tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80172138047069011042024-03-17T22:03:34.059-05:00The Nerds' TableThe Nerd Nighters community, part of DFW Nerd Night, National Nerd Night, and DFWNN, write game reviews, tabletop reviews, miniatures reviews, and card game reviews, and articles addressing issues in tabletop gaming today. Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger194125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017213804706901104.post-88978545697835710242016-11-15T10:48:00.000-06:002016-11-15T10:48:03.573-06:00Doug Doug Goose Caboose, by JR Honeycutt (me)Normally I avoid posting about projects I'm involved in, but <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/173367/doug-doug-goose-caboose" target="_blank">Doug Doug Goose Caboose</a> is a design that I'm incredibly proud of, and that comes from a place of love for the gaming community.<br />
<br />
I've spent 5 years hosting Nerd Night parties in Chicago, Dallas, Fort Worth, and at Gen Con, Metatopia, and BGG.Con. Something I've seen consistently is a tendency for folks to forget the names of the people around them, and in doing so, socially disengage a bit, as it's awkward to ask somebody for their name once you've already heard it. Even though ALL of us forget names, there's still a social stigma that says "you're a bad person if you forget somebody's name after you've been introduced."<br />
<br />
To that point, we use nametags at our Nerd Night events, but that's not always possible at game nights, or in social groups, or at church or work or in a youth group. Doug Doug Goose Caboose is a game designed to reinforce the names of the people in your group in such a way that they'll stick with you much longer than a simple introduction might provide.<br />
<br />
If this sounds interesting, please click the widget below and check out the campaign. If you're interested in the story of how DDGC came to exist, plus muppets explaining how to play, click for more!<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="420" scrolling="no" src="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jgilmour/doug-doug-goose-caboose-a-pocket-sized-ice-breaker/widget/card.html?v=2" width="220"></iframe>
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Two years ago, at my first Unpub in Baltimore, I was enjoying a dinner and game design event when my friend Travis (a talented designer local to Fort Worth) came up to the table and I introduced him to my friends Doug, Cody, and Brian. Through some hilarious misunderstanding, he thought they were all named Doug, and I got "Doug, Doug, Goose" stuck in my head.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDAdJ3cll1jtXpBV4OFlq-G1YJ3kHKalUWlBmH16T8w1lMvmLUuKGq6xlynYNOPcckB7OB7CbtAd0DOlL7ru7AgTCtkPY-YYhugbBtgyLOnx5-djo983-OEzJ7C0TvpkLZnBHS9x2LCBUZ/s1600/ddgc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDAdJ3cll1jtXpBV4OFlq-G1YJ3kHKalUWlBmH16T8w1lMvmLUuKGq6xlynYNOPcckB7OB7CbtAd0DOlL7ru7AgTCtkPY-YYhugbBtgyLOnx5-djo983-OEzJ7C0TvpkLZnBHS9x2LCBUZ/s640/ddgc.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The next night I was playtesting Fantasy Fantasy Baseball with Daryl Andrews (the co-designer of FFB) and Mike Fitzgerald (legendary game designer, responsible for the Mystery Rummy series, Diamonds, Baseball Highlights 2045, and many other games), and I had a flash of inspiration to make the game "Doug, Doug, Goose, Caboose". I designed the game, made up the rules in my head, and played it at the table after we finished feedback on FFB.<br />
<br />
Shockingly, it went incredibly well and everybody wanted to play again. I ran the game that night a few times at the Unpub after party (just a bunch of designers in a hotel ballroom drinking beer and playing games) and it was so well-received that it incited a bidding war for the rights to publish the game.<br />
<br />
To my knowledge, Doug Doug Goose Caboose is the only game to be designed and sold at the same Unpub event, something I'm pretty proud of, even if it is a little ridiculous. I'd love for you to check out the game on Kickstarter, as I believe it's worth being in your collection.<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="270" scrolling="no" src="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jgilmour/doug-doug-goose-caboose-a-pocket-sized-ice-breaker/widget/video.html" width="480"> </iframe>
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017213804706901104.post-79206878391083342622016-10-18T16:25:00.000-05:002016-10-18T16:26:45.447-05:00JR Plays Episode 6 - The Networks, Mexica, Star Realms iOS, and moreThis week I played The Networks, Mexica, more Mechs vs. Minions, a bunch of party games, and jumped back into mobile gaming with the Star Realms iOS app!<br />
<br />
(challenge me on Star Realms, I'm "jayahre")<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="no" height="75" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/288883991&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
Please subscribe through your favorite service:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/jr-plays/id1151563988?mt=2" target="_blank">on iTunes </a><br />
<a href="https://play.google.com/music/listen?t=JR_Plays&u=0&view=/ps/Imc4xhtikqittba22m3nzjz4rbe" target="_blank">on Google Play</a><br />
<a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/blog/5892" target="_blank">on BoardGameGeek</a><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017213804706901104.post-18665898809392910832016-10-09T20:38:00.001-05:002016-10-09T20:42:39.966-05:00JR Plays Episode 5 - Mechs vs. Minions, Charterstone, Kemet, and moreLast week I played <a href="http://na.leagueoflegends.com/en/featured/mechs-vs-minions" target="_blank">Mechs vs. Minions</a>, a campaign-style miniature game from <a href="http://www.riotgames.com/" target="_blank">Riot Games</a>, the makers of League of Legends. Light spoilers, since everything is technically revealed during the campaign, so I cover the tutorial and the first scenario, which is much less than other reviewers have already revealed.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTknJYY9jJl8N8UsoW7lOy_Z94-Wmmzm1UylheQsgkgQ60h4y-cJNU83fdh6IaOHD5rZIsKenUl2JTib8UwiVMeGUMNn1wqZk7qnZQtTivPplgU8D20QDU1lRkPD8FvoG303QhJWCrU-BG/s1600/mvmsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTknJYY9jJl8N8UsoW7lOy_Z94-Wmmzm1UylheQsgkgQ60h4y-cJNU83fdh6IaOHD5rZIsKenUl2JTib8UwiVMeGUMNn1wqZk7qnZQtTivPplgU8D20QDU1lRkPD8FvoG303QhJWCrU-BG/s640/mvmsplash.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I also played through a bit of Charterstone, an upcoming Legacy eurogame from <a href="http://www.twitter.com/jameystegmaier" target="_blank">Jamey Stegmaier</a> and <a href="http://www.stonemaiergames.com/" target="_blank">Stonemaier Games</a> (Scythe, Viticulture, Euphoria), and it was great! I can't talk much about it since it's still in development and nothing is final, but I do give a few thoughts about the general experience.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2hFUscUbISt8X0rY6ae7WZ9Dqex3RVTdCg7w1NVzZSzr_iyAp8w5yP1bY5uJ-M7ZmpgxTexPURWgmVtU2NwxN3C9Hwh3HyoxD3-WWwdGkK4UfCN8xmGyzoSw2QPFtTAMODD0X2e2iOSJr/s1600/Charterstone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2hFUscUbISt8X0rY6ae7WZ9Dqex3RVTdCg7w1NVzZSzr_iyAp8w5yP1bY5uJ-M7ZmpgxTexPURWgmVtU2NwxN3C9Hwh3HyoxD3-WWwdGkK4UfCN8xmGyzoSw2QPFtTAMODD0X2e2iOSJr/s640/Charterstone.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="no" height="75" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/286916460&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/jr-plays/id1151563988?mt=2" target="_blank">Listen on iTunes </a><br />
<a href="https://play.google.com/music/listen?u=0#/ps/Imc4xhtikqittba22m3nzjz4rbe">Listen on Google Play</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017213804706901104.post-73440096385570382202016-09-28T19:12:00.002-05:002016-09-28T19:12:17.307-05:00JR Plays Episode 4 - Secret Hitler, Sushi Go! Party, Stonemaier Games Design Day Last weekend Cody and I packed our bags and headed out to St. Louis for the Stonemaier Games Design Day. We played games with new friends and some folks we hadn't seen since last year's event, and had a great time trying testing our games and seeing what else our friends had.<br />
<br />
We got to try Secret Hitler, a game that's been on my radar since the successful Kickstarter earlier this year, and I am very happy to have had a chance to try it.<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="no" height="75" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/281692276&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe>
<br />
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/jr-plays/id1151563988?mt=2" target="_blank">Listen on iTunes</a><br />
<a href="https://play.google.com/music/m/Dvpl64cvh734zhzn5tkahxwd5i4?t=Episode_4_-_Secret_Hitler_Sushi_Go_Party_Jamaica_and_more-JR_Plays" target="_blank">Listen on Google Play</a><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017213804706901104.post-77826964200915453082016-09-07T20:37:00.000-05:002016-09-07T20:37:02.793-05:00JR Plays - A Podcast of Weekly Game Reviews<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVvS9P2dX7pgcPirgAVXcw58SMjrlGxLNrtfwNT6hIZZNoCHjHb7TmTHRym4JMns2QoOuy57dBxKUXnlypr5rru5UYeqZfIudiq_C5JdzhFqlcf6jyXTzevQUhJYTaVLc3JUU7XbdzFt1C/s1600/BannerImage2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVvS9P2dX7pgcPirgAVXcw58SMjrlGxLNrtfwNT6hIZZNoCHjHb7TmTHRym4JMns2QoOuy57dBxKUXnlypr5rru5UYeqZfIudiq_C5JdzhFqlcf6jyXTzevQUhJYTaVLc3JUU7XbdzFt1C/s320/BannerImage2.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's been increasingly difficult to make time for writing full-length game reviews while managing all my other commitments - Nerd Night events, full-time work as a game designer and developer, spending time with Amy, and doing all the other things that seem to take up my free time. I still play a TON of games (just scroll down and look at the right side of the screen to see the last 20 games I've played), and I still love talking about them - I just have less time to write than I would like.<br />
<br />
With that in mind, I've started a new weekly podcast, aptly named 'JR Plays', in which I'll talk about all the games I've played each week. Sometimes I'll go into detail, and sometimes I'll skim over things that weren't particularly interesting, but I'll definitely have something to say about each of them.<br />
<br />
Please click the link for whichever service you use to listen to podcasts and subscribe. I'd love to keep filling your mind with my thoughts about games, and of course, I really appreciate your taking the time to stop by and lend me your eyes, or ears, or I suppose your fingertips possibly?<br />
<br />
Subscribe to "JR Plays":<br />
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/jr-plays/id1151563988?mt=2" target="_blank">on iTunes</a><br />
<a href="https://goo.gl/app/playmusic?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&isi=691797987&ius=googleplaymusic&link=https://play.google.com/music/m/Imc4xhtikqittba22m3nzjz4rbe?t%3DJR_Plays" target="_blank">on Google Play</a><br />
<a href="https://soundcloud.com/jr-honeycutt" target="_blank">on Soundcloud</a><br />
<a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/jr-honeycutt/jr-plays?refid=stpr" target="_blank">on Stitcher</a><br />
<br />
We'll still be publishing reviews at The Nerds' Table, so don't fret - tune in for more soon!<br />
<br />
JRUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017213804706901104.post-10826626929237633892016-07-26T12:19:00.000-05:002016-07-26T12:20:38.157-05:00Developing SeaFallThe folks at <a href="http://www.plaidhatgames.com/" target="_blank">Plaid Hat Games</a> have been posting a series of articles from <a href="http://www.twitter.com/robdaviau" target="_blank">Rob Daviau</a> about <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/148261/seafall" target="_blank">SeaFall</a>, his legacy game that's set to release at Gen Con. I had the awesome opportunity to develop the game with Rob, and <a href="http://www.plaidhatgames.com/news/727" target="_blank">wrote an article for Plaid Hat talking about the experience.</a><br />
<br />
I also wrote about <a href="http://www.leagueofgamemakers.com/five-things-i-learned-while-developing-seafall/" target="_blank">what I learned in developing SeaFall</a> for the League of Gamemakers, a game design community I contribute to.<br />
<br />
If you haven't already, <a href="http://www.plaidhatgames.com/store/5476" target="_blank">check out SeaFall at the Plaid Hat Games website</a>, and consider pre-ordering it - you'll want those sweet metal coins that come with the pre-order!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuFWmLmeBdME66cmG6qtxZZ_LKORcnprJvf0PCYM01nzSVnTE26MrHXrOT3M_SjW14HLpAsncCkjb4PMmwb197_4KRYaKb-o8vpygAPFnTr-OWOBuZo4PmRAtZbElVLtglYYOfdKp7_2Po/s1600/seafallcover.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuFWmLmeBdME66cmG6qtxZZ_LKORcnprJvf0PCYM01nzSVnTE26MrHXrOT3M_SjW14HLpAsncCkjb4PMmwb197_4KRYaKb-o8vpygAPFnTr-OWOBuZo4PmRAtZbElVLtglYYOfdKp7_2Po/s640/seafallcover.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
--<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">JR Honeycutt is a full-time husband and game-player, and co-host of </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/dfwnnpodcast/live" style="background-color: white; color: #771100; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The Nerd Nighters</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">. He makes games for <a href="http://www.artana.com/" target="_blank">Artana</a>, and also writes games with the <a href="http://www.leagueofgamemakers.com/" target="_blank">League of Gamemakers</a>. You can find him on Twitter at </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/jayahre" style="background-color: white; color: #771100; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@JayAhre</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> or at a </span><a href="http://www.dfwnn.org/stores" style="background-color: white; color: #771100; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Friendly Local Game Store</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas.</span><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017213804706901104.post-67595911020384070372016-07-24T23:55:00.002-05:002016-07-25T13:52:04.525-05:00Mega Civ, For the Eighth TimeWhen I picked up my copy of <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/184424/mega-civilization" target="_blank">Mega Civilization</a> at BGG.Con last fall, Nate told me I'd never actually get to play it. Surely, he said, a game for 18 players that takes 12-20 hours isn't something I'll be able to get to the table more than once in a lifetime - and not just because the box weighs more than 20 pounds! I told Nate I'd play it 10 times before BGG.Con the next year.<br />
<br />
Fast forward 8 months and I've now played it 8 times, including live-streamed sessions at Plaid Hat Games and Gen Con's headquarters in Seattle. This game brings people together like few I've seen - I've got friends who've travelled from Connecticut, North Carolina, Chicago, Houston, Oklahoma, and Colorado just for a chance to spend the day playing an amped-up version of a game from more than 30 years ago.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgARJZkP7oUXEU4in0PSgEhctR_81jpte4chqkeANG_6Gs5ycMeeXlfzCSntpjDROy8EKDX0ECHq69_wOHTVcKyThFIdRoc9h-28rI5M1IzWJvB_e-4QTNBl7eTfubn4wavBe7izNfVfr8a/s1600/MegaCivEndBoard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgARJZkP7oUXEU4in0PSgEhctR_81jpte4chqkeANG_6Gs5ycMeeXlfzCSntpjDROy8EKDX0ECHq69_wOHTVcKyThFIdRoc9h-28rI5M1IzWJvB_e-4QTNBl7eTfubn4wavBe7izNfVfr8a/s640/MegaCivEndBoard.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our map at the end of the game. Maurya and Dravidia not used in the game.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I played again last night at <a href="http://www.staycollected.com/" target="_blank">Collected Comics in Keller, TX</a>, this time in a 16-player game that took about 15 hours to finish (Basic AST). I played as Minoa and won after three tiebreakers, 147-147. It's the most fun I've had playing the game so far.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Mega Civilization is magical, most of all for the experience it engenders, one that has nothing to do with the actual gameplay. As Foxtrot Games' <a href="http://www.twitter.com/randyhoyt" target="_blank">Randy Hoyt</a> mentioned last night after playing as Iberia, a game this long flips a lot of commonly held design beliefs on their heads. Downtime? To be embraced, not avoided. Fiddly bits? Enhances the experience, and being extra careful with them lends to the special feeling of the game.<br />
<br />
He noted that when we go watch sports, especially baseball, the downtime we experience in between action is an enhancement, since it gives us time to relax and enjoy the experience, to talk with our friends, to take in the environment. Mega Civ is like that, only with backstabbing and frantic trading to get rid of the calamity cards that will doom your civilization for a turn or two.<br />
<br />
I'm still new to the game - after all, eight plays isn't that many - but I've done it enough to feel changes in my consideration of the game. I think I like it alright as a game, and it certainly has its flaws, but as an experience it's intimate and complicated and immersive, something not easily replicated. I think everyone who enjoys games should try once it if they can.<br />
<br />
<b>Game Recap</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
After some last-minute player shuffling I stepped in to play as Minoa, arguably the toughest civ to play. They start on a two-spaces-wide island, with population limits of 2 and 3, which means I'm the only player in the game who has to build a boat (which costs 2 tokens) in the first few turns of the game. I hadn't played as Minoa before, but I've watched them closely in previous games and thought I saw some chances to take advantage of their unique start.<br />
<br />
First, because Minoa starts on an island and mostly exists on islands in and around the Aegean Sea, I figured that if I could build cities on those islands, far from the contested land-borders of my neighbors, they might be at significantly less risk from random, capricious attacks. With the exception of a mid-game run from Carthage, who temporarily conquered Athens, this was proven correct and was a big advantage for me.<br />
<br />
Second, Minoa's position provides extreme flexibility as a staging ground for moving quickly to attack Rome, Hellas, Hatti, Assyria, Egypt, Carthage, and Iberia. I didn't put this to the test during most of my game, but the ability to quickly move units into Hatti on the second-to-last turn of the game is a big reason why I was able to win. When neighbors attempt to build a city (stacking 6 tokens to do it), it gives me a chance to foil those plans with only 2 units of my own. I could have done this much more if I'd focused more on manipulating turn order in movement.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWqa6hoRu6lH7O12FDi-dcUL_le2wUf5zWHDhBegAL7QX95DIIA2S2qlxlaGPlVj3GfF2kFxzt7XKPBzCevmTGq-EKwD2joTaQnNtKjLvUjdZpBHN3F0zX4Xu9IF6b-Usxzt7soYLxykv8/s1600/MinoaLands.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWqa6hoRu6lH7O12FDi-dcUL_le2wUf5zWHDhBegAL7QX95DIIA2S2qlxlaGPlVj3GfF2kFxzt7XKPBzCevmTGq-EKwD2joTaQnNtKjLvUjdZpBHN3F0zX4Xu9IF6b-Usxzt7soYLxykv8/s640/MinoaLands.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is where most of my time was spent - staring at the Aegean Sea</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On that topic, I think Military might be one of the most important technologies for the Minoans, right after Agriculture (so Greece can be fertile enough to support cities) and the Clothmaking/Astronavigation combination (so ships can sail all over the Mediterranean). Having Military would have given me the ability to hamper 5-6 other players, so that they would have to negotiate with me rigorously to "allow" them to build cities within range of my ships. I can't wait to try this again.<br />
<br />
This was the first game where I saw players acquire and use Provincial Empire (props to Devon for being the first!), which forces up to 5 neighboring players to give you one of their precious trade cards every round. It's powerful, and in combination with Politics (players can't attack your cities) and Cultural Ascendency (players can't attack any of your units) it's a real powerhouse. That's what Brian did in playing Hatti, and he eventually tied me for first place after a super impressive comeback over the last five turns.<br />
<br />
There's early pressure on Minoa to spend tokens on boats, so it's harder to build cities quickly and get the trade cards early in the game that come with them. I ceded that difficulty early on and instead focused on taking my time to reach the Basic AST requirement of 2 cities, and tried to spread out early and claim as much land as possible. The net result was that I had no problem with territory borders for most of the game, which was really nice - it would have been a larger problem if I'd hampered myself on turn 3/4 building cities.<br />
<br />
As usual, I had good trading rounds early on, and was able to buy Trade Empire (Can use a trade card as a "wild" in making other sets, once per round) in round 7. It allowed me crazy flexibility for the rest of the game. I've heard other players say it's broken, and I'm definitely sure it's very powerful, but after feeling the wrath of Provincial Empire and Cultural Ascendency, I'm less inclined to say that it should be house-ruled.<br />
<br />
I am a little disappointed with myself for going "orange" (the color of Trade Empire and other absolutely necessary techs like Agriculture and Metalworking). I've taken the orange route (buy all the orange techs, get huge discounts, trade like crazy) in each game that I've played so far. Next game I'm going to focus on Military and Politics and see if I can't make something of that combination.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixJAJmBgUgJBxInoZxrPy3sYUsTCQu3wunJ1iW5IrZ1gz1nYC0fRZPaUYQQUUVGdSIL8Sd2GzwkCrt62yDj_VZiNbEaHZ2CAajCBGZie9yuo-dqYRtHJ-rYQCYTY_zws76tRwQOuhaFe4e/s1600/MegaCivScores.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixJAJmBgUgJBxInoZxrPy3sYUsTCQu3wunJ1iW5IrZ1gz1nYC0fRZPaUYQQUUVGdSIL8Sd2GzwkCrt62yDj_VZiNbEaHZ2CAajCBGZie9yuo-dqYRtHJ-rYQCYTY_zws76tRwQOuhaFe4e/s400/MegaCivScores.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final scores</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Brian and I tied for the victory at the end of the game, and I won by third tiebreaker. It was incredibly close - one more city for him, or one fewer for me, and he would have won the game. We worked together on turn 12 to bring Ace down (playing Hellas, our neighbor in a Aegean triangle) by attacking two of his cities, knocking him down a peg in trading and in space on the map. That combined with a Treachery calamity a few turns later, relegated Ace to playing for fourth place (against Jason as Babylon and Devon as Assyria), since John (playing Kushan) was cozy in his corner of the map with peaceful neighbors.<br />
<br />
I'd never executed a planned attack like that, and I found it to be really refreshing. Brian and I were plotting in a corner of the room against Ace, and I made eye contact from across the room and asked him to come over, hoping to trick him into a double-down where we got him to commit resources to acting against another of our neighbors, only to have us then move in and strike him.<br />
<br />
As it turned out, he read our minds and tried to defend himself, but it wasn't enough and our double-attack ended his chances for victory, while propping both of us up in a head-to-head competition for the win. For most of the game Brian and I were happy trading partners, but when I used 8 units to wreck 4 of his prospective cities two turns later, the game became a cold war along our mutual border. It was tense, it was close, and it was the most interesting game of Mega Civ I've played so far.<br />
<br />
<b>Teaching Recap</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I've developed a system of teaching Mega Civ to new players that involves teaching only the rules they need to know each turn to take their actions that turn. Since the game starts with every player only having one unit on the board, it's easy to explain how that unit becomes two (leaving birds and bees aside), and how they're allowed to move that unit one space. Next comes explaining building boats and cities, then how to tax, what trade cards are for, and eventually combat and how to acquire technologies and resolve calamities. It's a smooth system of teaching that I've had a lot of success with - I've taught more than 50 people how to play the game now.<br />
<br />
I have observed, though, that players tend to be passive in their first games, or when they're aggressive, it's not focused or purposeful, it's just a bit wild and chaotic. They're usually worried about upsetting their neighbors, or don't perceive the long-term benefit of claiming extra territory, or buy in too much to the idea that 100% peace will make the game easier for them.<br />
<br />
It certainly makes the game more predictable, but of course the predictable outcome is that they won't do as well as they could have if they'd been willing to strike when opportunity presented. To offset some of this, I asked players to close their eyes and imagine themselves the leaders of tens of thousands of people who were relying on them to eat, to live, to prosper. I wanted players to feel more responsibility for their own success, and more motivation to do well in the game at any cost instead of trying to appease their neighbors and avoid conflict. I'm not sure if it helped at all, but I think our players had a good time, and that's what counts.<br />
<br />
Twice during the game, a player was negatively affected in a way that should have been prevented by an advancement card they owned - once, a player who had Military failed to move last, and the other time a player lost a city to pirates without mentioning that she had Naval Warfare.<br />
<br />
It's tough in those situations, because as a teacher and game master I want to be able to pull the game back and let them fix the problem, but in a game where 16 players each have 5-20 advancements, there's just no way for me to keep track of every exception to every rule. I need to do a much better job preparing players to recognize and announce their own advantages, because it's their responsibility to do so.<br />
<br />
<b>Observations</b><br />
<br />
It's an interesting thing about Mega Civilization that a 15-hour game can feel too short. It's happened in every game I've played - by the time I'm using interesting powers and really putting heat on my opponents and creating interesting situations, the game is close to an end. I think I'm generally getting better at the game, and as a result taking more risks and throwing myself into more interesting situations.<br />
<br />
I'm running a lot of Mega Civ games locally because I want to "train" my friends to get good at the game, so that some day I can run an 18-player game where everybody has played before, and is good enough to really push the game to its limits and create a dynamic, interesting experience for everyone.<br />
<br />
There were a few things in this game that happened to me directly that I was really proud of, because players were taking their own risks and having a strong effect on the game. Liz's surprise attack of Athens from Carthage threw a huge wrench in my game, as did Devon's claiming Provincial Empire (shocking, because it's such an aggressive strategy, and he's generally such a friendly player), and of course, Brian coming from behind and tying my score at the end, through a completely different and super interesting group of technologies.<br />
<br />
As always, I had a great time, and I can't wait to play the game again next Tuesday with all my friends at Gen Con!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF_i7CvIBTSgEufrBsCMRoR7-wiJIu-COcZnQvvPHFWbfUzGciXFCkSBnACg5FI9ABkzLEZJP4tJGmhExixWvCxfJpbUuPvW-45GaaxMfMFfre6d3Lp8FTdkHvxOhxoO1EdKr7x01kRLN0/s1600/MegaCivEnd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF_i7CvIBTSgEufrBsCMRoR7-wiJIu-COcZnQvvPHFWbfUzGciXFCkSBnACg5FI9ABkzLEZJP4tJGmhExixWvCxfJpbUuPvW-45GaaxMfMFfre6d3Lp8FTdkHvxOhxoO1EdKr7x01kRLN0/s640/MegaCivEnd.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First time finishing a game with the same number of players who started! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Afterthought: I realized in looking at this picture that we seem like a young group of players. I looked through my player list and realized the average age of our players was 30, with the youngest player being 19 and the oldest player being 42. The original Civilization board game came out 35 years ago (1981) - that means all but two of my players weren't born yet when the game was released, and that's something special.<br />
<br />
It says something about the growing tabletop hobby and the incredible design of this game that I can get "new" gamers to come to the table for a marathon session, and to have them unanimously wanting to play again immediately afterward!<br />
<br />
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" dir="ltr" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: 1px solid #ccc; font-family: arial,sans,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; table-layout: fixed;"><colgroup><col width="100"></col><col width="100"></col><col width="100"></col><col width="160"></col><col width="100"></col><col width="100"></col><col width="100"></col><col width="100"></col></colgroup><tbody>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"AST #"}" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">AST #</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Civilization"}" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Civilization</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"E/W"}" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">E/W</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Player"}" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Player</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Game #"}" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Game #</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Score"}" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Score</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Place"}" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Place</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Rounds Played"}" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Rounds Played</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1}" style="background-color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">1</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Minoa"}" style="background-color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Minoa</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"W"}" style="background-color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">W</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"JR"}" style="background-color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">JR</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":8}" style="background-color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">8</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":147}" style="background-color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">147</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1}" style="background-color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">1</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":15}" style="background-color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">15</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":9}" style="background-color: #c27ba0; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">9</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Hatti"}" style="background-color: #c27ba0; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Hatti</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"W"}" style="background-color: #c27ba0; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">W</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Brian"}" style="background-color: #c27ba0; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Brian</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2}" style="background-color: #c27ba0; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">2</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":147}" style="background-color: #c27ba0; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">147</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2}" style="background-color: #c27ba0; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">2</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":15}" style="background-color: #c27ba0; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">15</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":10}" style="background-color: #a61c00; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">10</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Kushan"}" style="background-color: #a61c00; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Kushan</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"E"}" style="background-color: #a61c00; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">E</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"John"}" style="background-color: #a61c00; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">John</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":3}" style="background-color: #a61c00; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">3</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":129}" style="background-color: #a61c00; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">129</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":3}" style="background-color: #a61c00; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">3</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":15}" style="background-color: #a61c00; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">15</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":15}" style="background-color: yellow; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">15</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Hellas"}" style="background-color: yellow; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Hellas</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"W"}" style="background-color: yellow; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">W</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"ACE"}" style="background-color: yellow; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">ACE</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":5}" style="background-color: yellow; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">5</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":108}" style="background-color: yellow; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">108</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":4}" style="background-color: yellow; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">4</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":15}" style="background-color: yellow; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">15</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":6}" style="background-color: #b7b7b7; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">6</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Babylon"}" style="background-color: #b7b7b7; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Babylon</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"E"}" style="background-color: #b7b7b7; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">E</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Jason"}" style="background-color: #b7b7b7; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Jason</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1}" style="background-color: #b7b7b7; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">1</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":105}" style="background-color: #b7b7b7; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">105</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":5}" style="background-color: #b7b7b7; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">5</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":15}" style="background-color: #b7b7b7; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">15</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":3}" style="background-color: #6d9eeb; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">3</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Assyria"}" style="background-color: #6d9eeb; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Assyria</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"E"}" style="background-color: #6d9eeb; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">E</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Devon"}" style="background-color: #6d9eeb; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Devon</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":4}" style="background-color: #6d9eeb; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">4</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":103}" style="background-color: #6d9eeb; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">103</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":6}" style="background-color: #6d9eeb; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">6</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":15}" style="background-color: #6d9eeb; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">15</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":18}" style="background-color: #6aa84f; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">18</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Parthia"}" style="background-color: #6aa84f; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Parthia</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"E"}" style="background-color: #6aa84f; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">E</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"James"}" style="background-color: #6aa84f; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">James</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":4}" style="background-color: #6aa84f; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">4</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":98}" style="background-color: #6aa84f; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">98</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":7}" style="background-color: #6aa84f; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">7</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":15}" style="background-color: #6aa84f; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">15</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":7}" style="background-color: #ff9900; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">7</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Carthage"}" style="background-color: #ff9900; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Carthage</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"W"}" style="background-color: #ff9900; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">W</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Liz"}" style="background-color: #ff9900; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Liz</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1}" style="background-color: #ff9900; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">1</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":89}" style="background-color: #ff9900; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">89</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":8}" style="background-color: #ff9900; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">8</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":15}" style="background-color: #ff9900; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">15</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":16}" style="background-color: #274e13; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">16</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Indus"}" style="background-color: #274e13; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Indus</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"E"}" style="background-color: #274e13; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">E</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Nolan"}" style="background-color: #274e13; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Nolan</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1}" style="background-color: #274e13; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">1</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":89}" style="background-color: #274e13; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">89</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":9}" style="background-color: #274e13; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">9</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":15}" style="background-color: #274e13; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">15</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":12}" style="background-color: #a64d79; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">12</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Persia"}" style="background-color: #a64d79; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Persia</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"E"}" style="background-color: #a64d79; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">E</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Michelle"}" style="background-color: #a64d79; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Michelle</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1}" style="background-color: #a64d79; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">1</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":85}" style="background-color: #a64d79; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">85</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":10}" style="background-color: #a64d79; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">10</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":15}" style="background-color: #a64d79; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">15</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":5}" style="background-color: #38761d; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">5</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Celt"}" style="background-color: #38761d; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Celt</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"W"}" style="background-color: #38761d; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">W</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Jeremy"}" style="background-color: #38761d; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Jeremy</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2}" style="background-color: #38761d; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">1</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":85}" style="background-color: #38761d; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">85</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":11}" style="background-color: #38761d; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">11</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":15}" style="background-color: #38761d; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">15</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":13}" style="background-color: #efefef; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">13</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Iberia"}" style="background-color: #efefef; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Iberia</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"W"}" style="background-color: #efefef; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">W</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Randy"}" style="background-color: #efefef; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Randy</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1}" style="background-color: #efefef; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">1</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":83}" style="background-color: #efefef; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">83</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":12}" style="background-color: #efefef; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">12</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":15}" style="background-color: #efefef; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">15</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":11}" style="background-color: magenta; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">11</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Rome"}" style="background-color: magenta; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Rome</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"W"}" style="background-color: magenta; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">W</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Colby"}" style="background-color: magenta; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Colby</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1}" style="background-color: magenta; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">1</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":78}" style="background-color: magenta; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">78</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":13}" style="background-color: magenta; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">13</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":15}" style="background-color: magenta; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">15</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2}" style="background-color: #f9cb9c; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">2</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Saba"}" style="background-color: #f9cb9c; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Saba</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"E"}" style="background-color: #f9cb9c; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">E</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Kristyn"}" style="background-color: #f9cb9c; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Kristyn</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1}" style="background-color: #f9cb9c; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">1</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":69}" style="background-color: #f9cb9c; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">69</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":14}" style="background-color: #f9cb9c; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">14</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":15}" style="background-color: #f9cb9c; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">15</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":14}" style="background-color: #c9daf8; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">14</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Nubia"}" style="background-color: #c9daf8; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Nubia</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"E"}" style="background-color: #c9daf8; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">E</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Ty"}" style="background-color: #c9daf8; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Ty</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1}" style="background-color: #c9daf8; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">1</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":68}" style="background-color: #c9daf8; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">68</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":15}" style="background-color: #c9daf8; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">15</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":15}" style="background-color: #c9daf8; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">15</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":17}" style="background-color: #b45f06; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">17</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Egypt"}" style="background-color: #b45f06; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Egypt</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"W"}" style="background-color: #b45f06; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">W</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Stephanie"}" style="background-color: #b45f06; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Stephanie</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1}" style="background-color: #b45f06; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">1</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":65}" style="background-color: #b45f06; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">65</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":16}" style="background-color: #b45f06; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">16</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":15}" style="background-color: #b45f06; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">15</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":8}" style="background-color: #674ea7; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">8</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Dravidia"}" style="background-color: #674ea7; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Dravidia</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"E"}" style="background-color: #674ea7; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">E</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"OUT OF GAME"}" style="background-color: #674ea7; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">OUT OF GAME</td><td style="background-color: #674ea7; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="background-color: #674ea7; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="background-color: #674ea7; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="background-color: #674ea7; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":4}" style="background-color: #990000; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">4</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Maurya"}" style="background-color: #990000; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">Maurya</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"E"}" style="background-color: #990000; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">E</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"OUT OF GAME"}" style="background-color: #990000; font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; vertical-align: bottom;">OUT OF GAME</td><td style="background-color: #990000; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="background-color: #990000; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="background-color: #990000; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="background-color: #990000; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<a href="http://nerdstable.blogspot.com/2015/12/megaciv.html" target="_blank">Read my previous recap of another 18-player Mega Civilization game</a><br />
<br />
--<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">JR Honeycutt is a full-time husband and game-player, and co-host of </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/dfwnnpodcast/live" style="background-color: white; color: #771100; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The Nerd Nighters</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">. You can find him on Twitter at </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/jayahre" style="background-color: white; color: #771100; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@JayAhre</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> or at a </span><a href="http://www.dfwnn.org/stores" style="background-color: white; color: #771100; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Friendly Local Game Store</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017213804706901104.post-35489553244575548972016-05-28T13:35:00.000-05:002016-05-28T14:05:18.762-05:00Thoughts After Playing the SdJ Nominees at BGG Spring<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMrFmMqpxQvykVOkxTh9QzT0SX9-EHfuxkCfyR8rfEBlOu8r4VTSSkqMKki7KfTa-BqN8UUw6MHLRQTpmwQXG9d23UIVe3q7W9KMgjIjQxtsKpTQcEtsDo2loYv3hihlkvfZ2n2MBsLw2z/s1600/spiel.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMrFmMqpxQvykVOkxTh9QzT0SX9-EHfuxkCfyR8rfEBlOu8r4VTSSkqMKki7KfTa-BqN8UUw6MHLRQTpmwQXG9d23UIVe3q7W9KMgjIjQxtsKpTQcEtsDo2loYv3hihlkvfZ2n2MBsLw2z/s640/spiel.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Each year, a jury of German-speaking board game critics evaluates dozens (maybe hundreds?) of board games and produces a list of nominees for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiel_des_Jahres" target="_blank">Spiel des Jahres</a> (German for "Game of the Year") award, widely considered to be the most prestigious award in the board gaming world. For nearly 40 years this award has shaped public opinion of board games in Germany and abroad, and over the years two other categories have been added: Kennerspiel des Jahres (Enthusiast Game of the Year), and Kinderspiel (Children's Game of the Year).<br />
<br />
As a burgeoning hobbyist swept up in the excitement and pomp of these awards, I've tried before to evaluate the list on our YouTube show and in print. It's our hobby's version of the Oscars - I just wish the award ceremony were televised! - and, along with the Origins awards and the Dice Tower awards, forms a triumvirate of accolades that I find deeply interesting.<br />
<br />
Unlike other awards, the process for deciding the winners of the Spiel des Jahres involves no industry professionals. It's required that jury members be in no way connected to the board gaming industry, and as a consequence their nominations are often surprising. They're also restricted to only those games available in print in Germany (the motherland of our treasured hobby), so often games that are popular in the US aren't eligible yet, or at all.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/" target="_blank">BoardGameGeek</a>, the hobbyist's source for all board gaming information, has in recent years hosted the Spiel des Jahres leaders at a local convention, BGG Spring, and provided a special section of the convention for all of the nominated games. The visiting SdJ folks take the time to teach these games to con-goers, allowing us the chance to experience the games that our German counterparts found to be the best of the year in the various categories.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiel_des_Jahres" target="_blank">For a full list of past nominees and winners, click here.</a><br />
<br />
I played the nominated games at BGG Spring - continue reading for my thoughts!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<b>Kinderspiel (Children's Game of the Year) Nominees: </b><br />
<br />
<b><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/191538/leo" target="_blank">Leo Goes to the Barber:</a> </b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh7sVtw2cJJSMfZgGCajmJLdfiBiH8gkUtACtPaFhX0H_AnsolpNQmGGnzAsUaD7dUFV2lkd8u5Y8IGRSV0OfFgHoiLnrdgw0mWbUc_ZM3pSW6EP8mZri-JZW0dFxrrFFE2Na8lwf61OKo/s1600/leo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh7sVtw2cJJSMfZgGCajmJLdfiBiH8gkUtACtPaFhX0H_AnsolpNQmGGnzAsUaD7dUFV2lkd8u5Y8IGRSV0OfFgHoiLnrdgw0mWbUc_ZM3pSW6EP8mZri-JZW0dFxrrFFE2Na8lwf61OKo/s320/leo.jpg" width="222" /></a>Described by the jury member who taught us, Leo Goes to the Barber is "T.I.M.E Stories for Kids", and it certainly felt that way. Leo, our dashing lion (whose brain seems to be split in twain, ala <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2096673/" target="_blank">Inside Out</a>) has 5 days to make it through the jungle and get to Bobo, the simian barber.<br />
<br />
At the start of each day, players are dealt cards from a deck of 20, each with a number and a color. On each turn, the player plays a card and moves Leo forward a number of spaces towards the barber. Each space is a face-down jungle tile, and there are about 35 tiles in play. The cards are numbered 1-4, of five different colors. When Leo lands on a tile, he stops to chat with the animal there (occasionally a lioness - and though Leo hasn't had his haircut yet, he's still perfectly willing to chat it up with <a href="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2014-08/1/3/enhanced/webdr08/enhanced-10732-1406878045-1.jpg" target="_blank">Nala</a>!) and takes up some amount of time. The only way to avoid this is to match the color of the card played with the color of the animal on that tile - which means remembering where the tiles are in each new game.<br />
<br />
The game comes with a delightful clock with one spinning hand - Leo starts his trek at 8am, and if the clock gets to 8pm before he gets to the barber, he adds some hair to his mane (again, a wonderful little five-piece puzzle of a lion's head, complete with mane). If Leo's hair remains intact, the group has to try again, shuffling and re-dealing the cards to the players and flipping all the tiles face-down again. After five tries, if the group hasn't delivered Leo to the barber, they lose the game.<br />
<br />
This was our group's favorite of the three kids' games, partially because the memory aspect was fun when shared with a group, and also because the animals were adorable and who can't sympathize with a guy just trying to get his hair cut on a busy day?<br />
<br />
<b><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/172507/mmm" target="_blank">Mmm!:</a> </b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxD1UL1tMzHMJHo_JMtk6w-rTik8i_ytzHQF9qFbGZDCmUO8mW1lL7FKLPvBIQOIK1adMWe9gRpMVvsCiFRr93jANO-cMulVW0B5Cfdlv2C9dVKAQ9k3gWtWLHlHkyrlMvid_lDSLvA3Lk/s1600/Mmm%2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxD1UL1tMzHMJHo_JMtk6w-rTik8i_ytzHQF9qFbGZDCmUO8mW1lL7FKLPvBIQOIK1adMWe9gRpMVvsCiFRr93jANO-cMulVW0B5Cfdlv2C9dVKAQ9k3gWtWLHlHkyrlMvid_lDSLvA3Lk/s320/Mmm%2521.jpg" width="221" /></a>Mmm! is another cooperative game, this time asking the players to roll dice and steal food before a black cat creeps its way into the kitchen and catches us. It's a Bohnanza-esque game of push-your-luck dice-rolling and strategic token-placing. Each turn, the active player must roll three dice and choose matching food items on the board to "steal" (cover up with a mouse token), hopefully covering up the entire food item so that the cat won't creep closer.<br />
<br />
Unlike Leo, Mmm! is a cooperative game where players have no hidden information (the hand of cards) and share the exact same decisions, so it's really a one-player board game that multiple people can play. I found the art a little jarring and the game play linear and deeply uninteresting, even though we were playing the advanced variant, which forced us to only play tokens in certain alignments and restricted our choices as the game progressed.<br />
<br />
I've got a history of being hit-or-miss on Reiner's games, and this one is definitely a miss. Other than "matching a die result to a space on the board", I'm not sure what skills this is intended to teach children. Also, the art in the game is a little too realistically anthropomorphic for me to get any sense of escapist enjoyment from it. This one wasn't particularly fun or interesting, and it's not something I think I would enjoy playing with kids.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/191004/my-first-stone-age" target="_blank">My First Stone Age: </a></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwfy2upOvpmPA9PPE89Th-1hs-QI-n8sEBU_H_2ekAHhhJ9hL5g0vITXiMTZGZHUMZlj3_cP8seqUufcT9W80pS3rtA6nVuumplz9bkbmqVE_rCE4tHORWW7r4uJDTmAYoSb0lh5oxT9YQ/s1600/my+first+stone+age.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwfy2upOvpmPA9PPE89Th-1hs-QI-n8sEBU_H_2ekAHhhJ9hL5g0vITXiMTZGZHUMZlj3_cP8seqUufcT9W80pS3rtA6nVuumplz9bkbmqVE_rCE4tHORWW7r4uJDTmAYoSb0lh5oxT9YQ/s320/my+first+stone+age.jpg" width="232" /></a>Stone Age, the adult version, is a well-loved gateway worker-placement game in which players compete to expand their families, gather resources, and score points by building huts to expand their tribes. It's an easy-to-learn, fun-to-play game for new and experienced game players alike, and rightfully is recommended often to new entrants to our hobby. For all these reasons and more, our group was really excited to try My First Stone Age, an implementation of the game specifically designed to play with kids.<br />
<br />
The game looks fantastic on the table. There's a circular track with big wooden resources (pots, fish, arrowheads, mammoth tusks, etc) laid out in their individual spaces, with oversized wooden player meeples and thick cardboard huts with resource costs printed on them. Players have a standing contraption that is meant to hold the huts they build, and the first player to build three is the winner.<br />
<br />
The game starts with 14 tokens placed face-down around the game board. Some of these correspond to the various spaces on the board (gather resources, take a dog token, trade in the market, build a hut) and some have 1-6 dice pips on them, which simply move a player that many spaces around the board. Each turn, the active player picks a token, flips it face up, and moves directly to the spot on the token. When the "build a hut" token is revealed, that player gets a chance to build a hut, then flips all the tokens face-down and can swap any two. Play continues with the next player, until somebody wins the game.<br />
<br />
This all sounds simple, and surely 14 tokens isn't so many that you'd easily lose track of where the one building token or the one mammoth tusk you need to finish a building is... but it happens. I LOVE memory games, and used to routinely do the kinds of party tricks that involve looking through a deck of cards, then naming all of them in order with my eyes closed. And yet, I lost track of the building token and almost lost the game because of it.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.twitter.com/chrisbryangames" target="_blank">Chris Bryan</a>, Board with Life celebrity and one of the guys in our 4-person group that played all these games together, opined afterwards that for kids, using memory in this way is basically the same as a random draw. I suppose the assumption is that kids probably won't remember all of what's going on, but the challenge of remembering one of two things is enough that it makes them feel challenged and clever at the same time.<br />
<br />
There's a lot to love about this game, and I would happily introduce it to my cousins or friends with kids. The memory aspects were a little harsh for adults, but for kids who didn't expect themselves to remember everything and then get deeply disappointed when they didn't, I imagine every turn would be a surprise and winning would feel really good. Plus, the component quality is fantastic and just looking at the board is fun. The pieces are also delightful!<br />
<br />
<b>My pick: Leo Goes to the Barber</b><br />
This is the first time I've critically evaluated kids' games, and it's very clear that the German jury placed a premium on games that encourage memory and problem-solving, as well as component quality. Each of the games had the customary bright colors, cartoon-y art, and graphic simplicity, but some of the choices were surprisingly deep. <br />
<br />
For instance, My First Stone Age made our table of adult players particularly disgruntled, mostly due to the memory requirements of the game - a sign that we're getting addled in our old age! However, when presented with similar memory requirements in Leo Goes to the Barber, we enjoyed them quite a bit, as the cooperative play meant that we could "share the load" of memorizing the tiles on the board.<br />
<br />
Of the two, I enjoyed Leo more, because the cooperative play created a shared experience that was really fun, and the fact that we each had a private hand of cards meant that alpha-gaming wasn't really a problem.<br />
<br />
Previous three winners: <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/171129/spinderella" target="_blank">Spinderella</a>, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/146312/ghost-fightin-treasure-hunters" target="_blank">Ghost Fightin' Treasure Hunters</a>, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/130792/enchanted-tower" target="_blank">The Enchanted Tower</a></span><br />
<br />
<b>Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) Nominees: </b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/191862/imhotep" target="_blank">Imhotep:</a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-bKU8plaSsBg1wyz6iBVrqY4EAfoFwhz_ecMgFJB7MzMvDxpXT4jIXEIKUve-0fgWHdiB_X-QkfMl-l-Nm6kdi5M9HLzUGI4KPiugLVpiTtBJeDPOODPEyFHxL_Wxy-_9SQ0rPK9YAuNi/s1600/imhotep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-bKU8plaSsBg1wyz6iBVrqY4EAfoFwhz_ecMgFJB7MzMvDxpXT4jIXEIKUve-0fgWHdiB_X-QkfMl-l-Nm6kdi5M9HLzUGI4KPiugLVpiTtBJeDPOODPEyFHxL_Wxy-_9SQ0rPK9YAuNi/s320/imhotep.jpg" width="320" /></a>This Egyptian-themed game of gathering and delivering stones reminded me of a thematic cross between <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/22141/cleopatra-and-society-architects" target="_blank">Cleopatra</a> (architects competing in Egypt) and <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/15817/manila" target="_blank">Manila</a> (boats delivering things), but the game play is something very different. Players compete over six rounds to score points by sending boats of stone blocks to various projects - Obelisks, a temple, a pyramid, a burial chamber - or to trade those stones at the market for action and scoring cards.<br />
<br />
It's a simple game that doesn't take long to teach, and for those of us who grew up with LEGO blocks it produces a special tactile delight when you see the delivered stone blocks grow into tall obelisks or a pyramid-shaped pyramid.<br />
<br />
Of the three SdJ nominees, this one felt the most like a normal "game" that I'd associate with the hobby, though I didn't find it particularly engaging. I liked seeing the various colored stones grow into the different buildings, and as a designer I have deep respect for when components and mechanics work together to reinforce theme in that way. However, the fact that another player can choose to send a boat full of stones to any location, even a boat that has none of their stones on it, made me feel a distinct lack of control over how well I did in the game.<br />
<br />
I think with five more plays of Imhotep I'd come to appreciate it a bit more, and I'd be willing to play it more, so in that sense it deserves credit. I'm still surprised it received a nomination, but it's certainly a good game.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/183251/karuba" target="_blank">Karuba:</a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJyFKwGaEK83GCOL-bjCok0u6sD3hbjagB62EBJ4vdA1OfDx1ZQq2P913NDX6lY0B9i9MER1v3CdT7k_tJu9RSJsaY7VXh3zv4ur1M5e6wBZ-aJfoJ2FNcz_q2VO7dmq5OUdmVfr4FYOBU/s1600/karuba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJyFKwGaEK83GCOL-bjCok0u6sD3hbjagB62EBJ4vdA1OfDx1ZQq2P913NDX6lY0B9i9MER1v3CdT7k_tJu9RSJsaY7VXh3zv4ur1M5e6wBZ-aJfoJ2FNcz_q2VO7dmq5OUdmVfr4FYOBU/s320/karuba.jpg" width="226" /></a>An SdJ nomination is a huge win for <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/384/haba-habermaass-gmbh" target="_blank">Haba</a>, a publisher best known for creating dexterity-based family games and with a reputation for excellence in that genre. Karuba's nomination is a clear indicator that the German jury considers the word "family" in "family game" to be an important distinction in SdJ judging.<br />
<br />
Karuba pits 2-4 players in a race to have their four adventurers cross a jungle and reach their matching-color temples before all 36 jungle tiles have been placed on the board. Each player begins with an identical empty jungle board, with exactly the same randomly-assigned starting locations for all their adventurers and temples. One player draws a random tile each turn, and the other players use the same tile from their player-colored stack of tiles. In this way, all players play exactly the same game - the only randomness is in the order the tiles are drawn. This is reminiscent of <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/125618/libertalia" target="_blank">Libertalia</a>, a game where players draw identical cards in similar fashion but may choose to use them differently.<br />
<br />
Tiles can either be placed on the jungle board as paths for adventurers to walk on towards the temples, or discarded to move one adventurer 2-4 spaces, depending on the type of tile. Occasionally, placed tiles will include a gem worth one or two points, and an adventurer who ends movement on that tile collects those points. Each time a player's adventurer reaches the temple matching the adventurer's color that player takes the next available scoring marker for that color (5, 4, 3, or 2 points), and play continues until all 36 tiles have been drawn or one player has reached all four of their temples.<br />
<br />
Karuba got a lot attention in my local game group, and is their underdog/emotional favorite to win the award. I found that I enjoyed being the "barker", the player calling out the random tile each turn. Aside from that, I think it's a cute, puzzle-y game that I'd grow tired of after a few plays. The components are excellent, fully in line with Haba's reputation. In many ways, Karuba is the game I wanted when I bought Days of Wonder's 2013 release, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/144270/relic-runners" target="_blank">Relic Runners</a>.<br />
<br />
It does seem great for kids, and as a gateway might be a wonderful introduction to the hobby for a family that enjoys doing puzzles together. Parents and kids might enjoy simply playing with one board, and cooperatively working to "solve the puzzle" and use tiles to either build paths or move adventurers, with a goal of getting to all four temples before all 36 tiles are used.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/178900/codenames" target="_blank">Codenames:</a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx8Ld8Fc9txssXsKqWGCwDal6ty9TpXxyucFVZR70IFPRxUSbapBh0SCofwSXtyXGPDh-M9C2dspXIEDktVUV4_zlHa0R9yZrGmxWrNZdTgjqSg0sdAOEyHg7xNB1dSJEAEEolprOzeM1w/s1600/codenames.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx8Ld8Fc9txssXsKqWGCwDal6ty9TpXxyucFVZR70IFPRxUSbapBh0SCofwSXtyXGPDh-M9C2dspXIEDktVUV4_zlHa0R9yZrGmxWrNZdTgjqSg0sdAOEyHg7xNB1dSJEAEEolprOzeM1w/s320/codenames.jpg" width="223" /></a>In Codenames, two "spymasters" compete to give secret clues to their teams of spies to help them identify other field agents before the other team does the same. The game has a theme (spies) that briefly resonates with players, but in my experience is lost the moment play begins. It's a party game of giving and receiving clever single-word clues, with the goal of finding the right words in a larger set of words so that your team wins.<br />
<br />
If that doesn't sound incredibly engaging, it's ok - explaining how to play Codenames is the only part of it that isn't a master class in genre-defining excellence. Simply put, Codenames is the best party game I've ever played. The pressure as spymaster to give clever clues that link only to your words, link to as many of them as possible, are likely to be interpreted correctly by your teammates, AND don't cause them to choose the assassin (an automatic loss) is intense, and remains as satisfying after 100 plays as it did in the first.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://nerdstable.blogspot.com/2016/01/TenGames2015.html" target="_blank">As I said earlier this year</a>, Codenames is a game that I would keep even if I had to get rid of all the others. The components are cleverly designed so as to create practically unlimited replayability, as flipping over one word card or rotating one codex card creates a completely new game.<br />
<br />
If it weren't for Pandemic Legacy, this would be a shoo-in for my "Spiel des JR" award from 2015. It's great. If you haven't played it, you're missing out on one of the best games I've ever played. It's $20 MSRP and you can play it with anybody clever enough to give and receive one-word clues, i.e., everybody. I've played it with family at the most casual of holiday gatherings and with other game designers, and in each situation it was a huge hit.<br />
<br />
<b>My pick: Codenames</b><br />
Codenames is my favorite party game I've ever played, and of all the games from 2015 it's the one most likely to be in my collection 30 years from now. My game at BGG Spring was my 100th logged play since last fall, and I still get excited when it hits the table. I'm surprised it's nominated for Spiel des Jahres only because I'm not sure everybody appreciates the strategic and tactical nuance that's discovered after dozens of plays, but clearly the judges know a great game when it hits their table.<br />
<br />
Previous three winners: <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/158899/colt-express" target="_blank">Colt Express</a>, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/153938/camel" target="_blank">Camel Up</a>, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/98778/hanabi" target="_blank">Hanabi</a><br />
<br />
<b>Kennerspiel des Jahres (Enthusiast Game of the Year) Nominees: </b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/176494/isle-skye-chieftain-king" target="_blank">Isle of Skye:</a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQTEXL5UQUWtAI9quFsbGKUbqcZhOzerSCsylYw0ko8-uU74267UkUWtm59oiRsx_XBciSQrofdPtovU4NvUJmxUamwHNkiMKxDPKzXyxStQD8JNesJIuM5JL74n_kvJenCQHgj4Odko1i/s1600/isleofskye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQTEXL5UQUWtAI9quFsbGKUbqcZhOzerSCsylYw0ko8-uU74267UkUWtm59oiRsx_XBciSQrofdPtovU4NvUJmxUamwHNkiMKxDPKzXyxStQD8JNesJIuM5JL74n_kvJenCQHgj4Odko1i/s1600/isleofskye.jpg" width="221" /></a>I'd played Isle of Skye before, and remembered really enjoying it. It feels like a great designer sat down with Carcassonne after a decade of enjoying it and said "how can I use these tiles to play a deeper, more engaging game?" Players are enterprising chieftains pursuing kingship, competing to score the most victory points by meeting a mix of four different randomly-selected scoring criteria over six rounds of play.<br />
<br />
Each round, players draw three tiles from a bag and secretly choose two to put up for sale and one to return to the bag. Players choose to put a price on the tiles for sale, and must use the gold they have to indicate prices, while saving some to possibly buy a tile from another player as well. Having to divvy up gold in three ways (tile one, tile two, and saving some to buy with) is really engaging, and immediately sets Isle of Skye apart from other tile-based games I've played.<br />
<br />
Scoring happens at the end of each round, during which a mix of two or three of the four scoring criteria are used. Each of the four scoring criteria are used three times during the game, though some happen mostly in the first few rounds and some in later rounds. This creates a sense of timing for players to pursue the different priorities, and, combined with fluctuating available gold, random tile draws, and turn order, leads players to pursue different paths to victory.<br />
<br />
Isle of Skye is a masterpiece, and in any other year I'd say it deserved to win. Unfortunately, it had the bad luck of getting nominated with two of the most innovative games I've ever played, something the jury apparently takes to heart. Even so, I fully recommend it to any enthusiastic gamer looking for something new to fall in love with. The number of different scoring criteria, the randomness of the scoring elements on the tiles, and the general gameplay mean no two games will ever be the same. You could play this game dozens of times and have a different, excellent experience with each.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/146508/time-stories" target="_blank">T.I.M.E Stories:</a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtRPUBQRheFer0m9qVnxYMCI-pBUOE4qI1fCPNsuofgXwd7Xk_5wR5Zx9pSUktEaOEmhzniFABD_0kzgzyS-ODpOvC4wZO1gzfaruPpdbG06Vk-OD8jR0vF42wiXJNryA24MZat22drfwM/s1600/timestories.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtRPUBQRheFer0m9qVnxYMCI-pBUOE4qI1fCPNsuofgXwd7Xk_5wR5Zx9pSUktEaOEmhzniFABD_0kzgzyS-ODpOvC4wZO1gzfaruPpdbG06Vk-OD8jR0vF42wiXJNryA24MZat22drfwM/s320/timestories.png" width="319" /></a>I didn't actually play T.I.M.E Stories at BGG Spring, but I did play it at BGG.Con last fall and afterwards. Unlike every other game on this list, and perhaps every other game ever, T.I.M.E Stories is less a game and more a console. Buying it is like buying a Super Nintendo - yes, it comes with a game, but what you're really buying is a box that will let you play lots of other games that are being developed for this system.<br />
<br />
I've played "Asylum", the case that comes in the box. In it, players act as newly-recruited "temporal agents" sent back to an Asylum to stop some kind of evil ritual. In the interest of spoilers I won't talk more about the story, or even much about the game play. It's brilliantly designed, in that you simply unbox the game, put the board on the table, and read the top card in the stack you're given. The cards teach you how to play as you flip through them, much like the "onboarding" experience you get in an app or video game.<br />
<br />
While I didn't particularly enjoy the Asylum case, I do marvel at the innovation and precision needed to create a system where many different designers can design simple decks to tell all sorts of different stories though this mechanism. I wouldn't be surprised if it won the Kennerspiel, though I think the game included in the box was less fun than the other two nominated games.<br />
<br />
The T.I.M.E Stories module I played felt like a puzzle combined with an RPG, and as players we had to choose early on which of those experiences it was going to be for us. We never really reached consensus, and that damaged the experience for me, as there was real friction between "do we try to beat the game as efficiently as possible" or "do we play our characters as narratively as possible". Admittedly, this had a lot to do with the group I played with, and I'm looking forward to trying new modules in the hopes that I have a better experience later.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/161936/pandemic-legacy-season-1" target="_blank">Pandemic Legacy: Season 1:</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfb_u6CT8dGOk0_66O5dLKYPpxBrSJG8nciwFE3uTroZznL_S0Um_kcwyG7cOpJAW29SqjIdpxWHz7utTM7uZx1zkjEcHb7sjmEKOIX9hgjx0dL4drJVOAMi39VPBorZGtxr4f7-Nka5g4/s1600/pandemiclegacy.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfb_u6CT8dGOk0_66O5dLKYPpxBrSJG8nciwFE3uTroZznL_S0Um_kcwyG7cOpJAW29SqjIdpxWHz7utTM7uZx1zkjEcHb7sjmEKOIX9hgjx0dL4drJVOAMi39VPBorZGtxr4f7-Nka5g4/s320/pandemiclegacy.png" width="320" /></a></div>
This is not only my favorite game from 2015, but perhaps the best gaming experience I've ever had. I'm not a big fan of Pandemic (I'm an alpha gamer living in a beta world), and playing a cooperative game with my wife is usually asking for tension and stress, but we both loved Pandemic Legacy. It's impossible to talk about this game for very long without risking spoilers, so I'll simply say that it's a must-play for anybody who enjoys games.<br />
<br />
The "Legacy" mechanic has gotten a lot of attention over the past few years, and rightfully so - the idea of creating permanence by destroying or altering game components creates a deep emotional response in many players. For those of us used to saving before we try a hard level in a video game, the thought of not being able to "take back" something in a campaign-based game seems strange, and when it involves destroying a component in an $80 board game it's almost sacrilegious.<br />
<br />
Surprisingly, destroying components was cathartic, and the thought of "we can't turn back now" was really exciting and motivating. Amy and I played 4 games of Pandemic (to prepare) and 6 games of Pandemic Legacy the first day we opened the box. It literally left us breathless at times.<br />
<br />
I fully recommend Pandemic Legacy to any group looking for a wonderful gaming experience that will last at least a few months. We played with only two players, which makes for an "easier" game, but still found it to be obsession-level fun. I've heard that it's just as good with three or four, so get a group and get going!<br />
<br />
<b>My pick: Pandemic Legacy: Season 1</b><br />
The Kennerspiel award is for "enthusiast" or "connoisseur" games, those games hobbyists tend to think of as being "gamer's games", or that I think of as "games I'm playing this week". This is the first year that a Legacy game has been nominated, and I expect that trend will continue as more designers approach the mechanic. I spoke with one of the jury members on site at BGG Spring, and he told me that the award is intended to recognize innovation in game design, and so T.I.M.E. Stories and Pandemic Legacy were considered favorably. Of these two, Pandemic Legacy is my clear preference - it was the best gaming experience I had in 2015.<br />
<br />
Previous three winners: <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/172308/broom-service" target="_blank">Broom Service</a>, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/148949/istanbul" target="_blank">Istanbul</a>, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/127398/legends-andor" target="_blank">Legends of Andor</a><br />
<br />
This is the first year that I've been able to play all the nominated games before the awards were announced, and the first time I've reviewed them in this format. Simply playing them all has been great, and sitting down to critically think about them against each other has lent a perspective I didn't have before - that of a jury member trying to decide between rewarding a simple experience or an engaging one, a familiar experience or a novel one. It's difficult and thrilling and makes me feel more deeply connected to a hobby that's already changed my life in so many ways.<br />
<br />
I hope you get a chance to try these games as well. Happy gaming!<br />
<br />
--<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">JR Honeycutt is a full-time husband and game-player, and co-host of </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/dfwnnpodcast/live" style="background-color: white; color: #771100; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The Nerd Nighters</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">. You can find him on Twitter at </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/jayahre" style="background-color: white; color: #771100; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@JayAhre</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> or at a </span><a href="http://www.dfwnn.org/stores" style="background-color: white; color: #771100; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Friendly Local Game Store</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas.</span><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017213804706901104.post-56673896238342908932016-05-13T12:28:00.000-05:002016-05-13T12:28:35.709-05:00Tesla vs. Edison: Developer Diary, Part 2<div class="p1">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitZbejdHy9lLXV5ZoUbaWEVMUexf5KDsrwu69XbcERU6WSycJ4Btb7jZ8G8KB7QJTqvmxEavbNEVVuCZ45dH3rLA9nsqQyfCY3VCrc8_7SiRtkzdLmTuSfadLQ-OpqN5pUNSrwQ_y8k0Ir/s1600/teslavswalker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitZbejdHy9lLXV5ZoUbaWEVMUexf5KDsrwu69XbcERU6WSycJ4Btb7jZ8G8KB7QJTqvmxEavbNEVVuCZ45dH3rLA9nsqQyfCY3VCrc8_7SiRtkzdLmTuSfadLQ-OpqN5pUNSrwQ_y8k0Ir/s320/teslavswalker.jpg" width="320" /></a>Developer's Diary, Part 2: </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<a href="http://nerdstable.blogspot.com/2016/05/tesla-vs-edison-powering-up-developers.html" target="_blank">In part 1</a>, I talked about how I got involved in <i><a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/191958/tesla-vs-edison-powering" target="_blank">Tesla vs. Edison: Powering Up!</a></i>, some of Dirk's original design goals in the game, and how we prioritized the balance between "adding new things" and "providing a familiar experience". </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
After making the change to HQ cards, Dirk and I felt like the expansion started to hum. We started focusing on balancing the inventors against each other, creating abilities that were both thematically appropriate and powerful enough to be interesting, and tweaking various things to get the game length and experience where we wanted it to be. </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="p2">
If all of this sounds like "playtesting" to you, you're right! When Artana hired me one of my directives was to expand our network of playtesters, and <i>TvE: Powering Up!</i> gave me the first opportunity to do so. Fortunately, I'd previously worked with Plaid Hat Games, Level 99 Games, and other companies with top-notch playtesting programs, so I had a pretty good idea for how to grow a system that would allow for lots of folks to playtest, get access to files, and easily report their plays. </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
We used Mailchimp (and later, Google Forms) to collect feedback, Google Drive and email to distribute files, and a private reddit subthread as a place for conversation, updates, and deeper reports about the game. Big shout out to Ben Harkins of Floodgate Games for suggesting reddit subthreads - they're completely private, free, and really useful. </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Playtesting is one of the things I like most about design and development. There's something special about having strangers ask to try your stuff, and it's just the bee's knee's when they really dig in and approach the game from new angles and find new problems. To all the folks who playtested <i>Tesla vs. Edison: Powering Up!,</i> thank you - you played a HUGE role in making this expansion as good as it is. We couldn't have done it without you. </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
The <i>Powering Up!</i> expansion includes more than just HQ cards, of course - it's got an event deck that introduces random bonuses and penalties, auctions, and stock effects. Happily, these were nearly spot on from the start. Dirk designed the effects to be flavored for their real-life names. For instance, the Panic of 1890 closes the stock market during bookkeeping, which means players have one fewer chance to buy and trade stock during the game. This is a huge effect, as it narrows the gap between first and last, since the player with the most cash can't use it to get even further ahead. </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
One thing Dirk wanted to address in the base game was that experienced players regularly "maxed out" their stock price at $77, since it's the upper limit of the board. This is something he felt strongly we should prevent, so we went to work discussing ways to incorporate "downward pressure" on all stock prices. </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
In the base game, the only time a stock price would go down is when a company's stock was sold. While that was certainly "helpful" in solving this problem, it clearly wasn't enough, given how many reports we were seeing of maxed stock prices. The original design of the expansion introduced a depreciation step during bookkeeping, which simply pushed prices backward. We pretty quickly moved to incorporating that into the event deck, so we could vary the downward pressure and tie it to the theme of the cards. </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Now, when panic strikes the stock market, it affects your company in two ways - first, that you're limited in some way during play, and second, that your stock price immediately drops. It felt thematic and solved what we were looking for, and it stayed this way through most of playtesting, until we added some upward movement early in the game to make things a little less punishing in phase 1. All-in-all, this is one of my favorite parts of the game. It adds a subtle, dynamic pressure that removes a bit of the AP (analysis paralysis) from the game, as you can't perfectly predict what later rounds will look like. </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Another journey we took over the development process was figuring out how best to capture Madam C. J. Walker's dynamic business and personal success in her inventor ability. We went through a lot of iterations of this, mostly around "get something free when you take a certain kind of action." Early in playtesting she was by far the best inventor, averaging over 60 points per game when the other inventors were around 48-52. It was clear that basically awarding a free action - especially when it was centered around giving her more money - was very powerful, and we had to be careful with it. </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
We settled on the ability she has now after a ton of testing and deliberation. It took a while to get it "right" and also "balanced", but I'm really proud of the work. Now you can use Madam Walker's company to do things other than pursue patents, since when you take propaganda actions you can then benefit from the patented work of other inventors. In the meantime, if you've developed your Office, you don't have to worry about paying those patent fees anyway, making you a formidable profiteer to be reckoned with! </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
A huge part of this expansion is the AI decks, named after inventors Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace. Dirk's idea for these decks was to have them take the same kinds of actions that human players take, and to do so in a way that felt like they were human players. So, nothing so complicated that it took minutes per turn of rulebook referencing and "if: then" statements. We wanted players to be able to pull these out of the box and start playing with them right away. </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
These went to our playtesters who specifically requested they be included in solo playtesting, and they did a great job in helping us balance the actions and confirm the relative "difficulty levels" of each of the inventors. Not only are the Lovelace sides "hard mode" for each inventor, but the inventors themselves are intended to be ranked in difficulty, so that players could design an easier or harder AI experience based on their preference. I'll let you figure out which ones are harder than others, though :D</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
I'm really proud of how accessible these decks are. We talked through some more complicated solutions that would have been less "deterministic" and allowed for more nuanced play from the bots, but ultimately what we ended up with was something that won't slow down a game and will introduce dynamic challenges to solo or multiplayer play. I tested these a BUNCH, and I found it really interesting to work around how the AI behaved, even when I "knew" what was going to happen. It's a bit like playing against the bots on the Ticket to Ride app - part of playing against them is learning what they do and responding. Beating one isn't that hard once you know it's pattern, but playing with more than one at the same time is a real challenge! </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="p1">
Coming up in part 3 - how we finalized the scoring system in <i>Powering Up!</i>, why the stock market has been moved to bookkeeping, late changes to the game based on playtesting with Dirk through Tabletop Simulator, and my favorite parts of the game. </div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017213804706901104.post-8904750748276877162016-05-04T23:05:00.000-05:002016-05-04T23:05:02.898-05:00Tesla vs. Edison: Powering Up! Developer's Diary, Part 1 <div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKmi7dXM25b5y80rjqgTzZeFeCZexPcQ10S5Pzw7S-4_kqVap40z56D8Slx3FHUZXhTbasTUl2wVc-fIujsdgqng5fFibWptyuVBowImPv6iH-7Qr_EhgK5KCRPEAaFo-L4to1vp0LzRC/s1600/tvecover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKmi7dXM25b5y80rjqgTzZeFeCZexPcQ10S5Pzw7S-4_kqVap40z56D8Slx3FHUZXhTbasTUl2wVc-fIujsdgqng5fFibWptyuVBowImPv6iH-7Qr_EhgK5KCRPEAaFo-L4to1vp0LzRC/s320/tvecover.jpg" width="320" /></a>Howdy - I'm JR Honeycutt, the developer for <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/191958/tesla-vs-edison-powering" target="_blank">Tesla vs. Edison: Powering Up!,</a> the expansion to Tesla vs. Edison: War of Currents by Artana. I'm writing this developer's diary to talk about some of the things introduced in TvE: Powering Up! and how I got involved. This is part 1 - parts 2 and 3 will come later in the campaign. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
The expansion is currently on Kickstarter, and I'd love it if you took a moment to <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/artana/tesla-vs-edison-powering-up/description" target="_blank">click here and check it out!</a> </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
In November of last year I was at Rob's place in Massachusetts finishing up dev work on SeaFall. Dirk Knemeyer and Marcus Muller, the folks who run <a href="http://www.artana.com/" target="_blank">Artana</a>, stopped by for a playtest of one of the early iterations of Chronicles: Stone Age, which I tagged along for since I was already in the room. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
It was a blast, and I noticed right away that I had good chemistry with Dirk and Marcus. They asked me to be involved in demoing the game at BGG.Con, which turned into a lunch conversation with Dirk about developing the Tesla vs. Edison expansion. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
I had never played Tesla vs. Edison when Dirk first offered to let me work on it, and it took me a few weeks to get it the table enough times to start doing real development. One of the criticisms of the base game was that the rulebook was hard to understand, and sure enough the first few times I played I got a fair number of things wrong. That was an early hiccup that Dirk and I worked through by playing together on Tabletop Simulator - an awesome resource for long-distance testing. Huge thanks to <a href="http://twitter.com/cedeliing" target="_blank">Andrew Christopher Enriquez</a> for building the module for us and keeping it updated through the process. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">From the get-go Dirk told me had a few things he wanted to address in the expansion, in no particular order: </span></div>
<ol style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">Mitigate the power of the stock market action in the base game, in response to lots of BGG posts about "best strategies" that involved not experiencing the game the way Dirk intended</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">Introduce a 6th player (Madam C. J. Walker) into the game</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">Introduce Event Cards into the game</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">Create a downward pressure on stock prices so that players wouldn't hit the stock price cap of $77 as often</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">Introduce solo play in some way </li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">Introduce Company Headquarters, ways for players to differentiate and specialize their companies </li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">Change the end-game scoring to accommodate HQ Cards, final cash, and take some emphasis off of having the most shares of stock. </li>
</ol>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
I'm sure Dirk had more things in mind, but I'm highlighting the things that stood out to me. This is a lot of stuff, and Dirk already had design documents, files, and components ready to go, so after learning the base game I dove in and started testing what Dirk had created. The original version didn't use "HQ Cards", but instead had player mats with mutually-exclusive tracks that players could use invention/manufacturing ratings to move up, gaining special abilities. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
These were really cool, and ended up being the basis for a lot of the HQ Card abilities for each inventor. They weren't specific to each company, and there was a lot of information on each board - 18 choices across 3 tracks, each of which was divided into two mutually exclusive sub-tracks. That's a lot of information to keep track of during a game, so it was evident pretty early on that we needed to "hide" a lot of it by putting it on cards. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
Dirk, Mack (the other developer on staff at Artana) and I spent time in Tabletop Simulator and google docs working through various iterations of what the cards could do and how players could get them - buying them from a deck, dealing them out randomly, drafting them, etc. At this point Dirk was really adamant that each set of HQ Cards needed to be company-specific, with their own set of powers and abilities. That's where the set of four HQ Cards per company came in - Lab, Works, Office, and Studio - and from there it was all about making the abilities interesting and balanced. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
Originally the Event cards didn't have stock market effects on them (we introduced this later during playtesting, I'll talk more about it in part 2), but did have effects mostly similar to what you see in the final version. This is the thing that changed the least in function over time - each turn you flip an event card and resolve its effect. These are really fun, too! Lots of playtesters enjoyed having the random element added into the game, particularly the auctions that led to powerful, unbalanced effects at high costs. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
A lot of the process early on was around streamlining the expansion and making it "fit" with the base game. As a player I like it best when expansions introduce new game elements without making me re-learn how to play the base game. Concordia is my prime example for this. I put a lot of emphasis on keeping the expansion rules as close to the base game's rules as possible, which included keeping the per-phase multipliers, the propaganda cards and effects, and most of what happens in bookkeeping. We ended up taking out a few rules to make the game easier to play, but I'll talk more about that in part 3. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
We focused on replacing the stock market action (stripped out of the expansion) with the new "Develop HQ" action and still having the general action economy of the game be balanced, and prevent players from needing to skip turns late in the game. Dirk's instinct was that stripping out the stock market action would leave players with not enough to do on their turns, especially later in the game if all the projects were claimed, so we added an extra propaganda card per phase to entice players to take those actions, and tried to make the HQ Cards emphasize and reward taking propaganda and technology actions. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
I think we were really successful in this through the entire process - what we're seeing early in the game is a race to develop important technologies and claim patents, then a priority on company fame and developing projects and HQ cards. In playtesting it's been a more balanced experience with closer scores and shorter game times, two signs that we were doing a good job. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
Coming up in part 2 - Early "robot" decks for solo/multiplayer play (eventually called AI), working through Madam Walker's ability and balancing her against the other inventors, and creating Artana's playtesting network that helped TvE: Powering Up so very much.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017213804706901104.post-83106957994979931092016-04-18T07:00:00.000-05:002016-04-18T07:00:16.252-05:00Board Game Review of Monster City Planners<a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/150827/monster-city-planners" style="font-family: calibri;">Monster City Planners</a><span style="font-family: calibri;"> by Gary Dahl, published by Sugar Pill
Studios</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<a href="http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic1843440_t.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic1843440_t.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "calibri";">
2-4 Players, 20 minutes, ages 12+<br />
<br />
</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong>TL:DR Version</strong></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong><br /></strong></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">A genuinely unique city building and destroying microgame of Kaiju
proportions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hard decisions between
actions and points make a think meaty experience despite its smaller box.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Primary Mechanics are Card Drafting,
Multipurpose Cards, and Environment Manipulation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">
<br />
<strong>The Pitch</strong><br />
A couple years ago, The Game Crafter hosted a Microgame Design Contest
sponsored by All Us Geeks and Father Geek. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many great games were entered including
Monster City Planners, which featured card drafting, city building/destruction,
and multiple use cards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So let’s see how
destruction and construction via Kaiju Rampage can work for you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><strong style="font-family: calibri;">The Play</strong><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">
When you open this game, 4 cards stand out from the deck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are the City card itself as well as the
3 passing cards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The City card has two
versions based on preferred difficulty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This card will house the little bits which are 6 White Factories, 6
Orange Stations, 6 Blue Complexes, and 6 Black Roads.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These bits, and their placement in the city,
are going to be how you score in this game.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic1840595_md.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic1840595_md.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Credit: <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/user/SugarPillStudios">BGG User SugarPillStudios</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The bulk of the gameplay, however, comes in the form of the
MCP cards which contain both a scoring condition as well as a planning
action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, for example, a card named
Two Building Monte has the ability to swap the position of two neighboring
buildings or it’s worth 5 points at the end of the round when there are exactly
two White Factories in the city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now I
say “or” because you either play this card for its ability or it’s left in your
hand at the end of the round to score you points.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Those are the two broad strokes so let’s get into the
gameplay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the beginning of the round,
players draft cards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So pick a card you
like, pass the rest to the left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once
all cards have been drafted, the player who picked the most cards with the
green construction icon on the upper left begins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On their turn, they can either play a card or
pass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you play a card, take the
action and discard the card from your hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you pass, you take one of the passing cards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It should be noted you may play cards later
even if you pass but the round is over immediately as soon as all “pass” cards
have been claimed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic1920773_md.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic1920773_md.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Credit: <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/user/Runkst">BGG User Runkst</a> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">This leads us to the next part of a round.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cards left over in your hand are actually
your scoring conditions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After scoring
for the first time, leave the city in its current condition and play another
round.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The winner is the player with the
highest points.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong>The Commentary</strong><br />
Now obviously this is a Microgame and I can’t judge it based on the weighting
of much more “in depth” game experiences but honestly, I wouldn’t want to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The simple actions lead to a faster paced
experience whereas, were this a “meatier game” I could see AP forcing this idea
to wear out its welcome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a 2 player
game, you have a lot more control over your fate but a 4 player game becomes an
exercise in hoping for the best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each
time you play a card, it reduces your chance to score so when drafting, you
have to look at cards you want for the actions and cards you want for the
scoring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Striking the balance between
those two are what makes this game great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These are the many reasons Monster City Planners holds a permanent place
in my lunchtime lineup which I keep at work.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">So you might be asking yourself why you never heard of this
game or more importantly, why I’m writing a review for a Game Crafter
game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simply put, many indie designers
struggle for notice or a publisher’s eye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There are a lot of superb games available on The Game Crafter and
despite being Print on Demand, the method of creation for these games do not
detract from quality found therein.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
games I mention in these reviews deserve your attention despite lacking a major
publishers logo.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<em>This review was written by </em><a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/36892/david-sheppard"><em>David Sheppard</em></a><em>, better known as Sheppy. Sheppy is an aspiring game designer/artist and gaming hobbyist located in Illinois. Some of his designs can be seen on the poorly maintained website </em><a href="http://www.twitchfactory.com/"><em>www.twitchfactory.com</em></a><em> and his Twitter handle is </em><a href="https://twitter.com/twitchfactory"><em>@TwitchFactory.</em></a> <br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017213804706901104.post-78190116198145163382016-04-14T07:00:00.001-05:002016-04-14T07:00:25.100-05:00Board Game Review of Inca Empire<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic802355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic802355.jpg" height="320" width="224" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/75476/inca-empire" style="font-family: calibri;">Inca Empire</a><span style="font-family: calibri;"> by Alan D. Ernstein, Published by Zman Games</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">
3-4 players, 90-120 minutes<br />
<br />
</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="background-color: #d0e0e3;"><span style="background-color: white;"><strong>TL:DR Version</strong><br />
Inca Empire is a Euro style classic of expansion, exploitation, and empire
building which weighs in heavy on time to play but genuinely feels like you’re
building up an empire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While you’re
trying to win, there’s a hint of a cooperative element to see how far the Inca
Empire can stretch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Primary mechanics
are Route Building, Empire Building, and Civilization Lite.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong>The Pitch</strong><br />
They say the Inca Empire wasn’t built in a day but rather two hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two long, excruciating hours where that one
jerk won’t stop connecting to all of your cities and garrisons like some Incan
Coattail Riding Jerk Face who should just go off and do his own thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That jerk who places the gods wrath in your
empire while his gets an easy path to glory… that jerk!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Welcome to Inca Empire, one of my favorite board games and
that one jerk mentioned in the blurb above?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’m usually that jerk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Inca
Empire is a game with a ton of bits and a long run up to the end game that
feels satisfying every step of the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The goal of Inca Empire is, of course, points which is achieved
primarily by both building and connecting to the most areas on the board. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<strong style="font-family: calibri;">The Play</strong><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">
Before I get too in depth, I have to explain a few components in the game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first is the map itself which is long and
has a large number of regions which are, initially, unconquered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Early in the game, conquering these regions
allows cities and garrisons to be built and, more importantly, brings you the
“labor” to accomplish this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Try to
ignore the social implications of conquered regions generating labor.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">There is also a “Sun Board” which players put their Sun
Cards which are helps or hindrances depending on placement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each section of this board shows two colors
meaning those two players will be affected by that card.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These cards will flush away at the end of
every scoring round but as the game winds towards its close, this can get to be
a lot to keep track of.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The game has 4 main phases which, depending on the era
(round) some may be skipped or even occur many times before a scoring
happens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each round begins with Inca
Phase where players gain a set number of Labor Tokens that era determines plus
bonuses for their conquered regions as well as terraces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At a certain point in the game, the players
in 1<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup> and 2<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup> must also give some Labor to plays in 3<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">rd</span></sup>
and 4<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Inca Phase will
begin every Era. Each Era also ends with a Sapa Inca Phase where players gain
points for each City, Temple, and Garrison they’re connected to along with a
point<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>for every Terrace they’ve
built.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All Sun Cards are also discarded
and players may bank Labor Tokens equal to the number of tokens they’d gain in
the next era, losing excesses.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The other two phases deserve a section all on their own and
they are the Sun Phase and People Phase.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Sun Phase is where those cards I mentioned before come in play.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’ll begin this phase by determining turn
order then, each player puts a Sun Card (face down) in a position that hasn’t had
one placed yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, all are revealed
and resolved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These cards may be helpful
such as giving you an extra road placement or they can hurt you by making
cities cost more to establish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The phase
they influence can be found in a small icon in the middle left portion and of
note here is these do NOT clear until a scoring phase.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So early in the game, these are only minor
players but in the final era, you’ll contend with 4 of these.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The People Phase is where all the rest of your empire
building occurs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’ll get, by default,
2 free roads as well as an action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These actions are Conquering a Region, build an extra road, or build a
City/Garrison/Temple/Terrace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Terraces
can be built anywhere but Garrisons and
Cities can only be built on the marked spaces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Temples can only be built on cities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of these features have a
“built” point reward as well as a recurring “Connected To” point bonus scored
during the Sapa Inca Phase.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic2722676_md.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic2722676_md.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Credit: <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/user/ultreia">BGG User ultreia</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">
<br />
The game also has a couple mini expansions although one is annoying to setup
and the other ends the game at a random time so I ignore both of these.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong>The Commentary</strong><br />
In general, I really enjoy this game for its strategy and almost Competitive
Cooperative nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You see, how it
plays best is when your goal is to not only build your empire but build it
close enough to two other players.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Offering them just enough points to make them build close enough to
connect but making sure you get the larger bulk sum between those other two
players.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being aggressive early in the
game (boxing a player in) holds no real benefit since a card can bypass this
and you’re wasting your time not building yourself up.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">As much as I do love this game, there are a few major flaws
that potential buyers should be aware of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The first is the scoring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Early
in the game, it’s fairly easy to score and move on but the last 3 Eras become
an increasingly tasking event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some
players may find extended scoring phases, especially when they occur multiple
times, a real turnoff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The game also has
little hidden information which means, since its VERY number crunchy, some
players who are prone to AP will completely grind this game to a halt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, this game has a serious runaway
leader problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If someone is far
behind, the little aid they gain cannot be enough to catch the leader unless
all other players focus on slowing them down at least before the midway point
and even then it can seem like a Herculean task.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<em>This review was written by </em><a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/36892/david-sheppard"><em>David Sheppard</em></a><em>, better known as Sheppy. Sheppy is an aspiring game designer/artist and gaming hobbyist located in Illinois. Some of his designs can be seen on the poorly maintained website </em><a href="http://www.twitchfactory.com/"><em>www.twitchfactory.com</em></a><em> and his Twitter handle is </em><a href="https://twitter.com/twitchfactory"><em>@TwitchFactory.</em></a> </div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017213804706901104.post-66848912105655848772016-04-14T07:00:00.000-05:002016-04-14T07:00:26.303-05:00Board Game Review of Le Havre: The Inland Port<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJSMiryfU_FnZ4JXgXtNBDBmNwqdTZ5TgnhIMLAbLoTeP6q6e1iumULjUkjk0c31YTNaMIVh_nJlj3FsppuO9tcBufzJPCe9yQury6-BOtEcRoEwfWbDxrrGzWr_S6qrqY-XeLW0HSj7z/s1600/lehavreinlandport.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJSMiryfU_FnZ4JXgXtNBDBmNwqdTZ5TgnhIMLAbLoTeP6q6e1iumULjUkjk0c31YTNaMIVh_nJlj3FsppuO9tcBufzJPCe9yQury6-BOtEcRoEwfWbDxrrGzWr_S6qrqY-XeLW0HSj7z/s200/lehavreinlandport.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/129051/le-havre-inland-port" target="_blank">Le Havre: The Inland Port</a> by Uwe Rosenberg, Published by Zman Games<br />
2 Players, 30-45 Minutes<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>TL:DR Version</b><br />
Two player Euros are fairly rare and even more rare when they are actually good. The Inland Port provides all the building purchasing, cube pushing, and resource wheel manipulation you expect in a tidy little box. Primary Mechanics are Empire Building, Resource Management, and Economics.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>The Pitch</b><br />
Playing a good Euro with 3 or more players is fairly easy but with 2 players, many of these games fall apart. Most 2 player games are often directly confrontational and most Euros are, well, not. This is one of the reasons why I was interested in giving Inland Port, a two player Le Havre spinoff designed by Uwe Rosenberg, a shot.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><b>The Play</b><br />
Inland Port is all about profit while managing four types of resources (Wood, Clay, Grain, and Fish). You’ll track these resources on a warehouse style building with a fairly unique manipulation matrix. This matrix works in 8 directions and limits your mobility. If you move right, you’re adding a single resource whereas moving up, you’re adding 3 of that resource. Because the number of spaces are limited, you have to find ways to maximize your production. For example, if you move right 4 times but only have the space to move twice, the extra movement is lost. Early in the game, this movement is typically horizontal but soon enough buildings are introduced to increase the verticality of your movement.<br />
<br />
Which brings us to the Buildings. These are small tokens to add to your wheel and open actions up for you. They have a cost, a value (points at the end of the game or a sale value), an action, and possibly a secondary action. Some buildings towards the end of the game have a Lock Symbol which means they offer up no actions and are just points. When you buy a building, you’ll spend the resources and place the building in the 0 space of the wheel. Or you may use a building, resetting its place on the wheel. When all the turns of a phase have been spent, the wheel will move 1 space counter clockwise.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh09UPDsC_wCpbuzom9wwBLU52dDPngegrYwtPoRNASiVzcPua3NzRZFTWszxFZP_hd4E0dsHRWEeuQSYERSbzKmyOtN1jQyb2lQGyBgyrZOVVFw77DVO7uamY-Pb9olmdrSpJfUX1rl1ub/s1600/leharvetableshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh09UPDsC_wCpbuzom9wwBLU52dDPngegrYwtPoRNASiVzcPua3NzRZFTWszxFZP_hd4E0dsHRWEeuQSYERSbzKmyOtN1jQyb2lQGyBgyrZOVVFw77DVO7uamY-Pb9olmdrSpJfUX1rl1ub/s1600/leharvetableshot.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image credit: <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/2442056/le-havre-inland-port" target="_blank">BGG user Zixtis</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If I’m being vague about the wheel, there is a reason as it really needs its own paragraph. This is the production wheel already in use in Ora & Labora as well as The Glass Road. As a mechanic, it’s the hardest thing to understand in this game. When you use a building, you use its primary action as many times as its position on the wheel tells you. The secondary Action, regardless of the buildings position, is used once. The 6 spaces on the wheel are 0, 2, 3, 4, 4c, and Sell. If a building ever enters the Sell space, you immediately lose that building for its coin value. Using a building is the only way to move it and it will immediately go into the 0 space.<br />
<br />
So at the end of a phase, when the wheel moves, the buildings position stays the same, increasing the number of primary actions that building takes. Of course your opponent can, and likely will, be paying attention to your buildings since they can use them for a minimal cost just as much as you can use theirs. The Locked Buildings I mentioned earlier? They never move (since they have no actions associated with them, you cannot use them as a “pass”) but by the time they enter the game, there is no way for them to enter the Sell space.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLB3q3HQgNU6nNlo2Tv6oTspStGoHZMFc4TxbpFxpB4t9fKJp0ngBYVILKZyGH5Jp6R2G5E4kFsZbfwFUEhYpmZvJJNaROW5vcygD3H-yGDHfStKLF9QJULWbao47g1HIdb6NfG2VNagNB/s1600/lehvreports.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLB3q3HQgNU6nNlo2Tv6oTspStGoHZMFc4TxbpFxpB4t9fKJp0ngBYVILKZyGH5Jp6R2G5E4kFsZbfwFUEhYpmZvJJNaROW5vcygD3H-yGDHfStKLF9QJULWbao47g1HIdb6NfG2VNagNB/s320/lehvreports.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image credit: <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/2812277/le-havre-inland-port" target="_blank">BGG User SergiNS</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So I’ve described your two actions, buy a building and use a building. The final bit of information to play the game is simply how many turns you get and that’s all found on the wheel as well. The game has 12 phases, labeled A-L, and they are pictured on each player’s wheel; A-F on Player 1’s wheel, G-K on Player 2’s wheel. Each phase unlocks a new selection of buildings to choose from, comes with a set number of turns, and on your wheel, if there is a sun above the building in the current phase, it means you are the start player for that phase. Each phase has an uneven number of turns so the start player will also be the last player for that round.<br />
<br />
Because both buying and using buildings reset them to the Zero Space, tracking the number of turns is a simple matter of counting. The total number of turns in the game is 72 so each player receives 36. At the end of the game, your left over resources count for nothing (except through the use of special buildings), so it becomes a matter of how many coins you have as well as how many your buildings will sell for to declare the winner.<br />
<br />
<b>The Commentary</b><br />
Learning the game isn’t too heavy a task once you figure out food is a duel resource spread across the Fish and Grain markers. The two biggest things to learn in this game are how the resource matrix works and the wheel itself. This may cause a struggle for at least the first half of the game for those who haven’t encountered “the wheel” before or are generally unfamiliar with Euro style board games but the simplicity of the actions make learning the game fairly easy. The difficult part comes in the sheer number of decisions which can be overwhelming. “Do I use the Farm now or wait another turn to really take me through a couple more actions, then again, my opponent is low on Grain and she could take the action just to spite me.” If you could focus on a few things, that would minimize this but you do have to plan several turns ahead and hope your opponent doesn’t do what you wanted.<br />
<br />
The biggest negative I can give this game is that, typically, only 6-8 buildings last until the end of the game so you’ll know several buildings will be in play. It’s a puzzle that, when facing “that type” of gamer, an efficiency engine could be learned, reducing the replay. But when each play of the game takes about an hour, it could be a good 5-10 plays before a “definitive strategy” could be learned. If you have the same opponent each time, this advantage could be leveled out by skilled players. I wish Zman would release more buildings like All Creatures Big & Small. Should also mention I have played Le Havre a couple times and it’s not exactly my favorite game, or even one I would add to my collection, but Inland Port stands as its own experience. They have thematic similarities, but entirely different “puzzles” to solve.<br />
<br />
As a 2 player Euro, Inland Port comes highly recommended, especially if you can get it below the $40 MSRP. The variety of decisions to be made ensures a strategic experience for 2 players without the “reduce opponents health to zero” win condition typical of 2 player games.<br />
<br />
<em>This review was written by </em><a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/36892/david-sheppard"><em>David Sheppard</em></a><em>, better known as Sheppy. Sheppy is an aspiring game designer/artist and gaming hobbyist located in Illinois. Some of his designs can be seen on the poorly maintained website </em><a href="http://www.twitchfactory.com/"><em>www.twitchfactory.com</em></a><em> and his Twitter handle is </em><a href="https://twitter.com/twitchfactory"><em>@TwitchFactory.</em></a>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017213804706901104.post-64668734131278603512016-03-17T11:50:00.000-05:002016-03-17T11:50:36.442-05:00Warhammer Quest Solo vs Other Solo Games
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on BoardGameGeek by JYoder. I've reposted it with permission from the author. </i><br /><br />I've played Warhammer Quest: The Adventure Card Game (WHQ)
several times and would like to give some thoughts about it, and how it
compares to a few established fantasy games. I'm coming from the perspective of
someone who has only played it solo, and has played other solo fantasy
adventures, including Lord of the Rings: The Living Card Game (LotR),
PathFinder Adventure Card Game (PACG), and Mage Knight (MK).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Right off the bat, I'll say MK is very different from the others, and I'm only
including it because it also gives a solo fantasy adventure, which is the main
thrust of my review. Most of my comparison will be leveled at LotR, as WHQ
seems inspired by that game system.<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I approached my review in a Q&A format, with questions I had about the game
before I purchased it...</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br /><b>
What's a general overview of the game?</b><br /><br /><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 to 4 chars play in a fantasy coop setting. Each char has 4 actions,
represented by cards. On your turn, you can use one of those actions by
exhausting that card and following the 2-3 steps it gives. One of the cards
refreshes itself and the others. During the game, you explore locations, battle
enemies, gather loot, and try to defeat a main boss.<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That's... pretty much it. Of course, there are more rules and nuances, but it's
truly that simple and straightforward, with only 4 phases each round: Heroes,
Enemies, Location, and Peril. (Remember the HELP acronym.) The last phase is
where a quest timer advances to increase the difficulty.<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For solo play, the rules recommend 2 chars, but you could play 3 or 4 if you
are up for more juggling, have the table space, and want an easier game. (More
on the last part throughout the review.) The base game has a general
"delve" quest and a campaign option of several quests chained
together. Each lets you improve your base actions cards and carry loot forward.
But what's important to note, is much of the success (or failure) of each
action relies on rolling custom dice.<br /><br /><b>
Does it play well solo?</b><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is the only way I've played, and yes, it works well. The game definitely
has a feeling of working as a team, especially with one of the 4 actions being
"Aid", which gives a boost to other chars on their turns. You learn
early on that this is a key element you need to use in order to win.<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, using only 2 chars (as is recommended for solo play) is the game's
hardest difficulty setting. (Though that's not really by design, but a result
of failure to scale the quests accordingly, which is disappointing.) With fewer
chars, you get more hit points, but it's not enough to compensate for other
elements. In fact, I've read one char is almost unusable in only a 2 char
setting. I've not played her, but if true, it makes you wonder about solo
play-testing.<br /><br /><b>
How does it compare to LotR specifically?</b><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Somewhat similar, but quite different. I also play LotR solo as 2 players,
which is playing as 6 characters. LotR is a card driven fantasy game where
you are progressing through about 3 locations in a game session. The main
difference is in LotR, you construct your own player decks prior to playing. In
fact, you can build your decks for a given scenario if desired, so
it's a major part of the game -- not simply an afterthought. And with LotR,
while you can put almost any card in your deck, you need to "earn"
the ability to play it during the game, with better cards have a higher cost.<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In WHQ, you fight enemies that can engage you, or they can be in a
"staging area" (called the shadows), and you progress through
locations. In fact, one could say WHQ is a sort of a dumbed down version of
LotR, which will be a pro or con to some. WHQ is far more accessible, but at
the cost of far less decisions.<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another huge difference is that combat is more deterministic in LotR (though
not fully, due to shadow cards). But in WHQ, who knows what'll happen? Rolling
dice can tank or do great -- you never know. True, it can be mitigated with the
"Aid" action, as it allows another char to guarantee 1-2
"successes" during their action... however, that's assuming the
"Aid" action did OK, and was able to even give some guaranteed
"successes" to that player.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Also in LotR, you can link scenarios, gathering good and bad cards to use along
the way. But that's only via the saga exps. While that can be fun, I find
LotR's real strengh is in single scenarios, against which you can throw your
pre-made decks. Contrast that with WHQ, where a big focus is gathering items
and enhancing your chars as you progress. In that regard, PACG does the same
across multiple games, whereas MK does it all in-game, as you would in a
"delve" quest of WHQ.<br />
<br /><b>
Does it play well in a group?</b><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I've rarely played LotR with a group because I'm not a huge fan of coops. But
I've done it, and I'd imagine WHQ is roughly the same. The difference is with
LotR you can all play 1 scenario and be done. With WHQ, in campaign mode,
there's some motivation to play more than 1 game, though one game can take a
while. In contrast, PACG entices you to play multiple games, as they play a bit
quicker, and it's after each game you get more loot you want to try. Like PACG,
WHQ (in campaign mode) needs you to record what you've earned for future plays.
To avoid that, the one-shot "delve" quest, to play anytime, is a nice
option in WHQ.<br />
<br /><b>
Is it hard to learn?</b><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It uses the 2 book format -- one rules and the other glossary. I liked the
tutorial, which eases you into the game. There were a couple of misses the rule
book could have done better, but nothing major. In contrast, the 1 LotR rule
book is sufficient, but the game has more complexity, so it's harder to learn
all the nuances, especially given all the different cards across the exps. As
for PACG, its rules are a bit of a mess, with you digging all around to find
the 1 sentence you need to get something just right.<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Regarding MK, while I find its two rule books sufficient, it's simply a lot to
take in as your brain implodes between sections. Amazingly, even though MK is a
beast, I didn't have to seek/ask as many questions online as you'd expect.<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Does it have a lot of errata and require much digging on BGG?</b><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Not really. The system in WHQ is pretty streamlined and elegant. There are some
things I've had to look into, but far less than I did (and still do at times)
for LotR. However, I'd like to think -- in an effort to make all chars more
doable when only playing with 2 of them -- that some errata can be done as all
chars are not created equal. Contrast that with LotR, where different heroes
have a "price point" based on how good they are, which I like a lot.<br /><br /><b>
Is it hard to teach?</b><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Teaching WHQ is easy, given it only has 4 phases. You could even play a bit as
you teach. LotR would be harder, as it has more steps, cards to fully realize,
and keywords. Also, you need to make pre-constructed deck for newbies in LotR,
or they'll be overwhelmed. PACG is very easy, especially since you don't have
to lay out every rule before starting. As for teaching MK... that'd be a whole
different kettle of fish; one I doubt I'll ever attempt due to its complexity.<br /><br /><b>
Is it fun?</b><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That's subjective, so I can't answer for you, but I will say my tastes vary
between fantasy games. For instance, I really enjoy LotR for its choices, card
combos, and pre-game deck construction. In contrast, choices and combos are far
less in WHQ (and even less in PACG) yet both these games have leveling and a
feeling of ongoing adventure between games.<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the flip side, I dislike X-Wing and Descent 2 due to lack of meaningful
choices and reliance on die rolls. Honestly, WHQ kind of falls into that
category, given the extreme swings the dice can take and the repetitive action
choices. Yet for some reason, WHQ still kind of works for me... so far. I had a
bit of that same vibe from PACG, and I eventually sold it, so time will tell.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Do I find MK fun? Yes, but it's a different kind of "fun", which is
more akin to the sense of accomplishment after climbing Mt. Everest and
cheating death.<br />
<br /><b>
Any investment disadvantages to buying WHQ?</b><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There have been no exps announced yet, but it's almost certain there will be.
Contrast that to LotR, and anyone just getting into it can feel overwhelmed.
Even so, there's no need to gobble up everything -- start with the Core set and
first cycle, then move on if you like what you see. PACG also has exps, and
will have more. Assuming WHQ will have exps, MK easily trumps all these games.
Yes, MK is more expensive, but there's a ton of game in the base and 1 exp,
after which it's basically complete.<br />
<br /><b>
How does it look?</b><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In short, it looks great with it's custom dice and nice artwork. Though I hate
the overly large wound marker, especially since they only go up to 3, and with
health > 20, it's rather annoying to tally, so I may borrow wounds from
other games.<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And while the art looks great, there's just not a lot of it, due to the few
cards you actually play with. In contrast, LotR is a visual pleasure, given all
the different cards you see in one session. On the flip side, PACG has fine
artwork, but it's muted with it's incredibly drab layouts. It's also worth
noting that WHQ, PACG, and LotR are all simply card games, with no board. MK is
very different in that regard, with a dynamic map that looks gorgeous.<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>What sets WHQ apart from PACG, LotR, and MK?</b><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In my mind, it's the light to medium game weight it has, while creating more of
a dungeon crawl feel, part of which comes from lots of dice rolling. For some,
all that will be it's big draw, while to others, the lack of deep game play and
fairly high luck variance may be a turn off. However, I like it enough for what
it is -- a dice chucker with some thought required. PACG is the only other one
that also gives a dice rolling option.<br /><br /><b>
Is the game fiddly and/or hard to manage?</b><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In WHQ, there aren't many special rules, making it very elegant, with only a
few counters. I juggle much more in LotR because there are more cards in play
(and available to play) at any given time. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
LotR is also a bit fiddlier due to
various counters, but it's not extreme. PACG is even less fiddly due to lack of
counters. As for MK, yes, quite fiddly, but in a good way that gels better than
you'd think.<br />
<br /><b>
How does the actual game play feel?</b><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Remember that old video game Rogue? It feels a bit like that, with several
different locations, enemies, and swingy outcomes you may have limited control
over. (At least with 2 chars.) Also, like Rogue, if you have a string of bad
rolls, you can see you're most likely going to fail, making you wonder if you
should press the reset button, or press on, knowing the dice can also turn it
around.<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While decisions are fairly easy, I'm keeping in mind this is only the base set.
Will it introduce new rules with exps, like LotR? Well, given simplicity and
elegance are its big draws, too many would hurt this game... yet at the same
time, it feels like it could use more. That's because this is not a
"gamer's game," yet it's a bit more than a gateway game.<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In contrast, I love the variability of the LotR quests. Yes, broken down, one
could argue they are somewhat the same with progressing and advancing through
locations, but the triggers, rule changes, and new cards make each quest feel
quite different, with a distinct flavor. Then tackle it with different decks,
and it's again different. I love that.<br />
<br /><b>
Is the best choice usually pretty obvious?</b><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fairly obvious, at least with 2 chars. Still, you can't slip into auto-pilot,
or you'll fail to maximize chars' actions and anticipate what the game's about
to throw at you. Contrast that with PACG, which is almost all auto-pilot,
making it a good gateway game. With LotR, I never feel I'm on auto-pilot, as I
put thought into each turn, given I have many more choices.<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As for MK, if you even glance at the auto-pilot switch, you'll crash into the
Himalayas and be forced to melt snow in your frostbitten hands, only to be
devoured by wolves anyway.<br />
<br /><b>
Are all the characters balanced?</b><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With only 2 chars, not really, but with more, it works. In PACG, they aren't
that balanced, but it's acceptable, due to it's extreme simplicity and how it's
almost impossible to lose. And in LotR, while the heroes aren't balanced in
abilities, yet they kind of are with their varied initial threat cost, which is
very clever. As for MK, all the heroes are pretty balanced, regardless that
their earned skills are quite varied; it's really quite impressive.<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Honestly, how chars are represented is a bit of a concern for me with WHQ. With
only 4 actions for each char, and the only change in the number of chars being
their health, and a lack of extra player cards (which all 3 of the other games
give) I think it'd be rather difficult to create a lot of variety. At least,
for all possible numbers of players. Hopefully, I'll be proved wrong, but this
is where the simplicity seems to come at a price.<br />
<br />
<br /><b>
How is player interaction for coop?</b><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For coop, LotR does a fantastic job with various cards and where and when you
can play them. WHQ also does it in a good way, but very differently, which is
mainly through the "Aid" action I referred to before. Other actions
also let you work cooperatively, but "Aid" is the big one, which
works well with its simple, streamlined play.<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In contrast, the coop aspect in PACG is more about overall strategy (who goes
to which location, based on odds of finding X type cards, or do we stick
together, etc.) while LotR is more tactical (the game throws things at you and
players now need to respond with many choices at their disposal.)<br />
As for MK, it has you dealing all the time with both strategy and tactics. In
spades. It's also worth noting that MK offers a competitive way to play,
whereas none of these other games do.<br />
<br />
<br /><b>
How is replayability?</b><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Many on BGG have raved about WHQ's replayability... but honestly, I'm not feeling
it to that level. Sure, there are always random items, locations, and enemies.
And more exps will give more of the same, along with varied quests. So of
course, replayability should be high... right? Right!?<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, for me, the crux of the game comes down to those same 4 actions used by
every char. Sure, each char has their own, and each action can upgrade a bit.
But still, for each char, there's only 4 actions. Every turn. 1 of 4 actions.
And those lessen at various points, giving you 1 of 3, 1 of 2, or even 1 of 1.
And the choices each action gives is quite limited, leaving the dice to do what
they do. And many times, the best choice isn't that hard to determine. So for
me, in these types of games, the real strength of replayability comes more from
who I'm playing as, rather than what I'm playing </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
against.<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, the counter to that (both pro and con) are the dice. They can let you
throw a hail mary at the last second, or fail to score on the 1 yard line. If
you get your replayability kicks from that, then more power to you, but to me,
that's feels a bit artifical.<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is why LotR is far and away more replayable for me with it's pre-game deck
building and all the cards in hand that I can use for the 3 heroes I've
selected. And I play 2 handed, so I have 2 decks and 6 heroes. That's where my
replayability comes from -- those 6 heroes and 100 cards I can draw. By game
end, I've played so many cards (and had so many cards played against me by the
quest) that it's extremely rare to ever have a game feel the least bit same.<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As for MK, it also has lots of replayability. Even more in what comes at you
(revealed map tiles, tokens, and card stacks with items, spells, and allies to
acquire) but, most importantly, from the cards you draw for your char and how
you want to chain them together, along with how you upgrade your char.<br />
<br />
<br /><b>
How hard is it to win?</b><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Again, with only 2 chars, it can be hard, but I don't mind that. However, I
also learned the 2 chars I've been using do rather well with only 2 chars. If I
used a different one, from what I've read, it sounds like I'd be very hard to
win, unless the dice shine, and I really dislike that. So I have no definitive
answer here, as the variables in the number of char, heroes you select, and
dice really change it.<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In contrast, PACG is insanely easy, especially since you can pull out of a
quest (but now with better loot) and try again. LotR is hard to say. I probably
win about 60% of the time, but that's in part from house rules I use to make
the game a bit harder and up the variety. MK... hmm... well... I'm no expert.
All I know is there is lots of variety in how you hard you make it, so I feel
I'm still on the journey there to say -- that game just gives you so much to
play with.<br />
<br />
<br /><b>
What's the play length?</b><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
PACG is quite short. MK is quite long, so I rarely play it, which is its
biggest drawback. WHQ and LotR are in the middle, but WHQ plays in less time,
yet longer than I'd expect, because for how WHQ feels, I'm sometimes surprised
how much time has passed once the game ends.<br />
But that's regarding actual play time, not setup. If you include deck building
in LotR, then LotR definitely takes quite a bit longer. Though the plus there,
is once you have a deck or 2 ready, you can tackle many scenarios with hardly
any setup time at all. And keep in mind that setup time in WHQ is no snap of
the fingers, as you need to seed certain cards into some decks and randomize in
others. Still, it doesn't take that long.<br /><br /><b>
How good of a story/narrative does it tell?</b><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While some have said WHQ gives a better story/narrative experience than LotR,
this truly has me scratching my head. WHQ gives a little blurb at the start and
end of each quest, with a couple of minor nuggets via advancing peril. I'm glad
they have it as it adds some nice flavor. However...<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
LotR scenarios may give you half a page of text to set the scene. Then,
depending on what decks you bring, the journey is vastly different between
sessions, far more than WHQ. And rather than a couple of nuggets in-game, you
have far bigger game changes occurring as you advance through quest stages.
Then at the end, if you've won, there's another block of text to read, giving
you a sense of accomplishment. So I cannot even fathom the argument here for
WHQ -- LotR is, far and away, the better narrative.<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Compared to PACG, WHQ is definitely better, as every scenario in PACG is
basically hide and seek, with the thinnest of story glazed over top... one
might say like butter scraped over too much bread. (See what I did there!?)<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What's MK like? While it gives a small bit of overall context at the start, the
story is really how you play each game, with the char, encounters, map tiles,
cards, etc, giving it a more sandbox feel as the game is the story. For
instance, do you want to be friendly at the monastery and improve your standing
in the land, making it easier to acquire allies? Or do you want to raze the
monastery to the ground, thereby soiling your reputation, but gain a very
powerful artifact hidden in its walls? It's your choice.<br />
<br /><b>
Compared to the other games, is there anything "missing" from WHQ?</b><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The big one for me is not playing a deck. The other 3 all have it, and for me,
that gives a personable random element as you see what you draw and can play.
This also gives those games more choices. (Except for PACG, where choices are
almost non-existent.) I love that tactile element of holding a hand of cards,
as it makes my chars feel like their own entity, while increasing that core
replayability aspect I wrote about earlier.<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, having no decks is also what makes WHQ far more accessible. So judge
for yourself, as newbies only have to worry about 4 hero cards (and a few gear
you'll gather) right out in front of them from start to finish, so they can be
up and running in no time, with the challenge coming from the timing of when to
play, exhaust, and refresh those cards.<br />
<br />
<br /><b>
To really enjoy each of these games, how much time do I need to put into them?</b><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is where WHQ shines. You can be up and running in no time via the tutorial
and its ease of play as the rule book takes you by the hand. And this is why
WHQ will replace some games for some people -- they just want to play NOW,
whether it's a quick gaming itch or the reality of life's constraints. This is
one of WHQ's greatest strengths.<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As for PACG, once you've got it down, while easier to play than WHQ, the rule
book makes it unnecessarily awkward, so it'll take longer to sink in.<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For LotR, this is where newbies get hung up. There's now a lot to take in with
the game, but I'd strongly discourage anyone from going "all in" with
LotR. If intrigued with Tolkien's world and/or a medium weight solo/coop, start
with the core, and if it entices you, get the first cycle and wade into the
shallows. And although I find LotR truly shines in solo play with 2 decks (6
heroes), some players don't want to go there, because of deck construction and
learning all the nuances. Especially since as your card pool grows, it comes
with a heftier FAQ. Personally, I find LotR more of a "lifestyle"
game, in that you grow with it at your own pace, so it'll take more effort and
energy. While I've found the payoff more than worth it, it's not for everyone.<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Regarding MK (*insert maniacal laughter*) yeah, you'll need to put in a lot of
time and energy into this beast via the rules books and maybe watching
tutorials. That said, it's quite the journey of discovery as all these strange pieces
-- which from the onset don't seem like they should work together -- start to
merge and gel into a wondrous machine that is far greater than the sum of its
parts, creating many "ah-hah" moments, and making you wonder how
someone could have imagined such a grand design. To the casual gamer, don't
even bother putting gas in your car tank -- stick to jogging or whizzing about
in your golf cart, while pretending to feel the wind in your hair. To the
hardcore gamer, pack a suitcase, hop into the convertible with the top down,
and enjoy the roadtrip -- if you can make it past the state line, you're going
to see a lot of gorgeous scenery you've never seen before.<br /><br /><b>
How much of WHQ is now hype and hotness?</b><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I'd have to say quite a lot. Don't get me wrong -- it's an ok game and I'm glad
to own it as it offers a fairly quick setup and is more than an appetizer.
Indeed, for many, it can serve as the main meal.<br />
But let's be honest -- it's rare for any game in the WarHammer universe to not
get a lot of hype, due to the history, setting, and artwork. Also, when I read
that some players think FFG should apply this system to their other
intellectual properties (such as LotR, Netrunner, Star Wars, etc)... well, then
you know the hotness is burning really bright. Blindingly and
amusingly so.<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Still, WHQ is here to stay and it'll get exps. It fits a nice niche. But yes,
there is a lot of hype around this game now... just as there used to be for
PACG... and LotR... and MK... and Netrunner... you get the idea. While I can
see it breaking into the top 200 at BGG (maybe 100 due to its gateway-level
ease of play?) I can't help but feel that once the dust settles, people will
voice the same complaint that blanketed PACG after its nova burst began to fade
-- and that's the feeling of fairly repetitive sameness across sessions.<br />
<br />
<br /><b>
How thematic and/or immersive is WHQ?</b><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sadly, I have a fair bit of disconnect with WHQ. Almost everything feels
generic, though the boss enemies have names. In this game, I can play an elf
and a dwarf. Yippee. Obviously, LotR give me chars I know and love, such as
Legolas and Gimli. PACG at least gives names to the heroes, as does MK. No idea
why WHQ doesn't have named chars, but rather has a type of char to play with
each hero... and every single one of them is still limited to only 4
actions.<br />
<br />
<br /><b>
What's the level of randomness across these games?</b><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One area I won't budge on is how much more random and/or swingy this game is
compared to LotR. Some have claimed LotR is just as much, or even moreso, than
WHQ, due to all the cards drawn from your deck and enemy deck. I can only
assume they haven't played as many games of both as I have. Consider this...<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the 3rd WHQ quest (I won't say much to avoid spoilers) it's evident you need
to attack and explore a lot. With only the 2 chars I'd been using, I was at a
loss at what to do, as it didn't seem possible to do both consistently. (A sad
reminder the game has not been balanced for 2 chars.) Still, I tried, but by
the 3rd turn, the writing was on the wall -- there was nothing I could do and
the game was quickly crushing me. I reset and tried again, but this time I only
made it to the 2nd turn, as due to some bad dice rolling, the game was over via
a quest condition. Being the glutton I am, and hoping it was a challenge I had
to figure out, I reset again.<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Long story short: I won on my 2nd turn.<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now when you play a scenario that stomps you in 2-3 turns, and next session you
defeat it in 2 turns, yet you didn't really change how you played, that's
pretty much the epitome of random and swingy. There's NO WAY you'll have a
scenario even close to that in LotR, which is usually a gradual buildup in
forces for you and the enemy as you press forward. Sure, you can have quests
that stomp your decks, or your decks stomp a quest, but in either case, you're
NOT going to have a "swing game" with the same matchup that enables
the opposite.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In case you're wondering, no, I did not experience a fist pump moment of
"I did it! I beat the game!" but was left with, "How did that
just happen!?" The answer was a lucky location that helped me by
discarding an enemy, a lucky dungeon card draw that damaged the boss, and a
lucky high attack roll early on that killed 2 enemies. And even then, I barely
beat it, or I'd have lost via quest conditions. Of course, to some players,
this uncertainty and high variance may be a plus. But please, do not say LotR
is even remotely close to being as random or swingy as WHQ.<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Is PACG random or swingy? Certain key rolls can be, I suppose, but the game is
easy enough that you can swallow them. What about MK? Not very much. There is
certainly the unknown aspect, but usually you can make something work -- you
just have to work to find it.<br />
<br />
<br /><b>
What's my overall take on the game?</b><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I like it OK for what it is. Definitely more than PACG, which I sold. And it's
radically different from MK. Yet it's different enough from LotR that I'm happy
to keep it.<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Do I want a huge immersive experience in one long session and tons of choices?
MK. Do I want to include some pre-game deck construction in an attempt to
tackle one or more scenarios with many choices? LotR. Do I want fairly quick
dungeon crawl feel (possibly with chars that have progressed in past games) and
have fewer choices while throwing some caution to the wind? WHQ. Do I want very
little setup time, a much quicker game, and do some in-game deck-building?
Friday. (You didn't see that one coming, did you?)<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As for other dungeon crawls, I'll say WHQ is most definitely better than Castle
Ravenloft and games in that series... but honestly, that's not saying a lot.
It's also much better than Descent 2 (for me) due to speed of play and ability
to solo the game.<br />
<br /><b>
So what's the bottom line?</b><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WHQ is different enough that I'm glad I bought it... for now. While I sold PACG
after only a few plays, I don't see myself parting with WHQ as it hits a
certain niche -- a fairly quick dungeon crawl with some char progression.
Sadly, games can feel a bit same-ish with limited choices, but that simplicity
is also part of its charm. But if exps basically only add more of the same,
I'll probably stop after a couple of them.<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Given that WHQ is easy to teach, I see it playing well with those who enjoy
fantasy and don't want too many rules. Though on the flip side, LotR and MK
have more immersive themes, which has a lot to do with card appearance and more
of a story aspect in LotR. Still, WHQ offers a fun romp, when that's all you
want, regardless of some repitition. Of course, no game can be everything, so
they can all co-exist on my shelf.<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, I will say that after about a dozen plays over the past 2-3 weeks,
I've started to catch myself yawning mid-game as I've felt rather bored. Also,
of the times I've won or lost a game on a final dice roll, I don't feel elated
or frustrated. Instead, I find myself thinking, "Oh. The dice made me
win," or "Oh. The dice made me lose." As you can see, having the
entire game hinge on a final dice roll gives me a rather lackluster feeling, as
there's nothing else I can do by then.<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At some point, I'll need to try WHQ with 3 chars, to see if that helps. Though
as of now, I recently got the latest LotR exps, and I'm itching to build a
Ranger Trap deck, an Ent deck, an Elf deck... hmm, all these delicious
choices... though by the time I've made a couple, it'll probably be time for bed.<br />
<br /><b>
So which game is my favorite?</b><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I enjoy figuring out card combos and squeezing the most out of my limited
resources, which is maybe why Descent 2 and X-Wing feel like bland and mindless
dice-fests to me. Knowing that, MK easily has the most "card combo"
choices, making your brain ooze out your ears. LotR is more middle ground, with
WHQ much further down, and PACG easily having the least.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All that said, I like LotR best. After that, I can't really compare MK and WHQ
as they scratch very different itches. After all, there are times you want a
long dinner meal with multiple courses and the perfect dessert, while other
times, all you want and/or have time for, is a McRib and french fries. (Mmm...
McRib...)<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WHQ has the leveling up aspect and making me earn a small handful of cards,
which is fun, giving it an addictive charm with its simple play. So now if I
want a quick solo fantasy game, I have the option, as delving into MK may feel
too daunting, or I may not want to juggle lots of cards in LotR. In that regard,
WHQ works well, and I'll keep my fingers crossed that exps can deal with hero
discrepancies, regarding how many are in play.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
So for coop and solo gamers who would enjoy (possibly linked) fantasy games,
with only a few rules, few choices, and who want a step up from
"casual" (such as PACG), yet want to avoid the metagame deck
construction in LotR, WHQ may be a perfect fit, especially for those who enjoy
chucking dice. However, don't be surprised if the gameplay starts to feel
repetitive, or if the randomness makes or breaks a game, as that's the price
for simplicity.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017213804706901104.post-84070558342155623562016-03-12T11:56:00.000-06:002016-03-12T11:56:11.704-06:00Playing the Top 100: Pandemic Legacy and 7 Wonders: DuelHi there, so as we continue our trek across the top 100 games that were pulled from the list in January, I spent much of the last week planning and scheming as I did playing games. The math is easy, if I complete two games a week, I will finish before the end of the year. The execution is a little more difficult due to some scheduling changes in my life. After long discussion with my friends who are not only playing the games with me, but also helping me find the ones that we do not already own, Nerd Night and the larger BGGcon will be used to play catch up. This is all fine and dandy, till you realize that a few of the games take 6+ hours to play, so a little more planning is required. But enough of that nonsense. You came to this page to see me write nonsense about games.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<div>
<img height="199" src="http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic2576399_md.jpg" width="200" /></div>
<div>
Number 24: 7 Wonders: Duel - I have a friend who is a big 7 Wonders fan. You may know him, his name is JR. Since I know JR is a 7 Wonders fan and this is a 2 player 7 Wonders game it made since to play it with him. I began our game by asking why this game needs to exist. There is a 7 Wonders 2 player variant, so why do we have this one? Besides the obvious answers of, peeps need money, I think that the game provides a similar feel, but is sufficiently different to provide an alternate experience. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I do not consider 7W: Duel to be a drafting game. It is more of a card choosing game where the players have some knowledge of what is out there, but every other row of cards is hidden. Also, not every card is used in each age, so there is some knowledge of what is there, but never perfect knowledge. It is a game that rewards multiple plays and the play time on a long game is not much over 30 minutes. Also, it has multiple win conditions. If you haven't figured me out, I consider most games that give a player various ways to do a thing as "Good". In my opinion this sort of thing lessens the learning curve for new players. Players can win through points, through military victory, or through science. Science is the trickiest to do, though I have lost two games to this method. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As with 7 wonders when you put a card in your tableau it will likely do a thing, such as provide resources, extra money, points, etc. Additionally, each player drafts 4 wonders at the beginning of the game, snake draft style. I like this effect because you can start planning your strategy before you have even looked at the cards. Also, if the only card you can draw is something not useful, it can be pitched for money or used to build a wonder if you have the resources for the building. Additionally resources can be bought for 2 coins + an extra coin if you opponent has the resource you are building. I think this is also a really neat mechanic. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Because there is only minor variance between plays, I think that some games might become repetitive if played all the time, but every couple of weeks it is a fun way to burn a half hour or two. Additionally, although some new players might find it frustrating at first. After one play, the game should be understood well enough to be competitive. If I were demoing this game, I would make a point to explain why I was choosing the card that I chose as with a lot of card games, "card synergy" is a thing.<br />
<br />
<img height="145" src="http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic2452831_md.png" width="200" /><br />
Number 1: Pandemic Legacy - So it should be stated that if you're new to gaming, there was recently a top 100 coup where Pandemic Legacy unseated long time champion Twilight Struggle. TS is one of my favorite games and I'm looking forward to playing and reviewing it but Pandemic Legacy is good stuff. So if you have not picked on the hype, Pandemic Legacy is Pandemic, but with a Legacy twist. Legacy games (thus far at least) are designed by Rob Daviau. Heck he may even have a copyright on the concept I don't know. His first was Risk Legacy, which was Risk, but then things would happen that fundamentally and permanently change the game.<br />
<br />
Pandemic Legacy delivers the same experience in a skin of Pandemic. The game is played over 12-24 plays with each game representative of a month of the year. During the game normal pandemic is played, where players move their characters, use abilities, cure diseases, and draw cards. Then disease spreads and in general bad stuff happens. If the players lose the game, then worse things happen. If they win, then sometimes good things can happen. Really that is the best explanation I can provide without spoiling the game. What is the statute of limitation on a Legacy game anyway? It was around 6 months on the Star Wars VII for my gaming group.<br />
<br />
I am playing through the game with my wife, which is a blast. It's more of a blast when we had to permanently destroy a card for the first time. She wanted to bag it and keep it. I convinced her that we'll keep all the torn up pieces and then shadow box them at the end to chronicle the experience. That may sum this game up for me, you're playing an experience, like a good movie or book. It is a game sure, but Pandemic the game is pretty light. Pandemic Legacy sucks you in and makes you dread that next card pull. At least that is the experience I have had so far, but I am thoroughly enjoying it. Oh and if you were wondering, the two box covers are just art. The game is identical in each.<br />
<br />
I know that it has been a while since I have written, but I have been playing games so new content will be coming soon. Assuming I stop Rocket League long enough to write anyway :). Game on friends. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979723304000709705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017213804706901104.post-38992760852455278772016-02-19T11:50:00.003-06:002016-02-19T11:50:27.373-06:00Golden Geek Awards Nominees - JRHere are my nominees! Let me know what I got right, or what I got wrong :D<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="geeklist_title" style="background: rgb(209, 218, 239); font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.66em; font-weight: bolder; margin: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center;">
Your Nominees</div>
<div class="status" id="nominee_status" style="background: rgb(94, 140, 62); color: white; font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14.772px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute;">
</div>
<div id="nominees" style="font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.772px; margin: 1em 0px 0px; padding: 0px;">
<div class="geeklist_title" style="background: rgb(209, 218, 239); font-weight: bolder; margin: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center;">
Board Game of the Year</div>
<div id="nomination_260401" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/172818/above-and-below" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Above and Below</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_259835" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/167400/ashes-rise-phoenixborn" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260516" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/168435/between-two-cities" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Between Two Cities</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_259847" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/170216/blood-rage" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Blood Rage</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_259915" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/142830/chaosmos" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Chaosmos</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_259931" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/178900/codenames" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Codenames</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260691" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/181279/fury-dracula-third-edition" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Fury of Dracula (third edition)</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_259814" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/171905/orleans-deluxe-edition" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Orléans: Deluxe Edition</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_259805" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/161936/pandemic-legacy-season-1" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Pandemic Legacy: Season 1</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div class="geeklist_title" style="background: rgb(209, 218, 239); font-weight: bolder; margin: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center;">
2-Player Game</div>
<div id="nomination_260391" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/173346/7-wonders-duel" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">7 Wonders: Duel</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_259837" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/167400/ashes-rise-phoenixborn" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_259479" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/162388/battlecon-fate-indines" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">BattleCON: Fate of Indines</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260556" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/171499/cacao" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Cacao</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260616" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/173486/dune-dice-game" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Dune: The Dice Game</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260747" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/172503/mage-wars-academy" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Mage Wars Academy</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_259812" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/161936/pandemic-legacy-season-1" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Pandemic Legacy: Season 1</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260274" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/176229/tides-time" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Tides of Time</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div class="geeklist_title" style="background: rgb(209, 218, 239); font-weight: bolder; margin: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center;">
Artwork & Presentation</div>
<div id="nomination_259821" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/172818/above-and-below" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Above and Below</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_259836" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/167400/ashes-rise-phoenixborn" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_259497" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/169341/birds-feather" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Birds of a Feather</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_259918" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/142830/chaosmos" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Chaosmos</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260586" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/179723/dino-twist" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Dino Twist</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260690" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/181279/fury-dracula-third-edition" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Fury of Dracula (third edition)</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260124" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/151275/ophir" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Ophir</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260215" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/155624/specter-ops" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Specter Ops</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260275" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/176229/tides-time" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Tides of Time</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260330" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/170561/valeria-card-kingdoms" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Valeria: Card Kingdoms</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div class="geeklist_title" style="background: rgb(209, 218, 239); font-weight: bolder; margin: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center;">
Card Game</div>
<div id="nomination_259839" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/167400/ashes-rise-phoenixborn" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260492" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/151022/baseball-highlights-2045" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Baseball Highlights: 2045</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_259481" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/162388/battlecon-fate-indines" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">BattleCON: Fate of Indines</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_259492" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/169341/birds-feather" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Birds of a Feather</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260618" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/175621/epic" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Epic</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260635" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/168770/epic-pvp-fantasy" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Epic PVP: Fantasy</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260700" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/171668/grizzled" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">The Grizzled</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260111" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/175199/mottainai" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Mottainai</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260278" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/176229/tides-time" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Tides of Time</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div class="geeklist_title" style="background: rgb(209, 218, 239); font-weight: bolder; margin: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center;">
Expansion</div>
<div id="nomination_259485" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/162388/battlecon-fate-indines" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">BattleCON: Fate of Indines</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260565" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/171429/council-verona-corruption" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Council of Verona: Corruption</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260698" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/181201/gothic-doctor-demons-partial-treatments-expansion" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Gothic Doctor: Demons & Partial Treatments Expansion</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260753" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/190088/mice-and-mystics-lost-chapter-portents-importance" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Mice and Mystics: Lost Chapter - Portents of Importance</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div class="geeklist_title" style="background: rgb(209, 218, 239); font-weight: bolder; margin: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center;">
Family Game</div>
<div id="nomination_260519" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/168435/between-two-cities" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Between Two Cities</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_259494" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/169341/birds-feather" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Birds of a Feather</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_259985" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/179723/dino-twist" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Dino Twist</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260595" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/173367/doug-doug-goose-caboose" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Doug, Doug, Goose, Caboose</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260083" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/169147/letter-tycoon" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Letter Tycoon</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260087" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/136991/loony-quest" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Loony Quest</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260734" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/173341/loopin-chewie" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Loopin' Chewie</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260148" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/156853/pirate-den" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Pirate Den</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_259774" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/175848/unpub-unpublished-card-game" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Unpub: The Unpublished Card Game</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260340" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/169704/vault-wars" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Vault Wars</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div class="geeklist_title" style="background: rgb(209, 218, 239); font-weight: bolder; margin: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center;">
Innovative</div>
<div id="nomination_260512" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/168435/between-two-cities" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Between Two Cities</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_259496" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/169341/birds-feather" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Birds of a Feather</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_259920" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/142830/chaosmos" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Chaosmos</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260636" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/168770/epic-pvp-fantasy" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Epic PVP: Fantasy</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260702" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/171668/grizzled" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">The Grizzled</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_259816" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/171905/orleans-deluxe-edition" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Orléans: Deluxe Edition</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_259806" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/161936/pandemic-legacy-season-1" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Pandemic Legacy: Season 1</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260233" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/146508/time-stories" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">T.I.M.E Stories</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div class="geeklist_title" style="background: rgb(209, 218, 239); font-weight: bolder; margin: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center;">
Party Game</div>
<div id="nomination_259930" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/178900/codenames" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Codenames</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260594" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/173367/doug-doug-goose-caboose" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Doug, Doug, Goose, Caboose</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260724" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/158747/knee-jerk" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Knee Jerk</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260088" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/136991/loony-quest" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Loony Quest</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260733" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/173341/loopin-chewie" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Loopin' Chewie</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260757" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/174093/maze-racers" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Maze Racers</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_259773" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/175848/unpub-unpublished-card-game" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Unpub: The Unpublished Card Game</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div class="geeklist_title" style="background: rgb(209, 218, 239); font-weight: bolder; margin: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center;">
Print & Play</div>
<div id="nomination_260384" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/186844/7th-continent-print-play-demo" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">The 7th Continent: Print & Play Demo</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260607" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/173486/dune-dice-game" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Dune: The Dice Game</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div class="geeklist_title" style="background: rgb(209, 218, 239); font-weight: bolder; margin: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center;">
Solo Game</div>
<div class="geeklist_title" style="background: rgb(209, 218, 239); font-weight: bolder; margin: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center;">
Strategy Game</div>
<div id="nomination_260463" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/144797/argent-consortium" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Argent: The Consortium</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_259840" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/167400/ashes-rise-phoenixborn" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_259484" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/162388/battlecon-fate-indines" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">BattleCON: Fate of Indines</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_259916" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/142830/chaosmos" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Chaosmos</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260694" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/154086/gold-west" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Gold West</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260093" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/184424/mega-civilization" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Mega Civilization</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_259815" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/171905/orleans-deluxe-edition" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Orléans: Deluxe Edition</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_259808" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/161936/pandemic-legacy-season-1" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Pandemic Legacy: Season 1</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260264" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/182028/through-ages-new-story-civilization" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div class="geeklist_title" style="background: rgb(209, 218, 239); font-weight: bolder; margin: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center;">
Thematic Game</div>
<div id="nomination_259841" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/167400/ashes-rise-phoenixborn" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_259483" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/162388/battlecon-fate-indines" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">BattleCON: Fate of Indines</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_259495" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/169341/birds-feather" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Birds of a Feather</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_259850" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/170216/blood-rage" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Blood Rage</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_259917" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/142830/chaosmos" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Chaosmos</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260112" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/181304/mysterium" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Mysterium</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_259809" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/161936/pandemic-legacy-season-1" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Pandemic Legacy: Season 1</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260208" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/155624/specter-ops" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Specter Ops</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260231" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/146508/time-stories" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">T.I.M.E Stories</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div id="nomination_260265" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/182028/through-ages-new-story-civilization" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization</a></div>
<div class="fr" style="float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img src="https://cf.geekdo-static.com/images/icons/silkicons/delete.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<div class="geeklist_title" style="background: rgb(209, 218, 239); font-weight: bolder; margin: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center;">
Wargame</div>
<div id="nomination_260096" style="background-color: lightgreen; margin: 0px; padding: 2px;">
<div class="fl" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 275px;">
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/184424/mega-civilization" style="color: #000088; text-decoration: none;">Mega Civilization</a></div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017213804706901104.post-13323061547715190202016-01-16T23:44:00.000-06:002016-01-16T23:47:37.638-06:00Ten Games to Start Your Game Collection (And Twenty More)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIBCE0mOka-oV3wUTAmcuGJMAf14TZsthEW-WSPUhPr05w691s0_OeYngAYFzxk3rHNcc8nt5GPdeqw05qjx5uvk_QYBC26fS7fyY7O1eLEPyoDSwk4-584cpWDMdairYUCf9D1JlnUKT/s1600/Library.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIBCE0mOka-oV3wUTAmcuGJMAf14TZsthEW-WSPUhPr05w691s0_OeYngAYFzxk3rHNcc8nt5GPdeqw05qjx5uvk_QYBC26fS7fyY7O1eLEPyoDSwk4-584cpWDMdairYUCf9D1JlnUKT/s400/Library.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Randolph Pub Ludique's games library. That's a lot of games. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One of the most common topics I see in board gaming communities like <a href="http://www.facebook.com/dfwnerdnight" target="_blank">DFW Nerd Night</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/theboardgamegroup" target="_blank">The Boardgame Group</a>, and <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames" target="_blank">/r/boardgames</a> is about folks who are new to the hobby and want to expand their board game collection, but aren't sure what to buy. We're in a "golden age" of tabletop gaming, and with 1,500 new games being released each year, there are plenty to choose from and plenty of ways to evaluate them.<br />
<br />
I've crowdsourced this list by polling the members of DFW Nerd Night, and used that list, plus some of my own discretion, to put together "Ten Games to Start Your Game Collection". It's important to note that these aren't the ONLY ten games I think our new friend should purchase, just the first ten that should give her plenty to play for the foreseeable future.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Criteria I'm considering, in no particular order:<br />
<ul>
<li>Is this game fun in most situations, or just in certain ones? </li>
<li>Will this game introduce our friend to mechanics or themes that other, deeper games explore in more interesting ways? </li>
<li>Is this game good once, a couple times, or for a long time? </li>
<li>How many players can play? </li>
<li>How easy is this game to learn?</li>
<li>How easy is this game to teach? Our friend will surely teach these games to her friends, so they should be accessible. </li>
<li>How long is this game? </li>
<li>How much does this game cost?</li>
<li>How much space does this game take up in a collection and on the table? </li>
<li>How likely is our friend to find other folks interested in playing this game with her? </li>
<li>Is this game currently available? </li>
</ul>
I'm also going to suggest two games that could replace each game on the list, because there are a LOT more than 10 gateway games out there!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFXIGDIcySz8r-Nj9PIoJLSIK8bFT817gGkz9UqP6qG24qzllZe-svLT8BLxJ0Xf1YbpKpzL1taAnj7ED4gDidVXx-ZKRhJoxqxQjxZyUH7tLIzis2XPugZRBzkkcRmAP7K5YEUGiiGQZB/s1600/XWing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFXIGDIcySz8r-Nj9PIoJLSIK8bFT817gGkz9UqP6qG24qzllZe-svLT8BLxJ0Xf1YbpKpzL1taAnj7ED4gDidVXx-ZKRhJoxqxQjxZyUH7tLIzis2XPugZRBzkkcRmAP7K5YEUGiiGQZB/s320/XWing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>10) <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/103885/star-wars-x-wing-miniatures-game" target="_blank">Star Wars: X-Wing</a></b><br />
MSRP: $40<br />
Number of Players: 2-4<br />
Duration: 30-45 Minutes<br />
<br />
BoardGameGeek.com Description: <em style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game</span></em><span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> is a tactical ship-to-ship combat game in which players take control of powerful Rebel X-wings and nimble Imperial TIE fighters, facing them against each other in fast-paced space combat. Featuring stunningly detailed and painted </span><a class="" href="https://boardgamegeek.com/wiki/page/miniatures#" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(175, 176, 176); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-style: none none dotted; box-sizing: border-box; color: #323232; cursor: pointer; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; text-decoration: none; transition: border 0.1s linear;">miniatures</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">, the </span><em style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">X-Wing Miniatures Game</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> recreates exciting </span><em style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Star Wars</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> space combat throughout its several included scenarios. Select your crew, plan your maneuvers, and complete your mission! </span><br />
<br />
My take: X-Wing was one of the first games I played with my "new" play group three years ago, and holds a special place in my heart. The game comes with three rules difficulty levels, so you can take it out of the box and begin playing immediately, then learn new rules as you're ready for deeper play. There are so many expansion ships and pilots that you could only own this game and have plenty to play for years. If you're a not a huge Star Wars fan, you'll appreciate how beautiful and detailed the models are, and how carefully the game has been designed to allow for balanced, interesting play.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://nerdstable.blogspot.com/2014/01/review-star-wars-x-wing-minatures-game.html" target="_blank">John's review here</a></div>
Also Try: If you're interested in skirmish-style combat and want a World War II theme, try <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/10630/memoir-44" target="_blank">Memoir '44</a>. If you're interested in Star Wars and want a story-driven skirmish game, try <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/164153/star-wars-imperial-assault" target="_blank">Star Wars: Imperial Assault</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrokh6amU9aPAcYP3YmCcugdt-tLrXAHfpCVc8efIXfKWSYSsh1nRbNSn2ZmwRakRCbNsCJ9mmvfSHd-Jx9Esm6njc_zYQYsk2Fcyz7y5AOG3szhKa8AEUN0JbM-mN_XbuV5t6ciWciZS/s1600/pandemic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrokh6amU9aPAcYP3YmCcugdt-tLrXAHfpCVc8efIXfKWSYSsh1nRbNSn2ZmwRakRCbNsCJ9mmvfSHd-Jx9Esm6njc_zYQYsk2Fcyz7y5AOG3szhKa8AEUN0JbM-mN_XbuV5t6ciWciZS/s320/pandemic.jpg" width="232" /></a><b>9) <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/30549/pandemic" target="_blank">Pandemic</a></b><br />
<br />
MSRP: $40<br />
Number of Players: 2-4<br />
Duration: 60 Minutes<br />
<br />
BoardGameGeek.com Description: <span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">In </span><em style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Pandemic</span></em><span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">, several virulent diseases have broken out simultaneously all over the world! The players are disease-fighting specialists whose mission is to treat disease hotspots while researching cures for each of four plagues before they get out of hand. </span><br />
<br />
My take: Pandemic is the standard-bearer for cooperative games, and though many fans have enjoyed the one-play-only <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/161936/pandemic-legacy-season-1" target="_blank">Pandemic Legacy</a>, the original game still allows for consistent, dependable fun no matter how many you times you play. Pandemic's list of expansions will allow you to try new versions of the game as you become more experienced, and if you're the kind of person who enjoys solving puzzles with your friends, this game will provide more than enough to keep you happy and healthy for a long time to come.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Also Try: If you're interested in a fantasy-themed cooperative game, try <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/43443/castle-panic" target="_blank">Castle Panic</a>. If you're interested in superheroes and enjoy card games, try <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/129437/legendary-marvel-deck-building-game" target="_blank">Legendary: A Marvel Deckbuilding Game</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk1M4uYgVMKvs27NNnkKMjycFAoO7tRWdgCttGq3O1A82vhJmI2Y7EStm86UEPdszDHrS1ksMuIiD3owmCKUpt-qv0ZFpAraPFY6X1mJhDTD713fxeb29hqQdtmNvQ5cA1Wd1-_wiCZ3Yg/s1600/castles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk1M4uYgVMKvs27NNnkKMjycFAoO7tRWdgCttGq3O1A82vhJmI2Y7EStm86UEPdszDHrS1ksMuIiD3owmCKUpt-qv0ZFpAraPFY6X1mJhDTD713fxeb29hqQdtmNvQ5cA1Wd1-_wiCZ3Yg/s320/castles.jpg" width="320" /></a><b>8) <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/155426/castles-mad-king-ludwig" target="_blank">Castles of Mad King Ludwig</a></b><br />
<br />
MSRP: $60<br />
Number of Players: 2-4<br />
Duration: 90 Minutes<br />
<br />
BoardGameGeek.com Description: <span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">In the tile-laying game </span><em style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Castles of Mad King Ludwig</span></em><span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">, players are tasked with building an amazing, extravagant castle for King Ludwig II of Bavaria...one room at a time. You see, the King loves castles, having built Neuschwanstein (the castle that inspired the Disney theme park castles) and others, but now he's commissioned you to build the biggest, best castle ever — subject, of course, to his ever-changing whims. Each player acts as a building contractor who is adding rooms to the castle he's building while also selling his services to other players.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
My take: That world-famous silhouette of Disney's castle in the middle of Magic Kingdom is inspired by Mad King Ludwig's designs. If that's not enough to get you interested, then the "I cut, you choose" bidding mechanic should do the trick. It's one of the most clever and interesting mechanics I've found in a game, and makes every decision interesting. Also, when you're done you've got your very own castle, complete with weird rooms, gardens that look directly into bowling alleys, and maybe even your very own creepy basement. Truly, there's something for everyone in Castles of Mad King Ludwig. </div>
<br />
Also Try: If you're interested in high fantasy and want intrigue and guile, try <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/110327/lords-waterdeep" target="_blank">Lords of Waterdeep</a>. If you're interested in building things and want a two-player, less competitive experience, try <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/163412/patchwork" target="_blank">Patchwork</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeY8We2SH4R2RI8uQXTkjet_PHFTOpO-V_hWfcaEIegDKAMmS0HQt_1VeSu9j778LDoHv59A-I7uwQ_KWOJ-VklZaLl8GFsBkseCtUulpb6Fbsj-IS5mSCfdoatzrOSOjYH50omOp9JRV9/s1600/Race.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeY8We2SH4R2RI8uQXTkjet_PHFTOpO-V_hWfcaEIegDKAMmS0HQt_1VeSu9j778LDoHv59A-I7uwQ_KWOJ-VklZaLl8GFsBkseCtUulpb6Fbsj-IS5mSCfdoatzrOSOjYH50omOp9JRV9/s320/Race.jpg" width="222" /></a><b>7) <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/28143/race-galaxy" target="_blank">Race for the Galaxy</a></b><br />
<br />
MSRP: $40<br />
Number of Players: 2-4<br />
Duration: 30-45 Minutes<br />
<br />
BoardGameGeek.com Description: <span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">In the card game </span><em style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Race for the Galaxy</span></em><span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">, players build galactic civilizations by playing game cards in front of them that represent worlds or technical and social developments. Some worlds allow players to produce goods, which can be consumed later to gain either card draws or victory points when the appropriate technologies are available to them. These are mainly provided by the developments and worlds that are not able to produce, but the fancier production worlds also give these bonuses.</span><br />
<br />
My take: Race for the Galaxy is both simple and complicated, both in exactly the right way. There's nothing simpler than drawing cards and discarding cards, and you can do anything you want to do in the game, provided you've got the cards in your hand. Behind this simple premise lies a world of elegant desperation, where I've spent plenty of time agonizing over a single card drawn, or a decision that left one too few cards in my hand. Like many of the games on this list, Race has plenty of expansions, but you won't need them to learn to love Tom Lehman's masterpiece. Play any way you want, try anything you want, and Race for the Galaxy over and over again. I can't get enough of this game.<br />
<br />
Also Try: If you're interested in more control over your cards and a fantasy theme, try <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/36218/dominion" target="_blank">Dominion</a>. If you love two-player games and want something lighter, try <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/147020/star-realms" target="_blank">Star Realms</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnAom0x7LdXyKDiIMbyn8d7P-P_ny4kh0ODQabIhw7-Y4AVgS33aBzLMlJ6HWj-cIHtsmLAzNTYAcKdB9QBBPyVTE7IAa3LCjPv8e9F1xB7q76-4etZxePZio9tAaX3J36XBHSgPmzlBl2/s1600/7+wonders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnAom0x7LdXyKDiIMbyn8d7P-P_ny4kh0ODQabIhw7-Y4AVgS33aBzLMlJ6HWj-cIHtsmLAzNTYAcKdB9QBBPyVTE7IAa3LCjPv8e9F1xB7q76-4etZxePZio9tAaX3J36XBHSgPmzlBl2/s320/7+wonders.jpg" width="320" /></a><b>6) <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/68448/7-wonders" target="_blank">7 Wonders</a></b><br />
<br />
MSRP: $50<br />
Number of Players: 2-7<br />
Duration: 30-45 Minutes<br />
<br />
BoardGameGeek.com Description: <span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">You are the leader of one of the 7 great cities of the Ancient World. Gather resources, develop commercial routes, and affirm your military supremacy. Build your city and erect an architectural wonder which will transcend future times.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px;">
<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;"><i>7 Wonders</i></span> lasts three ages. In each age, players receive seven cards from a particular deck, choose one of those cards, then pass the remainder to an adjacent player. Players reveal their cards simultaneously, paying resources if needed or collecting resources or interacting with other players in various ways. (Players have individual boards with special powers on which to organize their cards, and the boards are double-sided). Each player then chooses another card from the deck they were passed, and the process repeats until players have six cards in play from that age. After three ages, the game ends.</div>
My take: I've played drafting games for most of my life, but it wasn't until I found tabletop gaming that I understood drafting as its own mechanic and came to love it. 7 Wonders does drafting as well as any other game out there, and scratches my itch for Civilization-style games as well. Beautiful and balanced, 7 Wonders provides the same great experience for three players that it does for seven. I've played the base game at least a hundred times and I still enjoy it every single time I play.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://nerdstable.blogspot.com/2014/01/7-wonders-by-antoine-bauza.html" target="_blank">My review here</a><br />
<br />
Also Try: If you're interested in a lighter drafting game with cute art, try <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/133473/sushi-go" target="_blank">Sushi Go!</a>. If you're interested in a semi-cooperative drafting game with tableau-building, try <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/168435/between-two-cities" target="_blank">Between Two Cities</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3fhk-Ts4ZmR5sS7as6wPJSS_nAqKtEqU4xGY0dFB4UYc8zH0TXrEZeabRRtToIJXJOsvINbud15VxbsmmkJWHrzsiv3DyKIDqz89uC9c6FBEol6ybMWsjGBTsrA1Z6-aUjQmOP4wL2kKI/s1600/KoT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3fhk-Ts4ZmR5sS7as6wPJSS_nAqKtEqU4xGY0dFB4UYc8zH0TXrEZeabRRtToIJXJOsvINbud15VxbsmmkJWHrzsiv3DyKIDqz89uC9c6FBEol6ybMWsjGBTsrA1Z6-aUjQmOP4wL2kKI/s320/KoT.jpg" width="311" /></a><b>5) <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/70323/king-tokyo" target="_blank">King of Tokyo</a></b><br />
<br />
MSRP: $40<br />
Number of Players: 2-6<br />
Duration: 30 Minutes<br />
<br />
BoardGameGeek.com Description: <span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">In</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> </span><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">King of Tokyo</span></em><span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">, you play mutant monsters, gigantic robots, and strange aliens—all of whom are destroying Tokyo and whacking each other in order to become the one and only King of Tokyo.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">At the start of each turn, you roll six dice, which show the following six symbols: 1, 2, or 3 Victory Points, Energy, Heal, and Attack. Over three successive throws, choose whether to keep or discard each die in order to win victory points, gain energy, restore health, or attack other players into understanding that Tokyo is YOUR territory.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px;">
The fiercest player will occupy Tokyo, and earn extra victory points, but that player can't heal and must face all the other monsters alone! Top this off with special cards purchased with energy that have a permanent or temporary effect, such as the growing of a second head which grants you an additional die, body armor, nova death ray, and more.... and it's one of the most explosive games of the year! In order to win the game, one must either destroy Tokyo by accumulating 20 victory points, or be the only surviving monster once the fighting has ended.</div>
My take: Richard Garfield is better known as the designer of Magic: The Gathering, but this Yahtzee-esque dice combat game is just as loved by its fans. Take one part Kaiju in a giant city, one part ridiculous abilities, add a dash of dice-rolling, and you've got a recipe for quick fun for the whole family. <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/160499/king-new-york" target="_blank">King of New York</a> allows for similar play and even expands on the possibilities that KoT introduces, but to me, Godzilla and his brethren belong in the land of the rising sun.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://nerdstable.blogspot.com/2014/02/review-richard-garfields-king-of-tokyo.html" target="_blank">Matthew's review here</a><br />
<br />
Also Try: If you're interested in light dice-rolling games and want to try a cooperative, timed game, try <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/113294/escape-curse-temple" target="_blank">Escape: The Curse of the Temple</a>. If you're interested in chucking dice and fighting monsters and other players in a longer, campaign-style game, try <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/155068/arcadia-quest" target="_blank">Arcadia Quest</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6xajLVo2-JQ59tnNDb0BCmmrXEDiH3k4_6oHL8q0BK2nmp1hv8bpHb2EV3tsrwevKod0ZqnTUDw49ghK9TcTd8CrNLkCfTU8lIyC-lvK-WFRBb8WD6mkrCqW7neTcvqlJJUURs7LZA7DE/s1600/catan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6xajLVo2-JQ59tnNDb0BCmmrXEDiH3k4_6oHL8q0BK2nmp1hv8bpHb2EV3tsrwevKod0ZqnTUDw49ghK9TcTd8CrNLkCfTU8lIyC-lvK-WFRBb8WD6mkrCqW7neTcvqlJJUURs7LZA7DE/s320/catan.jpg" width="259" /></a><b>4) <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/13/catan" target="_blank">Catan</a></b><br />
<br />
MSRP: $50<br />
Number of Players: 3-4<br />
Duration: 60-90 Minutes<br />
<br />
BoardGameGeek.com Description: <span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">In </span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 20px;"><i>Catan</i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> (formerly </span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 20px;"><i>The Settlers of Catan</i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">), players try to be the dominant force on the island of Catan by building settlements, cities, and roads. On each turn dice are rolled to determine what resources the island produces. Players collect these resources (cards)—wood, grain, brick, sheep, or stone—to build up their civilizations to get to 10 victory points and win the game.</span><br />
<br />
My take: Catan was the first "hobby" game that I played, and was a fantastic introduction into my new obsession. There's a lot to like here - negotiation, trading, area control, and a race to claim the best spaces on the board. While Catan's expansions are fantastic and improve on the game, the core experience is more than enough to keep you exploring its depth for years to come. This is one of the most famous games in the world, and for good reason - it's easy to learn, hard to master, and provides a the same great experience every time you open the box.<br />
<br />
Also Try: If you're interested in more "Euro"-style play and you like economic games, try <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2651/power-grid" target="_blank">Power Grid</a>. If you're interested in bluffing and deal-making and you want a lighter game, try <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/157969/sheriff-nottingham" target="_blank">Sheriff of Nottingham</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKTeYyyNOCvIf0VYN1LigWkMyF2SyBQHO-TMd-Mm_JpSUCjM7zHAvl5KQMj9qzR8SQ3CHQr7rn5GLPy6F5WKIzHSZbZ8KUpLm5ddsRuuxtvvOeZK-Z8tJg4NH_lbwpTGqPieK_wNskdVBk/s1600/Cosmic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKTeYyyNOCvIf0VYN1LigWkMyF2SyBQHO-TMd-Mm_JpSUCjM7zHAvl5KQMj9qzR8SQ3CHQr7rn5GLPy6F5WKIzHSZbZ8KUpLm5ddsRuuxtvvOeZK-Z8tJg4NH_lbwpTGqPieK_wNskdVBk/s320/Cosmic.jpg" width="320" /></a><b>3) <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/39463/cosmic-encounter" target="_blank">Cosmic Encounter</a></b><br />
<br />
MSRP: $60<br />
Number of Players: 3-5<br />
Duration: 60-120 Minutes<br />
<br />
BoardGameGeek.com Description: <span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Build a galactic empire... In the depths of space, the alien races of the Cosmos vie with each other for control of the universe. Alliances form and shift from moment to moment, while cataclysmic battles send starships screaming into the warp. Players choose from dozens of alien races, each with its own unique power to further its efforts to build an empire that spans the galaxy.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px;">
In <span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;"><i>Cosmic Encounter</i></span>, each player is the leader of an alien race. On a player's turn, he or she becomes the offense. The offense encounters another player on a planet by moving a group of his or her ships through the hyperspace gate to that planet. The offense draws from the destiny deck which contains colors, wilds and specials. He or she then takes the hyperspace gate and points at one planet in the system indicated by the drawn destiny card. The offense vs. the defenses ships are in the encounter and both sides are able to invite allies, play an encounter card as well as special cards to try and tip the encounter in their favor.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px;">
The object of the game is to establish colonies in other players' planetary systems. Players take turns trying to establish colonies. The winner(s) are the first player(s) to have five colonies on any planets outside his or her home system. A player does not need to have colonies in all of the systems, just colonies on five planets outside his or her home system. These colonies may all be in one system or scattered over multiple systems. The players must use force, cunning, and diplomacy to ensure their victory.</div>
My take: I've heard more people say Cosmic Encounter is their favorite game than for any other game I know. Few other games provide the same mix of careful bluffing and deal-making, thrilling battles of wits, and fantastic whimsy that Cosmic delivers in every single play. Whether you're looking for a light, hilarious experience, or a deep strategic fight, Cosmic Encounter can give you exactly what you want.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://nerdstable.blogspot.com/2014/12/cosmic-encounter-by-bill-eberle-jack.html" target="_blank">My review here</a><br />
<br />
Also Try: If you're interested in tenuous alliances and you like zombies, try <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/150376/dead-winter-crossroads-game" target="_blank">Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game</a>. If you're interested in crazy stories and you love haunted houses, try <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/10547/betrayal-house-hill" target="_blank">Betrayal at House on the Hill</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwUgB17VDe1yKQnb-6xNajetjUOz0vlxOcPZUq-Xu59_3Hza0zFRmSLW_ruKPd2-3OaZTYVPQrizMhO-cx3TE5xXnHbX7Uv-CzsNR7YMhgab6SsMLSZj0QU06H_c94AYGINxL77rsYh0O/s1600/Codenames.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwUgB17VDe1yKQnb-6xNajetjUOz0vlxOcPZUq-Xu59_3Hza0zFRmSLW_ruKPd2-3OaZTYVPQrizMhO-cx3TE5xXnHbX7Uv-CzsNR7YMhgab6SsMLSZj0QU06H_c94AYGINxL77rsYh0O/s320/Codenames.jpg" width="223" /></a><b>2) <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/178900/codenames" target="_blank">Codenames </a></b><br />
<br />
MSRP: $20<br />
Number of Players: 2-8<br />
Duration: 15 Minutes<br />
<br />
BoardGameGeek.com Description: <span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Two rival spymasters know the secret identities of 25 agents. Their teammates know the agents only by their CODENAMES.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px;">
In <em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Codenames</span></em>, two teams compete to see who can make contact with all of their agents first. Spymasters give one-word clues that can point to multiple words on the board. Their teammates try to guess words of the right color while avoiding those that belong to the opposing team. And everyone wants to avoid the assassin. <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Codenames</em>: Win or lose, it's fun to figure out the clues.</div>
My take: Codenames pits two spymasters and their teams against each other in a battle of wits, vocabulary, pop-culture references, and "who knows who the best" in a way that's exciting and accessible. Unlike many party games, it provides a nice bit of tactical depth - which clues you give in which order, how to guess based on what wasn't said, etc) that makes the game as fun on the 20th (or 50th) play as it was on the first.<br />
<br />
If you're interested in more of a trivia-style experience, try <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/20100/wits-wagers" target="_blank">Wits & Wagers</a>. If you're interested in creative associations and working with teammates to solve puzzles, try <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/181304/mysterium" target="_blank">Mysterium</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KdE_BfmcX1CQDudmRyAba__y886D-8ounalui7BNht40f8vubXnsWSLXlOegZrkX4wgud4pkqiPhyphenhyphen_VlV3zPVpEa-MH9YuDawZLlBNtWdzuIVjJQfau3_t3QpAYKHwVqiaaDw9x2Yywr/s1600/TTR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KdE_BfmcX1CQDudmRyAba__y886D-8ounalui7BNht40f8vubXnsWSLXlOegZrkX4wgud4pkqiPhyphenhyphen_VlV3zPVpEa-MH9YuDawZLlBNtWdzuIVjJQfau3_t3QpAYKHwVqiaaDw9x2Yywr/s320/TTR.jpg" width="320" /></a><b>1) <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/9209/ticket-ride" target="_blank">Ticket to Ride</a></b><br />
<br />
MSRP: $50<br />
Number of Players: 2-5<br />
Duration: 45-60 Minutes<br />
<br />
BoardGameGeek.com Description: <span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">With elegantly simple gameplay, </span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 20px;"><i>Ticket to Ride</i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Lato, Arial, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> can be learned in under 15 minutes, while providing players with intense strategic and tactical decisions every turn. Players collect cards of various types of train cars they then use to claim railway routes in North America. The longer the routes, the more points they earn. Additional points come to those who fulfill Destination Tickets – goal cards that connect distant cities; and to the player who builds the longest continuous route.</span><br />
<br />
My take: I've played more games of Ticket to Ride than any other game I own, and it always delivers on the experience I expect. Always. Every time. Ticket to Ride is fast-paced, easy to learn, and stressful in exactly the right ways, and that makes it a winner whenever it hits my table. There are plenty of variants on the game in the other editions - Europe, Asia, Nordic Countries, etc. - but the original game is more than enough to keep me happy for as long as I play games.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://nerdstable.blogspot.com/2014/06/ticket-to-ride-by-alan-r-moon.html" target="_blank">My review here</a><br />
<br />
Also Try: If you're interested in expanding empires and you LOVE trains, try <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/17133/railways-world" target="_blank">Railways of the World</a>. If you're interested in card and tile games and you love beautiful art, try <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/160851/lanterns-harvest-festival" target="_blank">Lanterns: The Harvest Festival</a>.<br />
<br />
There you have it: Ten games for about $450 to start your collection. Sure, that's big chunk of change, but if you picked up these ten games today you'd have enough to keep you entertained for years to come. You've got battles for dominance in space, area-control in new or familiar places, fantasy castles to build, plagues to cure, and historic monuments to build or destroy. What more could ask for in a game collection?<br />
<br />
What games would you suggest to a new member of our hobby? Let me know in the comments!<br />
<br />
--<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">JR Honeycutt is a full-time husband and game-player, and co-host of </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/dfwnnpodcast/live" style="background-color: white; color: #771100; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The Nerd Nighters</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">. You can find him on Twitter at </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/jayahre" style="background-color: white; color: #771100; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@JayAhre</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> or at a </span><a href="http://www.dfwnn.org/stores" style="background-color: white; color: #771100; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Friendly Local Game Store</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017213804706901104.post-62953262498425551212016-01-14T23:21:00.001-06:002016-01-14T23:22:17.519-06:00Playing the Top 100: Tichu and OrléansFirst I want to thank all of my friends that have offered to find me games, started trying to find me games, helped out with strategies, and most importantly played games with me. We're 5% of the way home people. It's all downhill from here. I also wanted to clarify something that may have been misconstrued in my earlier writing. I'm not limiting myself to playing these games once (though once may be enough for some) and I'm also willing to play other games that are not on the list. I just want to get the top 100 in by year's end.<br />
<br />
Also, if you're interested in playing a particular game with me because it is your favorite thing and live in the metro, let me know of Facebook. Let's set something up. Additionally also, I have requested with the guys that we Twitch stream Battlestar Galactica. You should watch, it's the game that sort of brought our group together and our games are a blast.<br />
<br />
This has been pretty fun so far. I really like goals and this has given me a reason to play some things towards which I would not normally gravitate. Tonight I talk about one of those and it is not Tichu. Tichu and I love each other. We are old friends. Tichu knows where it sits in my top 10 list, it is one of the games that regardless what time it is, I will play. My Tichu partner and I have been playing<br />
together for what I would estimate is a couple of years now and we love it. Probably a little too much.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<img src="http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic169494_md.jpg" height="200" width="146" /><br />
<b><u>Tichu #77 - </u></b>For those that do not know, Tichu is a trick-taking (climbing style) game where you and a partner square off against another pair of players. First team to 1000 points wins and points are only scored on 5's, 10's, and Kings. There are 100 points in every game with a special card being worth an additional 25 (the Dragon) and another special card worth -25 (the Phoenix). There are also two other special cards, the Dog which passes lead to your partner, and the mahjong which leads the game. Before play starts each player passes one card to each other player and whoever follows the leader of the trick, must follow in same kind with higher cards. So if someone plays two 2's, you would need to play a pair of something higher. Also when the mahjong is played whether it is lead or not, the person who played it has the opportunity (they do not have to) to wish for a card. The next time a player can fulfill that wish, they must. No passing allowed if the card is available.<br />
<br />
The game is part knowing the cards, part guessing well, and a lot of knowing your partner. I would not even say that JR and I are that good, but we feed off each other well. He is the brash, charismatic, crazy guy that we all know and love. I am the guy that makes his wild, crazy dreams come true in a game of Tichu.<br />
<br />
The game itself can only be truly learned by playing it, but I'll leave a few tidbits of advice before moving on to Orléans. 1) If you do not know what to pass, always pass your highest card to your partner. 2) Never pass any specialty cards to your opponent unless someone calls Grand Tichu (risking 200 points to go out first in order to receive 200 points if they do) then pass them the Dog only. 3) Figure out with your partner which way you will pass Odds and Evens, so that you do not create a Bomb for your opponent (trump hand made up of 4 of a kind or a straight flush of five or higher). 4) If you have a certain trick, someone else probably does too. 5) Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line. In other words, if you partner calls Tichu, never, ever, ever play over them unless you have a guaranteed way to get them the lead back.<br />
<br />
Other than that, all I can say is play a lot and eventually you will get better. Oh and try and find a partner that won't yell at you, it's just better that way. Oh and don't forget 6 and a half million Chinese people play Tichu every day. So says the box. Alright, on to the Euro game of the evening.<br />
<br />
<img src="http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic2578828_md.png" height="200" width="142" /><br />
<b><u>Orléans #91 -</u></b> Orléans is a game about building a city or cities or a trading empire or something. It was described to me as a bag building game where you draw chit/tiley looking things and then you "worker placement" style put them on spots to get more chit/tiley things. We played with the Deluxe version, which has wooden chit thingies instead of cardboard. At the end of the game I saw the cardboard version, That game would have driven me bonkers. As it was, the game was not too bad and I enjoyed myself. The object of the game is to get the most points and there are many ways to do it. One of the things that I really enjoyed is that when I made a play and was blocked for X reason, there were other things I could do. I definitely did not feel out of the game, though I had know clue how I was doing until the end.<br />
<br />
When you get more little dudes, you usually get a thing as well. Maybe it is an item worth points. Maybe it is a building to put more dudes out per turn. I enjoy that I don't have to share my buildings with people and it made my choices of buildings more meaningful to which would help me win most. There are 6 chit/tiley dudes to pick up. I will rank them by color and maybe importance: Grey- score multiplier, Red - extra draw, Yellow - Wild (but gets you no extra thingies), Black - buildings, Brown - cogs of space covering (which count like a permanent dude), Blue - Money, and White - Farmers. Farmers are used almost everywhere, but they are the most important There are several tracks to keep up with throughout the game, including a Marco Polo style exploration track. There is also a score multiplier to keep up with. I think that there are probably some optimal moves at the start, which I did not know at the time but one can definitely catch up. In our 5 player game, I came in 2nd and the lowest score was 86; highest was pretty bonkers at 142. The game was a little long for me, but I think that is a bi-product of my group being easily distracted. I think for someone who enjoys worker placements it is definitely a game to check out.<br />
<br />
I heard there is an app as well, which seems pretty cool. The only other worker placement that I regularly play is Lords of Waterdeep, and I think I enjoy this game a little more because of the multiple paths to victory. Also, the game lasts 18 rounds and every round there will be a tile that is flipped. This tile will affect all players either positively or negatively. The negative effects will either not affect you due to being behind or they affect everyone. The positive effects generally give some amount of money. All things are worth score in the game, except for dudes. I'm pretty sure by the end I may have had too many. Also, something that my friend said is that a 2 player game can likely be completed in under an hour, which he said because he knows that I enjoy fast play. Fast play is only beaten in my book by really fast play.<br />
<br />
Random thing I thought about, I could see this game turned into a dice game. I think I would play it. Of course by me uttering those words, 100 Euro players died moving their little wooden cubes on a board somewhere. Dice Orléans, let's do it. I am not sure what is on the docket for next week. I am sure that we will begin planning in the next couple of days. Happy Gaming.<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979723304000709705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017213804706901104.post-12666209138636409282016-01-10T22:51:00.001-06:002016-01-14T22:34:18.027-06:00Playing the Top 100: Imperial Assault<img src="http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic2247647_md.jpg" height="200" width="200" /><br />
<br />
Greetings all. So this resolution has sparked something that is unprecedented. I am writing twice in one week. New milestones and all that stuff. Alright, so I was able to play Star Wars: Imperial Assault this evening. It is #11 on the list for those playing at home. It was completely by accident, but since I would probably put the game on my top 10 favorites, I was happy to play it. I won't say that I play the game often, but I do own it. I am in the process (with the rest of the world) of attempting to keep up with FFG's frequent and somewhat expensive release schedule. Tonight I had some non-gamer friends over for a party and they said, "That looks fun." So I totally played it off, but I was screaming with excitement on the inside. One of my gamer buddies decided to watch, laughing and telling them that I was going to crush them mercilessly because that is how the Empire rolls. We had more than two, so we played the first Campaign mission, Aftermath.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<br />
So this game is cool because it is two games in one. My preference is the Campaign because I get to play through a story with my friends. There is a Skirmish which allows two parties to build armies from the minis for a head to head game. The game is based on the Descent rules and such, so in the campaign, one person takes the side of the DM (Imperials, I was called Darth Sidious all night) and up to four others play Rebels. Games, depending on familiarity take between 1 and 2 hours. I can crack out a 3 player game in about an hour with two experienced players. This was my first time as the Imperials, so I was super clumsy, but whatever. The Imperial player reads the story, has knowledge of what things come later, and knows where the Imperial units can pop out and such. The Rebels simply know their objective and are along for the ride.<br />
<br />
There are basically two phases to the game, an activations phase and a clean up phase. In clean up, the Rebels flip their activation tokens back to ready. The Imperial player is able to obtain and roll out reinforcements, may have some story to read, and generally laughs maniacally to create tension. The laughing is key. In the activations phase, players (including the DM) take turns activating their characters. They receive two actions per activation. For the most part, the DM will have 4 active units and players will have one a piece, so with the Rebels activating first every round, the DM will generally activate his last character just a short turn after the rebels, which is nice.<br />
<br />
Actions in the game are pretty limited: 1) Move - move a unit equal to speed, 2) Attack - roll some dice and hope the defender does not block it, 3) Interact - touch a thing, 4) Rest - recover strain (used for abilities or possibly health), 5) Use an ability - some can be used on other people's turns in reaction to things. Rebels can use both of their actions to attack, the Imperials usually cannot. It's cool, there are more stormtroopers where that one came from. I think that the game does a really good job of creating tension for both sides. The Imperial has perfect knowledge but should expect his troops to be slaughtered mercilessly.<br />
<br />
Beware your Imperial player. If he or she is a person who does not just play to win, but plays to make to make the opponents suffer, Imperial Assault can be very unforgiving. The game is incredibly easy to teach and anyone can play. There was only one regular board gamer at the table in my playthrough today and everyone at the table understood what to do in about a turn. I like this game because it makes for a fun, thematic experience. If you are a Star Wars fan, you should own it because it is Star Wars. At the rate they're producing minis, I'm sure we'll see BB-8 in a few weeks (swoon from the crowd and I am totally exaggerating). I don't care if you don't like the movie, you like BB-8.<br />
<br />
At the end of the mission in a campaign, both Rebels and Imperials are awarded experience type stuff and Rebels can purchase new equipment if they can afford it. At this point they are either prompted to choose their next mission or the DM chooses for them. To keep the campaign interesting for both sides, the Imperial player can at times spend influence to force the Rebels to choose a specific mission or suffer something bad. Generally these forced missions are pretty rough and can break up the pace of the normal game. Also there are missions that introduce famous heroes and villains such as: Luke, Chewbacca, Darth Vader, or even Boba Fett in the first expansion. The big boxes come with chits for these additional characters and their cards. The minis come later, but the players are not hamstrung if they have not picked up the miniatures for a specific character. <br />
<br />
<img src="http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic2337837.png" height="117" width="200" /><br />
<br />
Overall, the game is easy to teach and really the daunting thing is keeping up with the release schedule of FFG. It's expensive to buy a game at $70-$100 and then have monthly or bi-monthly packs cost $10-$20 and then have big boxes come out once or twice a year for $40 to $60. But this is Star Wars, kid, are you a fan or not. Give them your money! So should you play this game? Yes at least once even if you fall on the Star Trek side of the fence. Should you buy it? Phone your friends first, if someone has it then just play theirs. If they are honest they probably do not get it to the table enough anyways. Thanks for reading, I'm going to try to get Orleans in at the Thursday game night.<br />
<br />
--<br />
<a href="http://nerdstable.blogspot.com/p/nates-100-games-in-2016.html" target="_blank">See all of Nate's impressions on 2016's top 100 games here!</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979723304000709705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017213804706901104.post-79759982010715474402016-01-09T06:51:00.002-06:002016-01-12T01:33:11.803-06:00My Gamer's Resolution: Play the top 100 on BGG.com by Year's EndHi all,<br />
<br />
For those of you that do not know me, I do not write often. When I do write, it is usually on this blog. To provide a little background about this exercise, I should state that I think New Year's resolutions are silly. That said, I do create a list of goals for the year in order to provide focus for things that I want to accomplish. In this particular case, I call this a resolution because it involves gaming and I think I will actually finish it.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<br />
These musings will be paragraphs, not reviews and not walkthroughs, and they will simply by my entirely biased opinion of a particular game, though I will provide basic details of what one does in the game. The list will be played in no particular order. If I do not complete it, I will lose exactly 0 seconds of sleep. Also, I have already played 47 games on the list. I do plan on playing those games this year so that my musings will be fresh. Also, if a game is on the list twice (looking at you War of the Ring), I will not be playing it twice. Additionally, if there is only an expansion listed, I will play the base game. If there are multiple games listed from the same family (17 versions of TTR) and if in my opinion they have sufficiently varying mechanics, then I may play both. This is if I am feeling benevolent and it happens to be raining on that particular day. I will list the game in the number order in which I find it on my list. This list was copy/pasted to Excel this morning from BGG (<a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/browse/boardgame" target="_blank">here</a>), so no it will not be current throughout the year. To provide myself some more focus, I'm going to write about my experiences here. Also, if you have not realized it, my humor is fairly dry. Also, be forewarned I think that I am much funnier than I probably am.<br />
<br />
This list scares me a little because there are a lot of Euro style games on it, and I am more of a heavy theme, light on mechanics kind of guy. I play fast, enjoy chaos, and making things go Boom! Even my own things. Ask my friends. If I have to choose between losing and knocking someone out of first place or getting next to last, I will always go for the former. That said, I have been gaming for the better part of 6 to 7 years and think (entirely in my own estimation) that I give fair and intelligent feedback on things. I hope that through this exercise, I will not only play some new games and get games to the table with friends I don't see often (because I need to make use of their obscure game libraries) but also gain some respect for styles of games that I would not normally gravitate towards. Final Disclaimer and then I'll talk about games: I'm not a game designer. I'm not even a very good playtester. I am definitely not good at winning. However, I am a frequent teacher and demoer of games. My slant will have demos in mind. As of this posting I have played 2 games from said list that I compiled. One of them I own and have played before, the other I joined my friends Jason Hammer, John Adkins, Luc Lim, and Homer Hensley to play for the first. You will hear about these guys often because they are in my weekly game group.<br />
<br />
<img src="http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic1885326_md.jpg" height="200" width="143" /><br />
<br />
<b>#99 Istanbul</b> - I chose this one first because I knew that Jason owned it. I have never played this game before, but the gist is that it is a worker placement where you can only place workers one to two spaces away from where your special worker is located. He's a merchant I think. Also, you can only activate a space if you either have a worker to leave behind or pick one up who was left behind. For sanity's sake there is also a space where your main dude can call all of the little dudes back to him. The goal of the game is to collect a number of gems (I think determined by player count). Also, there is a guy in jail, and I totally ignored him. He deserves to rot for what he did. Board setup is randomized for replayability and is setup on a 4X4 grid. If you add a couple of expansions the board can be expanded to a 4X5, max of 5 players I think. Learning the actions in the game (like all worker placement in my opinion) is like getting dumped in the middle of a giant river with a life jacket and your skivvies.<br />
<br />
I spent half the game figuring out what things did with their little symbols (which were not crazy hard) and the other half trying (unsuccessfully) to plan ahead. I came in 4th of the 5. By the end I did have a strategy developed, so that's something I guess. One of the things that I enjoyed about the game was that player conflict was super minimal and the conflict was thematic. That is my understanding anyway. If you enter a space where a player's main dude was located, you pay that player two pieces of money. It's even less conflict than Lords of Waterdeep, and that conflict is low. Don't get me wrong, I'm pro high-conflict games, but I think I could get this to the table with my wife, which is a plus. I also like that spaces provide multiple ways to get gems, so if a way is closed because someone has all the coffee, there are other ways to obtain the gems you seek or to make your actions more profitable. I think the game is easy to explain, but a new player should expect to lose. I did as well as I did due to playing other worker placements. I would not have this be the first game someone plays in their hobby gaming career. I definitely recommend this and will play it again. Also, my friends wanted me to add the disclaimer that the game is much better with the expansions and super dry without. We did play with expansions.<br />
<br />
<img src="http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic1534148_md.jpg" height="200" width="145" /><br />
<br />
<b>#47 Pandemic</b> - I played this last night with my wife and a couple of friends, one newbie. This is probably touted as a gateway game. You can probably buy it at non-hobby stores like Target and I recommend that everyone own a copy. It is not one of my favorite games of all time, but it is easy to teach, accessible, quick, and enjoyable. I am not a proponent of owning all the gaming things, but I am a proponent of owning all the gaming things that will make non-gamers want to game. This was normal Pandemic, not Legacy. Yes, I own Legacy and no I haven't started it. Yes I know it will be amazing. Yes I know it is #1 and seriously, I'll play it this year, might even get through all 12 months. In this section we are talking about normal Pandemic, so hold your horses.<br />
<br />
The game is 2-4 players and participants play medical people (not sure how else to describe them) with varying abilities and they attempt to cure 4 random diseases of varying colors before one of several bad things murder the planet. This game is cooperative and it can also be very unforgiving or very easy. Ways to win: cure 4 diseases. Ways to murder the planet: run out of location cards in the player deck, have 8 outbreaks, don't cure a disease before you burn through all cards of that color, or run out of a particular disease's color of cubes (i.e. you cannot put any more disease on the board because you have run out of disease). Where you put disease is determined by a green deck of infection cards. The game starts with 21 cubes of randomly drawn colors (not random of the color but the cards that you draw).<br />
<br />
Then a player takes a turn, draws cards, and spreads disease. Thee next person then becomes the active player and this continues until either the players have won the game and cured the diseases, or until the planet is murdered. Poor planet. Shuffled into the player deck are 5 Epidemic cards which are really bad. They cause the infection counter to increase, the bottom card of the infection deck to be drawn, and 3 cubes are placed on this location. The discard pile is then shuffled (including the recently used card) and added to the top of the deck. Finally, infection cards are drawn to the number of the current infection level (2 or more) and cubes are placed on the places you probably recently infected.<br />
<br />
It is one of those games where things are going so well and then it turns and is a bad day for all. This concept also exists in games like Dead of Winter and Battlestar Galactica (spoilers, both on my list). On a player's turn they get to take up to 4 actions (maybe more depending on ability and special cards.) These actions include moving to a new location, playing a card to move far away, building a research station (needed to cure a disease), using an ability, taking a card from a player (if you are both on the same location and the card is for that location, treating a disease (removing a cube from the space) or curing a disease. Curing a disease normally takes 5 cards of the color of the disease you are treating. When a disease is cured it becomes easier to treat and the Medic's ability becomes pretty powerful. He just enters the location and the disease magically flees.<br />
<br />
If all cubes are removed for a treated disease, then it is eradicated and cannot return in the game, which is nice. Because everything, except some actions, is determined by card draw, sometimes the game is forgiving and you crack through pretty fast. Sometimes it kicks you in the teeth and causes 8 outbreaks in one turn. Overall though, I think the wins to losses usually balance out. By the way, an outbreak is caused if you need to place a 4th cube of a color that already has three cubes on the space. Instead of placing a 4th, it kicks a cube of that color to every place connected to the place of the outbreak. It causes some cube cross-pollination. The good news is that if there are 3 cubes of blue in a space, a new red cube won't mess stuff up. That's how real disease works, right?<br />
<br />
I really like the tenseness that is created when you know a card that you do not want to see is coming up as well. As stated earlier it is super accessible and in my opinion a lot of fun. I will say that after quite a few play-throughs, the game might become repetitive to some. Also, since it is entirely cooperative if you have one of those alpha gaming friends, (you know that guy or gal) punch them in the face and tell them to shut it. Or just politely ask them to not play for the other players. I was a dwarf beardzerker in a past life, so I go for the former. Only kidding...I think.<br />
<br />
I know this one was pretty long, they should be shorter in the future, but thanks for working through this with me. We'll see you later reader people.<br />
<br />
--<br />
<a href="http://nerdstable.blogspot.com/p/nates-100-games-in-2016.html" target="_blank">See all of Nate's impressions on 2016's top 100 games here!</a><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979723304000709705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017213804706901104.post-8766770809019126692016-01-03T14:46:00.000-06:002016-01-03T22:27:05.584-06:00Ten Games After 2015<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkeWF9EOALf3krHigTC6qvUylWUGBa0_wBbBjLJwLJLqdbHYCYZPI2BayW08cuIBe_w14TAgISpGkWUtvyclADpZzfwbocifJA7LX3YH0PmnnHGH62COguCeKOsxB4ucPgLIxkMPiYtuDl/s1600/Race+.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkeWF9EOALf3krHigTC6qvUylWUGBa0_wBbBjLJwLJLqdbHYCYZPI2BayW08cuIBe_w14TAgISpGkWUtvyclADpZzfwbocifJA7LX3YH0PmnnHGH62COguCeKOsxB4ucPgLIxkMPiYtuDl/s320/Race+.jpeg" width="222" /></a>In late 2014 I was prompted by a <a href="https://sanildefanso.wordpress.com/2014/11/03/the-group-of-ten/" target="_blank">good friend's article</a> to determine which ten games I would keep if I were forced to get rid of the rest of my collection. It sparked one of <a href="https://youtu.be/_LBwrVm-HvE?t=50m30s" target="_blank">the longest episodes of The Nerd Nighters</a> in our show's 130+ episode history (and one of my favorites), and has provided a new lens through which I consider new game acquisitions.<br />
<br />
My original list was as follows (<a href="http://nerdstable.blogspot.com/2014/11/ten-games.html" target="_blank">click here to read the 2014 article</a>):<br />
<br />
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/10547/betrayal-house-hill" target="_blank">Betrayal at House on the Hill</a><br />
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/28143/race-galaxy" target="_blank">Race for the Galaxy </a><br />
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/46/medici" target="_blank">Medici </a><br />
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/110327/lords-waterdeep" target="_blank">Lords of Waterdeep</a><br />
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/131357/coup" target="_blank">Coup </a><br />
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/9209/ticket-ride" target="_blank">Ticket to Ride</a><br />
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/58281/summoner-wars" target="_blank">Summoner Wars</a><br />
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/68448/7-wonders" target="_blank">7 Wonders</a><br />
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/141653/disc-duelers" target="_blank">Disc Duelers</a><br />
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/146439/battlelore-second-edition" target="_blank">BattleLore (2nd Edition)</a><br />
<br />
This list assumes that each game comes with all its expansions (past and future), and that have enough friends in this apocalyptic scenario to play each game at whatever player count I want. It also assumes that my <a href="http://www.cubetutor.com/8760" target="_blank">MtG cube</a> makes the cut as game #11, so it's not considered here.<br />
<br />
This year will see some big changes to this list, so let's begin!<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<b>Removed from the list:</b><br />
<br />
Race for the Galaxy<br />
Coup<br />
Medici<br />
Disc Duelers<br />
BattleLore (2nd) Edition<br />
Lords of Waterdeep<br />
<br />
Each of these is a good game, and deserved a spot on my last list. Since I compiled this list in 2014 I've played about 400 new games (I keep track on the <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/board-game-stats/id892542000?mt=8" target="_blank">BG Stats app for iPhone</a>), and as a result I've got a broader perspective on gaming, and I've developed a more selective palate, if you'll pardon an analogy.<br />
<br />
Of these, the hardest cut is Race for the Galaxy, a game I truly enjoy and that provides incredible replayability due to the number of expansions and the nature of the card drawing in the game. Race may make it back on the list some day, if I find that I come back to it after a new expansion, or as a result of getting tired of a new game.<br />
<br />
I've simply grown tired of Coup, and only played it 8 times in 2015. I haven't enjoyed the game at all in those plays, and didn't enjoy the additional randomness that Coup: Reformation or the other expansions brought to the game. Perhaps I'll fall in love with it again later - for now, I'm content enough to let 7 Wonders fill the "high player count" slot in my collection (along with a new entrant to the list, which I'll discuss later).<br />
<br />
Medici is a bidding game that provides no additional depth or interest, so the experience is limited by the savvy of your opponents. I still love the game, but with so many other good games to choose from, it's hard to keep such a one-dimensional game on the list. If this list was for 30 games rather than 10 Medici would make the cut.<br />
<br />
Disc Duelers, unfortunately, is the victim of circumstance: as I've grown more selective in the games that I play, I've become less interested in dexterity games and more interested in strategy games. I can always go play basketball, or throw a football around, or just play <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/173341/loopin-chewie" target="_blank">Loopin' Chewie</a>... though I do enjoy Disc Duelers and would happy to get it to the table again.<br />
<br />
BattleLore (2nd) Edition was added to the previous list before I'd even played it, based on my love for <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/10630/memoir-44" target="_blank">Memoir '44</a> and my assumption that a fantasy-themed version of the Command & Colors mechanics would be even better. After a lot of time spent playing Fantasy Flight's iPad app for the game, I learned that I was wrong, and the historical significance in Memoir, combined with my family's history of military service, was an integral part of my appreciation for the game.<br />
<br />
Last, Lords of Waterdeep is a tough cut. I really enjoy this game, and after more than a hundred plays I still find myself interested in its machinations at any player count and in most situations. It's light, easy to teach and learn, and looks great on the table. Unfortunately, it doesn't have the kind of depth I'm looking for in a game that I'd (presumably) have to play over and over again for the rest of my life. Lords will be directly replaced by another, kind-of-similar game, and I'll get to that in a moment.<br />
<br />
When I compiled my original list in November, 2014 I'd been playing tabletop games (besides Magic) for about 2.5 years. Most of my experience was in gateway games and popular deeper games, and many of my more experienced gamer friends mentioned that my list seemed a little bland, more like Amazon's "Customers who bought X also like..." list than a list of great games. I worked to expand my knowledge of the hobby in 2015, and I think my new list will reflect that.<br />
<br />
<b>Staying from the 2014 list:</b><br />
<br />
1) Betrayal at House on the Hill<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9qmSH0eHARyU8WCmPYKp0fyog3nQN1u1TV1U0kQ6SQdR1_WZTkXPfmkN8O3EZTCp3fuE7rUQQzKnpcKuS1CZSJbAAS9XDbioHuVvE7UquvEM2qAhL2XMo15SR8yHlv8fq_ULTS5PrpG3c/s1600/Betrayal+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9qmSH0eHARyU8WCmPYKp0fyog3nQN1u1TV1U0kQ6SQdR1_WZTkXPfmkN8O3EZTCp3fuE7rUQQzKnpcKuS1CZSJbAAS9XDbioHuVvE7UquvEM2qAhL2XMo15SR8yHlv8fq_ULTS5PrpG3c/s200/Betrayal+.jpg" width="200" /></a>Betrayal has been my favorite board game for a long time. Through thick and thin, for better or for worse, I've loved every flipped tile and traitor scenario. There's no other game that gives me the narrative arc that Betrayal does. Sure, it lacks consistency, and yeah, sometimes the scenarios are so imbalanced as to feel unwinnable for one side. Still, I contend that if you're playing Betrayal to win, you're doing it wrong. Let the inside jokes and funny stories commence and last as long as a traitor who puts a dragon in the Mystical Elevator.<br />
<br />
2) Ticket to Ride<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Q8YbE8lP3m2t7wxMnd7ZcFBouxAurhasUGwtBGKcW7vOrW076erGfBbg8GOjYnSLxjzpzwz2RC2qbqyDmmnZQxUpSgOj0TTi-bmRlpPUP5IoI_QM6APgf4Fizp4u-Fn9973uBhw6uJV9/s1600/Ticket+to+Ride.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Q8YbE8lP3m2t7wxMnd7ZcFBouxAurhasUGwtBGKcW7vOrW076erGfBbg8GOjYnSLxjzpzwz2RC2qbqyDmmnZQxUpSgOj0TTi-bmRlpPUP5IoI_QM6APgf4Fizp4u-Fn9973uBhw6uJV9/s200/Ticket+to+Ride.jpg" width="200" /></a>It's very tempting to replace Ticket to Ride with <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/17133/railways-world" target="_blank">Railways of the World</a>, for which there are ample expansions and table-devouring maps. Sadly, Railways struggles with a runaway leader, and Ticket to Ride does not. It's got plenty of depth for what it is, and so many extra maps and rules sets that I find it continuously fascinating. In my collection of train games dominated by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/6/martin-wallace" target="_blank">Martin Wallace</a>, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/9/alan-r-moon" target="_blank">Alan Moon</a> still reigns supreme.<br />
<br />
I'll mention here that I suppose I'm including all mobile apps for each of these games, since Ticket to Ride and Summoner Wars are two of my favorite apps of all time, and they take up no additional space in the box.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Fllbg7Ek2EQHX4JYFcUoU6Nq5zDa8GiV2YJiYwe3ifpVAgD-II2fo9LfcIx3CfDWD5oKV_3CiDY7dUyyj2sW9suh3RU7BpghfIxpM1i56k7LF6dq_3F2EXCkHFG_zVqil7TKsIg0ABSg/s1600/Summoner+Wars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Fllbg7Ek2EQHX4JYFcUoU6Nq5zDa8GiV2YJiYwe3ifpVAgD-II2fo9LfcIx3CfDWD5oKV_3CiDY7dUyyj2sW9suh3RU7BpghfIxpM1i56k7LF6dq_3F2EXCkHFG_zVqil7TKsIg0ABSg/s200/Summoner+Wars.jpg" width="200" /></a>3) Summoner Wars<br />
<br />
This is the sole two-player-primarily game on my list, after BattleLore was ousted and Memoir '44 didn't replace it. I've fallen in and out of love with this game so many times as to make my heart spin, and yet, whenever I get in a game I find myself drawn to the simplicity and tactical pleasure of chasing summoners, hoarding magic, and dominating Itharia. It's a better experience on the iPad, but the tabletop version is good enough on its own to warrant its position on my list.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg78omQ4OOAENIvrVbyLnWh9LwjRsSZlL0-xyRxr1NKQ-FVxZINqibGm6oa75BWC1Lj85G07ZwhRJWTOT9TOPXeuq1RKljEZ5aEuoOudVzx06fMG-JZXhF8LEEf_3T0pPKI-1_b5vQktaDU/s1600/7+Wonders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg78omQ4OOAENIvrVbyLnWh9LwjRsSZlL0-xyRxr1NKQ-FVxZINqibGm6oa75BWC1Lj85G07ZwhRJWTOT9TOPXeuq1RKljEZ5aEuoOudVzx06fMG-JZXhF8LEEf_3T0pPKI-1_b5vQktaDU/s200/7+Wonders.jpg" width="200" /></a>4) 7 Wonders<br />
<br />
Maybe I'm biased because I just re-boxed 7 Wonders and all its expansions in the Broken Token insert. Something about new storage or a new expansion for an old game can make it feel new again. The base game of 7 Wonders remains one of my favorite games, particularly for 5-7 players. Antoine Bauza has done awesome work with the expansions, adding new and interesting features that allow for team play, additional scoring types, etc. I'm counting 7 Wonders Duel as an expansion, I suppose, though even without it I'm convinced I'll want to play this game for years.<br />
<br />
<b>New this year:</b><br />
<br />
5) <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/37111/battlestar-galactica" target="_blank">Battlestar Galactica</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCg92FFNQJNxFN-JhMe86KLICcUY36UAngvXsq5V9F6OfHs7oenmh8_xXnWnV_6LoQ0m-6tSzu9G3OG_GqulbpWzoC_iyPd5V2ew7yhvsq5JFxSKwIwyhfyBH8zhjhe5z9dmF0DaqLOfMn/s1600/Battlestar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCg92FFNQJNxFN-JhMe86KLICcUY36UAngvXsq5V9F6OfHs7oenmh8_xXnWnV_6LoQ0m-6tSzu9G3OG_GqulbpWzoC_iyPd5V2ew7yhvsq5JFxSKwIwyhfyBH8zhjhe5z9dmF0DaqLOfMn/s200/Battlestar.jpg" width="199" /></a>BSG was my hardest cut last year, and I rationalized it by saying that Coup could handle the six-player niche and the hidden information/deduction niche. I was wrong. Battlestar, please come back into my life. This year I'm trending towards longer, more involved games (just wait until you see #'s 9 and 10 on this list) and BSG is a part of that. Dark Moon was released in 2015 and purported to give the same experience in a shorter play time, but I found that I <i>wanted</i> the long, dramatic tension of BSG. The "reveal" of being a Cylon feels better when it's been precipitated by an hour or more of lying.<br />
<br />
I haven't ventured much into BSG's expansions, though I've heard from many fans that the game is best with all the bells and whistles. In my experience, the base game is just fine for delivering what I want, but since I get to add them all without expanding the list, I'll take them.<br />
<br />
6) <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/124361/concordia" target="_blank">Concordia</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYK7GHg3j-o8zCTMR5EJT_pFWQm3GY_Vfu0B0C5IGLysW_7fe9xkUxHjr69CaknXee48pOMCsmAOA8s8I-YBTsr4yX53uf3H3e8kLHKPVc1GlyoFn7t5xykz-wzPD20sudfckpxheTWOS5/s1600/Concordia.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYK7GHg3j-o8zCTMR5EJT_pFWQm3GY_Vfu0B0C5IGLysW_7fe9xkUxHjr69CaknXee48pOMCsmAOA8s8I-YBTsr4yX53uf3H3e8kLHKPVc1GlyoFn7t5xykz-wzPD20sudfckpxheTWOS5/s200/Concordia.jpeg" width="141" /></a></div>
Mac Gerts' take on the popular "trading in the Mediterranean" theme is my favorite pure "Euro". This is my replacement for Lords of Waterdeep on this list, as I prefer Concordia's elegant mix of action selection and scoring in its cards to Lords' more random (and less interesting) quests. Despite having a VP track, Concordia does a great job of obfuscating the score of the game, leaving players to focus on choices outside the context of pulling back the leader. Given my friends' tendency to punish me in games (the plight of every alpha gamer), perhaps the near-total lack of denial in Concordia makes me feel safe to pursue any strategy I'd like.<br />
<br />
Concordia could be subtitled "One Coin Short" for all the times that I and other players have been just short of pulling off some amazing sequence of actions, and that kind of pressure leads to interesting analysis and decisions packed with tension. As a bonus, Concordia is one of the easier Euros to teach, despite its depth, due to the relative simplicity of components and the nature of action selection as a mechanic. "On your turn, play a card and do what it says" is not particularly difficult to convey.<br />
<br />
7) <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/178900/codenames" target="_blank">Codenames</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxrHcQI-mWDQKT1ubFwX3b1Fq3wFyRmd14vrlsobOZg7vWL-NuvFtGkL-NhR7y60YMGTzLTWPrzoUx7pEFtRW662EbIatghxOyv5-vLMHUXkRiCm2J8DbGMTplvYTB9518GBwAOlx3JXs/s1600/Codenames.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxrHcQI-mWDQKT1ubFwX3b1Fq3wFyRmd14vrlsobOZg7vWL-NuvFtGkL-NhR7y60YMGTzLTWPrzoUx7pEFtRW662EbIatghxOyv5-vLMHUXkRiCm2J8DbGMTplvYTB9518GBwAOlx3JXs/s1600/Codenames.jpg" /></a>My #2 game of the year in 2015, and my favorite "party" game of all time. <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/789/vlaada-chvatil" target="_blank">Vlaada Chvatil's</a> triumphant offering exists outside of the scope of his meatier games like Mage Knight and Galaxy Trucker, but contains the same brilliance in design. It's easy to pass Codenames off as "Taboo" or "Mastermind" or something in between, but it's got a soul of its own and it's among the most accessible "thinky" game I've ever introduced to my family.<br />
<br />
For a light game made of only cards and words, Codenames can possess intimate moments of strategic thought, and definitely elicits moments of "pop" from players surprised by the results of their guesses. The honeymoon has to end sometime, but for now I feel like I could play this game forever, and the nature of the cards and mechanics all but guarantees that I'll be able to. Plus, there may be expansions soon!<br />
<br />
8) <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/169786/scythe" target="_blank">Scythe</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6LcsxYUiLeAVZhRS74DTWM15x7cV4G6YqJB2gDfjQLWVuem15tDF8c2RbXRPYI4s6L2lrGapDITqy1D-VmmnE_6S3DwbkMiQu1gLgyTtSisS-MqQR6G-6GymYe9QggXiTTxGCfRsUMg2d/s1600/Scythe.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6LcsxYUiLeAVZhRS74DTWM15x7cV4G6YqJB2gDfjQLWVuem15tDF8c2RbXRPYI4s6L2lrGapDITqy1D-VmmnE_6S3DwbkMiQu1gLgyTtSisS-MqQR6G-6GymYe9QggXiTTxGCfRsUMg2d/s1600/Scythe.jpeg" /></a>Unlike last year's inclusion of BattleLore, this year's inclusion of Scythe comes with foreknowledge that I'll love the game. <a href="http://nerdstable.blogspot.com/2015/10/scythe-by-jamey-stegmaier.html" target="_blank">I've played Scythe</a>, albeit a prototype review copy, and this game is among the best I've ever tried. It's "modern" in the sense that downtime is reduced to almost nothing with respect to the scope of the game, and though it's not a true "4x", it's got enough of each element to scratch that itch.<br />
<br />
True to its Kickstarter origins, it has beautiful mechs and other miniatures, and the metal coins and resin resources mean the tactile pleasure will match the tactical joy of play. <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/62640/jamey-stegmaier" target="_blank">Jamey Stegmaier</a>'s master stroke in game design will be on my shelf for a long, long time.<br />
<br />
If I were more of a fan of space as a genre, I might have included Eclipse and its expansions instead, but given its position somewhere between Scythe and Twilight Imperium it seems unnecessary.<br />
<br />
9) <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/12493/twilight-imperium-third-edition" target="_blank">Twilight Imperium (3rd Edition)</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarIbO2gjYwhcdizqYu2KtogkjJdbJh5KeplSSFaUKRj5ac7akTP9YjWAFU2n6f3w3yVEQtOTb0tDNozUQ7wjJNygxqTSYPxqC3Vj8QN0iAsujsFVWmfajTjp-6UjbVj3oLOMnkrNLdz-M/s1600/TI3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarIbO2gjYwhcdizqYu2KtogkjJdbJh5KeplSSFaUKRj5ac7akTP9YjWAFU2n6f3w3yVEQtOTb0tDNozUQ7wjJNygxqTSYPxqC3Vj8QN0iAsujsFVWmfajTjp-6UjbVj3oLOMnkrNLdz-M/s320/TI3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Hoo boy, now I get to the grand, operatic adventures. Twilight Imperium III and its expansions create an 8-12 hour game experience, replete with strategic planning, tactical execution, and diplomatic intrigue. It wasn't until I played TI:3 this year that I started to appreciate why long games are so fun. The anticipation around scheduling an all-day event, the tension drawn out over hours and hours of play, and the time and space (pun intended) to see long-term plans come to fruition all come together to make for an outstanding experience.<br />
<br />
If nothing else, 2015 saw me move from a gateway gamer to a more experienced member of the hobby. I'm now finding that when I have time to game, I want most to get my big, grand games to the table. I suppose it's a very meta type of discovery that mirrors what happens in games while I play.<br />
<br />
10) <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/184424/mega-civilization" target="_blank">Mega Civilization</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnicF1GarT_8uZ6MPkCtQFjTE29OCKWneGrJIJqAwe4nFhPelLcTbKt0Gkex7ntYQ4Xv49fEQf66BdRFKLYJX3mwBcZF7RAwD5flsxDZjawqPYuS5MdV9zOofw1WlRGjYc_g1b_BD_5Paf/s1600/MegaCiv.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnicF1GarT_8uZ6MPkCtQFjTE29OCKWneGrJIJqAwe4nFhPelLcTbKt0Gkex7ntYQ4Xv49fEQf66BdRFKLYJX3mwBcZF7RAwD5flsxDZjawqPYuS5MdV9zOofw1WlRGjYc_g1b_BD_5Paf/s320/MegaCiv.png" width="320" /></a></div>
If TI:3 wasn't a large enough game, Mega Civilization lets 18 players play a 12-15 hour game of stone age strategy. This game is so big that scheduling a session takes longer than most other games, and the space required trumps anything else I've seen on a table (or six, as it so happens). Mega Civilization is a developed re-imagining of Advanced Civilization, and does exactly what you'd hope a game 40 years in the making would do. <a href="http://nerdstable.blogspot.com/2015/12/megaciv.html" target="_blank">Check out my recap of a recent session to get a sense for how grand this game really is.</a><br />
<br />
For a cartographile like myself, simply starting at a 2 foot by 7 foot map of the ancient world is fascinating, and then to start moving those tokens around the board induces indescribable joy. It's going to take more plays before I'm willing to replace Betrayal at House on the Hill as my favorite game, but Mega Civ is the game that will eventually do it.<br />
<br />
<b>Honorable Mentions:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Railways of the World, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/123123/battlecon-devastation-indines" target="_blank">BattleCON</a>, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/82222/xia-legends-drift-system" target="_blank">Xia: Legends of a Drift System</a>, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/142830/chaosmos" target="_blank">Chaosmos</a>, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/39463/cosmic-encounter" target="_blank">Cosmic Encounter</a>, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/147101/tuscany-expand-world-viticulture" target="_blank">Viticulture/Tuscany</a><br />
<br />
<b>A special note about <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/161936/pandemic-legacy-season-1" target="_blank">Pandemic Legacy</a>:</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXuTuzWyB8-EMMDIwjh-B6iVGw_Nk5gU6ieq9Bj5mFAZCJYB_56VCHcaFXp-yQqhFkrbv8kItouTNW5GlgRp2fPXCtuL5A9daacDkdmKoLY18ArgILIefPC7OrlRBwTX7W4dBnLCzgWulu/s1600/PL+Cover+Red.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXuTuzWyB8-EMMDIwjh-B6iVGw_Nk5gU6ieq9Bj5mFAZCJYB_56VCHcaFXp-yQqhFkrbv8kItouTNW5GlgRp2fPXCtuL5A9daacDkdmKoLY18ArgILIefPC7OrlRBwTX7W4dBnLCzgWulu/s320/PL+Cover+Red.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Pandemic Legacy was my game of the year in 2015. It's delightful and warrants a full review of its own, so I'll just say that the combination of expansion mechanics, theme, storyline, and the integration of Legacy elements took a game I was solidly "meh" about and turned it into one of the greatest gaming experiences of my life. Sadly, like a pinata or a snapchat pic, it can only be truly appreciated once. I'm sure multiple plays would yield a higher score, and perhaps some more intriguing decisions, but the one-and-done nature of the game means it can't be on my "forever" list.<br />
<br />
What about you? What games do you love the most, or could you not be without? Post your "ten games" in the comments, or let me know what you think of mine!<br />
<br />
--<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">JR Honeycutt is a full-time husband and game-player, and co-host of </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/dfwnnpodcast/live" style="background-color: white; color: #771100; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The Nerd Nighters</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">. You can find him on Twitter at </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/jayahre" style="background-color: white; color: #771100; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@JayAhre</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> or at a </span><a href="http://www.dfwnn.org/stores" style="background-color: white; color: #771100; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Friendly Local Game Store</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas. </span><br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017213804706901104.post-30941667723940593582015-12-28T08:00:00.000-06:002015-12-28T08:00:00.252-06:00Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes<i>This is a guest post from Jacob Valdez, a regular at Nerd Night and a lifelong tabletop gamer.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5p8usO74Rj-DSNExDmuBVlww54JYYWeIfTg5n1v5YiIOZ_dvJjEHNm08wQD0rlg0wfVftTWgSm0t7vmtJ2h3wBAu2erCirSK35O9ddATnsHSaVcjMA1J4924wmEFVLe2BcBQ_0A3J2R-w/s1600/keeptalkingtitle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="102" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5p8usO74Rj-DSNExDmuBVlww54JYYWeIfTg5n1v5YiIOZ_dvJjEHNm08wQD0rlg0wfVftTWgSm0t7vmtJ2h3wBAu2erCirSK35O9ddATnsHSaVcjMA1J4924wmEFVLe2BcBQ_0A3J2R-w/s400/keeptalkingtitle.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<em>Okay, I've got six wires running vertically, and some have lit LEDs and stars.</em><br />
<strong>Huh? Oh, found it....great, a Venn diagram. I'm terrible at those.</strong><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Your confidence makes me fear for my life. So what do I do?</em><br />
<strong>Um...okay, it looks like we have to go one wire at a time, and you tell me what color it is, and whether the LED is lit, and also if there's a star there.</strong><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Wow. All right, first wire is red and blue striped, unlit LED, with a star.</em><br />
<strong>Sounds good....red coloring...uh, blue coloring...has star. Um...</strong><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Come on, 30 seconds left!</em><br />
<strong>Uh...okay, P...Got it -- cut the wire if the bomb has a parallel port!</strong><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>A what? Lemme rotate this thing. What's a parallel port look li---</em> <strong>BOOM!!</strong><br />
<strong>Oops.</strong><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>You killed me again!</em><br />
<strong>Sorry, man, I guess I have to work on my Venn diagrams.</strong><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>No time like the present. I just clicked Retry - 5 minutes on the clock.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<a name='more'></a>That was a roughly verbatim conversation from one of my many deaths in an afternoon of trying to defuse a virtual bomb. I heard about this game when someone posted on the Boardgamegeek Facebook group, asking the name of a game where someone defuses a bomb and the other players tell the first one how to do it. I saw the name of the game in the comments, and within a couple of hours (I had an errand to run), I had purchased <a href="http://www.keeptalkinggame.com/" target="_blank">Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes</a>, downloaded it, and was jonesing to play.<br />
<br />
In this game, one person is the action hero, sitting in a basement somewhere with a bomb counting down and a bunch of wires and buttons, and a voice-only method of communicating with the outside world (we'll assume the camera on their phone is broken).<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxyB5_zAUV63j5LuZJr2SXzL9V8BlXHq5XEKJTKLtGh5Foqxorew2Om8ZPN1blcZ3_RcCXbZJdpOplg8JQz6LZNLGGtAZlBUVMI1Y69YHMRicCBv3UgMnYZEgMMlpjXMVXRLOiRnygqGAe/s1600/Keeptalking1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxyB5_zAUV63j5LuZJr2SXzL9V8BlXHq5XEKJTKLtGh5Foqxorew2Om8ZPN1blcZ3_RcCXbZJdpOplg8JQz6LZNLGGtAZlBUVMI1Y69YHMRicCBv3UgMnYZEgMMlpjXMVXRLOiRnygqGAe/s320/Keeptalking1.jpeg" width="320" /></a>Everyone else is safe and sound at bomb squad headquarters, with instructions at hand for how to deactivate the different parts, and the life of the action hero in their hands. They can see what to do with all the symbols and buttons and wires, but are not allowed to look at the laptop displaying the bomb itself.<br />
<br />
The defuser can manipulate the bomb, look at it from all sides, cut wires, press buttons, be panicked when the lights go out and they can't see the buttons for several seconds, all the while listening to<em>beep beep beep</em> as the seconds to kaboom tick away. However, they <strong>cannot</strong> look at the manual. They have to describe everything they see to the Expert(s), and follow their directions to live.<br />
<br />
Trust me, you don't want to try and do both anyway - my Expert had to get up right after I clicked Retry on a bomb, and trying to decipher the directions while at the same time manipulating the bomb is not as easy as it sounds -- besides, even if it were easy for you, where's the fun in that? This is a game about your communication and reading comprehension skills, and people who can figure out the different charts and diagrams and relay them to others will absolutely shine at this game.<br />
<br />
The directions for each type of module vary in difficulty, but all are just puzzling enough to make you have to ask questions and figure out exactly which set of circumstances applies. A simple set of wires might have anywhere from 3 to 6 of them, in 5 possible different colors, and the number of each color and positioning of them determines which is the correct one to cut. And that's an easy puzzle.<br />
<br />
The first bomb gives you plenty of time, and has three of the simpler modules. As you get better at understanding what information about the module is relevant and thus get faster at it, the later bombs ratchet up the difficulty, requiring a lot more consultation of more information, like the Venn diagram above for the complex wires. Other puzzles involve things like a light flashing Morse Code, that you have to translate, then check a chart to tell you what frequency to tune a transmitter to before clicking the button.<br />
<br />
All the while, there may be flashing lights, an alarm clock startling you that you have to hit snooze on, losing precious seconds, or needy modules that may activate and reactivate, so you have to keep checking them. This game does everything right to keep the tension high: a beeping timer, flashing lights, harsh buzz if you get something wrong, tense music, and more. Even once you get through all the bombs in the basic game, there's a Free Play mode, which allows you to customize how many modules to defuse, how much time you have, whether or not to have "Needy Modules," and of course, you can turn on Hardcore Mode, in which you die after one mistake, instead of the default three.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw2RcXdD5_b1IYKi2V1yLqFpdChzpqgxw9VUCGjIp8rH9hHmhPR3looNCjOU0Mw3wckJO3S5WQz677SnMbBEtWoE_qo_ig0jFUDTLsjmceg4PsdWx_7xj_fqcnLRxZMVaYm-PUQWKWSbQh/s1600/Keeptalking2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw2RcXdD5_b1IYKi2V1yLqFpdChzpqgxw9VUCGjIp8rH9hHmhPR3looNCjOU0Mw3wckJO3S5WQz677SnMbBEtWoE_qo_ig0jFUDTLsjmceg4PsdWx_7xj_fqcnLRxZMVaYm-PUQWKWSbQh/s320/Keeptalking2.jpeg" width="320" /></a>So far, I played face to face, and over voice chat, both sessions with 2 players, and both sessions, with me being the defuser. The first time, she didn't want the pressure of being in front of the ticking bomb, and the second, because he didn't have a copy of the game. Meanwhile, I rapidly became addicted and have been pestering all my friends to try defusing bombs with me.<br />
<br />
At a party, you can either be fairly orderly, dividing the manual up among a panel of experts, with each person responsible for walking the hero through their specific area of expertise, or you can go for maximum chaos with everyone flipping through the manual and trying to figure it out together, possibly shouting conflicting directions while learning how to play. Expect many many deaths as time runs out, or you cut the wrong thing.<br />
<br />
If you have ever wanted to step into the shoes of an action movie star and try to save the day, you absolutely should check this game out. <a href="http://www.keeptalkinggame.com/" target="_blank">Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes</a> costs about $15 for the bomb simulator, for Windows or Mac standalone, as well as over Steam. The Bomb Defusing manual is free to download at <a href="http://www.bombmanual.com/" target="_blank">www.bombmanual.com</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017213804706901104.post-39759514517772994532015-12-24T18:21:00.001-06:002015-12-24T18:21:57.506-06:00Unboxing Tokaido Collector's EditionDelivered today, one of the biggest things I've ever backed on Kickstarter. A few delays in delivery, but by the looks of it the minis are beautiful and detailed and well worth the wait!<br /><br />
<br /><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yCKNYw_5__8" width="480"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017213804706901104.post-427110745625868772015-12-21T15:37:00.001-06:002015-12-21T17:55:43.321-06:00Mega Civilization: 18 Players, 12 Hours, Infinite Fun This isn't a review, per se, so much as my recalling of a play session. <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/184424/mega-civilization" target="_blank">Mega Civilization</a> is a re-imagining of Advanced Civilization, developed for the last 15 years and released in a $200 box. Learn more about Mega Civilization on BoardGameGeek.com.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
After purchasing Mega Civ at BGG.Con in November, I arranged an 18-player game for December 20th, 2015. We had 18 players join, and 17 players finish the game (one player had to leave early). We stopped two turns short of the end of the game because of time constraints, but I feel like we had a near-complete experience. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here's the Mega Civilization map <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/2675302/mega-civilization?size=original" target="_blank">(click for larger image)</a>: </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeziYes3Ji50EppvFxR8nwtDuUBLaHIH-kFynTyZklgr3t6iahfQYy15sh0xBpu-lBwz3-499KfTRiZ_2V1bsYC739DPaVgyWZQWz0glINpNRYjSeTj73F5Ek2UYiLvm6NLi_dTT1jymOc/s1600/Mega+Civ+Map+%2528Large%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeziYes3Ji50EppvFxR8nwtDuUBLaHIH-kFynTyZklgr3t6iahfQYy15sh0xBpu-lBwz3-499KfTRiZ_2V1bsYC739DPaVgyWZQWz0glINpNRYjSeTj73F5Ek2UYiLvm6NLi_dTT1jymOc/s640/Mega+Civ+Map+%2528Large%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I won with 92 points, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/cedeliing" target="_blank">Ace</a> got 2nd place with 88 points playing Dravidia, and Clancy got third playing Indus. The game took about 11 hours, and would have taken about 13 had we not finished early. I ran the game, and had help from my friends Mark and John, who were captains for their sides of the board (East/West). </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a>I played this game as Babylon, stuck RIGHT in the middle of Mesopotamia, and in between some of the most famous forces of the ancient world - Egypt, Assyria, and Persia. This was my first full playthrough of Mega Civ, so I was operating on some general assumptions about how important various aspects of the game were - territory acquisition, trading, diplomacy, acquiring advances, and paying attention to the AST track. I assumed that territory acquisition was secondary to making good, strong trades, and that the most important thing I could do would be to get as much trade value as possible and get great advancements.<br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The first 5 turns of any Mega Civ game are fairly uninteresting, but I did a few things early that helped me. Before the game began, Assyria and I (Alex D) agreed on a border that matched the middle split in the game board. Neither of us ever violated this, nor did we ever act aggressively towards the other on the map or in trading. It was a huge help to basically ignore a full third of my borders.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3wge07eNDGXbQMu-ourCVSo08_blBnDeNo9p0jAxJZH7GK-o9pMY_D30i3gBuWoJ7_pvDko7Qy8vTRqzDyN37SOaFTTJAsipIiNn4Q9Wo3VWoMMr-PHYB6PDMDzVOJUEXVWP2jhceNniX/s1600/MegaCiv2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3wge07eNDGXbQMu-ourCVSo08_blBnDeNo9p0jAxJZH7GK-o9pMY_D30i3gBuWoJ7_pvDko7Qy8vTRqzDyN37SOaFTTJAsipIiNn4Q9Wo3VWoMMr-PHYB6PDMDzVOJUEXVWP2jhceNniX/s400/MegaCiv2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The winner of the game won the beautiful crown.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I made a similar deal with Persia (Mark) to maintain my eastern border, so I really only had to worry about Parthia (Luc) to the north, and Egypt (Isaac) & Saba (Peter) to the south. Since Mega Civ isn't a war game, that basically meant I could trade aggressively and expand slowly in both directions when I needed extra space, and as long as I didn't annoy Persia or Assyria my day wouldn't be wrecked.<br />
<br />
It turned out that I was pretty spot on, and territory acquisition wasn't a huge part of my game (though it may have been for some of my neighbors). I built to 6 cities as quickly as I could, then picked up agriculture and got to 7/8 cities. I focused on defending my northern border from Parthia (and picking up some of his territories when I needed to expand) and generally just keeping my tax support and city support numbers in balance so I didn't lose any cities to either.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The second-to-last turn of the game, after I had pulled away as the clear leader (and had been called out for it by the rest of the group) I was dealt Civil War and Tyranny, two non-tradable Major Calamities. Civil War would have been the worst of these, as I had 8 cities and 24 units on the board (64 points, 29 of which would get lost to Civil War), so I went into the trading round aggressively looking for players who looked like they were trying to trade away calamities. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
You're limited to two major calamities during resolution, so I was hoping to pick up other calamities that would be less bad for me, and have Civil War randomly discarded from my hand. It didn't happen, and things actually got worse, as I picked up Epidemic to go with it. As a result, I was reduced to 1 city and 10 units, which meant I didn't advance on the AST track that turn (which required 3 cities and 3 advancements worth 100 or more), and lost 5 points to the other players who were chasing me on score who did advance (Ace as Dravidia, Clancy as Indus, Alex as Assyria, and a few others). That was a BRUTAL turn, but I walked away from it feeling challenged and excited about future turns, and I'm really proud of myself for maintaining a positive attitude. </div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvFPx-oLSCB5wrP7Vxn48MwLUtKESGPtV7V9NQGZtjzNU7qoiUjol5F4t_HQ5vRUWqmjflp9sSyD5gyqXVMXUdf4hP7IzpzKc_XVN3_puoswcWue0fBvmosPU4m0HLFOYtvFTE2ACjRt_/s1600/MegaCiv1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvFPx-oLSCB5wrP7Vxn48MwLUtKESGPtV7V9NQGZtjzNU7qoiUjol5F4t_HQ5vRUWqmjflp9sSyD5gyqXVMXUdf4hP7IzpzKc_XVN3_puoswcWue0fBvmosPU4m0HLFOYtvFTE2ACjRt_/s640/MegaCiv1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The far more interesting part of the game for me was the trading. Each round we were dealt cards equal to the number of cities we owned, so having more cities is better for amassing wealth (though you're also more likely to receive a calamity card). We set the trade timer at the recommended 10 minutes, and each round was like playing an 18-player <a href="http://nerdstable.blogspot.com/2015/05/Pit.html" target="_blank">game of Pit</a>. I focused on completing sets first, and trading for value when I didn't feel like set-making was possible. I pulled off LOTS of 3-for-4 trades, even when the extra card was a level 1 card or even a water or calamity. I had a feeling it was better to have more trade cards, because there's more flexibility in making a deal, even though I had to lie a few times to push deals through (part of the game). </div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Having more cards meant that I could make more trades, and since I was trading up in value on average, I amassed a ton of value early on that I turned into Agriculture, Metalworking, and Engineering. I later developed Roadbuilding and Mining - lots of orange cards, which gave me big stacking bonuses in orange and directed my strategy for most of the game. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Metalworking and Engineering made my units and cities much tougher to eliminate, which let me worry less about playing defensive on my contested borders. Roadbuilding let my units move two territories, which made me much more flexible in staging invasions on the board - and I assume made my neighbors a little more wary about messing with me. I'd like to try other strategies as well, but this one was exactly what I needed as Babylon. Tough, fast, and flexible makes for a good army. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There were three groupings of scores at the end, as you can see in the results: 1st-4th (92-82 pts), 5th-11th (76-66 pts), and 12th-17th (62-53 pts). I attribute most of this difference to missing chances to move up the AST track due to a lack of advancements, which is related to trading success and number of cities (as cities provide trade cards). </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" dir="ltr" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: 1px solid #ccc; font-family: arial,sans,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; table-layout: fixed;"><colgroup><col width="100"></col><col width="100"></col><col width="100"></col><col width="100"></col><col width="100"></col></colgroup><tbody>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"AST Number"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">AST Number</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Civilization"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Civilization</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"East or West"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">East or West</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Final Score"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Final Score</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Final Standing"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Final Standing</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,6]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">6</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Babylon"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Babylon</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"E"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">E</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,92]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">92</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,1]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">1</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,8]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">8</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Dravidia"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Dravidia</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"E"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">E</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,88]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">88</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,2]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">2</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,16]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">16</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Indus"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Indus</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"E"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">E</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,83]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">83</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,3]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">3</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,3]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">3</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Assyria"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Assyria</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"W"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">W</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,82]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">82</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,4]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">4</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,17]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">17</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Egypt"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Egypt</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"W"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">W</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,76]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">76</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,5]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">5</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,12]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">12</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Persia"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Persia</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"E"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">E</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,76]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">76</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,6]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">6</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,14]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">14</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Nubia"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Nubia</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"E"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">E</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,74]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">74</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,7]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">7</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,4]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">4</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Maurya"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Maurya</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"E"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">E</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,72]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">72</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,8]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">8</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,1]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">1</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Minoa"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Minoa</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"W"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">W</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,71]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">71</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,9]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">9</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,15]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">15</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Hellas"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Hellas</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"W"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">W</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,69]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">69</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,10]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">10</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,5]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">5</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Celt"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Celt</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"W"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">W</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,66]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">66</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,11]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">11</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,18]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">18</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Parthia"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Parthia</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"E"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">E</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,62]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">62</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,12]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">12</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,10]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">10</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Kushan"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Kushan</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"E"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">E</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,59]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">59</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,13]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">13</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,9]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">9</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Hatti"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Hatti</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"W"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">W</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,58]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">58</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,14]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">14</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,2]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">2</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Saba"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Saba</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"E"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">E</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,58]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">58</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,15]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">15</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,13]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">13</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Iberia"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Iberia</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"W"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">W</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,57]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">57</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,16]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">16</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,11]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">11</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Rome"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Rome</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"W"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">W</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,53]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">53</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,17]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">17</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,7]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">7</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Carthage"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Carthage</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"W"]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">W</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,35]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">35</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,18]" style="font-family: Arial; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">18</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
What I find most interesting is that the gap between first and fifth place was 16 points, and the gap between 5th and 16th was 19 points. The difference in those groupings was geographical - Ace and Clancy had pre-established borders they didn't violate, which let both of them focus their efforts in other areas, and Alex D and I had the same beneficial arrangement.<br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The Eastern side of the board scored a higher average (73.78 points) than the West (66.50), and I think a lot of that had to do with the Mediterranean. The players who started on or one space away from the Mediterranean had an average score of 68 (Minoa, Assyria, Rome, Iberia, Hellas, Egypt - not counting Carthage). It's a tight, heavily-contested area with lots of city spaces and lots of borders, much harder to defend than the edges of the map, particularly the Eastern edge, where Dravida had only two neighbors until players could sail through deep waters. Minoa is generally considered to be one of the harder starts (as I understand it), and I was really proud to see my brother JJ (Minoa) pilot them with success in his first game. He came in as a late replacement, and read the rulebook the night before the game, so it was great to see him mixing it up with folks who'd played before, or at least had more time to prepare. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqX6-uJc_2x7nllnbbj90l9KDIvVvV_JMoTCRqfOFX-BOhAiEuzP5-Vrqf_WqmB7aH7J3VTIxb_ZnXYarBFDfiGYuUlu1kw0TpDaMaEHP7JKIRwb8TJmtMtvddw2NfKLKBfwqhwSF4tGTs/s1600/MegaCivWinners.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqX6-uJc_2x7nllnbbj90l9KDIvVvV_JMoTCRqfOFX-BOhAiEuzP5-Vrqf_WqmB7aH7J3VTIxb_ZnXYarBFDfiGYuUlu1kw0TpDaMaEHP7JKIRwb8TJmtMtvddw2NfKLKBfwqhwSF4tGTs/s400/MegaCivWinners.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clancy, Ace, and I were the winners, and got the crowns!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Aside from playing the game normally, I also was the "Game Captain" and called out all game phases and generally kept the game moving. We played for a total game time of about 11 hours, so that's nearly 200 hours of "player time" going into the experience. That's a lot to manage, but I felt confident in rules knowledge, and took an "onboarding" approach to teaching, like you'd see in video games. Rather than sit down and teach the rules from go, I taught rules for only the phases that mattered as each turn progressed. This was super successful. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both;">
Early in the game, moving, expanding, and building a city is all you're focused on, so it's enough to know "cities have to be supported" and "cities get you trade cards". Once trade cards are out, I started teaching trading mechanics and rules, and once players had enough cards to start trading towards advancements, I explained them in more detail than "they're worth points and give you abilities". </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I had Mark (Persia) and John (Hellas) as captains on the East and West sides of the board, and their job was to answer questions and handle trade cards - dealing them, then preparing the decks after each round. Splitting up this task and delegating it to other people was a huge win. That kept me free to oversee game state 100% of the time, and to direct phases. Every player had plenty of down time, but the game was ongoing for the full time (except for a 45-minute lunch break) because tasks were handled well. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
From a setup standpoint, I took a suggestion from BGG and split the advancements into two separate tables, so each half of the board had something to look at during downtime. This was a big win, as I didn't hear any complaints about lack of accessibility to those cards. We started with 18 chairs around the game table, and ended with none - players would retreat from the board when they weren't acting and sit off to the side and chat. It was pleasant - like tailgating, in a way, with plenty of food and drink and lots to do when you're not actively engaged in something. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
If I had to do anything differently, I'd set the game on a Saturday instead of a Sunday, and make sure all the players were good until at least 2 AM. Our game lasted until about 10:15 PM (after a 10:30 start time), and a few players had to leave early to make it to work the next morning, so we stopped the game two turns early. Those last two turns could have made me lose the game, and I'm disappointed that Ace, Clancy, and Alex didn't get a chance to see if they could close the gap on me in those two turns. It would have been a thrilling finish. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Also, I think I could have done a much better job of establishing some social conventions during play. 18 people in one room for 12 hours is a LOT of personal interaction, and the kinds of things we say and do in casual interaction often don't play as well over a long time in close contact. Mark suggested a "no sarcasm at the table" rule that I implemented about halfway through the game - not that joking and such isn't fun, but it's already difficult to resolve complex game-states as quickly as possible while also being accurate and fair. Adding in non-game-related banter on top of that (both informationally and aurally) makes this harder.<br />
<br />
Additionally, I needed to make a stronger statement about "the magic circle" and not taking in-game things personally. While Mega Civ isn't <a href="http://grantland.com/features/diplomacy-the-board-game-of-the-alpha-nerds/" target="_blank">Diplomacy</a>, there are still plenty of chances to go back on an agreement, or take territory from your neighbors, or lie during trading - things that are legal and critical in the game, but can lead to hurt feelings. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'm very proud of my group for maintaining a positive attitude throughout the game, and for those folks who weren't winning who still challenged themselves to learn and try to improve their positions as much as possible each turn. That kind of approach makes for a great experience, and makes me want to bring Mega Civilization to the table again as quickly as possible! </div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ2WX2x3Xh77VrJDXbiS8s1yyOooJRq-e4IRtx1TebRrJ36_2lOzScIGpL5uYZxO7glaFGz7XdE4k-wwOe7QmjASmyaRey0WuXjs1JFIXbO17AnrHkBhe0hIwa0Ftl7F3Nt33clElDIz85/s1600/MegaCivAll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ2WX2x3Xh77VrJDXbiS8s1yyOooJRq-e4IRtx1TebRrJ36_2lOzScIGpL5uYZxO7glaFGz7XdE4k-wwOe7QmjASmyaRey0WuXjs1JFIXbO17AnrHkBhe0hIwa0Ftl7F3Nt33clElDIz85/s640/MegaCivAll.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017213804706901104.post-60174576737799062002015-12-02T16:03:00.003-06:002015-12-02T16:03:33.984-06:00Facebook Poll: Your Three Favorite Games This Year<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/dfwnerdnight/928462313911047/?notif_t=like" target="_blank">Click this link to view the poll in DFW Nerd Night</a> - tell us what your three favorite games are this year!<br />
<br />
I'll consolidate the votes and use them in our Nerd Nighters year-end recap episode later this month, then post those results back here at The Nerds' Table.<br />
<br />
Thanks for your help! :D<br />
<br />
JRUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0