Tag Archives: movement

Follow Up Tuesday – Sheriff of Nottingham

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sheriffYesterday we looked at at the mechanic of bluffing and how and when it works in games. Today we will be looking at Sheriff of Nottingham; a game that uses this mechanic quite well. Released: 2014 Designer: Sergio Halaban, Bryan Pope, and Andre Zatz Plays: 3-5 EPT: 60 minutes Sheriff of Nottingham is one of those rare games that when I first hear the premise I know the game will be one that I will either love or hate but am not sure at the time which side of the fence the game will land on. The game sounded like it was a party game made for a small group; and yet when played it was nothing of the sort. Each player takes on the role of a merchant attempting to get...

Mechanic Monday – Bluffing

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Just about everyone has been raised with the moral standard that lying is wrong; what about when that lying is part of a game? This has been a hot topic among groups for some time now; The Dice Tower’s temporary side cast, The Dice Steeple, had a good discussion on the topic as well as a few others. Rather than tackle the issue of the moral side of bluffing in games we will rather look at is as a mechanic. How does the mechanic work? When does it work? And what can the future hold for Bluffing games? I went to check Some history on bluffing as a mechanic and to my surprise it was not listed on Board Game Geek. I thus decided to look at a few games that use bluffing and discovered the...

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...

Kickstarter Wednesday – Hitman Holiday

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hitman holidayWe are taking a break this week from our normally scheduled programming to take a look at Hitman Holiday; a game currently on Kickstarter. Released: Now on Kickstarter Designer: Dominic Michael H. Plays: 2-10 EPT: 45 minutes I first learned of the game when contacted by the designer asking if we would be interested in previewing the game before launch. After checking out the games page on BoardGameGeek I was instantly intrigued. Hitman Holiday pits players against each other in a deadly battle in which each player acts as a hitman attempting to remove the competition in hopes of retaining their position in the assassin’s guild. Rather than spend 4 or 5 paragraphs explaining the rules I have embedded our preview of the game on Dice Tower down below; the...

Mechanic Monday – Crayon Rail System

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Friday we looked at Empire Builder; a great classic from 1982 that brought the Crayon Rails mechanic into the mainstream. The mechanic is traced on BoardGameGeek back to 1973 with the game Railway Rivals. As of when I wrote this blog BGG has 80 games listed as using the Crayon Rail System; most of which, however, are additional maps for Railway Rivals or games in the Empire Builder series. The last decade, however, has shown potential promise, mostly in the indie communities, of this mechanic expanding. So what is the Crayon Rails System? How does it work? In which ways does it influence themes or partnered mechanics? These are all questions that I imagine a variety of readers are asking simply due to the smaller scale of exposure Crayon Rails has in comparison to mechanics...

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,...

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...

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...

Follow Up Tuesday – Forbidden Island

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Yesterday we took a look at the mechanic of cooperative play; a mechanic that must rely entirely upon other mechanics and yet when used tends to be the identifying mechanic. Having looked at the sub-mechanics of all-vs-one and betrayers; today we will follow up the pure default mechanic of all-vs-game as we look at a cooperative classic; Forbidden Island. Vitals Released: 2010 Designers: Matt Leacock Plays: 2-4 EPT: 30 minutes Since the mid 2000s the cooperative game has been becoming more and more common, and Matt Leacock is partially to thank. With his 2007 release of Pandemic followed up by the 2010 Forbidden Island and now the 2013 Forbidden Desert. In Forbidden Island the players act as adventurers seeking to claim four great artifacts that have the power to control the elements. As the players move about the island they find...
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