Here is a gem in my collection that just got second printing and is going to be at Target next month. Highly recommend this if you are down with Sid Saxton style games.
G54 Anarchy - Expansion for G54 Rebellion. I did find out that my copy of Rebellion has card enough for 8 people, which is always a nice thing to have.
I have been bouncing all over the place playing different games this month... until this week. Half of the games listed below were played more than once, including one of my all-time favorites, Innovation. Five new to me games - three of them are very non-Geeknights games ;]
Collection Played in 2016: 52%. 76 games to go. Games Added: 1775: Rebellion, Pax Porfiriana, Xenon Profiteer, Linko!, Black Friday
Euchre(new to me) - A coworker who grew up in the midwest was looking for a game, and I was happy to oblige.
Innovation - This week we skipped Netrunner and ended up playing Innovation instead. In fact, this week I played three games of Innovation after several months of inactivity - after which I’m confident citing Innovation as an all-time favorite game.
Xenon Profiteer - The game ships with some iconography that is only used by a kickstarter-exclusive card (annoying). However… it seems like it wouldn’t be difficult to make a variant that makes those icons less vestigial.
Acquire - I occasionally find myself in an awkward situation where I start teaching a game to a small group of coworkers or friends that aren’t part of my normal gaming gaming groups… which becomes a LARGE group by the time the explanation is finished. I really should have warned them away from a six-player game of Acquire.
Freedom: The Underground Railroad(new to me) - Anthony and I each picked out a game published by Academy Games this week - and we got around to this one first. What started out feeling interesting - but abstract - ended up expressing its theme in interesting ways when the abolitionist fundraising effort switches from escaped slaves in the south to former slaves harbored in large northern cities.
Pax Porfiriana(new to me) - I was unsure at first… but the second game played out so differently that I’m pretty sure I love it. But not completely sure.
Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island(new to me) - This is a game full of weird edge cases, to a degree that I’m surprised it sits in the BGG top 20. Not that I don’t enjoy it - I do - but it’s a game that is very easy to play incorrectly.
Black Friday(new to me) - Another game that is very easy to play incorrectly. Fortunately, as long as one player knows the rules it runs just fine. Friedemann Friese is a designer that is always interesting. Black Friday reminds me of Fresh Fish, due to the excitement generated in 30-45 minutes (in this case, by the increasing inevitability of a market crash)
Euchre is interesting until you evolve perfect play. Then it becomes interesting as a game of signaling without getting caught (there aren't the same bidding conventions as in, say, bridge). Then it becomes (for most people) a game of literally trying to cheat and get away with it.
Euchre is interesting until you evolve perfect play. Then it becomes interesting as a game of signaling without getting caught (there aren't the same bidding conventions as in, say, bridge). Then it becomes (for most people) a game of literally trying to cheat and get away with it.
Yeah, it's not like I can tell my partner anything (without cheating, hesitating on my bid, etc) outside of "I think I can take three tricks in this suit," but it has two things going for it - it's simple and a hand takes less than a minute.
Some days, I find I just want to be holding a hand of cards so I can complain about how bad my hand is.
I've looked at Nyet a few times at the game store but I wasn't really sure what set it apart from other trick taking games enough to pick it up or anything.
The little aggravating grain of sand with Nyet is that it allows for changing partnerships every hand, but a partnership always shares its points equally. The last hand feels flat when the player in first can select the player in second as their partner to deny them victory.
Contrast that to Mü, where partners can not only take different amounts of points in a given hand, but the Chief often has a ruinous amount of points on the line.
The little aggravating grain of sand with Nyet is that it allows for changing partnerships every hand, but a partnership always shares its points equally. The last hand feels flat when the player in first can select the player in second as their partner to deny them victory.
Contrast that to Mü, where partners can not only take different amounts of points in a given hand, but the Chief often has a ruinous amount of points on the line.
Why does the player in first get to select their partner? Or better yet, why doesn't it just automatically rotate to have all partner combinations play equally?
The player who gets the lead (after the bidding round) selects their partner. You could easily house rule it to just be a regular partnership game instead and I think it would do fine.
A note: Billy the bookcase is now on a new version, so if you have any for your board games and wanted to have a matching one you are SOL since they do not make them anymore.
On the plus side the Besta style method of adding the backing to the piece is now on the Billy saving so much time.
I also need more shelves for the new Billy which I am dubbing the small keystone in the arrangement. Once acquired I can shuffle some games around so that the collection is more volume-metric and has a better look overall.
Now to find an inventory system that doesn't suck...
I recently picked up two more titles published by Portal Games: 51st State Master Set and Legacy: The Testament of Duke de Crecy.
Both are very good games! I own and like the original copy of 51st State, but the iconography in that game and some of the jank in the rules made it a bit harder to get it to the table, so the streamlining in Master Set is welcomed.
Duke de Crecy is brand new to me, and I really dig it. The theme of creating a large and diverse family tree is fun, and my favorite part is how every potential suitor you can acquire during the game is unique.
Somehow, Wings for the Baron has made it all the way to five plays in a month, which seemed very unlikely at first. And in all of those plays, Germany has never won World War I. They could have, but I stopped it from happening just so I would lose by fewer points. That story is an example of why I've enjoyed playing it so much.
Collection Played in 2016: 56%. 69 games to go.
Bohnanza - Bohnanza has become a standard lunch game at work, which is fine by me (I'm not as fond as some of the alternatives like One Night Werewolf or Boss Monster)
Race for the Galaxy - I always try to set up a produce/consume engine when I teach this to newbies to show them it is a viable option. One of the people I was teaching caught on and observed "ah, the goal is to get a produce/consume engine going as fast as possible." In order to disavow them of that notion, I told them I would win the next game by settling expensive worlds - and proceeded to do so. Only... it wasn't easy, because the deck REALLY wanted me to produce/consume.
Linko!(new to me) - Stands as proof that a standard playing card deck still contains undiscovered interesting games.
Isle of Skye: From Chieftain to King(new to me) - I enjoyed the price-setting in Castles of Mad King Ludwig, but Isle of Skye is leaner and more fun (for now). My favorite Alex Pfister game from 2015.
Rights(new to me) - A tiny card game that might be my favorite Oink game after Welcome to the Dungeon. But I've enjoyed all of them (Kobayakawa less-so).
Timbuktu(new to me) - I'm increasingly convinced that Dirk Henn is actually a crazy genius - this came off much better than I was expecting from a read of the rules.
1775: Rebellion(new to me) - It's no replacement for Quartermaster General, but it does work fine as a 2p game (I only bother with QG at 5-6). The dice also allow for some wild (and hilarious) outcomes, as you might expect.
Mage Knight - Back on the wagon after over a year - and my scores in solo have suffered. Then again, I'm playing Conquest, using strategies that worked better in Volkare's Return, so I'm probably overvaluing ranged attack and undervaluing siege attack.
The Downfall of Pompeii(new to me) - Another game I finally got to play, and hope to play a few more times.
Scoville - The new Lab boards are a solid (non-superfluous) expansion. I also hope to play this with 3-4 players from now on, because the three player game is just so breezy, and you really have to push things along at 5-6.
The Manhattan Project - An old saying I first heard about role-playing games seems appropriate here - 20 minutes of fun stretched over 2 hours.
51st State - I found Imperial Settlers too limiting, and 51st State a bit impenetrable, but the new Master Set is like the greatest hits version of the game system Trzewiczek first published six years ago.
A bunch of us played it exactly once. One of us figured out the math before the first round was over, and played literally perfectly. Everyone else figured it out slightly later, and lost but otherwise played perfectly after that. One person got mad at all of us for talking about how the game was solved, convinced that we were bullshitting him or cheating.
He came in far last place.
We tried to explain the logic of how the game actually worked, and here no decision was not obvious unless it was arbitrary. He didn't understand. We never played it again, and never played a game with him again.
I also told the same story about the game in two different threads.
I just find WoW patently unentertaining. I find Battle Lore, Pogs, Air Gear, ice fishing, most television, Michigan Rummy, Timbuktu, and poker to be equally unengaging.
For example, take Timbuktu. We played it exactly once. I solved it before the first round ended. Scott and Alex solved it before the second round ended. I won purely because I'd solved it one round earlier. There was literally nothing else the game had to offer. We never played it again.
We're talking about the camel caravan deduction/induction game, right? You're forced to make a lot of decisions without perfect information (specifically, you will never see two pieces of information in a given round, and have to infer how they're aligned from the play of the players to your left).
There are also some interesting interactions around prioritizing your camels - if I can move my camel onto a thief's space, but none of its goods would be stolen, it may still be worthwhile to hold off if the player in first is likely to get a vulnerable camel bullied onto that space late in the round.
Of course, I enjoy sorting my way through that kind of logic puzzle in the same way I enjoy Hanabi. :]
Every one of those decisions can be broken down to an arbitrary one easily enough. There was no decision I could have made based on any information that could have been made available to in any way increase my chance of winning.
I remember us stepping through the game again openly and confirming our suspicions.
Also: Deciding whether to allow cards to pass (and give the players moving after you more information).
You're also forced to commit to a camel before moving it, which means you cannot count on getting the move you want before you commit to it.
I could certainly make the argument that Mamma Mia doesn't present any non-obvious decisions... as long as you can hold the state of the deck perfectly in your head... and infer the contents of your opponents' hands... and assume that they will play perfectly...
If we didn't yell constantly and force people to move along in Mammi Mia, it would be an awful game after repeat play. That's part of why I only want to play it in social/convention settings, but never in a quiet place for serious.
I wish I played as many board games as Chris. If I don't get to play a heavy Euro soon I might go insane.
That is a full two weeks of gaming. And for the last three months Anthony and I have played a bunch of two player games at home. :P
For what it's worth, my attitude about Timbuktu isn't all that different from a game like Mamma Mia. During the game last week, real laughter was produced at least twice by some... unfortunate camel placements. We were also in and out in under an hour with teaching.
Comments
G54 Anarchy - Expansion for G54 Rebellion. I did find out that my copy of Rebellion has card enough for 8 people, which is always a nice thing to have.
Collection Played in 2016: 52%. 76 games to go. Games Added: 1775: Rebellion, Pax Porfiriana, Xenon Profiteer, Linko!, Black Friday
Euchre (new to me) - A coworker who grew up in the midwest was looking for a game, and I was happy to oblige.
Innovation - This week we skipped Netrunner and ended up playing Innovation instead. In fact, this week I played three games of Innovation after several months of inactivity - after which I’m confident citing Innovation as an all-time favorite game.
Xenon Profiteer - The game ships with some iconography that is only used by a kickstarter-exclusive card (annoying). However… it seems like it wouldn’t be difficult to make a variant that makes those icons less vestigial.
Acquire - I occasionally find myself in an awkward situation where I start teaching a game to a small group of coworkers or friends that aren’t part of my normal gaming gaming groups… which becomes a LARGE group by the time the explanation is finished. I really should have warned them away from a six-player game of Acquire.
Freedom: The Underground Railroad (new to me) - Anthony and I each picked out a game published by Academy Games this week - and we got around to this one first. What started out feeling interesting - but abstract - ended up expressing its theme in interesting ways when the abolitionist fundraising effort switches from escaped slaves in the south to former slaves harbored in large northern cities.
Pax Porfiriana (new to me) - I was unsure at first… but the second game played out so differently that I’m pretty sure I love it. But not completely sure.
Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island (new to me) - This is a game full of weird edge cases, to a degree that I’m surprised it sits in the BGG top 20. Not that I don’t enjoy it - I do - but it’s a game that is very easy to play incorrectly.
Black Friday (new to me) - Another game that is very easy to play incorrectly. Fortunately, as long as one player knows the rules it runs just fine. Friedemann Friese is a designer that is always interesting. Black Friday reminds me of Fresh Fish, due to the excitement generated in 30-45 minutes (in this case, by the increasing inevitability of a market crash)
Some days, I find I just want to be holding a hand of cards so I can complain about how bad my hand is.
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1107/nyet
It has round robin denial to determine what the rules for a given hand are. You can't pick trump, but you can block something from being trump.
Nyet
Wizard
Mu
Ordered from purest distillation to maximum wtf. Only considering games with some form of bidding and trump.
Contrast that to Mü, where partners can not only take different amounts of points in a given hand, but the Chief often has a ruinous amount of points on the line.
On the plus side the Besta style method of adding the backing to the piece is now on the Billy saving so much time.
I also need more shelves for the new Billy which I am dubbing the small keystone in the arrangement. Once acquired I can shuffle some games around so that the collection is more volume-metric and has a better look overall.
Now to find an inventory system that doesn't suck...
Both are very good games! I own and like the original copy of 51st State, but the iconography in that game and some of the jank in the rules made it a bit harder to get it to the table, so the streamlining in Master Set is welcomed.
Duke de Crecy is brand new to me, and I really dig it. The theme of creating a large and diverse family tree is fun, and my favorite part is how every potential suitor you can acquire during the game is unique.
Collection Played in 2016: 56%. 69 games to go.
Bohnanza - Bohnanza has become a standard lunch game at work, which is fine by me (I'm not as fond as some of the alternatives like One Night Werewolf or Boss Monster)
Race for the Galaxy - I always try to set up a produce/consume engine when I teach this to newbies to show them it is a viable option. One of the people I was teaching caught on and observed "ah, the goal is to get a produce/consume engine going as fast as possible." In order to disavow them of that notion, I told them I would win the next game by settling expensive worlds - and proceeded to do so. Only... it wasn't easy, because the deck REALLY wanted me to produce/consume.
Linko! (new to me) - Stands as proof that a standard playing card deck still contains undiscovered interesting games.
Isle of Skye: From Chieftain to King (new to me) - I enjoyed the price-setting in Castles of Mad King Ludwig, but Isle of Skye is leaner and more fun (for now). My favorite Alex Pfister game from 2015.
Rights (new to me) - A tiny card game that might be my favorite Oink game after Welcome to the Dungeon. But I've enjoyed all of them (Kobayakawa less-so).
Timbuktu (new to me) - I'm increasingly convinced that Dirk Henn is actually a crazy genius - this came off much better than I was expecting from a read of the rules.
1775: Rebellion (new to me) - It's no replacement for Quartermaster General, but it does work fine as a 2p game (I only bother with QG at 5-6). The dice also allow for some wild (and hilarious) outcomes, as you might expect.
Mage Knight - Back on the wagon after over a year - and my scores in solo have suffered. Then again, I'm playing Conquest, using strategies that worked better in Volkare's Return, so I'm probably overvaluing ranged attack and undervaluing siege attack.
The Downfall of Pompeii (new to me) - Another game I finally got to play, and hope to play a few more times.
Scoville - The new Lab boards are a solid (non-superfluous) expansion. I also hope to play this with 3-4 players from now on, because the three player game is just so breezy, and you really have to push things along at 5-6.
The Manhattan Project - An old saying I first heard about role-playing games seems appropriate here - 20 minutes of fun stretched over 2 hours.
Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island - Much easier to win when you play by the correct rules, as it turns out. Still enjoying this.
Legacy: The Testament of Duke de Crecy (new to me) - Unique, thematic game. Want to give this another shot.
51st State - I found Imperial Settlers too limiting, and 51st State a bit impenetrable, but the new Master Set is like the greatest hits version of the game system Trzewiczek first published six years ago.
A bunch of us played it exactly once. One of us figured out the math before the first round was over, and played literally perfectly. Everyone else figured it out slightly later, and lost but otherwise played perfectly after that. One person got mad at all of us for talking about how the game was solved, convinced that we were bullshitting him or cheating.
He came in far last place.
We tried to explain the logic of how the game actually worked, and here no decision was not obvious unless it was arbitrary. He didn't understand. We never played it again, and never played a game with him again.
We talked about Timbuktu on GeekNights back in 2006.
https://frontrowcrew.com/geeknights/20060627/board-gaming-weekend/
I also told the same story about the game in two different threads. http://forum.frontrowcrew.com/discussion/comment/61596/#Comment_61596 http://forum.frontrowcrew.com/discussion/comment/408658/#Comment_408658
I read the rules again. I am confident that I would play that game 100% perfectly if I ever played it a second time.
There are also some interesting interactions around prioritizing your camels - if I can move my camel onto a thief's space, but none of its goods would be stolen, it may still be worthwhile to hold off if the player in first is likely to get a vulnerable camel bullied onto that space late in the round.
Of course, I enjoy sorting my way through that kind of logic puzzle in the same way I enjoy Hanabi. :]
I remember us stepping through the game again openly and confirming our suspicions.
You're also forced to commit to a camel before moving it, which means you cannot count on getting the move you want before you commit to it.
I could certainly make the argument that Mamma Mia doesn't present any non-obvious decisions... as long as you can hold the state of the deck perfectly in your head... and infer the contents of your opponents' hands... and assume that they will play perfectly...
For what it's worth, my attitude about Timbuktu isn't all that different from a game like Mamma Mia. During the game last week, real laughter was produced at least twice by some... unfortunate camel placements. We were also in and out in under an hour with teaching.