Under Two Reviews #6: Glass Road by Ewe Rosenberg

"Under Two Reviews" is a weekly video series in which we take a look at tabletop games and present them to our readers in under two minutes.

Glass Road from Z-Man Games proves that looks can be decieving. It's neither as long or complex as the theme and components would lead you to believe. This isn't to say it's simple. It has quite a bit of strategy! Come watch our video and learn all about how building a villiage can be strategic. It'll be quick. I promise.

Enjoy the video after the jump!
 

DFWNN Custom Summoner Wars Deck

JR and I have been discussing creating a Nerd Night faction in Summoner Wars for a while. Custom factions are pretty common in the Summoner Wars community but as this is Nerd Night specific, I figured I would share this here as well. No it isn't a playable deck! I'm sure it's incredibly broken :), but please enjoy.

Solo Variant Review: Legacy: The Testament of Duke de Crecy by Michiel Hendriks

TLDR: Legacy uses worker placement and card management mechanics to tell the story of a dynasty, and in the solo variant, the story of a dynasty in reverse. More than anything, it tells a story.  If you have played "story" games before (such as Gloom) and enjoyed them, then Legacy is probably a game to add to your collection. I know I did!

Coloretto, by Michael Schacht

Elegant: adjective

1) pleasingly graceful and stylish in appearance or manner.

2) pleasingly ingenious and simple.

Coloretto is an elegant game, as much or more than any other I’ve learned recently. I think of “elegance” as referring to a game I can learn very easily, but that is enjoyable enough to warrant multiple plays. An elegant game has a certain feel, it tickles the senses in a certain way. If you’ve felt that before, you’ll know exactly what I mean.

Simple and fun, easy to teach and worth playing multiple times – these are the things that get my attention when I learn a new game. I’m always looking for things to bring to the table between long games or with family, and Coloretto fits the bill perfectly. It’s also a “press your luck” game that doesn’t feel like it’s high-pressure, so it’s a neat way to introduce people to the idea of making decisions based on the chance of good outcomes without overwhelming them with numbers or rules.

Star Realms, by Rob Dougherty

Star Realms places you in the command of a fleet of ships preparing to do battle on a galactic scale. In this deck-building game, players compete head to head to eliminate their opponent(s) and be the last man (or woman!) standing. This is a departure from the victory-point-based scoring system in most deck-building games like Dominion, DC Deckbuilder, and Ascension, and introduces a few mostly-new wrinkles to a genre I greatly enjoy.

From the co-founder of Ascension (and a successful professional Magic player, at that) this game is well-designed, easy to teach, and easy to play. I submit Star Realms as a game that should be in your fleet - so read on, space captain! 

Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, by Blizzard Entertainment

Hearthstone is a collectable card game played entirely online, produced by Blizzard and similar to the World of Warcraft CCG, but with various features only possible in an online environment. Hearthstone is free to play on the computer (Mac or PC) or on the iPad, and while you can pay for things in game, it’s easily possible to be competitive and enjoy the game without ever spending a penny – I know, I’ve done it!

It’s not as deep or intricate as other CCG’s (like Magic: the Gathering), and it doesn’t offer the same visceral pleasure of buying and opening packs at your Friendly Local Game Store, but Hearthstone is a perfect mix of a compelling game, elegant design, beautiful graphics, and a top-notch interface that’s redefining online games. I feel about this game like I did when I saw The Matrix for the first time: “Whoa.” This is something new, something that’s raised the bar.

If you’ve got an internet connection and a few hours to burn, go download Hearthstone and give the tutorial a try. It’s like traveling to Italy or eating some great Thai food… I can explain why it’s great (and I will after the jump) but to truly understand it, you have to do it for yourself.

(Bonus: I’m posting a short Q&A with Phillip Jenne, competitive HS player and co-designer of NOVUS, at the end of this review. Enjoy!)

Under Two Reviews #5: Among the Stars by Vangelis Bagiartakis

"Under Two Reviews" is a weekly video series in which we take a look at tabletop games and present them to our readers in under two minutes.

Drafting games sometimes have a disconnect between the theme and the gameplay. This is a drafing game where the cards you draft are interesting things that become part of a space station. In outer space. Which is a better place for a space station than Newark. Come learn more in our review video. It'll be quick, I promise.

Enjoy the video after the jump!