SUPPLIES !!!! – Machi Koro

I bought Machi Koro at Warpcon having played one game of it and winning….. I’m underwhelmed

From my research (exhaustive) everyone and their dog says the vanilla version is limited and the first expansion harbour changes the game considerably, it’s sounds more a patch than an expansion. I’ll get to that in time for now I’m going to chat about the base game

I’ve always been nonplussed by most cartoony mangaish art, particularly the cutesy stuff. I find it saccharine sweet, over the top compensatory mind control cute and in some cases downright disturbing. Machi Kori features japanesey cartoony art but it’s done in a very pleasant style. There’s a lovely vibe to the game and you get that as you play. It’s a sort of Nintendo reassuring happy.

So how does it play you didn’t ask? It plays a little like Catan albeit a very simplified version. You start with a couple of basic cards. Each turn you roll a dice and each of your cards pays out on a particular number if you’re lucky enough to roll it. Some cards (Blue) pay out on anyone’s turn, some (green) only pay out on yours but pay out more. By payout I mean cold hard cash, the only resource in the game. Get more cash, buy more cards, preferably a spread so you’ll get something every roll and you’re well on your way to building the four big buildings that once complete win you the game. Do it before anyone else and you get pointing and extended laughing rights. It’s very simple.

To complex things up, there’s a few other cards, red (my favourite) which steal coins from another players if their number comes up, purple (add bonuses to other cards) and Yellow (the four final cards which give certain effects). With the exception of purple and yellow you can buy as many of each card type as you like and before you know it have a nice little cash farm on the go. The trouble is so will everyone else. You’ve got to be better, strive harder, think outside the box, hope the dice comes up right.

The problem with Machi Koro is, at least with the base game, there’s not a whole lot strategy to it. Everyone pretty much takes the same path to winning (spread it around) and someone wins. It’s not a bad game, in fact I think it’s a perfectly acceptable fun game but in it’s base incarnation you’ll bore of it pretty quick. Oh and the damn thing takes up a lot of table real estate especially with 4 players.

Going to try the expansions before I call it

Huzzah!

Vic

February 21, 2015 0

Citadels – a blast from the….. before now

Citadels is as old as Adams first game of apples to apples. It’s still a cracker of a game and packs a lot of longevity and replay into a small box (oh err missus)

It was my pleasure to teach someone how to play it last Thur (the fact that I WON is neither here nor there let’s move on, I don’t like to talk about it to be honest) having played this game a lot I know the rules intimately. That said veteran drivers pick up bad habits so I had a quick reread and all was fine. For once I had been playing it right. Also I knew the rules. The world didn’t end.

Citadels is a fairly simple game. It’s pretty quick and can accommodate up to eight. Unlike a lot of 8 player games it’s not that light or luck based. Players are endeavoring to build eight buildings (districts) before anyone else (of a higher value than anyone else). Buildings come in one of five colours (yes colours autocorrect not colors) and each colour is associated with a particular character that you pick at the start of your turn.

Players need to acquire building cards and the gold to build each property. To facilitate this they in turn (starting with the king)(player one) secretly choose a role from those remaining and take the roles action in numeric order.

citadels

The basic roles are assassin (kill someone), thief (rob someone), merchant (more income), magician (swap hands), architect (draw more, build more), king (take first player marker), bishop (immune to warlord), warlord (destroy opponent buildings).

When you assassinate or steal you pick a role to do it to. Not a person. This is key. So it’s a bit of a guessing game whom took which role. Depending on where you are in the queue to pick a character and the ones available you can get a reasonable idea as to whom everyone is.

There’s a lot of naval gazing where you need to keep an eye on everyone’s building and try to hold them back while you move ahead.

The game lasts, depending on the number of players (up to eight) around an hour or so. It whips around pretty quickly and your have to keep your beady eye of Sauron on everyone so there’s no down time. The game usually ends with groans of “oh dear me* I would have won next round” one of the best ways to end a game.

Just like a tuxedo or a black dress (or both)(I don’t judge) this is something you should have in your wardrobe. It’s a classic game. It comes with an expansion in the box and after dozens plays I still haven’t exhausted its play ability. A modern classic. Get a copy. It’s cheap.

Huzzah

Vic

February 14, 2015 2

Epic Spell Wars something something something

Epic spell wars of the battle wizards duel at my skullfyre

I remember playing charades many years ago with some friends. Two and a half minutes and it had to be a movie or a TV programme. There was some humdingers that were tough to mime. “Dune”, “Uncommon Valor”. “Rumpold of the Bailey” however the coup de gras was (and we came close to getting it just beaten on time) “I know my name is Stephen part two”. Much dishonour

Epic spell wars of the battle wizards duel at my skullfyre or “that stupid wizards game, no the other one” as its know for short would be a cracker as a charades question. Mental note

Yes it’s pure silly. From the adveture time graphics to the concept. Wizards (as we speak) are fighting it out, throwing spells at each other in lots of fun but ultimately dull ways.

Ever play lunch money? Well it was good in its time but apart from nostalgia it’s as much fun these days as x and o. Wizards is one step up from lunch money. Not a massive step and not enough to drag it out of novelty status

Each player starts with a number of life points and get a handful of cards. when it’s their turn they concoct a spell of up to three parts. The spell, the delivery and the blah (can’t remember). Each of these added together does a specific effect so the mighty, flames of, maggot worms might do four points of damage per player plus six to your target and restore two health.

There’s a little bit there in the shape of bonuses for using matching or different categories of spell cards.

The game attempts to make up for its shoetcomings with side splitting rules like you have to call out the full name of the spell or it doesn’t work. Oh sorry that’s it that’s the only one. It doesn’t work. A game that uses art or wackiness is like a barber that’s uses too much gel.

It’s a light game. It’s luck based and there’s not a whole lot of skill in there apart from rule following. Still it’s simple fun but it never rises above a one shot filler.

Not the worst game ever but that’s faint praise indeed

Huzzah

Vic

February 9, 2015 0

Ascension to the Stars – Star Realms

All hail Star Realms. It out ascension’s Ascension.

I first spotted Star Realms at a games night. I didn’t play it, I just saw it and asked what it was like. “Yeah it’s o.k.” I was told. It’s a compact little number that hides it’s light under a very tidy bushel.

You can’t look at Star Realms and not compare it to Ascension. It’s very similar. In place of wizards and demons we have spaceships and space stations.

It’s a deceptively simple game. You have three resources. Authority (life), trade (gold) and firepower (attack strength). Each turn you draw a hand of five cards and depending on how much trade you have you get to buy a card or more from the centre row of seven. You also get to unload whatever firepower you have reducing your opponents authority (life points)

So far so simple. Obviously it’s more complicated than that so here’s what’s what. There are four factions in the game and they all have ships of various costs and abilities. Most ships when they appear in your hand with another of the same faction get a bonus like more firepower or more trade or some other special ability like being able to scrap a card in your hand or discard pile.

Scrapping cards is a big part of this game. Getting rid of your lowly starter cards and replacing them with better gear is critical. In addition to your ships you can pick up space stations that stay in front of you and add bonuses and some (outposts) act as shields from incoming firepower. Space stations are, like the ships of a particular faction grant bonuses to matching faction ships.

A lot of ships and stations come with a power that only kicks in if you remove the ship from the game.It’s a very nicely balanced game where that little push of removing a ship might cost you next round if your opponent is still alive.

For such a simple game. Pretty much two resources it’s a complex beast with a nice chunk of strategy and tactics woven into easy play. Granted luck does play a part but you know when you’re up against a good or mediocre player.

In addition to the card game there’s a very slick phone/tablet/pc version of it. Very slick. I’ve played dozens of games on it now and it’s very accessible. Also the payment model is superb. If you buy it for your phone you get it for your tablet and pc too. It’s the best €5 I’ve spent in a while. I’ve gotten my value a dozen times over.

All in all this is a lovely game. It’s fast. It’s got bottom. It’s easy to learn and it’s got a real one more go feel to it, just like Ascension did.

You’ll be hearing more about this game as time goes by. Hopefully the expansions will not muddy it’s simple Charm.

More games like this please

Huzzah

Vic

February 5, 2015 0

The vassal on the PC is the app that is true

Vassal

I’ve looked at vassal a number of times over the years. It’s great. It’s a multi-user sandbox Boardgame interactive whiteboard for want of a better term. There’s over a thousand board and card game modules downloadable and once you get your head around it, it’s very slick. There are a number of other game managers like this out there and I’m going to visit each of those in time. (Octogon being a cracker for card games). For now the daddy appears to be Vassal and it’s BIG for certain games. I can see why

There’s everything you need to play your favorite games here, bar voice chat. But there’s a ton of apps for the likes of that (Skype), so just run that at the same time (unless you like silence).

Now. Here’s the crux. It does not enforce the rules. Well it pretty much does not enforce the rules. It very much depends on the module and how it’s written. However, the truth is that doesn’t really matter. The original cardboard didn’t enforce the rules either. You and the other players did. So what we have is a way to play Boardgames and cardgames from a library of over a thousand games with anyone from anywhere in the world and its all free…. Let that sink in the join me for a game of Twilight Struggle

The issue I’ve always had with vassal and a lot of others is just like Vietnam you have to be there man or you don’t understand or more accurately you all have to turn up at the same time online and play the game out

I’ve done this once or twice online with buddies* and it’s neat, very neat but with more than one player the logistics are a pain.

If like me you find it hard to dedicate a number of continuous hours to playing a game the cherry on top is you can play these games with your opponents at your own pace by email…. I didn’t realise this until recently and it’s breathed new life into the system for me.

The one module that I’m REALLY impressed with is the one for Twilight Struggle. Now since playing my first game of TS last year I have become a huge fan of it (Well addict is a more accurate term). I would say it now rates as my favorite two player game of all time. ever. EVER. The module that’s available free for this game is a work of art. Everything from the game is in there. The whole game. The extra cards the extra rules and to top it off all of the rules are enforced. It’s amazing

There are flaws. A few. Not in the game or the rules but if you play by mail because you’re sending the turn back and forth it’s POSSIBLE to cheat a little. That said if you’re the type who cheats at games you shouldn’t really be gaming anyhoe.

Here’s where you get it btw. Have a browse in awe at the modules available

Vassal is stupendous. It’s s gift (unlike the one ring). You should immediately drop everything you’re doing (including open heart surgery) and install it. Don’t thank me.

Huzzah

Vic

January 26, 2015 2

Ah, breaker one-nine, this here’s the Rubber Duck – Galaxy Trucker

Galaxy Trucker

It’s been a long time since this game hit the table. Someone had mentioned it and I was duty bound to bring it out. Having played it and the expansion a number of times in the past I was surprised how much I’d forgotten

Galaxy trucker is a fun. Light. schadenfreude game. The game is all about laughing and possibly pointing at your opponent as their higgled piggledy space ship comes apart under stress.

(What more do you want. You get to laugh at someone else’s misfortune. Surely this is the fillet of every game)

The game operates in two parts the first bit everyone assembles their ship from the collective pool of parts caracassone style. Careful attention must be paid to how the whole thing hangs together and incorrect connectors will mean a design change and probably losing your position on the starting line

So one ramshackle country design job later you’re the nervous owner of a ship that would make a space Ork tut and it’s off into the oily blackness with your opponents in pursuit.

A flight consist of a series of events. Pirate attacks. Meteor showers . Planet falls. Other stuff that you all try and weather as best as you can. You can be unlucky and parts of your ship get knocked off or you can be very unlucky and large parts of your ship get taken out all to the cackling delight of your opponents.

Once you arrive you score points for arriving first, not losing bits, selling cargo. Having a purdy ship. There’s certainly an element of luck but design decisions and use of power during the mission make for a fairly skillful game.

Each missions of which you play three sees you building bigger and more complex ships from the limited resources

This game is pure hurt joy. It is immensely enjoyable to see someone’s creation coming apart at the seams while you thrundle along unharmed

There’s a number of expansions for it which is pretty much just more of the no bad thing same. I have one of them.

I like this game. It’s simple it’s fun and it plays five with the first expansion. For some reason it’s very expensive which is a pity as you should really try it and the price tag is a definite barrier

I’ll bring it to the next KNAVECON and you can see for yourself. Until then watch the skies (for falling debris)

Huzzah

Vic

January 20, 2015 0

Kill! Burn! Pillage! – Warhammer Quest

10 Kill monster
20 Get gold
30 Acquire better gear.
40 Encounter bigger monster
50 Goto 10

This is the essence of every dungeon crawler game, most MMOs and pretty much every RPG

Warhammer quest has recently appeared in electronic form on steam but it’s been available on iOS for some time and its good clean fun. It’s an old game. An old old game from Games workshop over two decades old and out of print for as long.

Doesn't look like this on my phone — Doesn’t look like this on my phone

I could simplify this but just saying its advanced heroquest 1.3 but I’d do it a disservice. Many people (mostly old) consider this the best dungeon quest game produced by GW. Opinions vary.

There are two things that grab you about this game. The characters move this side of a bit too slow and the buy to cheat is, I’m looking for word… Not good.

Struggling with a dungeon? Buy a legendary weapon for cash money. Need more gold? Micro payment for more. Want some other character class? You guessed it.

Now for your five euro you get a very nice game that will last a few weeks. That’s fair enough. The expansions to it are another five euro each, which I’m just about okay with,

Truth be told you’re looking at xbox or Playstation prices if you want all the content. I didn’t. I had enough after the second expansion but I’d gotten my fill. A full quarter of a year casual gaming.

For all my gripes about the game its clean distilled fun. No matter how many times I venture down a dungeon I always get a thrill from wondering if I’ve bitten off more than I can chew but somehow prevailing or maybe not

Leveling up is the magic sauce in so many games. It appeals to our lizard brain.

It’s a tidy little game. The graphics are good if you squint on a smart phone. It’s also available on an iPad and PC but I think it works best as a phone/tablet game squinting assumed

“This is my dungeon crawler. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
My dungeon crawler is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. My game, without me, is useless. Without my game, I am useless. “

It’s fun while it lasts and you get what you pay for. Worth checking out

Huzzah!

Vic

January 16, 2015 0

Love Hate – The Power of one of those

Powergrid. I have a love hate relationship with this game. I love it. It Hates me.

Bidding and map control is the bread and butter of this game. Each turn, players bid on increasingly efficient power stations to power your ever expanding network. You buy fuel (hopefully before the others do and up the price) expand your network and power it, making you back some cash.

Repeat until one person reaches the set amount of powered homes for the number of players. Usually this isn’t me. The player that are ahead in this goal each round are the ones that take their moves last so the underdog gets a chance

The real joy of this game (and most others let’s be fair) is tricking your opponent into spending more money than they should for a particular power station or watching them get a power station but not be able to afford fuel for it. You are always one dollar short in this game.

The game is relatively simple. It’s around small world level of difficulty. Interestingly there are no dice so it’s quite a skillful game (maybe that’s why I keep losing). It plays out in about two hours or less and all in all its good fun.

There’s a pile of expansions for it that add maps, power stations and a few rules. I like this game it’s a good solid no nonsense game. If it was food it would be a healthy hefty brown loaf. All in all a classic game and like catan it’s one you should really try

Huzzah

Power

January 8, 2015 0

Probably the First Review of 2015

Game of thrones. Westeros Intrigue

I wound up playing this game unexpectedly over Xmas. It’s fast it’s light. It’s vaguely skillful although luck plays a big part in it. Then again luck plays a big part in the great dalmuti but we’re still playing that years later.

It’s a simple, simple game, a re-release of a Reiner kniza game penguins. A deck of 50 odd cards each of which can be one of four colours is dealt out evenly to each player. The players now need to get rid of their cards. Once one player ditches their hand the remaining players take a scoring chit for each card they still hold. At the end the lowest scoring player wins. simples

The game plays out over six rounds and the first out of each round gets a face down card which has a random minus number which reduces your score at the end.

It’s a lot of fun. Now you could easily knock this game together we a deck of cards (and optionally some sticky back plastic) but like skull and roses the cards are nice and it’s cheap as chips so all in all if you’re looking for a filler game and or a family game then this is a solid choice

Huzzah!

Vic

January 1, 2015 0

All good fun until someone gets a meeple in the eye

We have another guest writer in the shape of Agnieszka Radzewicz whom forms half of the Boardgameguys (who coincidentally are not guys). Boardgame guys are a regular vendor and friend at Knavecon, big gamer fans themselves this is what they had to say about a classic, Carcassonne (which you can’t spell without looking up and you probably mispronounce)(just saying)
Carcassone is a classic among modern board games, and very well-know to anyone who has explored, even just a little, this gaming world. It was the second game we bought after Settlers of Catan and it completely turned our world around. Carcasonne isn’t exactly a board game, because initially there is no board. However, as the game evolves a board is pieced together and is as elaborate and imaginative as the game’s players.

The rules of the game are pretty straightforward which means anyone can play. It’s a great introduction to these kinds of games and it trains you for more demanding games that the future may bring. The game contains dozens of terrain tiles, and wooden meeples, different shapes and colours. As the tiles are laid players build castles, monasteries, roads and watch the meadows of medieval France expand on the table.

Carcassone requires logical and tactical thinking. Of course, not everything can be foreseen and planned, but the element of randomness in Carcassone is very well balanced. Every tile is picked at random but there is a host of opportunities to place the tiles and score points. More points are gained for meeples that are placed on completed buildings or that are located on roads or in enclosed meadows. The scoring is ongoing throughout the game so players are well aware of who is winning or losing!

We love this game, there are whole range of extensions to the basic version which means the game only gets better with time. Dragon which fly around the city eating up to 6 meeples at any time; a builder which allows you to play twice on your turn; a wooden pig which gets you more points for your meadows, and many, many more. It’s our number one choice and money well spent, the extensions allow you and the game to evolve and every game you play is completely different, different tactics, different energy and games can last even up to 4 hours. You will laugh, scream, throw a few meeples at some people, it all depends on who you play with and the infinite directions the game could go.
The only think we find dissapointing in this box are poor graphics, and a fact that this little badly drown tiles allow you to loose a really good friend in just 45 minutes!

December 17, 2014 0