BOARD GAMES EVERYBODY SHOULD...
  • Home
  • Board Game soundtracks
    • The 7th Citidal
    • Kemet
    • Titan
    • Abyss
    • Claustrophobia 1643
    • The 7th Continent
    • Lucky Duck Games
    • Poule Poule
    • Syrinscape
    • Last Night
  • Board Game Talk
    • Reviews in English
    • Reviews en Français
    • Kickstarters
  • Burky & Badger podcast
  • Contact me

RECENT REVIEW THUMBNAILS

Barry has just played... 

Picture

Festival at Epinal

3/20/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
On this Saturday, March 9, 2019, your mission, if you accept, will be to go to Epinal to discover the fun festival and come back with game reviews. Confident in our abilities, proud to receive this quest, we set out on a fun adventure. For the first time, I went to the festival Jeux et Cie d'Epinal, in France. Fortunately, to help me and support me in this heavy task, Barry (second time at Epinal) accompanied me and guided me in the pouring rain (as well as play the role of chauffeur).

After several hours of driving, we arrived at the site: the Congress Center. Easily found, rather well located when you come from far away and with plenty of available parking spaces, the mission seemed to be starting on a good track.

This is a free festival, which offers you the chance to discover new or old games in a good atmosphere and for all tastes. That's what the poster promised us. Once inside the room, we actually find ourselves in a family atmosphere, dare I say zen. The stands were quite spaced out, a lot of tables available, people were smiling, even very welcoming. On site, besides the games we found some service in terms of restoration (although I found the thing a bit expensive), games to bring back (wide choice in the local game stores). As for the types of games, the target audience is still family and children even if, here and there we did find games a little more focused on the expert public. The demonstrators and volunteers present were very good, friendly and quick to explain the rules with joy and good humor. A nice surprise for a festival this size. It is regrettable that some publishers did not make the trip or bring protos to test, while others were just  not present. Overall it's really nice. Too bad it is a bit far, (a 3 hour plus car journey) if not with pleasure I would go back (especially in such a charming company). Especially since the festival only lasted for three days! Wow.

As for our original mission ... So we tried no less than thirteen games. Here are these titles with a (very) short summary and opinion. Plus we pick out our top 3 gaming experiences of the event.
​Attention, these opinions are first impressions within the framework of a festival (noise/fighting for a table/rules not explained correctly/fatigue from continuous playing), as always in this type of events. These opinions can change by playing the game in other configurations, like at home or different player counts or after watching a Rodney Smith video =).
​

Res Arcana
Sand Castle games

Picture
Being a big Splendor fan, this game is the next evolutionary step in this genre. From each player taking their individual roles which will grant them a bonus resource every round to the large array of options for things you can acquire, this game does everything in big steps. You are mages each with your own small deck of cards that you will cycle through and either use to protect yourself against attacks or spend resources to put these items in your persons. Not only are they resources but there is also gold which is hard to get hold of. This makes the game a little bit more interesting in the fact that everyone will find different ways to get to different things. Whether it be monuments, creating items, or becoming the lord of the places of power. There is a lot of choices and decisions to be made in this resource fest. There is also a lot to get your head around and many different combinations of items to collect and build. This is definitely a game that I want to reply now that I have a little bit of knowledge on how everything fits together.

Picture
A game by Thomas Lehmann never goes unnoticed. For the occasion, we had the pleasure of playing with a third person, whose name I unfortunately forgot (sorry). The theme makes you incarnate magi in duels without mercy. This is a point-based points race game based on resource and card purchases. The big originality is that we play with a hand of cards, defined at the beginning of the game and we do not receive others during the game. Simple, fast, little thematic, clever. Clearly the type of games to deepen.


space gate odyssey
Ludonaute

Picture
I’ve already done a first impressions article for Space Gate Odyssey which you can find here. But after a second play, I still want to play this again. And with a larger play count. The game is still a nice brain puzzle of efficiency, where you’re creating a maze for your ants to run around in. And then hopefully give you the points that you need when they arrive on planets. Even playing a slightly altered strategy, I’ve found other things that I want to try afterwards. Although surprisingly light in mechanisms, this game is enjoyable and a little head scratchy as players try to complete actions without giving the other players benefits.

Picture
I finally got my hands on this new game by Cédric Lefebvre (designer that I appreciate a lot, humanly and playfully). This space game invites you to build your station to be able to send your settlers to take possession of untapped planets. A mixture of several mechanisms that work. It's simple, the material is nice (even if the icons are too small). Thematically, I did not feel the basic construction and spatial exploitation side. It stays in a semi-light game world but with some subtleties.


slide quest
blue orange games

Picture
This is a kid friendly game about balancing and sliding. Inside the box is a specially built platform that is held in place by four levers, each of the four edges of the base box. It is these levers that players will be lifting and dropping to make the main board tilt. There are a variety of maps that are put onto this platform which depicts a route, a start and finish space, and some obstacles, which are inserted into holes to give a 3-D effect. From then on, the players place a hero and the starting zone and use the levers to make him roll (he has a ball bearing inside) along the path and complete different objectives. Like push bandit into holes or move dynamite next to a monster. All very simple, just like in Loony Quest. But it did not hold my interest. Possibly because there were no kids playing with us. Definitely a family game, but not one I found myself having fun with.

Picture
I liked ​Loony Quest ... but this new title is clearly for the even younger ones. The materials are interesting, the basic idea is nice but the game is much less. No real challenge, the look is very childish, replayability seems limited. I am disappointed.


7 ronin
Grey Fox Games

Picture
A two player, out thinking, abstract a two player game. Where one player will have seven ronin to protect a village. While another player has a horde of ninjas ready and waiting to attack the village. Players will place their heroes and warriors on locations behind a screen before revealing to see which zones they attack and defend. Each Ronan has their own special power which they will used to try to illuminate the ninjas. Before any unhampered ninjas get to perform special actions depending on the area of the map that they approach the village from. It takes a little while to get use to colours, powers and actions, but it surely worth replaying to get into the theme and strategy layed out in the rules. An elegant to play, back-and-forth abstract game that requires lots of coffee and some ESP to win, but not necessarily to have fun.


Picture
A game of bluffing and tactics in the Japanese feudal world. Very minimalist in its material (and yet really beautiful), the game is very pleasant and offers a good challenge. It will take a good blow of bluffing, but also a lot of luck to prevail in this asymmetrical game that works really well.

guilou's #2 game of the festival


mississippi queen
super meeple

Picture
Soon to be reprinted by Super Meeple, this is a racing game based on the American Queen Steamboats that were used to transport passengers along the Mississippi. Each player’s boat has an engine which can change up and down gears, which adjust the speed and number of spaces it can move. And each has X amount of coal, that can be used to change the speed a little bit quicker. Mechanically interesting as the random generated river winds left and right, with passengers to collect en route. It felt like a light racing game for the family and is lacking something to make it a bit more intriguing. Hopefully this is something that will be added in the (probably deluxifier) reprint.

Picture
This is the proto of the reissue of Mississippi Queen. Racing motorboat game where you have to juggle speed and use of coal to take passengers and arrive at the destination first. Difficult to issue a final opinion especially that the two-player configuration. A small novelty, not necessarily the most interesting. The game is nice but the advanced tiles will soon be indispensable.


scarabya
blue orange games

Picture
I fell in love with this puzzle game that uses Tetris pieces as it’s core. Player all have the same playing board, which has scarabs depicted on random spaces that when collected give you points. And rocks that block the placement of your Tetris pieces. This is a synchronized puzzle game to see who can best manipulate their pieces to divided their board to get the most points. As one by one each player will take the same piece and lay it to enlarge their camp, leaving the scarabs uncovered in groups of two. With very simple rules (even though I messed them up several times), this was a simple pleasure where the replayability comes from the challenge against the other players. Something my family will love to play but may quickly be forgotten due to it being the same repetitive game.

barry's #1 game of the festival

Picture
A little game by Bruno Cathala and Ludovic Maublanc. We are on a tetris tile set with a handicap. We’ll pass on the theme that is not present, and we end up with a simple and fast game. The goal is to surround scarabs in spaces up to four squares. The scarab still need to visible in this space and will bring you as many points. The tile to be laid is defined by a map. All players play at the same time. It's a solitary game in a group. Family style, replayability can be quite important as long as you adore the concept.


 nagaraja
hurrican games

Picture
Exploring a temple Indiana Jones style is what this game promises. But it doesn’t deliver this experience due to the fact that the main mechanic is an auction. Yes, you’re going to be bidding for tiles to add to your player board. These tiles have paths that you can follow to take you to treasure that is allocated at the edge of your player board. Your cards, which have two functions that include, values of sticks (that are like dice) for the auction and powers that you can use if these stick like dice roll blank. This stick dice is a great idea but a little lost in this game. Again the construction of paths to take you to treasure is a nice idea but is lost entirely in this bidding war that you and another player will have. Some nice ideas, some fantastic artwork, but it didn’t convey the theme I thought the game was implying.

Picture
Another game by Bruno Cathala but this time with Théo Rivière. We recognized immediately the graphics of Vincent Dutrait. A game for two players (again a forgetfully theme). The objective is to be the first to recover 25 victory points with the help of treasures or relics that you will be able to unlock, thanks to tiles in your temple. The material is nice but the game is pretty average. It moves, but it is clearly missing the little slice that makes me want to come back. Yet there are good ideas inside.

ice team
the flying games

Picture
A polar bear race where they will be swimming, running and surfing on floating ice. For something that looks like a young child’s game, Ice Team has a lot of depth and strategy to it. Cleverly eliminating parts of the track may hinder your opponent in this two player, for polar bears per player race can help you. Or it may help your opponent, as swimming can make traversal of large open areas a rapid way to catch up. With a random course set up to the change the layout of icebergs, players will have a handful of replayable experiences. As it’s not about being the first across the line but it is also about how many fish you can pick up. Or steal. With some really nice ideas like freezing fish to stop players stealing them and sliding ice blocks, plus disintegrating ice all add up to a fun experience. Although only for two players.

barry's #2 game of the festival

Picture
I'm not necessarily a fan of this range, which I find a little too young for me. Once again, a game from ... Bruno Cathala (he is everywhere) but this time with Matthew Dunstan. I must say that I was really pleasantly surprised. Besides the really nice look (they have class polar bears), the game has very good ideas (surfing on the ice or frozen fish). Young and old can find this enjoyable. A good game, light but nice. And in addition presented very beautifully with a giant version is very nice! (not retail)


the Quacks of Quedlinburg
North Star Games

Picture
An interesting bag building game and the first of its kind that I have played. Drawing different ingredients at random from your bag to add to your cauldron to create the most powerful potions. With a high push your luck factor, as you do not wish to make your potion explode with the wrong ingredient, but also make it the largest potion possible. This benefits you in points as well as being able to buy better ingredients to add to your bag. Lots of choice and replayability in the ingredients that you can collect and I believe it adapt well to all types of playing styles. I can see how this won the Kennerspiel des Jahres, but I found it a tad repetitive, as I longed for the last round. I want to play it again, but with a shorter playing time and maybe 3D ingredients…!

Picture
The First game I had to read the rule (it was late at night and the demonstrators had gone, but not their games). Well we must say that we could not miss the chance to  play this Kennerspiel. Especially since I had heard a lot of good things about it. You are healers who have to find Potions recipes to sell on a market. But finally what a cold shower. Yes the game works, it moves, but ...  that’s all? It's a mix of bag-building with some original and well-found ideas. A family game at it’s base, to which one has artificially added mechanisms to become more for player. Too much manipulation, a lot of chances, not really smooth when discovering it, little choice, very repetitive, very little interaction, each player plays in their corner without looking at the other cauldrons. A real disappointment (and yet we were in very good company).


Lindisfarne
runes editions

Picture
Many moons ago I played this game as a Prototype. At that time it felt like a roll and write game as it was rolling dice and writing on paper. You’ll allocate at least one of your results to one of three charts to try to get superiority there. This final version has rune tokens and dice, with some exquisite Viking card art. The mechanisms have not changed but there are more ways to gain points in this version of the game as you collect cards. Whether you have had the highest value of saved dice or the highest collection of the same number, these will give you the first choice from a selection of cards in the zone. So, more of a set collection game where you will be collecting cards for the color or their panoramic view that you can complete. As well as individual scores for each card and special powers on some. This is a nice medium white dice rolling set collection game that will have you pondering for a while but never leaving you swimming for options.

barry's #3 game of the festival

Picture
A game that immerses you in the Viking universe. The goal is to plunder Europe and bring back wealth. A collectible game where you will have to try to win on several tracks to recover fresco cards or objectives to fill. Several ways to score, a lot of replayability, a strong interaction, the presence of chance (but can be lessened), fun and deceitful. I really have the desire to play it again. My favorite of the show! (and in addition the large version on the demo table was awesome).

guilou's #1 game of the festival


zombie bus
sweet games

Picture
Yahtzee​ for kids who are into zombies. That’s all I can say about zombie bus. It is a simple game for a family audience, where on the players turn they reveal a Zombie and roll some dice. The dice have various body parts depicted on them as well as the zombie cards. Having results that are the same as the zombie card means that you can damage that zombie. If you managed to tick all the boxes, that zombie is dead and you score points for them. But also at the same time, in the middle of the table is the bus that the game is talking about. And on it is a group of cheerleaders that everyone has to rescue. The dice also have other results, like the star and joker. Collecting a certain amount of stars on your turn can be used to rescue a cheerleader. Rescue all the cheerleaders will deplete the deck of zombie cards the game will end. Yes this is a cooperative game we are a family can work together to kick some ass before the zombie kick yours. Or eat the cheerleaders.

Picture
I love zombie games and I am generally good bate. But that did not take. Still, the atmosphere is there. Cheerleaders, special zombies, the second degree, the presence of dice ... But we are faced with a game where ultimately the choice is obvious. We did not feel like doing things, we let ourselves walk through the game. The zombies for, the vast majority are almost all the same. There was not really any epic or fun moments. We threw our dice without really thinking. And we watched the time pass. Too bad.


Honga
Haba 
​

Picture
Keeping your pet satisfied while doing your errands can be a handful. That’s what Honga is about. A very stunning looking have a game where players will draw cards at random and then play them on to the board at a certain angle that will allow them to one stroke the sabertooth tiger and to collect a resource or perform an action. A simple mechanic that will make younger children very happy and very angry when the sabertooth gets no affection and eats their resources. With plenty of paths to scoring points and some beautiful cartoon art components, this game is sure to please the young family and teach responsibility as well as management skills.

Picture
Hard to do better than Karuba (which I like a lot in style). Honga offers nice material, and the idea of Honga that comes to attack you if you forget it, adds a constant pressure. And yet, the game struggles to convince. The chance of the cards dictates the way you play and the most profitable actions appear on their own. Really not convinced. Children can find their account but for how long? To try again can be …


That’s pretty clever
Schmidt / Stronghold Games

Picture
A basic “roll and write” game, which means that a player will roll some dice and then players can write down the results on their sheet to tick some boxes. As simple as that. Although each color die has its own area to be ticked. Some of these areas just accumulate into points. And some areas create columns, that when once filled will allow you to tick another box somewhere else. I simple idea about taking boxes like playing bingo. But proving you are best at it by either rolling well or checking off the right areas at the right time, is not much of a game. For me it’s a little something and nothing.

Picture
Another game by Wolfgang Warsh. This time we are dealing with a little game dice super clever. The thing is very simple, we have a grid to fill, we throw dice, we choose and next where we check if we can unlock bonuses. The game offers good ideas with different scoring areas. Fast, simple, clever and can be deceitful. The choice of the dice for the first player will determine the choice for the following. A success.

guilou's #3 game of the festival

And there you have it. All the discoveries we made and fun we had playing. Plus it was a good laugh in our company and those we encountered. Thanks for reading and if you have any questions or comment, write them below.
0 Comments

Ganymede

7/10/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture

A Space Odyssey

The space faring race that we believed we'd be by 2001 is sadly not here. And it dose look like the Babylon 5 timeline may be the last hope for peace and space travel (yes, I am a B5 fan). But that doesn't matter. Just getting to Mars at this time in life, is a challenge and a dream of it's own. But in the gaming world, you just need the right team, at the right station to get from one planet to another.

Ganymede (from Sorry We Are French) is a card drafting game where you will be transporting mankind into the star, ship by ship, while building up your corporation as you go. Each player will have their own board, depicting Earth, Mars and Ganymede. With a reputation track that shows your corporation status, but unfortunately, no indication of where Weyland-Yutani is. As your reputation grows, so does your score, as well as the chance to preform extra actions. Max out your track and you have the chance to send a vessel into the stars, from Ganymede. And that is the object of the game. To get as many of your scientists, colonists, leaders and other types of useful human launched from Ganymede, into deep space.
Picture
On your board, you will select two scoring cards to place on the two spaceports situated on Ganymede. Each port has a prerequisite for types of humans needed, before it can blast off into the void, scoring you end game point. One port needs one human from each of the four sectors, (marketing/communications, leaders/managers, engineers and healthcare) while the other just requires three from the same sector. Each sector is represented by one of four coloured Meeple. Each scoring card has a fixed point value or a condition for scoring like, 1 point for each engineer you have transported or score the same amount of points as your reputation. Some even give you a bonus after your ship has departed, like a point of reputation or a free recruitment from any of the sectors. Plus the occasional card that will allow a ship to leave its port with one less crew member.

One giant step for mankind

How is this all possible? What technology will we need to take mankind beyond the starts? Well, anyone familiar to Splendor will latch on quickly. In the middle of the table, there is a pool of cards and tiles to pick from. Taking a tile will either recruit a human onto Earth or let you preform another special action. Special actions will permit you to transport a human to another planet/moon (Ganymede is not a planet) or gain a reputation point for example. The chosen tile goes into one of three spots on your board and each tile has a coloured symbol in the corner. If on a future turn, you take another tile and it has the same corresponding coloured symbol as a tile already in your tableau, it will multiply the effect of the new tile. Meaning you can recruit two or maybe three humans onto Earth, if you have all tiles with the same colour. Or mix and match the recruitment with a special action, as each tile has a choice of two options.

Picture
Maybe, you all ready have a team on the Earth spaceport and it is filled to it's capacity of six Meeples. You're going to need to transport them to the next relay point, Mars. To do so, you'll need to take a Earth card that has the same coloured Meeple as you have on Earth. Only if you meet the requirements on that card, will you be able to take it, sending the spaceship and the chosen crew members, to Mars. The same is possible for Mars, that has a smaller capacity of five Meeple. But this time, you'll take a Mars card, if you have the required Meeple there and transport them to either of the two spaceports on Ganymede. Be careful, as shipping Meeple to an overcrowded planet could mean some are lost in space...

In Space, no one can see you be special

These card, once taken, will go onto your tableau like the tiles. They also have the same coloured symbols on them and a dedicated space for them to be placed into. If you collect all five colour types of card, this will allow you, like when you max out your reputation, to launch a ship from Ganymede, whether it has it's full complement or not. Collecting multiple Earth and Mars of the same colour also has it's benefits, as some have special actions on them. These actions get multiplied for each card the same colour too. Adding a forth blue card to your board, with a move actions means you can transport any four of your Meeple to another space, or the same one, many times. Very powerful and useful.  
Picture
Special actions can be had for ejecting tiles from you board, into space. On your turn, instead of taking a card or tile, you can discard any number of tiles you have to preform the same amount of special actions. Actions like recruitment, move, gain reputation, change the colour of a Meeple and choose a new scoring card. In fact there is a forth row in the middle of the table, and that is for these cards. They can be taken into your hand with a special action or whenever you launch a vessel from Ganymede, giving you the chance to replace it. Once a player has launched their fourth scoring card into the unknown sectors of space, the game comes to an end...

The Final Frontier 

Space travel has never been so quick and smooth as it is in this game. After an initial play through, games become quicker, from an hour to almost half that time. It's light mechanisms give you plenty of choice on your turn and even thought some of your Meeples may be stuck on planets due to no ship wanting to take them to the next relay point, there is always something else you can do. It may slow you progress in this space race but can turn your game around. Especially if you are watching the other players.
​
There is a mild bit of interaction in the game, mainly from the pool that players are drafting from, in the middle of the table. But you can be nasty by watching what the other players are doing and take cards away before they have a chance to take them. But it is really a light family affair, that is easy to slip into, unlike Ripley's spacesuit. It has a low entry level and a concentration level that will not burn your brain out like a Martian heat-ray.

This is a small, compact game that shines like a beacon in space. It's theme comes through, unlike it's counterparts (Splendor or Century: Spice Road) as a space race to colonize the far flung reaches of the galaxy. With it's fluid drafting actions and rapidly increasing tension, as player multiply there actions, bringing their crews to Ganymede quicker and quicker. It's exciting up to the last round.
The game could even be called pocket sized, as all the components are smaller than what they should be. Small Meeple and cards, conceal the really cool retro artwork that looks like if came from a computer game in the late 80's. Which is a shame. Only the player boards and rule book, justify the size of the box that resemble a Monolith in space.

This is a “my cup of tea” game, not quite reaching the cerebral; Total Recall (mind-fudging), pleasure levels I get when combating in Splendor, but still very light and enjoyable encounter. Maybe we will see an expansion that adds powers to each type colonist or maybe an interfering parasite from the dark recesses of LV-426. With that, I look forward to seeing what the future hold for Ganymede.
Picture
May it live long and prosper...
0 Comments

Holiday Games

5/9/2018

0 Comments

 
I have just gotten back from a little last minute break with the family. Something that we haven't done for a handful of years. 

Do I like holidays...? 

Well, not really. Sitting by a pool. Looking at other city centers. Exploring old buildings. Trying to find somewhere nice to eat! Not that I hate all of that, but doing it every day, for a week! Phew!!!! And all the while I am doing that, I'm thinking of all the other things I could be doing, at home. Music. Videos. Playing with friends. Removing weeds.
But I will say, I enjoyed the food and drink. And of course, the chance to be with my family.

I am somewhat sidetracked. I should be talking about games. Well, I'm just getting to that.

Just before leaving for this vacation, I prepared in my head a small list of games that would slide into our baggage. Small games that squeeze into small spaces (due to player 4 being a baby and more luggage then everyone else) and be squeezed into those small pockets of time that happen while away (before lunch, before bed). I also wanted to take games that hadn't seen the light of day. We are so use to playing Quirkle, Codenames, Splendor and Timeline in our everyday lives, change would be good.  

So I packed four games that I wanted to play because they hadn't been played much or not at all. This list consisted of Harald, Kenjin, Elder Sign and Songbirds (which I was in the process of reviewing). But when they were put on the table to be played, my family had difficulty understanding the rule (maybe because they had their holiday, relaxing heads on) or they were not interested in playing that type of game... They stated that the would rather play Splendor or Qwirkle.  =(

But there is a happy ending to this story. On one of our visiting trips, we went in search of a game store. And low and behold, we found one. And we walked away with these two games.
Picture

​Both games got a lot of plays, in those quiet moments of the day when we weren't at the pool or wondering around a tourist attraction.

You're probably asking yourselves, "Barry, was this a cunning ploy on your behalf to get more games?" To which I will honestly say "no." But I will probably use it in the future if I feel the need to get hold of some new games.
And if you too would like to get hold of some new games, check out the Double-Back Monthly video to find out how to win a copy of "Small Detectives." Also everything that I have been up to in April.
Picture
***What is "the Monthly Video?" 0:20

***A Review of Reviews 1:39
Tiki
Rising 5
Burky & Badger: Micro-mania 
Burky & Badger Spoiling Storytelling

***First and the Last 8:12
Songbirds
Orcquest
Dinosaur Island

***Question Time 15:33
What games to take on holiday?

***The Monthly Giveaway 20:02


0 Comments

Time for tea and opium

3/28/2018

0 Comments

 
Being a shrew business person doesn't come easy, unless you are just playing a card that will make you shred. In fact, most board game will convince you that you'd probably be a great business person due to the difficult decisions that you handle easily on your turn. And in Chartered, it's no different.
Picture
You'll be establishing warehouses in Amsterdam, contributing to the city that will grow to become the wealthiest city in the western world. You can become the best merchant, build chartered enterprises and purchase stock to profit from their expected growth. Your goal? Profit and wealth.

This is one of those "easy to learn and difficult to master" type of games. Where the rules give you only one of two actions to preform each turn. Buy a plot of land or construct a warehouse. And by the time it is your turn, you will have already decided what to do...fast paced decision making each turn.

Each space on the board has a number allocated to it. There is one card of each number in the deck and you will have a handful of ten cards, or plots of land to start the game. Buying another does nothing but give you more possibility's on your successive turns. As there is no hand limit, you are only restricted to the money that it costs to buy a card. Also restricted by your conscience, as you know that at the end of the game there is a penalty to pay for each remaining card in your hand.
Picture
Building a warehouse is a satisfying action to take. If you construct in the the middle of nowhere, you create one of the nine enterprises in game. Placing several of these "LEGO" like bricks on the board and stacking a HQ of that enterprise on top. Giving you some revenue and the chance to buy some stock, if there is any available. If you construct next to an existing enterprise, you make it larger, increasing the value of it's stock. Or joining two enterprises together, forcing a merger and a liquidation of stock.

​It's not until you buy the right to become the owner of an enterprise that things become doubly interesting. Not only is your stock worth four time the amount to you, but also watching as other players either help you grow bigger or play elsewhere. Or worst of all, swallow your enterprise with their own, when they merge them.
Picture
All in all, with it's simple set collecting and area control, this is another game along the lines of a Ticket To Ride or New York 1901. Building in three dimensions and preconceiving the rises in the stock market (or manipulating them). A family style game with a heavy economy element, because it's all about the money. If you have the most after selling all your stock, guess what...You win!

​Find out more by clicking the link to Kickstarter below or watch the video.
Kickstarter
0 Comments

Next time someone asks if your a god, you say "yes."

3/10/2018

0 Comments

 
Immortal 8 is the latest game from Moonster Games, who gave us such great such as Crossing, Imagine and Miniville, (Machi Koro) that are proudly sat on my shelf. All of those are light, fluffy family games, but their latest game is aimed more at the hard core gamer. 
Picture
Immortal 8  is a very tight and challenging card drafting game in the vain of 7 Wonders and Paper Tales. 

Requiring more than just the luck of the draw and the kindness of your warring neighbors, you'll need your wits and powers of deduction to help prevent the other Gods from winning.

what's my name?

In Immortal 8, you are in fact an immortal God. One of 8. You will be dealt your role at random and regard it in secret. Only you and you alone know your power and secret scoring ability for the end of game. 

You will then construct a civilization, from nothing. You won't be needing any wood or clay to build the temples, treasury's, market or war machines. They just come into being. You are a God, are you not...?
Everything that is built has an action and sometime a bonus, that will give you civilization tokes of either the Military, Science or Chaos. Building that are built by you can be used by you. Building that others have built can also be used by you. At a cost. But your not restricted to building just buildings. There are the eye catching and elegant Wonders that can be used by all players, granting them some God like powers. 

And Heroes. Every Greek God had heroes, why can't you. Create one that works for you. Make them in your image or not. Throw the other gods off on who you are. The last thing you need is for them to know what your objectives are. Because they will hamper you, burden you,
​call you funny names.

a god's game

So each player will be a God and have two rounds in which to get as many points as they can. 
​ 
Each God has their own way to score points as well as common path of victory points. Each round is made up of a draft phase, kingdom phase and supremacy phase. So not a lot of time to generate a victory.

In the draft phase, players will have five cards to draft from. But only a maximum of three can be constructed. The other get turned into different values of currency, depending on the card drift turn. Some constructions will give you civilization tokens that will be used by certain Gods to gain more points. This is a good way to get "found out" by the other players, as to which God you are.

In the second round there are only four cards, of which only two can be constructed...
Sounds limited?

In the kingdom phase, you get to active and use the actions of the buildings you have built to give yourself more 
civilization tokens and money. Money is used to use the buildings of the other players at the table. Don't worry. They won't rob you blind. Unless you are on the opposite end of the table. The further away the building you with to use is, the more it will cost. Luckily, they don't collect your money, they just gain some culture, in the form of a 1 pointed token.​ 
A pool of Wonders will lay in the center of the table for everyone to use. Only once can you activate one of these and they grant tremendous power. Even the possibility to collect diamonds, a very rare provider of points. On top of that, if you have a Hero, they can go and do some dirty work for you too. Like give tokens to others or destroy buildings for fun.

Finaly, there is the supremacy phase, where the owners of the most Military and Science tokens will receive a four pointed, Supremacy token. Big points that are added at the end game.​ 

"I am he"

The end game is the moment of great intensity. As one by one, the Gods reveal themselves and score their points. A nerve wracking event as you thought they were someone else and they score big points on your behalf. Building a building next to a player that profits off of it can be a huge mistake, although it gains you culture points. Maybe they shouldn't have use your building because they gave you enough culture to win.
​
The game becomes even more intense if one of the players is Tomorrow. They can score big if they can divine every players God.​ 

All in all, a very deep and tactical drafting game that plays quick, doesn't flood the table with too much information and has you double guessing everybody's 
agenda. Check out the How To Play video below.

​Or click the buttom below to find out more about the Kickstarter

go to the kickstarter
0 Comments
    Picture

    Authors

    Barry &
    Guilou & Arnauld

    shortcuts

    All
    1st Impressions
    99 Monkeys
    ABACUSSPIELE
    Act In Game
    Alderac Entertainment Group
    Ameritrash Games
    Arnauld
    Asmodee
    Atalia
    Aurora Games
    Barry
    ​Bellwether Games
    Blackfire
    Blackrock Games
    Blog
    Blue Orange Games
    Bombyx
    Bonjour Games
    Burky & Badger
    Buzzy Games
    Catch Up Games
    Choice Provisions
    Clyde & Cart Press
    CMON Limited
    Cool Mini Or Not
    Cosmo Duck
    Cranio Creations
    Cryptozoic Entertainment
    Czech Games Edition
    Draco Ideas
    Druid City Games
    DV Giochi
    Eagle-Gryphon Games
    Eclipse Editorial
    Edge Entertainment
    Eggertspiele
    Elwin Klappe
    EmperorS4
    Essen Spiel
    Events
    Fantasy Flight Game
    Filosofia Editions
    Flying Carpet Games
    Flying Frog
    Funky Sheep
    Game Brewer
    Game Works
    Gen Con
    Gigamic
    GMT Games
    Golden Egg Games
    GREIFERISTO
    Grimlord Games
    GRRRE Games
    Guillotine Games
    Guilou
    Haba
    Hasbro
    Helvetiq
    Hexy Studio
    Holy Grail Games
    Homosapien Lab
    Homosapiens Lab
    Horrible Games
    How To Play
    HUCH!
    Iello
    Imperial Publishing
    Impressions
    Inside Up Games
    Interview
    Intrafin
    Itten
    Japan Brand
    Jeux Opla
    Jolly Dutch Productions
    Jolly Thinkers
    Jumping Turtle Games
    Junk Spirit Games
    Karma Games
    Kickstarter
    KOSMOS
    La Boite De Jeu
    Last Night
    Lifestyle Boardgames
    Lucky Duck Games
    Ludonaute
    Ludonova
    Mandoo Game
    Matagot
    Meeple City Games
    Modiphius
    Monolith
    Monthly
    Moonster Games
    Morning
    MOZI Game
    My Cup Of Tea
    Mythic Games
    Nauvoo Games
    Next Move Games
    Norsker Games
    North Star Games
    Nürnberger-Spielkarten-Verlag
    Oink Games
    Oka Luda Editions
    Osprey Games
    Oya
    Ozaku Brand
    Oz Editions
    Pandasaurus Games
    Paris Est Ludique
    Parker Brothers
    Pegasus Spiele
    Pixie Games
    Plan B Games
    Player 3
    Podcast
    Precisamente
    Preview
    Quantum Quiz
    Queen Games
    Renegade Game Studios
    Review
    RUNES Editions
    Say Cheves
    Schmidt Spiele
    Second Gate Games
    Serious Poulp
    Sit Down!
    Sorry We Are French
    Soundscape
    Space Cowboys
    Spielworxx
    Steamforged Games
    Stronghold Games
    Superlude Editions
    Super Meeple
    Sweet Games
    Tasty Minstrel Games
    Tested
    The Flying Games
    ThinkNoodle Games
    Tiki Editions
    Top Ten
    Treefrog Games
    Twitch TV
    TWOPLUS Games
    UK Gaming Expo
    USAopoly
    Weta Workshop
    White Goblin Games
    Yoka By Tsume
    Z-Man Games

    RSS Feed

Picture
Picture

Contact me

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Board Game soundtracks
    • The 7th Citidal
    • Kemet
    • Titan
    • Abyss
    • Claustrophobia 1643
    • The 7th Continent
    • Lucky Duck Games
    • Poule Poule
    • Syrinscape
    • Last Night
  • Board Game Talk
    • Reviews in English
    • Reviews en Français
    • Kickstarters
  • Burky & Badger podcast
  • Contact me