I know I spoke about this recently but I’m all excited about Star Wars at the moment so indulge me. 
Risk was not my first “real” board game. That was way WAY back thanks to Action comic or possibly beyond. That said Risk has been a good friend to me but it ran it’s course. I’ve played way to much Risk in the past and even a more modern version like Godstorm I quickly realized made me more sure. I’m done Risk. It’s not you it’s me (it’s really you). However….
Star Wars Risk. The new one 
I read up a bit on this. It wasn’t an impulse buy. It’s good. It’s two player or two team. It kicks off in the Return of the Jedi timeline and it’s glorious. It’s without doubt the best Risk game of all mostly because it’s absolutely not Risk. It’s Risk only insofar as it uses dice for attacks and It has a map. Outside of that it’s very much it’s own game. 

There are three distinct tracks going on here all interconnected. The rebels are trying to advance along the Endor track to take down the shield around the second Death Star. Simultaneously they need to protect the rebel fleet from both the fully operational Death Star 2.0 as well as the Executioner and the massive fleet of Tie Fighters. Also meanwhile Vader and Luke are knocking seven shades of shite out of each other the result of a winner in this bout will let the victor (not me) steal a march on their opponent. 
The rules are simple. It’s kid friendly. It looks very nice indeed (more so if you get the black edition) and it plays really well. 
The game is always on a knifes edge. It’s always tense and can go either way (which is what the expression knifes edge means). 
I’ve played this a few times now and every game has been different. Every game has been good and every one has left me with an urge to play again. 

This is not Rebellion. It is however a game both lite but with enough depth to sink your teeth into. It plays out in just over an hour. It’s a looker and it’s fast to both setup and put away. Truth be told for what it is it’s beautifully formed. 
I highly recommend it. Will you be playing this dozens of time? Probably. Try it at Knavecon and tell me I’m wrong. Oh and merry xmas 
Huzzah!
Vic 

I have a soft spot for serinissima. I first played version one over a decade ago and instantly loved it. Version two recently came into my possession and I was eager to try it out. 
Serinissima is a game where up to four players set out from their home port somewhere in the 

Mediterranean and through trading and *perhaps* piracy try to make as much gold as possible before the variable length end turn arrives. 

Each player starts with two galleys and a half dozen sailors. Their home port is able to produce one of a possible six types of good (wood, stone, textiles…. eh green, gold and black). Players can load a galley in port with the good that port produces and then set sail to other ports and offload them where they’re in demand scoring moneys for their trouble. Each cube transported fills up a limited amount of warehouse spaces and each port only wants one of each good so you can’t spam the one good like a mad yoke. 
Now that the economics have been explained we get to the good part. The med is not a safe place (doubly so if you play with me) ships can be waylaid and their goods stolen and sold off. It’s ugly (unlike the players). It’s possible to play nice and be happy traders with other players but we knew this would never end well. 
When a player gets a little ahead it’s the sworn duty of every other trader to pull them down and mess up their business and if they benefit from it all the better. Revenge will cost you the game (I lose a lot). In order to win you have to put up with a lot of flak and side with people who a turn before were openly pirating you (I don’t win much). This reluctant ally play is something I love in a game. 
If you’ve played the original this is an improvement on it. Rules have been tightened and it’s feels a little different. Version one always ended in a massive battle at the end which could be a little random. It’s definitely stilly fighty but a bit more strategic. As always people’s intentions are visible in advance. Someone buying galleys and forgoing trade goods to fill them to the Gunwales with sailors *may* indicate the intention to do someone the dirty. 
Production is good, pieces are neat, the map is clear and the graphics ye olde. It could benefit from some pimping but it is more than adequate for the task. I’ll be honest I’m a big fan of this game. Have been for a long time and I know some games have come along and have done the whole thing better but I think this is a game well worth playing and they’ll have to rip it from my cold dead hands to get it off me. There’s depth and subtlety here 
Fine game. Well worth a play
Huzzah!
Vic 
 

It seems fitting that we played a Star Wars game last Thur since Rogue One hoved into view. I had Star Wars Risk on my “must get that sometime” list (which mostly lists every game I don’t own). The better component quality Black Edition popped up on a price drop post and I struck. It arrived bloody quick too. Sites are on point this xmas. 
The latest edition of Star Wars Risk is the least Risk like game of any I’ve played. More importantly it’s a FUN game. The game I understand is not a million miles from the hen’s teeth oop Queen’s gambit (although a different setting). The game is set at the end of Return of Jedi and sees three epic events kicking off. The raid on the shield generator on Endor, the light saber battle between Vader and Luke and the big old space battle around and hopefully in the new DeathStar. 

The game kicks off with the rebel fleet arriving to find a shielded and fully operational DeathStar in the center of the map, a swarm of tie fighters and the really nasty executioner launching more.
Each turn both players pick three action cards from their hand of six and alternatively play one after another. The cards allow you to influence the three sections of the map. Cards allow you to advance along the Endor track or in the case of the empire send out storm troopers to slow the rebels down. Other cards allow you to inflict damage on Luke or Vader and lead to their defeat. The real fun is in the center where the big space battle is taking place. Cards allow you to move and attack with your ships (x-wings, y-wings, b-wings and the falcon) or in the case of the Empire launch, move, attack with tie fighters and fire the DeathStar laser. 

So it’s an exercise in spinning plates and doing it little better than your opponent to win. Achieving certain acts like killing Vader/Luke or wiping out a sector full of ships or taking out the falcon will grand bonus cards and moves in a round. The rebels btw win if they destroy the DeathStar while the empire wins If it wipes out the rebel fleet 
The game is pretty much a two player but it can be played as a team (haven’t tried). It’s a lot of fun. It’s fast. An hour plus will get it played. It’s tense with a lot of on the fly decisions and strategy changes needed. 
It’s well produced, the models are good enough but we’ve come to expect a lot thanks to Fantasy Flight games. One glaring oddity is a gold painted falcon model which literally makes it stick out like a whore at a wake. Outside of that it’s nicely done. It’s a great game for kids it works well for bigger kids too and it’s all strongly Star Wars themed from start to finish. 

This is a solid fun game. It’s not the best board game ever made but it’s certainly the best Risk game I’ve come across and I’m eager to play it again. 
Huzzah!
Vic 

I spoke some time about a trend in games I was uncomfortable with. App driven games. Well more specifically board games that won’t run without apps. I’m seeing less of these appearing. Maybe the trend is petering out or maybe I’m looking for games in all the wrong places (there’s a song in that). A trend I’m seeing and while not as uncomfortable as I was with the apps issue it’s making my spider senses tingle. It’s kickstarters with stretch goals and lots and lots of minis. 
I’ve never backed a Kickstarter. No never. Not even once. Wouldn’t even know how and not because I’m a tight git who wouldn’t buy two liters of milk at night in case I die in my sleep. It’s because I don’t want to wait. I want my pay off now. I may be persuaded btw. I don’t have a problem. Honestly. No what I’m tired of is games where the big wow factor is the beautifully sculpted models (BSM). Games that are grand and dandy but weight in at €100 plus because they’re bursting with BSMs. Personally I’m nonplussed by minis. Let’s face if I’m not going to paint them and chances are you won’t either. They’re fine and dandy but it’s the gameplay I’m interested in not fur coat and no knickers. There’s been a number of games released that have had ok gameplay. Just ok but look only gorgeous. No thanks. 
Why can’t we be wowed by a set of mechanics rather than the “look at the monkey” beautiful minis? Look at Scythe, maybe one of the most hyped games. Ever. Ever. Looks gorgeous but the gameplay is solitaire. I would have much preferred wooden cubes and better interaction. I’d jump onboard a game for €50 no problem if it was a hit with the option of buying a deluxe version if I chose to. Not a deluxe as the base game and the super and super duper deluxe version as the luxury one. 
Look at Twilight Struggle would it be a better game if it had sculptured models of armies? Blood Rage on the other hand wouldn’t be quite the same without the monsters. 
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve no issue with minis in a game, look at xwing and armada. Look at Blood Rage. The models compliment the game but Jesus Christ and all his little wizards can we have a new block buster game that’s not mini lead? It’s becoming tiring and I demand to be entertained 
Huzzah!
Vic 

“Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war” Gandalf in the movie Heart break ridge. 
Cry havoc is an asymmetric area control conquest game. It reminds me a bit of a study in emerald first edition (amazing) and blood rage (pretty amazing). 
Players start with a hand of action cards a home base and a map of a dozen plus locations full of native trogs (damn trogs) ripe for the murdering of. The map is tight with every spot next to three or four others. The map wraps around so there are no safe spots to hold. 

Each round of which there will there will be 4 to 6 roughly consists of three moves per player in which you raise troops, move them, build structures and maybe kick off scoring. When troops wander into enemies they halt and once everyone has had their moves battles are all resolved. Battles are clever and different. There’s no dice. You have limited troops. Twelve in total (sixteen If you’re trogs (damn trogs)) it’s possible in a battle to not only kill enemy troops but take them hostage which is worth points and reduces a player’s ability to impose their rule. 
The game is all about taking territories which have crystals in them (battles add more) and holding them during a scoring round to gain points. To operate you spend your cards leveraging in icons on them for movement, recruitment, building/activating and scoring. The other action available is drawing cards from the four terrain decks. Terrain decks add more cards with specific actions on them so you can beef up your action deck with more movement cards, more building cards wherever suits your strategy. 

Cards also have actions on them, a lot of which can be used in battle and knowing if an opponent has a stack of cards in their hand before you kick off is important. 
Now what’s really interesting is how each faction works. The trogs are the planet natives and are fast at moving via tunnels, can lay traps and defenses and pretty much annoy the shite out of you. The robot dudes have access to lots of defensive and offensive buildings so they are masters of digging in and slowly advancing. The humans are great at scouting, fast moving and calling in really unwelcome artillery. The other dudes (space elves or something) are fast and well I dunno they’re good too. Each of them is different enough to warranty many replays. Each of them have (which I obviously love) a real FU sting in their tail. Being a king maker or vengeance is just a move away. 
Production quality is very good. Not exceptional. The models are serviceable but could benefit (much like myself) from more definition. Cards and components are bang on. No complaints. 

So far I’ve played the same faction a couple of times and my overwhelming urge is to play again. 
I like games where all the factions are different to each other. I couldn’t say for sure if one is more powerful than another but it didn’t seem that way. There’s so much going on here that it would be hard to figure that out. 
I REALLY like this game. I thought I might when I first heard about it but I wasn’t so sure after my first game. After the second I was sold. Just like a good album. I’ll tell you how much I like it. I’m going to lobby my wife to buy it for me for xmas
Very high marks
Huzzah!
Vic 

Ok Bloodbowlers we’ve talked about this already, but now is the perfect time for it to Begin. Knavecon are running their annual Bloodbowl 2 League and we want players

The league will be contested on Bloodbowl 2 for the PC over the next few months with players required to play ONE league game per week

There’s a sale on Steam at the moment and Blowbowl 2 is selling for 11.50 so get over there if you don’t have it already and snap it up

Everyone will start with a new Team of their chosen race

Places are limited to 16 players.

Who’s game?

Vic

Did you know there are Seven cities in the Irish Republic. DONT look them up. Guess and stick them in the comments. Bet you get it wrong….
Cathedrals was a random find in Easons who started stocking a few board games as an experiment I assume. The experiment will fail btw If they maintain the high prices for them. It was cheap €11.99 and comes beautifully presented in a wooden case with wooden pieces. It’s the magnetic travel edition and it’s a lovely little objet d’art presented in a polish wooden case that itself opens to form the playing field. 

The game is very simple. Each player starts with a dozen plus wooden Tetris type shapes that they take turns to place on the 10×10 grid. The grid is surrounded by a perimeter wall and the goal is to complete walled off sections that then become your exclusive reservations for your pieces. If this was a video game there would be a Bling! Sound and a change of colours. You can place pieces anywhere on the grid (except enemy owned reservations) but the real trick is to grab spots and deny them to your opponent so they have nowhere to place their pieces. Play continues until players cant place any more pieces (it’s a tight board) and the player with the least pieces Unplaced wins. 

Play begins after one player places the neutral awkward and big cathedral piece somewhere on the grid and the other player places their first piece. 
It’s a really nice game. It’s fast. A game will last five minutes. To be correct you need to play two games with each player taking it in turns to take the slightly advantageous first turn and then add both final scores together to decide whom won. It’s very moorish and coupled with fast means you’ll play a half dozen games before you realize how long you’ve been playing. 
This is a real coffee table game. It looks lovely. Now it’s not polished ivory but it’s good enough to leave lying around without it looking untidy and it’s simple enough that you’ll press visitors to play it when they call. 

There’s definitely a little depth to it. A little trickery and subterfuge. It’s not chess. It’s a five minute game and one bad move will cost you the game. Which is fine. For the asking price it’s punching well above it’s weight. I recommend it and it’s coming on the road trip
Figure out what the seven cities are ?
Huzzah!
Vic 

There are no bad board games. Just awesome board games and not so awesome boardgames. We played a real shit game on Thur. I was lying about that first bit.  
Risk Godstorm is bad. It’s not as bad as Snake Oil or pimps and hos but it’s not far off. On paper it should be average If not above average but it falls on it’s face as soon as the starting gate is open. I had mixed hopes for it and it was on my long list of unplayed games so off we went. 

Chances are you’ve played Risk. Maybe you’re all fancy and played one of the variants like LOTR (it’s ok) or Star Wars (not really risk) or the Legacy Version (dunno seemingly not bad) well stay that way don’t bother turning this rock over. Move on. 
On paper this should work, it’s Risk Plus with elements similar to Kemet. Gods from your chosen Pantheon can be summoned to aid you in battle, temples can be raised to gain faith points, mighty spells can be invoked to turn the tide of battle. Soldiers that die swell the ranks of the dead and get to battle on the afterlife map. But. It doesn’t. Having read and reread the rules we couldn’t find a way of increasing our faith and buying anything beyond a single god per turn and every turn became a pointless spread out of troops which got quickly mowed down by the next player who in turn got mowed down by the next player and with five players and downtime between turns it became a pointless random exercise. 

The killer of all this was classic Risk is a superior game despite all the bells and whistles. The superfluous additions just slowed it down. The map too was horrible. Every region was impossible to hold. It felt like a map with five Europes on it. 
That said we did laugh our heads off for the first few turns as players rolled ridiculous highs and lows (after which we didn’t) and the game was a cheap purchase at a Knavecon Buy and Sell but it’s still gaming time I’ll never get back. Now I need just to keep it all quiet and sell it off…. 

DOH!
Vic 

It’s xmas soon. Like it or lump it. It’s coming down the tracks so this year rather than the mess of things you made last year let’s organize the gaming presents correct.

Firstly

Speak to your significant other (yes a lot of gamers lack an SO but there must be someone who feels sorry for you and feeds you) and explain in no uncertain terms that you want board games as presents.  (Note board GAMES). No hints, just clear simple Language. Not clothes, I mean you have plenty of black t-shirts, clothes are covered. Not books, you have a screen, not blu rays, albums, vouchers, weekends away, meals, meds, basically anything that isn’t a boardgame. You don’t want it.

I’m not saying this will be easy but remember money spent foolishly is money not spent on boardgames.

Next up are your children or someone else’s children. You may be aware of some short people that moved into your house some time back and never left. If this is the case the only humane thing to do is teach them boardgaming and they’re going to need their own stuff (which is really your stuff too). Don’t make the classic mistake of buying something like Fire in the Lake for them if they’re under 5. If the long term plan of having them become useful members of society and therefore pay back their gaming debt to you, it’s important to lure them in correctly. You’re going to need a list of stuff you wouldn’t normally buy for yourself and I’m here to help. Now remember if your children don’t play boardgames it’s not a fault with the child it’s a fault with the parent and you will be judged by your peers.

Some people ask me, at what age should you start children gaming? A tricky enough question. I suppose it makes sense to wait until the umbilical cord has been cut as delivery suites generally lack adequate table space for bigger games. Also check if you’re public or private.

Now I’m going make a few recommendations for games for kids based on my experience but really I’m looking to you guys to recommend some stuff too. Remember this is a vocation and we’re all gaming missionaries.

Here’s my recommendations. Now you’ll have to check bgg for age appropriate and it will vary. I’ve split them into can and can’t read for simplicity

Can’t read

• Ribbit (the turtles game)
• Zombie dice
• Skull
• Labyrinth
• Hive
• Castle Panic
• Cube quest
• Survive Space attack
• Escape from Atlantis
• Settlers of catan
• Hey that’s my fish
• Tsuro
• Cash and guns
• Stone Age
• One night werewolf
• 6 Nimitz
• Dragon heart
• Game of Thrones Westeros Intrigue
• Age of war
• Splendor
• Loopin Louie
• Dobble

Can Read

• 221b Baker Street
• Scotland Yard
• X-wing
• Evolution
• Star Wars risk
• Coup
• Camel cup
• The downfall of Pompeii
• Hoax
• Lord of the rings
• Code names
• Bang dice game
• Main frame
• Junta
• Scrabble
• Mag blast
• Love letter
• Boss monster
• The resistance
• Fauna
• King of Tokyo
• Zombicide
• City of fear

Huzzah!

Vic

I wasn’t a console kid. I grew up in harder times where If you wanted a game, well then you just typed the code from a magazine into your computer and If you were real posh you saved it onto a tape. We also lived in a rolled up newspaper, ate gravel for breakfast and our fathers would come home from mill and kill us in cold blood. But you tell that to kids these days and the don’t believe you
Nintendo have released a mini version of the classic Nintendo Entertainment System (not the SNES the original NES) its a tiny little thing with 30 games built in and apart from being able to add a second controller it has NO expansion capability including no extra games. You pays your money you take your chances. It also has pretty short cables so be prepared to sit near your TV 
It’s slick with a simple and retro menu system giving you access to such old classics as Pacman, Bubble Bobble, Kirby’s Adventure and early Mario Bro games. If you’re a retro fan this is going to be a big hit for xmas. I got to play it on the release date with a few buddies and a few beers and it was bliss. I can’t remember the last time I partook of the simple pleasure of a console evening. 

The games are a nice selection. All of them are from the 80s. They’re pure old school with limited 2d graphics and music a Nokia phone would blush at. All of them are nails hard which is a surprise for some. We didn’t mess around in the eighties. None of your second chance nonsense here. 
This thing is purely a novelty. You’ll tire of it after a while but I can see people throwing it on every so often and despite the limited graphics there really was some depth to some of these old games. Sure you could set this up for free with an emulator but the old controllers are charming and the thing is cheap as chips (€60 or so)

This is a lovely slice of nostalgia and I understand the SNES is next on Nintendos list for rerelease. That’s something I really want to see. Until then this is a fun and worth the entry price of a good boardgame 
Huzzah!
Vic