2016  is upon us.  Before it flies by I’m going to make plans to play some games I’ve always wanted to.  Why not.  It’s my year.  Along with a minimum of two Knavecon’s it’s going to be a good year for gaming. Why? because I’m going to make it so.  So… I’m going to need a plan and I’m going to set goals.  I keep copious notes on my phone, mostly blog articles I’ve written up in advance but there’s also a set of notes I keep coming back to and adding to …. and subtracting from …. every so often.  My precious.  My planned play list.  It consists of two things.

1. Games I fancy buying
2. Games I own and need to learn the rules of and more importantly get to the table

It’s a movable feast and I never see it gathering moss but equally there’s a number of games there I’ve wanted to play for a while and it’s time to move them along.

First up this year I’m determined I’m going to play KEMET I’m a big fan of Cyclades and I’ve wanted to play Kemet for a long time, I was lucky enough to snag it this Christmas as a gift so that’s first for next Thursday. After that there’s a dozen games I need to get off my shelves and breath life into them.  All deserve a trot around the paddock and that’s what I’m going to do.  So expect some talk about the following.

• Theseus – The Dark Project
• Spyrium
• Camel Up – SUpercup
• Twilight Imperium
• Last Will
• Jerusalem
• Tash Kalar
• Earth Reborn
• Tournay
• Vasca de Gamma
• Fauna
• Battlestar – Exodus
• Risk – Godstorm
• Risk – LOTR

I reckon if I get all those played this year I won’t be doing bad.  So, watch this space. 2016 is going to be the best year of gaming yet.

Huzzah!

Vic

 

 

  
And some people just want to watch the world burn or in this case all six of us would have been. By turn 5 we had gotten perfectly in character, lost the will to live and envied the dwindled population. This game is a dull game. It has the potential to be good but the execution was lame and uninspired. It’s a pity because the idea is good. The world is overpopulated. Reduce the population through drastic measures but make sure it’s your guys that are still standing at the end. 

  
On paper (cardboard) it should work but in practice the actions are limited. Each turn you get to choose from two of five actions. Nuke, military, cyber attack, contagion, block. In truth the block, nuke and cyber attack are rarely taken. The nuclear option is very much a damp squid. The contagion after a round or two is weak as it removes a percentage rounded down in a lot of cases. So whomever gets in the first decent disease early on steals a huge march on everyone else and a lot of it is luck based. 

  
I really wanted to like the game. It’s map based and conquesty but it feels half baked. I’m starting to think it was cheap for a reason. It had a lot of potential but it didn’t live up to it. I can forgive a lot. So so art work. Dull colors (it’s mostly grey) and a poor rule book with a number of grey areas. I can’t forgive poor execution and tedious play. It needs a reboot 

It’s one thing to finish a game early and see who’s ahead it’s another to go, Let’s just give up and not care at all who won. That was our tomorrow experience. 

  
I’d play version 2.0 of this if ever there was one but as always there’s a lot of good games out there and I don’t want to waste my valuable gaming time on just ok

There’s no tomorrow

Huzzah!

Vic 

  
Interviewer : “So Reiner Knizia what’s you’re new game like?”

Reiner : “The old one!”

Ilium is a Reiner Knizia medium length worker placement game. It’s not bad. I picked it up cheap at the last Knavecon buy and sell. Well worth what I paid for it. 
  
The theme is not bad. You control an archeological team and take it in turns to place 1-3 dudes on paths leading to digs that contain various artifact cards with increasing numbers of artifacts of six different types. 
Once paths to a dig are filled with dudes the player with the majority of adjacent workers gets to pick the lowest value artifact from one of the digs on the path. The next highest (with at least half as many workers) gets to pick from the dig at the other end of the path. 

  
So it continues. The digs emptying out and better and better artifacts being snapped up by various players. Once a certain point it reached its game over count your sets and points.
It’s simple fun. The devil is in the detail. Out representing your opponents and cock blockery is king. There’s skill in here. I like the game. It’s light. If games like splendor appeal to you you’ll find comfort in this game. 
I have some gaming buddies who are bosses at games like this. Luckily I didn’t play them yet at ilium. I did come close to winning. It was a refreshing experience. 
I’d play again. Not rush to play but play happily
Huzzah!
Vic 

Having spent a good year gaming. Many fine Weeknights and weekends filled with adventure and betrayal I conclude the following three games have been the most enjoyable for me this year. Not necessarily Released this year (that is the case for some) but ones I got to play so far this year and loved loved loved

Number 3

Fire in the Lake is a stupendous game. If you’re not familiar with it, It’s a BIT like Twilight Struggle on steroids for up to four players set during the Vietnam conflict. I’m still chipping away at a review of the game. It’s without doubt the most complex game I’ve tried to learn and after many weeks and three games I’m still learning. This for me is the ultimate desert island game. I really believe there’s a decade of gaming wrapped up in this beauty. It’s complex, it’s obscure, it’s got it all. It’s like someone wrote the game I always wanted. It’s NOT a casual game. It’s got a steep learning curve just to understand the rules let alone understand what the hell you’re doing. It’s amazing but not for the faint hearted
Number 2

Quartermaster General is a great little WW2 grand strategy game. At its heart it’s so simple. Up to six (I do recommend you play with the full six) players work 3v3 to win the war or more accurately end the war with more victory points. Play a card. Draw a card. Up your score. That’s it. Small map. Less units that diplomacy on the board and yet it packs a knockout punch. I can’t recommend it enough

Number 1

Forbidden Stars has a great pedigree behind it. Fantasy flight and 40k. Just like IBM no one ever got kicked out of a games night for bringing either. It’s not overly complex. The mechanics are sublime. The knife edge wins. The variety every time you play. How tight battles can be. The cock blockery. The beautiful production values.

This is another premium game from FF. It’s worth every cent. For me this is truly game of the year

Huzzah!
Vic

  

Board games are a wonderful hobby for kids. No iffs buts or maybes. There are so many skills imparted from game mechanics, maths, accountancy, negotiation and more cooperation than a whole season of Sesame Street

My experience of gaming with kids comes from 

A. Being a kid at one stage and having a great memory

B. Still Being a kid albeit a big kid

C. Gaming with my kids

D. Gaming with other kids (at knavekids etc)

E. Working as a teacher for five years
So turns out I may know a bit. Anyhoe on with the rant
Engage

Many years back I worked with teenagers who were early school leavers and young offenders. At the interview I was asked how I would maintain discipline with a group like this. My answer was I’d keep them interested so they wouldn’t get bored and I wouldn’t need discipline. It worked too. 

I was always an avid gamer so I used games to engage them. Simulations to teach them. Completions to reward them. They were rarely bored and ALL of them were devious intelligent players. 
Age matters

Younger gamers will usually want to get to the good stuff quick so you’ve got to let them. Pick games that are simple and quick but with some skill. I can’t stress this enough. Predetermined random games like snakes and ladders just don’t work. They might as well not turn up for them. If you’re an older parent like me. It’s all well and grand that it was the height of entertainment when you were a kid. It’s not now. Move on. On Rail games you can play them as well with other players as you can without them and you’ve got no game levers to exploit to make the experience more fun
Prepare to lose

For anyone who’s ever role played and acted as the GM the key is to work with the players and make it an enjoyable experience. It’s not about beating your players. It’s about letting them have a fun experience. Let them win. Stack the deck in their favor. Make them work for it but don’t stick to the letter of the law with rules. Remember the objective. Get them hooked on games so they’ll look for games for birthdays and xmas you can benefit from that. Lure them in with easy wins. Judge it. Judge the age. 
Short and simple

Make games age appropriate. Kids vary in ability. Don’t ignore any game you already own. Simplify the rules to accommodate younger players. I do it the whole time. Then add in more of the rules in second then third plays. You don’t introduce games to adult players with all the expansions the first time they play. Simplify and if all else fails make shit up. Kids don’t mind. It’s time with their parents where there’s no distractions. 
Coop

Younger kids love coop. They don’t feel overpowered, they love having a parent or two working with them. They just want to be part of it. Avoid competition with younger kids. It’s too heartbreaking for them and while I’m on the subject lets talk about losing
Losing

The hardest thing for a child to do is loose a game. It’s heartbreaking both for you and the child. Tears, sobs, snots full meltdown. Kids need to learn to lose but not continuously. It kills them. It will come with age and you need to judge it. Cook the rules. Let them win more than they lose. Multiple kids? No problem let them all team up against the parent and win more than they lose. 
Time together

Your kids will love you if you game with them. This is a special time. It’s something you enjoy they can experience as well. It’s your thing and you’re saying to them I want you to enjoy what I do as much as I do. Welcome to my world

Huzzah!

Vic 

  
I have to say this. I’m struck by the fact that gamers are good people (in general and within the hobby). Why am I saying this?. Well recently I posted a blog article in which I was critical of the game imperial settlers. I wasn’t a fan after one game and wasn’t overly bothered to play it again…..

Now. There was a lot of replies to the post. A number of people came back and expressed their opinion and it was all in the form of. Well I like it. Maybe you’re missing something. I’m not s huge fan. I agree. I disagree. I think it works better this way etc etc. the point is not a single person was rude, abrupt or aggressive in a group of 7.5k people. Think about that. With such a diverse crowd of gamers. All passionate about their hobby. Everyone of them was civil and helpful. Thats amazing

What’s more I was persuaded that it definitely needs another play and another blog article. 
So thank you to all and group hug
Huzzah!
Vic 

 Gloria Mundi is an interesting game. Ok interesting is a bit vague. It’s got a neat theme. The goths are coming from the north (represented by a big plastic el diabloesque counter). They’re mad as hell and they’re not going to take it anymore so they’re stomping towards Rome all “Kill! Burn! Pillage!” Once they’ve wound their destructive way through the thirty odd provinces and reach Rome its game over man. 

  
Meanwhile you are trying to get out of dodge and away to the relative safety of Africa. The player who gets as close to Africa before the game ends is declared the winner (the others become goth be-atches).

To power this headlong flight, each turn a player plays a resource card from their hand (they start with a dozen plus) . This is of three possible colors and when they do any color of that type in front of any players pays out that resources machi koro style. Resources are used to buy buildings that firstly move you a couple of steps towards safety and secondly give you a special action of which there are many (or legion if you prefer)(see what I did there). Actions can be as simple as gain three gold, change one resource type for another, pay two green resources to get three white, pay one gold to move one space on the escape track) ecetterra ecetterra 
 

 
The other thing resources are used for it paying tribute to the goth. This will delay them from their stomping for a turn but will store up trouble for the future. When the tribute cannot or will not be paid by a player the goth gets thick, hoovers up the tribute already laid before him and welshes on the deal, running amok and destroying what he was paid not to destroy earlier. 
Destruction is ever present in this game. The goths path to Rome is littered with cities, farms and legions (gold, green, white) sometimes more than one in each space. When the goth moves into them starting with the current player they have to lose a card in front of them of one of those colors stomped on. Once the current player has paid up (if they can) the remaining items stomped on have to paid up for by the next player and so on. A clever player will allow the goth to destroy resources they don’t have in front of them so other players further along with that type showing will have to pay up “skin that one pilgrim” style. 

  
It’s a very interesting game. The rules appear to have been translated from Native American to German then English via Google translate but they’re not overly complex and you can piece it together. It plays pretty quick. We played four (it will accommodate six) and had it done and dusted in an hour and a half or so. 

It is very chaotic. You could sit and figure out the patterns of what can happen from what’s in front of the goth, what players have in front of them and what resources they recently acquired and good luck with that. Checking goats entrails might be more accurate (and thematic). Under no circumstance let this game near an overanalyser it will slow to a crawl. 

I picked this up at the last knavecon for a song and it’s definitely worth a look. I like it. I like the theme and I like the art work of the hefty Roman fiddling while Rome burns (methapor). Like a lot of games this will require more plays. No bad thing
Huzzah!
Vic