I've been watching Cosmos lately. Have you seen this show? It's hosted by the poster boy for modern day science, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and takes a big-budget look at our world and the universe as a whole. One specific episode was about black holes and things in the universe well beyond our reach. Dr. Tyson talked about pulsars, event horizons, "dark stars", and just how far a light year actually is. This show piques my interest in an amazing ways and I find myself waiting anxiously for the next episode in the series.
I'll bet you're wondering how I'm going to tie this into a board game review. Well, the common themes here are space ("The Final Frontier"™) and things I can't wait to see again. That's right, I love space and I cannot wait to play Race for the Galaxy again.
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Under Two Reviews #8: Krosmaster Arena by Nicolas Degouy & Édouard Guiton
"Under Two Reviews" is a weekly video series in which we take a look at tabletop games and present them to our readers in under two minutes.
War. War never changes... Two adorable factions enter the arena for battle in this tactical skirmish game. Watch our video and learn how you too can take part in the war.
It'll be quick. I promise.
War. War never changes... Two adorable factions enter the arena for battle in this tactical skirmish game. Watch our video and learn how you too can take part in the war.
It'll be quick. I promise.
Enjoy the video after the jump!
Monday, June 23, 2014
The Shadow Over Westminster, by Robert Huss
On a shadowy evening in London, three cloaked figured
gathered in a hidden Agency to discuss their plans. The Outsider, The Watcher,
and The Illuminati Shadow joined forces to discover, and ultimately defeat, an
unknown Cataclysm sure to poison the world with Evil.
Given no warning, the heroes immediately found Darkness
creeping into the University nearby, unbeknownst to the population of
Westminster, but a sure threat all the same. Unsure how to push back the
roiling wickedness, the trio sought out Cult Activity in the Underground,
seeking clues as to the origins of their plight. After a few horrid hours sneaking silently through the back
alleys of London, the Agents returned to the University to pour over their
findings. As clear as day, the danger facing the city was the result of a Hive
Mind coming to dominate the people of Westminster, then all of the Continent –
then the world.
Though endowed with powers unnatural to normal humans, the
Agents were ultimately incapable of holding back the darkness spreading through
our great city, thanks to the media unwittingly spreading the Hive Mind’s
influence. I’m only allowed to tell you this tale because I gave into the Hive
Mind early – the rest of you weak, struggling humans will be consumed by its
darkness!
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Ghost Stories by Antoine Bauza
oooOOOoooOOOooo |
This is what Antoine Bauza told The Nerd Nighters in an interview. In his Cooperative game Ghost Stories, he's definitely taken the first part of his advice to heart, as Ghost Stories is arguably one of the hardest co-op board games out there. Don't let the difficulty drive you away because, all things considered, it is one of the only pure co-op games that always seems to find its way to the table at my game nights. The challenge adds to the mystique of the game, as the game comes with a score sheet so you can record how close you've come to victory until you finally achieve it.
Friday, June 20, 2014
Dominate 19th Century Commerce with Iron Horses
Iron Horses by Chris Rossetti takes you back into the 19th century when Railroads dominated commerce. Climb aboard any one of Lydon Rail Company’s four railways and race to be the first train to successfully deliver $1,000,000 in resources! Be wary of what lies ahead, as setbacks are bound to happen! Tariffs will slow our delivery, maintenance will stop you in your tracks and hijackers are eager to steal your payload! Fix what you can, deliver the goods and chug along to victory!
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Under Two Reviews #7: Eldritch Horror By Corey Konieczka and Nikki Valens
"Under Two Reviews" is a weekly video series in which we take a look at tabletop games and present them to our readers in under two minutes.
Eldritch Horror from Fantasy Flight Games proves that it's hard to keep a good monster down. Like, really hard. New gates keep spawning. Watch our video and learn a bit about Mythos cards and Encounter decks. It'll be quick. I promise.
Enjoy the video after the jump!
Friday, June 13, 2014
Ticket to Ride, by Alan R. Moon
It’s no secret that Days of Wonder is one of my favorite game
publishers. They put out quality games like clockwork, typically elegant, re-playable,
and beautiful to look at. Ticket to Ride is the epitome of what DoW creates – a
game so simple a six year old could play it, but compelling enough that it’s
the second-best selling hobby board game in the US, and one of a very small
number of games that I see in every single game library I come across.
Ticket to Ride is for everyone. I love maps and numbers, and
TTR has both – but if you love quick turns, little down time, and plenty of
tension, well, it’s got those things too. It’s also beautiful – the board, the
pieces, the cards, all become something wonderful when laid out on a table. This
game feels important. Every time I
pick up the box I’m surprised by how heavy it is, and every time I play it, I’m
surprised again by how much I enjoy it, despite having played 500+ times
before.
If you’re a board game enthusiast, odds are you already own
TTR, or at least have played it enough times to have an opinion. If you don’t
own it, or haven’t played it, put this on the top of your list. It’s among the
three games I ALWAYS recommend to a person starting a new game collection, and
I think it should be federally mandated that the app has to be on every iPad.
If you’re not already convinced, read on!
Labels:
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Xbox
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Under Two Reviews #6: Glass Road by Ewe Rosenberg
"Under Two Reviews" is a weekly video series in which we take a look at tabletop games and present them to our readers in under two minutes.
Glass Road from Z-Man Games proves that looks can be decieving. It's neither as long or complex as the theme and components would lead you to believe. This isn't to say it's simple. It has quite a bit of strategy! Come watch our video and learn all about how building a villiage can be strategic. It'll be quick. I promise.
Enjoy the video after the jump!
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
DFWNN Custom Summoner Wars Deck
JR and I have been discussing creating a Nerd Night faction in Summoner Wars for a while. Custom factions are pretty common in the Summoner Wars community but as this is Nerd Night specific, I figured I would share this here as well. No it isn't a playable deck! I'm sure it's incredibly broken :), but please enjoy.
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Solo Variant Review: Legacy: The Testament of Duke de Crecy by Michiel Hendriks
TLDR: Legacy uses worker placement and card management mechanics to tell the story of a dynasty, and in the solo variant, the story of a dynasty in reverse. More than anything, it tells a story. If you have played "story" games before (such as Gloom) and enjoyed them, then Legacy is probably a game to add to your collection. I know I did!
Labels:
card game,
John Staton,
Legacy,
Michiel Hendriks,
solo variant,
worker placement
Friday, June 6, 2014
Coloretto, by Michael Schacht
1) pleasingly graceful and stylish in
appearance or manner.
2) pleasingly ingenious and simple.
Coloretto is
an elegant game, as much or more than
any other I’ve learned recently. I think of “elegance” as referring to a game I
can learn very easily, but that is enjoyable enough to warrant multiple plays.
An elegant game has a certain feel,
it tickles the senses in a certain way. If you’ve felt that before, you’ll know
exactly what I mean.
Simple and
fun, easy to teach and worth playing multiple times – these are the things that
get my attention when I learn a new game. I’m always looking for things to
bring to the table between long games or with family, and Coloretto fits the bill
perfectly. It’s also a “press your luck” game that doesn’t feel like it’s high-pressure, so it’s a neat way to introduce people
to the idea of making decisions based on the chance of good outcomes without
overwhelming them with numbers or rules.
Labels:
card game,
Coloretto,
JR,
Michael Schacht,
review
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Star Realms, by Rob Dougherty
From the co-founder of Ascension (and a successful professional Magic player, at that) this game is well-designed, easy to teach, and easy to play. I submit Star Realms as a game that should be in your fleet - so read on, space captain!
Labels:
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JR,
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Star Realms
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, by Blizzard Entertainment
Hearthstone is a collectable card game played
entirely online, produced by Blizzard and similar to the World of Warcraft CCG,
but with various features only possible in an online environment. Hearthstone
is free to play on the computer (Mac or PC) or on the iPad, and while you can
pay for things in game, it’s easily possible to be competitive and enjoy the
game without ever spending a penny – I know, I’ve done it!
It’s not as deep or intricate as other CCG’s (like Magic:
the Gathering), and it doesn’t offer the same visceral pleasure of buying and
opening packs at your Friendly Local Game Store, but Hearthstone is a perfect
mix of a compelling game, elegant design, beautiful graphics, and a top-notch
interface that’s redefining online games. I feel about this game like I did
when I saw The Matrix for the first time: “Whoa.” This is something new,
something that’s raised the bar.
If you’ve got an internet connection and a few hours to
burn, go download Hearthstone and give the tutorial a try. It’s
like traveling to Italy or eating some great Thai food… I can explain why it’s great (and I will after the
jump) but to truly understand it, you have to do it for yourself.
(Bonus: I’m posting a short Q&A with Phillip Jenne,
competitive HS player and co-designer of NOVUS, at the end of this review.
Enjoy!)
Labels:
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