Welcome to the first of what will hopefully be a weekly entry on games played and observed on our Thursday night game nights. I say hopefully because I am traditionally bad about blogging in a timely manner (as it is now Wednesday of the following week(s) about which this entry will be). In any case, it is my intent to present a combination of simply listing games that made it to the tables as well as tossing in my 2 cents on new, or in many cases simply "new to me", games that I have an opportunity to participate in. I know that there are tons of reviews of most games already available online, so I will make my points short and won't bother going into deep explanations of the games.
As so much time has passed since last Thursday, other than the games that I played, I can only recall a few others that made it to the tables though there were many more: Descent, Mexica, Clippers.
Those that I had a chance to play over the past couple of weeks were:
- Masons (Rio Grande Games) - Really enjoyed this one. Medium strategy, but light enough to serve as an introductory game to the genre. Basically, you're walling in cities and you get points for matching the colors of buildings, walls & towers to a rotating set of cards that you hold in your hand. I give it 4 pips out of 6. I would play when asked and suggest from time to time.
- To Court the King (Rio Grande Games) - Another variation on Yahtzee, but an entertaining one nonetheless. I tend to enjoy dice games, but don’t thrive on them. A light filler that I will play on occasion. 3 pips for this one.
- Mr. Jack (Hurrican) - A 2-player specific game reminiscent of Scotland Yard where one player knows which character is Mr. Jack while the other player attempts to deduce this information through watching the Mr. Jack player's moves and attempting to arrange the pieces on the board to assist in his discovery. I enjoyed the game, but not as much as many others that I saw play it. It is much tougher for Mr. Jack in this game than for Mr. X in Scotland Yard, I think though. Medium-light in nature. I would both play when asked and occasionally suggest. 4 pips.
- Qwirkle (Mindware) - Think of it as Scrabble for non-word people or a mix between Set & Scrabble. The pieces in this game are big and heavy and have a nice feel. Even as a word person and one who enjoys scrabble, I found Qwirkle entertaining. Basically, you make "words" out of colored symbols. The maximum length of a "word" is 6 tiles, which earns you a Qwirkle (worth 12 points). I managed to squeak out a win in the game I played, so that helps a bit. A game I would both play when asked and suggest. 5 pips for this one.
- Tannhauser (Fantasy Flight Games) - I wanted to love this game. I really, really did. A big, cool looking box, cyber-Nazis, an array of physical and magic (mental) weaponry. How can it go wrong? I don't really know, but it somehow did. Granted, I would have to play it in story mode to give it a fair shake, but I really didn't enjoy the deathmatch style game that I played. It just felt like a why-not-play-a-standard-miniatures-game-? situation. For those that don't play miniatures games (such as Warhammer, Battletech, etc.), it might not be so painful, but for those of us who have, the movement restrictions in the game were painful. It's a game that I would be hesitant to play if asked and likely not to suggest. On an unfair single play of the game, I have to rate it 2 pips as I really didn't enjoy the experience.
- Caylus Magna Carta (Rio Grande Games) - Another great translation of board game to card game (or so I am told by reliable sources since I have yet to try Caylus itself). I really enjoyed this game and it has several neat mechanics. It has a nice Puerto Rico multiple strategies might work feel. Even taking a significant beating in the game, I still really want to give it another go. Definitely would play when asked and suggest. 5 pips - might works its way up to 6 with additional plays.
- Mykerinos (Rio Grande Games) - This game has been around awhile and I had been curious to give it a try. The opportunity presented itself and I jumped in. Glad I did. The basic gist is that you are performing an archaeological dig and presenting your finds in a museum. Yeah, sounds boring, but the game play was pretty neat. You have several card characters that you vie for, each with special attributes that help you throughout the game. It is another game in which multiple strategies appear to be available but, at least in the game I played, it appears to have a bit of a kingmaker problem at endgame. Even so, I enjoyed the game and would definitely be interested in playing again. On my single play of it, I give it 4 pips.
- Before the Wind (Mayfair Games) - I always want to call this game Breaking the Wind. I can't resist. I've had the opportunity to play this game twice now. My first play was on very little sleep and I'd say I had an idea of what was going on at about the 1/2 way point in the game. The 2nd play was definitely much better on more rest and having had an opportunity to play through it once. The theme is relatively uninteresting - collecting goods and then shipping them away. The mechanics, however, make the game involving for all players through pretty much the entirety. I have heard complaints about the red cards (ones that you can hold in your hand for later play), but I don't necessarily share the opinion. If you find particular cards more valuable, it simply forces you to adjust your finances accordingly. Still, it doesn't mean that someone can't get lucky at the right time and get a powerful card for cheap, so I can lend some credence to the argument. In any case, I enjoy the game and would both play when asked and suggest. 4 pips.
Well, here's hoping I can be sure to post with some level of regularity and that these posts are of any value to the readers. Let me know one way or another by dropping a message to AFnG@AllFunNGames.com .
Paul
