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Die Hard: The Nakatomi Heist Board Game |
 | Authors: Sean Fletcher, Patrick Marino Publisher: USAopoly 2 to 4 players 60 - 90 minutes Age: 15 years Language dependence: very little Written by Guilou  |
- Whoever you are, beware, this frequency is exclusively reserved for emergencies.
- No kidding ! And you think I'm calling to order pizza?
I think it is useless to explain the film Die Hard to you. It has undeniably become cult and is one of those films whose influence and references have stood the test of time. And it is not the many sequels (more or less interesting) that have replaced it in the hearts of fans.
But strangely, so far, the phenomenon had not extended to the board game. Something that was not the case until 2019. Indeed, the publisher USAopoly, through the authors Sean Fletcher and Patrick Marino, took "the big risk" to attack the license. Finally, the risk quickly became clear. It is true that it is easy to imagine fans of the license would jump on it without necessarily thinking about what they buy. To remake the film in a board game is something that inevitably has appeal. But can also be quite strenuous. Indeed, getting the players back into the special atmosphere of the film is a challenge in itself. And like any fan, it can ignite for good as well as for bad (and in this case be quite virulent).
After good surprises like Thanos Rising (and its certified copies that are Star Wars: Dark Side Rising and Harry Potter: Death Eaters Rising) and the Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle (and its copy Toy Story: Obstacles & Adventures), we are entitled to wonder if the publisher continues its momentum or goes back towards its shortcomings and the ease of the license.
Die Hard: The Nakatomi Heist Board Game is a game with a special atmosphere. One player will play John McClane (because there is only one John McClane!), While the others will play thieves. They will then have to cooperate to put sticks in the wheels of the lonely cop.
The game offers an asymmetrical experience. The hero has their own deck of cards and the bad guys must share the same deck. Everyone has their own actions and how to trigger them. Moreover, Die Hard: The Nakatomi Heist Board Game takes place a bit like in the film in three acts. Each act has its own board and corresponds to John's advancements in the tower. With each level, the objectives change especially for the hero. The bad guys have what you could call "false goals".
While the hero has to fulfill the conditions (often in order) to advance in the story, for the villains, they have another purpose. Finally, Hans Gruber's troops have only two real goals to win the game all along. The first is to kill John and the second to unlock the safe. If one of the two is completed, then the players on the "evil " side immediately win the game. The side missions they get during the acts only exist to help them unlock the safe.
ACT I: Visit to the 31st floor
“Now I have a machine gun. Ho-Ho-Ho!”
Act I begins when John escapes from the party (thanks to a schoolboy diversion) without shoes but still with his service pistol. So he ends up on the 31st floor. But he is not alone. The thieves are present and begin their hunt. The mission for John is very simple: retrieve shoes from the body of a bandit, find a "machine gun" and find a radio. Each of the objectives fulfilled will allow him to collect bonuses for the rest of the adventure.
For example, the machine gun will allow him to carry out a “free” ranged attack by discarding an ammunition token.
As I said before, thieves have only two main objectives throughout the game: kill John or unlock the safe. However, during the three acts, they have additional missions which, once fulfilled, will allow them to benefit from a free unlocking attempt. In Act I, Hans' minions must capture three hostages, occupy two uncovered "red" areas. In addition, each time they wound John, they can put a token on their mission card. After five, they get free unlocks. This last mission is never reset between acts and is recurrent until the end of the game.
Once John has fulfilled his three objectives, he can escape by going to the specific square. We then proceed to act II.
ACT II: Detour to the 32nd floor.
Sergeant Powell just arrived, John just killed Tony and Hans which sends Marco and Heinrich to him. At the film level, we are there. John's goals are then simple in this act. First, find explosives and the detonator. Then bring it all to the elevator and swing a body over the window to show Sergeant Powell that it's not a bluff.
For Hans' minions, they stay on three secondary missions. The first is always the same, triggering when they wound John. The second corresponds to the destruction of all the windows. The third is the rocket launch on the police who have just arrived in numbers. (Besides, this action can be thematically strange. If the villain performs it when the body has not been thrown out of the window, technically there is not yet SWAT ...).
As in Act I, the objects to be recovered are represented by tokens. These tokens are shuffled face down and positioned in predefined locations. Among them is a trap.
John will have to, once again, manage an escape after having fulfilled his three objectives.
ACT III: 33rd floor, roof and end.
The hostages are on the roof. The explosives are in place. Hans is ready to do battle.
John this time will have to complete his goals in order. First you have to free the hostages, then lower them safely and finally shoot Hans Gruber.
These fake terrorists can still shoot John. Once the sixth lock has been hacked, they are close to victory. This time the interest changes a little. The bad guy will then have to activate the detonators in order to blow up the roof. Once this is done, the seventh lock will be cracked by the FBI's power outage and Hans will be able to escape with the money.
Act three offers a little more tension and a slightly different way of playing for the bad guy.
Now that the three acts have been explained in detail how does it play? Die Hard: The Nakatomi Heist Board Game is ultimately a fairly easy game to access. You could even stick the “family game” label on it so the choice is quite limited.
All players share the same basic actions.
- Move. The cost is one point on all boxes except the gray boxes (obstacles) which cost two. Namely, only John can use these as shortcuts.
- Shoot. You must be at least one space away from a target in a straight line. The only constraint is that if the shot crosses an obstacle zone the difficulty of hitting is increased according to the number of obstacles crossed.
- Punch. You must be adjacent to a target and succeed in your die roll.
Most actions require a test. Very simple thing, it is a question of rolling a six side die and having a result equal or superior to the difficulty indicated on the target.
John has specific actions:
- Sneaking. He can then move everywhere on the value of one point per square (even on gray) and pass enemy occupied spaces. He cannot be the object of attack.
- Repel an opponent. Once the test is successful, John can push an opponent (we have added a small house rule, if he pushes an opponent near a window, they are thrown outside).
- Ask for reinforcements. John can speak to Sergeant Powell to update him on the situation. The more he performs this action, the more his attack capacity is improved.
- Finally, John can rest. He thus retrieves the top card from the discard pile to his hand.
The fake terrorists also have two specific actions:
- Attempting to unlock the safe.
- Call for reinforcement. If one of the men has been killed, the player can sacrifice their actions to put a new gun toting villain back into play (within the limits of the act).
Well it may seem like a lot of information. But in fact everything is written on the cards. I mean that the actions that are going to be possible depend on the cards played. The key words indicate what actions will be taken and what is the level of difficulty of the tests. Each action can be performed in the desired order and there is no obligation to do them all.
The chosen cards are played face down, then they are revealed and, starting with John, they are applied.
The bad guys have a special way of playing. No matter the number of players (from 1 to 3) in this team, there will always be three cards available. Once the cards are turned over, they are positioned according to their values. Each value is a decryption number used to unlock the safe. A free attempt is offered at the start of each bad guy's turn. There are two numbers, so technically Hans' minions can advance quickly (as long as these numbers are adjacent in the combination to be performed). The middle of the card corresponds to the actions available for the turn.
This way of playing is quite interesting because it forces the villain to pay attention to the cards played. However, we must admit that very quickly, luck is fairly present, you’ll try more to play a number for the code than actually looking at the possible actions.
Let me explain. With two players, there is only one player on the dark side. Thus, the first card is drawn directly face down from the deck. The second is the same, except that the player has a right to read it. The third is chosen by them from their hand. So of the three, one is completely random. On the one hand it creates suspense, on the other it brings a dose of chance that can significantly change the order you play cards, making almost a kind of forecast. Some have told me that the bad guys deck only has 24 cards ... but hey if you have to count them ...
I have described among the actions the possibility of attacking others. Nothing too complicated on the side of the bad guys. Aside from Hans, who works in a particular way, the thieves have only one life point. One wound and they are dead. However, John works differently. His card deck corresponds to his life points. When there are none left, he is dead and the player loses.
Here it becomes deceitful, it is in the management of this deck. Each act has its own deck. When the players change acts, the cards are replaced. All of them? Not really. Each time John plays a card, he puts it on the "card played" side and not "discarded card". With each new act, the cards played previously are added to the deck of the new act. Thus, the more John lingers in an act, the more life he will have for the rest, but the more there is a risk that he will die. Another deceitful point, when he has only two cards left in his hand (because he doesn't draw cards once he has played one), he must discard them (so he loses them). Life goes down even faster this way. The game is a race against time in disguise. It also prevents the player from lingering too long. Smart.
Now place the verdict. What did I think of this game? Not pretending to speak for all, here is my modest opinion. The game has good ideas but also has a lot of flaws. It is with these that I will begin.
Where the rub is, it is at the level of replayability. Of course, there is the luck of the draw pile, the chance of the arrangement of the tokens to seek. Yes ... but it is ultimately very little. The game is ultra-scripted. For once, it is really very thematic (I would come back to this) but it also makes it a fairly significant flaw. At each game, you will always have to do the same things, in more or less the same order with the same result. The surprises are few and depending on the case, luck makes it happen very quickly. After a few games, unless you are an unconditional fan, you feel a certain weariness and significant repetition.
Especially since the choices available are low and the majority of them are imposed by the cards. Don't expect to be able to do what you want. The general thinking is quite basic. Which makes it a family game but far from the expectations of those who saw in it a potential game for gamers.
What initially seemed a good idea, is ultimately something quite anecdotal or even restrictive. I'm talking about the bad guys here. Making it a game with more than two players could have been interesting but as it tends to weigh down the whole without necessarily adding fun or interest. The players cannot speak to each other and even there the strategic choice being limited that would amount to being guided by the one who knows the game best. The result is a false game for several players but a real game for two (one in each team) . No more. And even at two, the importance of chance for the choice of actions can make more than one jump and bring a lot of frustration. Not the right playful frustration ... At three or four, the game loses its interest. The bad guys side becomes strongly limited (hence the presence of the “leader token”). And boredom is as clear as the nose on your face.
Finally, the John side may be the most interesting to play. Less chance (and yet I like chance), more choice and more freedom of action.
As for combat and most actions, they are resolved simply by rolling a die. Not very elaborate but it works ...
To continue in the negative points, the material. We are very far from the quality of current standards. The cards are very thin, not really protected. The illustrations without being too ugly are very generic and do not really bring immersion. The tokens are ultra-generic. The figurines are a vast joke. Tokens with the faces of the actors would have been a thousand times better! (Damned, I'm the one who says that). Immersion can take a big hit for those who stop and look at the material. Note also, that on the objective tiles, nothing is noted on how to accomplish them. Only a small reference to the film and the bonus you gain ... (evil laugh) ... Ah yes, I also forgot the board of the McClaine player. A modest very thin cardboard sheet (which for my part was folded because of a bad positioning in the box during its assembly), fragile and not very inspired in illustration. It leaves you to wonder how the publisher succeeded in obtaining the rights of the game.
I reassure you, there are not only negative points (even if it is already obvious). The idea of life points for John is well thought out. This adds tension with the choice to linger to be stronger for the future rounds or to accelerate so as not to risk anything.
Even if in the end it is quite wobbly, the gameplay for the bad guys (two players only!) is interesting and could have been worked on even more.
Thematically, the game is a success. Even if it can work against it, we relive the film perfectly in the most impactful actions. Here we are. We also have fun throwing out the punchlines at the right time. Even rewriting some dialogue. On that, it's fun. I admit that the order of resolution for some objectives feels strange, but we slid over that while having fun on the rest. But for the fans, this is really great.
The board changing with each act is a good idea. This adds immersion and diversity. The change of goal for John too. It is unfortunate that this was not stretched out further (but I imagine respecting the license does not help).
Finally, despite these many faults, I have good memories of this game. I had a good time (except for two games). It works. Far from renewing the gaming world, it allows you to have a good time, for a limited playing time and for a modest price. When the title was announced, I was very skeptical. After several plays, I have come out with a positive feeling. Not everything is perfect (far from it) but it remains a sweet surprise.
A simple game (some would say simplistic) that works. The kind of game where, after not playing it for a long time, you are able to open the box and restart a game directly. An “ok game ” is a very fashionable term, which has the advantage of making you relive the adventure of an incredible film. An easily playable family game with a very limited amount of text (ideal for those who do not speak English).
It could of course have become something else, something more advanced, maybe for the more experienced gamer, but as it stands, it offers pleasant playability. I can guarantee that you will not chain dozens of games back to back. But coming back to it from time to time is not unpleasant, especially if you love the film of which it is a reference.
Certainly without the license, Die Hard: The Nakatomi Heist Board Game would lose a lot of interest and the negatives would prevail. For me, after reflection, it is clearly this thematic omnipresence that makes it endearing. This love of the original work (which could at least have been more in the material I agree, but it is not the authors who make the stuff) is felt during the game. A special aura and atmosphere, warm, emanates from this game. This feeling, purely personal and subjective, makes me come back and play it without complaining and with pleasure (I told you that you had to play it only with 2?). But like any abstract notion, the feeling may be totally different for you.
Die Hard: The Nakatomi Heist Board Game is a game that will not impose itself as the essential game. If you just want it for fun, it may not be the one for you. In the face of the choice available, others will do the trick better. If you are a fan of the license, you will have a good time and you will enjoy going back there. USAopoly had the opportunity to create a very good game supported by a strong license, but seems to have somewhat missed the mark. There remains a pleasant game, which I advise you to try before buying it to see if it will meet your expectations. So...
Yippee-ki-yay, poor idiot!
Technical note 6,5 / 10
In terms of materiam, there could have been greater efforts inserted. Shapeless figurines, fine cards with generic illustrations, "normal" tokend, but ... once in play everything works. The idea of different boards depending on the acts is a good thing. The rules are clear (although their layout may surprise you).
My BGG score 6.5 / 10
Ok - will play if in the mood.
The game has its share of faults: limited replayability, importance of chance for the nasty side, limited choices, ... And yet so little that we are a fan of the license, the game works. It's fun, not necessarily long and we relive the film. It has good ideas and you can't help but think that better implementations could have made a better game. Die Hard is not unpleasant to play, on the contrary, but quickly finds its limits. A game that does not reach the ankles of film legend.
Combined score of 6.5 / 10
And now it's your turn to play ...
In terms of materiam, there could have been greater efforts inserted. Shapeless figurines, fine cards with generic illustrations, "normal" tokend, but ... once in play everything works. The idea of different boards depending on the acts is a good thing. The rules are clear (although their layout may surprise you).
My BGG score 6.5 / 10
Ok - will play if in the mood.
The game has its share of faults: limited replayability, importance of chance for the nasty side, limited choices, ... And yet so little that we are a fan of the license, the game works. It's fun, not necessarily long and we relive the film. It has good ideas and you can't help but think that better implementations could have made a better game. Die Hard is not unpleasant to play, on the contrary, but quickly finds its limits. A game that does not reach the ankles of film legend.
Combined score of 6.5 / 10
And now it's your turn to play ...
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Phone bomb (2019) Review
 | Authors: David Cicurel Illustrator: Christopher Matt Publisher: Aurora 3 to 6 players 15 - 20 minutes Age: 10+ Language dependence: no Written by Guilou  |
Today we are going to talk about Phone Bomb. Bomb, not Game. No, I'm not going to give you a review of Joel Schumacher's film with Colin Farrell. Here, no phone booth. However, you will need your phone. One is enough for the entire player group. And no, it is not supplied in the box. Here it is ...
David Cicurel, the author of Chronicles of Crime, continues to explore the mix between board game and digital through the use of the telephone. Indeed, to play Phone Bomb, you will need to download an application, in addition of course to the material included in the box. First thing to know, the application is not greedy and can work very well with any smartphone (for example), as long as it has a touch screen (yes the 3310 will not work .. at the same time it's not a smartphone ...).
Without further ado, we will learn together to become a real minesweeper (raising this flag will be useless). But for that, here are some rules to respect, before accepting your mission.
David Cicurel, the author of Chronicles of Crime, continues to explore the mix between board game and digital through the use of the telephone. Indeed, to play Phone Bomb, you will need to download an application, in addition of course to the material included in the box. First thing to know, the application is not greedy and can work very well with any smartphone (for example), as long as it has a touch screen (yes the 3310 will not work .. at the same time it's not a smartphone ...).
Without further ado, we will learn together to become a real minesweeper (raising this flag will be useless). But for that, here are some rules to respect, before accepting your mission.
1. You will have to be thoroughly prepared
Minesweeper movie
Ah! yes. ... I reassure you, you will not need that much preparation. You can remove all that ... Finally, to play it, come as you are.
So to be able to play Phone Bomb, you will need a table, chairs, a telephone, a copy of the game and ... that's it. Originally, the publisher seemed to have wanted to include real bombs in the box, but the ephemeral side of a part and the final potential cost dissuaded them. It is for this reason that the application takes over. A decision certainly more classic but oh so much more logical.
The game application is easily found. Come on, because I'm nice, I leave you the link to it. You just have to click there. That's it? Okay while it's downloading, I'm going to take this opportunity to present the game to you. Note that once on your phone, the internet connection is no longer mandatory.
On its launch, you’ll arrive in a very classic menu. You then have the choice between the level of difficulty (Discovery or normal), take a look at the options (to adjust language, music, sounds ...), and you can even click on the credits to discover the designers, authors ... But this is for the most curious. Last but not least, you can start a game. Attention, once you click on play, the game and the timer starts directly (there is no loading count as indicated in the rule). Click only when you are ready to play, otherwise you will have to go back.
An ultimately sober application, but one that goes to the essentials. What is most important. No fuss (or Goku), we know immediately what to do and we don't waste time.
So to be able to play Phone Bomb, you will need a table, chairs, a telephone, a copy of the game and ... that's it. Originally, the publisher seemed to have wanted to include real bombs in the box, but the ephemeral side of a part and the final potential cost dissuaded them. It is for this reason that the application takes over. A decision certainly more classic but oh so much more logical.
The game application is easily found. Come on, because I'm nice, I leave you the link to it. You just have to click there. That's it? Okay while it's downloading, I'm going to take this opportunity to present the game to you. Note that once on your phone, the internet connection is no longer mandatory.
On its launch, you’ll arrive in a very classic menu. You then have the choice between the level of difficulty (Discovery or normal), take a look at the options (to adjust language, music, sounds ...), and you can even click on the credits to discover the designers, authors ... But this is for the most curious. Last but not least, you can start a game. Attention, once you click on play, the game and the timer starts directly (there is no loading count as indicated in the rule). Click only when you are ready to play, otherwise you will have to go back.
An ultimately sober application, but one that goes to the essentials. What is most important. No fuss (or Goku), we know immediately what to do and we don't waste time.
2. Read the rule beforehand and explain it to everyone
Now that the application is installed and loaded, it's time to move on to the rules explanations. It's actually easier with the app in front of you, even if you can start without it.
The rules of Phone Bomb are very clear and above all very simple. Each player has a hand of four cards. On their turn, when the phone is in front of them, they become the active player and must play two cards and only two cards. Depending on what is played, they will have to interact on the application then pass the phone to the next player.
The possible actions will depend on the icons on the cards. When the active player plays two cards with matching icons, then they can perform that action on the phone. If they do not want to or cannot play cards where the icons do not match, they must then pass. Whatever the players do, they must indicate it by clicking on the right space on the screen and then pass the phone on.
Once these two actions are done, the player draws two new cards. And that's all. Simple, right?
The rules of Phone Bomb are very clear and above all very simple. Each player has a hand of four cards. On their turn, when the phone is in front of them, they become the active player and must play two cards and only two cards. Depending on what is played, they will have to interact on the application then pass the phone to the next player.
The possible actions will depend on the icons on the cards. When the active player plays two cards with matching icons, then they can perform that action on the phone. If they do not want to or cannot play cards where the icons do not match, they must then pass. Whatever the players do, they must indicate it by clicking on the right space on the screen and then pass the phone on.
Once these two actions are done, the player draws two new cards. And that's all. Simple, right?
3. You will have to pay attention to the other players
Phone Bomb is a semi-cooperative game. You will have to face crisis situations together: in other words prevent the bomb from exploding before the end of time.
Cooperating is therefore a great way to survive, or rather to deactivate as many bombs as possible before they go off. But there will only be one winner at the end of the game. It will therefore sometimes be necessary to be opportunistic in order to get ahead or leave before it is too late. Pay attention to others. At any time, they may seek to pull the blanket towards them, at the risk of wasting your time. Beware of the most smiling colleagues ... they are sometimes the worst. Opportunism and a sense of timing will sometimes be necessary.
Cooperating is therefore a great way to survive, or rather to deactivate as many bombs as possible before they go off. But there will only be one winner at the end of the game. It will therefore sometimes be necessary to be opportunistic in order to get ahead or leave before it is too late. Pay attention to others. At any time, they may seek to pull the blanket towards them, at the risk of wasting your time. Beware of the most smiling colleagues ... they are sometimes the worst. Opportunism and a sense of timing will sometimes be necessary.
4. You will learn to master time management
At the start of a game, you have one minute to defuse the bomb. Yes, very little time. As much to tell you right away, time will pass at a crazy speed. You will have to watch it because you'd be lost in what you want to do, sometimes forgeting it ... and there is the drama. Phone Bomb, and especially its application, offers a very pleasant timing system. The real-time aspect is something that I really appreciate. This helps build up welcome pressure and sometimes increased stress which can lead to situations of tension or unexpected error. The chronometer is like a sword of Damocles, merciless and continuous.
Of course, depending on the actions chosen, it will be possible to influence the time. For example, it will be possible to add time, but also to waste it. In order to prevent a system which could become too calculating, and therefore less fun, these gains or losses will not always be the same in terms of quantity. This unpredictable side adds a little tension and an uncontrollable variable which enhances the fun of the game.
Of course, depending on the actions chosen, it will be possible to influence the time. For example, it will be possible to add time, but also to waste it. In order to prevent a system which could become too calculating, and therefore less fun, these gains or losses will not always be the same in terms of quantity. This unpredictable side adds a little tension and an uncontrollable variable which enhances the fun of the game.
5. Add time to breathe
It is therefore time to see the actions in detail. We will start by adding time.
As I mentioned to you just before, time management is a very important concept in the game. But a minute goes by very quickly. To allow you to breathe and because you are pros, you can add time. For that, it is enough that the active player plays two cards representing a watch. Once done, the player must click on the "watch" icon on the control panel. This will add about thirty seconds to the group.
As I mentioned to you just before, time management is a very important concept in the game. But a minute goes by very quickly. To allow you to breathe and because you are pros, you can add time. For that, it is enough that the active player plays two cards representing a watch. Once done, the player must click on the "watch" icon on the control panel. This will add about thirty seconds to the group.
6. Think before you act
The bomb control panel has fifteen wires, five of each color (blue, yellow and red). The object of the game is to cut the three good wires among these fifteen. Of course, you can go head down and cut at random ... at the risk of losing precious seconds. Or think and reduce chance.
To do this, you can play two cards with an eye symbol. Once done, you will need to select an eye from one of the three colors on the application. Just below, once you have clicked, symbols will appear which will guide you in your search. These symbols will correspond to the chosen color and only to this color. Thus, you will be able to learn if among these wires there are any: trapped (skull), defusing (pliers) or neutral (which are useless).
The little welcome subtlety corresponds to updating this info. This information corresponds to the moment when you press the eye. They are only updated when you perform this action.
To do this, you can play two cards with an eye symbol. Once done, you will need to select an eye from one of the three colors on the application. Just below, once you have clicked, symbols will appear which will guide you in your search. These symbols will correspond to the chosen color and only to this color. Thus, you will be able to learn if among these wires there are any: trapped (skull), defusing (pliers) or neutral (which are useless).
The little welcome subtlety corresponds to updating this info. This information corresponds to the moment when you press the eye. They are only updated when you perform this action.
7. Wire cutting
After a while, it is certain that time is running out and that we will have to act. Courageous as you are, you therefore decide to choose a wire to cut. To do this, simply play two cards with the same color.
If I play two blue wires, I can cut one of the five blue wires still available. If I have found a good wire, a green light will come on. If it is a neutral wire, nothing happens. If it is a bad wire, the bomb approaches the explosion and a red light comes on.
Three green lights, the bomb is defused; three red, it explodes.
If I play two blue wires, I can cut one of the five blue wires still available. If I have found a good wire, a green light will come on. If it is a neutral wire, nothing happens. If it is a bad wire, the bomb approaches the explosion and a red light comes on.
Three green lights, the bomb is defused; three red, it explodes.
8. Do not forget to do forward planning
It is well known, it is thanks to you, and only to you, that the operation is a success. If you play two cards with the microphone symbol, then you will have the opportunity to take the time to think about your future interview in front of the cameras.
These cards played, in this case, remain in front of you. If the operation is a success, the player who has prepared their intervention best will win 1 additional point at the end of the round. Yes, it's as much a part of the job as putting yourself forward. But beware, nothing is free. Indeed, when you take time to think about what you will say, you will actually take time. In other words, the group will lose between 5 to 15 seconds over the final time. Be careful it goes quickly ... You will have to choose the right timing to embark on this type of action.
These cards played, in this case, remain in front of you. If the operation is a success, the player who has prepared their intervention best will win 1 additional point at the end of the round. Yes, it's as much a part of the job as putting yourself forward. But beware, nothing is free. Indeed, when you take time to think about what you will say, you will actually take time. In other words, the group will lose between 5 to 15 seconds over the final time. Be careful it goes quickly ... You will have to choose the right timing to embark on this type of action.
9. Courage to run away!
The life of a bomb disposal technician is a high risk job. Sometimes, time flies too fast and the bomb eventually explodes. If this is the case, nobody wins points (even for the interviews, don't dream either, losers are not worth interviewing ... though).
To overcome this small inconvenience, by taking your courage in both hands and burying it deep within yourself, you can choose to flee. But flee bravely.
Yes fleeing is not glorious, but it can allow you to get out of a difficult situation alive and victorious. When you play two cards with the symbol flee, you exit the round (click of course on the corresponding button). You no longer have an impact on the current round. You have technically left the place of the bomb. Potential interview cards played before no longer count for you. When you choose to flee, this gives some time back to your colleagues still in play.
If the bomb is defused, no luck, you left too early, suddenly nothing for you except bullying and mocking. On the other hand, if the bomb explodes, well done. Not only have you survived, but above all you will gain 1 point (and not those who stayed).
To overcome this small inconvenience, by taking your courage in both hands and burying it deep within yourself, you can choose to flee. But flee bravely.
Yes fleeing is not glorious, but it can allow you to get out of a difficult situation alive and victorious. When you play two cards with the symbol flee, you exit the round (click of course on the corresponding button). You no longer have an impact on the current round. You have technically left the place of the bomb. Potential interview cards played before no longer count for you. When you choose to flee, this gives some time back to your colleagues still in play.
If the bomb is defused, no luck, you left too early, suddenly nothing for you except bullying and mocking. On the other hand, if the bomb explodes, well done. Not only have you survived, but above all you will gain 1 point (and not those who stayed).
10. To do nothing sometimes is to do something ...
While the active player chooses to do an action or simply pass, the other players are not outdone.
Phone Bomb wants to be a communication game. For this, during the active player's turn, the others can freely exchange cards with each other. Of course in order to respect the altruistic nature of the game, the cards must be exchanged face down, without being shown beforehand and the agreements relate only to those who believe them (therefore in no way be obligatorily respected).
Even if it is true that during the first games, you do not necessarily think about it, this notion is quite well seen and occupies the players during the rounds. This occupation contributes to the fact of adding a bit of deception but also to distract the players from the current objective. This distraction can waste precious seconds without anyone realizing it. It is important to communicate well and find the right balance.
Phone Bomb wants to be a communication game. For this, during the active player's turn, the others can freely exchange cards with each other. Of course in order to respect the altruistic nature of the game, the cards must be exchanged face down, without being shown beforehand and the agreements relate only to those who believe them (therefore in no way be obligatorily respected).
Even if it is true that during the first games, you do not necessarily think about it, this notion is quite well seen and occupies the players during the rounds. This occupation contributes to the fact of adding a bit of deception but also to distract the players from the current objective. This distraction can waste precious seconds without anyone realizing it. It is important to communicate well and find the right balance.
And now you know all there is to know to become a good minesweeper at Phone Bomb. At the end of a round, we count the points. 2 points for those who stayed and who defused the bomb, 1 point for the one who most prepared the best interview and 1 only for those who fled when there was an explosion.
A full game is played over five rounds. At the end, you’ll proceed to the calculation of all the points, whoever has the most wins the game.
A full game is played over five rounds. At the end, you’ll proceed to the calculation of all the points, whoever has the most wins the game.
The game offers a few variations including bonus cards. Very quickly, you will find yourself playing with this to spice up your games. These are simple goals that will allow you to earn an additional point on success. This adds a little more and even more distrust without weighing down the game.
Phone Bomb is a success in its genre. The components are simple, but everything is clear and easily readable. The rules are well written, and easily readable. The iconography is well thought out. Once the game started, no more feedback on how to play is required.
The rounds are linked quickly, the game is fluid and there is no time to be bored on the contrary. Without upsetting the codes, Phone Bomb offers a very pleasant experience for short games. The mixture of real time, cooperative pressure with the tension of betrayal that can occur at any time works perfectly.
There is mistrust and bursts of laughter are not long in accompanying the game, especially once the players are chaining blows. The game is very dynamic and there is no real downtime.
The application is simple but relatively well thought out. No superfluous, the symbols of the cards correspond perfectly to those present on the control panel. You don't waste time figuring out what to do. Everything is instinctive and above all it responds well to touch. No latency. Playable on many supports, the application adds a playful side to the defusing touch as in the movies. There are some sensations of video games like Keep Talking Nobody Explodes or Them Bombs! (in less pushed of course). In addition, the publisher has announced that the application will experience future improvements such as the appearance of missions. Interesting thing that deserves to be followed.
Bonus cards offer a little extra and renew interest after several games.
The game is nevertheless not without flaws.
It remains a party game. This means that the more players, the better. Playing it at two (variant included) has no interest, and even if it is appreciated by three, it in no way delivers its potential.
However, the application has certain limits. In terms of pure use, it is a shame to see small things appear which certainly do not prevent the pleasure of play but which slightly increase the handling.
Again, this doesn't take away from the fun of the game. In the end, these are just small details, but things that can be easily improved to increase the fun and ease of use.
If you play in good company (it is possible to see some playing anti-games by taking more time voluntarily to win), the game is a real nice surprise. An ideal aperitif game, simple, fun and lively. A tasty blend of flavors that works perfectly. Knowing how to juggle between saving the team or putting themselves forward is a relatively tasty thing. Not to be hated by others while trying to get out of the game puts you in a place not so obvious but oh so enjoyable especially that must be added to that the pressure of time. Not only does the game work well, it also offers a really well-thought-out hybrid experience with good quality hardware. Phone Bomb is a game that I can only advise you to play with friends, family, with younger children, between adults, between people you do not know .... in short with anyone, play there! After locating the sympathetic Topiary, waiting for the very good Rescue Polar Bears, Aurora offers us with Phone Bomb a very good aperitif game. It would be a shame to deprive yourself, especially since it is at an explosive price.
The rounds are linked quickly, the game is fluid and there is no time to be bored on the contrary. Without upsetting the codes, Phone Bomb offers a very pleasant experience for short games. The mixture of real time, cooperative pressure with the tension of betrayal that can occur at any time works perfectly.
There is mistrust and bursts of laughter are not long in accompanying the game, especially once the players are chaining blows. The game is very dynamic and there is no real downtime.
The application is simple but relatively well thought out. No superfluous, the symbols of the cards correspond perfectly to those present on the control panel. You don't waste time figuring out what to do. Everything is instinctive and above all it responds well to touch. No latency. Playable on many supports, the application adds a playful side to the defusing touch as in the movies. There are some sensations of video games like Keep Talking Nobody Explodes or Them Bombs! (in less pushed of course). In addition, the publisher has announced that the application will experience future improvements such as the appearance of missions. Interesting thing that deserves to be followed.
Bonus cards offer a little extra and renew interest after several games.
The game is nevertheless not without flaws.
It remains a party game. This means that the more players, the better. Playing it at two (variant included) has no interest, and even if it is appreciated by three, it in no way delivers its potential.
However, the application has certain limits. In terms of pure use, it is a shame to see small things appear which certainly do not prevent the pleasure of play but which slightly increase the handling.
- This is the case at the end of a round, when the screen appears asking us if we want to leave or not and the "no" really serves no purpose.
- There is no follow-up of games. For each round, you have to go back to the main menu without any follow-up. A reminder of the scores or the possibility of linking the games could have been a plus. Why not enter your score after each round?
- Roll on the new game modes.
Again, this doesn't take away from the fun of the game. In the end, these are just small details, but things that can be easily improved to increase the fun and ease of use.
If you play in good company (it is possible to see some playing anti-games by taking more time voluntarily to win), the game is a real nice surprise. An ideal aperitif game, simple, fun and lively. A tasty blend of flavors that works perfectly. Knowing how to juggle between saving the team or putting themselves forward is a relatively tasty thing. Not to be hated by others while trying to get out of the game puts you in a place not so obvious but oh so enjoyable especially that must be added to that the pressure of time. Not only does the game work well, it also offers a really well-thought-out hybrid experience with good quality hardware. Phone Bomb is a game that I can only advise you to play with friends, family, with younger children, between adults, between people you do not know .... in short with anyone, play there! After locating the sympathetic Topiary, waiting for the very good Rescue Polar Bears, Aurora offers us with Phone Bomb a very good aperitif game. It would be a shame to deprive yourself, especially since it is at an explosive price.
Technical score 9/10
Compared to its category, Phone Bomb is doing really well. Very easily recognizable iconography, clear rules, simple but effective application. The cards are solid and pleasant to handle.
A little further application adjustments would have been a plus.
My BGG score 7/10
The game is very pleasant. The mix of genres works really well. It's always a pleasure to play it. It's dynamic, deceitful, fluid, fun, accessible and fast. Besides this last point makes it possible to prevent repetitivity from settling down. We can't wait to see how the thing can be developed even more thanks to the app to vary the pleasures. A very nice surprise for a game that works really well.
Combined score of 8/10
And now it's your turn to play ...
Compared to its category, Phone Bomb is doing really well. Very easily recognizable iconography, clear rules, simple but effective application. The cards are solid and pleasant to handle.
A little further application adjustments would have been a plus.
My BGG score 7/10
The game is very pleasant. The mix of genres works really well. It's always a pleasure to play it. It's dynamic, deceitful, fluid, fun, accessible and fast. Besides this last point makes it possible to prevent repetitivity from settling down. We can't wait to see how the thing can be developed even more thanks to the app to vary the pleasures. A very nice surprise for a game that works really well.
Combined score of 8/10
And now it's your turn to play ...
Marvel Champions: The Card Game
(2019) review
 | Designer : Michael Boggs, Nate French, Caleb Grace Artist : N/A Publisher : Fantasy Flight Games 1-4 player 45-90 minute ages 14+ language dependant : yes Written by Arnuald  |
Fantasy Flight Games is an editor who likes to flirt with licenses. It regurgitates them in many versions and even created its own style of game: the Living Card Game. The LCG is a card game that will be provided with, depending on its success, many extensions packets to enrich it with new challenges. After Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, A Game of Thrones and Arkham Horror, the newest Universe to be given an LCG treatment is that of Marvel. Here we have the right play cooperative card game in which the players will each play a hero and fight together to triumph over a scenario linked to a villain.
Heroes and alter egos.
For now, only the basic game box is available and allows you to play 4 of the 5 heroes present.
Peter Parker aka Spider-man is a young student looser on whom rests all the weight of the world following the death of his uncle Ben. Torn between his odd jobs, the College, the girls, he is the representation of the ordinary hero, human and tortured.
The multi-billionaire Anthony Stark aka Iron Man is an arrogant playboy whose technological genius allowed him to manufacture an almost indestructible armor and endowed with the top of the armament of his company.
Jennifer Walters is a lawyer and cousin of Bruce "Hulk" Banner. Following an injury, her cousin gave her a blood transfusion which transformed her into Miss Hulk. Less powerful than her cousin, she manages to control her transformations.
T'challa, the Black Panther, is the heir to the throne of Wakanda, a small country in Africa which owes its wealth and technological advance to Vibranium, a rare metal teeming underground.
Carol Danvers is a former US army pilot. An accident contaminated her DNA with that of a Kree, a powerful alien race. Become Captain Marvel, she acquired extraordinary powerful powers, like flight, the projection of photonic energy and a great strength.
Form a deck team!
This duality is important since it is part of the heart of the Marvel Champions game. Each hero is represented by a double-sided character card: one side with their alter-ego and the other their superhero version. An important concept since depending on which side is face up will determine that characters, powers, actions, the hand size and the cards they can play. All will differ.
The card deck of a hero is made up of different types of cards:
· Events which are generally the most emblematic attacks of each character (repellant rays of Iron Man or kick of Spider-Man)
· Allies who will be able to support them (Spider-Man is really well off with Black Cat, the delicious Félicia Hardy in a leather costume too small for her)
· Improvements which are generally emblematic objects of the character and which will remain in play (with Iron Man, we have the whole panoply of the character with armor, helmet, gloves, boots and the reactor!)
· Supports, in the form of characters or places (Aunt May makes an excellent regenerative soup while the Avengers mansion allows you to draw additional cards).
Each player adds their affinity cards to a deck. These cards are specialized in a way of playing. There are 3 special affinities in the basic box, as well as basic deck of cards. The affinity Justice makes it easier to manage the villain's scheme, the affinity Protection … protects and treats the affinity then Aggressiveness increases the damage inflict
Using all these cards, players will therefore design decks based on the character and the way of play they choose.
Cards in hand
Marvel Champions is played in two phases: in turn order, each player performs all the actions on their cards, then move on to the violent turn of the Bad Guy.
What actions are there? Each card has a resource cost (there are 3 different ones in the game) which must be paid by discarding cards containing this same number of resources.
And that's all ?
Not really. Some cards have a temporary effect, others remain in play and are immediately usable to attack the villain immediately, or for any usual game effect (drawing cards, healing, lowering the threat, etc.).
Once per turn, the player can decide if they wish to turn over their character's card, from their secret identity to hero form (or vice versa). Because it is on one side or another, the actions available will be presented to you. On top of that, some cards may require a particular identity side.
What actions are there? Each card has a resource cost (there are 3 different ones in the game) which must be paid by discarding cards containing this same number of resources.
And that's all ?
Not really. Some cards have a temporary effect, others remain in play and are immediately usable to attack the villain immediately, or for any usual game effect (drawing cards, healing, lowering the threat, etc.).
Once per turn, the player can decide if they wish to turn over their character's card, from their secret identity to hero form (or vice versa). Because it is on one side or another, the actions available will be presented to you. On top of that, some cards may require a particular identity side.
This system of play is rather traditional. And therefore necessary to master the terminology of all keywords to get the best use possible out of your cards. You must optimize because the challenge is not easy. Once all your actions are done, it passes to the next player. Once all the players have passed, they straighten all their used cards, raise their hands to their maximum size. And they will need it because we are going to ...
The Evil Phase !!!
We almost forgot that one! Three Villains are available in the basic box.
The first two are more of the underlings: the Rhino, a recurring enemy of Spider-Man is ideal for learning the game, as he does not pose a great threat; Klaw, the sound master is an enemy of the Black Panther and will bring a little more difficulty.
Finally Ultron gratifies us with his presence, and here we enter a category of Villain not easy to fight, a real challenge.
At the start of the game, you will therefore have chosen an Enemy, two cards among three to determine the difficulty of the scenario played, Scheme cards, deck of cards to which you must add Encounter cards (additional scenarios like bomb alerts, civilians to save or enemies who will come to support the Evil One).
And here we are at the very heart of the game. To win, you have to remove all the hit points of all your villain cards, while preventing the threat from reaching the value indicated on the Scheme card. Otherwise it's instant defeat.
And the level of scheme goes up quickly, very quickly. The Villain's first action is to gain Threat, then they attack all of the Heroes. If players have kept their alter-ego face, he is Scheming instead!
The first two are more of the underlings: the Rhino, a recurring enemy of Spider-Man is ideal for learning the game, as he does not pose a great threat; Klaw, the sound master is an enemy of the Black Panther and will bring a little more difficulty.
Finally Ultron gratifies us with his presence, and here we enter a category of Villain not easy to fight, a real challenge.
At the start of the game, you will therefore have chosen an Enemy, two cards among three to determine the difficulty of the scenario played, Scheme cards, deck of cards to which you must add Encounter cards (additional scenarios like bomb alerts, civilians to save or enemies who will come to support the Evil One).
And here we are at the very heart of the game. To win, you have to remove all the hit points of all your villain cards, while preventing the threat from reaching the value indicated on the Scheme card. Otherwise it's instant defeat.
And the level of scheme goes up quickly, very quickly. The Villain's first action is to gain Threat, then they attack all of the Heroes. If players have kept their alter-ego face, he is Scheming instead!
Then each hero receives a card from the Villain deck which they will have to resolve alone. This tour of the Villain is fast, but particularly brutal.
The Players must really cooperate as best they can with each other to manage the Threat to bring down, attack the Villain, get rid of the minions who come to help them and go back under their secret identity to be able to heal themselves. Each choice is essential, the game really gives the impression that the bad guys are powerful and harasses the players.
The game also attacks the poor costumed heroes, since every super hero's weaknesses arise from time to time: their Obligation. Each hero has a weakness (money problem for poor Peter Parker or a need to take care of his kingdom for T'challa) in the form of a bond card. This card is put in the Villain's deck during preparation and is given to its owner as soon as it is drawn. They will have to solve it before doing anything else!
With great power comes great responsibilities!
Marvel Champions is for me a real success in the adaptation of the super heroic license. Marvel Legendary had already been a good deckbuilding game, but it didn't allow you to play a single Character and missed that personal touch to each character. Here we embody a superhero, their strengths, weaknesses, allies, and enemies. The villain of the script of course, but also a Nemesis which is unique to each hero and which can come and play the spoilsport at any time.
The components are impeccable. The illustrations really stick to the comics and the identity of each character. The choices are really difficult between keeping cards for later because they are very powerful, or getting rid of them to take the corresponding resources. The hero's strategy can be changed due to the villain's threat level. During his turn, he can indeed gain more threat than expected. Thus, the hero can be forced to try a finish him to prevent him from running away.
The only big black spot of Marvel Champions remains its distribution. Problem of success, orders or production capacities, the basic box quickly found itself out of stock. And its first extensions are taking the same direction. Released on January 31, they are almost impossible to find ...
The components are impeccable. The illustrations really stick to the comics and the identity of each character. The choices are really difficult between keeping cards for later because they are very powerful, or getting rid of them to take the corresponding resources. The hero's strategy can be changed due to the villain's threat level. During his turn, he can indeed gain more threat than expected. Thus, the hero can be forced to try a finish him to prevent him from running away.
The only big black spot of Marvel Champions remains its distribution. Problem of success, orders or production capacities, the basic box quickly found itself out of stock. And its first extensions are taking the same direction. Released on January 31, they are almost impossible to find ...
The game also remains strangely very anchored only in the universe of the Avengers. No cosmic hero, no X-Men, no Fantastic Four, all that leaves questions about the very content of the license. Unless boxes of extensions are planned to open this universe to the ship of the guardians of the galaxy, the laboratory of Red Richards, the Manor of the gifted young people of Professor Xavier or the coming of Galactus, preceded by his faithful Silver Surfer . Characters and scenarios that make fans of Marvel comics dream, questioning where the game will take them.
Technical score 9/10
As usual for the editor, the material is impeccable; the illustrations of the cards, without being produced by recognized comic book authors, are in tune. The rest of the material is made up of tokens, made of very thick cardboard, colored as necessary to permeate the Marvel Universe. FFG keeps its habits by providing its two famous usual rule books (learning and lexicon). A note of 8 that my fan side goes to 9, I still grew up reading the Golden Age of the X-Men by the pair Claremont / Byrne!
My BGG score 8/10
A game that will appeal to fans of card games: Marvel Champions is fluid, fast, combinative, ideal for the more gamers who will be able to optimize their decks thanks to the basic affinities, and to the new cards which will come to grow this brand. For players who are less demanding but a fan of the license, the pre-built packages will be more than enough to have a good time.
Combined score of 8.5 / 10
And now it's your turn to play ...
Stellarium (2020) first impressions
 | Designer : Sabrina Do Valle Artist : Jorde Luis Rocha Publisher : Precisamente 1-4 players 15-25 minutes ages 8+ language independent : yes Written by Barry  |
Please note, these are first impressions of a prototype. Rules and components may change before final release.
There is nothing more relaxing than on a hot summer night, than to lay out on the cool soil of your garden and letting your eyes wonder at the little dots that are so far away. Living out in the country allows me to see the trillions of stars that line the dome around our globe. It’s something that I adored doing as a kid and speculating on what those twinkling lights are. In Stellarium, you’ll be doing the same thing. But with a little astronomical experience. Knowing the names of constellations and using them to navigate your way around the seas.
1 to 4 players (yes, there is a solo mode, that I haven't tried) will have two star constellation cards at the beginning of the game. A basic very easy starting formation and an easyish one too. Each card has a selection of the three different coloured stars scattered on square spaces. These indicate the distance between each star and their colour. Fulfilling a card, by observing it in the playing area, or night sky will score you a number of points and tiles as marked on the bottom. And in between all of the players, a grid of random tiles will be drawn from the bag and placed out. This is the night sky. Somewhere in this Sky is the formations that you seek. But sometimes not. A majority of the game will be spent staring at this night sky and trying to catch stars that match your constellations you are searching for.
So far, this sounds like a quick fire observation game. But this is not a race against the other players but a race against the clock. Players will take 30-second turns to point out their constellations in the night sky that match their card. If you fail to find one or mistakenly point out the wrong stars, either in colour or distance, you miss a turn and the opportunity to score points. When you do find one, the other players must concur that you have placed tokens on the tiles that correspond to your constellation, you’ll score that card at the end of the game. An added bonus is provided on that card. It will tell you how many tiles you can take as a bonus. But only the tiles that you place the tokens on. These also score at the end of the game. One point per star on a tiles you have. So there's some benefits of taking a tile which has three stars depicted on it instead of one. The remove tiles up replaced with random tiles drawn from the sack. And now you have the choice of drawing a new constellation card, this time you'll have a choice of the difficulty.
There are three difficulties in the game. Choosing the very hard formations to find will obviously give you more points if you do find them at the end of the game and also let you collect more tiles. But of course, these will be harder to find as they have have large areas of the sky and more stars in the correct position to pinpoint. There is also a variant with the game which has another deck of constellation, and these are even harder. One is revealed to all the players during the game, meaning that any player, on their turn can discover and score this card instead of one of their own. There are only a handful of these and they are quite possible of finding. If playing with this variant, there will always be one on the table for all players to search for.
The good thing about having turns, where each player is put in the spotlight to try and score points, is it eliminates those very powerful observant people from winning. We’ve all played a speed observation game, like Ghost Blitz or Set, where one play racks up points because they can process everything rapidly. These players don’t stand out as much in this game. They have their own turn to talk and take actions, as well as push themselves to pick the harder constellations to find. Yes, these are more point than the easy and medium difficulty cards, but they are darn hard. Sometime hard to find in the time limit but occasionally because of the random layout of tiles, sith their 3 colours and numbers. So the game has a kind of balancing mechanism for different skilled opponents. If you're playing with the variant, they may accelerate their score rapidly by finding these mega point cards instead of the two they have in hand. Plus, if you're playing at the full player count, if you’re a slower player, you'll have much more time to try and find your constellations, even before your turn starts. But sometimes that time is never enough, possibly because you're constellation does not exist...
Yes, yes it is possible to look into the night sky and not find what you're looking for. But you shouldn't freet, as this sky will be changing when players collect tiles. On top of that, these bonus tiles that you have collected can be used to force your constellation to appear. A really nice touch is if you are struggling to find what you're looking for, for you have the power to place out one of your collected tiles. This is kind of a forfeit, as you will be losing the points from it. But by placing this one tile out, it will help you advance a little in removing a card from your hand that might be difficult to complete. This is great if you have a three starred tile as it acts like a joker. The sad news is, you will be losing those three points, as this tile cannot be collected from the selection of tiles that you collect. Being observant and resourceful can really be a big payoff in this game. Making stupid mistakes, like placing out one of your tiles to complete a card. Then finding out that the constellation is still not correct will have you kicking yourself as you have missed your turn, but also lose your tile with its points. That then becomes a permanent fixture in the sky and helps out another player.
The game continues until there are no more tiles to replace the empty spaces in the night sky. It's at this moment players count up the amount of points from constellation cards and from the stars on your tiles to see who has the most points. This ending seems a little unbalanced and is very swings and roundabouts. Having another player complete more cards due to the fact that they had more turns will seen a little unjust. And like any speed observation game, even though this one gives each player that own slot, is still unfair to slower players. Faster players are always guaranteed to score more, especially if you play with the verient. Where as slowest player may miss a turn due to not finding the most advantageous constellation. But it kind of even outs. Only playing many times will tell.
The game is quite tranquil as you gaze at a bunch of tiles, trying to to find your objectives. I enjoy observation games like “word searches” and “spot the difference”, so this game appeals to me on that level. As well as the theme and mechanism. And again, more relaxing with more players, as you will have time to find your constellations a few times over. If someone takes a tile from that formation before your turn, you can adopt from the new tiles or fallback to the second card in your hand. But that's it. It is pretty shallow and repetitive, but doesn’t drag out. A game can last for about 20 minute and at that point, you'll be ready to move on or play again. With all the playtester I encountered, some found it relaxing and pleasurable, while some found it stressful and frantic, and others found it a tad dull and drab. Not only in the colour palette but also so in the gameplay itself.
Now, this is the prototype version that I played, that had missing pieces. Again, I am unsure if the style of the games art and design will be the same or change. But what I had was all clear and easy to interpriate. Games ran smoothly. We even player without a timer. This was not as fun. Maybe if you were playing with children, this would be an option. I’ll finish by saying that this is a great introductory game for those getting into the hobby and a sweet family game. Short and easy to understand. Some interesting ideas, but not enough to keep coming back. Extra rules or a fourth colour or larger night skies, would all be nice. We shall see when the final version comes to stores later this year from Precisamente.
Azul (2017) review
 | Designer : Michael Kiesling Artist : Philippe Guérin, Chris Quilliams Publisher : Next Move Games, Plan B Games 2-4 players 30-45 minutes ages 8+ language dependent : No Written by Barry  |
With three versions of the game now in print, (Summer Pavilion, Stained Glass of Sintra and the basic version of Azul) the sky seems to be the limit for Next Move Games. All three games are abstract tile placement games, share the delightful tactile feel and have had some generus buzz built around them. Winning an award or 10 in the progress, like the 2018 Spiel des Jahres and the As d'Or. Having never played the to newer versions, I cannot give you a comparison or rank the titles in any shape or means at this time. Maybe in the future this will come to pass.
Two to four players will have the privilege of collecting these delightful otherworldly tiles and try to apply them on their wall. Of course this sounds very simple, but there are ways and means of collecting and attaching them to your wall, that will add a challenge. Each player will have their own plateau to place their tiles on and score their own points. While in the middle of the table, tiles will be randomly placed on a number of beer coasters, (there is no other way of saying it) to squabble over. This is technically the heart of the fun, or discomfort of the game. Planning ahead and calculating what the other players will take or discard will take up a vast amount of your gaming experience. And the great thing about it is you can still play the game haphazardly and probably still fair well by the end of the game. Making it an easy game for any level of experienced gamer. Just like anybody can slip on a pair of socks but weather there a matching pair all the correct way round doesn't really matter.
So let's go back to the beer coasters. When your turn comes around, you can select one of these beer coasters and remove the tiles from it. From those removed, you can only keep one set of the same pattern. As seen as there are only 5 different patterns (or colour) in the game, you're more than likely keep one or two of the four tiles that are placed there. All of the remaining tiles will be removed to the centre of the table. The centre of the table is treated like one giant coaster. At some stage in the game, a player may decide to collect all of the tiles of one pattern from this space. As the game goes on, more and more tiles will be added to this. First player to do so will have the benefit it of being the first player in the next round. Of course it has an advantage but it also has a disadvantage explain later on. Taking from this pool can have some benefits of its own, as you can grab a greater number of same coloured tiles in one action. Totally beneficial. Also someone could leave you with no choice but to pick up large group of same coloured tiles to add to your board, which could lead to your downfall. This is one of the great dilemmas of the game. Calculating what you need and guesstimating what the others will need. Picking and choosing while forcing the other players to leave you the best scraps. This is not evident in the first and possibly second round, but as the game goes on, you will find and that this is all you're doing.
Let's go back to the tiles that you have decided to keep. These will go to your individual player board, where you have a 5 by 5 gridded wall to try and decorate. But before you can add these tiles to your wall, they will have to be placed off to the side of a column that you wish to add them to. As soon as all of the tiles from the coasters and the middle of the table have been collected, this is when they can be applied to your wall. But only if you have the correct amount for the column. Each column requires a different number of same coloured tiles before they can be added to your wall. One column requires one tile. Another two tiles, three tiles, four and then five. It is only now that they can be added to the wall and you will score points for each that does. Again restrictions are in place to make the game a thoughtful, challenging and hopefully fun experience. Each pattern can only be attached to the wall all in a column that doesn't already have the same pattern. Think sudoku. Not only are you trying to get the correct colours in the correct column, but also so in the right quantities. If you do not have the prerequisite to move a tile onto your wall, the tiles you've collected it was stay in that saved space until you do have the required amount. This can lead to missed opportunities in scoring. And the hope of getting them fulfilled the next round. Observant players may take a gander at your previous rounds treasures and play it to their advantage, as I stated before, taking the things you need leaving the tiles you don’t need to collect in you negative point box...
Moving onto scoring, there are multiple ways to get points from this game. These are all relatively simple, but the strategy relies on how and which spaces on the wall you fill. Placing a tile on the wall will give you a point. Adding a title to an adjacent tile will give you a number of points depending on the number of adjacent tiles, either horizontally or vertically. So as you can see, placing a tile in the right column at the right moment can give you big numbers. This is the strategy that will separate the mice from the men. But it relies on what tiles come out of the bag and onto the coasters, what tiles the other players leave for you to take and which columns you place these tiles into. To win every time you'll need to be a clairvoyant. Or just aware of the scoring strategy. Two things I haven't told you about the scoring are 1) there is a bonus chance to get extra points at the end of the game and 2) you can lose points by taking the wrong pattern or number of tiles.
The bonuses are very simple. You get extra points for each column horizontal or vertical. On top of that, if you manage to add 5 of the same coloured tiles to your wall, they score you mega points as well. But the gut-wrenching part of the game is losing points from round to round. How does this occur? Going back to the very beginning, when you collect tiles from a coaster or the middle of the table, your add them to one column next to your wall. These all need to be of the same colour. And the correct amount needed for the column. If you have more than you need, they cannot be added to another column. If you have no space in a column or it cannot be added to a column due to the fact that you already have that colour attached to your wall in that row, these count towards negative points. At the bottom of your bored there is the negative point boxes. You will add these unused tiles to this one by one, from left to right. And even the first player marker, which is a tile, will go there as well (see, being first player has benefits and negative effects). When a scoring round comes along, this is when you total up every negative point that every negative tile gives you. If you miss plan or have other superior players screwing you over, this can really sting, as each box gets a little more negative. One time that this happened to me, made me hate the game immediately. If I had reviewed the game then and had been a vain critic, my rating would have been very poor. But that's not the kind of critic that I am. Everything deserves more than one chance and not be judged by its cover. Plus this is it go-to game for my wife, hence I have no choice but to play. LOL
Even if you're not enjoying the game, they never tend to last very long. Normally after five rounds the game or come to a close. As the finishing condition is when one player or more has as five tiles in a horizontal line. This is very easy to achieve as the first column only requires one tile of one colour. As long as someone one fills this column each round, round six never exists. It is then that you look at your final scores to decide who the winner is. With relatively simple rules to follow and a rapid playing time, this is a perfect family weight game in a family sized box. Play loose or play it with profound concentration, the choice is yours.
Chunkiness is the key. The boards are thick and sturdy. The tiles are gloriously smooth. And the sack is not bad too. Although I'm not a fan of the black cube, which you place on your board to keep your score. This sucker will slide around from time to time, with so much movement having to move and removing tiles from your board, the board with shuffle or the cube will get knocked. All very minor when you consider the rest of the presentation. Presentation is at its best in the accompanying Rulebook. Well written and well presented with plenty of examples. There is even a variation to the game. By simply flipping your player board over, you will go from a wall that tells you where to put a particular tile, to a wall where you have to decide where to put a particular tile. Still following those Sudoku rules.
Technical Score 9.5/10
The game is brimming with wonderful tactile components, although it a little dull to look at. Simple rule set and quick dplaying time makes for a good family game.
My BGG Score 6/10
(ok -will play if in the mood)
I will hand it to Azul, that it is a very interesting game. But it feels restrictive and repetitive. You have to learn how to be good at it, with a little card counting, bluffing and of course luck. You could say the same about Carcassonne, but there's something enduring and pleasurable about building a map in my opinion.
Combined score 7.75/10
Now it's over to you...
The game is brimming with wonderful tactile components, although it a little dull to look at. Simple rule set and quick dplaying time makes for a good family game.
My BGG Score 6/10
(ok -will play if in the mood)
I will hand it to Azul, that it is a very interesting game. But it feels restrictive and repetitive. You have to learn how to be good at it, with a little card counting, bluffing and of course luck. You could say the same about Carcassonne, but there's something enduring and pleasurable about building a map in my opinion.
Combined score 7.75/10
Now it's over to you...
Going back to the darker days of board gaming. When a slightly younger version of me was making segments for The Dice Tower "Barry Thinks..." There, I was a disgruntled little man with opinions on what is right and wrong with our hobby.
And here I am, doing it again. But why?
Well, I received a package the other day from a Kickstarter. And it lead to this...
And here I am, doing it again. But why?
Well, I received a package the other day from a Kickstarter. And it lead to this...
What do you think?
Please feel free to write comments in the section below. I would be happy to respond and hear your side of things.
And if you missed out on those Dice Tower videos, here are a few of them for you to muse over.
And if you missed out on those Dice Tower videos, here are a few of them for you to muse over.
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Queenz: To bee or not to bee
(2019) review
 | Designer:Bruno Cathala, Johannes Goupy Illustrator: Vincent Dutrait Publisher: Mandoo Games 2-4 players 30 minutes Ages 8+ Language dependency: None Written be Guilou  |
Queenz is one of the last games of the prolific author Bruno Cathala. For this new game, he is accompanied by Johannes Goupy and we find the excellent Vincent Dutrait adding his artistic hand. The game was released at Essen 2019 by Mandoo Games and is distributed in France by Blackrock Games.
Queenz is a game that gives you the chance to become a Beekeeper. You will have to place your hives judiciously according to your land and plant flower beds that cover them. Each flower, as in real life, offers the possibility of producing a honey of a color but especially of different taste. The more you have the ability to diversify, the more points you will earn. But do not forget that without bees, there is no honey. This is good because you can also opt to collect and position them onto your fields. But beware, a bee too far from his hive will not give anything. Dilemma and choice are at the heart of the game.
Queenz accessibility is one of its strengths. Indeed, the rules are really very simple. Each player starts the game without a parcel of land but with three unused hives of your color and "pots" of honey representing the possible future products. Plots of land are available for purchase and positioned next to the central plateau.
The central plateau offers a square of 6x6 boxes initially covered by orchids taken at random. The flowers care of different colors (5) and can also contain or not bees (one queen or up to three workers). Around this flower garden, a meeple gardener walks from space to space depending on the flowers collected by the players. This meeple occupies an important position in the game. Indeed, you will be able to choose to recover flowers only according to its position. On your turn, you will have the choice between two actions.
The first action is one of the most important: collect flowers. You will be able to take from one to three flowers depending on the position of the gardener. Indeed, it will indicate the row available to recover the flowers. And without being paid. What a nice gardener. Because yes, taking flowers in this game, it's free. And you will be able to collect up to three. But of course, there are conditions to that.
- If you choose to take only one flower, then you can take the one you want, whether or not there are bees on it.
- Do you want two? Go for it. But only if there are no bees on them.
- It is not enough ? Do you want three? Go because it's you, it's a gift. But, only take orchids of 3 different colors.
The flowers thus collected are stored in the personal reserve of the player. Attention, this reserve contains only six places. And when there are no more places ... you can not take flowers anymore. Gluttony has its limits and waste is not tolerated. The gardener then moves as many boxes as flowers taken by the player.
As you can guess, the central plateau will empty little by little. It will become more and more difficult to recover the desired flowers and especially the desired number. Especially since the flowers take time to grow, they are not replaced immediately. First come, first served. This will also play a role in choosing to take one to three flowers so as not to give too much opportunity to his opponent.
The other possible action is the construction or enlargement of his field. It could not be easier. The player takes one of the land tiles available for purchase. It's always free ... If it's your first tile, you simply place it in front of you. Otherwise, it must be added adjacent to existing tiles. Here too, there is a constraint. The tile chosen, once placed, must be filled with flowers from your reserve and possibly a hive. No empty spaces.
If by the time you finish placing your pieces, you have an area with at least two adjacent orchids of the same color on your land, then you produce honey of that color. Take your "honey pot" pawn of the corresponding color and place it on your personal tray. If you have all the pots of all colors, then you receive a distinction in the form of a bonus points. Be aware, the faster you are, the more points you will have (these diminish over time).
Now that you have placed your new land, it is time to see if it brings you something. If you manage to create areas of the same color, or if you enlarge an area already present on other tiles with at least two more flowers (of course with the same color), you will gain one point per flower belonging to these areas.
To note a small exception which I did not speak to you for the moment. When choosing to retrieve orchids from the gardener. You can take a flower with bees on it. If there are several, they will count at the end of the game depending on their promiscuity with a hive (pollen, honey production all that stuff). Queens work a little differently. Indeed, they allow to act immediately their taking of the garden. You then have permission to replace one of your flowers already laid by the one with the queen on it. The removed orchid returns to your reserve and the queen settles on your field. This ability is sometimes handy for increasing the connection of a colored area or for getting closer to a hive.
The end of the game occurs when a player places his fifth land tile in their playing area. The opponents of this player can then bloom a last field without the necessity of it being filled. The last chance to make points.
At the end of the game, we move to the count up of end points. First of all, look at the points earned during the game. Then add the end-of-game bonus points.
First the points indicated on the diversity of production token. You know it's the token gained during the game thanks to your honeys of five colors (yes, this was easy). These points range from ten for the fastest, to two for the slowest. Without necessarily making a big difference, it can still affect the final score.
Then you’ll review your hives. Hives that have attracted bees will earn you points. A good beekeeper knows how to take care of his workers. Each player will earn one point for each bee on their eight adjacent squares. Eight boxes, eight possible points, three hives, so it can go up to 24 boxes so 24 points. Not so bad is not it? For the most skeptical so far, you now see the interest of the capacity of the queens? It's a score that can make a clear difference. Especially if others have focused on the immediate points of color areas.
There you go. The one with the most points is judged by an incredible assembly of beekeeper recognized in the middle, as having achieved the best honeys and thus wins the game. Youpi! Hooray! Bravo!
The great strength of Queenz is its ease of access. Short rules, limited possibilities, the kind of game that allows you to dive directly into the game without resifting through the bow for the rules. This type of game is perfect for casual players who sees it as a present challenge and a possibility to play without taking the lead. It is true that the parts are nice.
The game is in tune with the times. In other words, simple rules but with a relative depth and a reduced playing time (count less than 30 minutes when you start to know the game). Despite the number of restricted actions (two), the number of possibilities and play patterns are quite important. This allows replayability and satisfy the players who are keen on this type of game. The game also has a variant to "complicate" the game adding a new bonus flower. An accessory, but nice.
Another strong point, it is possible to play 2 to 4 players, and it works well in all configurations. Said like that everything seems to work like clockwork, and we are far from having hives "buzzy" ... and yet. Honey may not be as good as wanted.
My first concern, that's why I’ll start with it, because in reality this is not one for many players, because of the theme. Or rather, it’s absence. It should not be hidden, and it appears very quickly, Queenz is actually a disguised abstract game. The idea of the hive, the honey, the bees, the flowers ... all that is superficial. You could definitely replace all that with something else and it would work just as well.
Let's move on to less forgivable things: the overall quality of the material. Unfortunately, the game is far from irreproachable. One oscillates between hot and cold during the depunching. While the flower tokens are correct, the field tiles and the trays (individual or central) are very thin and a lot of tiles of land do not fit together properly. It's nerdy when we want to make a nice display on the table. The size of the score pieces is also disturbing. These are slightly larger than the boxes of the dots. Which is ultimately quite impractical especially if you play four. Frankly, we remain in the field of non-crippling and that does not prevent us from having fun, but this lack of finish is regrettable. To be forgiven (?), You have Queenz token in quantity. There, I confess I have not yet understood their usefulness.
In terms of gameplay, the game actually offers a lot of possibilities. But finally these possibilities can be summed up in two main axes of scoring : to leave the fastest on the diversity and the bees (thus seeking to accelerate the game) or to realize larger areas of the same color. After several games, we found ourselves limited in these two ways of scoring points. For the general public, this feeling will certainly not appear, but for most players, you will see there a possible limit to playfulness. A limit that necessarily negatively affects the replayability and willingness to return to it.
Finally, focusing on the illustrations, we are starved on this front too. Normally, I really like the work of Vincent Dutrait. In addition to being one of the most prolific board game illustrators, he is above all a person with great talent and in many ways. On the other hand here, outside the box, I had a sense of "minimum union" for the rest of the material. It's colorful, it's not devoid of interest, it's visible (even if the flowers are very similar) but, at the same time, it's relatively "cold". Finally, one could even say that it is abstract as are the mechanisms. A sensation difficult to explain but, visually, the game will not remain in the annals. However, I am fully aware that art is purely subjective and I do not doubt that others will find this game superb.
Very inspired games like Patchwork or the series of Cottage Garden, Queenz finally fails to offer enough originality to win. The proposed mechanisms are known and without real risk taking, even if effective for those who love this style of play, it remains a simple game to access with pleasant mechanisms, and for optimization accessible. It will easily find a place in the family toy libraries. Far from being demanding, it will offer you a certain challenge and will entertain you, but for a short period.
Technical note 7/10
Some technical errors that unfortunately ruin the experience. The game is simple, the rule more or less well written. Once understood, no reread needed. It's colorful, visually clean but maybe the whole lacks a bit of soul.
My score BGG 6/10
(An ok game, to play from time to time if it is proposed to me)
A game that unfortunately offers nothing original, but based on proven and recognized mechanisms. A game in the format intended for the family audience or higher. In this context, the game works pretty well, to discover the optimization. Before moving on to something more solid ...
Combined score of 6.5 / 10
And now, it's up to you to play ...
Some technical errors that unfortunately ruin the experience. The game is simple, the rule more or less well written. Once understood, no reread needed. It's colorful, visually clean but maybe the whole lacks a bit of soul.
My score BGG 6/10
(An ok game, to play from time to time if it is proposed to me)
A game that unfortunately offers nothing original, but based on proven and recognized mechanisms. A game in the format intended for the family audience or higher. In this context, the game works pretty well, to discover the optimization. Before moving on to something more solid ...
Combined score of 6.5 / 10
And now, it's up to you to play ...
Freshwater Fly (2019) review
 | Author : Brian Suhre Illustrator: Darryl T. Jones Publisher: Bellwether Games 1-4 players 40-90 minutes Ages 14+ Language dependency: very little Written by Guilou  |
Bellwether Games is a publisher who gained recognition with the game Coldwater Crown. A game rather interesting and perfect about fishing. They are now back with a new Kickstarter, this time, Freshwater Fly. No surprise, it rests in the theme of fishing. While the first game was intended to plunge you into a world tournaments, the second offers a more intimate approach, more solitary. Indeed, in Freshwater Fly you go fly fishing in a slightly mountainous area, with friends. Just that, your whole program. Indeed, I like games that offer original themes. This one is one of those. However, I have to admit, not being a fisherman myself, I have not mastered the jargon specific to this passion.
Freshwater Fly is a game of Brian Suhre. All the visual was done by Darryl T. Jones. The game was available in small quantities at Essen 2019 and sometimes in a few shops. But the stock quickly melted. Hard to get your hands on now. The theme played a big part in the success of the title, especially in a current production that is struggling to renew itself. But what about the game itself?
Freshwater Fly invites you to play as a fisherman. Here, no religion. No, a real fisherman, with his rubber boots, his overalls, his gloves, his bucket hat... In short, all you need to not catch a death by cold from facing the currents. With your fishing rod, you and your friends decided to start a small competition. The subject of the competition: angling. The goal: to get the most points at the end of the game. Simple, basic. Fishing rod in hand, let's go.
Me, I dig my saplings, to go fishing, musette on the shoulder, sausage, cold beer. (french song "LA PÊCHE À LA LIGNE" - RENAUD) Settled in my little corner of paradise, I'm ready. First thing to do, choose my fly. There are six flies available, each corresponding to a color, which itself corresponds to the hatching tokens. It is important to study the game board in order to choose a color that corresponds to your target fish at the risk of telling the story of how the big fish got away. Each player, in the order of the turn, will prepare their rod carefully.
In Freshwater Fly, there is no lap count. You have the time, as this requires practice. Although ... the first to catch their seventh fish, will end the game. It remains a race. Monitoring the progress of others and catching up is a good idea. Just be contemplative and enjoy the water and clean air.
Each player has an individual board representing their abilities and reel. This is not a simple accessory that challenges but represents a real pretty ingenious and well inserted in the theme. The central board corresponds to the whole accessible end of the river and gives you a visual of the catchable fish. And essentially with which bait to catch them.
At each round, you will roll a number of dice based on the number of players. The dice are at the heart of the game. In turn order, you will choose one of the dice still available and perform a force action equal to its value. There are three main actions available: casting, reel or finesse +2.
First of all, you'll need a target, a whipping fish (no Igor, put that whip away!). For that, nothing more simple. The chosen die will show you a column on the board. In this column, you will be able to choose a position among those available (paying attention of the rocks). But for your prey to be attracted, you must have a fly of the same color as the hatching token at the bottom of the river. If this is the case, you must go to the second step: catching your fish.
For him to bite the hook, you will have to show skill ... not in fact, it's more luck but in a controlled way. There is a small deck consisting of four cards. Among them, is a card "fish caught". You mix this deck, and if you have a hook of the same color as a hatch, you draw one. If this famous card is drawn, bravo you can go to the next step. If you missed your fish, do not panic. Concentrate. Do you see your fineness level on your personal board? If you have any, you can spend one (you slip your token one step to the left) to take another card. Still missed? Decidedly, this fish is tough. You can even do it again, if you really lack luck (perseverance is a good virtue).
But what happens if you miss your fish? The current will move your line will drift one step to the left. If you were already in zone 1, too bad for you, you will have to retry your luck on your next action. In other cases, if your hook corresponds to a hatching token you can try again to hook a new fish. Take back the cards, shuffle them and ... this time you do not shoot one but two cards. Yes, it is like that. You want this fish! If, after this second chance, you have not succeeded, your action is lost.
In case your hook does not match the hatch token, it's a little less convenient. If this is your first run, your line drifts down a notch. You can only try your luck if your hook matches the hatch token. If it still does not fit, you still drift one step to the left. With each drift, you have the right to try your luck to catch the fish. But be careful, after the second drift or after the second attempt, your turn is over. Small bonus of a drift, it is not one but two cards that you will draw. Sometimes, going farther can be a good strategy.
Once your fish is hooked, you have it at the end of your cane. It took the fly, which may tend to annoy it. But expert as you are, it's not a problem. So you take the corresponding fish and position it on your personal board according to its color. Each color corresponds to a step in the capture. The more difficult a fish is to catch, the more points it makes. You also take the hatching token (which will serve at the end of the game) and of course you place a fish in the space of the one that your caught. If by chance you have caught it next to rocks, draw the first card from the pile. These are bonuses that will help you greatly during the game. Finally, the reel is positioned on its starting space.
Which brings us to the second possible action. Play the reel to tickle this stud. In short, bring the fish to the surface. Your reel has five spaces. Each corresponds to a specific action:
- Breaking the fish by decreasing its strength to 0 (put the correct token on it)
- Win an available bonus tile, if you already have one, your flip it on it’s back
- Gain a fineness (one step on the right)
- Depending on the resistance color of the fish, you will move one space back or forward. If it is green: you advance one space; if it is yellow you retreat.
- The starting space makes it possible to bring the fish closer to the surface. When you stop or go past this, you do not collect € 200 but you lower the resistance of your fish one step to the left. If it was already on the green box, bravo you captured it.
To use your reel, you will have to select a remaining die. You decrease the value of the die by the resistance strength of the fish and you advance your reel by that many spaces. Once this is done, you can use the power indicated on the space.
There remains a third and last action available, focus. You can take any dice and regardless of its value, to move your fineness slider two notches to the right. This is the best way to ensure future success or desired power.
There are also bonus actions that depend on your rock cards (permanent but once per turn), your speed tile (one-shot) or your situation on your ability (lower your fineness by one step to the left). These actions can be done in addition to the main action.
The end of a round occurs when there are no more dice available. To determine the first player, you’ll calculate the value of each die you used, the smallest total is prime. Being first can be important. This is also one of the ways the author tries to convince you not to just take the big numbers.
The end of the game comes at the end of a round where a player fishes their seventh fish. You’ll then count the points. Starting with the fish, then public goals and after private goals. Finally, the points from rock cards are added and the one that has the most wins.
Contrary to what it seems, Freshwater Fly is not a complicated game. Everything seems quickly logical and the rounds are linked in a rather important fluidity. In front of the small choice of available actions, the wait between turns is quite limited.
Thematically, the game is really exemplary. Everything breathes the theme. That it is the material but also the mechanisms. Special mention to the idea of the reel. We found ourselves with the impression of raising fish at the end of our lines. A little cricket singing in the background, relaxing music with water streaming and you're there.
The rules are in the majority quite clear and the components is relatively correct (some problems may be on some material). You’ll quickly identifies your objectives and the fish that you wishes to catch. Moreover, the idea of having personal boards with asymmetrical objectives is excellent. Everything is well indicated and it is not necessary to go back in the rule book.
The duration of a game is not very long. I must admit that it is sufficient. Longer, the game could have become quite boring. Because yes, it is not free of defects.
Already, the game seems pretty scripted. This feeling finally agrees well enough with the theme, but we quickly feel forced. One of the things you need to do first is hook a fish. When you do not have fish, the rest is impossible. Then, once you have one at the end of your line, you will have to go back up, so you will do almost this action. And so on. Finally, you take a dice, you take a fish, you spin your reel. However, this repetitiveness of actions and especially choices fits perfectly into the theme. How else would you have wanted it? To have wanted to stick too close to the theme, the author may have forgotten that this is a board game and that playfully non-fishermen could quickly get bored.
Luck is present. But it is relatively discreet and most of the time controllable. Once again, you could have liked unforeseen events (fish snaps the line, the wind reverses the current, etc.) which would have broken a little this playful monotony. The dice, in turn, play a role that is ultimately rather minor. The game will sometimes be a race to the one who will be able to take the strongest dice first (hence the interest of being the first player). Collect dice of small values quickly finds its limits.
The replayability of the game is theoretically good. However, it can quickly become a problem if your resistance to do more or less the same is low.
The game offers a solo mode that has the merit of existing and remains interesting. Not convinced by cons, once realized, we return with great pleasure.
I was really attracted to the theme that was off the beaten track. I would have loved to love this game. It is pleasant but unfortunately far from what had sold me, at least in my imagination. Maybe I was expecting too much? Far from being a bad game, it is not unforgettable either. If it had not had its original theme, would it have been so successful? Nothing is less sure.
Freshwater Fly is a pleasant game with a refreshing theme and incredible thematic respect. But even if it has interesting mechanisms, the game suffers quickly from gaps. Shortcomings that will be quickly forgotten if you are fans of fishes, or that will be important if you search more than a theme. This points race could finally be compared to a long calm river. A known place, relaxing but not surprising.
Technical score 8/10
Many good things in this game. The graphics, the material (even if some things are disproportionate or just below the rest), the rules, everything is clear, clear and thematically respected. The reel is a small gadget that has its charm. We hoped for a finish on some elements, for a little less generic look.
My BGG score 7/10
(Good likes from time to time play)
The strength of the game is its theme, rather its thematic respect. On it, the work of the author is remarkable. However, when you touch such a special passion, you have to know how to balance. Focusing on it alone can quickly knock out those who do not have this fiber. Paradoxically therefore, the game suffers from the thematic omnipresence that prevents it from coming out of the currents. A current sometimes too linear.
Combined score 7.5 / 10
And now, it's up to you to play ...
Many good things in this game. The graphics, the material (even if some things are disproportionate or just below the rest), the rules, everything is clear, clear and thematically respected. The reel is a small gadget that has its charm. We hoped for a finish on some elements, for a little less generic look.
My BGG score 7/10
(Good likes from time to time play)
The strength of the game is its theme, rather its thematic respect. On it, the work of the author is remarkable. However, when you touch such a special passion, you have to know how to balance. Focusing on it alone can quickly knock out those who do not have this fiber. Paradoxically therefore, the game suffers from the thematic omnipresence that prevents it from coming out of the currents. A current sometimes too linear.
Combined score 7.5 / 10
And now, it's up to you to play ...
Red outpost (2019) first impressions
| Designer : Raman Hryhoryk Artist : Irina Pechenkina, Maxim Suleimanov Publisher : Lifestyle Boardgames, Imperial Publishing | 2-4 players 30-60munites age 10+ laungage dependent : No Written by Barry |
(Remember, this is a first impression and not a final review. The game was played on a well rendered prototype, of an upcoming Kickstarter game. These words and thoughts are of a one-time play play with a 3 player count.)
If you're looking for a game with a unique theme and gameplay, here is a game that should pique your interest. Theme wise, Red Outpost is about the Russians winning the Space Race. And instead of going to the moon, they crash on another planet and start inhabiting it. Mechanics wise, this is a worker displacement, resource gathering and and Influence scoring game. Where are all the workers and resources are shared between all players. But this is no “co-op game” by any shape or means. Players are going to be scrambling to manipulate these workers for their own benefits and mainly trying to hold the others back from doing the same. Each, trying to keep their head about the water, at the same, submerging the heads of others.
If you're looking for a game with a unique theme and gameplay, here is a game that should pique your interest. Theme wise, Red Outpost is about the Russians winning the Space Race. And instead of going to the moon, they crash on another planet and start inhabiting it. Mechanics wise, this is a worker displacement, resource gathering and and Influence scoring game. Where are all the workers and resources are shared between all players. But this is no “co-op game” by any shape or means. Players are going to be scrambling to manipulate these workers for their own benefits and mainly trying to hold the others back from doing the same. Each, trying to keep their head about the water, at the same, submerging the heads of others.
The ruleset for the game is very simple. You’ll move an unused worker to a unique empty location, place one of your influence tokens on that workers image, possibly change the mood of that worker, before taking the action as indicated on the location. As simple as that. Although so your first game, you may occasionally forget to place out your influence token. This can sometimes screw up the game. Or at least your score, if you forget to do so. But that's an easy player error to make in your first game. Quickly forgotten in this very rapid, slick, elegant game. To help the game run smoother, it has its own simple to read, iconography at each location. This, players will pick up very quickly and make your gaming experience run very smoothly. But with all that being said, this game is easy to pick up and play (with a possible error...lol) but is no easy game to master.
The game is played over 2 rounds, which represents 2 days. Each day is broken down into 5 phases. Morning, first half of the day, lunch, second half of the day and evening. All of the six unique workers will start their day in the barracks, sleeping. Waking up from they're wonderful dreams and preparing for that hard but yet satisfying day of work. In the morning, lunch and evening phase, each player will be able to move a worker to a new unoccupied location. Whereas as in the first and second half of the day, players will activate all available workers until they have all been utilised. This may mean at certain player accounts, some players will activate two workers while others only one in this phase. Here there are some little thematic ideas that play into each of these times of the day. For example, any workers that are not moved in the morning phase will sleep in and instantly be satisfied, augmenting their mood level. That's true in the real world, yes? The kitchen space is only open at lunchtime, but you're not obliged to send a worker out there to elevate their mood. Again in the evening, the barracks is the only place that you can send a worker. And not all workers will go there, but any that do will have their mood increased.
To add a bit of variety to this, the game comes with 3 morning and evening tokens. These can be placed out randomly or in set locations, rendering them closed for that part of the day. Reducing the amount of locations during two phases of a round. This is not as restrictive as it sounds, although it will make a few players feel claustrophobic, as they become first play and have free reign of the board. But that one action they want to do is not available! But it will add a little more to your thought process from game to game. Plus with the restriction of only one worker being able to move to an unoccupied location, will consume a little bit of your grey matter.
Let's talk a little bit about these locations and what they do. Most of the locations will gather resources, like wheat from the fields or coal from the coal mine. A few of them will allow you to draw cards to see whether you collect resources, like whether you catch a fish from the lake. All resources are pooled together the storehouse. For each resource your worker collects, you will move your token on the production wheel. Once it passes a certain space, you're received two points and a crystal, which is its own unique resource. More about these crystals later. If at the end of your turn, you have added a third resource of the same type already stored there, you’ll score some additional points. This is an action that can be stolen from you by other players, so don’t try to think too far ahead. Two of these resources are removed while the other is placed on a resource score track. At first, this track will only give you one point. Over time, as more players contribute to this resource gathering, that score we'll go up to a level before caping itself to a solitary point. Making resource gathering important but at the same time only at certain stages in the game. As the game goes on, players may be forced to collect resources and add them to the pool, which in turn may lead to another player scoring off of that action.
Other locations may require the aforementioned crystals. Going to the beer house will allow you to spend a crystal that will allow you to manipulate the mood tracks of 2 of the workers. While going into the palace will allow you to drop off a crystal to contribute towards the construction. Leading to another way to score. If at the end of the game you have contributed the most, there are some bonus points up for grabs. Going to the storehouse will allow you to use the resources to manipulate mood or collect crystals. Going to the administration will allow you to move other players influence around. This all sounds great and well, but most of these locations also have benefit or malediction depending on the worker that is sent there. Again this ties in with the theme of the game and can lead to some interesting decision making.
Let’s say you send the minor to go mine at the mine (that's a lot of mines). This will benefit you with 2 coal resources and no penalty. As the minor is used to working in the mine and will not be upset with the working conditions. Send any other worker to the mine, and as they are not at proficient as the minor, they only collect one coal. And as they are not accustomed to working in the mind, and their mood will decrease by 2 to. Making them a very sad bunny. And that's how most of the locations work. They will give you something but they also may change the mood of the worker that you have used to do that task. Each space thematically ties in with the worker. Another example is the commissar, who will lose morale if they visit the beer house (dull chap) but will gain morale every time another worker goes to the palace to contribute to the construction.
So I have done a lot of talking about morale, moods and influence. These are all important at the end of each day, as they will also add points to your game. Or lose them! Once the workers have gone to bed, your tally each of your your influence markers that you have used on each of the workers. If you have the most or are joined for the most influence on one of these meeple, you will gain or lose points depending on their mood. This adds an entire heavier level of planning in regards to just sending “so and so” over there to do this or that. It also prevents a player from using the same I'm working over and over again, due to too many of the locations making them sad rather than happy. Added to that is the restriction of only six different workers, which will force players to play dirty. Maybe leaving behind the last worker for you to influence, knowing they are on negative points. Just like real life, if we are all contributing to make this world better, but stabbing each other behind their backs.
This influence and mood scoring track is probably the hardest ball to juggle in the game. Sometimes it feels just like luck that you have been left with a certain meeple to manipulate or a certain location due to others being occupied. But that's part of the give-and-take of the game. Using a character and figuring out how to get a special bonus in a special location but also penalizing yourself we'll have you head scratching for awhile as you search to see if it is beneficial in the long run. But this can be overthrown by another who is quicker or wiser enough to manipulate the workers moods.
This influence and mood scoring track is probably the hardest ball to juggle in the game. Sometimes it feels just like luck that you have been left with a certain meeple to manipulate or a certain location due to others being occupied. But that's part of the give-and-take of the game. Using a character and figuring out how to get a special bonus in a special location but also penalizing yourself we'll have you head scratching for awhile as you search to see if it is beneficial in the long run. But this can be overthrown by another who is quicker or wiser enough to manipulate the workers moods.
Is this all sounds too simple for you, then don't fret. There are also some special cards that you can add to your game that will make your decisions a bucket load more interesting. At the beginning of the game you can be dealt two cards. One location and one worker. Each has its own extra benefit when you either visit that location or use that worker. This variant of the game that we played with, did make the decision making process of your action a hell of a lot more interesting. Adding an additional level of though as you want to use that power, but it may hamper other benefactory ideas further along. Also these cards are open knowledge to all the other players, they may deliberately occupy that worker or location, just say you can't benefit from your special powers. I would definitely recommend playing with this variant if you have a group of experienced gamers.
So this game has a lot of interesting and thematic ideas in tangled inside it's small framework. And left me with the sensation of playing a kind of Mediaeval Academy meets Outlive hybrid. Even though the artwork and theme were reminiscent of Scythe. And a game does seem to be a cold logical puzzle, where you are having to adapt to what is available and whatever the other players are doing. Saying that, one detractor from the game is the luck factor.
There are two small decks of cards located next to the lake and the spaceship. Going to these locations is a bit of pot luck, as some of the cards don't contain resources, but a whopping big red “X”. Meaning there is nothing there and you have practically wasted an action. This can definitely sting you. And players adapted to this by not going to the spaceship or they use the fisherman and only the fishermen to go fishing at the lake. This guaranteed a resource. And then there's the nasty action which a player can take. Sending the bureaucrat to the administration office. Or spending crystals to create mood swings,not only to the workers, but also the players. This then just blatantly let's them move one of your disks of influence from a worker that will probably get you lots of points to another that's going to give you negative points. This can sometimes feel like a real kick in the nuts action to take. Even if it costs a crystal. Points win the games, while crystals can also contribute.
Apart from that, this is a real solid and interesting euro game. It seems well balanced in how you get points. Either from scoring from resource collecting and crystal depositing. To the influence and mood scoring. Though some players may have trouble trying to manage this second part of scoring or losing points, as it is player dependent. Plus it's a mechanism that is not frequently used, worker displacement and influence. Have to play with the leftovers of other players feels refreshing and also a little confusing. Possibly not everyone's cup of tea.
Even for a prototype, the components are very well realised for a euro style game. The rule book was very easy to digest, with a few added corrections and clarifications, it is near perfect. And the footprint of the box itself will not eat up a lot of shelf space. But saying all that, some of that is subject to change depending on the Kickstarter. There may be other components that add to the size of the book. Other rules that will add to the replayability or upgrades. These we will see in time. But if you're looking for a different type of solid and fluid euro, that has you thinking in a different fashion, as well as being fantastic themed, this is one you should be clicking on.
Papering Duel (2018) review
 | Designers : Martin Nedergaard Andersen Artist : Agsty Im Publisher : Mandoo Games 2 player 10 - 25 minutes Ages 7 + Language dependent : no Written by Guilou  |
Released in 2008 was a small game called Papering Duel from Mandoo Games. You do not know this publisher? Who are they... Well, they are a Korean publishing house best known in Asia. But back here, especially through its presence in Essen, we are able to talk about them little by little. Most of their productions have themes, components or quite original mechanics. Papering Duel is no exception to the rule.
This is a game from Martin Nedergaard Andersen (I already told you about him and his Hippo game). What acts as illustrations is due to Agsty Im. Papering Duel is an abstract sheet placement game for two players (yes, there is the word duel in it).
This is a game from Martin Nedergaard Andersen (I already told you about him and his Hippo game). What acts as illustrations is due to Agsty Im. Papering Duel is an abstract sheet placement game for two players (yes, there is the word duel in it).
The first thing that catches the eye is the components. Everything fits in a box of rather moderate size. You play from outside the box to inside this box. What acts as the game board is a cardboard sheet, that is thermoformed ideally. Each player will then have a deck of cards. But these are not normal cards. It is rather small sheets of transparent plastic. These sheets are divided into four squares of identical sizes. On these squares, there will be two full boxes and two empty ones. Some boxes will have symbols (dots, a square or a kind of star) and others will have colors (yellow, red or purple). Each symbol is accompanied by a color and vice versa. Do you follow?
The basic principle is that each player has a unique deck. A player will have a deck with filled boxes diagonally place while the other players has adjacent ones. The central plateau represents a grid of nine squares. Players will alternately place their cards on this main grid to perform tricks to win the game.
In turn, a player has the right to play one to three cards from their hand. The goal is to make combinations of three patterns either by the same symbol or the same color. If they do both, it validates two goals. Not bad, huh! Once the cards are played, you’ll check that the player has completed at least one of the objectives and that their opponent no longer has one. To help find your way around, there is a small cardboard tray next to the game. On this board, players announce current goals filled with small chips (black or white). This silly pest is quickly very practical but requires a little manipulation.
Players will superimpose their cards as the game progresses. This mechanism is visually quite attractive and is reminiscent of other games like Gloom or Edge Of Darkness (to name a few). But very quickly, everything can become a bit confusing, especially if an area has not been covered for a few turns.
But what is the purpose of this pile of cards on top of each other? The most noble way to win is to achieve three combinations in a turn. Immediate victory. Nothing to say again. That's class and something you can brag about it. But there are other ways to lose. You can also win if your opponent can not remove your current combinations during their turn or if they can not make a combination. And that's as simple as that.
Indeed Papering Duel is not a complicated game. There is also a variant with a few more cards for each player. These cards have gray boxes. These new colors allow you to add a new way to lose or trap your opponent. Indeed, if one of the players does not manage to cover a gray box of their opponent, they win.
But what is the purpose of this pile of cards on top of each other? The most noble way to win is to achieve three combinations in a turn. Immediate victory. Nothing to say again. That's class and something you can brag about it. But there are other ways to lose. You can also win if your opponent can not remove your current combinations during their turn or if they can not make a combination. And that's as simple as that.
Indeed Papering Duel is not a complicated game. There is also a variant with a few more cards for each player. These cards have gray boxes. These new colors allow you to add a new way to lose or trap your opponent. Indeed, if one of the players does not manage to cover a gray box of their opponent, they win.
Papering Duel is a little abstract puzzle game that works on the principle of associations of colors or shapes. A bit like Connect 4, but more thoughtful (not necessarily more complicated). Concretely, we’ll say it like this: “I play my cards... You play on top of mine... You pay attention and you're lucky... You do not pay attention *Bang* I have you trapped!” The games play quickly enough and everything can easily be transported and played everywhere. The game offers a cerebral challenge that can satisfy fans of the genre. On the other hand, do not look for a possible theme or to live a story. You’ll be facing a pure abstract game.
The challenge side is quite interesting and the initial postulate can give the impression of a very calculating game. But very quickly, one realizes that there are some elements which come to invalidate this sensation.
Already, luck is important. The cards are mixed and drawn in a completely random way. For an abstract game based on the anticipation of plays on several turns, this can be problematic. And at the same time, it allows a family audience to find their feet and play it without thinking too much.
Indeed, some might argue that for random drawing, but players have a hand of three cards. Except that the fact of being able to play all three in the same turn, lessened the strategy side of the game and favors the chance of the good hand. Again, this allows a family audience to have fun but can disappoint the player in search of cerebral challenge.
The game runs smoothly. After playing it several times, I think it's hard to define it’s real target audience. A bit too risky for fans of abstract games, too abstract for players in search of stories, too punitive for a truly family audience ... All that rests are the players who like to rack their heads but not too much, those who love games not too long but with a present challenge, the fans of the games with a beautiful components. As such, Papering Duel can satisfy their curiosity and their desires.
Far from being a bad game, it remains pleasant to play. However, we can ask the question about the long-term life. However, the part time coupled with a relatively short installation time allows to play quickly without taking the lead. Especially since the interaction is ubiquitous. No time to watch flies fly. You will have to pay attention to what the other person is doing at the risk of losing in style. Far from being frustrating, the game is relatively simple to access while having a certain depth. And finally, is this not the most important? Take pleasure in playing and work that little brain while having fun ... A game that will, without hesitation, find its place in some toy libraries without imposing itself as inevitable. But after all, was it its goal?
Far from being a bad game, it remains pleasant to play. However, we can ask the question about the long-term life. However, the part time coupled with a relatively short installation time allows to play quickly without taking the lead. Especially since the interaction is ubiquitous. No time to watch flies fly. You will have to pay attention to what the other person is doing at the risk of losing in style. Far from being frustrating, the game is relatively simple to access while having a certain depth. And finally, is this not the most important? Take pleasure in playing and work that little brain while having fun ... A game that will, without hesitation, find its place in some toy libraries without imposing itself as inevitable. But after all, was it its goal?
Technical note 8/10
The component quality is good. Thermoforming is well considered for both storage and playability. The cards are nice and the overlay side works well. Everything happens inside the box. There is an hourglass present in the box but no explanation of its use (Cooking eggs? Playing in Blitz mode? Time storage?). The rules are well written and you do not have to go back.
My score BGG 5/10
(Average game, will not please everyone)
I’m still a little hungry after this game. Not unpleasant to play, it will not leave you an unforgettable memory either. There is a part of this game that will satisfy you, while you play, but will not have this little taste to come back. Too random for the big abstract players, a tiny bit punitive for casual players, it has however pleasant material and ease of access.
Combined score of 6.5 / 10
And now it's up to you to play ...
The component quality is good. Thermoforming is well considered for both storage and playability. The cards are nice and the overlay side works well. Everything happens inside the box. There is an hourglass present in the box but no explanation of its use (Cooking eggs? Playing in Blitz mode? Time storage?). The rules are well written and you do not have to go back.
My score BGG 5/10
(Average game, will not please everyone)
I’m still a little hungry after this game. Not unpleasant to play, it will not leave you an unforgettable memory either. There is a part of this game that will satisfy you, while you play, but will not have this little taste to come back. Too random for the big abstract players, a tiny bit punitive for casual players, it has however pleasant material and ease of access.
Combined score of 6.5 / 10
And now it's up to you to play ...
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