Category Archives: written review

Wild Card Thursday – Gloom

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gloomI love a good story; and I love a good game. So what happens when a game tells a story? What if that is a sad story; a tragedy? Gloom happens. Released: 2005 Designer: Keith Baker Plays: 2-5 EPT: 60 minutes Gloom went from near obscurity to a hit due to its feature on TableTop. It was with this exposure that I was able to break out my copy again which I had only previously had a few chances to play. Gloom is a hand management storytelling hybrid in which players are attempting to use the cards in their hand to tell a story about the tragedies afflicting their families and the triumphs effecting their neighbors. Each player takes on one of the four families placing all the family members before them...

Worker Wednesday – Agricola

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agricolaThe second most asked question since I started Worker Wednesday has easily been, “Brian, when will you look at Agricola?” preluded only by, “Worker Placement games? Really how long can you keep that going?” Today we will address the first of those two questions. Released: 2007 Designer: Uwe Rosenberg Plays: 1-5 EPT: 30-180 minutes I have intentionally postponed my review of Agricola for one prime reason; I wanted a palate cleanser before the review. I will go into more details on that later, but up until recently my last experience with the game was far less than idea leaving a bad taste in my mouth; did my recent re-experience change that? You’ll have to stick around… or scroll down… and see. Just about everyone who is active in the gaming hobby has,...

Follow Up Tuesday – Risk

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Risk-BoxRisk is one of those games that almost everyone has tried, wanted to try, or heard stories that kept them from trying. A few of the former group love the game while others hate it. The latter group not willing to risk falling into the second half of the formers avoids it at arms length. Why is this? What make Risk a game that players will either love or hate? Lets answer all that and more. Released: 1959 Designer: Albert Lamorisse and Michael Levin Plays: 2-6 EPT: 120-240 minutes (lets be honest we’ve all played those 4+ hour games) Since the game's initial release Risk has refused to leave the war game market and has had many alternate versions made; some to more critic acclaim than others; with Risk Legacy taking...

Mechanic Monday – Player Elimination (and a challenge)

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Some mechanics I love; other mechanics… not so much. Today we are going to look at a mechanic that I, more often than not, wish was not used. There are a few games that use the mechanic well, however, and we will look at how it is done well in those cases in comparison to how it is used poorly in other games. So without further delay lets look at the history of Player Elimination. The mechanic is an old one; a very old one. According to BoardGameGeek the mechanic can be traced back to an ancient Indian game, Chaturanga, from the year 650. I have never heard of said game, but another common example would be poker. Looking at poker and the history of gambling it is safe to presume that the mechanic is possibly...

Favorite Fridays – Eldritch Horror

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eldritchIn my second Favorite Friday I wrote about Arkham Horror; the 2005 reinvisioning of a 1980s classic. Today we will look at the successor of the reinvisioning of the original; Eldritch Horror. It is days like this I am glad I shifted away from in depth rule explanations because this game; is a big one. Released: 2013 Designer: Corey Konieczka & Nikkia Valens Plays: 1-8 EPT: 180 minutes Like the games that came before it Eldritch Horror drops players into the world of HP Lovecraft’s mythos fighting ancient entities bent on making the world their own. Eldritch, however, takes us out of the Arkham area and lets us explore the world; all of it. Someday mayhaps I can do a very in depth critical analysis comparing Eldritch to Arkham, but I feel...

Wild Card Thursday – The Resistance

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resistanceThere are times that my friends accredit me with the term “Board Game Hipster” I would argue the title is undeserved though it is not uncommon to hear me say I enjoyed a game “before it was cool”. The Resistance is one such game. Released: 2009 Designer: Don Eskridge Plays: 5-10 EPT: 30 minutes I picked up The Resistance while on a family vacation after hearing it described as “Mafia without player elimination or a need for a narrator.” Having lived in a dorm environment the year before that enjoyed almost weekly mafia games where I was always eliminated round 1 or made the narrator I was very excited at the prospect. In The Resistance players find themselves living in a world in which the government has become too powerful and run...

Worker Wednesday – Zoophoria

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Thus far on Worker Wednesdays we have mostly looked at fairly well known worker placement games. Games that most have played or at least heard of. Today we will step off the beaten trail and look at something different; a game less well known. Zoophoria. Released: ~2014(ish) Designer: Jim Billingham Plays: 2-6 EPT: 60-90 minutes Zoophoria is a game that Sean and I received via GameCrafter, and was later placed on Kickstarter; sadly the game did not reach its funding goal and is currently unavailable on TGC, but with time the game will hopefully resurface; until then you can check out more information on it at the website www.zoophoria.ca In Zoophoria players are attempting to manage a zoo as the current curator prepares for retirement; and like in all real life professions the best way to determine who takes over...

Follow Up Tuesday – Dominion

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dominionIn yesterday’s Mechanic Monday we looked at Card Drafting, one of my favorite mechanics carrying over from my days as a MTG Booster Drafter. Today we are following that up with a look at Dominion; a game that was once the new hotness, and after releasing it’s fifty second expansion last month is still holding on in many people’s top 10 lists. (yes the 52nd expansion was an exaggeration there are only 9ish expansions) Released: 2008 Designer: Donald X. Vaccarino Plays: 2-4 EPT: 30 minutes We are experimenting with a slightly new format today; rather than give an in depth rule explanation we will merely skim the rules as this isn't a tutorial so much as a review. In Dominion players are attempting to earn the most points in the form...

Mechanic Monday – Card Drafting

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Everyone has mechanics that speak to them and hold a special place in their gaming hearts. For me Card Drafting is one of those mechanics. This developed favoritism helps games that use this mechanic just as much as it hurts them. Games that manage to use card drafting well will be that much better in my eyes, while those that implement the mechanic poorly will feel that much worse in my hands. The mechanic can be traced back on BGG to some time before 1742. The exact date of the first games to use Card Drafting may not be known but the 1742 edition of Hoyle’s Guide to gaming is flagged as using the mechanic; one desiring to pick out a specific game for the mechanic’s debut need look no further than the 1800s where they...

Favorite Fridays – Ticket to Ride

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ticket to rideThese last 7 days we have looked at a fair amount of train games and one of the mechanics that drives them. I figured what better way to wrap up than where we started with another installment of our Favorite Games series. Last Friday we looked at Empire Builder, followed by the Crayon Rails System, and then British Rails. Today we shall look at a game by another company using other mechanics in; Ticket to Ride (the original). Released: 2004 Designer: Alan Moon Plays: 2-5 EPT: 45 minutes In the last 10 years Ticket to Ride has experienced fantastic success meeting the expectations to some and to the surprise of others. Following the games release it has been regionalized with European, Nordic, India and other maps and versions being...
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