Tag Archives: board

Favorite Fridays – Empire Builder

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Iempire builder love trains and by proxy I love train games; some of the time. Not all train games are created equal, and while I have not player all train games in existence I have my favorites, one of which is Empire Builder. Released: 1982 Designer: Darwin Bromley and Bill Fawcett Plays: 2-6 EPT: 180 minutes Using the Crayon Rails System players spread their locomotive dominance across North America attempting to move goods and passengers across Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The first player to end their turn with 6 of the 7 major cities connected to one continuous railroad while holding 250 million in cash is declared the winner. Before play begins each player is given a colored pawn, a crayon of a matching color, a train with a speed...

Worker Wednesday – Bremerhaven

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bremerhavenLast week on Worker Wednesday we looked at a game that splits the fence on if it counts as worker placement game in Castles of Burgundy; this week I will continue in the world of ambiguity; why? Because some men just want to watch the world burn… So let us look at Bremerhaven and ask the question is it really a worker placement game? Released 2013 Designer: Robert Auerochs Plays: 1-4 EPT: 90 minutes Bremerhaven gives players the chance to take on the position of a harbor manager controlling the incoming and outgoing of goods with the end goal of having the highest score once the final round is over; this score is calculated by multiplying your remaining money by your harbor’s prestige. The game takes place on three main boards; water,...

Follow Up Tuesday – Zombie House

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Yesterday we looked at the mechanic of Simultaneous Action Selection and today we will follow that up with the game Zombie House. While the theme of zombies is one I have seen done more than almost anything aside from farming the european countryside and trading in the mediterranean this is a game well worth a look. (Note: This review will be looking at ‘Zombie House - Beta’ there is another version available on Game Crafter without the beta tag that plays the same but has slightly different components.) Released: 2014 Designers: Mars Needs Games Plays: 2-8 EPT: 30-60 minutes Zombie House is an independently designed game produced via Print on Demand through The Game Crafter. Being an independent game there are noticeable aspects that can be nagged on such as a lower art quality and simpler components; but the game’s...

Mechanic Monday – Simultaneous Action Selection

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Friday I looked at 7 Wonders which uses the mechanics of Card Drafting, Set Collection, Variable Player Powers, and Simultaneous Action Selection. Today we will take a look at the last of those mechanics; I will state first that I feel the name is slightly misleading as the simultaneous aspect of these games is not always action related; I will also refer to the mechanic as SAS as Simultaneous Action Selection. Simultaneous Action Selection is an interesting mechanic as it serves multiple purposes from forcing players to plan ahead, increasing a game’s pace, to minimizing downtime between turns. The mechanic is is one that can be utilized in a variety of ways when partnered with other mechanics. Often SAS will be used as a part of a turn round in which players manage minor upkeep, turn...

Wild Card Thursday – Bang!

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bang!Those who know me know there are certain games and mechanics I generally don’t enjoy; some of those being player elimination and larger group games, there are of course exceptions to the rule and Bang! is one of those exceptions. Released: 2002 Designers: Emiliano Sciarra Plays: 4-7 EPT: 30 minutes Bang! is a social deduction, card, hand management, player elimination game in which players take on the rolls of cops and robbers in a spaghetti western. The rules of Bang! are fairly simple yet often altered; I will thus explain the rules and add any additional house rules my group prefers in parentheses; I also played with the early print runs pre-bullet and pre-re-reprint and this the components may vary slightly. The game has four roles the players take up at random...

Worker Wednesday – Castles of Burgundy

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castles of burgubdy Worker Wednesday; the day of the week we get to enjoy the games using Worker Placement as a key mechanic. Today, however, we mix it up as we look at a game that many would not consider a Worker Placement game, but I am not one of the many. I am, however, right…. or at least I think I am; the game, Castles of Burgundy. Released 2011 Designer: Stefan Feld Plays: 2-4 EPT: 90 minutes Before I explain why I consider Castles of Burgundy to be a worker placement game let me explain the way the game plays. In Castles of Burgundy players are seeking to earn the most points by developing their estate and developing it with fields, castles, mines, and learning. The game plays on a...

Follow Up Tuesday – Carcassonne

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carassonneIn yesterday’s post we looked at the mechanic of Tile Placement; today we will take a closer look at how that mechanic plays out in Carcassonne. Released: 2000 Designers: Klaus-Jurgen Wrede Plays: 2-5 EPT: 45 minutes As is the usual we will only look at the base game of Carcassonne and save the expansions for a latter date, and for Carcassonne the expansions are many. I was first introduced to Carcassonne while in high school. My mother received the game as a gift asking for it as she thought it looked interesting. We quickly read the rules and began playing; all four of the players new to the game we each developed strategies as the game progressed. When the game ended we were eager to start over with our newly developed...

Mechanic Monday – Tile Placement

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Some mechanics are moderately new as the hobby of gaming grows and adapts to new players, themes, and play styles. Other mechanics, however, seem to have existed since the hobby’s creation. Tile placement is one of the latter. According to Board Game Geek The mechanic of Tile Placement has arguably existed since 1120 with Chinese Dominoes. The year can be up for debate; but the idea that Dominoes is a tile placement game is clear making this one of the older mechanics that is still used in modern gaming. A vast majority of games that utilize Tile Placement involve matching parts of the tile to other parts already in play. In Carcassonne players must keep roads attached to roads; castle walls to castle walls, fields to fields, rivers to rivers, etc. Similarly in Alhambra players...

Favorite Friday – Settlers of Catan

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Some games are a flash in a pan, they burn bright but not for long; others are embers, they may only let off a dim light but they fail to die out; then every once in a while there are games that are forest fires, they ignite in an instants then before you know it the world is aflame and will burn for what seems like forever. The Settlers of Catan is a forest fire. As a reviewer one of the most common question I am given is, “What are your views on Catan?” the game has almost come the gold standard many judge other games by; partially because it is the game that brought many into the hobby but also because it is a game so many are familiar with. Quite honestly the question is...
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