, but these are not all casual light games. Do not be deceived by the small package. Some games offer very rewarding strategy and challenge. For the purposes of this blog, I will review each of the base games: HUE, TKO, GEM, FLY.

All the staff I showed the Pack O Game to at Games On Tap were excited to see these mini sized games. Hopefully in the near future, Ray, another game expert at Games On Tap, will post her review of each of the games. So stayed tuned to this blog to read that.

I will start off by confessing some bias. I have had the privilege of hanging out with Chris Handy, the designer of the games, and I would consider Chris a friend. He is really a great guy, and if you have the chance to hang out with him and play a game, I highly recommend you do.

However, anyone who knows me, would also let you know, I don't beat around the bush. I say what I think. Initially when I saw these cute little packaged games, I was sceptical. Sure they look good. And I get the new wave of micro games. However, I was worried they wouldn't feature much game play. I was scared they would all be casual light games I would play once or twice and move on.

I was wrong! These games might be small in size but massive on fun. Each game is unique and full of flavour.

HUE:
I am a big fan of this game. I was really shocked how a game with only 5 turns per player (or 4 turns with 5 players), can feel so satisfying. It just works. Each turn feels interesting and meaningful. It really has a tile laying/tactical feel to the game. Its really fun seeing this game all splayed out on the table, and then looking back at the little card box. How did all this game fit in that tiny box?!

TKO:
"Its the eye of the tiger, the thrill of the fight." This game is a knockout! Each play features great head games. Will my opponent go for the massive uppercut, or block my punch?! I really appreciate that TKO is an easy to learn 2 player free swinging boxing game. I plan on carrying TKO around in my pocket anytime I plan on watching a sporting event at the bar, and pulling this out during the intermission. "Rising up the the challenge of my rival!"

GEM:
This game caught me by surprise. There is a deep auction game going on here. The game seems challenging to master, but was simple to learn. Treasure this tiny game, because GEM alone is worth the purchase of Pack O Games. The card quality is top notch, and because of the unique size of the cards, its handy and doesn't take up too much table space. But I found this game took a solid 20-30 minutes to play.

FLY:
Personally, my favourite game was FLY. Such good laughter around the table. We started bragging and trying to drop the fly swatter higher and higher with each attempt. FLY, which only takes a minute to explain, and less than 10 minutes to play. But the theme is hilarious.

DARYLS FINAL THOUGHTS:
Following in the tradition of 3 letter names, I most confess I LUV these games. They are portable, affordable, & jam packed with FUN!

New board game cafes opening in the Waterloo region...

noreply@blogger.com (__ Eric Martin) — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 11:32:00 +0000

Board games have definitely hit the mainstream and our little corner of Ontario is seeing it as well (must be since I moved here....) Two board game spots are opening and my co-blogger Daryl and good friend Ray are both going to be serving at one of them: Games on Tap in Waterloo. Family and friend previews start this weekend and I may try to sneak in and take some pictures. Best part? The place is licensed. AWE-SOME!

Check out their Facebook page here and the local news story here with info about both locations, the other being The Adventurers' Guild down in Kitchener.

(As an aside, sorry for the lack of posts - studying for actuarial exam numba 2 so drowning in Financial Mathematics till mid-August. Ugh.)

On the development of Acquire....

noreply@blogger.com (__ Eric Martin) — Fri, 30 May 2014 18:45:00 +0000

Here's a lovely and very well-researched article by Joe Huber of The Opinionated Gamers on Sid Sackson's Acquire, one of the greatest and most influential board games ever made (IMHO). A quote:

Having now detailed the path to the production of the test marketing edition of Acquire, the next step – and the most interesting part of the story, for me – is going through the game’s journey to the Acquire we know and love still today. This is where Sackson’s habit of drafting his letters – and saving the drafts – makes all the difference; as a result it’s possible to follow nearly the whole path.

More than 50 years later and the game is still a monumental achievement that I beg people to play every other week. Definitely worth the read.

On The Horizon: Evolution...

noreply@blogger.com (__ Eric Martin) — Mon, 12 May 2014 19:54:00 +0000

North Star Games has released some of the most enjoyable party games that have come out in years. To be honest, Wits and Wagers is about the only trivia game that I think is worth playing. So when they start posting on BGG to let everyone know that they are going to start publishing strategy games, I think this should be a cause for excitement. Their first choice: an update and reprint of a Russian game from 2010 called Evolution: Origin of Species. Lucky for us, they've taken some time to develop the game further to iron out some of the balance issues with the original version. They've also been kind enough to provide DoM with a prototype copy so we could get some plays in before the release.

Evolution is a game about creating species and evolving them to survive and thrive. In fact, it's really a game about eating as much food as possible, whether it be the grass you innocently consume or the other players that you happily devour. The play is relatively simple and card-driven with the cards serving multiple purposes. The first thing that happens at the beginning of every round is the players must each select a single card to throw face down in the centre for plant food (each card has a little number in the corner stating how much plant food its worth). After that, players one at time play all the cards they want to either:

add a useful trait to a species, up to a maximum of 3 traits,
discard to increase a species population size or body size by 1, or
discard to create a whole new species in front of them.

Extra cards can be held for later turns which can be quite useful. Once all the cards are chosen, the plant food is revealed. This is often to the sound of groans of the players as there will usually not be enough plant food for all species, especially in the later rounds. Then, going around the circle one at a time, players take plant food till it runs out. Once the feeding is done, species' populations drops to the amount of food recovered and the food taken is set aside to be scored at the end of the game. Often species will not capture any food in the round and will go extinct much to the dismay of the owning player.

Prototype pieces... not the real thing

What makes the game interesting are the traits players add to their species to try and increase their chances for survival. Traits like 'foraging' (species takes 2 food each time), 'unstable dna' (player gets another species when plant food is revealed), and 'cooperation' (neighbouring species gets a food when the species gets a food) all make things a little less predictable. But the most important trait, by far, is the 'carnivore' trait which allows a species to attack and consume other species, including possibly another of the same player's. Carnivores can't eat plant food so they must attack another species of a smaller body size. Each attack drops the victim's population by 1 (zero population and you go extinct!) and the predator gains a number of meat food equal to the victim's body size.

Now this particular aspect of the game will probably be what people like and dislike the most about the game. Once players go carnivore - and they will need to at some point as plant food is so sparse as populations increase - the direct attacks will be swift and vicious. But since so much food is generated each time from 1 population they don't usually eliminate a species. And if they do, the victim gains extra cards to compensate - a nice balancing rule for this new edition of the game. Since players can replace traits with new ones, one can also swiftly respond to carnivores in future rounds by evolving differently with traits like 'climbing' and 'hard shell'.

Some more traits

So the "take that" aspect of the game is definitely there but not overwhelming. One can easily defend by evolving differently or just fattening up their species. Once the cards run out, the final round is played and then the players score up their points for all the food they took throughout the game and the number and population of their surviving species. Simple. There were a few rules issues we had to iron out in our plays but this makes sense for a game that is still officially "under development".

Real artwork for the game

All in all, it's a pretty straightforward game which is keeping with the simplicity of the current canon of North Star titles. However, with Evolution North Star has moved directly into the strategy game market. Evolution is a good choice: an easy-to-learn, strategic but not heavy game of hand-management which has enough chaos and nastiness to appeal to Ameritrash lovers but not enough to alienate a Eurogamer like myself. It's smart strategy by a company that clearly knows exactly where they're heading.

If you're interested, you should check out their Kickstarter campaign for Evolution which launched last Monday. They've already reached 480% of their goal. Their strategy seems to be working....

Winter is coming.....

noreply@blogger.com (__ Eric Martin) — Fri, 09 May 2014 17:50:00 +0000

For the last month, I have been missing my usual Sunday evening board game group as HBO is once again playing Game of Thrones, a fantastic show my friends and I are obsessed with. Now I've played the big Diplomacy-like board game for GoT but I really didn't enjoy it as it seemed to stall to a point of utter boredom about halfway through (not enough incentive to attack, total flaw!) I'm thinking the Guess Who version which is described in this article on Nerdist would probably be WAY more fun.

"Hmmmmm...... did they die in the Red Wedding?"

You can print off real images to paste on to your own version of Guess Who at the above link. Fun!

(Thanks for the tip, Sibs!)

A short review of Splendor....

noreply@blogger.com (__ Eric Martin) — Mon, 21 Apr 2014 20:48:00 +0000

I'm always looking for simplicity in games, especially the lighter ones. Much like the mathematical proofs I studied in the yesteryears of my graduate work, the simplest were always the most elegant and the best. This to me is what makes quickie games like For Sale and Coloretto so wonderful - rules in under a minute but some definite thought involvement. Splendor is like that - easy to explain and short enough (with the right players) and it seems like it's got some depth. And it does if you look for it. But I would argue one can just as easily play this fun game with nary a plan and still walk away handily with the victory. And therein lies my disappointment although I do think its enjoyable enough filler if its played very quickly.

If a gamer was asked what an engine-building game is, they might say something like, "it's a game where you get resources to buy things which generate more resources and maybe points." Using this description, Splendor really is an engine-building game boiled down to its purest, purest essence. There are gems of 5 types which let you buy cards which then give you permanent gems and eventually, on the more expensive cards, points. And that's about the gist of the game. First player to 15 points shouts hurrah and shuffles up for another round. It's almost that simple. Okay, there's some bonus tiles which you can claim if you get enough cards of certain colours but there isn't much else to it. On a player's turn, you can take 1 of the following 4 options: take 3 distinct gems or 2 gems of the same colour (if there's still at least 4 of that colour left) or hold a card for later and take a wild chip or buy a card from the table or their hand.

So you can pick up and hold up to 3 cards for later purchase? This is key because I think this is where the major problem with the game exists. In my experience with Splendor (including a 5-game bender a couple Saturday nights ago), the 4th choice of action - to hold a card for later and take a wild chip - is completely sub-optimal and one can win easily without ever doing it. I honestly wonder why the option is even there if it so useless until perhaps the final turn to clinch the victory. I've now played a few more games since then, refusing to ever pick up a card and only gathering gems when a table purchase is not possible. And I've won them, in one case quite handily. Part of the issue is the cards revealed are always so random that if you keep a spread of colours you're almost always able to buy something. If not, just wait till the next turn and something will probably come up. The luck factor is unfortunately quite large in this one.

It's too bad because this really is an enjoyable and speedy (if somewhat generic) little game which seems at first glance to offer lots of decisions. I will say that I have only played my 10+ games with 4 players so we cycle through the decks very quickly. This probably allows for many cards to be purchased quite easily. I imagine in a 2-player game one would have to plan a little further ahead as the cards wouldn't get cycled half as much.

Clearly if I've played more than 10 games of this, it's a nice enough diversion (especially for lunch hours at work). And I'll probably play it a few more times. But the "holding" option and gold gems are entirely superfluous and one can very easily win this one by just waiting, hoarding chips, and buying the first cards that come up.

Maybe I just like that clicking those coloured chips together makes such a satisfying sound.....

The Night before Gathering of Friends 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Daryl Andrews) — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 02:49:00 +0000

I realize it sounds like bragging whenever I mention the Gathering of Friends (GoF) to my friends or family. I don't apologize. It is one of the great highlights of my year. If I could I would invite all my friends to come along. However, I can't. Last year was my first chance to experience this glorious gamer geekdom, and it lived up to the hype.

Alan Moon & Me (chess board made by Stephen Sauer)

For anyone unaware what the Gathering of Friends is, the event is an invite-only board game convention hosted by Alan Moon (designer of numerous amazing games, best know for Ticket to Ride). The event includes about 400 people from around the world. I believe we have about 15 countries represented + about 40 States/Provinces represented from US/Canada (and with almost 30 different publishers in attendance too). The event started tonight and continues for the next 11 days. I plan to arrive tomorrow.

So tonight is my christmas eve. I am scrambling to get all ready for my board game Christmas. I just gave myself a christmas shave (I decided to go with a Mennonite beard to represent my region). I will struggle to fall asleep tonight, thinking about all the excitement of tomorrow, and when tomorrow finally arrives, it will be filled with quality time with my gamer extended family, opening lots of colourful boxes and playing with new toys.

I will do my best to share some pictures and/or stories of upcoming games I see at GoF. Last year I managed to see at least a dozen games that were unreleased. I will hopefully discover some gems to highlight.

Also, I have 4 prototypes I will be shopping around to publishers (working titles: Caffeine Rush, Ninth Inning, Hex & Ladders, and Shopping Cart). Additionally, I will be representing 2 games from fellow Game Artisans of Canada (working titles: Slither by Micah Fuller, Birds of a Feather by Stefan Alexander). I will do my best to keep people posted about who I pitch to and how they went.

Furthermore, I will be showing my game The Walled City by Mercury Games, around at the Gathering. Really excited to show the game around to a few people. Sorry but I can't leak too much details about my game yet, but stay tuned! The one thing I can say, because it already was mentioned on BGG News (so cool!) is Josh Cappel is the artist for The Walled City! Anyone who knows his work (Pandemic, 1960, Belfort, Endeavor, Garden Dice, Kings of Air & Steam, New Amsterdam, etc) will understand why I am so excited about this. And also I am proud to call him my friend. So double win!

Game Artisan of Canada - amazing board game designers + me

And I will be hanging with a bunch of amazing game designers so I will get to play test some great prototypes too!

I was about to write a review....

noreply@blogger.com (__ Eric Martin) — Mon, 07 Apr 2014 14:33:00 +0000

...for the delightful new jewel-collecting (engine-building) game Splendor. However, after 5 games this past Saturday won by the same damn player using the same damn strategy, I'm concerned. I fear that this game has a dominant strategy that doesn't even involve ever doing one of the 4 possible actions available each turn (the holding).

I need to play a couple more times to confirm but my review may be disappointing. Sigh.

Clearly I don't take Uno seriously enough.....

noreply@blogger.com (__ Eric Martin) — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 12:28:00 +0000

(Link here. Thanks for the tip, Kelly!)

First play: 1830....

noreply@blogger.com (__ Eric Martin) — Tue, 18 Mar 2014 01:56:00 +0000

It's no surprise to anyone who has read posts on here when I say that I really enjoy train games. Usually it's the lighter fare - Ticket To Ride, Chicago Express, and the like - but I do enjoy a nice heavy one occasionally. I still rank Age of Steam in my top 5 games of all time. Well, there is an even bigger class of train games referred to as the 18XX series which I had yet to really play up till last night. They are notoriously complex, lengthy, and usually devoid of luck as far as I know.

Having read about the different versions (all representing different eras and locations), it seemed 1830: Railway & Robber Barons would be the "easiest" intro and the most enjoyably cutthroat of all of them. Shockingly, I was able to gather 5 others to give up an entire day (8 hours!) to learn and play the game. Perhaps even more shocking is that every person loved the game and is already talking about when we can play it again next. It's pretty clear after one play that the next game would run closer to 5 hours as the rules explanation alone took an hour.

The game itself can be described as a stock market investment game crossed with railroad track building. Players buy stock in the 8 different railroads and whoever has the majority stock in each makes all the decisions in terms of track-laying and station-building. It's one of those games where one can do quite well without controlling a single company. In addition, players can play some pretty vicious tricks with the stock market sales to drive stock prices up and down to gain and lose majority control and sink an opponent's company. There is a lot going on and a somewhat convoluted 30-page rulebook but it never seemed overwhelming as most of the rules just seemed to make sense. Honestly, learning Through The Ages was way tougher the first time and took just about as long.

It's a testament to the greatness of this game that after an 8-hour marathon everyone wants to play it again ASAP. I definitely do. I staved off bankruptcy only barely and ended up losing by an atrocious margin. Still loved every moment of it.

Board Game Bash a huge success!

noreply@blogger.com (__ Eric Martin) — Wed, 19 Feb 2014 17:37:00 +0000

This past holiday Monday, the Board Game Bash went down and saw 3 times as many people as were expected (170+!!!). Despite some minor hiccups like not enough tables and chairs in the building for everyone who actually showed, I thought it was a stellar day brilliantly organized by Daryl. I got to demo the wonderful Coal Baron to a bunch of people and tried a couple rounds of Uwe Rosenberg's Glass Road which I quite enjoyed with the full complement of 4 players. And the prizes, oh so many prizes from all the sponsors!

Definitely a good thing for Kitchener-Waterloo and people came from surrounding Ontario cities like Guelph, London, and even the GTA.
Check out the pics at the Facebook page, and please ignore the one really terrible picture of me that Daryl refuses to take down.

First plays - Pandemic: The Cure and AbluXXen....

noreply@blogger.com (__ Eric Martin) — Sat, 15 Feb 2014 13:29:00 +0000

A couple nights ago I was able to play the only prototype in North America (says Daryl) of the new Pandemic dice game as well as a couple rounds of the upcoming delightfully vicious Kramer & Kiesling card game.

A special set of dice for each character

P: TC was interesting to say the least. It felt a bit too busy and game-y for my tastes but the rest of the group seemed to really enjoy it. Surprisingly, it seems to run longer than a regular game of Pandemic. We definitely had some real rules questions throughout so I'll be curious to see if there are additions included in the final version of rulebook.


Things started to go sideways for us right about......

Tons of characters to play

I also cobbled together a set of cards and give us an unofficial preview of AbluXXen (or Linko! in English) coming out soon. If you know Kramer, you'll remember he created the classic card game Take 6 (6 Nimmt!, Slide 5, whatever edition you call it). I believe this brilliant game will have the same staying power - it's nasty, easy to pick up, and much subtler than at first glance. Can't wait to get my hands on a real copy.

If you're interested in trying out the new Pandemic dice game and you're in Southern Ontario, Daryl will have the prototype at the Board Game Bash this coming holiday Monday (details are here or here). Yours truly will be explaining how to play the lovely Coal Baron, amongst other games, so definitely say hello.

Hanabi - Mahjong style...

noreply@blogger.com (__ Eric Martin) — Thu, 13 Feb 2014 13:01:00 +0000

One of the great games of 2013, Hanabi, was also one of the fiddliest. If you don't own Hanabi, well, firstly, why not? It's 8 bucks!!!! Secondly, you might not have played it so you won't know how hard it is to not reveal your cards when holding them or picking them up as you always have to face them away from yourself. Well, thanks to the immense and well-deserved popularity of the game, Abacus Spiele released a giant edition with card stands and nicer pieces and a deluxe collector's edition with Mahjong-style tiles and wooden box to hold everything.

Up until now, I'd only heard of the rare collector's edition but then I managed to finally find it at one local online retailer, BoardGameBliss (wonderful store by the way with some really obscure European stuff like this and a very friendly, generous owner). And OF COURSE, I couldn't help myself!

Suffice to say, Hanabi with chunky black tiles is magical. They're tactile, don't ever fall over, and they make that delightful sound whenever you play them to the table. It's a simple change to the game but amazing how much more enjoyable it makes the whole experience. (Just so you know, deluxe edition? NOT 8 bucks...)

The Walled City: Londonderry

noreply@blogger.com (Daryl Andrews) — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 22:40:00 +0000

Exciting News! It is official, Daryl Andrews (one of the writers for Death Of Monopoly), with the help of co-designer Stephen Sauer, have announced their upcoming game "The Walled City: Londonderry" to be published by Mercury Games. If you would like to learn more about Mercury Games you can enter their contest (ends Feb 11th). Go to: http://boardgamegeek.com/contest/mercurygames

Stay tuned for more info about The Walled City. Meanwhile, we have the press release below:

Mercury Games is pleased to officially announce "The Walled City: Londonderry" by designers Daryl Andrews and Stephen Sauer.

"The Walled City: Londonderry" pits rival politicians against one another to become the First Mayor of the city. Founding a medieval walled city is no easy task and you are about to find out just how difficult it can be!

Two rounds with multiple turns are played with a scoring phase after each. Quick play is complimented by tough decisions, and missed opportunities can come back to haunt you. Providing a safe place to live for the peasants will earn you a large reward, but failing to construct the city wall in time will see the loyal knights abandon the city for safe haven.

Each turn consists of playing cards to build roads that form neighborhoods with citizens that have allegiances to one of the players. Nominate watchmen to the towers, rig districts (called gerrymandering) and raise great walls. All these play a part in solidifying your power as you attempt to climb to the top of the political heap.

All the while the Guilds that you align yourself with impart special powers that can upset the plans of your rivals. Move a road to form a new neighborhood where the citizens in your camp are in the majority or remove a wall that protects rival citizens from the ravages of the surrounding area. The Guilds will affect the outcome of who runs the city when all the dust settles.

"The Walled City: Londonderry" is a highly thematic and elegant area control/area influence game for 2-4 players that plays in about 60 minutes. As with all Mercury Games products, players will enjoy the unique mechanics and interesting choices this game has to offer.

Keep an eye on the BGG page for "The Walled City: Londonderry" to watch for further pictures and information as we begin to show off this new game! When the time is right, you'll also find out how to acquire a copy of the game for yourself this Summer!

What type of gamer are you?

noreply@blogger.com (__ Eric Martin) — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 11:55:00 +0000

I would argue there a few more important types of gamers like me, "The Bad Rules Explainer", who always seems to miss a key rule somewhere. But still, this list of 6 types of gamers is pretty funny.

I'm pretty sure Vince and I are always "The Old Couple"....

(Thanks for the tip, Phil!)

First plays - Qwixx

noreply@blogger.com (__ Eric Martin) — Mon, 20 Jan 2014 23:05:00 +0000

Really, Spiel des Jahres jury?

This little dice game (little in every sense) got the nom for game of the year in 2013, beaten out by the well-deserving Hanabi. And after a couple rounds, I'm not entirely sure why Qwixx was picked in in the first place. Politics, maybe? (Yes, I'm sure politics even play into this awards ceremony.)

The game comes with 6 dice - 4 different colours and 2 white - and scorepads. And that's it. It's simple to play and everyone is involved throughout. The active player tosses all the dice and calls out the sum of the two white dice after which every player including the active one has the option to mark off any of the 4 coloured rows with the number called. After that the active player may instead or in addition mark off one of the coloured columns by using the corresponding colour of die added to a white die. The catch is you can only mark off columns going left to right, reminiscent of Lost Cities/Keltis. If the active player can't mark off a number at all due to this, they take a -5 penalty which should be kinda exciting but really only happened once over our entire 2 games.

And that's pretty much it. Dice can be removed, but the game ended so quickly after that it didn't seem to make much of a difference to the play. Scoring happens and the player who crossed the most off usually wins. It's telling that I played totally different each game and still scored exactly 74 points both times... hmmmm......

Okay, it's not terrible, not by a long shot. It offers decisions throughout and keeps everyone involved during it's short play time. But in the end rolling six dice and then crossing off a number just isn't that interesting. Honestly, Yahtzee provides more excitement than this one. Or even much, much better, how about the suspense of the classic Can't Stop, which was just re-printed last year?

On the plus side, I was able to download and print off the scorepads from Boardgamegeek so I could try before I buy. Just had to find the right-coloured dice. Feel free to do the same and you'll know if this little pastime of a game is your thing. It sure isn't mine.

First play: Nations....

noreply@blogger.com (__ Eric Martin) — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 16:10:00 +0000

Through The Ages was quite the hit last year with our group of friends. As a deep and complex civ-building game, it may be the best. But it's also a dry, EXTREMELY long game with tons of accounting and ridiculous amounts of downtime while you wait for other people to take their turns. Which is probably why most of us now just play the online email version of the game - all the accounting is done for you and you can take as long as you need to figure out your turn.

Last night I was able to join in a 3-player game of Nations, a new civ game which many have likened to a quicker, simpler Through The Ages. And the description is apt, although I would argue Nations is a different enough game to stand on its own merits. It definitely feels different in terms of play as the rules are much simpler and the play is way more dynamic and interesting since players take one action at a time and then the next player gets to go. Rarely was I stewing for more than a couple seconds on my choices and I still felt very involved throughout the duration and managed to win handily.

But what really stuck out with me about Nations compared to TTA had to do with the military aspects of both games. In TTA, one of the positives and also one of the negatives are the wars that people can launch against each other. They are a necessary and important part of the design to keep play balance and stop runaway leaders but they can also serve to pretty much eliminate someone in hour 4 of 5. In Nations, there are wars and they can definitely damage opponents but they'll never knock you out completely and you can very easily mitigate the risk yourself, at a cost. It's cleverly done and removes the brutality of a nasty game of TTA.

I've only had one play so far but I can see very easily Nations replacing Through The Ages, mainly thanks to game length (under 3 hours with rules last night) and teachability. Okay, it has a bit more randomness and it's not as nasty, but it's more interactive and I'd say a more enjoyable experience.... except when the can of Coke spilled all over the event cards!

I suppose I'll always have my play-by-email TTA....

The cookbook of Catan. (Seriously.)

noreply@blogger.com (__ Eric Martin) — Sat, 11 Jan 2014 01:01:00 +0000

Well, I suppose it was bound to happen. Check out this article about "Wood For Sheep: The Unauthorized Settlers Cookbook" which is filled with tons of Catan inspired recipes.

I wonder if there's a recipe for 'Teuber Tubers'......

Deconstructed hexagonal salad nicoise

Honestly, I'm not really one to judge. I've been wearing my Settlers socks for months now.

(Thanks for the tip, Momo...)

Best Games of 2013 (Eric)

noreply@blogger.com (__ Eric Martin) — Wed, 08 Jan 2014 22:44:00 +0000

Well..... about time I write a blog post, eh? Life kinda got away from me the end of last year - serious operations for our dog and work stress and everything else just made this here bloggy thing a little less of a priority. But from prompting of my co-blogger, Daryl, I think it's time I get back in the swing of things.

So without further ado, since I did still play some stellar games last year, here are some of my favourites which hopefully will receive a review or two in the future (maybe not a top 10 like Daryl, as he tends to play a breadth of games whereas I stick with what I like). I preface my list with the usual warning that I have not played a 10th, a 100th even of the games that were released last year so I don't claim this list to be comprehensive. At all. But I know what I like, and here it is:

Favourite Board Game of 2013 - Relic Runners, designed by Matthew Dunstan

In the past few years, the board game industry and many designers seem to be re-hashing the same old mechanics in a lot of new games with some good and many mediocre results. So when I played Relic Runners for the first time, it felt like a breath of very fresh air. Sure there's a technology track and endgame bonuses and networks to be built but how everything is implemented and fits together feels wholly original and very, very, very developed by Days of Wonder. But what makes the game so good to me is how simply and brilliantly it transforms from movement and exploration in the early and mid-game to a race for the relics in the end game that feels so wholly different but entirely appropriate. For such a simple family strategy game, nothing I've played this year has provided such a thematic and narrative arc to its gameplay.

I could go on and on about the positives of RR (board and tile variation each game, hidden points till the end, long-term strategies, plays in under 60 minutes EVERY TIME!) but perhaps I should save it for a full and glowing review. This may not be my most played game this year but, in my opinion, it is the most well-developed and original strategy game I've seen in the past 12 months. It also happens to have the nicest damn pieces of any game I've seen in years, totally justifying the higher-than-usual price point.

Runners-up:

Cinque Terre, designed by Chris Handy

Anyone who has read this blog previously knows that I enjoy the simple rummy-style card play and hidden goals of Ticket To Ride and the pick-up-and-deliver systems in a game like Age of Steam. Cinque Terre simply and elegantly puts the two together in wonderfully colorful way. Collect fruit cards, trade in for fruits, deliver for points, complete contracts, rinse and repeat. Although there are some quirks that should bug me about this game - action point AP in each turn, hidden contract rules slightly more complicated than they need to be, not too many strategies to explore - they all seem to be minor when balanced against the genuinely enjoyable and mildly puzzle-y gameplay. This has probably been the most played game for us all year because it's fairly easy-to-teach and, well, we all just kept wanting to play it again and again. Also, as a bonus, its scales really well from 2-5. If you enjoy Ticket To Ride as much as I do, this game will be a hit with you.

Palaces of Carrara, designed by Kramer and Kiesling

It was clear to me after the lovely Asara in 2012 that Kramer and Kiesling are kind of an unstoppable duo (Kramer's been going for decades!) Much like Asara, the mechanics in this Euro have all been done before but it still feels totally fresh. Resources are bought, resources become buildings, and buildings score points. Pretty standard stuff. However, allowing people to decide when and what they score, the clever market mechanism, and the variety of endgame cards in the full game (the only way to play) elevate this game to greatness. And while playing, the game is constantly giving you that same feeling that you get when you find that great deal at Ikea. "Start the car. START THE CAR!!!"

Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar, designed by Simone Luciani and Daniele Tascini

This challenging and ingenious worker-placement game may have been a 2012 release but I didn't get my copy till 2013 so I'm counting it. If you haven't seen the clever timing mechanism the gears create, check out my post here for a look. This a tough game to play well that I am utterly terrible at. But I'll always play it and I'll screw up the timing every time. The expansion arrived 2 weeks ago at our place which should add a few, er, "wrenches in the gears" of a game that was already tricky enough. Can't wait to try it.

Rondo, designed by Reiner Knizia

I was too eager to wait for the English edition to come out and asked a good friend pick this Spiel des Jahres-recommended title up for me while he was in Germany. It's a simple, relaxing game that was just perfect for the cottage this past holiday. You collect colored tiles and place them in sequence on numbered spaces to score points. There are a few decisions, mainly whether to play right away or wait and draw more tiles in the hopes of a higher score, but nothing is ever too strenuous. It's lighter than Qwirkle and kind of a perfect game to play in front of the fireplace with some Bailey's in hand.

Targi, designed by Andreas Steiger

I have to admit that I was terribly hungover while playing my first game of Targi at Origins this past summer (there are some great gay bars in Columbus!) I suppose that coloured my initial opinion, despite having destroyed my opponent in the game. On further plays, in a much more conscious healthy state, I realized that this was a great, dense little 2-player game. It's kind of a worker-placement game but with a cool grid-like spatial element that keeps things very tense between the 2 opponents. Fans of Kosmos 2-player games like Lost Cities and Balloon Cup will eat this one up.

Love Letter, designed by Seiji Kanai

This was definitely the darling of many gamers this past year and it's easy to see why. For a game consisting of only 16 cards, this little 5-minute filler of bluff and deduction packs a bit of a punch. Sure it's got a ton of luck but the end of every round always begs for just one more play. And at 6 bucks, this game is a steal especially for the lunchtime gaming crowd. You can check out my review here.

Hanabi, designed by Antoine Bauza

My final choice is an extremely clever cooperative card game, in which players hold their hands away from themselves and need to be given clues from the other players as to what they have. It is a very much an exercise in group-think and communication, but considering it's nearly impossible to actually lose it's amazing how tense this game gets. It's unlike any other cooperative games you may have played as it it doesn't suffer from 'follow the leader' syndrome. A lot of fun with a lot of different groups and a must in every collection.