Monthly Archives: October 2016

Essen Spiel 2016 aftermath: Reviews incoming

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So the wonderfully overwhelming and exhausting Essen Spiel is over for another year. It will take me a week to recover, but I’m already missing the mayhem - even if my body isn’t.

Below I revisit my pre-Essen top 10 wishlist, along with a giving a full list of what you can expect to be my next 20 or so reviews. I also list a few games I’m wanting to play that I didn’t manage to get to - but where I’ll find the time is beyond me…

I did of course come home with a copy of Armageddon, designed by David Thompson and myself, which seemed to go pretty well. I won’t be reviewing it (I may be a little biased…) but when I get some more post-show info I’ll give an update on it.

My Essen Top 10 - what didn’t come home with me

After taking a closer look at Papa Paolo (my pre-Essen list number 5), I decided against asking for a copy. The game looked OK, but those who I spoke to that had demoed it were unconvinced. I’ll keep an eye out for more reviews.

As I ran out of luggage space (see below…), I’d already tried to get a few minutes with Stephen Buonocore several times and failed. He was the man I needed to speak to about both Fabled Fruit (number 8) and Terraforming Mars (number 1 target), but he was so busy I just gave up. Friends grabbed both, so I’ll get to play them - plus they’ll be easy to get if I want them later.

Ave Roma (my number 7) sold out, while Area 51 (number 10) looked terribly disappointing - it had barely been upgraded from the pre-production version they’d sent me. Despite being promised a copy, I decided I could happily live without it - especially as none of my gaming groups had really warmed to it (despite me liking it).

On the expansions front, I asked for a copy of Deus: Egypt but it will be posted to me in the next few weeks. This seemed very strange - why do that when I’m standing right there? I guess that’s what happens when businesses get to a certain size - pointlessly haemorrhaging what is to them small change is less important than chain of command.

I had a good look at the Ancient Terrible Things expansion but it didn’t seem to offer much that I was desperate for (despite looking awesome). I’m happy with the base game, so didn’t feel this warranted a purchase right now - but I expect I’ll grab it later.

Post-Essen reviews incoming

The few disappoints above were far outweighed by the good news.

Publishers Amigo, Blam!, Czech Games Edition, EmperorS4 Games, HUCH! & Friends, La Mame Games, LudiCreations, Pegasus Spiel, Pleasant Company and Queen Games were all very generous and provided the following for review:

  • Adrenaline
  • Crisis
  • The Dwarves: Duel
  • Eternity
  • Freaky
  • Gooseberry
  • Great Western Trail
  • The Oracle of Delphi
  • Planet Defenders
  • Risky Adventures
  • Snowblind
  • Touria
  • Tramways
  • Ulm
  • Unter Spannung (AKA: 7 ate 9)
  • X Nimmt

Oh my… Anyone fancy a games night? I’ll update this with links as I get the reviews up, but as I like to play things at least four to five times before reviewing it’s going to be a while before the first ones go live.

Expansions:

  • Celestia: A little Help
  • The Dwarves: Saga, Combined Might & New Heroes

In case you think I didn’t put my hand into my moth-eaten wallet at all over Essen week (except when stuffing my face or drinking), I did buy the small expansions for Concordia, Navegador and New York 1901. I doubt they’ll be big enough to merit reviews though, but if they are I will do so.

What I’m also wanting to play: The Top 3

Rhodes, Lorenzo the Magnificent and In the Name of Odin were all on my ‘best of the rest’ list, just outside my Essen Top 10 - and again, they would’ve been the next three games I would’ve picked up if I’d had some more luggage space.

I got a short demo of Rhodes and enjoyed it - a tight, interactive worker placement game that plays in an hour.

Lorenzo the Magnificent looked great but once I knew a friend had a copy, I knew I’d rather wait until later to play: if it’s as good as it looks, I’ll be happy to buy a copy later down the line.

As for In the Name of Odin, I just couldn’t get past the alarm bells that went off every time I went near it. Overwrought and garish it just screamed ‘Kickstarter’ at me and, once again, as soon as I knew others had bought it I was happy to cross it off my wishlist.

Kickstarter preview: Steal This Game

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One of the greatest things about the board games community is, well, the community. And I’m not talking just about the players - I’m talking about the designers, the publishers and the developers in particular.

When I first decided to start dabbling in game design I immediately found myself taken under the wing of first the Playtest UK Meetup group and, shortly afterwards, the fledgling Cambridge division of the same group. Despite my early attempts being rubbish at best, I was positively encouraged via great constructive feedback that only served to inspire me to keep at it (something a few of them probably regret now…).

Once I had a game I thought might be publishable, I started to talking to (you guessed it) publishers and developers. While not every meeting is a positive experience (everyone has shitty days), the vast majority of them have been really supportive and open.

The designers and publishers I’ve met since have been a mixed bunch of characters, but I’ve never met one who thought they were too good for me, or who wouldn’t happily answer some questions or have a quick chat. Sure, there are a few I wouldn’t approach now - but that’s the same personalities issue you get in every walk of life.

In fact, I’ve been amazed at how far many publishers and designers will go to help, even when meeting for the first time or just for a few minutes. Rather than being a secretive, cutthroat closed shop the industry is quite the opposite: if someone doesn’t like an aspect of your game, they’ll suggest a way to improve it - or if it’s not the game for a particular publisher (or they have no room in their schedule), they’ll be happy to suggest alternatives you may not have considered. Clichéd I know, but it feels like a family.

But what has all this got to do with Steal This Game?

At Essen Spiel last week - the most influential event in the board gaming calendar - indie board game publisher LudiCreations had its Saturday takings for the fair stolen by a gang of professional thieves.

Luckily no one was injured, but the gang got away with thousands of euros: an event that has hit the LudiCreations team hard, both financially and emotionally.

But rather than sit around and mope, the Ludi team, along with a gang of designers and reviewers, set about making it right. They spent Saturday night designing, testing, reviewing and filming (a review by Richard ‘Rahdo’ Ham) a nanogame - it fits on a postcard - in an attempt to recoup some of the takings. Kickstarter had a stand at the show, so within 24 hours they’d turned tragedy into a live Kickstarter campaign.

Designed by David Turczi, this two-player game pits a game publisher against a thief trying to rob them. But of course the point here isn’t the game - it’s the fact something positive came out of a desperate situation almost immediately as everyone rallied around to chip in however they could.

At the time of writing Steal This Game had almost 2,000 backers who’d pledged almost $25,000. Pledge levels include simply getting the postcard ($5 or more), or getting one of Ludi’s other games (Kune vs Lakia, Microfilms or They Who Were 8) into the bargain for just $14. It’s very small numbers, but together we can help make this right and show once again what a great community board gamers have created. I’m in - now it’s your turn.

One play: Codenames - Pictures

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When I received Codenames: Pictures* I was faced with something of a (teeny tiny) dilemma - how do I go about reviewing this?

In reality it’s a standalone game in its own right - but mechanically it is almost identical to the original Codenames (reviewed here last October), just with pictures instead of words. Not really full review material unless you love repetition.

The next option was to review it as an expansion, but again it’s problematic. You don’t need the original game, it doesn’t really change anything up (except for the aforementioned) and it wouldn’t fit my format. So here it is: the ‘One Play’ review.

In truth, the One Play format ended up fitting the bill perfectly because - you guessed it - I’ve only played it the once. But as a big fan of the original I think I’m on pretty safe ground giving you the full picture (ho ho) on this almost inevitable variation on a theme. And I promise you right now, I won’t be doing a review of the ‘adult’ word version (although, if you do want to seek it out, it’s called ‘Deep Undercover’ - just don’t tell mum I sent you).

Codenames basics: A quick recap

Codenames is a party game that can be (realistically) played with anything from four players to eight or more, with you all being split into two teams (no matter how many players participate).

Each team chooses a spymaster, with each team’s representative sitting together in front of a single card only they can see. In front of this is a grid of other cards that everyone can see - in this case picture cards. The trick is that the card only the spymasters can see tells them whose pictures are whose, which others are innocent bystanders, and which single card is the assassin (if a team guesses this word by accident, its instant defeat).

Taking it in turns, the spymasters then try to think up a one-word clue that their teammates can use to guess multiple of their team’s words correctly - but at the same time not any of the other words on display.

This is where the genius in the game lies. Sure, you can say “music, 2” because you’ve seen images of a record player and some headphones - but don’t rule out some crazy person guessing at a ‘tortoise’ picture because it’s the name of a band they like… Find more on the rules in my original Codenames review (linked above).

So what’s new here?

The most obvious change is, of course, the pictures. They’re black and white, relatively simply drawn, but they do have that slightly bizarre/surreal feel of Dixit cards: you’ll find a dinosaur riding a bike, a bed riding a wave, a dragon attacking a satellite dish…

But these multiple references mean the game has the same depth as the original word version: where before you relied on the multiple meanings of many English words, here you have that extra dimension visually too. The cards are still double sided, clearly marked so you know which way up they go, and printed on high quality linen finish stock.

There has also been a change in the size of the grid of cards you choose from, which is now 5×4 rather than 5×5 - so 20 rather than 25 cards. This means there are less ‘innocent bystanders’ (4, from 7) and one less clue to guess for each team. In one way this feels like a sensible change, as it makes it more tense but also a shorter game length (in theory). In reality, it has had a mixed reaction - but works fine either way.

So why bother with this one?

Codenames: Pictures feels different, while familiar, which can only be a good thing. Some will find it harder, some easier, depending on how you parse words and pictures. But whatever your decision, it’s great to have the choice.

It’s still a great for non-gamers, and this opens up to even more players as not everyone likes a word game - as well as being language independent, making it great for including those not so familiar with English. For game evangelists such as me it’s another weapon for our tabletop gaming arsenal. And even better, both games fit into the same box.

Why stop with what’s in the box?

Because the game’s rules are so simple, there’s no reason you can’t go hog wild and add in your own images. Have Dixit or Mysterium? Throw them in for a few rounds. Got lots of family photos? Make a special version for Christmas play. Or why not print out pics from friends from Facebook? The world’s your codenamey oyster.

Overall then, Codenames: Pictures will not be for everyone but it’s a delightful take on the original idea. It will appeal to both fans of the original concept and those who prefer to interpret images over puzzling over word games, and is sure to bring even more new people to the hobby.

* I would like to thank Czech Games Edition for providing a copy of the game for review

Armageddon - From the Ground Up (some info)

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So my new board game, co-designed with the super-talented David Thompson, will be released at Essen Spiel in Germany this week.

Called Armageddon, it has a post-apocalyptic theme but is much more a euro game than a traditional ‘thematic’ one (despite what the amazing artwork from Markus Erdt may lead you to believe).

The game takes about 90 minutes to play and is for 3-4 players. Because bidding is a key part of the game, it really didn’t work with two - and to take it to an extra player would been pricey on components: a risk it probably wasn’t worth taking, considering the probably price hike. But if it does well, who knows…?

So what’s it all about?

The game was very much designed from the theme from the start. The idea was to try and simulate the growing of those small towns you see in films such as Mad Max and Water World where they’re trying to do things right after some kind of global tragedy – only to be whupped by some chain wielding biker types. Well not this time!

The key mechanisms are bidding, tableau building and worker placement. Each round you’ll have a set of workers (there are different types that can different things) who you’ll choose to assign to three areas – two bidding areas (buildings and survivors) and your tableau (worker placement).

It has arrived at Essen, thank god…

You’ll take it in turns to place workers (from behind your screen) into an area until everyone has bid into each (once you’ve placed, you can’t change it).

The advantage in going early into an area is order breaks ties – but of course others know what they need to do to beat you. People on your tableau (town) will be working (upgrading types of worker, getting VPs etc) or defending against marauders. So everyone gets some workers/marauders, plus a new building, and then operates their towns.

Some rounds you may really want a juicy building, others you may really want a certain set of survivors (they’re random pulls from a bag), others you’ll want to all hands to the pumps – but usually all the above.

You’ll get benefits from both pacifistic and more violent approaches to the game and both are viable strategies – as is treading a more balanced path. To win you’ll want to work out a strategy, then make the best tactical decisions to try and support it – knowing you may have to change everything on the fly if (when) it hits the fan…

For those not going to Germany, I’m sorry but I can’t put a store date on the game yet - but I’d hope it will be available from UK game stores/websites before Christmas. If you want any more info, just let me know in the comments below.

Animals on Board: A four-sided game review

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animals-on-boardAnimals on Board* is a non-religious yet Noah-themed set collection family game for two-to-four players. It’s listed as lasting 15-30 minutes and being for ages eight and up, which feels about right.

The rather lovely premise is that each player is building their own ark, but Noah has cornered the market on the whole ‘two-by-two’ thing - so you’re picking up the slack. This means you’ll earn points for anything but pairs of animals - so lonely animals or larger herds will serve you well instead.

While this is definitely a family game at the lower age range, there is still something there for the ‘grown ups’. The components are high quality and the artwork is really nicely done, with each set of animals (there are five of each type) having individual art - with baby animals (one point) ranging up to older wrinkly ones (five points).

In the box you’ll find 60 animal tiles (in 12 species), about 25 cardboard tokens and four cardboard arks - which are essentially tile holders for the 10 animals you need to collect. At first glance the box is way too big for the components inside, but you soon forgive them when you realise the arks - which you need to construct - can go back in without you needing to build them each time you play.

Teaching

As with all great children’s games, you can pretty much learn Animals on Board as you play. Each round is the same, and the mechanisms simple, so once you get going everyone should pick it up quickly.

Once everyone has their ark, each player also takes a starting animal tile (which you place on your ark) and one food crate. Nine to 13 animal tiles (depending on player numbers) are placed face up (with one face down) in the middle of the table - and you’re ready to go.

Players now take it in turns to take one of two actions: split an animal group and take a food crate; or feed some animals and take them into your ark. At the start of a round the animals are in one group - so to split them you simply choose as many as you like and make them into a separate group (of which you choose the makeup). No matter how you split them (so with 13 it could be anything from 7-6 to 12-1), you also take one food crate.

To take a group of animals, you simply spend a food crate for each one you take - and you must take all animals in the group (so a group of six costs you six food). You add them to your ark - and it also triggers the round’s end.

After one player has taken this action, each other player gets one more turn (on which they can take or split animals) - after which you restock the animals in the middle of the table, with whoever triggered the round end becoming start player for the next one.

This continues until, at the end of a round, one or more players have 10 or more animals on their ark - at which point you score. Scoring is simple: pairs are ignored (as they don’t score); single animals score the number of points printed on them (1-5); while every animal in a ‘herd’ (three of more of the same type) scores five points each. Highest score wins, with ties broken by the player with the most different animal types.

The four sides

These are me, plus three fictitious players drawn from observing my friends and their respective quirks and play styles.

  • The writer: I don’t usually like a memory element in games, but Animals on Board adds just enough to keep things interesting - especially if you’re an adult playing with children: if this was a game of perfect information, and you had good memory, it could get old fast. What they’ve done is start each player with a tile no one else sees until the end (you get to pick one of three), while one of the tiles in the middle that you’re choosing from is always face down too. This adds just enough secrecy to keep everyone guessing, while not making it a randomfest.
  • The thinker: While every round is the same, there are actually different strategies on offer here. It’s tempting to spend food crates as quickly as possible, as the game does feel like a race in which you don’t want to fall behind - but if you hold back, you can start to wield pretty strong power over the other players - especially psychologically - if you’re sitting on six or seven food crates! Suddenly the splitting of animals becomes a much more pressing decision, even at the start of a round.
  • The trasher: While Animals on Board is definitely going to be a light family game for most players, a group of embittered gamers (hello London on Board regulars!) can certainly bring its own dimension to proceedings! Denial is of course a big part of the game, if you want it to be, so sharing info on what you can remember about what other players have picked up - and getting a bit of banter going - is definitely a mood that you can make emerge from all the cutesy stuff if you’re so inclined.
  • The dabbler: I like this one! The animal tiles are really cute, the arks go together beautifully to add a bit more table presence, and there’s plenty of daft (or serious, if you want) roleplaying to be had, especially if playing with a younger audience. While the game is also very fast to play it’s easy to set up and breakdown, or to set up and play again, so there isn’t problems with downtime. And it couldn’t be easier to learn.

Key observations

Personally I have no issues with the game at all, as a family game. However, if you’re looking for a two-player game for a couple of adults I’d probably give this a wide berth.

As an adult game it needs more than two players to really shine, both due to the fact it’s very fast playing with two (it’ll take longer to set up and break down than to play) and also because the more grown up elements tend to come into play more with more players (a bit of banter, trying to remember who has taken what etc).

One criticism I can relate to, if not completely agree with, is the cost/component to gameplay debate. The truth is that Animals on Board is a filler game in fancy clothing that could very easily have been a sub-100 card small box game - and then it would of cost less than £10, rather than double that with all the cardboard components.

But if you think of the audience as being families, and especially the children part of that, kids love games that look great - and there’s no doubt this would have less than half of the curb appeal if it was a small box card game. But whether you think there’s enough here to warrant a closer to £20 price tag is going to be an individual decision.

Accusations of ‘no depth’ are, I guess, fair - but then I don’t think designers Wolfgang Sentker and Ralf zur Linde were going for it: why would they? The important thing is that the ‘I split, you choose’ style decisions do get more interesting the longer the game goes on, so it does have a bit of an arc of its own (ho ho).

Conclusion

I’ve very much enjoyed my plays of Animals on Board and would definitely recommend it to families, or groups that enjoy playing a lot of filler games. It’s fast and fun with just enough extra depth to keep everyone happy.

The theme is fun, the light take on ‘I split you choose’ works well and the components, while probably flashier than they need to be, have been well put together. It works well across player counts and never outstays its welcome.

That said I won’t be keeping my copy, but only because I don’t meet the criteria above - it’s the kind of game that would sit on my shelves largely unplayed and I’d much rather it was out there getting some love. But a big thumb’s up from me nonetheless.

* I would like to thank Pegasus Spiel for providing a copy of the game for review.