tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-165057152024-03-18T03:02:08.696+00:00PawnstarA gamer who works in his spare time.Pawnstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14138454253813433739noreply@blogger.comBlogger326125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16505715.post-46338516237378191022024-03-17T15:34:00.004+00:002024-03-17T15:42:40.344+00:00Night Stalkers on Mars<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The lasting influence of Ridley Scott's film <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078748/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt">Alien </a>(1979) has, apart from spawning several sequels, prequels and spin-offs, pervaded several media, and remains popular over forty years on. For me it's a combination of the whole noir style adopted in the original film, in combination with a gripping science fiction storyline, elegantly presented through H R Giger's iconic art and design, and a believable performance from the cast. The sequels build on this strong basis; the threat remains, the Weyland Corporation remains ignorant, and the characters in the centre of each story all contribute to their own demise. Various substrate themes are captured in each film; a military response, a rescue, a mother's instincts to protect her young, a prison planet; however, the overarching theme is one of those in power placing little value on human life, endeavouring to gain the edge and profit from the unknown at any human cost.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There have been a fair few games based upon the franchise over the pasty forty-odd years, from the <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/6689/alien">Ludo-style roll-and-move</a> which was issued when the film was released (not that many folk playing the game would have gained entry to see it at the cinema), to the rather good <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/146652/legendary-encounters-alien-deck-building-game">Legendary Encounters deck-builder</a>, and the Prospero Hall design, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/332321/alien-fate-nostromo">Alien: Fate of the Nostromo</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have some bad news for you, though; the best Alien game out there is not an Alien game at all. <b>Spoiler risk warning...</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_fz8UWIEWIm7JM5DjHMVq3dT5R4m1KyL2oPJn_N0ABL-9umtwGCfDhj-KlL7oNsLEVwCfzszY327bNCQLYPiVSXJqqWkPlx8UMpaYb--WiOCmPeJHL_LO_yUVrZWCyNU-wi8yVjg9XUaT95eoGAAbUiZyVSW2GWNf0eyzyREDnRqWowbXlrz/s4160/IMG_20230716_182225.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_fz8UWIEWIm7JM5DjHMVq3dT5R4m1KyL2oPJn_N0ABL-9umtwGCfDhj-KlL7oNsLEVwCfzszY327bNCQLYPiVSXJqqWkPlx8UMpaYb--WiOCmPeJHL_LO_yUVrZWCyNU-wi8yVjg9XUaT95eoGAAbUiZyVSW2GWNf0eyzyREDnRqWowbXlrz/w200-h150/IMG_20230716_182225.jpg" width="200" /></a>The game isn't exactly the same opening scenario, as it shouldn't be. A ship's crew wake from hibernation, but one of them is dead; they then set about the ship, quickly finding out exactly why. The game then becomes both a struggle for survival in a ship filling up with bloodthirsty creatures, and an endeavour to complete a secret objective in the process. While the similarities are close to the original film series, they are clearly not close enough to violate the intellectual property. The ship is called Nemesis (also the name of the game) and not Nostromo; the alien threat is in the form of an entire nest of "intruders", as opposed to a single xenomorph creeping through the darkness and tearing apart the crew; there is, however, a similar growth process from inception to adulthood for the intruders to those of the original film series. Nemesis has taken elements from the entire film series to create what is quite possibly the ultimate science fiction horror boardgame.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Nemesis presents the kind of game I usually shy away from; long enough you are unlikely to fit it in on a school night, lots of randomised elements with key influence on the game, and worst of all, player elimination, which can happen quite early in the game. I shouldn't like it, but I do; I look forward to the next play every time I play it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiktaEIOoXZ5LgyeKJ4Kh4a-NdlQ88lZxgVnV-rZ0xTGPtkdn9h-2fBmU-5P31-QRvxrAlZKmreP22nNtGi9SuaNwHFh78Bgp_tOUSCZrPbqcdlal5Jl1GSzp394Ll959MptuPexZ_4BJ0AKhowi9QBOoOwnp2q5ivCcn-IrBxMu6qAptoosV-J/s3416/IMG_20230717_110659.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2416" data-original-width="3416" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiktaEIOoXZ5LgyeKJ4Kh4a-NdlQ88lZxgVnV-rZ0xTGPtkdn9h-2fBmU-5P31-QRvxrAlZKmreP22nNtGi9SuaNwHFh78Bgp_tOUSCZrPbqcdlal5Jl1GSzp394Ll959MptuPexZ_4BJ0AKhowi9QBOoOwnp2q5ivCcn-IrBxMu6qAptoosV-J/w149-h105/IMG_20230717_110659.jpg" width="149" /></a></div>Having briefly covered the original game, I shall move on to what I really want to cover. Nemesis: Lockdown is one of the sequels; core play is exactly the same as the original, apart from a few extra, scenario-specific rules, which change the gameplay enough to make it a different (and possibly greater) challenge. Hence much of what you will read here applies to both games - most of its mechanisms, my opinion on the rules and gameplay, and the quality of the presentation.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBCaaf-oVFXzzEwbcavOd7IViHe8510l9FnLZyEuuspalYx3-u8hIkwDk017r2zaFzZuKkyibMzalXI-pFJ6M73T7DzToJAt8l6aqlnlkC7Al8PwvAaAKQ3V96DvJzJiLGaHZ710b42esFdcIiWKVUNTOcz_KLNumqdLhDv8GqwLVaNB2BY5Zd/s4160/IMG_20230716_180114.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBCaaf-oVFXzzEwbcavOd7IViHe8510l9FnLZyEuuspalYx3-u8hIkwDk017r2zaFzZuKkyibMzalXI-pFJ6M73T7DzToJAt8l6aqlnlkC7Al8PwvAaAKQ3V96DvJzJiLGaHZ710b42esFdcIiWKVUNTOcz_KLNumqdLhDv8GqwLVaNB2BY5Zd/w120-h160/IMG_20230716_180114.jpg" width="120" /></a>Nemesis: Lockdown represents what happened after Nemesis survivor(s) reached Mars. Some players will play the facilities workers on the Corporation's facility on Mars, whilst others will play survivors of the Nemesis, forced to face a further, more evolved, alien threat as intruders start to appear in the complex. The game opens with a loss of power at the base, and much confusion for the facilities workers, but the survivors (with their knowledge of what has gone before) have caught on to the cause quite quickly, and have more knowledge of the threat from the start of the game. The snag for the survivors is they have been kept below in the isolation Room, unarmed so as not to present a threat to the facility and its staff.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcgKuIduOaODumjQouhhO3YoG9iqOn0WEhpWFllMuU_b9XCNzkn0JU29d5dH05UT8xxNJ9KJ1TQMV5yfacUGcBm0ZQK-LX0-k_lUAFHYs0F5yb8d6QeiQtA-JGK79_ZibLmK_dWAzcjafWTO5EyatOi16Oy3ICxvsSaxRIE4jsOATzoa3BADPF/s4160/IMG_20230716_175531.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcgKuIduOaODumjQouhhO3YoG9iqOn0WEhpWFllMuU_b9XCNzkn0JU29d5dH05UT8xxNJ9KJ1TQMV5yfacUGcBm0ZQK-LX0-k_lUAFHYs0F5yb8d6QeiQtA-JGK79_ZibLmK_dWAzcjafWTO5EyatOi16Oy3ICxvsSaxRIE4jsOATzoa3BADPF/w150-h113/IMG_20230716_175531.jpg" width="150" /></a>From these respective start positions, players move around the facility, endeavouring to get out of it alive whilst simultaneously trying to complete an objective - a personal one, which is usually noble, or a corporate objective which is usually nefarious. Having been dealt one of each card at the start of the game, players must make a final choice between the two once the first intruder appears (in the base game these are Night Stalkers, so I will interchangeably use that term to describe them in this post).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3okCvMWmdk5WLQ1ujw1dIWo6aHek2LpepQTZyZybFSTHDIwyCq4qw-n58xCh87f60B4C-PvSQGW_-EZpgyiz9CXv2n5R0rbK68UxB1joAKEWslnhpwAgcUGi_h6qvDDT4QFYUxHHysQnhfIvv9kHQpkUumtlPRkAcW3kiJn9lpngm2coru7WY/s3264/IMG-20230716-WA0004.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3okCvMWmdk5WLQ1ujw1dIWo6aHek2LpepQTZyZybFSTHDIwyCq4qw-n58xCh87f60B4C-PvSQGW_-EZpgyiz9CXv2n5R0rbK68UxB1joAKEWslnhpwAgcUGi_h6qvDDT4QFYUxHHysQnhfIvv9kHQpkUumtlPRkAcW3kiJn9lpngm2coru7WY/w65-h115/IMG-20230716-WA0004.jpeg" width="65" /></a></div>Regardless of this objective, there is a requirement to survive the game to actually achieve victory, and the first steps towards this are to find particular rooms, do something about the power issues, and equip themselves to deal with the inevitable threat. One might think the facility workers would know how and where to get this equipment, but apparently they have been wandering around with their heads down, and don't even know where the nearest toilet is, never mind the Guardroom; the story of disorientation in Nemesis itself made some sense, but come on - not even the Sentry knows where his post is.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The facility is represented on both sides of the board in different ways to permit more replayability; on the basic side, all of the action takes place inside the facility (with the exception of actions to escape the facility); the reverse side board is a bit more challenging, because the surface of Mars can also be explored with the right equipment. Whilst this adds a touch more challenge, the real replayability in this game comes from a combination of variance in characters, missions, room locations, and (more expensive) the use of alternate alien types to the Night Stalkers in the base set.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixHx3-cN3gWRHMSD57BRhRjXsqeNbQd6yiovI-ur0DrcrDIybGNGOxTyxn30rmXalKFNP_nkEAJzECKcI8-xablCr5nAYpvpfIN3q8poYqbYVJrJWdKo3iOKdmu-LtJC4jgrTIco20jq5PqJqsKsKOD6mKXzv7ZrhGsFsa7jo0OpIpslvwt32p/s4160/IMG_20230716_175407.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixHx3-cN3gWRHMSD57BRhRjXsqeNbQd6yiovI-ur0DrcrDIybGNGOxTyxn30rmXalKFNP_nkEAJzECKcI8-xablCr5nAYpvpfIN3q8poYqbYVJrJWdKo3iOKdmu-LtJC4jgrTIco20jq5PqJqsKsKOD6mKXzv7ZrhGsFsa7jo0OpIpslvwt32p/w99-h132/IMG_20230716_175407.jpg" width="99" /></a></div>One of the key aspects in achieving success is the restoration of power to the facility, in part or in whole. A rather useful elevator can get characters from one level to another quickly and with relatively little fuss; however, power needs to be restored for it to be useful, and that means a risky trip to the Power Generator or the Backup Power Supply. Additionally, moving and fighting in the dark puts humans at a disadvantage, so restoring power to the different levels of the facility is important. Not difficult enough? Well given time, the power will soon be out again, and someone will have to decide whether the advantage is worth the risk of another excursion around the facility!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh509_IYO1Yva9u63cmq3FD88GA_CQYn-gYHeDZkrEe_OFimg0517HYViJgdoz4EeK8_wn9Boj7HZo_zjQVrnXdcEBtV4RwwD4vWziaQQPPxD4eGs8RkiQeP7xTgYaELXbv_YiQCbqVo0pWMe8-cLn3THkZtk95KUc0yZaBHIOlbc2wiFxVryRq/s4160/IMG_20230716_163518.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh509_IYO1Yva9u63cmq3FD88GA_CQYn-gYHeDZkrEe_OFimg0517HYViJgdoz4EeK8_wn9Boj7HZo_zjQVrnXdcEBtV4RwwD4vWziaQQPPxD4eGs8RkiQeP7xTgYaELXbv_YiQCbqVo0pWMe8-cLn3THkZtk95KUc0yZaBHIOlbc2wiFxVryRq/w185-h139/IMG_20230716_163518.jpg" width="185" /></a>As players move around the facility, they place noise tokens. These tokens represent the unearthly sounds of the intruders, who have themselves been alerted to the players' presence by their movement. Players have the option of moving carefully, which is slower, but permits control over where the noise marker is placed. If enough noise occurs, this will result in an intruder popping up in a room the player occupies, forcing them to experience the dangers of combat. A character attacked by an intruder will likely not only receive wounds, but also become contaminated, resulting in deterioration, death, or worse, incubation of an intruder larva!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKkDguJzBtADuobsWfIw9fw9qMeBD12YuVCYJG2kSObPnvDDgkAy_IpgSyVJBdZ73m9549r_6fSa3mWRCSte2Y_Ftk3RIX1Dy_GMnSXyEWa6cBnD6DqgAZFVxDiYjrhgnJpV_eAdbyDqYe32_vE010Whhqeh5SEbxbG_wRlFEd2e5XT66aOEXN/s4160/IMG_20230716_175551.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKkDguJzBtADuobsWfIw9fw9qMeBD12YuVCYJG2kSObPnvDDgkAy_IpgSyVJBdZ73m9549r_6fSa3mWRCSte2Y_Ftk3RIX1Dy_GMnSXyEWa6cBnD6DqgAZFVxDiYjrhgnJpV_eAdbyDqYe32_vE010Whhqeh5SEbxbG_wRlFEd2e5XT66aOEXN/w200-h150/IMG_20230716_175551.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>If a player manages to complete their objective, or can at least gamble on the objective being completed on their behalf, they must find a way to be able to move out of the complex or lock them<span style="background-color: white;">selves in a safe area within the complex - specifically the Isolation Room. Escape could be via the facility entrance, moving to a bunker on the perimeter, by using the Rover vehicle. It's not that simple, because the facility AI is programmed to open the facility gate when somebody dies, and it is rather difficult to open without this predetermined condition. Your character can also escape through the well-timed use of a cargo pod, and once again, their function is at the mercy of the Corporation's supply programme, so it's all about being in the right place at the right time, and at some point in the game, this option becomes limited or impossible. Finally, the only other means of survival is to lock yourself away in the Isolation Room.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilt2ipCz_Bn9KY_r2vbB1bdFUEjx3gWDQwbXsWKi94lrj1NX55XfWKmkS5Bz_NMGmEN7Tn9zXOiMqJmmeoSlbVv6JsAE5ku49EI4tSE48nvZV-gHxfWL3_Q0uCxP5GDdNbMASpHDnxkkjA8qgly2XGZoEDkBVp5pmzvGbe-amPfSq71GVB_3h4/s4160/IMG_20230716_175622.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilt2ipCz_Bn9KY_r2vbB1bdFUEjx3gWDQwbXsWKi94lrj1NX55XfWKmkS5Bz_NMGmEN7Tn9zXOiMqJmmeoSlbVv6JsAE5ku49EI4tSE48nvZV-gHxfWL3_Q0uCxP5GDdNbMASpHDnxkkjA8qgly2XGZoEDkBVp5pmzvGbe-amPfSq71GVB_3h4/w150-h113/IMG_20230716_175622.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white;">Another useful room is the Laboratory. Analysis of intruder physiology can take place here, and makes it possible for players to discover weaknesses in their adversaries, adding another advantage to the characters' arsenals. Character Knowledge garners various advantages during the game; increased knowledge permits characters to take advantage of intruder weaknesses, and can also help them to fulfil particular objectives.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdcQXrxp7XD-Q24RAICiG_sVjsrRaYQvsKuYcKOXteUTRKzQ4JDDF-Gj-dIRq8lHrlH2btqiD93rTOECh7BLp_pUF32kUi66xTZP_dlQ9_NqJ4SFuSO2jzFrUD6V5h99y5hstHy1xpi5BuPxB4Qh2pt5S8wI5rvAWfuIJ-HrsFwwhs6EX8WSz-/s4160/IMG_20230716_163503.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdcQXrxp7XD-Q24RAICiG_sVjsrRaYQvsKuYcKOXteUTRKzQ4JDDF-Gj-dIRq8lHrlH2btqiD93rTOECh7BLp_pUF32kUi66xTZP_dlQ9_NqJ4SFuSO2jzFrUD6V5h99y5hstHy1xpi5BuPxB4Qh2pt5S8wI5rvAWfuIJ-HrsFwwhs6EX8WSz-/w134-h179/IMG_20230716_163503.jpg" width="134" /></a></div>The miniatures and excellent production quality are key selling points for this game; however, ignoring the chrome and the eye-candy, the game is excellent. I have played it with those who like a narrative and those who do not really care about the narrative; in both cases the game was enjoyed immensely, despite having certain elements which would usually never appeal to either camp. It is possible players can be eliminated fairly early on, despite making the very best and meaningful decisions; however, a very tactical semi-cooperative exists beyond this all, and the key strategies involve mitigating that ever-present risk of death to you and others alive in the facility (should you so desire it, depending upon your mission). Why it really works as a game involving elimination is down to the sheer pleasure in watching for the few remaining rounds, while your opponents struggle to survive without your aid, or else make their escape as required. At this point, eliminated players have no influence on the outcome as such; however, game end is usually not too far behind elimination, and speaking for myself, I find it quite entertaining watching my fellow players struggle. And that struggle is what makes it even more attractive to those who disdain a story arc; there is always a new puzzle to solve, a new challenge to face, and the constant tactical decision space of survival against success.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Nemesis: Lockdown has been a great experience for me; despite seeming at first sight to be something rather old-school, it is a very modern design, resulting in a tense game of heroism and treachery, with no guarantee of either survival or success. For some, this game may be slightly over the limit for a weeknight; however, I would suggest three hours or less is a good estimate for experienced players, excluding setup, instruction and tear-down.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Some readers may be interested to know that Awaken Realms have created a third episode, <a href="https://awakenrealms.com/games/awaken-realms/nemesis-retaliation" target="_blank">Nemesis: Retaliation</a>, which is due to appear next year, after an unsurprisingly successful crowdfunding campaign. This third instalment sees a squad of Marines taking on the intruders in their own nest; now doesn't that sound familiar? At the time of writing, late pledges are still open for it, should you be interested.</div><p></p>Pawnstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14138454253813433739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16505715.post-88898595210999466482023-06-19T21:25:00.001+01:002023-06-19T21:49:15.564+01:00Top Ten By Decade : 2010s<p>Ah the Teenies; what a great decade for boardgames in general. The rise of a new Golden Age of boardgaming, a vast number of ever more interesting designs, often drawing on the strengths of their predecessors. It has to be said it has been one of the greatest periods for gaming; sandwiched between the economic crash of the noughties, and the recent pandemic, this was an ideal time for the rise of crowdfunding, which itself has influenced a rise in component quality, and possibly a rise in design quality in general, although with all that bling it's often difficult to tell!</p><p>Anyway, let's not dwell on my perceived improvements and shortcomings of recent gaming industry history; here is my Teenies Top Ten, in reverse order:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3M66ujy1ZzJU0utHp1rHjrtOOuYe4W2T-mwC-htU5t3BoiGNK4yBSbE5acJWwJWya-T5fz-s1BZiTEVon3yymP4shABzGaa4vHqZcVVdzTTkLYQyt70Lgd7C_5LFhzteU79sIcfv8mI04ENGauYaY-NeutRATypdTB3ZVZWrmW_v0KzDetaqi/s2000/Great%20Western%20Trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3M66ujy1ZzJU0utHp1rHjrtOOuYe4W2T-mwC-htU5t3BoiGNK4yBSbE5acJWwJWya-T5fz-s1BZiTEVon3yymP4shABzGaa4vHqZcVVdzTTkLYQyt70Lgd7C_5LFhzteU79sIcfv8mI04ENGauYaY-NeutRATypdTB3ZVZWrmW_v0KzDetaqi/w200-h200/Great%20Western%20Trail.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b><br />10.</b> <b><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/193738/great-western-trail">Great Western Trail</a>: </b>I first encountered Austrian designer <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/11767/alexander-pfister">Alexander Pfister</a>'s creations in the form of <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/172386/mombasa">Mombasa</a>, then <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/176494/isle-skye-chieftain-king">Isle of Skye</a>, then <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/183840/oh-my-goods">Oh My Goods!</a>, but the game that set him up as one of my go-to designers (alongside Wallace and Lacerda) was Great Western Trail. It is perhaps the most seamless use of deck-building as a mechanism; whilst this forms the core of the game (building a quality herd of cattle), the real work is done through increasing ones workforce meaningfully, establishing trade to the cities via rail, and erecting functional buildings on said trail such that they become very beneficial. Pfister's ability to smoothly integrate different threads into one game places this game very high on my list of favourites, which is why it made tenth best game of this decade. The expansion, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/245744/great-western-trail-rails-north">Rails to the North</a>, added another layer of strategy to this game, which enhanced rather than complicated. I have not had the pleasure of playing the second edition yet, but I hear the changes do not disappoint.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4FXyn65796LjYoVriwgY499ju2cA7A9KLaz1OnzGuaGFVF854t-sKJPnrRj00Fn8NoFZBuhEOJWziE3So27rbQOsvCNH1waDgwQqWS3q_y3PFqhZEB5hoLWh49J9stdUEo4abQf2T_XtHX2vJTk0jM-uRYLOmdj27f5TJhTZVmFgWLJfevRFP/s3737/Keyper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2676" data-original-width="3737" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4FXyn65796LjYoVriwgY499ju2cA7A9KLaz1OnzGuaGFVF854t-sKJPnrRj00Fn8NoFZBuhEOJWziE3So27rbQOsvCNH1waDgwQqWS3q_y3PFqhZEB5hoLWh49J9stdUEo4abQf2T_XtHX2vJTk0jM-uRYLOmdj27f5TJhTZVmFgWLJfevRFP/w200-h143/Keyper.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b>9. </b><b><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/212516/keyper">Keyper</a>:</b> If there is one designer who is consistently innovative, it's <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/134/richard-breese">Richard Breese</a>. Keyper introduced variable player boards which fold through themselves, giving players different combinations of action choice each turn. This, coupled with mechanics for shared and improved actions, makes for a very competitive and interactive engine-building game, and one of his best designs. Players choose fields in which to place their workers according to their colour; however, other players get the option to add extra workers to those fields, which is mutually beneficial, but more importantly permits players to act out of turn. When a player desires, they can claim one of the boards in the centre of the table, which then permits them to claim all of the workers on it after the round is completed.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitLUYfrWH41aSX01IXTnF0LKoVJvwNLtViQiGsrT8xPipiXcbLW2eoVOI3EMCZCKGuDJwEyqDC42FEd7fvEebm8WgY2ZJK1NUIhYEMD4av6R9Reev6oNtKgRn3mvl1h0kYfBnVgnZ_Hj1TqtytUnRqtUe5rT0icTDlQGnMScGRGpwlD04j7lq_/s1201/Brass%20Birmingham.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitLUYfrWH41aSX01IXTnF0LKoVJvwNLtViQiGsrT8xPipiXcbLW2eoVOI3EMCZCKGuDJwEyqDC42FEd7fvEebm8WgY2ZJK1NUIhYEMD4av6R9Reev6oNtKgRn3mvl1h0kYfBnVgnZ_Hj1TqtytUnRqtUe5rT0icTDlQGnMScGRGpwlD04j7lq_/w200-h200/Brass%20Birmingham.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b>8. <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/224517/brass-birmingham">Brass: Birmingham</a>:</b> This list was almost completely devoid of anything by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/6/martin-wallace">Martin Wallace</a>; but this revamped version of the original Brass (or Brass: Lancashire to you young folk) makes the cut for this decade, because of its differences from the original, whilst also capturing much of the challenge of the original. Roxley Games (with some input from Martin as I understand it) took the base game and developed it to include other industries. Where there were shipyards (not a massive industry in the Midlands), there were now kilns; where there were ports, there were now breweries, with beer or ale being the opiate of the workforce; and in addition manufactured goods made an appearance, as they did in <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/65901/age-industry">Age of Industry</a>. Whilst the game lacks the utterly gripping strategic tension of the original, it is still a great game; what this offers the original didn't have, is a fair bit more strategic scope. The upshot of these developments is that the game is more accessible, has a larger decision tree, and is slightly less determinate. And it has beer. It could be ale. It's good either way, but will never be as good as <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/28720/brass-lancashire">Brass: Lancashire</a>.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXA5VE949W1KDblViOXW4qs5UOPb2IVA5Edh4Q1U4Ca5PFFH_C6Dmj4K2LH24B3OZu03wy7K6IM9VpsnaE-dUIDrM54Xs_wC8qAk1jCRO-V5PykW1VfCtPQlA9XiOBceN4KQTgjDPGikJcLO4GUgOHRnB-0TI8dIuW_NZoEKDNdBEMk8zBPUl6/s839/Manhattan%20Project%20Energy%20Empire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="653" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXA5VE949W1KDblViOXW4qs5UOPb2IVA5Edh4Q1U4Ca5PFFH_C6Dmj4K2LH24B3OZu03wy7K6IM9VpsnaE-dUIDrM54Xs_wC8qAk1jCRO-V5PykW1VfCtPQlA9XiOBceN4KQTgjDPGikJcLO4GUgOHRnB-0TI8dIuW_NZoEKDNdBEMk8zBPUl6/w156-h200/Manhattan%20Project%20Energy%20Empire.jpg" width="156" /></a></div><b>7. <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/176734/manhattan-project-energy-empire">The Manhattan Project - Energy Empire</a>:</b> <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/63628/manhattan-project">Manhattan Project </a>was a worker placement game about building up a nuclear arsenal. It surprises me how few people bat an eyelid regarding that theme, in an age where colonial themes have become a pariah, but this is merely an aside. Designed by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/222/tom-jolly">Tom Jolly</a> and <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/63686/luke-laurie">Luke Laurie</a>, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/176734/manhattan-project-energy-empire">The Manhattan Project - Energy Empire</a> is "Manhattan Project" solely by narrow association; the game is mainly about building up your superpower's energy production, and thus enabling its growth and, well, power. Energy is produced by rolling dice for each power plant a player has; depending upon the result, the superpower's environment may become polluted, and thus restrict the building of various facilities, and the quality of the atmosphere in that nation. Players must observe a very delicate balance between increasing their energy engine's efficiency, and making their nation a wasteland. The worker-placement game reached its zenith with this game; instead of any action space being exclusive, most in this game permit multiple players using them, as long as their stack of workers is the largest. The first game to do so? I am not sure, but what I do know is that this game interestingly permits a player to boost a worker stack with energy.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixeHV8WIni4QkPLRB1lnFJ5MR7Pw4vORBR6hUCFRS_Hg0l78JAnaUFAdkdOV0zNMhPZY5gtpiBuojPhh_rsIdMjeeQ8cO5aCHgDdsgaIft_3wO2UC5qtxWFnr-FKatgKNyawrOFzIxcCjuTQZI8VNAEev2wrF7z74-DHQ1lItchvi454pR2piN/s1363/Kanban.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1363" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixeHV8WIni4QkPLRB1lnFJ5MR7Pw4vORBR6hUCFRS_Hg0l78JAnaUFAdkdOV0zNMhPZY5gtpiBuojPhh_rsIdMjeeQ8cO5aCHgDdsgaIft_3wO2UC5qtxWFnr-FKatgKNyawrOFzIxcCjuTQZI8VNAEev2wrF7z74-DHQ1lItchvi454pR2piN/w200-h188/Kanban.png" width="200" /></a></div><b>6. <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/109276/kanban-drivers-edition">Kanban: Automotive Revolution</a>: </b>In the last decade, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/12396/vital-lacerda">Vital Lacerda</a> became one of my go-to designers. Unsurprisingly, his games have dominated this top ten. Kanban is on the face of it a boring concept; it is all about the efficient running of a car factory, from design, through supply, testing, and manufacturing, with a bit of boardroom politicking thrown in for good measure. If you have ever worked in any kind of manufacturing industry you will know how tedious this could have been; however, Lacerda turned the subject into a gripping and challenging strategy game, in which whilst trying to contribute effectively to the production process, you are also trying to look good in the eyes of Sandra, the Boss. At the same time, you are trying to train up so you can reap the rewards in each department, bank time so you can use it when you really need to make the effort, and fill more seats at the boardroom so you can table your ideas and gain more attention from the Boss. Kanban really fits together quite well, whether you play the original version or the more recent <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/284378/kanban-ev">EV deluxe edition</a>.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq8Y1oUZ0rdzSftuucNd1S8X0zt8Gb9o12JM7z8It5wVjh-6i0h9QsrmzNN7CCafknDnyBMBUdcSJ2Qx0f2WF1uVuTvXZnsa7tJlZH97skNCDXQNZLYx3JsNnxATySVGMU3crmOEwE4osz5Bo4_cKCZ3wxzJHXE6MMlvSpORPcgYfSqmfxVt_a/s1000/Vinhos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="999" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq8Y1oUZ0rdzSftuucNd1S8X0zt8Gb9o12JM7z8It5wVjh-6i0h9QsrmzNN7CCafknDnyBMBUdcSJ2Qx0f2WF1uVuTvXZnsa7tJlZH97skNCDXQNZLYx3JsNnxATySVGMU3crmOEwE4osz5Bo4_cKCZ3wxzJHXE6MMlvSpORPcgYfSqmfxVt_a/w200-h200/Vinhos.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b>5. <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/42052/vinhos">Vinhos</a>: </b>More Lacerda as promised; this was my first introduction to Vital's designs. Before Vinhos came along there wasn't a decent winemaking game out there, and this game set a benchmark which other winemaking games have failed to meet. You start off with one vineyard in a Portuguese wine region of your choice (all regions possessing their own characteristics); from there, you have to expand your wine business, gaining points for exports, experts, and excelling at the wine Fair. Each turn, utilising an action selection mechanism which may or may not cost you to take (according to the relative position of your prior action), you can choose to employ specialists, open or improve a vineyard, sell wine locally, do something with your finances, or show off one of your vintages. However, nothing is straightforward; to earn prestige on exports, you need good quality wine, and good wine can take time to produce, and production costs, so wine will have to be sold in order to fund the production of a good vintage! Yes, there is much more to it, but this aspect of the business is well represented here. Lacerda has made every choice tight, from when to invest in your estates, through the timing of sales, to choosing between sales for quick profit or sales to enhance ones reputation. The original 2010 What's Your Game publication is pictured; the <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/175640/vinhos-deluxe-edition">later 2016 Deluxe version</a> provides this same game, plus a more streamlined version; if you know me, you will know which version I prefer.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn6tlJGkcBUKIVT277mVCp-0qhk6x8j4t4Ba73z2j0eiX5CSAERgRVmqMAUmbMqNo92zq_ULoFhs3JJSS-dJ-kCWBYheoR2nExFOdhlnZi6AYXpB4Z6RLUj_dtF79qINXyDqIdJ07z1CyFsPtaqlDvK5nGD1G7F5WmSRuwy8wRFpLbJJuDdfs9/s4259/Scythe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3151" data-original-width="4259" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn6tlJGkcBUKIVT277mVCp-0qhk6x8j4t4Ba73z2j0eiX5CSAERgRVmqMAUmbMqNo92zq_ULoFhs3JJSS-dJ-kCWBYheoR2nExFOdhlnZi6AYXpB4Z6RLUj_dtF79qINXyDqIdJ07z1CyFsPtaqlDvK5nGD1G7F5WmSRuwy8wRFpLbJJuDdfs9/w200-h148/Scythe.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b>4. <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/169786/scythe">Scythe</a>: </b>I first bypassed <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/62640/jamey-stegmaier">Jamey Stegmaier</a>'s Scythe at Essen in 2015, where I saw a demonstration copy of something not yet published; it struck me as something akin to CMON output, and I was instantly nonchalant. It took me until I played a friend's Kickstarter copy to warm to it in any way; in fact, I warmed to it a touch more than he did, and ended up paying him for it. My first impressions have never been so wrong about a game as they were about Scythe, as it has almost everything I could want from a game; a smooth engine, fine-tuned for tension, an appealing theme borne out by spectacular artwork around which the game was designed, engagement, scalability, variation, tactile components and to top it all, the fact it appeals to the vast majority of our group. The expansions are a bit of a downside for me (<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/199727/scythe-invaders-afar">Invaders from Afar </a>should have come with the base game, and arguably it should have been designed with a modular board); however, I especially like the changes brought on by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/223555/scythe-wind-gambit">The Wind Gambit</a>. I haven't gone for the campaign expansion, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/242277/scythe-rise-fenris">The Rise of Fenris</a>, and I doubt I ever will, because it's difficult to keep on with campaigns. I will never say never, though, as Scythe itself is so unlikely to leave my collection, and in future our tastes (or even the group members) may change.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieG0D5Fnq3nSNt32QcYlkNiMZE5YHZh7KHrhQJei1AAt8fwu1IIBOVSt__Measa4O9jL12fcTHGxf98OlGGHsk-pjkXRZxx3iJz7YLXXBmSEobSG5ps_QmfDnBNrgqNc_4_AtYubSsC7DO_72AcBOpVp7E_gflw6nHXq3se9fhFns1SGrqSNm4/s1964/Eclipse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1274" data-original-width="1964" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieG0D5Fnq3nSNt32QcYlkNiMZE5YHZh7KHrhQJei1AAt8fwu1IIBOVSt__Measa4O9jL12fcTHGxf98OlGGHsk-pjkXRZxx3iJz7YLXXBmSEobSG5ps_QmfDnBNrgqNc_4_AtYubSsC7DO_72AcBOpVp7E_gflw6nHXq3se9fhFns1SGrqSNm4/w200-h130/Eclipse.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b>3. <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/72125/eclipse">Eclipse</a>: </b>Taking interstellar war, discovery, technology and politics as it's backdrop, Eclipse would comfortably play out in the timespace of four hours or less, scoring points against the Daddy of Sci-Fi 4X games, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamefamily/29/game-twilight-imperium">Twilight Imperium</a> (which was in its third edition at the time of Eclipse's release). How did <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/13000/touko-tahkokallio">Touko Tahkokallio </a>do it? He basically cut off all of the fat one normaly finds in a bloated strategy game you struggle to finish in one day! Instead of long-phased turns, there was an interleaved action selection system. All the bookkeeping was effectively automatic, with every action, influence and population automatically updating some aspect of the player board. A points system was adopted, which made it easy to restrict the number of rounds in the game; thus, the game length was mostly predictable. It doesn't do everyting TI4 does (politics falls short on details, and combat can be a bit more convoluted in Eclipse), but it's a great game worthy of replacing the comparatively-bloated FFG flagship. I have since replaced this with <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/246900/eclipse-second-dawn-galaxy">Second Dawn</a>, which has smoothed out the original game even further. I think it outdoes TI4; not to say TI4 isn't good, but Eclipse is just much more elegant. Lautapelit have done few games which had the impact this one did, and it's not likely to be surpassed in its genre.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmaNCOVZb1Y4VCVwBwgz7-JcxTdjlbdR3_J9OIDArB5WIcHRVDCgG3muB4M9Dyxk0-Kj06X5_zLyvZ6vnMEDdfsIDGeGIEVqJSUjbbyepkdtMrvB7X3-v-LLZFMQD6F6z2ZMFtrjtIj1aeA8qzIzQ8S63QM8NClZtvVvu8Hf2vc1YCkNgsgZLI/s2048/Root.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1597" data-original-width="2048" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmaNCOVZb1Y4VCVwBwgz7-JcxTdjlbdR3_J9OIDArB5WIcHRVDCgG3muB4M9Dyxk0-Kj06X5_zLyvZ6vnMEDdfsIDGeGIEVqJSUjbbyepkdtMrvB7X3-v-LLZFMQD6F6z2ZMFtrjtIj1aeA8qzIzQ8S63QM8NClZtvVvu8Hf2vc1YCkNgsgZLI/w200-h156/Root.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b>2. <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/237182/root">Root</a>:</b> GMT's <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamefamily/18749/series-coin-gmt">COIN game series</a> was the influence for this comparatively simplistic asymmetric game, with the attractive theme of fluffy animals killing each other to rule over the forest. In <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/35585/cole-wehrle">Cole Wehrle</a>'s Root, feudal cats have taken over much of the forest, but the regal eagles of the Eyrie want to regimentally take it back. Meanwhile, the oppressed forest folk, the foxes, mice and rabbits, want their freedom and are ready to revolt. Amongst all of this a crafty vagabond will slip from wood to clearing, sowing aid and taking favour where it can! The different goals and different roles mean no two games are alike, and the tantalising challenge of playing with a more difficult faction keeps it fresh. A swathe of expansions followed the base game, including devout lizards, river-trading otters, criminal crows, noble moles, and rat hordes. All of the subtleties of a COIN system game are here, in a slightly more accessible format, and this game deserves the kudos it receives from its fan base.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizS--sfdeJOuJUJnmWIyd6TYx6FkZ9X-_JxmXdSnOWiqyTF0Vjd_ZaFe5rf73WRaeVGwEvHoWG_7GMH5mrZcgHnrXjLPyDsMcq4H48lqvpnNDmuxBfy3KBvVDXlkVoPsNG6swAg7kOVyYP5_w8AQ1zUUUst0l4wAcjP7ZACNHqf7zpIbQXMJUh/s1400/Gallerist.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="1129" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizS--sfdeJOuJUJnmWIyd6TYx6FkZ9X-_JxmXdSnOWiqyTF0Vjd_ZaFe5rf73WRaeVGwEvHoWG_7GMH5mrZcgHnrXjLPyDsMcq4H48lqvpnNDmuxBfy3KBvVDXlkVoPsNG6swAg7kOVyYP5_w8AQ1zUUUst0l4wAcjP7ZACNHqf7zpIbQXMJUh/w161-h200/Gallerist.png" width="161" /></a></div><b>1. <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/125153/gallerist">The Gallerist</a>: </b>Top of the list for the teenies is another Vital Lacerda design. This is his greatest game; a game about the art industry, in which players are simultaneously promoters, collectors and sellers of art works. Most other art games before and since have been about buying and selling art to make money, or about blandly building an art collection; that's alright, they have their place, but this game is all about creating, supporting and bolstering the business behind the art. Amongst the actions a player may take, are buying a work or commissioning a work from an artist, promoting an artist to increase their fame (and hence the value of any of their works), selling a work you have a contract drawn up for, and bidding on the international market to corner the best of the artists' output. Whilst it sounds rather straightforward, everything in this game is rather subtle. Lacerda's worker placement concept was to give players an action when a worker is replaced by an opposing player's action selection, giving them a "kicked out" action they can take out of turn. You can find out more about how wonderful this game is <a href="https://fellonmyhead.blogspot.com/2016/08/art-for-arts-sake.html">here</a>.<p></p><p>That concludes this list; there were a lot of excellent games I have to leave out of this list, because i had to pick ten! Vital Lacerda has kind of dominated the decade for me; Before you know it, another decade will have passed and I will have written another. I hope to see you here before then...</p>Pawnstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14138454253813433739noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16505715.post-71894026933110101832023-06-18T12:30:00.001+01:002023-06-18T18:33:23.663+01:00The Road Less Travelled: Asgard's Chosen<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkb6Zl9vvqONIazYxs6UC6U2OTZ9N_vT-4rxltkRy7SdnqonH0KvEqvTRNFuRwW5vvCTHsvWQkoDhdrja805Gfbl6j971thBI4kgUwXPXIrjBrNErNto8UiGv_NY9iApeDSwijry4XBGL96ShFStlGVC8eRcnBgeBT_BJ3YxmOxfanm9Ef0g/s4160/IMG_20230618_090231.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkb6Zl9vvqONIazYxs6UC6U2OTZ9N_vT-4rxltkRy7SdnqonH0KvEqvTRNFuRwW5vvCTHsvWQkoDhdrja805Gfbl6j971thBI4kgUwXPXIrjBrNErNto8UiGv_NY9iApeDSwijry4XBGL96ShFStlGVC8eRcnBgeBT_BJ3YxmOxfanm9Ef0g/w150-h200/IMG_20230618_090231.jpg" width="150" /></a></div></div>When <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/36218/dominion">Dominion</a> sprang up from the primordial swamp of card games, it opened up a new set of mechanisms which, whilst they had been seen before in boardgames (<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/870/empires-ancient-world">Empires of the Ancient World</a>, for instance), had never enjoyed such focus before. The deckbuilder was born; and it wasn't too long before many other games were using it as a core mechanism. Apart from other, pure, deckbuilders consisting entirely of decks of cards, there were a few designs which added in a board; the deckbuilding element would affect the board state and/or vice-versa.<p></p><p>For many of us, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/6422/morgan-dontanville">Morgan Dontanville</a>'s take upon deckbuilding, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/145553/asgards-chosen">Asgard's Chosen</a>, would pass mostly unnoticed. Indeed, I came across it years after its release, and having purchased a copy a few more years passed before I managed to play. This wait was regrettable; the usual barriers of incorrect player mix, too many at the table, and playing newer titles, prevented our experiencing what is actually one of the best deckbuilders ever designed.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrE2TPIh9F5q4E2SvI9fMrjidCRaVKpd0Ia9l9tSQpR47s8vdeWoWfXM2c81Sb0Rc4D5ZQ50xglfsP4EjQk6HhpiXUZWGQIfWBuJXOAJwEJtx57Qrrh4DsXTiWeoO37AquL3TQey0ZTMSI053YpMLylOvr00Ocs7szDbe4ggPZDGeTfRp58A/s4160/IMG_20230618_092142.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrE2TPIh9F5q4E2SvI9fMrjidCRaVKpd0Ia9l9tSQpR47s8vdeWoWfXM2c81Sb0Rc4D5ZQ50xglfsP4EjQk6HhpiXUZWGQIfWBuJXOAJwEJtx57Qrrh4DsXTiWeoO37AquL3TQey0ZTMSI053YpMLylOvr00Ocs7szDbe4ggPZDGeTfRp58A/w200-h150/IMG_20230618_092142.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>The backdrop is Norse mythology, and the players, who are Teutonic lords, set their heroes (one male, one female) against beasts, monsters and faerie folk, in order to conquer the lands and seek favour from the fickle gods they serve. That theme in itself should have bought it more table time, despite much favour falling towards its near-contemporary, Blood Rage, which is inferior to Asgard's Chosen in many ways. <p></p><p>Blood Rage is, however, much nicer to look at; this goes some way to explaining why games such as Asgard's Chosen fall by the wayside. Asgard's Chosen's board, made up of tiles, is by no means pretty; it is however very functional. It is divided into tiles which are placed by the players to make up a mythical landscape of dark hills, foreboding mountains, thick forest, miresome bogs, wet lakelands, and dry scrublands, interspersed with enchanted lands and fortified towns. It looks gawdy, and perhaps other art choices could have been made for this game; however, it works. There is absolutely no mistaking which space is which terrain, and I would suggest not even colourblindness would prevent distinguishing one terrain from another.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-KafRmlhoRHUuZZ8LKj7Lzi3IJc6NrCRUE2aSvci08esRv2QdZfTbqNYnf-TAuOe61H61NZZMfcs9j0bWOSAIehLgkuD9fKa_6no8YGCfTL7lsev0OJbFin0ZDX8FBkeua9XsR1z3FPakYefMH1bsHtrx3qMQ6kUfWadXEcIYZUR3S4Oi_g/s4160/IMG_20230618_092501.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-KafRmlhoRHUuZZ8LKj7Lzi3IJc6NrCRUE2aSvci08esRv2QdZfTbqNYnf-TAuOe61H61NZZMfcs9j0bWOSAIehLgkuD9fKa_6no8YGCfTL7lsev0OJbFin0ZDX8FBkeua9XsR1z3FPakYefMH1bsHtrx3qMQ6kUfWadXEcIYZUR3S4Oi_g/w200-h150/IMG_20230618_092501.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p>Terrain is important. As your heroes move from land to land, they come up against the denizens there, both as enemies and as potential recruits to join them in their conquest. In the right kind of terrain these foes will be much stronger; in the wrong kind of terrain, they will be weaker or ineffective altogether. The Fossegrim, for instance, is formidable; however, it will be even more powerful in lakeland territory. Conversely, the Fossegrim will be weak and useless in the dry scrubland. If you are fortunate enough to control lakeland, and one is available in the tableau (called the "Tisch" in this game), you may be able to recruit a Fossegrim in the muster phase. Every creature has a native terrain (in which it is strongest), and an opposing terrain (in which it is useless).</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhkCH3IEHXSjtJszq--ZBjhO6wR-bz4OFQBjSKmLLMGdp_QZNglb7XCin7xX4FanrxhmIAzNU22v1CkPqCpXVSVoCS7ava6VMkc19kca7wgAzrjwzd_0RO9UJNfRlBWGdDEoEZNAWCOjv7ypn9oxf5A1ieFCH_zXvuJJ2q19fw1PKa7__bww/s4160/IMG_20230618_090702.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhkCH3IEHXSjtJszq--ZBjhO6wR-bz4OFQBjSKmLLMGdp_QZNglb7XCin7xX4FanrxhmIAzNU22v1CkPqCpXVSVoCS7ava6VMkc19kca7wgAzrjwzd_0RO9UJNfRlBWGdDEoEZNAWCOjv7ypn9oxf5A1ieFCH_zXvuJJ2q19fw1PKa7__bww/w200-h150/IMG_20230618_090702.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Battle involves playing cards from your hand to add strength to your attack or defence; as I hinted earlier, terrain is important during battle, and will dictate what is playable. You can never play a creature from your hand if you are attacking a territory of its opposing terrain; conversely, you will get to use a creature's special ability if attacking into or from its native terrain. These special abilities are often exceptions which affect the outcome of combat, and a cunning lord will time their use to their benefit. Success in attacking a town or terrain results in the attacker gaining control of that area, from which the player may then muster new creature cards into their deck.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGnrDjXYDDB4OsB1lIDoJmhFvUnQZf5xQLfcWw1TOAzwDWV9HhX5NGErHjwu4HqlN0hYOHlds52q3mgGjlmKUbpHS54BZKDPRd85ThkClGt-_rpFMPTzcxk56pLSZSuvf4L9rTyQpYvhuLYcxC2ugiVPohBW1y4rMHDE6lq9LWxfuneLGkew/s4160/IMG_20230618_090731.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGnrDjXYDDB4OsB1lIDoJmhFvUnQZf5xQLfcWw1TOAzwDWV9HhX5NGErHjwu4HqlN0hYOHlds52q3mgGjlmKUbpHS54BZKDPRd85ThkClGt-_rpFMPTzcxk56pLSZSuvf4L9rTyQpYvhuLYcxC2ugiVPohBW1y4rMHDE6lq9LWxfuneLGkew/w150-h200/IMG_20230618_090731.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>Mustering, as I also hinted earlier, is terrain-based. You cannot muster Fairies if you don't control a forest, you cannot muster a troll if you have no hills, and so on. Enchanted items require your presence in an enchanted land, other items require your control of a town. In typical deckbuilding fashion, you must pay for these with cards remaining in your hand. There are exceptions, as there always are in games such as this; you have more buying power if you pay using creatures of the same home terrain, and some items and creatures permit mustering without payment. Again, opposing terrain prevents a creature being used in payment.<p></p><p>As creatures are mustered, and the tableau replenished, Events may appear. These Events either provide an ongoing effect (ongoing until the next Event card appears, or an instantaneous effect, applied immediately and just once. These add a pinch of uncertainty to the game, and a dollop of flavour to it. Most of the time they aren't triggered, because when cards are drawn for any other reason, a drawn Event is discarded.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzXXORRxC8ldM5L1liivi-f6gw7TB6cOBmnCN_rqqbwt9N6VlZ7LKCaRBzTTyoEfdbCtz32UbMo8ZFQIxfAFmOh3mwGYPaMKPAtNZFA5i9f1DkSOi5WLcHz6tss4yVp-ZVzfT4EdiQg3cJ5Y4UFMNJ-lmMz90xXTPi2KQ0fbESK-p8P-NYBQ/s4160/IMG_20230618_090515.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzXXORRxC8ldM5L1liivi-f6gw7TB6cOBmnCN_rqqbwt9N6VlZ7LKCaRBzTTyoEfdbCtz32UbMo8ZFQIxfAFmOh3mwGYPaMKPAtNZFA5i9f1DkSOi5WLcHz6tss4yVp-ZVzfT4EdiQg3cJ5Y4UFMNJ-lmMz90xXTPi2KQ0fbESK-p8P-NYBQ/w150-h200/IMG_20230618_090515.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>Players will build their decks from a small deck of ten God Cards; these cards serve two purposes, apart from their general function as strength one cards. Gods can grant favour, giving the player a bonus towards particular actions during their turn, or can be appeased at an appropriate phase in the turn. Appeasement usually involves some quest or sacrifice being fulfilled; for instance, this could be defeating an opponent's hero in combat, relinquishing control of a number of territories, or sacrificing a number of creatures from your hand to the Barrows. Appeasement is required to win the game, so each player is aiming to meet these requirements through their conquests and acquisitions.<p></p>Asgard's Chosen is a fantastic example of how deckbuilding can be used to best effect as part of a boardgame; the deckbuilding forms the core, but the play is dictated by the board state. Ultimately it's the board state which will drive the players' success in appeasing the gods; but this has to be achieved by first building a strong deck. I know, that goes without saying for a deckbuilder; however, there are many that are focussed solely on the deck content as opposed to using the deck as a tool to change the state of another element. In this case, the relationship between board and card is strong; the terrain you possess will directly affect your ability to fight, to recruit, and to appease. <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVLW1JsV_ARriboGp3tXLxwrWwv2anvDESpurMQJmlIIwsS6HivdzSvs0RQFPjq50rEYFXrwFnBu8V4gwoo9kwqhlSk4gXJJg1auNQKcdfYVu810PttA_hZlm596K6Ptu8IWhrjcyZPd9NUADrXhIoh3stDsfQjwL6dAdSrtgXeifUSi0C_g/s4160/IMG_20230618_092148.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVLW1JsV_ARriboGp3tXLxwrWwv2anvDESpurMQJmlIIwsS6HivdzSvs0RQFPjq50rEYFXrwFnBu8V4gwoo9kwqhlSk4gXJJg1auNQKcdfYVu810PttA_hZlm596K6Ptu8IWhrjcyZPd9NUADrXhIoh3stDsfQjwL6dAdSrtgXeifUSi0C_g/w200-h150/IMG_20230618_092148.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>What sets this game apart from other, similar deckbuilding games is the level of interaction. Frequently a deckbuilder sets everyone against the engine itself, with a touch of take-that from some cards, endeavouring to artificially induce direct conflict between players. Asgard's Chosen takes this conflict to the board; and while there will be frequent fighting with the game system, particularly on opening turns, the more decisive and engaging activity is always between players. The God Cards drive it this way, urging players into conflict. This not only works, it feels right in a game about heroes and monsters!<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR71C1FMf3hfQBTMh9-7oKlyBZqKypp0l2fizgHiUNvO5E2e-WhK8B39ZuXQFINj3h9lAX0eQQ22QJF7zXy1ykprlh0jyZTyeFXfasyX3aBGlgZF3kYfF9dcgvT6t3QFdZvo37Jc7wpUVOG26PnNHmvZonwBnBLCzSxw_Rzn6dYQ67CwOdIw/s4160/IMG_20230618_092511.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR71C1FMf3hfQBTMh9-7oKlyBZqKypp0l2fizgHiUNvO5E2e-WhK8B39ZuXQFINj3h9lAX0eQQ22QJF7zXy1ykprlh0jyZTyeFXfasyX3aBGlgZF3kYfF9dcgvT6t3QFdZvo37Jc7wpUVOG26PnNHmvZonwBnBLCzSxw_Rzn6dYQ67CwOdIw/w200-h150/IMG_20230618_092511.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Our first couple of plays were hampered by a combination of self-induced terrain confusion, and a lack of clarity on some creature and item abilities. Getting past these mild challenges had us enjoying the challenges of this underrated gem; there was consistent jockeying for control of key areas on the board, surprising (and sometimes unsurprising) combat outcomes, and the tension of difficult choices, typically between what to use in battle and what to keep for muster. Once we were used to the gods, it took no time for opponents to start playing to their goals; concurrently they would often undermine others efforts to appease, resulting in a competitive and challenging game of conflict.<p></p><p>On the back of these repeat plays, I can heartily recommend you try Asgard's Chosen; preferably with someone who has experience of the game, to help avoid those first play hang-ups we experienced. Availability is a difficult subject to broach, as the game is now ten years old, and not readily available. Even worse, the publisher is no longer in business, having been assimilated; hopefully someone will give it a new lease of life, but I am not confident.</p>Pawnstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14138454253813433739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16505715.post-55632838513838949122023-06-17T12:02:00.002+01:002023-07-12T18:18:59.998+01:00Return of the Emperor<p> Around fifteen years ago, a chap called <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/8184/adam-west">Adam West</a> designed a game. On the shoulders of popular games such as Puerto Rico and Twilight Imperium, West's design paradigm was of a science-fiction-themed role-selection game. The result was <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/27463/galactic-emperor">Galactic Emperor</a>, a 4X game of galactic conquest through force and influence. It marked the first of <a href="http://www.crosscutgames.com/">CrossCut Games</a>' output, and was a great opener for Mr West, who went on to design <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/50768/ninjato">Ninjato</a>, a game <a href="https://fellonmyhead.blogspot.com/2012/12/when-it-surfaced-ninjato-passed.html">I discussed a while ago.</a> I digress...</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvZHCt5TrhLproGal9FI4GSQsHq7r4poEgJwirtlaQR8__cNJDP0dZrjrKoCI88kUUhPyXRLGsQSMsGu-BQhp2l7-hPj5N84QGZeIf4rFvIMqGtnoABvFEA6s6H9ukWv-a8yR9zp85ukIdkoQZ_qIT1cDFf2M2TzJFxzj-j_xQ-DcwHVLJUQ/s4160/IMG_20230617_113218.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvZHCt5TrhLproGal9FI4GSQsHq7r4poEgJwirtlaQR8__cNJDP0dZrjrKoCI88kUUhPyXRLGsQSMsGu-BQhp2l7-hPj5N84QGZeIf4rFvIMqGtnoABvFEA6s6H9ukWv-a8yR9zp85ukIdkoQZ_qIT1cDFf2M2TzJFxzj-j_xQ-DcwHVLJUQ/w143-h190/IMG_20230617_113218.jpg" width="143" /></a></div>GE was an interesting game; however, it was a little clunky in places (game-end for instance), components were comparatively cheap, there were clear weaknesses or imbalances with some of the roles (some were just not interesting or useful enough), and worst of all the game had to compete with the likes of TI3 and Eclipse.<p></p><p>Thankfully, West took the base design of GE and turned it into something significantly more palpable - <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/279581/empire-stars">Empire of the Stars</a>. EotS is less clunky, components are much better, the imbalances between roles have been suitably addressed, and as far as completing a space opera on a school night, EotS has suitably delivered.</p><p></p><p>What exactly has West done to make things better?</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHKLmFWdtpzKkbWFU6xjTSFMTWh2yhTTyKIgidsYGEk9W93cx_g5VIdnxvWyBNjU9a3tt8BgGcXfuq_6sHgJ5EsxTlf0xFVXf2YbBy9ND71I7TAPp3cKD5YvYQFEbt5Z35fMmCl-QG8dDCvJkRqH-um75l6H0TCvknb8N5tzOxyOpRhYyLFA/s4160/IMG_20230530_225400.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHKLmFWdtpzKkbWFU6xjTSFMTWh2yhTTyKIgidsYGEk9W93cx_g5VIdnxvWyBNjU9a3tt8BgGcXfuq_6sHgJ5EsxTlf0xFVXf2YbBy9ND71I7TAPp3cKD5YvYQFEbt5Z35fMmCl-QG8dDCvJkRqH-um75l6H0TCvknb8N5tzOxyOpRhYyLFA/w200-h150/IMG_20230530_225400.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>First of all, the role selection has been restricted heavily; gone are the individual role cards and they have been replaced with something akin to the action selection in Lacerda's Vinhos. Important roles are placed at extremities of a triad, with a central role forming the hub to three spokes of two roles. In order to reach the role a player wants, they have to pay for it, dropping a coin on each intervening space to get to the role they require. Warlord (the role for naval campaigning and colonisation) forms the hub; immediately in three differnt directions are Merchant (buying and selling resources), Steward (production)) and Scientist (technological development); beyond these are, respectively, Regent (political influence and appointing an Emperor), Engineer (shipbuilding and deployment), and Explorer (placing of regions in sectors). Thus, taking Regent after an opponent has taken Explorer will cost you three credits (to skip Scientist , Warlord and Merchant. The money placed has the effect of sweetening the roles skipped, akin to the same mechanism used in Puerto Rico.<p></p><p>Secondly, instead of the ubiquitous hexmap approach, West has divided the galaxy into sectors consisting of four regions each; whilst this means there are potentially six neighbouring regions to any single region on the board, effectively a hexmap, the approach taken is much cleaner. It is deliberately restrictive, such that placement is limited to the board space; in combination with the sector grouping, this makes the Explorer action much more interesting than in most games of this type (and certainly more interesting than in GE). Sector grouping is important mainly because under combat in the Warlord action, all your strength in the affected sector is used! Which brings me onto...</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfoOuRnZ9G4kPVKtxhmtp4DJfVuF_9q7CO1L-1O40x_CJ4Mpo6W18SzMSXxMCbYFcCw9We9kMbrF736in2-wzlyM91b0p5uEIVIecqArNHGtzpeYMJpUHv8nTHCK3_XMwPSf6K8p58g_UI6BQVBv3KgAbqyXyhEJwgCfFTHyoGZnLWF_27w/s4160/IMG_20230617_113255.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfoOuRnZ9G4kPVKtxhmtp4DJfVuF_9q7CO1L-1O40x_CJ4Mpo6W18SzMSXxMCbYFcCw9We9kMbrF736in2-wzlyM91b0p5uEIVIecqArNHGtzpeYMJpUHv8nTHCK3_XMwPSf6K8p58g_UI6BQVBv3KgAbqyXyhEJwgCfFTHyoGZnLWF_27w/w200-h150/IMG_20230617_113255.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Thirdly, combat is spectacular. In many games of this type, you would, at this point, start rolling dice and assigning hits. In this game, you split your combined combat strengths among three different totals; Tactics, Weapons and Shields. Weapons and Shields basically form the attack and defence strengths, with one shield point negating one weapon point; the difference between your Weapons and the opponent's Shields dictate how many hits you may apply, and you get to decide where (in the sector) they may be applied. Before all of that, however, there is the tactical victory; comparing Tactics, if one side has a greater score, they win the tactical battle, score a point, and then get to move any ships in the sector. The limit on how many ships, is the difference in Tactics scores. Ships moved out of the sector can no longer be hit, and as there is a point to be had just for this tactical superiority, some interesting results emerge. This is very much like a development on the combat system used in Dune and Scythe; everyone can see how much strength you have, but cannot tell how it will be spent.<p></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAbNgPpb1Ei9-7lKs-B7D1YoVSaUKNUoUVBklx3ieRsw248ihUTVBzCLuUw4NagmX2XkwWG_d6SOiNLaZnmlXtkIgA9GT89-CFj_YmoX4zIc8GI3OrI_okocYLOkH6i2Ssk6fCgIE08f6oUv7axpCDRc3vqZC5DPcJib8kIKXPhn0FvRmOdQ/s4160/IMG_20230617_113739.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAbNgPpb1Ei9-7lKs-B7D1YoVSaUKNUoUVBklx3ieRsw248ihUTVBzCLuUw4NagmX2XkwWG_d6SOiNLaZnmlXtkIgA9GT89-CFj_YmoX4zIc8GI3OrI_okocYLOkH6i2Ssk6fCgIE08f6oUv7axpCDRc3vqZC5DPcJib8kIKXPhn0FvRmOdQ/w200-h150/IMG_20230617_113739.jpg" width="200" /></a>Scoring has also taken a more interesting angle; the very tokens which represent your colonies and starbases are also used for scoring, and the game's clock (any player's supply running out of these tokens triggers the end of the game). There are, additionally, galaxy tokens which are used to score for extras, such as the Emperor's edict, reaching distant galaxies, and for some Power and Technology based scores. If you destroy another player's colony, you will also score that token, which goes into your "throne" (an oubliette which is checked for points during the final scoring); the upshot of this being that aggression is somewhat encouraged, and turtling will probably give an opponent the edge. This may go against the grain with those of you who abhor hidden trackable information; of course, it is always your choice to leave things open, but maintaining a little mystique is crucial for particular Powers to work. </p><p>Powers and Technologies are at the same time the most interesting and controversial changes; they tend to give benefits associated with one of the roles used in the game, or permit scoring for particular game elements.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkrJvpki1IXqSyiNSQDP2iBapD6HqqJCAKuxvlnwIZVSccHTaKGBdlrdaQdr6_jFECrYfX2TLte13SadfDKH2JKmQ8O343SkSMSGn_mCXg4uKd1_riGO9tiCwrSSqG-dnprmQNI9PqPAOBeZF8GwDwM_wSwPwLzspldXECyGlUxKudvdHOYw/s4160/IMG_20230617_113414.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkrJvpki1IXqSyiNSQDP2iBapD6HqqJCAKuxvlnwIZVSccHTaKGBdlrdaQdr6_jFECrYfX2TLte13SadfDKH2JKmQ8O343SkSMSGn_mCXg4uKd1_riGO9tiCwrSSqG-dnprmQNI9PqPAOBeZF8GwDwM_wSwPwLzspldXECyGlUxKudvdHOYw/w200-h150/IMG_20230617_113414.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Technologies in EotS are divided into types and levels; they come in Military, Industrial, and Science & Culture flavours, and the cost of development will vary according to their level. No two technology cards are the same, although some are similar; this induces more theme to the game without restricting the milieu. There is no restrictive technological tree; it is heavily simplified into these three types, and having one technology of a type reduces the cost to develop another of the same type. By comparison, their GE counterparts are muted and bland; there were also fewer to contend with, some of them being duplicated rather than unique.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0wIMVhpUjdJ3Bcu8UFrBAEEbC31f54rk83W5PIF0cxVvpRJQ-I2mKrS7uYrs-H0zGknfKmMNpiDFZiDsq4HjsEiXgiTJtFwhXHE-GWaOcSaeeAG1b1pX4WMbdYkVaB8noiIYDrkB_7v2u9Me-zMQ1-MrgxgED46LkjCMlCPbWsbLcQZwvww/s4160/IMG_20230617_113326.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0wIMVhpUjdJ3Bcu8UFrBAEEbC31f54rk83W5PIF0cxVvpRJQ-I2mKrS7uYrs-H0zGknfKmMNpiDFZiDsq4HjsEiXgiTJtFwhXHE-GWaOcSaeeAG1b1pX4WMbdYkVaB8noiIYDrkB_7v2u9Me-zMQ1-MrgxgED46LkjCMlCPbWsbLcQZwvww/w200-h150/IMG_20230617_113326.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Powers are the biggest change in this game; they have effectively been grafted over the top of the game to provide a bit of asymmetry between players' empires. Powers provide two levels of capability; the normal power is generally used on a turn-by-turn basis, but the surge power on the reverse gives a much more powerful version of the same power, which is triggered when a wormhole appears in the galaxy. They mainly behave rather like high level technologies; apart from bolstering the theme, this essentially provides racial differences without actually defining alien races. There are clear echoes of Cosmic Encounter here, and the combination of different player powers with different available technologies from game to game, completely changes the game's story arc from game to game. For your first game, it is recommended to put these aside, as they can induce great swings in the usefulness of particular roles or in scoring, and one definitely needs experience to deal with particular powers.<p></p><p>I don't think I will ever play without Powers; they are part of what makes the game interesting and instantly replayable; however, I cannot say there hasn't been confusion over some of these game-changing abilities. Just remember the game is to be enjoyed; if you struggle with any of them, put them aside to ensure nobody gets to use them.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxRJQFVvUFK50NNn1ZZC4bY9UZqOgw4FsXOwqBM2VJgq6MNBUUU5oFdnoSS8QuVJY1uZ378DK0uo6rugkuw1D7fOGYUaoIw3TPPxmBi6wOIzTQSHX0LdpYT7RbiACtA_06a2rG64fj1LK64Z3my00-KKtJr4r9Ko-SmAXDPrPBEw89mj869Q/s4160/IMG_20230530_225508.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxRJQFVvUFK50NNn1ZZC4bY9UZqOgw4FsXOwqBM2VJgq6MNBUUU5oFdnoSS8QuVJY1uZ378DK0uo6rugkuw1D7fOGYUaoIw3TPPxmBi6wOIzTQSHX0LdpYT7RbiACtA_06a2rG64fj1LK64Z3my00-KKtJr4r9Ko-SmAXDPrPBEw89mj869Q/w200-h150/IMG_20230530_225508.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Adam West has made the best effort so far in condensing the sci-fi 4X experience into a game under two hours long (although typically your first game or two is likely to stretch beyond that limit, this goes without saying for most mid-length games these days). There are the obvious influences from other games from inside and outside the genre; however, they are put together in such an original fashion that EotS feels very different to any of them. I particularly enjoyed the combat system; splitting your combat strength in aiming for an intended outcome is very interesting; it seems almost completely deterministic, but not knowing where your opponent is going to allocate their strength induces a spicy uncertainty I relish. The overarching reliance on particular roles to progress particular imperial aspects also appeals; coupling this with the Powers and Technologies forces every game to be different and play out differently. From massive fleet-building and continual combative expansion during our first game, we went to frugally avoiding too much engineering and politics in our second game, simply because one player was a Despot, and kept our fleets rather reduced.<p></p><p>The only real downside I see in this game (and in all fairness it's not a massive downside) is keeping track of player Technologies and Powers turn-by-turn. At the start, it's not too bad; but as the game speeds on, and more Technologies appear, it's a lot to track and remember. I have gotten into the habit of requesting Power and Technology use before, during and after roles are selected, just to help others not miss out on using them. There may be a design intent there; players tend to lose games in general through making mistakes and forgetting to use abilities, and such stumbling blocks will help with this; however, at the moment all I find is it delays things a little, as players look around the table and make their analyses.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5H6t9QIMDe7Mx-TqWVZirhCQlH08t1Rl9HMJ5IhCM-meHxIH1y6uJRm9uJxgxuh52VvxJXSa4KA6wHqRh5UqSQvtSh505dEYj6JMxF0MncVk_z8iotaDVDpZqzOhQA75vcYO26vuaZwdzNTb7B850YSDCDCU7bYt-zBrh36o6fqL4yMcl0w/s4160/IMG_20230530_225408.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5H6t9QIMDe7Mx-TqWVZirhCQlH08t1Rl9HMJ5IhCM-meHxIH1y6uJRm9uJxgxuh52VvxJXSa4KA6wHqRh5UqSQvtSh505dEYj6JMxF0MncVk_z8iotaDVDpZqzOhQA75vcYO26vuaZwdzNTb7B850YSDCDCU7bYt-zBrh36o6fqL4yMcl0w/w400-h300/IMG_20230530_225408.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><div>As negative as that sounds, EotS is one of the greatest games in its genre, and if you can you really ought to try it. Unfortunately for most of you outside of the USA, that won't be easy; I have struggled to find it in stock anywhere, and although you can order it direct from the publisher, there's the shipping, the import duty, the Brexit effect...you get the picture. It's a shame there was not a wider distribution for this game; let's hope there is another crowdfunding campaign in the offing, or that another publisher/distributor takes it on. I really feel a lot of you folk are going to miss out.</div>Pawnstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14138454253813433739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16505715.post-89579047505370515002022-09-18T17:25:00.000+01:002023-06-25T10:15:50.225+01:00A Perfect Catch.<div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3eUtzk_P8djSFaf6fwmyAnhBagM8PdD0MFpp-TeYw6nicr0HS00mE3v9RdNhv5MgctwY5OWD8OlScnrkEubzful3Nvi0uitfkNVxAm_D7PncUwaBNRwTZyPE17QqfGMSZgJQ2lQdW-7TJ0xb_aED17-i7zqhVPe1DH91dW6Kxy5BKO9k7Nw/s4160/IMG_20220918_165804.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3eUtzk_P8djSFaf6fwmyAnhBagM8PdD0MFpp-TeYw6nicr0HS00mE3v9RdNhv5MgctwY5OWD8OlScnrkEubzful3Nvi0uitfkNVxAm_D7PncUwaBNRwTZyPE17QqfGMSZgJQ2lQdW-7TJ0xb_aED17-i7zqhVPe1DH91dW6Kxy5BKO9k7Nw/w150-h200/IMG_20220918_165804.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><p></p>The recent <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/259837/crescent-city-cargo">Crescent City Cargo</a> KS campaign (well, delivered last year) marked the second game in the Cajun Trilogy designed by Jason Dinger (the third game of the trilogy, Acadians, is going to involve trade and settlement in Louisiana, but specific details are not available, and this information comes from <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/2520623/cotg-2ed-reprint-crescent-city-cargo-live-ks-now#:~:text=and%20so%20on...%20%3F-,There%20is%20a%203rd%20game%20in%20the%20trilogy%2C%20Acadians.%20However%2C%20it%20is%20still%20in%20the%20prototype%20phase%20%26%20not%20currently%20signed%20by%20any%20publishers%20yet.%20Also%2C%20I%20can%27t%20guarantee%20that%20CCC%20will%20get%20a%202ed%20or%20that%20CotG%20will%20get%20a%203ed.%20I%20don%27t%20attempt%20to%20make%20any%20kind%20of%20predictions%20about%20the%20gaming%20market%20in%20the%20future.,-3">designer comments</a> in a BGG thread associated with the KS campaign). As part of this campaign, I pledged for the second edition of the first game in the trilogy, <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/255455/captains-gulf">Captains of the Gulf</a>. Here's a brief description, and what I think about it after a handful of plays.<p></p><p>Captains of the Gulf sets players in competition as captains of fishing vessels, dredging for shellfish (shrimps, crabs and clams) in the Gulf of Mexico. The board represents a number of fishing areas (represented by sea hexes), three ports (Morgan City, Corpus Christi, and Tampa), and a number of tracks and rondels for displaying player trades, tracking game progress, and determining which core actions are available for players to use. There are also bonus actions on the board, which may be used by cashing in your bonus action cube(s) for the round.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSPT6Ht6IGKFNcNqnnUO7IUCglx_wlVvf5Z4mZ6yhW6EvuajT9IbH5TITW-uIYRB-1hjaaQNudYCEXFBo2o09IFJ4QFCEuq0LTjRCsYOhwYq0UvD0aW_VTzhXebfqYPtumWdFmje7gIa0GCqfyDRKEi0_VLVxuBfNHpGoACxFfdhs5WuXa9Q/s4160/IMG_20220918_164010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSPT6Ht6IGKFNcNqnnUO7IUCglx_wlVvf5Z4mZ6yhW6EvuajT9IbH5TITW-uIYRB-1hjaaQNudYCEXFBo2o09IFJ4QFCEuq0LTjRCsYOhwYq0UvD0aW_VTzhXebfqYPtumWdFmje7gIa0GCqfyDRKEi0_VLVxuBfNHpGoACxFfdhs5WuXa9Q/w200-h150/IMG_20220918_164010.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Players are each given their own personal board, representing their vessel. In the middle is the boat itself; below this the fuel tank gauge is displayed, with starting fuel tanks having a capacity of six gallons (which can be improved to eight or ten gallons). To the top of the board are three slots for fishing licences, to the right the slot for boat improvements, and to the left the slot for crew members. All of these slots are fed by the game's multi-function cards, which are used for any of these, and also for fishing.<p></p><p>At the core of the game are two rondel mechanisms; the main action rondel, and a round tracking rondel. As any player completes a circuit of the main rondel, the smaller rondel is advanced; should that complete a full circuit, the round ends. How far you can move around the action rondel for free (you can always pay hard cash to move extra) depends upon how your ship is crewed, with more mates garnering extra moves.</p><p>When the smaller rondel completes its circuit, the current round ends and, if relevant, the players then have to resolve the card for this round - which could involve paying customs, renewing all your fishing licences, or migrating shellfish from one fishing area to another.</p><p>The actions are divided into port actions (indicated by an anchor), and boat actions; port actions may only be implemented whilst at port, boat actions at any time.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7b1mMKWVJWE7YgdT7R86lztUHGtOX8XJgBuH8fSlQ5RR1zbRYNaWHLoolC3UV7mCMcHCUcvPGFqqJZ1VrF6W1OY5rtOaTNLgShv8FQ_yv1MdLyhnsWjCFU9mQGr5k7duO7FJsYKVhl8dTnUK3Xp-Fv7S1ow6i8S9ebnGAe5ue7SiRpWyh_A/s4160/IMG_20220918_163109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7b1mMKWVJWE7YgdT7R86lztUHGtOX8XJgBuH8fSlQ5RR1zbRYNaWHLoolC3UV7mCMcHCUcvPGFqqJZ1VrF6W1OY5rtOaTNLgShv8FQ_yv1MdLyhnsWjCFU9mQGr5k7duO7FJsYKVhl8dTnUK3Xp-Fv7S1ow6i8S9ebnGAe5ue7SiRpWyh_A/w200-h150/IMG_20220918_163109.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Port actions include the shipyard, selling, and refuelling actions; all three actions are usually carried out, but as the game draws on and boats become more efficient, players will skip them to gain an advantage. Refuelling simply fills your boat with fuel, but shipyard and selling actions are a bit more interesting.<p></p><p>At the shipyard, you can improve your vessel; increasing the number of holds, fitting a bigger engine or bigger fuel tank, adding in a galley and so on. Each of these improvements affects some other aspect of the game; for instance more holds means more fishing, more fuel means sailing farther without having to refuel, and better engines will use less fuel when idling, or moving faster. In addition to boat improvements, players can also employ crew. A good crew can, for instance, help you trawl more efficiently, garner a better price at the market, or reward more benefits for sales at ports. Lastly, fishing licences may also be purchased, permitting you to fish for crabs, clams or shrimp.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwSSpRraj34-mAqrF6mHls0F0KNEqXv0VsB4mkvuBCNgrDm6zFUvQiGx3nk1FaUiZgJexuNeHaK5O03lRHxxXDdFQ0dqWKeg_QRL5aI89VJC36Q1QVQMv2XhvXuR-xVA3yGJscX42JMsWP4f9Vfetb9mSJps3s4gYFpqGg3aISELMZhKCRA/s4160/IMG_20220918_163046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwSSpRraj34-mAqrF6mHls0F0KNEqXv0VsB4mkvuBCNgrDm6zFUvQiGx3nk1FaUiZgJexuNeHaK5O03lRHxxXDdFQ0dqWKeg_QRL5aI89VJC36Q1QVQMv2XhvXuR-xVA3yGJscX42JMsWP4f9Vfetb9mSJps3s4gYFpqGg3aISELMZhKCRA/w200-h150/IMG_20220918_163046.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p>Selling is something one generally does on returning to port; you get to sell whatever is in your hold. Not only do you get money for this, but you also get to build up a good business reputation in the port where you are selling. Selling a variety of seafood enhances this reputation, as does the right crew; a mate will move the marker a little further along the Port Sales Track.</p><p>Boat actions involve sailing to or from port; quite simply, one can either fish, or return to port. There is one action on the rondel for each, and one to do either. The key action of the two, as one might expect in a game about fishing, is the fishing action.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhgnDF-EE2LlcVu7DrJ68yuv7f1pIwZOR5kuMU0BClJ0CyLhgX-lYzpZi9JDynG2e9kGM02zW4RyzA8qy_OMI05VYs3U9BlKY17LmnPIWiYLTBh0zA1QKGUNRNNG5zL9Op7SQzlFn7gqTP9ldk7k6YieWMmQa9E0RFiFmSVa0w7PthVvOUPg/s4160/IMG_20220918_163029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhgnDF-EE2LlcVu7DrJ68yuv7f1pIwZOR5kuMU0BClJ0CyLhgX-lYzpZi9JDynG2e9kGM02zW4RyzA8qy_OMI05VYs3U9BlKY17LmnPIWiYLTBh0zA1QKGUNRNNG5zL9Op7SQzlFn7gqTP9ldk7k6YieWMmQa9E0RFiFmSVa0w7PthVvOUPg/w200-h150/IMG_20220918_163029.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p>Fishing first involves sailing out to sea, to wherever you would catch the produce you require. This costs fuel, whether you sail some distance or not. Next, the shellfish are taken from the waters; however, in order to do so, the captain has to meet three conditions - for each shellfish extracted a captain must possess exactly one licence, on free hold space, and be able to play the appropriate card. Generally, in a single fishing action, no more than two tokens can be taken from the sea; crew members may change this somewhat.</p><p>Returning to port puts your boat back in a position where you can carry out the port actions previously mentioned; thus, you can carry out port actions, earn money whilst increasing sales, and get your vessel prepared for the next fishing trip.</p><p>There are also bonus actions, which may be carried out either before or after the main action, and only one is permitted per turn. Again, these are divided into boat and port actions; port actions are depicted on the board, and boat actions are on a player's boat board and on the upgrades applied to it. The good thing about the boat actions is that they can be implemented wherever your boat is.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij9b-kQNhrM58emTpPIrb7YaIUMKQUaan-9PzAXFPZLuOzV8VQAu2aoUpMSZJfYUf3GvJspkqyBBSdohKsp9MORyP8hw4gtJInA-CE-dQ9tP_jayzT3hNXpaH76UHXMpVZb2HgW1GaposdQWxP2uUXH7Emg-hB2DludVlOb9ClK6qddUDsvA/s4160/IMG_20220918_164334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij9b-kQNhrM58emTpPIrb7YaIUMKQUaan-9PzAXFPZLuOzV8VQAu2aoUpMSZJfYUf3GvJspkqyBBSdohKsp9MORyP8hw4gtJInA-CE-dQ9tP_jayzT3hNXpaH76UHXMpVZb2HgW1GaposdQWxP2uUXH7Emg-hB2DludVlOb9ClK6qddUDsvA/w200-h150/IMG_20220918_164334.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>The clever part is how the game deals with depleting supplies, and how the shellfish repopulate. At the end of every round, a process is undertaken where heavily-fished areas fail to repopulate, untouched areas maintain stability, and areas which were previously fished but were left alone for a while grow in supplies. This has two key, interesting effects on the game. First, it forces diversification somewhat, as if players are (for instance) going out for clams like they are going out of fashion, soon there will be no clams to fish, so captains clamour for crabs or shrimp. Second, areas of abundance shift; whereas the North East might have been heavy on shrimp at the start, by the end this could have shifted to the South West.<p></p><p>On the face of it, this game seems to be a rather run-of-the-mill engine-builder; however, the design has been rather tightly-wound. As one might expect (it being typical of games with multi-functional cards), the cards you really want for a good fishing action will also bear the more valuable crew members and boat upgrades, so there is instant tension there. Tension also exists in the order of actions; for example if you want to snag that last crab, you need to get out before the next fellow, so you need a fast turnaround at port, which might entail skipping that engine improvement until you're next in port. This in turn might require paying extra to move more quickly around the rondel, which in turn might trigger the end of round quicker, making the long-term strategy you currently have, suddenly change in importance.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk7QligwDlL7pxiXMV-AZZXSIEXH3bde6e2MkNj5oiiE230KsS3zvOejvJ9ljeAD8YAxr1eCa71oaSNC2_DfI_zbuF5ItJk4hQdOM8Atnh0o7QxgmKT4d09Ib-iUMZ-TVTF307X47mkl4wCpQPtnFYkVTiUewdjNPfMxu7htKdygIZNtGzxA/s4160/IMG_20220918_164328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk7QligwDlL7pxiXMV-AZZXSIEXH3bde6e2MkNj5oiiE230KsS3zvOejvJ9ljeAD8YAxr1eCa71oaSNC2_DfI_zbuF5ItJk4hQdOM8Atnh0o7QxgmKT4d09Ib-iUMZ-TVTF307X47mkl4wCpQPtnFYkVTiUewdjNPfMxu7htKdygIZNtGzxA/w150-h200/IMG_20220918_164328.jpg" width="150" /></a>These tough decisions turn an outwardly humdrum engine-builder into a challenging competition with significant interaction. Captains of the Gulf had a mixed reception in our group, mainly because for some the tension was too great; however, there is no greater pleasure than watching the light come on in an opponent's eyes when they finally realise how clever this design really is. For me, this is one of those games I will likely hold on to as long as I am a gamer; the constant challenge at every turn, the variety of approaches, and the palpable uncertainty brought on by the ever-diminishing stocks seem to introduce different outcomes in every game, forcing gameflow away from repeat strategies, because there's no guarantee one is better than another.</p><p>I find it really difficult to describe the game experience in a convincing manner; this is mainly because it is an economic game, and any mechanical description of the game is bound to come across as bland. The playing experience is far from bland, however; this is one of those games a new player will initially think of as mildly challenging, until they discover in actual fact there is very little they can do which won't paint them into a corner. And whilst they undertake their damage limitation, trying very hard to prevent themselves falling from contention, they notice other players are experiencing the exact same thing. A couple of rounds later, the game has opened out a bit, and these players then realise there are a lot of options, a lot of clever things they can do, and no strategy is really guaranteed to work.</p><p>It's not just the game structure which enhances the appeal, however; the thematic ties are difficult to break. Depleting supplies, economic pressures, and hard competition for both fishing and sales, all contribute towards a fairly realistic representation* of the industry, minus perhaps an inherent risk to life and limb on the unforgiving seas.</p><p>I can highly recommend Captains of the Gulf, a game which is likely to stay in my collection for a significant time to come, and which has been enjoyed by most who have engaged with it.</p><p>*Disclaimer: I am not a fisherman.</p>Pawnstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14138454253813433739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16505715.post-41878227310404569322021-06-23T21:31:00.000+01:002021-06-23T21:31:46.441+01:00Flying Colours?<p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 14.34px;">If there’s one genre which tends to grab my attention more than any other, it’s transport; if there’s one subgenre of transport which to me is undersubscribed in boardgames (generally in favour of rail games), it’s aircraft. There are a few good ones out there (<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/119337/aeroplanes-aviation-ascendant">Aeroplanes: Aviation Ascendant</a>, and <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/133285/tin-goose">Tin Goose</a> for instance), but most seem to overshoot the runway quite a bit.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwFxjmwxvQwQHh33lv0F_W7qEUBKlr4j2AHfPGLH-jUxSYMJf2r2KgfTzFgX82SwZmRRHKyOCuybZ3wLtRGdQBkEeDBfj2pHbzlNzuGZp7JpjCO-xBrTR5sBEdttpq7f1Q6cw7/s2048/5AF06D2C-EC51-43A3-B2A8-1BC76DE54782.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2015" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwFxjmwxvQwQHh33lv0F_W7qEUBKlr4j2AHfPGLH-jUxSYMJf2r2KgfTzFgX82SwZmRRHKyOCuybZ3wLtRGdQBkEeDBfj2pHbzlNzuGZp7JpjCO-xBrTR5sBEdttpq7f1Q6cw7/w197-h200/5AF06D2C-EC51-43A3-B2A8-1BC76DE54782.jpeg" width="197" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 14.34px;">When I heard about <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/303057/pan-am">Pan Am</a> early last year, it went straight onto my wants list. Pan Am promised to be a well-themed game about building routes, and also looked like it would be fun to play. I got a copy late last Autumn, but due to restrictions, I never got to play it I’ll recently.</span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 14.3px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17.1px;"><span class="s2" style="font-size: 14.34px;"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 14.3px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-size: 14.34px;">The game follows a timeline in the form of events relevant to the history of Pan American Airways, and at the start of each turn one event card is drawn. These event cards come from a deck consisting of four for every round, giving some replayability, as one can never be certain which events will come out for each game.</span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 14.3px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17.1px;"><span class="s2" style="font-size: 14.34px;"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 14.3px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-size: 14.34px;">Event cards do three things; they provide a random event affecting all players, a change in the Pan Am stock price, and an indication of how far Pan Am is going to expand this turn.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqGx1ylktwJvTtshIZZbejzdG7kQ-RtnAzsn-4QTvEqQpXAzZCVlWbtMtgEZ8hTc7A22xrRSNXLTPhc9zZIOz3R13f3ZMT-sMryUZ-GJHr8ktc-yaQGI2z1EZHOMgbPqHQgJz/s2048/38E37900-E717-45E8-BA0D-466541326602.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqGx1ylktwJvTtshIZZbejzdG7kQ-RtnAzsn-4QTvEqQpXAzZCVlWbtMtgEZ8hTc7A22xrRSNXLTPhc9zZIOz3R13f3ZMT-sMryUZ-GJHr8ktc-yaQGI2z1EZHOMgbPqHQgJz/w200-h150/38E37900-E717-45E8-BA0D-466541326602.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 14.3px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-size: 14.34px;">Once the event is resolved, players take turns to place their engineers in various action spaces. This works in a similar fashion to the classic Knizia design, Amun-Re; some of the actions have auction spaces with fixed values, which players must pay if they are successful. For instance, to buy a clipper plane, a player could bid 2, 4, 8 or 10; if they are outbid, they take back their engineer and may place it elsewhere, or on a higher bid again (if one is available). These mini-auctions apply to three areas - Airports, Destinations and Aircraft; the remaining two areas for Routes and Directives represent a limited number of actions and the order they will be implemented.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 14.3px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-size: 14.34px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 14.3px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17.1px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhus-R5mL8Q5ANdWxvz7dLSlBcGQ7akPdABq2pIYOmwMdGveWZxb3JoAkkiJZlg1vy9FiZlmBadkX4sO7Ozmzmo60ZbarOBeCQiztyfsOn99FpDvrmq5k3eKK05QukOx61CcW0p/s2048/7A78E00F-BB38-4A65-B3E6-2E94588C85D2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhus-R5mL8Q5ANdWxvz7dLSlBcGQ7akPdABq2pIYOmwMdGveWZxb3JoAkkiJZlg1vy9FiZlmBadkX4sO7Ozmzmo60ZbarOBeCQiztyfsOn99FpDvrmq5k3eKK05QukOx61CcW0p/w150-h200/7A78E00F-BB38-4A65-B3E6-2E94588C85D2.jpeg" width="150" /></a><span class="s2" style="font-size: 14.34px;"></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 14.3px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17.1px;"><span style="font-size: 14.34px;">The Airport section permits one player to build an airport, which gives permanent landing rights for the owning player, and an increase in income. The Destination section presents four cards named for cities on the board; these give landing rights too, but how permanent those rights are depends upon how they’re used. The Aircraft section permits the purchase of aircraft for a player’s fleet; as technology progresses, better aircraft become available. The Routes section enables the building of routes anywhere, provided the player has the appropriate landing rights, an aircraft which can go the distance, and that the route has not been claimed by another player first, or else been taken over by Pan Am. Routes also result in an increase in income. Finally, Directives gets a player a game-changing Directive card, and priority access for the following turn (meaning the engineers placed there get to act first in the following round).</span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 14.3px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17.1px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLuaupBy7DM9JZ9gE4FDcRjLz3SoR-z7x2DpU7HExydl3X8GLDUiVfKph6wRRB8HFYDS08XGrXR1Qej-Iso56XG5jyJqAtlWKwtR4R-MVEfp_gA3scvHaAVI94vfTimQEBFHwX/s2048/17D39C57-81C5-46C9-A5B1-890033FBF664.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLuaupBy7DM9JZ9gE4FDcRjLz3SoR-z7x2DpU7HExydl3X8GLDUiVfKph6wRRB8HFYDS08XGrXR1Qej-Iso56XG5jyJqAtlWKwtR4R-MVEfp_gA3scvHaAVI94vfTimQEBFHwX/w150-h200/17D39C57-81C5-46C9-A5B1-890033FBF664.jpeg" width="150" /></a></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 14.3px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-size: 14.34px;">Landing rights are the core game concept for route building; any Destination cards or airports can be used to give landing rights, but can only apply to one end of the route. Different cards or airports must be used for the other end of the route. A player always has landing rights to a city named on a card, or where they have built an airport. Temporary landing rights can also be obtained through discarding Destination cards.</span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 14.3px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17.1px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 14.3px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17.1px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVQ7ocNKG17jC7p0GZPTT4ytP-ztUjX3ipEsSHggKFg6Xf95NbIh2f7Y9lNMKlj74hgNAgGBCLEPcuCFvK8YoXsA43eho05tf5SOQ_7hHSvvX_lm7iOdKS-dj-zq5kSm2D904a/s2048/5622B943-22A0-43BA-B514-463E4DCCB3B1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVQ7ocNKG17jC7p0GZPTT4ytP-ztUjX3ipEsSHggKFg6Xf95NbIh2f7Y9lNMKlj74hgNAgGBCLEPcuCFvK8YoXsA43eho05tf5SOQ_7hHSvvX_lm7iOdKS-dj-zq5kSm2D904a/w200-h150/5622B943-22A0-43BA-B514-463E4DCCB3B1.jpeg" width="200" /></a><span class="s2" style="font-size: 14.34px;"></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 14.3px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17.1px;"><span style="font-size: 14.34px;">Once all actions are resolved, the round enters the Expansion phase. Pan Am expands as an airline, taking over routes which the players own on the way (whether you want them to or not). This results in an instant payout for the takeover, which gets bigger as the routes do, and an appropriate reduction in income for losing the route to Pan Am. After expansion, players receive income from their remaining routes and airports, subsequent to which they may buy as much stock in Pan Am as they wish.</span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 14.3px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17.1px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 14.3px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17.1px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7eeJsPpMrkk7vpQtFHHcwQ8Sg4xTM-DuErOyQzEUQlUQpXCUp3_vEwLmZWiA6z3xLukIrMyv86er3SXWUuGCmu5-ls9W09I8jeVcALDeh9_qZEBUU3RfGHm9QKX2XQZAKMl-9/s2048/F05F99BF-E6F3-414D-9D51-DBCDD2C73735.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7eeJsPpMrkk7vpQtFHHcwQ8Sg4xTM-DuErOyQzEUQlUQpXCUp3_vEwLmZWiA6z3xLukIrMyv86er3SXWUuGCmu5-ls9W09I8jeVcALDeh9_qZEBUU3RfGHm9QKX2XQZAKMl-9/w150-h200/F05F99BF-E6F3-414D-9D51-DBCDD2C73735.jpeg" width="150" /></a><span class="s2" style="font-size: 14.34px;"></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 14.3px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17.1px;"><span style="font-size: 14.34px;">After seven rounds are completed, the player with the most stock in Pan Am wins, with ties being broken in favour of the player with the most money remaining.</span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 14.3px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17.1px;"><span class="s2" style="font-size: 14.34px;"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 14.3px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-size: 14.34px;">The game is a lot of fun, and has produced close results so far; however, I am not so sure it rewards skilful play as much as it should. If you want to know why, read on; if you like surprises, just go and play the game (because when you don’t know what is in the Events deck, it’s a surprise).</span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 14.3px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17.1px;"><span class="s2" style="font-size: 14.34px;"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 14.3px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-size: 14.34px;">Still here?</span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 14.3px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17.1px;"><span class="s2" style="font-size: 14.34px;"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 14.3px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-size: 14.34px;">I shall proceed, then. Whilst on the face of it, the game is very strategic (Pan Am expansion being random but fairly predictable), the turn of Directives and Events throughout the game can be rather swingy. A good number of Directives cards can give players free stock certificates at the end of the game; at that point they’re usually around $10 each, which is difficult to compete with using profits alone. Additionally, there is at least one swingy event in there, awarding a stock certificate every route a player still has after Pan Am expands in the last turn (that’s the bit that surprised me, and yes, it’s a bit of a spoiler if you’re one of those people who doesn’t have to know the consistency of the deck before playing).</span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 14.3px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17.1px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 14.3px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17.1px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJpAJNsP24bY3AO1rQncNTQr-rTdiRyB5Q-1HErQcO81nVaBQJhrzM6KIhu41vMDN17uf0OBzpxsDRTEE6-Xib0MCOvCe04VyPHpezRmTJnVt0rbv4XsWiBC-aojY6dhdAfOe/s2048/D8B9AEF5-C9FE-4250-AA68-84D6AC0C81C0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJpAJNsP24bY3AO1rQncNTQr-rTdiRyB5Q-1HErQcO81nVaBQJhrzM6KIhu41vMDN17uf0OBzpxsDRTEE6-Xib0MCOvCe04VyPHpezRmTJnVt0rbv4XsWiBC-aojY6dhdAfOe/w200-h150/D8B9AEF5-C9FE-4250-AA68-84D6AC0C81C0.jpeg" width="200" /></a><span class="s2" style="font-size: 14.34px;"></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 14.3px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17.1px;"><span style="font-size: 14.34px;">Are these things bad? It’s difficult to say yes, because this is clearly a family game; it’s also difficult to say no from a gamer’s perspective, since there is no question that this is a little bit swingy. There is an argument, however weak, that knowing this card is possibly going to be turned in the final round adds an interesting strategic consideration. Do you lean towards setting yourself up for Pan Am takeovers, away from it, or perhaps take the middle ground, concentrating on neither?</span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 14.3px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17.1px;"><span class="s2" style="font-size: 14.34px;"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 14.3px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-size: 14.34px;">Quite frankly, it doesn’t really matter as I see it; it does grate on me a bit that a seemingly strong strategy throughout is not rewarded when this card appears, yet at the same time, the game is a lot of fun, and really doesn’t outstay its welcome. I suppose if I wanted to be serious about it, I could remove the offending event; however, that arguably removes what could qualify as a viable long-term strategy, so right now, I think I will keep it in, and view it as a kind of challenge.</span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 14.3px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17.1px;"><span class="s2" style="font-size: 14.34px;"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 14.3px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-size: 14.34px;">Pan Am fluctuates between £20 and £30 delivered; it’s a real pleasure to play, and even the sourest of gamers should garner some pleasure from it, especially as it’s going for half the price of its competitors. I think Prospero Hall have done a great job of presenting an enjoyable and accessible game at a very reasonable price, and for this they should be lauded.</span></p>Pawnstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14138454253813433739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16505715.post-61524159692652530072021-05-19T21:25:00.003+01:002021-05-19T21:49:54.267+01:00The Only Game in Town?<p>Whatever you think about the situation in the world and how it was dealt with, there is one truth all gamers have had to face up to, and that's the lack of facing up to opponents. Whilst there have been a number of online opportunities, playing via Zoom, utilising some of the popular online tabletop simulations, or playing web-hosted games, I found myself craving the analogue. Yes, when restrictions were lifted a little here in England late last Summer and into the Autumn, our group managed a few sessions; it was glorious but short-lived. Before and after this occurred, I decided to try a few games solo.</p><p>For the most part, I detest solitaire play in boardgame form; however, needs must, so I decided to try a few games for which a single player option had been developed. Knowing how I feel about solo gaming, it came as no surprise that I found just about everything I played solitaire to be dissatisfying to some extent. It was still rather interesting to try out games I love without real life opponents, but ludonanism just does not appeal to me; generally, any real challenge is removed in favour of a semi-random "AI", or a target number of points.</p><p>I expected nothing more; solo gaming is not very far removed from my least favourite kind of game - the cooperative game - and like that style, it can be done well, but mostly it is done very badly, unless a little player competition is injected (a type of semi-cooperative game), or one or more players are actually playing against the rest (asymmetric and/or traitor mechanisms). Despite my expectations, there was some pleasure derived; admittedly, nothing like the pleasure I experience being trounced by one of my fellow gamers, and generally not as challenging, but some pleasure notwithstanding.</p><p>The first game I tried to play solo during "lockdown" (it really wasn't lockdown though, was it - I worked, I shopped, I walked in places around town I had never before been in a lifetime), was <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/15987/arkham-horror">Arkham Horror (2nd edition)</a>. Arkham Horror is one of a myriad of Lovecraftian-themed horror games, most of them being spin-offs from Sandy Petersen's acclaimed 1980s role-playing game, Call of Cthulhu. Players (I suppose in this case I should say "player") move investigators around various fictional New England locations, picking up clues, fighting off Old Ones and their minions and their cultists, and risking life and sanity in their endeavours to close the interdimensional gates which threaten to bring a Great Old One into early Twentieth Century America, who will subjugate humanity in terrifying ways. Arkham Horror is, technically, a cooperative game; however, it is a rather old-school thematic game, where the pleasure is more about the journey than the destination (the destination usually amounting to investigators writhing in tortured agony as the horror of what they are facing becomes apparent). As a game, mechanically, Arkham horror is rather prone to fate; the draw of a monster, the movement of a shuggoth, the appearance of a clue, are all down to chance, as is the success of any investigator against adversity. Chance can be mitigated as part of the game, but time is against the player, and so is just about everything else. It can often feel that everything is just random; however, the resulting stories are fascinating and interesting. Arkham Horror usually ends up being a long and drawn-out adventure, but an adventure it is; the most annoying part is the (rather too frequent in my plays) final battle with the Great Old One, which generally amounts to a lot of dice-rolling, and not many interesting decisions. I know I would struggle to keep our group's attention with this one long enough to finish a game; in isolation the mechanisms used are boring and random, and few interesting decisions exist. However, the "fun" of this game is akin to watching a fresh film on an old genre, or reading a book you haven't before; there is absolutely nothing you can do to change the unfolding story, but watch it unfold, and the story can be exciting. Ironically, whilst this might be one of the least strategically interesting games I have played, it could be one of the best solo gaming experiences I had.</p><p>By this time, our group had been playing a lot of Through the Ages on the application, which also has a great solo implementation in the form of challenges. With that in place, there is no need to pursue solo rules for that particular game; however, <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/126042/nations">Nations</a>, a similar but less involved game, stared out from its shelf. boasting a player count of 1-4. I decided, having packed Arkham away after the third or fourth game, that Nations would be worth trying. With nations, I came across a typical issue with analogue game AIs; predictability. Knowing how the AI works means that in single player mode most games reveal the basic puzzle of making the best move you can on the basis of the move the AI is going to make. Yes, it can be a challenging puzzle, but the downsides are clear; everything I play games for - the tension, the challenge, the unknown vagaries of opponent decisions, the risk-taking and so on, are gone. Instead, there is no such thing as an optimal move on the part of the basic AI; you know what the AI is going to do, and hence your optimal move becomes quite obvious. Nations manages to circumvent this a little bit, by virtue of the fact you don't really know what cards will turn up on the display, and you don't precisely know what is needed to outstrip the AI from epoch to epoch (there is an AI deck to draw from, which changes the AI stance each time); however, such chance elements often cannot be helped, avoided or mitigated prior to their being drawn. The result is a minimal change in the AI puzzle, and a barely interesting decision set. It wasn't at all bad, but when all is said and done it is nothing compared to the long-term plans of a cunning opponent. I can recommend nations for solo play, but it didn't really do much for me, because it lacks the tension of the multiplayer game. It isn't necessarily easy to win, but it feels arbitrarily so, such that the player has to think less about building the civilisation and more about resource management. The solo game did hit the mark for me in one respect; it made a good refresher for what I would consider an overlooked title, a game which essentially does what takes Through the Ages half a day in just one school night.</p><p>One of my favourite designers is Vital Lacerda, and his games frequently include rules for solo play. Skipping the obvious cooperative title, CO2, I went for <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/142379/escape-plan">Escape Plan</a> as my first Lacerda solo try-out. The familiar non-player character of Sandra, a strict supervisor in Kanban, returns as a police officer in this game for two player and solo play; for solo play, there is also the corrupt Lt Costa to contend with. For those unfamiliar with the game, players compete to escape the city with the best part of their haul from a crime caper that went wrong; as players zoom about the city to free up their assets in accordance with their escape plan, the police close in, making it more and more difficult to move about safely. Eventually, players either escape the city with some or all of their ill-gotten gains, or it's off to the penitentiary for them. As a solo player you are up against two AIs, each of which behaves differently. Sandra is simply disruptive, whilst Costa is looking to earn as much as he can on his "escape" plan whilst putting the squeeze on you. With the disparate AI behaviour, the game gets very interesting; you know when particular locations are not going to be touched by the non-players, because they never visit the same place twice, but there's every risk that they could close off one of your business interests before you can extract your stash. Coupled with the ever-present threat of the core game mechanics - time running out and the police closing in - Escape Plan feels a lot more like a game than a puzzle when played solitaire. I have to say, this was one of the best solo experiences of the lot; the player is forced to gauge his actions and plan for the worst case at the same time, then hope the worst case doesn't happen. The unknown of where Sandra and Costa are going to turn up becomes more determinate as the game draws on, so the player is forced to not just think about his game, but their semi-random game. It's not the same as other mediocre approaches, because the results are partially predictable with just enough chaos to keep a player on their toes. It's hard to describe why this is different in, say, Nations; quite simply I think the difference is a whole order of magnitude of depth in figuring out the best approach, without actually guaranteeing it will be.</p><p><a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/229853/teotihuacan-city-gods">Teotihuacan: City of Gods</a> is a bit of a challenge to play with multiple players, so when I tried it solitaire a couple of times, I was expecting to suffer similar difficulties. The challenge from Teotihuacan comes not so much from strategy and outdoing ones opponents, more so it is the challenge of remembering to do everything you must do under the rules. Your workers are dice, and the pips represent their age and experience, with higher pips able to do more, but closer to "ascending", which gets you bonuses, moves you further along the Avenue of the Dead (which means points and bonuses), and gets you a fresh-faced and inexperienced replacement. Just like every time I have played Teotihuacan competitively, I somehow managed to forget from time to time that I was supposed to "advance" my workers. It's not the only thing that gets missed, but having to do it for "Teotibot" (the AI) as well means it's more likely to be forgotten than usual. The solo game has a bunch of dummy workers laid out just to clog spaces, and an AI whose workers move just like yours. the AI carries out fixed movement and fixed actions based on the situation when their turn commences, and the challenge a player faces is to outdo the AI player's score, which ramps up at a significant but arithmetic rate, since they don't score the same way as you, the human player. On the whole, whilst it sounds almost as puzzle-like as Nations was, playing Teotihuacan solo was not a bad experience. Unlike most games, it is fairly close to the competitive version, simply because the main thing you look for in that is how opponents' workers affect your actions, and moving a dummy player's workers around with fixed actions for each space, coupled with fixed AI behaviour based on the game situation, means you you mostly doing the same thing you would with competitors - figuring out how to be least screwed whilst screwing your opponent as much as possible. The "puzzle" of playing against Teotibot is obfuscated by a detailed set of AI functions, so detailed that one has to refer to them almost continually to avoid getting the AI's action wrong. However, it is a very rewarding result; if this is a game you enjoy playing competitively, I think it is likely you will also enjoy the challenge of a solo play.</p><p>I have a tendency to pursue civilisation games; it's part of a long-running quest for the elusive "Civ-lite". A few games have come close to it, but there is always something missing, to the point I think it is unattainable. Unlike the previously mentioned Nations, <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/157096/historia">Historia</a> tends to concentrate on the technology track, with territory and population taking a back seat, and in-game strategy and tactics being governed by hand management. It works fairly well, but ultimately a lot of folk who have played consider it rather bland. As the player count is listed between one and six, I decided to give it some table time during the pandemic. The AI in this game consists of randomised players called "Civbots", whose actions are decided by the random turn of cards, coupled with strict AI rules for each card. For instance, if a Civbot draws Art, instead of building a wonder as a normal player might, a random wonder is discarded from the game; if war is drawn, the the Civbot will attack, but only if it will win, human first, other Civbots if the human player cannot be attacked. One of the main problems with Historia in the solo mode is that it suffers the same fate as Nations. It will either be arbitrarily difficult to win, or arbitrarily easy. Only one Civbot has to beat you, the single player, and it doesn't take long before you can see which one you need to beat; however, the achievability of that goal tends to depend upon the draw of the cards. And it's the draw of the cards you will mostly be dealing with, if you'll pardon the pun; shuffling and drawing three to five cards for each Civbot seems to take forever and gets very boring very quickly. If you decide to give it a go, download an appropriate randomiser application (a couple have been developed specifically for use with this game). Based on this experience, I would recommend using Civbots as suggested in the rules for lower player counts than six. Play solo to learn the rules, but not if you're looking to experience a challenge the solo game just drags, is rather average, and is unrewarding.</p><p>I have always felt <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/123260/suburbia">Suburbia</a> was a bit ho-hum as a multiplayer game, with mild interaction and an easily absorbed set of options with no real depth. It is exactly as it is meant to be; accessible, easy to learn, and great for family game nights. The tendency of Suburbia towards multiplayer solitaire means it lends itself well to solitaire play; however, in this case two modes of solo play are offered - one permits the player to just aim for a good score, the other pits the ludonanist against a simple AI (Dale the Bot), which basically takes all the good stuff on its turn, before you can get it. I am the kind of player who prefers the latter kind of play; merely trying to better my score is like playing Klondike, challenging, but uninteresting. However, I found the AI was too light, and while I could have handicapped myself for a greater challenge, I decided instead to move on. Suburbia is fine in the solo mode, so I can recommend it for those who are perhaps already interested in the game; however, like a lot of games which include these solo options, it just isn't intended to be played that way, and it felt less engaging than the not-too-engaging multiplayer version. Well, it wasn't for me, anyway.</p><p>One thing that lockdown gave us was a propensity for indoor activity, and boardgames is the second best indoor activity you can do with your partner. The best? Well, that certainly isn't binge-watching television shows from decades past; however, that is exactly what the Missus decided to do. Top of the list for her was The Walking Dead, which prompted me to table <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/203759/walking-dead-no-sanctuary">The Walking Dead: No Sanctuary</a>, in an endeavour to draw her in. She really wasn't interested. In all fairness, though, I still have time to encourage her. In any case, i tried it solo, not only to see if I got any joy from playing it, but also to familiarise myself with the game rules. As a solo outing, it didn't work very well; this is because a lot of the game revolves around the player interaction, or more specifically the player-character interaction. Trust is a characteristic representing the level of trust the others have for the player; an untrusted player loses a special action their character has been given. This isn't the only interactive dynamic; there is group tension, which forces players to spend trust to remove the tension. More importantly, there are things characters know that other characters do not, typical of your cooperative game against a common enemy, where the designer has tried to turn something tactically simple into a nightmarish challenge. However, no matter how many characters I used as a single player, the game just felt plodding and pedestrian for the most part, followed by a short-lived crescendo of action which was just too short lived to be memorable. I suspect this game will work so much better with the interactive dynamic of a number of disparate minds around the table, but "zombies" and "cooperative" are a tough combination to sell to the group.</p><p>One of my favourite worker placement games is <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/176734/manhattan-project-energy-empire">The Manhattan Project: Energy Empire</a>, in which workers don't necessarily block spaces, because opponents may spend more workers or else stack more energy with their workers in order to use the same action. The restriction is that each subsequent use of the space requires more workers and energy in the stack. Because of the reliance upon other players to actually drive up the cost of placement, I was sceptical that the solitaire game would provide suitable competition. I was correct. Essentially the game was transformed into a challenging but ultimately, comparatively, dissatisfying puzzle (compared to the multiplayer version, that is). As solo experiences go, you could do a lot worse; this was certainly not what I was after for a solo experience, though, and I can only really suggest it is a handy method for rules familiarisation.</p><p>Alban Viard's <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/166571/tramways">Tramways</a> fared slightly better; a simplistic and easy to remember set of AI rules, coupled with special rules for the auction, resulted in a good mix of chance and challenge. The regular multiplayer game involves players competing to build the most lucrative tramways and earn prestige for passengers utilising them. That's not the only way to score; building, upgrading and other players using their tramways will also, for instance, earn a player prestige. All the while they are trying to do this, they are having to build up their deck, and manage each hand they draw. The solo version allows a player to puch their luck to retain better cards out of the auction, but at greater cost; this replaces an interesting and cut-throat turn order auction in the multiplayer game. An interesting enough puzzle, this kept my attention enough to play it three times before having to persuade myself to make room for something else.</p><p>That something else was <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/228959/alubari-nice-cup-tea">Alubari: A Nice Cup of Tea</a>, a Snowdonia variant, both being designed by Tony Boydell, in which players build a railway through India, opening tea plantations as well as stations, and spend chai in order to bolster their actions. At its core it is Snowdonia, but there are particular rules changes which set it apart; for instance, players are able to build anywhere before the next bridge (although they still need to lay track from the railhead). I cannot compare this to the original game as a solo experience, because I haven't yet tried Snowdonia solo; however, as a solo outing, it was not decent enough to rail me in for a second attempt. Like Energy Empire, however, I was left mildly disappointed in the pedestrian and predictable nature of the AI. The AI doesn't necessarily make it easy, but the decision points where the AI is concerned mean it is easy to turn things to your advantage, whilst simultaneously a lucky contract draw will make or break your game.</p><p>The last two games I will discuss for the time being are from that master of convolution, Vital Lacerda. <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/125153/gallerist">The Gallerist</a> is one of my favourite games of all time, and also one of his less convoluted designs. It is an absolute pleasure to play, and never fails to grip me. The solo experience was no exception, and I found myself becoming once more engrossed in the gameplay, forgetting the added challenge of trying to minimise the actions the AI gets. The AI itself was extremely linear and processional, basically acting like a timer, which the player could speed up or slow down through careful choice of location. The rules set specific victory conditions which are more about achieving particular curator and dealer goals, with points just being a qualifier; naturally, this is not as easy as it looks. I failed to achieve anything above the lowest rating in both solo games I tried, and felt the solo variant added too much strategic focus; there were just too few paths in comparison to the multiplayer game. It's fine having a narrow set of possible achievements, but when the core game offers slightly more variance on how to get that win, closing it up a bit felt comparatively stifling. I just found the solo game too restrictive, with the perception of choice being left, whereas there is no real choice if you want to win. Adding that to the one-dimensional AI left my win hollow, and my loss in the following game unavoidable. In all, I think I will stick to the competitive game for this one.</p><p>In contrast, the AI in <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/161533/lisboa">Lisboa</a> felt much more like an AI; again, the AI was fairly predictable. However, random card and tile draws are not predictable, only what the AI will do when they appear. This forces the solo player to develop a strategy on the basis of what is and what may appear, to challenge the AI in light of the actions it is potentially going to take, and where possible to take advantage of the AI's activity in order to make the greatest gains. It's not a tougher AI than the one in The Gallerist by any means; yet the challenge is greater, because the solo player is not only contending with the AI. One has to think forward a lot more, planning the usual approach one would take if the AI was another player; clearing rubble of the right type, building for future points as well as immediate points, and setting up the goods production to permit the best actions later on. Yes, the AI is far from perfect, because once again the player can predict exactly what the AI is going to do on the basis of their own move. It's just another puzzle, like any other solo variant; in Lisboa, however, it seems to give so much more.</p><p>If you have stuck around as far as this, then you've done well, as there was a lot to get through. And for that you deserve to hear about my conclusions. The key one was, of course, that solo games behave generally as I expected, usually being a combination of predictable and random elements. This generally leaves me cold on solo play, and few games which do this actually felt good when played. The unexpected conclusion I have reached is that I greatly prefer games that tell a story when playing solo; Escape Plan is not exactly all story, but certainly develops like one and I rated it highly for solo play. Arkham Horror is mechanically awful, but it's an experience; I knew I was never going to win (well okay, I might have done if I had permitted myself more investigators), and I just enjoyed the story. It took me back to Call of Cthulhu in the 80s; even though I was games-mastering at the time, it was an experience watching the tales of terror unfold, watch the characters come up against nearly insurmountable dangers, and ultimately die in screaming agony, or else spend their remaining years in a cushioned room. It was such fun; I know if I ever get other players around the table for it, the experience will pale in comparison to solo play.</p><p>If you're going to play something alone, my advice is to make it something with a bit more chance involved, avoid mechanical and predictable AIs, and if possible, play something with palpable theme. Better still, confine solo play to computer games, and save the boardgames for competitive play.</p>Pawnstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14138454253813433739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16505715.post-31698260620626867052021-04-13T20:58:00.001+01:002023-06-25T10:16:05.125+01:00Non-Event Horizon<p> Those who know me also know I will play just about anything. That doesn't mean I like just about anything I play; I used to be significantly less fussy, then I realised time was passing way too quickly for a game to just be a pastime. Don't get me wrong, I am a sucker for a long game with the right ingredients; however, I no longer rely upon my instincts so heavily when deciding a game is a good fit. That said, it is difficult to avoid anything else when there is scant information on such a game, especially in an age where the preferred business model is crowdfunding, and the only way you will get to see it is via a campaign.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifBBdjDxWBynWqX6MXXnLPKx58Sp5IkCBIUYtuQMMF02fClAkUAgaOLCvtW0R0RwnzoUMe_TFc9q0PQXUdw7D1uyVUlG-snCcb2P7HUgjlGcGpHIeB_2xm_XawhNAU05Y7xdsN/s1280/EE3.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifBBdjDxWBynWqX6MXXnLPKx58Sp5IkCBIUYtuQMMF02fClAkUAgaOLCvtW0R0RwnzoUMe_TFc9q0PQXUdw7D1uyVUlG-snCcb2P7HUgjlGcGpHIeB_2xm_XawhNAU05Y7xdsN/w200-h150/EE3.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Along came MERCS Miniatures in the guise of MegaCon Games, and their ostensibly wondrous space opera, <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/154857/emergence-event">Emergence Event</a>. Around six years ago, the game was released amid almost no fanfare whatsoever. It received enough attention to be reviewed on The Dice Tower, and in all fairness, Mr Vasel was critical (and rightly so); however, I don't watch it with any frequency, so I missed it. In 2016, the following year, there was a Kickstarter campaign for the first and only expansion. I was drawn to it, partly because of my desire for something that did <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/138161/firefly-game">Firefly</a> better, partly because of the touted mechanisms, which boasted a more deterministic approach than your typical space exploration adventure.<p></p><p>They almost delivered on it, too; the presentation was fantastic, the artwork very exciting, the miniature starships were good-looking, albeit that a couple from the expansion were cast in different coloured plastic and refused to remain on their stands. As one looked a bit deeper, beyond the cosmetic, things got, well, ugly. There was important game-significant information missing from player mats, some cards were misprinted, and the rules failed to cover everything (it would be unfair to say they failed to cover anything), with still unanswered questions and ambiguities in abundance. Last, but a whole parsec from least, the expansion set's galaxy tiles which formed the playing area had their backs printed with the opposite type, giving a clear differentiation from the base game which was game-affecting (inner galaxy tiles had outer galaxy backs, and vice-versa).</p><p>In short, it was a shambles.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge8LsKjTjhF7AYFKSjD9nDUEQdVJ_Bvwz9e42qJAUqw1tarLMG7xS_pfPn6sDGpX2-aMMSQv1fYOdaWyb3cNbRpm3g4CGf-YvCQy3CHmh8G3LZtObi3VcOf1bfn00JfaQrBcI5/s1280/EE2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="867" data-original-width="1280" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge8LsKjTjhF7AYFKSjD9nDUEQdVJ_Bvwz9e42qJAUqw1tarLMG7xS_pfPn6sDGpX2-aMMSQv1fYOdaWyb3cNbRpm3g4CGf-YvCQy3CHmh8G3LZtObi3VcOf1bfn00JfaQrBcI5/w200-h136/EE2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>As shambolic as it was, this wasn't going to stop me trying it out with our group. I had managed to work through the rulebook and pin down most of the errata, I had devised a simple means of working around the misprinted tile-backs, and I was pretty sure we could work through any other minor anomalies we came across.<p>And we did.</p><p>The trouble was, it just didn't work very well. The game was passable, and with some effort, the rough edges could have been ironed out; one might have thought this would have been provisioned alongside the expansion. It was not. The game clunked along, starting off very slow with players' actions being very limited, then being drawn out past its welcome by discussions over what cards actually meant, what rewards should be given for open space encounters, whether or not hand size increases, stat increases, or move increases were permanent, how random and unbalancing various elements were, and so on, into the darkness.</p><p>I don't give up on a game just because of one or two bad sessions. At some point I decided to look to the Megacon Games website for advice, an FAQ, anything. The site was gone. I looked to the Kickstarter campaign; it was brimming over with angst and anger, as umpteen pledgers complained about the component errors, the lack of support, and being sold short on the campaign. Their pitchforks were out, and they wanted replacements, recompensing, or refunds. They were not going to get any of these things; that was already apparent. One or two helpful aficionados have contributed useful files to help correct the errors, but fixing those alone really isn't going to fix this game.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSEfC6kQ7QSnOYcB8sQz20diCwoshEQD8NMJWek6A4QdyLBOvcsVWcQziU-aE3dWr1V8D5vUJPguU96p1YmwmPmG1cbxImivMYvWKvgH-e2Vu3cz3QuMyLpE3uWnESJTUamE2e/s1280/EE1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSEfC6kQ7QSnOYcB8sQz20diCwoshEQD8NMJWek6A4QdyLBOvcsVWcQziU-aE3dWr1V8D5vUJPguU96p1YmwmPmG1cbxImivMYvWKvgH-e2Vu3cz3QuMyLpE3uWnESJTUamE2e/w200-h150/EE1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>I still haven't completely given up on it. Last weekend, I broke it out again, and reappraised myself of the rules; I don't think I will ever put it on the table for our group again, as there are just too many good games out there, but I might just give the solo variant a try. What else am I to do with it? I doubt anybody in the world who doesn't already have one will want to buy a copy, and although giving it away might be an option, making it better is another one. Let's face it, what we have here is something which may have had potential with just a little bit more development, support and gumption from its creators.<p></p><p>Emergence Event is like a puppy somebody got me for Christmas; an unexpected and initially unwelcome guest I would ultimately rather not get rid of. And because of the nature of crowdfunding, I will likely make the same mistake again and again.</p><p>I think I will fix this game; all it probably takes is a few house rules to tighten things up and it's good to go, and who knows, maybe the group will suffer a couple of hours of it again.</p>Pawnstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14138454253813433739noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16505715.post-4379368912767273822020-04-04T16:57:00.000+01:002023-06-25T10:16:16.844+01:00From Orbit to Surface<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiIrkdhMVBpzqZ-nCrn6bMD_JFy0P0Zq_NfS-dLIR633fTg6bb7ZjueXAlRsJn5Xg7eWzqBReb4Lp6xGXv0rUcjJ2EkYFhv0BwU7VN9pVzFwMgHSAFQt3aq4MtbdoL0XMK0kHF/s1600/5D49EEB9-F8ED-44D4-8A1D-DF811212518B.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiIrkdhMVBpzqZ-nCrn6bMD_JFy0P0Zq_NfS-dLIR633fTg6bb7ZjueXAlRsJn5Xg7eWzqBReb4Lp6xGXv0rUcjJ2EkYFhv0BwU7VN9pVzFwMgHSAFQt3aq4MtbdoL0XMK0kHF/s200/5D49EEB9-F8ED-44D4-8A1D-DF811212518B.jpeg" width="150" /></a>Over the past few years, there has been a plethora of games themed around space exploration; this may have something to do with the lunar landing anniversary, a renewed worldwide effort in space exploration, the general rise in public interest for science, or even general discussions towards a plan to colonise Mars. In particular, the colonisation of Mars has been repeatedly utilised as a setting; from the retro-stylised <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/18258/mission-red-planet" target="_blank">Mission: Red Planet</a> to the <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/121921/robinson-crusoe-adventures-cursed-island" target="_blank">Robinson Crusoe</a> remix of <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/192455/first-martians-adventures-red-planet" target="_blank">First Martians: Adventures on the Red Planet</a>. Some of the games have been rather successful, like <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/167791/terraforming-mars" target="_blank">Terraforming Mars</a>, with its basic and familiar mechanisms; others not so successful, like <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/192673/martians-story-civilization" target="_blank">Martians: A Story of Civilization</a>, with its rather clunky game flow and lack of development.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuAELdHXcIGnzMubAnDRNeBQZsukcmgS0xaTSB-q6tieNO7A8BRJ53KHvH2jerdiaRli2YmKZuBhENrjl1AYI9t4F7f9FNaRBUDGjJgjGDOhVggx70_A0yRnDT4N6b6hGSHHE/s1600/1AFBA757-167E-4365-985C-CB0D58B605B3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuAELdHXcIGnzMubAnDRNeBQZsukcmgS0xaTSB-q6tieNO7A8BRJ53KHvH2jerdiaRli2YmKZuBhENrjl1AYI9t4F7f9FNaRBUDGjJgjGDOhVggx70_A0yRnDT4N6b6hGSHHE/s200/1AFBA757-167E-4365-985C-CB0D58B605B3.jpeg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/184267/mars" target="_blank">On Mars</a> is <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/12396/vital-lacerda" target="_blank">Vital Lacerda</a>'s contribution to this exciting sub-genre. In typical <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/597/eagle-gryphon-games" target="_blank">Eagle-Gryphon Games</a>' style, On Mars has been issued in a big-box deluxe format; however, <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/2334071/disappointing-component-quality" target="_blank">complaints about wear to components on punching</a> has upset a few people. Personally, I can get along fine with it, as most information is open; the wear is there, but how serious is a separate discussion. I will simply discuss the game here.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8JxrJGPyrJu9wjr_3yX5Tw0FXJUyAT3EOcOt_xyRoJvEJf2eEVfQz2SVXX9Rgpe-1YDx_Xth1bj5JMkCoLWo-OMgDu31FNtoegWVFqOeiYQ45BlTEMIZ8jYMJ1PGeYZs1sW4V/s1600/5BAE80A7-9EFB-4EE1-B14E-1B18F7BE479B.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8JxrJGPyrJu9wjr_3yX5Tw0FXJUyAT3EOcOt_xyRoJvEJf2eEVfQz2SVXX9Rgpe-1YDx_Xth1bj5JMkCoLWo-OMgDu31FNtoegWVFqOeiYQ45BlTEMIZ8jYMJ1PGeYZs1sW4V/s200/5BAE80A7-9EFB-4EE1-B14E-1B18F7BE479B.jpeg" width="200" /></a>The game revolves around the generation of key resources - minerals, energy, water, plants and oxygen - each of which can be used to build what is essentially a factory producing the next resource along (so energy is used to build a water extractor, water to build a greenhouse, etc). Mines are the exception, and require a colonist to man them, who becomes a miner. Minerals are also an exception, since they can be used as any resource. In addition to resources, there are crystals; these are picked up when building shelters, when scooped from the planet's surface by a rover, or via goals and upgrade actions.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8pwGgdJ3yaDrTu6cGubO6WMJAIomzyUwZYUYoUQbY5laNzpWniGYRXFWhERke5y8xqWttliFwfVLT8ji-WCBqYhlI_tn_rM900NkMm-mwsh2QvZh_zaszeJgnnUUL5CKPKI7P/s1600/0006BB76-4698-4CA2-8E79-CC5D2C5B8CA8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8pwGgdJ3yaDrTu6cGubO6WMJAIomzyUwZYUYoUQbY5laNzpWniGYRXFWhERke5y8xqWttliFwfVLT8ji-WCBqYhlI_tn_rM900NkMm-mwsh2QvZh_zaszeJgnnUUL5CKPKI7P/s200/0006BB76-4698-4CA2-8E79-CC5D2C5B8CA8.jpeg" width="200" /></a>The board depicts a hex grid at its centre, which represents the surface of an area of the planet, chosen for colonisation. In the centre of this grid are a number of starting spaces, on which players' starting shelters, and four of the colony's essential buildings which form the Life Support System (LSS) are placed. Players also start with one robot on the surface, a rover vehicle at the central mine (kept off-board at the start), and three colonists who work to improve the colony.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia2D2v7Ba_TqiZPx4ojZmbieSQCpYhl_ECrotLoxVcTKN3H8nYo9nZ-pqTdYBJWVOyzVYFVvgcujskj9Ywe5Rsh-xwaqp-Jd2quuF3JxZDyvsQt_u7fdsNNSu7s21y8-oicPe0/s1600/2F8DA694-8769-4BFB-A528-0FA1CE64734E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia2D2v7Ba_TqiZPx4ojZmbieSQCpYhl_ECrotLoxVcTKN3H8nYo9nZ-pqTdYBJWVOyzVYFVvgcujskj9Ywe5Rsh-xwaqp-Jd2quuF3JxZDyvsQt_u7fdsNNSu7s21y8-oicPe0/s200/2F8DA694-8769-4BFB-A528-0FA1CE64734E.jpeg" width="200" /></a>On either side of the map are two action areas, orbit and surface, in which different actions are performed; between these, along the top of the board is a player order and travel area, used to differentiate between actions available to players (orbit or surface), the order they are conducted, and when the shuttle going to and from the surface takes off or lands.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht7NCCirBSBw-ZbIhHpYJEvV0eH97fJa7iISD4uM5c2q6Cxxff8UGZufLGT5e2-YPnfoDZSEU-NrKMQBFkVDjDrYW9OG0OlmnP0FXUaAoIBs7M_4u3bdWNCkELSzrEPj3XQCOM/s1600/7A70B947-631B-41FA-BFA5-58F562C6F455.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht7NCCirBSBw-ZbIhHpYJEvV0eH97fJa7iISD4uM5c2q6Cxxff8UGZufLGT5e2-YPnfoDZSEU-NrKMQBFkVDjDrYW9OG0OlmnP0FXUaAoIBs7M_4u3bdWNCkELSzrEPj3XQCOM/s200/7A70B947-631B-41FA-BFA5-58F562C6F455.jpeg" width="150" /></a>Orbital actions include taking blueprints, developing technology, researching technology, taking resources from a warehouse, and travelling to the surface independent of the shuttle. Colony actions include building, upgrading a building, employing a scientist, taking an Earth contract, welcoming a ship to the planet, and moving your rover and robots. Each action is important to other actions; better technology is required to build larger complexes, ships introduce more of your colonists (workers) and robots (builders) to the colony, building drives the colony to the next level, blueprints permit building upgrades, and scientists permit the use of upgraded buildings.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiO86rmlTpq5IXBODGXtmpLO2giSeFxEBan0_Nwz-OL8FLnVIjd5mkM1y1Y3Y57z-rYvrEJ8OykZjqqYWTsR36IODI1cakjmsLmHjvlsBu306Krzt_Igz-kFnrWiCzYB8vWuT5/s1600/2C5746A5-A13E-4091-94E4-151DE2D23FCD.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiO86rmlTpq5IXBODGXtmpLO2giSeFxEBan0_Nwz-OL8FLnVIjd5mkM1y1Y3Y57z-rYvrEJ8OykZjqqYWTsR36IODI1cakjmsLmHjvlsBu306Krzt_Igz-kFnrWiCzYB8vWuT5/s200/2C5746A5-A13E-4091-94E4-151DE2D23FCD.jpeg" width="200" /></a>There are three randomised player goals which are intended to limit the clock for the entire game; the number of goals required is reduced by taking the colony to particular levels of advancement, so that fewer goals need to be met to trigger game end. The goals are divided into short and long goals, and to meet them, particular actions must have been taken a minimum number of times. For instance, a blueprint goal with three players will require the action to have been conducted at least seven times before it is met. The players are encouraged to meet these goals through the reward of crystals. In my experience of playing, shorter goals seem to force the game to a premature end. Shorter goals do, however, permit finishing this game on a work night, at the cost of a decent story arc.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp72kmFzcjGB1EsMXxVC4Jn9JkEVe5OBJ1iepEMLZCx520trEQcGL6yGOR-hHpcv029zVO_NDcF65opDm3Q6QPZ8rbHwujUfQHIKKa4HV-VtC7p_t8JenjOY89WsTIMeyBO5OU/s1600/271CEFEE-34AC-4B89-ADE9-7CC510652D95.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp72kmFzcjGB1EsMXxVC4Jn9JkEVe5OBJ1iepEMLZCx520trEQcGL6yGOR-hHpcv029zVO_NDcF65opDm3Q6QPZ8rbHwujUfQHIKKa4HV-VtC7p_t8JenjOY89WsTIMeyBO5OU/s200/271CEFEE-34AC-4B89-ADE9-7CC510652D95.jpeg" width="150" /></a>Furthermore, in my experience of playing, On Mars does not lend itself to clear or obvious approaches; it's all very well setting goals, but while players are trying to fit the parts of the engine together in the correct order, the goals will form nothing but a distraction. There is no more accurate way of putting it; the game is easy to understand, and the actions are rather straightforward; however, performing those actions in the right order, coupled with balancing out one's time on the surface with time in orbit, is not as easy to achieve as it looks. Your first couple of games will undoubtedly result in blank faces and disgruntled players, as they fail to account for the nuances of the game, fail to produce or obtain the resources they actually need, or reach the first stage of enlightenment as they end up forced to take a lesser, alternative action which results in no return.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi26MO58-sSS5iHUYjk93ashK1SMI43_oFGydX5yvaZpYA_1dYESqRqBOeCOwASW1qAHJzum4mpF3KOG5ZLheMyPNlgubrvW8Wr9b60s5cQzG7kAPSYgcLdYeII6a-_2pxCDGqE/s1600/767CA5FE-0480-4CFD-8FDB-DBD573AA049E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi26MO58-sSS5iHUYjk93ashK1SMI43_oFGydX5yvaZpYA_1dYESqRqBOeCOwASW1qAHJzum4mpF3KOG5ZLheMyPNlgubrvW8Wr9b60s5cQzG7kAPSYgcLdYeII6a-_2pxCDGqE/s200/767CA5FE-0480-4CFD-8FDB-DBD573AA049E.jpeg" width="200" /></a>One of my favourite aspects of this design is the openness of it; nobody exclusively owns a building or complex (although they can own the upgrade to a building), anybody can add to a complex if the appropriate technology is available, and the technology itself doesn't have to belong to the builder (a benefit is received by the technology owner). Blocking fellow players is possible; however, this is a rather nuanced approach rather than directly preventing a player from doing something. Building, for instance, is only possible if you have a robot in the right place, the relevant resource, and somebody has the right level of technology; should an available space your robot could have built on be used to build something else, or the resource you require become unavailable, or the owner of the technology decide to choke its advancement, then the build isn't going to happen.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPjnmw2ok6fKvUeKRCzoQ70v7g7lK_yMJYZeVMH5OlYAVFbkDQ081u2pM91F4pXdZ_uehfu3gKrnWyvrb59xjaESvSXg1mqkQTxYD53-SRx22WmS2o_1ckah0v9fgvPyCgVeoJ/s1600/6757DA26-1767-4A36-A6FC-0A31E2DC3881.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPjnmw2ok6fKvUeKRCzoQ70v7g7lK_yMJYZeVMH5OlYAVFbkDQ081u2pM91F4pXdZ_uehfu3gKrnWyvrb59xjaESvSXg1mqkQTxYD53-SRx22WmS2o_1ckah0v9fgvPyCgVeoJ/s200/6757DA26-1767-4A36-A6FC-0A31E2DC3881.jpeg" width="200" /></a>Whilst I am on the subject of building, it is through building LSS buildings that the colony advances. Helping the colony advance brings rewards, and when it eventually levels up, nice things happen for those who have contributed to this advancement (points). Additionally, depleted warehouse resources are restocked, and more technologies made available - provided they haven't been already.<br />
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On Mars is a fabulous and challenging engine-building game; however, some of the aspects of play seem a little artificial in relation to the theme. If you're the kind of person who likes a strong thematic link to mechanics, these may put you off a bit. For instance, why is greater technology required just to build a bigger complex, why is travel between surface and orbit so difficult, and why are some actions generally only done in orbit when location is irrelevant? Like his previous design, <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/142379/escape-plan" target="_blank">Escape Plan</a>, Lacerda has thrown theme to the wind - well, more of a light breeze - and as a player, some suspension of disbelief is required.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaTTjIRQkpEzVgNHZbMp_DdhXN-YifGY9gP0mkQz4ce5_5TRaJP6GG-XXhUOYOBe8iYjjeKhZUsAOrXSlMWtdNRHowccXM3M4xlU5qJbDB0WsFsJEF__72GfsxCByfpULEpngI/s1600/19F99FB4-EC87-4F23-96B2-69429DCCB70A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaTTjIRQkpEzVgNHZbMp_DdhXN-YifGY9gP0mkQz4ce5_5TRaJP6GG-XXhUOYOBe8iYjjeKhZUsAOrXSlMWtdNRHowccXM3M4xlU5qJbDB0WsFsJEF__72GfsxCByfpULEpngI/s200/19F99FB4-EC87-4F23-96B2-69429DCCB70A.jpeg" width="200" /></a>As I said, though, this is a challenging engine-building game; it's easy to overlook such thematic distancing when faced with the tantalising dilemma of deciding what to do next with your limited actions, limited workforce, and limited resources. The game works very well indeed, despite being a bit unintuitive in the way actions connect; if it takes a couple of plays for you to get it, then you really need to get it - and play it!<br />
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Pawnstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14138454253813433739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16505715.post-4686365464288657032019-09-20T16:45:00.003+01:002023-06-25T10:16:24.219+01:00Blag and Bolt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpl0yPydcAp5Wr_udAuwBum4gkNZKCgvLMdRGCYnCtYaZVzHmhWc16e14qRSN_qQfDWJCZvrFJh4lofDA44oFQad96FSk35dkoMWb9-nQCUyTMvQwXClnTC7xEfdNHkRUGcXB/s1600/IMG_7908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1287" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpl0yPydcAp5Wr_udAuwBum4gkNZKCgvLMdRGCYnCtYaZVzHmhWc16e14qRSN_qQfDWJCZvrFJh4lofDA44oFQad96FSk35dkoMWb9-nQCUyTMvQwXClnTC7xEfdNHkRUGcXB/s200/IMG_7908.jpg" width="160" /></a></div>
The promise of an exciting, action film of a game always fills me with trepidation. Even the greatest of designers will generally fail to deliver a game which captures the tension, the suspense, and the heady atmosphere of the theme. Vital Lacerda's latest release, <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/142379/escape-plan" target="_blank">Escape Plan</a>, made such a promise; Ian O'Toole's box art emulated a heist film poster, the whole game presentation smacked of a criminal mastermind's genius, and the rules are interspersed with classic quotes from The Italian Job, Reservoir Dogs, and Heat, amongst other crime caper films. The question is, does it deliver the goods, or are we going to have to make a swift getaway?<br />
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Escape Plan is not about the heist; if this is what you are looking for, you will be mildly disappointed. Escape Plan is more about what happens after the heist, when the crew you put together get their own ideas about how the caper should have gone, when the law starts to close in, and when it's everyone for themselves.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigoiEM5De6MfWdsdeKZotVpncxSUfEGbIwYNaDUsTRTlEa9JFgxCVKPHIUo3JQq8RdNdqiim1-cJPbUrhuV5AgtrZ8YcYzvxxXI1nITNSXnMX-vuR6ao5jM4EKIiy4ku4RHvcf/s1600/B30B0289-232B-4D79-8109-1977988340D5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigoiEM5De6MfWdsdeKZotVpncxSUfEGbIwYNaDUsTRTlEa9JFgxCVKPHIUo3JQq8RdNdqiim1-cJPbUrhuV5AgtrZ8YcYzvxxXI1nITNSXnMX-vuR6ao5jM4EKIiy4ku4RHvcf/s200/B30B0289-232B-4D79-8109-1977988340D5.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
Each player starts off with nine grand in their holdall, and an escape plan, listing what they have stashed or invested, and where. In three days, it will be too late, so the crew have to race around the city to collect or to launder everything they have stolen. For the first two days, however, it just isn’t possible to get clean out of the city, despite the transport and contacts at a player’s disposal.<br />
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At the start of the game, the city the players not only committed their crime in, but also hid their ill-gotten gains in, is unfamiliar. Each turn begins by determining if any of the three city exits have been blocked off. This is followed by players choosing a city tile and adding it, along with the law enforcement officers allocated to it, to the city on the board. Thus, more locations become available, and more police close in on the gang, with every passing day. Each day is then resolved in three phases, morning, afternoon and evening; extra actions may also be taken at night and in the early morning twilight, as long as a player has prepared for this.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_PVPg3uxKVezPZajH4ptzza9vkJokBbp9ja7mH7k9uEDOEduHLHCU51O4c5_ExTDL3V3c89xSQD7IXp2F64nKHCsp8ChZZOV7J2EN2hswCg19B6gwiDiDQtvRWz8n5lybyyaQ/s1600/B153229F-BDA3-483F-A78C-01A9107E5E8E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: right; color: #0066cc; float: right; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_PVPg3uxKVezPZajH4ptzza9vkJokBbp9ja7mH7k9uEDOEduHLHCU51O4c5_ExTDL3V3c89xSQD7IXp2F64nKHCsp8ChZZOV7J2EN2hswCg19B6gwiDiDQtvRWz8n5lybyyaQ/s200/B153229F-BDA3-483F-A78C-01A9107E5E8E.jpeg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_PVPg3uxKVezPZajH4ptzza9vkJokBbp9ja7mH7k9uEDOEduHLHCU51O4c5_ExTDL3V3c89xSQD7IXp2F64nKHCsp8ChZZOV7J2EN2hswCg19B6gwiDiDQtvRWz8n5lybyyaQ/s1600/B153229F-BDA3-483F-A78C-01A9107E5E8E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: right; color: #0066cc; float: right; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></a>A player’s turn consists of either resting (once per day maximum), or moving. Moving requires a player to travel to another location, evade police officers, then carry out an action at the location. Moving is done to a limit, which can be extended through special transport. Evading usually involves taking or avoiding wounds. The actions themselves usually involve taking income, money for game end scoring, buying gear, employing biker gang members, gaining contacts, or healing wounds. Each location has its merits, apart from the actions; visiting a set of locations brings a bonus, some enable faster movement on subsequent turns, and others permit the unlocking of reward tiles, which permit players more equipment, more room to carry money, or more contacts.<br />
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Once the third day arrives, players must consider leaving the city; however, timing is very important, as there is a cost for leaving, which increases with every player’s exit. If you don't factor in enough petty cash to buy a few cops, then they're just going to arrest you as the city goes into lockdown. Of course, being a criminal mastermind, that would never happen to you, would it?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigoiEM5De6MfWdsdeKZotVpncxSUfEGbIwYNaDUsTRTlEa9JFgxCVKPHIUo3JQq8RdNdqiim1-cJPbUrhuV5AgtrZ8YcYzvxxXI1nITNSXnMX-vuR6ao5jM4EKIiy4ku4RHvcf/s1600/B30B0289-232B-4D79-8109-1977988340D5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>The theme is an exciting and interesting one, but I feel it has been only loosely adhered to. I am not saying the theme is pasted-on; I could spend hours thinking of ways to reskin most boardgames out there, but it would be a little difficult to do so cleanly with this game - perhaps with the exception of a POW escape theme. No, what I mean is, everything you would expect from desperate people is ignored; instead they are vulnerable travelling salespeople, moving from locale to locale, trying not to encounter too many officials on the way. The only confrontation between players is indirect, and encounters with law enforcement are distilled down to players taking injury. Yes, I could quite easily explain the abstraction away with appropriate narrative; however, one expects the presentation to do this without effort.<br />
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And nobody has any heaters! What did they use for the heist? Small, translucent plastic cubes?<br />
My reasoned mind is also at loggerheads with my imagination; not only do the players not know their way around a city in which they have pulled off a successful heist, squirrelling away their ill-gotten gains in numerous locations around that city, but the players also seem to have lost any ability to get from one side to the other, or even out of it. Fair enough, we weren't being pursued before; but then again, why are we even still in the city? I reckon we're the worst gang there ever was; amateur, even, which makes me wonder how we know so many underworld contacts.<br />
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Having gotten my only negative points out of the way, the gameplay itself is exciting and challenging. The strategic choice of which locations to visit, based on the escape plan you have been randomly dealt at the start, gives you a choice of paths, but also two broad options. Do you risk bagging more serious loot, leaving less room for things which might help your escape; or do you try and grab for your liquid assets, so you have the readies to buy off coppers, rope in contacts, or get the gear that will help evade the feds?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjys2hieQY8mVm-2DgPD1i9fmNCCpVE5Py2v5mMm2z4bjcty8dw1PsXJHbQtaHPV0_0B_k_mR47XRQJp4uhYfXuWizm0e1xuYm-_9AC9_fPkO7LvPHdQkKOfNjrC-5tUPz_e_m3/s1600/6B73B45D-92F4-431B-B77F-EF4F22CD2820.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: left; color: #0066cc; float: left; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjys2hieQY8mVm-2DgPD1i9fmNCCpVE5Py2v5mMm2z4bjcty8dw1PsXJHbQtaHPV0_0B_k_mR47XRQJp4uhYfXuWizm0e1xuYm-_9AC9_fPkO7LvPHdQkKOfNjrC-5tUPz_e_m3/s200/6B73B45D-92F4-431B-B77F-EF4F22CD2820.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
Then you have to consider the city is unfamiliar; if the next business to appear is one you invested heavily in, but it turns out to be Eastside while you're struggling through Westside, you have to consider whether the time spent visiting that business is going to be worth it. Safe houses, lockers in stores, stashes near closed exit points, businesses and contacts all have to be considered as strategic options in getting the most for *cough* your money.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjys2hieQY8mVm-2DgPD1i9fmNCCpVE5Py2v5mMm2z4bjcty8dw1PsXJHbQtaHPV0_0B_k_mR47XRQJp4uhYfXuWizm0e1xuYm-_9AC9_fPkO7LvPHdQkKOfNjrC-5tUPz_e_m3/s1600/6B73B45D-92F4-431B-B77F-EF4F22CD2820.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Tactically, the game is full of twists and turns; you can pretty much tell where the fuzz are going to be, but not where or when they're going to close in. All players have a characteristic called "notoriety", and as this increases, a player will gain benefits such as unlocking special tiles which may be used later and gain extra dosh for the endgame. The snag is that notoriety means the Old Bill close in, making your escape more difficult, and costing you big money in the endgame, if you don't tone it down a bit.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_PVPg3uxKVezPZajH4ptzza9vkJokBbp9ja7mH7k9uEDOEduHLHCU51O4c5_ExTDL3V3c89xSQD7IXp2F64nKHCsp8ChZZOV7J2EN2hswCg19B6gwiDiDQtvRWz8n5lybyyaQ/s1600/B153229F-BDA3-483F-A78C-01A9107E5E8E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>The best part of this game is that there is ample opportunity to stitch up your fellow gang members. You can bribe law enforcement agents to look the other way and into their path, hampering their movement; you can force the cost of leaving up, and you can just get in their way, forcing up their notoriety and making them more visible to the police. Worst of all, you can potentially force them into a situation where they cannot leave the city - at which point their money is worthless to them. Of course, it's easier to just watch them make mistakes - that's usually enough.<br />
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Escape Plan, despite the great theme being in need of a little darning, is an excellent game, and I can highly recommend it. Only one question remains - why am I Mr Pink?Pawnstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14138454253813433739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16505715.post-57707050683207455662018-04-29T11:32:00.000+01:002023-06-25T10:16:32.039+01:00Behemoths, Serpents and Knights - Oh My!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlwXNJToVqnYZKNPzGYbjaJPAxvKteskvXA5cBKem_rsUhWxs2hNpJj_RgEO6Q7nhMADvVbpnyV7X6tku4OkHXV_6yKDejWMy33Je8sEggLxYbLWBN75PDaTD2cqFX5468Y_b/s1600/Feudum+box.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="986" data-original-width="1600" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlwXNJToVqnYZKNPzGYbjaJPAxvKteskvXA5cBKem_rsUhWxs2hNpJj_RgEO6Q7nhMADvVbpnyV7X6tku4OkHXV_6yKDejWMy33Je8sEggLxYbLWBN75PDaTD2cqFX5468Y_b/s200/Feudum+box.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
Now and again an oddity appears that both fascinates and frightens the general gamer, presenting an attractive game with a seemingly impenetrable play structure. It will come as no surprise to most, and especially those who have played it, that <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/163839/feudum" target="_blank">Feudum</a>, from the aptly-named <a href="http://www.oddbirdgames.com/" target="_blank">Odd Bird Games</a>, is the latest example.<br />
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The setting itself is a little out-there and difficult to categorise; this seems to be some sort of steampunk-fantasy-medieval setting, with a feudal society being the basis, logistics and influence being main drivers, and alternative transport and combat being key tools to success.<br />
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The colourful and stylish centre of the board depicts the dominion of King Daniel, divided into six regions - the forest, the badlands, the mountains, the desert, the islands and the seas. In each of these regions, there are a number of locations, which may start the game as outposts, farms or towns. Each location is connected to other locations either by road, river, sea route or air; apart from road connections, special transport is required to travel (available from the Alchemists Guild); under certain conditions, expensive ferry routes are also available in some areas.<br />
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The ends of the board contain the guild displays. There are six guilds - Knights, Nobles, Priests, Farmers, Merchants, and Alchemists. Each guild has its own specific trade function; using these functions enables players to obtain the resources they need to survive and advance. Players also seek to gain influence in the guilds, to score points whilst driving the Kingdom's economy. A Guild Master can push resources into the next guild in the chain, whilst a Journeyman can pull resources from the guild leading into it. In addition to their powers, Masters and Journeymen profit from trade made with the guilds; one could safely say their importance should never be ignored.<br />
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Enclosing the board is the veneration track, where players track their veneration points (VP). Points do nothing but win the game; they are earned, amongst other things, for Master and Journeyman guild actions, successful attacks, presence in the different regions of the Kingdom, playing particular actions and meeting the requirements of royal writs (usually gained for exploration from outposts).<br />
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Each player possesses three pawns; cubic pawns, with one face for every guild. The pawns are migrated onto the board by the players as the game progresses, taking up guild status according to the role adopted by the pawn - knight, alchemist, etc. The role chosen for pawn not only dictates its sphere of influence, but also provides benefits for particular actions. As expected, knights are good at trouncing and taxing, nobles at sychophantism and oppression, merchants at making money and buying their way to the top, farmers at harvesting, alchemists at invention and making harmful chemicals, and priests at blessing.<br />
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And let's not forget the monsters! In the base game, there is a behemoth and a serpent; one may be used to terrorise the land, the other the sea. They are represented by cutesy resin miniatures, and can be controlled by spending influence gained when trading with the Knights Guild. Essentially, they give players an extra pawn, with which to attack or defend against other players. Their greatest use is in blocking the movement of enemy pawns, as other players are not permitted to move out of or through a location in which a monster resides. They also stand around and look pretty, a lot.<br />
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There are also, potentially, twenty influence markers available for each player. At the start of the game, players possess seven each. Whenever a guild or location is influenced by the player, one of these markers is used. Influence in a guild represents Master, Journeyman or Apprentice status in that guild; influence at a location represents a ruler, a subject or a serf, each of which has its function in society. A ruler signifies control; any exploration, harvest or taxation benefit gained there goes to a ruler. A serf can tend the land for a ruler, but has to pay the ruler a share of the crop. A subject simply reinforces a ruler's status as a ruler; each location can at most have three influence markers from two different players in situ.<br />
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In addition to gaining benefits from them, rulers have the power to improve a location. Improving a location entails turning an outpost into a farm, a farm into a town, or a town into a feudum. The nature of a location changes with improvement; different actions are available by location type, and different location types influence different guilds. Improvement garners a ruler VP, and if one is available, a landscape tile.<br />
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Landscape tiles sit at the bottom edge of the board, waiting to be collected by players implementing improvements, or discarded on the roll of a die at the end of a round. They can be cashed in for an extra resource, kept for extra VP at game end, or given as land for a player's serf to tend. Tended landscape tiles score points at the end of an epoch; they also give the player a harvest of resources, including influence and money, depending on their type. Serfdom is beneficial in some instances, and this tending of the land is one. It is possible this has been implemented as a catch-up mechanism for players whose influence failed to buy them control of a location; however, I simply haven't played enough to tell you where the balance lies.<br />
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As the landscape tiles are depleted, the epoch draws closer to an end. If the end of an epoch is triggered, epoch scoring takes place, where players gain points for presence in different regions, guilds, and landscapes tended. Should epoch five be triggered at this point, the game ends as soon as the round finishes, and in addition to epoch scoring, a final scoring occurs. Final scoring earns points for locations, sets of locations, and royal writs.<br />
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If you think this all sounds a bit convoluted, that's because it is. Despite a well-written rulebook, it is easy to get a bit confused. There are numerous rules with exceptions (many of the advanced actions refer to exceptions by pawn type, for instance), numerous side-scoring elements (such as the epic voyage track), different location characteristics which are not always clear (improving a farm to a town will result in the loss of all resources), and of course the guild actions themselves take a little getting used to. However, the biggest offender for lack of clarity is the board itself; players really have to look carefully to glean which routes connect where (for example, some water routes are shared by submersibles and ships, but are difficult to see), the guild trade symbolism is relatively small, and the yellow colours chosen for guild scoring makes it difficult to read in most cases. Additionally, much of the labelling for scoring and costs is situated on the space occupied by a marker, rather than adjacent to it, which means you have to move things around to check.<br />
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Another point of confusion is the player action cards; yes, the symbolism is given very little space, so it can be awkward to pick out, but the main issue with them is there are eleven of them. Eleven different cards, with a basic and advanced section on each. The sheer choice each player has when selecting four of the eleven action cards to use each turn is huge; this makes the game very prone to AP, even before anybody has taken a turn. After a couple of rounds, players tend to know what they are doing with these, so the effect is diminished; however, this also makes teaching the game a rather heavy burden, as how is a player to choose their actions without being taught about them all? It is not all bad; many of the actions are similar in approach, so can be taught easily. The greatest barriers are the guild actions and explaining the intricacies of them. Notwithstanding, eleven cards of which five have advanced alternative actions (ignoring the advanced enhancements to others) makes sixteen potential choices per round, which desecrates the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Magical_Number_Seven,_Plus_or_Minus_Two" target="_blank">old rule of seven</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVvWqyb53p9oaGHoW3qJKELVNXO_TdGuj7qysfM4VGN3FCr9GZuCmyMyYtRFuJKFIMZ9qm1hvLBbo1Nhyphenhyphen_4AVuN1MXmNbG7bvxPqnFyFRUH1mwIfCd62CRlzbmNzHQnFwcXJtr/s1600/Royal+Writs.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVvWqyb53p9oaGHoW3qJKELVNXO_TdGuj7qysfM4VGN3FCr9GZuCmyMyYtRFuJKFIMZ9qm1hvLBbo1Nhyphenhyphen_4AVuN1MXmNbG7bvxPqnFyFRUH1mwIfCd62CRlzbmNzHQnFwcXJtr/s200/Royal+Writs.jpeg" width="200" /></a>There is some very good news on the back of this. Once you get beyond the difficulties and intricacies of the presentation, a game of genius proportions underlying the beautiful-yet-complex façade is revealed. Players can choose to collectively balance the economy through the use of guild actions; or not to do so, should they choose, choking the flow of materials and influence. They can choose to dominate particular regions and/or locations; conversely they can choose to be the underdog and still make great headway in the game by, for example, a proliferation of serfs in many regions. Players can decide to aggressively pursue their goals, conquering opposing pawns and feudums, or starving the people. And even movement about the kingdom can bring the fame and fortune a player seeks. My first couple of plays have left me both intrigued and excited about the possibilities in this game; between games I think about it, I want to explore different strategies, face the challenge of developing feudums before the first epoch passes into the second, wonder at the possibility of completing the epic voyage, or even dominate the land from the subservient landscape. Feudum is almost like a sandbox game; except it really isn't, because whilst there are many approaches to take, time is short and so are resources, influence and pawns.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitXJCgdouQ1DiXqCwvtsliDLk009njINJdx0vEjd-jcMK51Qhs8d7EC1JSrgrziPEEeq4T6qxVyua-bmrPiqY45IokBHxwJ8RAC1UJxWudYH6rX1sPhpB8kH9Sd-gtPHZSO7o4/s1600/Fuedum+shillings.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1459" data-original-width="1600" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitXJCgdouQ1DiXqCwvtsliDLk009njINJdx0vEjd-jcMK51Qhs8d7EC1JSrgrziPEEeq4T6qxVyua-bmrPiqY45IokBHxwJ8RAC1UJxWudYH6rX1sPhpB8kH9Sd-gtPHZSO7o4/s200/Fuedum+shillings.jpeg" width="200" /></a>It is too early for me to even consider the expansions, as I need to get past the intricacies of the base game before that; although I was rather disappointed the KS campaign didn't give the option of a deluxe copy (my pledge) which included the expansions (a separate pledge permitted this, in a non-deluxe version; to keep shipping costs down). Looking at them, they are very pretty, but I need a little convincing they are going to be worth the money I would pay for them separately (almost as much as the base game, collectively). In any case, I am content for now exploring this unfamiliar land, without worrying about windmills, sirens, and a choice of different action cards. I'm enjoying the core game as it stands; and really, as long as you can spend a few hours on it for its first outing, so should you.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_bTcQ70KNm-0NTqvHwD3g8C1X9NQFMTHoOsSouZuJbsD6LfP4cbcdoyNI7QMsgnr61RhcutJcZYDId83jbSGUX-GBlkGkXsjJ2gLSAiUZ7CcDRiAhdIqfy2kg-LtiJ4FQJBo7/s1600/King+Daniel.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1117" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_bTcQ70KNm-0NTqvHwD3g8C1X9NQFMTHoOsSouZuJbsD6LfP4cbcdoyNI7QMsgnr61RhcutJcZYDId83jbSGUX-GBlkGkXsjJ2gLSAiUZ7CcDRiAhdIqfy2kg-LtiJ4FQJBo7/s200/King+Daniel.jpeg" width="139" /></a><br />
One final note on the option of playing this at the advanced level; do it on your first play. Using the basic actions alone removes a lot of the charm from this game; and whilst I understand this has been intended to drip-feed those who find the details a bit overwhelming, as that first game wears on, many player will want to try them out. So go for it; you may experience difficulties, but they're worth working through rather than ignoring them and tolerating a more mediocre experience. I hope you all get the pleasure I did from this game; preferably without the initial frustration I experienced. I look forward to playing Feudum again very soon, as I am sure most of my fellow players in the group are!Pawnstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14138454253813433739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16505715.post-65544229886988545682018-04-15T20:48:00.000+01:002023-06-25T10:16:40.703+01:00Rising Out of the Rubble<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgctFeR1Rh0iTYkshyphenhyphen3mrvZaspEe87jTSGtUf8GU_IayB1id4OePWuJ_gqxgdjw8ek5fAqx9RBcWfkO1G1ogDyTtCuLr60ifZ9t-Rca5eVPdNGJXhbNLa5kcPWOuXnVWOViQBHT/s1600/image1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgctFeR1Rh0iTYkshyphenhyphen3mrvZaspEe87jTSGtUf8GU_IayB1id4OePWuJ_gqxgdjw8ek5fAqx9RBcWfkO1G1ogDyTtCuLr60ifZ9t-Rca5eVPdNGJXhbNLa5kcPWOuXnVWOViQBHT/s200/image1.jpeg" width="150" /></a>I've said it before, and I'll say it again; <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/12396/vital-lacerda" target="_blank">Vital Lacerda</a> has become one of my go-to designers over the past few years. From his confounding semi-cooperative global warming design, CO2 (soon to be reimplemented), to the strategic enigma of the Portuguese wine making game, Vinhos (in both of its versions), the tantalising depth and complexity of his designs are difficult to resist. Last year Lacerda's key design returned to his homeland of Portugal, with the theme of the rebuilding of Lisbon after the 1755 earthquake at its foundation.<br />
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Lisboa is, first and foremost, a work of art; courtesy of <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/64844/ian-otoole" target="_blank">Ian O'Toole</a>. The board artwork is exactly like a tiled wall, stylised to effectively represent the famous azulejo tiles commonly seen in Portuguese buildings. The player boards themselves follow the same scheme, and have also been designed to permit cards to be easily slid into their tableaux. The areas for rubble, buildings and officials are all sunken, so that pieces will remain in their spaces rather than sliding all over the player board (more player mats ought to be designed this way - like those in Terraforming Mars, for instance). The cards also continue with the tiled theme, and are both pleasant to look at, and easy to read. To round all of this off is a menu-style player aid, eight pages of details, used not only for reminding players of the turn sequence, but also as a reference for all of the church tiles, decree cards, and in-game symbolism.<br />
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To the left of the main board are three nobles; the protagonists overseeing the rebuilding of the city. King José I grants favours, influences the Church and permits the opening of public buildings. Marquis de Pombal, the King's Minister, permits the purchase of ships, drives production of goods, and issues decrees. Finally, Manuel da Maia<insert and="" here="" names="" roles=""> brings in officials, commissions public buildings, and oversees the rebuilding of the city. Beneath each noble's action spaces are their office and their plaza; this is where players' officials are placed, increasing the cost of influencing the noble for other players, and driving forward the opening of public buildings.</insert><br />
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<insert and="" here="" names="" roles="">In the centre of the board are the Church and the Royal Treasury; both are key game elements, as gaining the Cardinal's favour garners special privileges, and the state of the Treasury governs the price of anything which may be bought through spending money or influence. Money is represented by coins; influence by a track situated below the nobles' area. Influence has a signature property of Lacerda's design; it can be exchanged for cash at a variable rate, in much the same fashion as it was in The Gallerist. Unfortunately, cash does not provide influence under normal circumstances; notwithstanding, money is a very valuable commodity in this game, and always very tight.</insert><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9b6zMd1tTAzzCMg-I5j-pvYlov_SO_7aWnbyXCk5Y-iSixRUzO55W7TnUtMoUIcDbGKXpCkfb0RpJ2Xm3dfGmTs44hszAxXdQ-4vY23eedqkioNYqyJUnOCPuT7UoWbHPpCM3/s1600/image1+%25281%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9b6zMd1tTAzzCMg-I5j-pvYlov_SO_7aWnbyXCk5Y-iSixRUzO55W7TnUtMoUIcDbGKXpCkfb0RpJ2Xm3dfGmTs44hszAxXdQ-4vY23eedqkioNYqyJUnOCPuT7UoWbHPpCM3/s200/image1+%25281%2529.jpeg" width="150" /></a></div>
<insert and="" here="" names="" roles="">To the right of the board is the rubble-ridden city, ripe for rebuilding. There are five streets running North to South, with buildings arranged in rows. At each end of each row there are public buildings awaiting to be opened; there is also one at top of each street. Rubble cubes need to be cleared as building takes place and public buildings are opened; bringing costs and benefits with each. Whenever a set of rubble is cleared, a player's tableau increases in size (permitting a player to have more cards in play), and their goods warehouses with it (permitting more goods to be hoarded). The price of goods is listed below the city map; with more production, the price of goods will decrease.</insert><br />
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Lisboa is driven by card play in a similar way to that used in the game of <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/146886/la-granja" target="_blank">La Granja</a>; a card has a different use depending upon where it is played. When played to the player's tableau, there is an instant bonus (or a penalty in some cases), followed by the choice of either trading with the nobles on the board or selling goods. Trading with the nobles permits players to trade goods in exchange for what are referred to as "state actions", basic actions which generally facilitate the "noble actions", explained below. Alternatively, goods can be sold using any players' ships, giving money to the seller and wigs to the owner of the ship.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2c3kKBRDS0lQsCPfCWrPOVwKpqZEp9noKrNEYwecJwExrVqKSaSg3LCS1p_vNH8J5rcx6-WH7PP3yE6LvVVp65FQMFR3-4JZsb3KHEmXQgZzb1XIP4X5YdnqmfJqtUjK7OS6h/s1600/image4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2c3kKBRDS0lQsCPfCWrPOVwKpqZEp9noKrNEYwecJwExrVqKSaSg3LCS1p_vNH8J5rcx6-WH7PP3yE6LvVVp65FQMFR3-4JZsb3KHEmXQgZzb1XIP4X5YdnqmfJqtUjK7OS6h/s200/image4.jpeg" width="200" /></a>The noble actions can only be used by spending influence; how much is spent depends on the state of the Royal Treasury (the richer it is, the easier it is to persuade the nobles to assist you), and how many other players' officials are working for that noble. Influencing the nobles in this way permits the building of shops in the city streets (which permit production and may also score), the acquisition of one or more decrees (which affect endgame scoring), or the opening of public buildings (which affect in-game scoring). What is special about these is that, when a player influences a noble, other players can then spend their influence and a Royal Favour to take a following action (not too dissimilar to the kicked-out action we saw in The Gallerist). Naturally, this means you get to do something extra, outside of your turn.<br />
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Like most of Lacerda's games (perhaps all, at the time of writing), there is some density to this game. Whilst the core actions are easy enough to grasp, using them well is not so obvious. Opening public buildings early will give everybody an indication of which plots will score; however, building on the plots early does not guarantee that plot will score later on. Building ships can be profitable, but if nobody produces goods to ship through them, they will sit idle in port. And taking decrees early in the game stops other players taking them, but gives them the opportunity to stop them being effective.<br />
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The effects of each game element, from the use of officials to the benefits of the Church, are intrinsically connected; each performing a role within the microeconomy driving the rebuilding of Lisbon. However, the relative value of each is fluid, such that players really do have to think very hard about how they're going to generate a winning score. Whilst Lisboa seems lighter in comparison to some of Lacerda's other games, the faux pas during my first couple of games have taught me that the delicate interoperability of the mechanisms can easily be jammed, costing a player valuable actions as they try to work around their sluggish progress. Conversely, a player who manages to generate enough favour with the King is likely to get a lot more done in a much shorter time. I absolutely love the challenge presented by this game; the timing of these actions is everything, and doing things in the wrong order is a punishing experience (although never punishing enough to prevent further progress).<br />
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And did I mention the wigs? Wigs were a status symbol in 18th Century Europe, and Portugal was no exception; so points in this game are unusually referred to as "wigs". Wigs can be spent instead of influence where influence is required, and a player has none; thus, in the right circumstances, players are permitted to sacrifice some prestige in order to get things done.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin5dprTvcScnKJhF4u-Dg_Wo8p9roFRb-SLaP8UOqTXJHp1i2hHst6HYpQIjdX-x5nNW1-9iY-Vzh6qwtk3vyrLabZv1bUNz8IiIS0GrWGfT0PdBbwClYg1ktNoWCzB3WtY_rP/s1600/image4+%25282%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin5dprTvcScnKJhF4u-Dg_Wo8p9roFRb-SLaP8UOqTXJHp1i2hHst6HYpQIjdX-x5nNW1-9iY-Vzh6qwtk3vyrLabZv1bUNz8IiIS0GrWGfT0PdBbwClYg1ktNoWCzB3WtY_rP/s200/image4+%25282%2529.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
One main criticism I have of Lisboa is the sheer variety of symbolism and tile or card effects; thankfully, the player aid covers these off quite nicely. However, the church tiles gained by meeting with the Cardinal have number references so tiny as to be unreadable for many; the icons are easy enough to see, but when learning the game the reference is essential. To counter this problem, I tend to announce what each tile does as it appears; but a player trying to check the tile reference without drawing attention to his interest in it is a difficult hurdle to overcome.<br />
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I can highly recommend Lisboa for gamers both familiar and unfamiliar with Vital Lacerda's designs; the complexity is not as great as it would at first seem, but the depth behind this is palpable. This makes Lisboa a great introduction to Lacerda's more intricate designs, such as The Gallerist and Vinhos. The game is also a pleasure to look at; and let's face it, the tactile quality of a game is something we all appreciate. If you enjoyed any of his other games, get this one; if La Granja's multiple use cards appealed, but you felt it lacked enough competition, Lisboa is for you, too; however, if you want something you can just play out of the box, it might be best to reconsider.Pawnstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14138454253813433739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16505715.post-20197121756796402202018-04-10T09:18:00.002+01:002023-06-25T10:16:47.319+01:00Is This One a Keyper?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVEvLrO0KV7jzFB7RsVlYEyJaaCZ2KR6X4WxHUp_i-lmIrxgrFXaE9nmIsB2bjO877jk8xmVSjqqqgLyJvGnWYWxAPtDlu-Xk0ByYaGrHmWTfGHCAtvawmPBE8LNxHUepw7MNa/s1600/boxfront.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVEvLrO0KV7jzFB7RsVlYEyJaaCZ2KR6X4WxHUp_i-lmIrxgrFXaE9nmIsB2bjO877jk8xmVSjqqqgLyJvGnWYWxAPtDlu-Xk0ByYaGrHmWTfGHCAtvawmPBE8LNxHUepw7MNa/s200/boxfront.jpg" width="200" /></a>The latest in Richard Breese's Key Series is Keyper; it's one of the games I rejected on Kickstarter last year, solely because I had to choose between this and backing something else which might not have as wide a distribution. I should have backed this too; cash-flow restrictions at the time prevented this, however, so a choice had to be made.<br />
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Keyper has evolved out of the base mechanism of Keyflower; workers are used to obtain resources over four seasons, and the workers available to you in subsequent turns is entirely dependent upon which of the available playing boards you claim. Unlike Keyflower, workers are no longer a currency; like Keyflower, they can be retained by using elements on your own player board.<br />
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However, the worker placement is not merely a matter of choosing a field, placing a worker and taking resources. This game permits other players' workers to join the current player's worker, and also permits workers to work twice. A "joiner" is either placed when the first worker is placed, for mutual benefits, or can join a sole worker later, who will then work some more. Additionally, workers not skilled in the particular area of expertise they are used for will return fewer resources or actions.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcCK-fZL5IVP8UsJqR5UfnZs8aWh_SiH43hoc479bnjdcJwblqAYl4eeEjcs5dThfffgvRplJbsuSYeAtAKD2UmREc6dvGPlo-EFtyf4WWvnAe9yLh3rkHd-3726AR-S99iw8O/s1600/Keyflower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcCK-fZL5IVP8UsJqR5UfnZs8aWh_SiH43hoc479bnjdcJwblqAYl4eeEjcs5dThfffgvRplJbsuSYeAtAKD2UmREc6dvGPlo-EFtyf4WWvnAe9yLh3rkHd-3726AR-S99iw8O/s200/Keyflower.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Keyflower makes another appearance in this game.</td></tr>
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Without the quirky rules on worker placement and retrieval, Keyper could be mistaken for just another run-of-the-mill worker placement game; even better, however, there is one more clever, little twist. The boards are reconfigurable; not in a tile-laying fashion, as that would be way too free and easy! In this case, the boards have multiple layers folded into themselves. At the start of a new season, the board a player took can be laid out in any legal configuration, displaying fields the choosing player desires.<br />
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Each player has their own player board, divided into four main areas - farmland, building space, fairgrounds and resource pools. Country tiles may be built in farmland, building spaces or fairgrounds depending on type, while resources (raw materials, finished goods, gems and wheat) are all stored in the resource section. At the top of the board are scoring tracks for recording points earned both during the game and at the end, and placeholders for keyples and the keyper, adjacent to which a separate tile is placed representing the keyp.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Those cows will need to be housed.</td></tr>
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Naturally, with three areas for country tiles to be placed, there are three broad types - farm tiles, building tiles, and fair tiles. Farm tiles generally depict one or more types of livestock, and form a home for them, with a hard limit of four per tile. Some farm tiles have special purposes in addition to animal accommodations; for instance, endgame bonus scoring, or trading livestock. Farm tiles may be upgraded for better effect (rather like the hexagonal tiles in Keyflower), by spending a single raw material.<br />
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Building tiles all have some sort of special function. Some permit turning raw materials into finished goods, some give exclusive actions, and others give special scoring for keyples, board spaces, or even for the way buildings are built themselves. Some of the buildings have a permanent effect, but other buildings require a keyple assigned in order to activate them; naturally, there is nothing to stop another keyple joining this one in a later turn, so the first one may work again! Like farm tiles, building tiles may also be upgraded for better effect; unlike farm tiles, this requires one finished good of any type.<br />
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Fair tiles are divided by type into seasons, with each player receiving one for each of Spring, Summer and Autumn at the start of the game. These tiles promise points each season on presentation of the indicated livestock and resources. There are also a set of Winter fair tiles; these may be implemented in Summer or Autumn too, depending on the resources and livestock presented. Naturally, the better presentations score more points.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCGELEu-wGBRStgRdYJapceDgbYlUvxEcOiHqf7EqHHF1Mv2gCHH8Vk4TEvtesmTDZLdPFgKbFnpnnBYBC-JuN03wJOhbgQpCU-J5619mJNypRd6KxWzGfkVVpTwRbRhb-_IMO/s1600/laydown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCGELEu-wGBRStgRdYJapceDgbYlUvxEcOiHqf7EqHHF1Mv2gCHH8Vk4TEvtesmTDZLdPFgKbFnpnnBYBC-JuN03wJOhbgQpCU-J5619mJNypRd6KxWzGfkVVpTwRbRhb-_IMO/s200/laydown.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Always lying down on the job!</td></tr>
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On running out of keyples to play, and provided their keyper has also been played to claim one of the available boards, a player must then start laying down keyples on their claimed board to implement the action again on these spaces. When the round is over, the claimed board is taken along with all of the keyples on it.<br />
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The keyples on the claimed board are kept by the claimant player to be used in the next round, and the players reconfigure their boards, preferably to their own benefit.<br />
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There aren't many games which are as self-balancing as Keyper; a player who is locked out of gaining sufficient workers can simply lay claim to the best board and start laying down keyples until the other players have finished, thus, rather than being shut-out from the rest of the round, the player's choice of actions is extended. Whilst the game seems rather convoluted on first playing (interpreting the options for worker use can be a bit overwhelming initially), it really is not; however, it is deep, because of the sheer number of options. Generally, it makes sense to get your workers on the boards as quickly as possible, so that extra actions can be exploited, which means joining others is always attractive. One has to be wary of giving keyples away, however, and for this reason it can often be beneficial just to avoid joining altogether.<br />
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The board configurations should also be carefully considered; putting up a choice of exclusive fields which everybody may wish to use does not necessarily mean you will get to claim that board, or even that anybody else will continue to use it subsequent to it being claimed by a keyper.<br />
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I can highly recommend Keyper for its variety of approaches and its unique use of reconfigurable boards; however, Keyper's esoteric approach to worker placement is definitely the element that sets it apart from your typical economic engine-building game. If you like the challenge of semi-cooperative actions, and if you can find a copy, you really ought to play it now!Pawnstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14138454253813433739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16505715.post-25539172502909305032018-02-05T19:41:00.000+00:002023-06-25T10:16:54.537+01:00The Winter of Our Discontent?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLj5gzPN_JlkdvRvWgzHfh00sH5KLmcBNuu29Jt6MadQsCB5Bc8gTwcFeeGdmJkvrtsXnMTrv3IIfaY7w7hF7ym9h4KOOcAhQE_echO3vA01by8vYUF94CChVpNVzQk9N-mDSu/s1600/image1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLj5gzPN_JlkdvRvWgzHfh00sH5KLmcBNuu29Jt6MadQsCB5Bc8gTwcFeeGdmJkvrtsXnMTrv3IIfaY7w7hF7ym9h4KOOcAhQE_echO3vA01by8vYUF94CChVpNVzQk9N-mDSu/s200/image1.jpeg" width="200" /></a>The Wars of the Roses marked one of the most turbulent periods in British history; unsurprisingly, this has made it one of the most suitable themes for a game in which there is intrigue and warfare. From the classic Kingmaker through to the more recent Lancaster, there a games to suit every taste. David Mortimer's recent design, <a href="http://www.surprisedstaregames.co.uk/CousinsWar/index.htm" target="_blank">The Cousins' War</a>, is the latest in a long line of games on this subject; it is a pocket-sized game which plays out in less than one hour with two players.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvUb57WI9oS6zzWOivEBMtBlXNVWYH7DoLFGlKfWny7nuGNZbDuFQ1fJd75ddsb4If0Y2UEPPKA0kusQ7yVSdxRl6tzx_iWFkJjk34n8WNkvSq3MbZRGGCyK3u7AKF92jjVeOX/s1600/image3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvUb57WI9oS6zzWOivEBMtBlXNVWYH7DoLFGlKfWny7nuGNZbDuFQ1fJd75ddsb4If0Y2UEPPKA0kusQ7yVSdxRl6tzx_iWFkJjk34n8WNkvSq3MbZRGGCyK3u7AKF92jjVeOX/s200/image3.jpeg" width="150" /></a>The Cousins' War is a two-player strategy game; players represent either the House of York or the House of Lancaster. A small board, divided into three regions (North, South and Central) is used to track both sides' progress, with cubes representing the level of influence a player has in each region, and also their army's strength on the field of battle. A deck of cards containing both battle and action cards, each of which also has a command point value, is used to play the game over five rounds.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib28QnE7gcALGQVCBflBCxI4LzUTzyYIMf3G6k72P2rYrgcMpcaRdmYrREeb4k-RoJhv35I9ohJ1Fkw4UQ1gLTW7CUvi4OBLPEjtxWETz8dbpNB4uqcBycKOw7PaJw__39C-GJ/s1600/image4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib28QnE7gcALGQVCBflBCxI4LzUTzyYIMf3G6k72P2rYrgcMpcaRdmYrREeb4k-RoJhv35I9ohJ1Fkw4UQ1gLTW7CUvi4OBLPEjtxWETz8dbpNB4uqcBycKOw7PaJw__39C-GJ/s200/image4.jpeg" width="150" /></a>Each round, a single battle is selected by each player, the one with the earliest date being the battle to be fought at the end of this round. Following this, there are four or five turns of strategic card play per round; cards may be used for their command points, to muster, deploy or move cubes on the board; alternatively, they can be used for their event, if permissible. As in other games of this type, if the event is relevant to the opposing side, it may be triggered when played for its command points. In addition to this, it may be the case that one or both players wish to retain a card for use in the battle.<br />
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The battle itself is conducted with dice; however, this is not just a roll-off. The player with the initiative (referred to as the "active player") rolls the dice hidden behind a hand (cups would be better, as with other dice games, but I'll wager they wouldn't fit in the box, as there aren't any included). That player then has to decide whether to bluff or tell the truth about what is on those dice. The opponent then decides whether to accept the value stated and roll against it, or challenge the stated result (in which case the hand is removed). A successful challenge means victory; an unsuccessful challenge means defeat. If no challenge was made, the roll for the opponent is open and the stated result has to be beaten. Success in either challenge or roll means the winning side gets to remove an opposing army from the field of battle; as long as armies from both sides remain, another round of battle ensues, with the initiative being passed across.<br />
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Battles leave one player in control of the particular region in which the battle takes place; and it is control of regions of the country which ultimately determine victory in the game. Control of all three regions after the battle means immediate victory; after the fifth round is completed, control of the most territories wins, and in the case of a tie, whoever won the most battles takes the crown.<br />
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The first misconception one gets from seeing a box so small is that it cannot possibly house anything more than a simplistic card game; however, The Cousins' War possesses significant depth without breaking the budget. I liken it to a pocket retheming of Twilight Struggle, with a touch of Perudo thrown in. The intrigue and challenge presented by Twilight Struggle, 1960: The Making of the President, or other similar games, is effectively emulated here with a combination of multi-use cardplay and a clever system of bluffing to represent the fog of war.<br />
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The Cousins' War is one of my favourite games from 2017. It succeeds in condensing the tension of a card-based wargame into a short time, and is a suitable two-player filler for when there are a couple of players at a loose end - a common occurrence at clubs and conventions. It also has the advantage of being very portable; there is a lot of game for such a small box. This game is a must-have for any collection; go out and buy it now!Pawnstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14138454253813433739noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16505715.post-52064848895748603292018-02-04T22:36:00.000+00:002023-06-25T10:18:35.986+01:00Scythe - A Brief OverviewDieselpunk is a cultural successor to Steampunk, with the setting being an alternate age of the combustion engine. There have been a few games given this setting over the past years; the relatively simplistic and not widely distributed race game Edison & Co, for example. The genre lends itself to games involving speed and steel; it comes as no surprise that there should be one or two wargames utilising this. A couple of years ago, designer of Viticulture, Jamey Stegmeier took the <a href="https://jakubrozalski.artstation.com/" target="_blank">dieselpunk artwork of Jakub Rozalski</a> and turned it into one of the greatest <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgamefamily/12210/4x-games" target="_blank">4X games</a> of all time; <a href="https://stonemaiergames.com/games/scythe/" target="_blank">Scythe</a>.<br />
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On seeing the game at Essen in 2015, I recall my initial impressions being dismissive; with its oversized mech miniatures and hex-based landscape, the game appeared to be yet another over-stylised simplistic wargame (aka "Ameritrash"). I understood that it was being launched on Kickstarter, a risk to any consumer if ever there was one (I am now a superbacker, but that's how I thought of it at that time), hence I had only a mild, passing interest in it, and it wasn't until I played a friend's Collectors Edition, over a year later, that I took any real interest.<br />
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My first impressions couldn't be anywhere further from the truth about this game; it certainly is not a wargame, as battles form only around ten percent of the action in a typical game, although in its entirety much of the victory comes from territorial gains. It certainly is not a Eurogame; whilst actions are selected which increase a faction's economic efficiency, the progress is interleaved amongst the players, and, as stated, there are heavy militaristic elements. That said, the European influences are there - no player elimination, a points-based system in the form of coins, and enough abstraction to break down the elements into comprehensive mechanisms. There is still a strong tie to theme, and significant interaction; however, I am loathe to label Scythe simply as a hybrid.<br />
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Scythe is something special in the world of game design; a game in which the effects of all actions are injected into a well-engineered manifold, representing the different facets of national power in an uchronic theatre of political and economic turmoil. In addition to the base resources of finance, food, fuel and materials, there are the abstracted commodities of reputation and power, representing popularity and military strengths respectively. Along with money, these abstract commodities can be spent to oppress the population for material gain, or to engage in combat, respectively. Maintaining a higher level of both is essential in securing the final victory; however, to achieve that final victory, a player must use their supply of each to gain resources and territory.<br />
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With such an original design, it is difficult to categorise Scythe, especially at a time where the definition "hybrid" ceases to be useful - just about every design of note these days has adopted elements of the European school of design. That said, Scythe belongs loosely in the 4X genre (it struggles to meet the "extermination" criterion, for instance), despite utilising a Euroesque system of interleaved paired actions, uniquely configured for different players. The actions available are combined with the special abilities (for mechs and leaders in particular) to create what is basically a configurable set of capabilities by faction. In basic terms, the actions are all the same; however, action costs, and when they may be implemented, varies across player boards.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsDHRS44IqC9SVt26j_Z9xReKRJbN1gy5inTAutjvIoJpgP67lzhxwf2eR3qoGzrLtMt2JKQrFBsoq6X75ya20798n7Mz6s_Ax4WZdSONq91YwqyS4RFTwMN3iUcTzgzr0jEEr/s1600/image9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsDHRS44IqC9SVt26j_Z9xReKRJbN1gy5inTAutjvIoJpgP67lzhxwf2eR3qoGzrLtMt2JKQrFBsoq6X75ya20798n7Mz6s_Ax4WZdSONq91YwqyS4RFTwMN3iUcTzgzr0jEEr/s200/image9.jpeg" width="200" /></a>On their turn, each player may choose a set of two actions from four sets, which (with the notable exception of the Rusviet Union) must be different from those chosen on the previous turn. These action sets are divided into a top action and a bottom action; a player may take both, either, or none at all, but if the top action is used it must be used before the bottom action. The effect is an abstract restriction on logistic control; if you just moved your mechs into neighbouring territories, then you're going to have to do something else before you can move them again, such as bolster your military power, trade for resources, or produce resources using your workers. Similarly, the same bottom action won't be carried out either; you may have built a mill this turn, but if you want to build that armoury, you are going to have to do something else first.<br />
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Of course, the general effectiveness of one's strategy relies heavily on which actions you can implement and when, making the player boards and faction boards major strategy drivers. The first challenge in any game of Scythe is getting one's economic engine up and running; the second is to use that engine to fulfil six out of a number of victory goals, which vary from deploying all of your workers, to attaining the highest level of reputation. In what purports to be a 4X game, you may be surprised to find only two of these goals relate to victory in combat; however, most other 4X games seem to concentrate way too much on combat. Scythe utilises combat as a tool, a means to an end, so to speak, which is really what it ought to be in a game where it represents just one facet of success. The result is that some games of Scythe will be combat-heavy, some will not, and typically there will be roughly 2-3 battles per player.<br />
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Combat is conducted in a manner similar to the Avalon Hill classic, Dune. Belligerents dial up a number taken from their available power (it was "spice" in Dune), and can add in up to one combat card per mech and/or leader involved. The loser has to beat a hasty retreat back to base; the winner gains victory and any resources left behind, but can suffer loss of reputation if any civilians are affected. It's quick, it works, and the game doesn't get bogged down with tabular references or roll-offs. As a strategic approach, combat has to be well-timed; it can result in a player being left weak in power, and, speaking from bitter experience, easy prey for other factions looking to attain a combat victory goal. Thus, getting yourself in a strong enough position to conduct battles is a logistic challenge; you don't want to become easy pickings for the vultures, afterwards!<br />
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The game ends immediately when one faction manages to place all six of its objective tokens; my experience of the game is that this usually comes around sooner than expected; as each player's economic engine ramps up, reaching another objective gets easier, usually resulting in one of the factions claiming objectives in quick succession to reach the limit of six. Unsurprisingly, with players adopting different strategic approaches, some will start off with few attained and close them all off in quick succession, others at a steady pace, and others getting an early lead on them. I have never seen a game where a player achieved none of them, but I dare say this could happen, and I would wager victory is also possible despite this. My first (and only) victory so far saw me achieve just 2 of them, compared with the 4-6 completed by each other player. This can happen because victory is determined by one player having the most money.<br />
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Money is generally earned through different actions during the game, but is also used to gain power, reputation and resources. Endgame scoring adds to a faction's coffers; based on how reputable a player is, more coin is then earned for objectives completed, territories controlled and every pair of resources owned. In addition, players score for buildings, in accordance with criteria randomly selected before the start of the game. As with any basic scoring system, ties can occur; these are broken in a strict order, and I have seen a couple of games where they had to be referred to. How close a losing faction is to the winner is always interesting, and every game results in post-war analyses; what could I have done to win, what mistakes did I make, how could I have missed that?<br />
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Scythe is one of the top games from the last decade; however, it's not for everyone. There is a strong argument that the game is more about accounting than conflict; however, if you need something in real life to make a comparison, it's the international tensions of the Cold War. Gaining the upper hand is more a matter of the territorial, economic and logistic activity each faction undertakes; this is underlined with a lot of posturing, threatening and negotiation, and from time to time there will be localised conflicts without an all-out offensive. Negotiation is usually expressed in the subtleties of one's actions; I have hardly seen any actual negotiation in our games, apart from the casual open statement about other players getting too big for their boots, or expressing interest in an area of the board. The lack of negotiation is probably down to the fact that the only thing which is permitted to change hands directly is money, which is also points.<br />
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And that is pretty much the game of Scythe; but before I finish, a few words on the expansions. <a href="https://stonemaiergames.com/games/scythe/scythe-invaders-from-afar/" target="_blank">Invaders from Afar</a> introduces two new factions; Albion (British) and Togawa (Japanese), which have their own unique special abilities. The Albion faction can place banners in territories, to which mechs can be rallied; Togawa can lay traps which cause difficulties for the faction which triggers them. The core game already bore their base areas, so it was inevitable they were to appear later; they do present interesting alternatives to the base game. However, I would advise Togawa is reserved only for experienced players; the challenge behind using the traps against a base game player mix will not necessarily appeal to beginners.<br />
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The second expansion is <a href="https://stonemaiergames.com/games/scythe/scythe-the-wind-gambit/" target="_blank">The Wind Gambit</a>, and introduce airships into the game. Each faction has just one of these majestic airborne platforms; one active and one passive rule for airships are selected (randomly or by choice) at the start of each game; these apply to all players. The active rules generally involve something offensive, in conjunction with indicating an airship's loading limits (either two workers or three resources, but neither mechs nor leaders). The passive rules indicate movement range and an inactive benefit. I was slightly disappointed that there were no rules for direct conflict between airships and ground forces, or even other airships; however, these are possibilities presented indirectly in the active or passive abilities. For instance, "Espionage" permits the drawing and/or playing of extra combat cards for a resource cost. In a way, I am glad I was disappointed, because repeated plays with the airships have revealed the subtle power in utilising them, even if they are a touch overproduced.<br />
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What promises to be the final expansion, <a href="https://stonemaiergames.com/games/scythe/scythe-the-rise-of-fenris/" target="_blank">The Rise of Fenris</a>, is due for release later this year. The expansion is to contain a campaign game and a number of modules; despite my regular disdain for expansions, I am very excited about this one.<br />
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That concludes this brief overview about Scythe; it's one of the few games I always seem to be willing to play, and more importantly, that the group are eager to keep on playing, trying different setups and different strategies.<br />
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One last point; the copy you can see in the pictures is a Kickstarter Premium Edition, to which I have added upgraded components. As you might expect, they add nothing to the gameplay and only make it slightly more tactile; however, the resources are out there to upgrade your game should you wish to - metal coins, realistic resources, faction-specific combat dials, and so on. Whichever version you manage to purchase, I am sure you will enjoy the game.Pawnstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14138454253813433739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16505715.post-60950341222186590942017-12-31T23:50:00.001+00:002023-06-25T10:17:08.282+01:00Red Planet, Green Planet.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Card-play has formed the core of some of the most celebrated games; from the relatively simplistic interaction in Cosmic Encounter, to the multifunctional operations and event cards of Twilight Struggle. The sight of a deck of cards in something purporting to be a strategy game can often give off the wrong signal, however, as was the case for me when I came across <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/167791/terraforming-mars">Terraforming Mars</a> (TM). As a result I was relatively slow on the uptake, and didn't get a copy until a second printing had been released. Yes, I paid a lot of money for it, too; however, I have had more than my money's worth out of this game.<br />
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The game pits players (as corporations) against each other with a common goal; over many generations, Mars has to be transformed into a hospitable environment, instead of a hostile one. When the prerequisites for habitation - global parameters of water, oxygen and heat - have reached a particular level, the terraforming process is complete. This is achieved by players implementing projects, choosing either from standard projects (on the board), or projects their corporation has researched (in the form of cards in hand).<br />
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The standard projects involve paying money (M€) in order to aquify, plant greenery, build a city, increase power output, or reroute an asteroid to the Martian surface; patents can also be sold at €1M per project card.<br />
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Project cards involve paying money to place one project card into ones tableau, or else trigger an event in hand. The project cards consist of four broad types; automated (green bordered), active effects (blue bordered), active actions (also blue bordered), and events (orange bordered). Each type behaves differently, with events being instantly covered, effects being in effect continuously from when played, actions being available once per generation, and automated projects giving an instant benefit and/or penalty (in many cases, involving ongoing increases in plant, animal and microbiotic life forms).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSm-KZ6gUgwsiF6jHTlUk11G83I43DzqCNDa7XZXxWROjw2bvld_ngQVJ7NslK8LygzSk0F5cksgdW8tKj6Tq2cyFlLTLY7A6_KellEFMBo0s7L7TdgJ_yNl_QaDyOzGyvT2Rq/s1600/image8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSm-KZ6gUgwsiF6jHTlUk11G83I43DzqCNDa7XZXxWROjw2bvld_ngQVJ7NslK8LygzSk0F5cksgdW8tKj6Tq2cyFlLTLY7A6_KellEFMBo0s7L7TdgJ_yNl_QaDyOzGyvT2Rq/s200/image8.jpeg" width="200" /></a>Each project card has at least one tag, a symbol which denotes classification. This might indicate the project as a building, permitting the use of steel resources to pay for the project; or a space tag, which would permit the use of titanium. Other tags are relevant to scoring, and others are relevant as requirements for particular projects. Tags will also distinguish animal, vegetable and microbiotic characteristics. The use of tags is a clear and symbolic shortcut for determining the costs, benefits and characteristics of a card in a player's tableau.<br />
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In addition to projects, players can also claim milestones or fund awards for game end by paying an appropriate fee. Claiming a milestone requires a player has met the conditions (eight buildings built, or owning three cities, for example); if so, a fee of M€8 buys five points at game end. Funding an award costs M€8, M€14 or M€20, the earlier it is funded, the cheaper it is, but everybody else has a chance to compete for it. At game end, first and second place will get five or two points respectively, regardless who funded the award.<br />
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As players complete their various projects, Mars edges closer to a habitable state; the three global parameters of water, oxygen and heat will reach their respective minimum levels, and one last round of building greenery from plants will ensue, before the game ends and the final scores are compared.<br />
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TM has been both lauded and criticised for the use of project cards; these have been rightly praised for their flavoursome approach to handling what would otherwise be a rather complex milieu, and put down for being chance-heavy, which is clearly capable of tipping game balance in favour of a good deal or draw. This significant concern was not ignored during the design process, and players who have had experience of the game are advised to utilise a 7 Wonders-style draft system to reduce the significance of a good or bad card draw. The main complaint of the drafting method is one of time; however, unless there are new players at the table, I would advise taking the time.<br />
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When all is said and done, what we have here is one of the most thematic games of the decade, sat on a Euroesque bedrock of action selection and points scoring. The subject is beautifully represented, the gameplay very engaging and the potential for alternate scenarios has already been realised in the form of the Hellas & Elysium, and Venus Next expansions.<br />
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I do, however, have bad things to say about this game; some of the components are shockingly poor. I was unfortunate to pay over the odds for a copy with the tiles printed offset on one side; I can live with it, but for the price I paid it grates a touch. The player mats are flimsy; on the other hand, though complaints about the functionality of the player mats have resulted in some gamers upgrading their sets with 3D printed or laser-cut frames, our group has had few issues with keeping accurate track on income, and I'm not convinced they need improvement.<br />
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Two games saw more play from me than any other individual games during this year; this one, and Great Western Trail. However, I am afraid that the overpriced and overhyped Terraforming Mars had to take second place to GWT; that said, I look forward to more exciting plays of TM in the coming year - it has some distance to go before it outstays its welcome.Pawnstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14138454253813433739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16505715.post-21041276163795242112017-12-20T21:31:00.000+00:002023-06-25T10:18:43.775+01:00Going to Kansas CityIn recent years, it's been very difficult to focus on originality when judging a game's quality or appeal; it was inevitable, really, that original mechanisms would eventually run dry. This isn't a bad thing by any measure; this has encouraged designers to use the tools they have more ingeniously, which frequently results in something slightly more complex than games which came before. Indeed, there have been games which are essentially combinations of multiple subgames for some time now; look to Feld's Mancala-style wheel in Trajan, the pie-rule adaptation in San Marco, or the combination of worker placement and conflict in the more recent, and highly successful, Scythe.<br />
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The downside is that designers are now trying to combine the inputs and outputs of several discrete machines within the overarching game structure, which could potentially cause difficulty in achieving a level playing field; with a strategy, player or action being imbalanced for or against.<br />
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For <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/11767/alexander-pfister">Alexander Pfister</a>, I do not think this has ever really been much of a hurdle to leap; Herr Pfister has produced games across the complexity spectrum with apparent ease, games which seem to work well no matter what technology runs under the bonnet. Mombasa, Isle of Skye and Oh My Goods! all stand testament to this, and his major release from last year has set his name in stone amongst the list of my favourite designers. The mechanisms used are not new, but they are used in a relatively fresh way. The trail itself, as I understand it, was influenced by Mac Gerdts' rondel mechanism; the players' herds use deck-building and the buildings along the trail are reminiscent of Caylus. The whole of these parts is a masterpiece; <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/193738/great-western-trail">Great Western Trail</a>.<br />
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Great Western Trail (GWT) is themed around the logistics of cattle drives; the players each move a drover along the trail, taking advantage of any buildings on the way, and paying the price in tolls and in hazards (both in time and in money). Along the way, players may improve the breeding quality of their herd by visiting a cattle market, employ workers in three varieties (builders, cowboys and engineers), trade with Native Americans, increase their transport capability, neutralise hazards on the trail, and build their own buildings along the trail.<br />
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Eventually, their cattle drive will end at Kansas City, where they must then transport their cattle to a destination, bringing in income along with points or penalties. Then it's back onto the trail again for another cattle drive.<br />
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The game sounds more complex than it actually is; a player's turn basically involves moving his drover along the trail, taking one or more actions, then drawing his hand back up to the limit. The only exception to this is Kansas City, where more employees, hazards and tepees are brought into play, and cattle are sold and transported to different cities. There are three general logistic areas which affect the success of each cattle drive.<br />
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The first is a player's herd. This is simulated through a player's personal deck from which they draw cards, with a starting hand size of four, increased by taking particular benefits at Kansas City. The key to a good herd is a variety of breeds; only one card of any one breed will be counted at Kansas City. The deck can be built up by visiting the cattle market and buying more cattle, for which cowboys are useful.<br />
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The second is a player's buildings, which can increase movement, bring in extra money, but most importantly, permit powerful actions exclusive to that player. Naturally, builders are required to build buildings, and need to be paid in cash, of course.<br />
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The third is a player's railway engine. Through various actions a player can move their engine along a linear track, opening up more cattle delivery destinations, and permitting players to improve stations. Employing more engineers increases the range of engine movement for a player.<br />
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These three areas are connected within the game structure by the employees. As you can see, employees of the three different types enable better logistics; these employees are hired from the employment market, which serves two broad functions, providing workers for players to hire, and the game's timer. As each row of the market is unlocked, a token moves down the right-hand-side column. When it leaves the board, the endgame is triggered. By the time the game reaches this stage, players will have advanced in one or more of the three logistic areas listed above; they will probably also have an increased hand size and/or faster movement along the trail.<br />
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What is really interesting, clever even, is the manner in which all these nuances have been balanced together. Referring to what I stated at the start of this post, GWT is occasionally referred to as a points salad; incorrectly so, as a points salad doesn't really need any effort to score points, often relying on some random output to determine where those points are available, and frequently, randomly, swinging the game. GWT makes you work for those points; yes, there are random elements which may lead to slightly higher scoring, but repeated plays have shown experienced and strategic play to shine out from the odd lucky shuffle or the odd lucky draw. To be clear, there are quite a few game elements giving points to players here; however, they are not just there for the taking. That's a big difference between a well-honed design and a lazily-tossed points salad. GWT requires players to take a structured approach to earning points; to earn points on your herd, you need to buy better cattle; to score for your train's movement, you best build station improvements; to score well on buildings, you will need to get more builders, or improve the buildings you have.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXgCkRgPS3iY9vV8RtNMtaZC1LKbHlD978cqc1hDeRLWmozJpiFmuK3IaflgxEU9HtVjLSFaiSB7wOeR2h-_sOwsXMkglWbxtV2qcXNwcfv8hkbLLIb9-zFukNVycFiSLY30cg/s1600/IMG_0696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXgCkRgPS3iY9vV8RtNMtaZC1LKbHlD978cqc1hDeRLWmozJpiFmuK3IaflgxEU9HtVjLSFaiSB7wOeR2h-_sOwsXMkglWbxtV2qcXNwcfv8hkbLLIb9-zFukNVycFiSLY30cg/s200/IMG_0696.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
The sum of all these parts is one of the most popular games from 2016; there are no fancy miniatures or overproduced stretch goals; there was no hype, no fanfare, and no blindsiding bling; what got this game to this level of popularity was pure, mechanical genius. To add to the beauty of this engaging design, the cost of purchase has remained fairly low despite current economic vagaries. I cannot recommend this game enough. I truly believe this game sits amongst the greatest, and can justifiably take its place alongside Puerto Rico, Twilight Struggle, and Age of Steam. I will be watching with anticipation for Alexander's next design; GWT is going to be difficult to improve upon.Pawnstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14138454253813433739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16505715.post-82290930890270615882017-10-02T20:34:00.001+01:002017-10-02T20:34:17.681+01:00Preview - The English Civil War<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3QxHqMjUdKItWMo6ZfiJPTsKk-b3OxnZ7YaIFocK_dONZCnxB1y8UKTNPF-yL8ztqLDyW_A3oIVZJlYfa_YmomUgOs_n07SyHpfUrQ_LBFwKz37eggkG1-TBPcFlY0rDD1lQ9/s1600/image2+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="978" data-original-width="1305" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3QxHqMjUdKItWMo6ZfiJPTsKk-b3OxnZ7YaIFocK_dONZCnxB1y8UKTNPF-yL8ztqLDyW_A3oIVZJlYfa_YmomUgOs_n07SyHpfUrQ_LBFwKz37eggkG1-TBPcFlY0rDD1lQ9/s320/image2+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black powder units are reloading.</td></tr>
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One of the most neglected periods of British history, when it comes to wargames, is the English Civil War, generally considered to have run from 1642 to 1646 (although there was more than just one war, effectively running from 1639 to 1651), a conflict between Crown and Parliament, where the old order of absolute monarchy was challenged by a new order of common rule under Parliament.<br />
Whilst there have been many rulesets for ECW (English Civil Wars) miniatures gaming, there have been few tactical board wargames with this setting; and those that have been designed, follow a typical hex-and-counter approach which, to my mind, doesn't really sit well with a war during which the flow of battle was consistently uncertain.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjDWfbxfPVbxolidYiEgAWGdJ5gGsZ0WdN5-HG8KVYhijslS6ApaG8LotT2KxWuUqDi6sWY6_IvZoA9BE1mcxARxoCPYxlmk9p3_FYsyMOYmylbJ7LPUiZUqpaE1IO8p8tT6T2/s1600/image.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjDWfbxfPVbxolidYiEgAWGdJ5gGsZ0WdN5-HG8KVYhijslS6ApaG8LotT2KxWuUqDi6sWY6_IvZoA9BE1mcxARxoCPYxlmk9p3_FYsyMOYmylbJ7LPUiZUqpaE1IO8p8tT6T2/s320/image.jpeg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Royalists experience command failure at Edgehill.</td></tr>
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I am not the only person who has thought this; fortunately, I recently got the opportunity to play an unpublished tactical ECW wargame, designed by Graeme Tate. The designer's intent was to give the game a feel of the uncertainty of battle true to the history, the strengths and weaknesses of the units involved, the limits of command and control, and the bloody results which left battles such as that fought at Edgehill in the minds of historians and scholars since. Indeed, when the designer invited me to play it the first time, we fought at Edgehill, just as two enthusiastic, opposed and inexperienced armies did, on 23rd October 1642. The design is also intended to flow, such that belligerents may concentrate on their strategy and tactics, rather than constantly referencing CRTs and spending an inordinate amount of time attempting to work out the results of every skirmish.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT6qvXzKltZsWz8ROwFUM8CVot2S_nB1_5futqUJKXkm0r_C7VL7hRM4IAYvVSjrxYd6ZD4PAYyNu4mgry_lJ86on0xbQTjVxj0v1NJkuobRbx2DaJhcI4WEjdlxlGF3U5_K9p/s1600/image%255B1%255D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT6qvXzKltZsWz8ROwFUM8CVot2S_nB1_5futqUJKXkm0r_C7VL7hRM4IAYvVSjrxYd6ZD4PAYyNu4mgry_lJ86on0xbQTjVxj0v1NJkuobRbx2DaJhcI4WEjdlxlGF3U5_K9p/s320/image%255B1%255D.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edgehill (take 2) - a broken Royalist left results in defeat.</td></tr>
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The game has a working title of "The English Civil War", and is a battle system for pike and shot warfare which can be played on a variety of battlefields. As you can see from the pictures, the battlefield is divided into irregular areas, generally bordered by roads, rivers, streams, hedges and slopes. The borders of each area behave similarly to approaches in Rachel Simmons' Napoleonic designs, Bonaparte at Marengo, and Napoleon's Triumph; units assault across them and are either opposed by defending units or else overrun or outflank enemy units in the area. That is where the similarity ends, however, as the effects of terrain on movement and combat is both less abstract and uncomplicated (more detail on this later). Please do not pay any mind to the borrowed components; all that Graeme had available during my visits was an early playtest copy.<br />
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The specific design of the battlefield maps is, naturally, based upon the actual historical locations in which the battles took place. I got to look at a couple of others the designer has lined up, and I am rather excited about what future plays will have in store for me. Particularly interesting is the Newbury map; there were a couple of battles here, the First Newbury being considered as one of the most strategically crucial of the war, so I look forward to playing out that one.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzWS2ZtzZ5AAQoMY1GG21rnvasd1XplD-tz7RaTN-qtquGDZe3g98wpaj0W1KHmpB2IepQRBLmS1D7pk4VTTJqbP1UUAQYolDTG59EeO9EabkNY3HhgN7j0fKvFGxMOBjR5C7G/s1600/image+%25282%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzWS2ZtzZ5AAQoMY1GG21rnvasd1XplD-tz7RaTN-qtquGDZe3g98wpaj0W1KHmpB2IepQRBLmS1D7pk4VTTJqbP1UUAQYolDTG59EeO9EabkNY3HhgN7j0fKvFGxMOBjR5C7G/s320/image+%25282%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Naseby - a strong Royalist centre is gradually worn down.</td></tr>
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The system captures fog of war extremely well, in multiple ways. Whilst the core of many wargames' command and control elements are mostly deterministic, The English Civil War adopts a system which gives absolute control of what orders go out, but limited control over the effectiveness of any order. Each general can decide how many orders to issue at the start of each turn; however, although flexible to a great extent, the number of orders is finite and is also limited on a turn-by-turn basis. Alternating between sides, players may then use an order on one or more units in the same area; after simple alterations for whether there is a local commander, along with a touch of chance, one or more of the chosen units may march or engage, as long as they are not already engaged, that is. A poor command result can be ignored and the unit can just do nothing, although this effectively costs a turn; conversely, a good command result is often wasted on a single unit that cannot do much with it.<br />
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After all orders have been given by both sides, borders are resolved, where forces must be moved up to area borders to engage with the enemy. Supported engaged units may also retire at this point, allowing their support units to engage in their place. Subsequently, combat is resolved where necessary.<br />
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Graeme has designed a quick and intuitive system of combat; no tables are required, and due to the unique self-balancing nature of the combat system, every result that fails to inflict casualties has a tactical or a logistical effect on forthcoming combat results. It works very well, because as engaged units give or take casualties, the chance of further casualties is depleted. Chances are that if a unit fails to significantly reduce an opposing unit's strength, they will have significantly hampered the opposing unit's effectiveness at combat.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGpsDDc3KMh8TSoTbRmWAVxeOT2-6iKYdTR9EuSAzxnlduCOuj-gq4C6YwSC5Kil7HESI-F4DCiRhx6S60fHEKE0QcOrZ0vh9iUsY5OluIvY85Ryf5tTlM7KnJjs7RI_WuZyqU/s1600/image%255B1%255D+%25282%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGpsDDc3KMh8TSoTbRmWAVxeOT2-6iKYdTR9EuSAzxnlduCOuj-gq4C6YwSC5Kil7HESI-F4DCiRhx6S60fHEKE0QcOrZ0vh9iUsY5OluIvY85Ryf5tTlM7KnJjs7RI_WuZyqU/s320/image%255B1%255D+%25282%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Naseby (take 2) - Royalists exploit a weakness in the centre, <br />while Parliamentarian forces hold out on the right,<br /> and dominate the left.</td></tr>
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In keeping with the conduct of war during this period, cavalry that breaks through an enemy line then get to do interesting things; this could involve engaging again, simply advancing in order, or else riding off for a bit of pillaging and a picnic in the English countryside. Historically at Edgehill, the superior Royalist cavalry failed to consolidate their breakthrough in favour of pillaging the enemy baggage train, so this is rather fitting.<br />
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As casualties build up, the overall effectiveness of either side's troops is reduced; even worse, if one side reaches a point where they have lost significantly more units than their opponent, then victory goes to their opponent. As long as this doesn't happen, a battle will continue until and endgame check is passed, then points are counted, for both enemy units destroyed and ground held on the battlefield.<br />
After two battles as the Royalists, I found myself wanting to play some more, to experiment with different strategies and alternative battles; unfortunately, Graeme only had Edgehill available, as he has put out submissions (and I am very confident a game this good will get the attention it deserves), so I lost twice at Edgehill. The first loss I put down to my permitting independence to too many units, poor use of artillery and lack of mobility at the front; the second (and worse) defeat I put down to locking out too many troops on the right, whilst pushing forward into a superior enemy force on the centre and not keeping my left strong enough to stop the Parliamentary onslaught.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFiySmSHOCDun6I09bJwrSad7AbsS9FGuyD1pRWuT2ntiNcN0FTuSVusge40nP6h8QgqCiQ71MUoW3qEkf5XcJ6zvjdmeihJQEA7xWDBiYHYfO__FeRUATXi2bZjWYxDv3bU4e/s1600/image%255B2%255D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1196" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFiySmSHOCDun6I09bJwrSad7AbsS9FGuyD1pRWuT2ntiNcN0FTuSVusge40nP6h8QgqCiQ71MUoW3qEkf5XcJ6zvjdmeihJQEA7xWDBiYHYfO__FeRUATXi2bZjWYxDv3bU4e/s320/image%255B2%255D.jpeg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Royalist cavalry paves the way for a <br />heavy push from infantry on <br />the Parliamentarian right flank.</td></tr>
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My second session involved two runs of Naseby; at first, as the Royalists, I attempted a push on the centre of the battlefield, which was arrested by a successful cavalry engagement, subsequently bolstered by staunch pikemen and supporting artillery. I changed tack, and tried to force a flanking manoeuvre on the left; but ultimately this was arrested by a combination of poor command and a driving cavalry assault that split the flank from the centre. This wasted strength on the left could therefore do little to turn the Parliamentarian centre, and gradually the cavaliers fell.<br />
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We swapped sides for the second run, where I attempted to lure in the enemy Royalists to the centre, and to sweep around with a strong left flank. Having gained more experience with the system, this very nearly worked; helped in no small part by a number of good combat results on my much weaker right flank. As the Royalists advanced in the centre, I clamped shut the vice of pikemen and raised the hammer of cavalry. An attempt to break out from the centre to the failing Royalist left met with determined resistance from tired roundheads who realised the importance to hold them. However, the hammer failed to fall and deliver the killing blow before the battle was over, resulting in an indecisive result.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhAQDwW8bISDCX3bNe-EJsUiFVQYGER6Vj-z3RZhzSkcoqauJs7wdqRIvFAyHCEELXs7r5H182_hC5kbuP1SrjKZTP2kTAVHOWcmttkSsa1dm-aNjYs8f1cfzSRYdXRakFhH0/s1600/image%255B2%255D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1196" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhAQDwW8bISDCX3bNe-EJsUiFVQYGER6Vj-z3RZhzSkcoqauJs7wdqRIvFAyHCEELXs7r5H182_hC5kbuP1SrjKZTP2kTAVHOWcmttkSsa1dm-aNjYs8f1cfzSRYdXRakFhH0/s320/image%255B2%255D.jpeg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heavy Royalist losses.</td></tr>
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Graeme has put a lot into his design; like many others before him, he has nurtured this over years, studying the history over and over, checking and rebalancing the system; the result is a fast-playing and engaging battle system which should appeal to the experienced grognard and the novice alike. What's even more exciting about this is that it could easily be ported into other wars of the period, and, with a little work, into other eras. Look out for this one; I hope to see it published very soon, so that I can get the finished article on the table. The game is currently in the playtest stage with Academy Games, who were interested after Graeme pitched it to them. If I get any updates on this, I will post them here; it's all very exciting!<br />
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Nice one, Graeme; here's hoping I get to play a production copy.<br />
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Pawnstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14138454253813433739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16505715.post-22291111152034531012017-06-03T23:36:00.002+01:002023-06-25T10:18:57.886+01:00A Clash of the Chieftains<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg59Zc1zwMwNrLRaOyUTa8BDR4OzbofmwYc010A7XixvXnaAwxDGhkgSacSnkJCN8OwZPspgEV8b_Ld1oi263YLEGd0dz95jJ2JcPCUYXcvvaDPnbOdisCI2zqjCipW7qa2CCFF/s1600/image1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg59Zc1zwMwNrLRaOyUTa8BDR4OzbofmwYc010A7XixvXnaAwxDGhkgSacSnkJCN8OwZPspgEV8b_Ld1oi263YLEGd0dz95jJ2JcPCUYXcvvaDPnbOdisCI2zqjCipW7qa2CCFF/s200/image1.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="http://www.matagot.com/">Matagot</a> have had a reputation for producing solid designs from the French School for over a decade, from the brain-burning temporal paradox that was <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/25674/khronos">Khronos</a>, to the Harryhausenesque classical challenge that was <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/54998/cyclades">Cyclades</a>. Last year, their foray into Irish and Celtic mythology, <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/155821/inis">Inis</a>, designed by <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/6997/christian-martinez">Christian Martinez</a>, met with an initially favourable reception, which soon developed into a rather polarised spread of opinions (a "Marmite" game, if you will).<br />
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I didn't get the opportunity to play this until I bought a copy myself, earlier this year; I suppose this makes this review long overdue, but to be fair, one has to play something in order to develop an opinion on it. I'm not too clued up on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_mythology">Irish mythology</a>, so I'm fairly certain I pronounced the names incorrectly; however, the rules of Inis are rather straightforward, so learning and teaching the rules was equally uncomplicated. There was a short lead time between purchase and play, which is always a good sign.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjgVTCAxBBiGTP6CHaWgg3ZTGFkBUWi3SyskDYnX_dOl7ef6rN-KiUldQPfPxKWO9szPZEXOGqFCXGNAWv7plDNRn_S5H_tN9bq7SIH0TpfZxan4wq3YLaSqOyEWnpPr0Y8pCD/s1600/image3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjgVTCAxBBiGTP6CHaWgg3ZTGFkBUWi3SyskDYnX_dOl7ef6rN-KiUldQPfPxKWO9szPZEXOGqFCXGNAWv7plDNRn_S5H_tN9bq7SIH0TpfZxan4wq3YLaSqOyEWnpPr0Y8pCD/s200/image3.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
The game is played on a map made up of irregular tiles; each tile abstractly represents a unique territory, and each territory has a corresponding advantage card which is taken into hand by the chieftain in that territory. In addition to the advantage cards, players draft from a set of action cards each round, which can be used for actions, or during clashes, the game's adopted conflict resolution.<br />
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Players posses twelve markers, miniature figures, each of which represents a single clan. These are placed into territories as the game progresses, with a player becoming chieftain if his clans have the plurality in the territory.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJd5z24S_AJw4IUcr8wfRugGUw1P_akEp8BFNgSE8PruAdSlwymXjp0p8iRVbPfisunxotgaAPSqK_fmZf0t97VWA-6PfrwueAxLivJJ3ah62CwmiU6YG-5lu4rEx6VByzwCcE/s1600/image4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJd5z24S_AJw4IUcr8wfRugGUw1P_akEp8BFNgSE8PruAdSlwymXjp0p8iRVbPfisunxotgaAPSqK_fmZf0t97VWA-6PfrwueAxLivJJ3ah62CwmiU6YG-5lu4rEx6VByzwCcE/s200/image4.JPG" width="200" /></a>In addition to the figures, there are also buildings - citadels and sanctuaries. Citadels will provide protection for a single clan when a clash occurs; sanctuaries are key to one of the victory conditions; both types of building are referenced on cards which, when played, provide benefits in territories where those buildings are present.<br />
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The Action Cards themselves are distributed using a slightly avant-garde method of drafting. Players take a single card from a small selection, pass the others in whichever direction play is going this round, and then add the chosen card into that selection before taking two. After receiving the next set, they combine these to select three, passing and receiving one more, then adding in any retained Epic Tales and Advantage Cards to make up their hand.<br />
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The Action Round consists of card play, making a claim of kingship, or simply passing. Card play usually entails actions from Action Cards; however, cards may also be played for any territorial advantages gained at the start of the current turn, or a player can choose from any Epic Tale Cards previously earned. The cards collectively permit building, movement, placement and clash actions; if a clash action is chosen, then conflict ensues in one or more territories, which must be resolved before the game moves on.<br />
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Clashes utilise a deterministic form of combat; the result is frequently one of <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/wiki/page/Glossary#toc9">AP</a>, but as players get used to it, resolution passes through quickly. Firstly, the instigator has to leave all clans exposed, whilst other players whose clans are present in the effected region get an opportunity to fortify themselves in any available citadels, if there is any room. Then attacks, withdrawals or Epic Tale cards are played until everybody involved agrees the clash is over, or else there are no more exposed clans in the territory.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeeNrIbTsxAsDYUT4TxoHfgaESdNmtNm9neGFhew-DmkdwLZtE8dt2beLcp7AJxHgTLn416wBCZpEgX1dzGVzVzCywvidPNwF_o7O6hCqON7zkxJY1N4eBWZ-zg5CAEE8cmjtR/s1600/image5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeeNrIbTsxAsDYUT4TxoHfgaESdNmtNm9neGFhew-DmkdwLZtE8dt2beLcp7AJxHgTLn416wBCZpEgX1dzGVzVzCywvidPNwF_o7O6hCqON7zkxJY1N4eBWZ-zg5CAEE8cmjtR/s200/image5.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
The turn ends when all players have consecutively passed; as part of the first phase of the following turn, victory conditions are checked. If any player has declared their attempt at kingship by taking a pretender marker on the prior turn, they can be considered for victory. Three victory conditions exist; to have six or more opposing clans under rule of your chieftains, to have clans present in six or more territories, and to have presence in territories containing a total of six sanctuaries. If any player has more than any other, they win the game; if there is a tie, first player wins (known as the Brenn, a Celtic prince) as long as he was one of the tied players; if neither condition is met, the game continues.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZVzBccDFTpDqqZwvgPJrnpNT5Ek3bn0g6KBQCldhq7dw9uX-Pti6s8H_abc8LHgWW7v9PpiawuaCXGB5qYRTP7KLTQQRlVBTR5TEMQ6vX8DQxY5i8eNqj4IQlXW8jXx1Z6Ah/s1600/image8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZVzBccDFTpDqqZwvgPJrnpNT5Ek3bn0g6KBQCldhq7dw9uX-Pti6s8H_abc8LHgWW7v9PpiawuaCXGB5qYRTP7KLTQQRlVBTR5TEMQ6vX8DQxY5i8eNqj4IQlXW8jXx1Z6Ah/s200/image8.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
The trouble with such endgame conditions is that, with roughly equal players, the game can be prolonged indefinitely; the logical thing to do when a player takes a pretender token is to nobble them, and in any case, a player watching the game will see when somebody is close enough for victory. Whilst this is the nature of the game, this does lend itself to extending play time far beyond the advised sixty minutes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGNaFSebMhwo9JjLg7H7QxeGgBUy9GgG_t9HsM6mJnG6oWPOzlXJwTu5hRctgKMu3IFjHb69U_z77VZ4AkQeZjxo09PVtoIfnsv8loNb1XsarbFIprr4rzzcg2YVef_vVmjIEi/s1600/image6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGNaFSebMhwo9JjLg7H7QxeGgBUy9GgG_t9HsM6mJnG6oWPOzlXJwTu5hRctgKMu3IFjHb69U_z77VZ4AkQeZjxo09PVtoIfnsv8loNb1XsarbFIprr4rzzcg2YVef_vVmjIEi/s200/image6.JPG" width="200" /></a>Essentially, bar a couple of opening rounds, the entire game reflects the (slightly disappointing) endgame of Wallace's <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/133632/mythotopia">Mythotopia</a>, with players jockeying for position in three different scoring areas, and the winner generally being handed victory because somebody else at the table lost the will to continue. Nevertheless, play is engaging and interesting; I am determined to play more, just to see if I can attain victory within the hour, While I am not confident about this ever happening amongst our regular group, it is the desire to pursue this that keeps the game interesting.Pawnstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14138454253813433739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16505715.post-40874455850237224672017-02-22T21:26:00.002+00:002023-06-25T10:21:12.579+01:00Manifold Densities?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw8Xk88thgSpWu63OjhiIULIbs5aIBOpf0RXdxHuejDl_cT9rqGuyxbVr4cbvHHysj3yyfjE1_xLP067XIq52sl61QuxfAysQzsYsq5xUVWoshxQJo-_kqgy3PD3kw6eIi6qyd/s1600/100_6234.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw8Xk88thgSpWu63OjhiIULIbs5aIBOpf0RXdxHuejDl_cT9rqGuyxbVr4cbvHHysj3yyfjE1_xLP067XIq52sl61QuxfAysQzsYsq5xUVWoshxQJo-_kqgy3PD3kw6eIi6qyd/s200/100_6234.JPG" width="149" /></a>There have been numerous card-driven strategies over the years; from the revolutionary appeal of <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/620/we-people">We The People</a>, to the resounding success of <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/12333/twilight-struggle">Twilight Struggle</a>. One thing most of them have in common is that they are generally designed for two players, and in general these are wargames. This makes perfect sense; for instance, there are event cards which apply to one side or the other, and a player using the card for their own operational purposes will also trigger the event. Such games of conflict are generally zero-sum, which basically means the sum of both side's points is zero, and when points are gained they are taken from the opponent.<br />
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Naturally this approach does not work as well if the game is a multiplayer card-driven strategy game; it's not impossible to implement, but in every case at least one other player would have to lose points to another, and that would mean one player being at a gross disadvantage against all opponents. And whilst a card-driven strategy game does not necessarily have to be zero-sum to work, I'm not so sure there aren't better mechanical approaches one could take as opposed to cards.<br />
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That said, you might ask why I am about to blather on about <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/12283/manifest-destiny">Manifest Destiny</a>, and what this all has to do with it. All shall soon become clear, perhaps.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3eSa1thUI80SzTJz-iyziPZyqqTqwzbvbFTnwzFkfoidhk2n-Kndq2J284l23BRP6eRH7SEjEe4Msvt6cRciBh9kdUkW6HgVxJprZCRV94aTu1XAEQVNWc9_XPt6nZ60wVSEu/s1600/100_6239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3eSa1thUI80SzTJz-iyziPZyqqTqwzbvbFTnwzFkfoidhk2n-Kndq2J284l23BRP6eRH7SEjEe4Msvt6cRciBh9kdUkW6HgVxJprZCRV94aTu1XAEQVNWc9_XPt6nZ60wVSEu/s200/100_6239.JPG" width="200" /></a>The game is themed around the history of North America, with focus on the United States. Each player represents a mercantile empire expanding their trade and influence into the various territories, increasing income to enable them to purchase progressions and research breakthroughs. These bring benefits which in turn make progress easier; and as the eras wear on, more breakthroughs become available. In addition to the special benefits breakthroughs and progressions give a player, they each gain a player points. When at least one player rises to thirty points or beyond, the game goes into the end phase and abruptly ends. The player with the most points is declared the winner, with money being a tie-breaker.<br />
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The board displays a map which represents North America and part of Central America, with a few boxes representing off-map territories and "foreign" territories (other continents). The territories are group regionally, which is relevant to certain game conditions or events (for instance the "Westward Ho!" progression is required to enter the North West of South West regions); they are also assigned one or more industry symbols. Controlling a territory brings an increase in profits, and also a payout whenever a card displaying that industry is played to pay out.<br />
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The board also has a number of important areas and tracks on it; there is a profit track, used to track whatever each player earns at the end of the turn; a points track, to track each player's victory points; three tracks to record how many pioneers, cities and cards have been bought in the current turn; turn order and turn order choice tracks; finally, there is a space for priority turn order (which each player gets to use once in the entire game).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzFpAokNHg3jfqBzsEgIKV6WSmZS1yoK91eW5-eq4D2sPVkIZEJtmTTibPiEh_qJPW7WQ8AB7Nn-nP6bvGmxaYux53KRKrMETbzOb11PgsulKpwtR3UWqaICtWOjcBBdoMwrI8/s1600/100_6236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzFpAokNHg3jfqBzsEgIKV6WSmZS1yoK91eW5-eq4D2sPVkIZEJtmTTibPiEh_qJPW7WQ8AB7Nn-nP6bvGmxaYux53KRKrMETbzOb11PgsulKpwtR3UWqaICtWOjcBBdoMwrI8/s200/100_6236.JPG" width="149" /></a>The card-driven element is provided by three decks of cards, divided into cards exclusive to each of three eras, cards which can be used just once in just one of two eras, cards which can be used in two or more eras and Destiny Cards, of which only one may be played in any turn, by any player. Destiny cards always apply an event, and also a payout, for one of the many industries indicated on the map. As the name of the mechanism suggests, these cards are what drives the game; sure, there are other elements at play here - and expansion phase, for instance - but the card play is key to players gaining an edge over their opponents. There are generally two ways such a card may be used (with the notable exception of Destiny Cards, which use both) - either for the event on the card, or (if present) a payout.<br />
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Events can be generally applied, giving some or all players a benefit or penalty, or applied only to the individual playing it, for example when a leader is played. Some events discount the cost of progress, whilst others permit special rules involving expansion, or the removal of opposing control from specific regions, products or areas. Some events permit a player to defend themselves against negative, opposing events out of turn; these can usually be played for their rank alone, which affects the order in which players are given their choice for turn order.<br />
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The game lasts for three eras or until somebody reaches thirty points, which nominally equates to around six hours playing with a full complement of five players (three-player games tend to take around four hours, although I expect either time could be heavily whittled down with experience). Six hours may sound like a long time, but in a game like this such a duration should be expected. This is no filler, no family game and no limited overs cricket match; it is a game recreating the rise of a nation as an economic giant over a period of two hundred years. Whilst this puts the game's duration beyond weeknights, it is one of the best mid-length games I have played. However, the playing time is still an issue, and a big issue; it means sacrificing the best part of one day, so my recommendation is to reserve this title for conventions.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyrXOzdJCplpr0J5ySXJtL-xNHGcODBo4X27tq190b1bmwLF-cxgRduzQ7YhQoniNb2GQ8BEIgNK9S8WpnFkj2FnOMrGYt1bDYPkpcbQJtxSvbwtlkrieLHohyeso7zr1tVSMd/s1600/100_6242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyrXOzdJCplpr0J5ySXJtL-xNHGcODBo4X27tq190b1bmwLF-cxgRduzQ7YhQoniNb2GQ8BEIgNK9S8WpnFkj2FnOMrGYt1bDYPkpcbQJtxSvbwtlkrieLHohyeso7zr1tVSMd/s200/100_6242.JPG" width="149" /></a>The rulebook is written in the style of a wargame; no surprise there, since the publisher (GMT) specialises in wargames, and arguably Manifest Destiny is just that, albeit a wargame with the theme of industrial and economic competition lumpily wallpapered to hide the cracks. The cracks are not great, but you can see them, amongst a ruleset that includes everything, just as long as you know where to look. Much of the rulebook seems to be open to interpretation; much of the terminology is ill-defined (a key area of confusion being the distinctions, or lack thereof, between control markers indicating new or established presence); however, the adopted layout means that every rule has a numerical reference, making the rulebook as easy to navigate as...a wargame!<br />
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The game itself is also not without its problems; in no small part, mistakes are often made due to creative or inaccurate rules interpretation, and in all fairness a lot of them are easy to miss. Worse, once you work through all of those (which potentially adds hours to the playing time), there are issues with the game itself, which I may have touched upon earlier when I mentioned the usual approach with these games is a zero-sum scoring element. While it isn't zero-sum by any measure, Manifest Destiny suffers the problems a multiplayer game would if it were; and this is partly due to the depth and complexity of the play, which often seems to be unnecessarily convoluted in comparison to the simplistic scoring method and obvious goals. One player's gain is frequently another player's loss, and if one player is singled out by multiple opponents (whether by choice or not), the situation for that player becomes very difficult.<br />
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The most basic way I can express the downside of this game is in terms of profits and losses. In order to get ahead, a player must expand their industry into new areas, competing with others. This means that as the game winds on, and all of the unexploited regions of the New World have been, well, exploited, then every time one player expands somebody else loses out.In itself this is not an issue, but I have found it is very easy for one player in a multiplayer game to be completely closed out from victory early on. This is because everything a player can do to earn points relies upon profit; pioneers (used to research breakthroughs) require one or more action cubes (which cost money), advancements have to be paid for, and additionally introduce special powers to the players who gain them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDdpRXy_XVyCjbnPm6_z0ZtauPPmhdRHAARnIhF6wzjnfp_w7Qfq7V7-QE6rY1ikGt1_DgEizh5qWRLJFdvmvBVkYgu9BY3ZACo5qUKbF04sp_q0FOOdo7Z-A6hdK2B7UsO-P/s1600/100_6240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDdpRXy_XVyCjbnPm6_z0ZtauPPmhdRHAARnIhF6wzjnfp_w7Qfq7V7-QE6rY1ikGt1_DgEizh5qWRLJFdvmvBVkYgu9BY3ZACo5qUKbF04sp_q0FOOdo7Z-A6hdK2B7UsO-P/s200/100_6240.JPG" width="200" /></a>How bad can this be? Well, in the mid-to-late game this is not too bad; by this time every player has a well-established corporation and slight setbacks in profit serve to separate the wheat from the chaff, allow the cream to rise to the top and narrow the set of players who will be in the running for that final push over the thirty point mark. However, despite the fact that it is always more difficult to lose your starting region, and that you may always attempt to compete there regardless of presence elsewhere (or the lack of it), the first two opening turns will make or break a player's ability to ramp-up profits, based on whether opponents can successfully choke them out and limit their expansion. If you couple the ease with which this can be done (being earlier in the turn order makes a player a prime target, in addition to permitting fewer control marker placements), to a couple of poor dice-rolls, you have a player who will, through no fault of his own, be playing catch-up for the rest of the game. The losing player, if he is lucky, might be dealt a usable hand of cards which could conceivably rein in the others or else boost his position; there are also strategies to be pursued which could maximise his meagre profits in terms of VP, although in this case, there is still a strong element of luck involved. Arguably, this is a problem (or feature) for many good multiplayer games; and in all seriousness that is a fair point.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBxkxr5AewCD0yoO8xkwYeSdoW-hnP-LlhbyT4yogCerQ2YkBC4V6vIE15xCSV-u5NsnT1LVjtp7GS2bBGIK6-gG1pbwwbznqff8Gw-APCgCiunt5DhteYiz2kPizP_Ni46t55/s1600/100_6237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBxkxr5AewCD0yoO8xkwYeSdoW-hnP-LlhbyT4yogCerQ2YkBC4V6vIE15xCSV-u5NsnT1LVjtp7GS2bBGIK6-gG1pbwwbznqff8Gw-APCgCiunt5DhteYiz2kPizP_Ni46t55/s200/100_6237.JPG" width="200" /></a>Simply put, Manifest Destiny suffers those familiar old-school issues; convoluted chrome, random results and closing out opponents before the game even gets going. They each have their place when it comes to games of this kind; chrome does add flavour, random results can be mitigated and a game can still be challenging and enjoyable despite knowing as a player that you no longer have any significant hope of victory. And I think this is the place where Manifest Destiny lies; although it may seem unlikely a player can eke out a win from a destructive opening turn or two, there is a lot to do as the game steamrolls on through US history, and with one or two well-placed event cards, who knows - you might just turn history around!Pawnstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14138454253813433739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16505715.post-19937157943827204342017-02-05T22:54:00.000+00:002023-06-25T10:19:10.242+01:00Rise to Power, Power to Rise!It wasn't so long ago that Friedemann Friese gifted the world with <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/12166/funkenschlag">Funkenschlag</a>, a "crayon rails" game with an electrical distribution theme. A few years later, he redesigned it with a much simplified network element, and high quality components; this new Funkenschlag was soon released in an English-language version called <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2651/power-grid">Power Grid</a>, and since then it has been lauded as one of the best strategy games ever.<br />
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Late last year, it received some new competition, from an almost totally different kind of game with power at its source.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH-BeurmzYgFuJA9R_VK-z_i8vt94tLLCIiMsX9wzCXfUph0BWYhcpyONFAvJA-JvRx-fBzCeFPQn_e4Td-RmW60GWHTq0SKPvogj42Eorwcrj7wm_WYhemZw40X784K6pVsn4/s1600/100_6224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH-BeurmzYgFuJA9R_VK-z_i8vt94tLLCIiMsX9wzCXfUph0BWYhcpyONFAvJA-JvRx-fBzCeFPQn_e4Td-RmW60GWHTq0SKPvogj42Eorwcrj7wm_WYhemZw40X784K6pVsn4/s200/100_6224.JPG" width="149" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/176734/manhattan-project-energy-empire">The Manhattan Project: Energy Empire</a><span style="text-align: center;">, designed by Tom Jolly and Luke Laurie, takes slightly more than its name from the original </span><a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/63628/manhattan-project" style="text-align: center;">The Manhattan Project</a><span style="text-align: center;"> game. The placement of workers on a main board, permitting activation of ones own buildings, has resurfaced; however, that is pretty much where the similarity ends.</span><br />
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Players each represent a post-war nation, keen to rebuild; in order to do so, each player must employ workers to build power plants, along with government, industrial and commercial structures. The power plants can be used to generate energy, but depending upon the type of plant used, can pollute a nation's environment. Structures have various functions; from creating or obtaining resources, to carrying out special actions, or emulating those on the main board.<br />
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Energy is perhaps the most useful resource a player can create, and has a few purposes, but cannot be sold or traded for something else.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik3Ax-npIUoLZV8N4ofYRMK4jqR4uqaMsKoL0Zw2AT80LjCVYvcJweSnTQwGZt62VMPyNFW5SNoD5zzKOrf3moz5OnFPbvx-NjoUuN4csF7ZTCIPXYnCzsP085hHVLCWudXuVK/s1600/100_6226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik3Ax-npIUoLZV8N4ofYRMK4jqR4uqaMsKoL0Zw2AT80LjCVYvcJweSnTQwGZt62VMPyNFW5SNoD5zzKOrf3moz5OnFPbvx-NjoUuN4csF7ZTCIPXYnCzsP085hHVLCWudXuVK/s200/100_6226.JPG" width="200" /></a>A player has two choices in her turn; she can work or she can generate. Working involves placing a worker on the main board; in order to do so, the space must be unoccupied or the player must be able to raise his worker on a stack of energy that places it above any other single stack on the same space. This also acts as a partial blocking mechanism; while a space cannot always be made exclusive, it is always made less attractive, and a cunning player could place enough energy under a worker that nobody else would be able to play there until her worker is removed.<br />
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The main board is divided into three sections which each correlate to a particular structure type. Whenever an action on the main board is taken, the player also gets to activate any structures of that type (provided they haven't already been used since the last generation action, of course). This is done using other workers or as-yet unused energy. In this way, many actions can be taken from a single work action.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdgeUOscrP5Bq8UDMZtY7_xM1EOF71TYB5e_0JW1wU-lp7o5JpVsD9pN1_ppW7yHzVxb173A-u0Amsipm_QA_BEyqedlMH8f2xGI6lwG-PnLsj_ZT7pD1NIEkdQ0ktWETxWBrK/s1600/100_6231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdgeUOscrP5Bq8UDMZtY7_xM1EOF71TYB5e_0JW1wU-lp7o5JpVsD9pN1_ppW7yHzVxb173A-u0Amsipm_QA_BEyqedlMH8f2xGI6lwG-PnLsj_ZT7pD1NIEkdQ0ktWETxWBrK/s200/100_6231.JPG" width="200" /></a>In addition to activating structures, each player may also activate her nation card; for an exchange of particular resources, they may then advance on the United Nations track, which provides a rather significant points bonus at the end of the game.<br />
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When a player does not (or cannot) work, they must generate. Firstly, a player may qualify to take an achievement tile from the tableau, which can boost endgame scoring. Next, any energy (used or unused) is discarded, and all workers return to the player's worker pool. A player then generates energy using either oil they have refined or power plants they have built. Depending on which dice she uses and how well she rolls, a player's environment may be polluted.<br />
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Pollution comes in two forms; pollution and radioactive waste. Either can be cleaned up with the right kind of action, but naturally radioactive waste is more difficult to clear. Whenever a player gains pollution, it is applied to a pollution-free space in their environment, on their player board. There are three areas in each country's environment; land, sea and air. At the end of the game, players will score for the clean areas in their environment; in addition, as the game progresses, one of the three areas will be scored every time a Global Impact card is resolved.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7YEDfZMx7_JugJdMvf7Qwene5-odHljOcpgI4pXq64cfNprGe2TSPBFMYYjnaqdin7tqr5Qik1bybetYQ2f1oGlngTnGQULIcll2xt9J6BTpS2omtYJ5XUFD-a9SZrcY5gcH/s1600/100_6227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7YEDfZMx7_JugJdMvf7Qwene5-odHljOcpgI4pXq64cfNprGe2TSPBFMYYjnaqdin7tqr5Qik1bybetYQ2f1oGlngTnGQULIcll2xt9J6BTpS2omtYJ5XUFD-a9SZrcY5gcH/s200/100_6227.JPG" width="200" /></a>Global Impact cards mark the game's progress. Whenever enough pollution has been created (or avoided), a Global Impact card is resolved. A special event occurs, which could be good or bad but affects all players, one area of the environment is scored, and finally one of the three structure markets is cycled. In addition, the price of oil rises; even more importantly, the game edges closer towards the finish.<br />
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After the final Global Impact card is resolved, the game enters the last round. Every player gets one more turn (either to work or to generate) and then the game ends. Players score for structures, achievements, power plants, environment and the UN track.<br />
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Those of you looking for something the same as Manhattan Project may be disappointed; whilst the similarity is noticeable, the differences make this game very different. The non-exclusive, yet restrictive action selection method of stacking workers with energy is either going to appeal for its innovative approach to this familiar mechanism, or just annoy you; it takes more than just a worker to lock out an action from opponents' use.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfNB5mZZZQy6utKh2QXoYiyrqgAccM5WMQT9v-tvrQ1ZD6T4-KzHIPKc_0AnkXgie_14i2OF9OWZOYENeZU5tVDTZNb7OQr-JZjKERj1juibCaGRHs_u57o0qfJwoQBSIZEVB/s1600/100_6225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfNB5mZZZQy6utKh2QXoYiyrqgAccM5WMQT9v-tvrQ1ZD6T4-KzHIPKc_0AnkXgie_14i2OF9OWZOYENeZU5tVDTZNb7OQr-JZjKERj1juibCaGRHs_u57o0qfJwoQBSIZEVB/s200/100_6225.JPG" width="200" /></a>The game moves along at a rapid pace, which frequently catches players out. This is because pollution can mount up very quickly, especially if players are generating every other turn! Whilst the acceleration towards game end can be slowed by players gaining more workers or more generative power, as the game wears on these extras tend to be used more and more on activating structures, which in turn brings the game closer to the finish. Personally, I like that; it means that players can consciously try to work to prolong or shorten the game to their own ends, which makes for a dynamic and competitive game-flow.<br />
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I also like the way different nations behave; one can completely ignore national characteristics, but there seems to be a benefit in pursuing the UN scoring. This won't guarantee victory; indeed, there is nothing to stop a player from pursuing other strategies for better gains. Additionally, the resources different nations start with encourage different approaches during the opening moves; if nothing else, this keeps the game interesting and variable enough to encourage replay.<br />
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Essentially, these three characteristics combined make the game a must-have. There's the alternative approach to worker placement forces a bit of thought and a bit of sacrifice, as players aim to get the best actions for them whilst denying them to others. The game never outstays its welcome, because it never sticks around long enough; but this doesn't mean it finishes before you get to say goodbye to your chances of victory. And the mix of different nations, different structures and different events make the game infinitely replayable despite a core structure that never really changes. Let's face it, Energy Empire is a superb synergy of indirect interaction, engine building and organic gameflow; in my view, its gameplay far outstrips the more popular choices from 2016 (yes, even that <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/169786/scythe">spectacular behemoth</a> of a game I am yet to review).<br />
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Finding something negative to say about this game is proving very difficult; even the dice-rolling fails to induce enough random screwage to disappoint. Everybody who has played with me has concurred with the opinion that Energy Empire is indeed a great game. And to this, I have nothing more to add!Pawnstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14138454253813433739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16505715.post-38538580462936237882017-01-22T19:21:00.002+00:002017-01-22T19:42:27.401+00:00Ages, and Ages, and Ages...Around a decade ago, the ambitious civilisation game <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/25613/through-ages-story-civilization">Through The Ages</a> appeared, courtesy of Czech designer <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/789/vlaada-chvatil">Vlaada Chvátil</a>. This first edition sold out very quickly; however, it was not long before Fred Distribution promised a second English-language edition. Unfortunately, this was dogged by component issues, and delays in publication, such that both those who had and those who wanted a copy became very frustrated - production and logistic issues meant it didn't quite make the 2007 Essen release they sought, so enthusiasts had to wait. When I got my hands on a copy, I was elated; however, getting anybody in my group to play a game which would potentially take an entire day proved very difficult. I even struggled to get a few people together at a convention to play it, because everybody at that time preferred the common or garden Euro. Sadly, I ended up selling on my copy having only ever played one third of the game; I hope the new owner got more pleasure from it than I ever did.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7CNj-DCAK25XYAGJgWlVWo8nnQjHwdQI631Ez6W-y91OmXMHrLNM0UBvMzNA9XhT3jCUTxyhCNSF9KWWvUAjwlV_wFd4v64pGESJW2qk2bblwgFUnpeuUfbZUY_rx1RkK7JeN/s1600/100_6219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7CNj-DCAK25XYAGJgWlVWo8nnQjHwdQI631Ez6W-y91OmXMHrLNM0UBvMzNA9XhT3jCUTxyhCNSF9KWWvUAjwlV_wFd4v64pGESJW2qk2bblwgFUnpeuUfbZUY_rx1RkK7JeN/s200/100_6219.JPG" width="200" /></a>Fast forward to 2015, the game reappeared at Essen, in a much improved presentation with a number of tweaks to "streamline" the game. This was also my most recent visit to Essen, but <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/182028/through-ages-new-story-civilization">Through The Ages: A New Story of Civilization</a> was one of the games I passed by, on the basis of my experiences with the first and second editions. Besides, I could envisage filling my car for the journey home with newer, more exciting designs.<br />
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I relented last year, after hearing good things about this new edition, and played it for the first time this month. then I played it for a second time this month. Yes, two fairly long sessions were spent on the same game - two plays in one month is hardly expected of much shorter pastimes, but this is that good it had to be played again, and soon enough that half of the nuances in the rules would not be forgotten.<br />
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Players each represent a nondescript civilisation, and starting in antiquity, they advance this civilisation through science, warfare and culture. Ultimately players are aiming to gain the most culture points (victory points, if you will), but to get their they have to build and improve their economic engine, to enable the collection of more food, science, resources and military strength, and enhance the ability to progress.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6dg_BFj_wgJZ9b8TMhXEn16l0pO9aCnaeSE0Cg9MdMv8tGYAv-QhhSioI-t2NjC0ZwbfJCIugc_UCQY0crWMoIBAyuS0NO5n_SUJHhaozcugTmSlJePq2x9HPTfdEEztARkQW/s1600/100_6220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6dg_BFj_wgJZ9b8TMhXEn16l0pO9aCnaeSE0Cg9MdMv8tGYAv-QhhSioI-t2NjC0ZwbfJCIugc_UCQY0crWMoIBAyuS0NO5n_SUJHhaozcugTmSlJePq2x9HPTfdEEztARkQW/s200/100_6220.JPG" width="200" /></a>The game plays over four ages, in addition to a short period of antiquity which basically sets players up for the game. A tableau of cards representing technologies, leaders, wonders and actions forms the base game structure; using basic actions (known as "civil actions") a player can buy cards from the tableau which would then be used to develop new ideas or technologies, provide bonus effects, lead their civilisation for at least until the end of the age, or provide the basis on which to build their military presence.<br />
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Some technology cards depict buildings of various types; these may be improvements on building types available to players from the start - farms, mines, religion and laboratories - while others will show new varieties - libraries, theatres and arenas. However, the cards themselves represent only the technology required to build them. Worker cubes are used to represent the buildings themselves; placed on any building card, they represent a building of that type.<br />
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Similarly, worker cubes on military cards represent a unit of the type given on the card (everybody starts with one warrior unit). The more units a player has, the more military strength they have; this is quite useful when it comes to using, or resolving, political cards.<br />
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Political cards come in five broad flavours - tactics, pacts, aggression, war, colonies, strength and events. During the political phase of their turn, a player can play one card, but not a strength card. A played event forms part of a future events deck, whose order is randomised; playing such a card will trigger a random event from the current event deck. These events range from extra resources to scoring, with scoring more likely during ages 3 and 4. Tactics cards permit an increase in military strength on the basis of fielding a particular set of units; losing one of these units for whatever reason will result in the loss of that tactic; this may be reapplied again if the criteria are met. Pacts give something beneficial to one or two players, and have to be agreed to remain in effect. Aggression is all about bullying another nation into giving you something, whilst warfare is more about forcing them to bow down to your needs. Colonies represent land which is colonised; whenever a player successfully bids for one of these, they are forced to send at least one military unit over to it, but may play strength cards to bolster their colonial bid. Colonies bring benefits in many forms - strategic, resource, population and cultural, to name but a few.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyShkRJONUieEOWipZPzEasZO12hIQRurYMYUKMO26o5ZFZSkwCVYtapMP61KwZ-ISepLpXp0SObalYdHCvfAe-MAkWjj0WreN8_AL09-KnyCozarM_13TL4rVKsdtF6dUFyjg/s1600/100_6221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyShkRJONUieEOWipZPzEasZO12hIQRurYMYUKMO26o5ZFZSkwCVYtapMP61KwZ-ISepLpXp0SObalYdHCvfAe-MAkWjj0WreN8_AL09-KnyCozarM_13TL4rVKsdtF6dUFyjg/s200/100_6221.JPG" width="200" /></a>In light of the effects of politics, it is always prudent for a player to maintain a strong military; a well-timed declaration of war could really kill a player's game, after all. And if you're the kind of player who would rather not continue fighting for a hopeless cause, the politics phase also permits resignation; I generally stay for the bitter end, however; there is nothing more satisfying than dragging another civilisation down to your level.<br />
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Eventually, you will reach the final age, by which time most political cards bear scoring events for the endgame, permitting players who drove a long-term strategy to (hopefully) benefit from it; after that, the game is over and the player who amassed the most culture wins.<br />
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There are three basic assessments we can make of a civilisation-building game; first, we can judge it as just any other game, then as a representation of a civilisation game (for which the benchmark is generally considered to be Francis Tresham's classic, Civilization), then as "Civ-lite"(for which the point of reference is generally considered to be Francis Tresham's classic, Civilization). As just a game, TtA is mechanically solid, but does very little to alleviate a runaway leader; I suspect this may be one reason why there is a rule permitting resignation - when it becomes obvious you are totally out of contention, you can throw in the towel. The only trouble is that, for much of the game, this is not necessarily that clear. In the games I have played, there has always been at least one player scoring heavily enough in the endgame as to make a seemingly impassable lead seem passable. In any case, as I stated above, I would rather stay until the bitter end. TtA is a prime example of why the saying "it's all about the journey, not the destination" fits so well with games; everything a player does during the game is interesting, from the tightness of the engine to the blatant aggression of warfare. Long as it is, there is constant player engagement; although there might be some extended downtime due to analysis paralysis (yes, that old favourite), generally speaking the restricted number of actions available to each player drive the game forward as quickly as possible. Even though we're talking about something like eight hours of play, I do not think the game needs to be streamlined any more than it has; indeed, doing so would probably damage it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWqa9DonTN3vEETvwQJ5pgDgkbG9y4WYVRAeFRxcuCn5KHxNsgQc4oR1ngMGLzhw0Lk66AspC-5V5gVui1d_99FNhuEFOusc2oMNu1sWuDcw0J0VZQ9mhZcPgSJyWBjsPIVKeR/s1600/100_6223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWqa9DonTN3vEETvwQJ5pgDgkbG9y4WYVRAeFRxcuCn5KHxNsgQc4oR1ngMGLzhw0Lk66AspC-5V5gVui1d_99FNhuEFOusc2oMNu1sWuDcw0J0VZQ9mhZcPgSJyWBjsPIVKeR/s200/100_6223.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
As a civilisation game, there is no doubt the primary influence here was <a href="https://videogamegeek.com/videogame/69188/civilization">Sid Meier's computer game</a> (he even appears as a leader in the game); essentially, though, territory is abstracted into colony cards, which means that this game really concentrates on the technological advancements and economic elements, with a simplification of warfare forming a key element throughout. It does what it does well, but without the territorial element it doesn't quite hit the full civilisation game from my perspective. And as for Civ-lite, well, this game clearly doesn't aim for that accolade, clocking in at between six and ten hours.<br />
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I can highly recommend Through The Ages in its new incarnation; the original game played fairly well, as I recall, but the larger cards, less fiddly components and more controlled game-flow has made the new version far superior. CGE even put some extra thought into the box design; the inlay tray has compartments for every different deck, every different token and every different board, such that everything packs away neatly and a lot of time and table-space is saved during play. With a game length of, well, ages, TtA won't get as many plays as shorter games; however, when it does, it will more than likely make up for lost table-time!Pawnstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14138454253813433739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16505715.post-23719822926565422092016-10-29T17:43:00.000+01:002016-10-29T17:43:29.797+01:00Live a Life Less Ordinary!<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
In 1860, a publisher
from Massachusetts made his first foray into the ever-more-popular
boardgame scene with his contribution to moral education, <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/40244/checkered-game-life">The Checkered Game of Life</a>, which guided the young player through a
diligent and thoughtful existence. <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/1192/milton-bradley">Milton Bradley</a> went on to become a
major boardgame publisher, and this first publication was celebrated
a century later with MB's famous family favourite, <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2921/game-life">The Game of Life</a>,
in which players made decisions on which path through life to take,
whilst negotiating its difficulties with the aid of the greatest
spinner ever provided for a boardgame.</div>
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The Checkered Game of
Life was not the first boardgame to guide players through a
productive and happy existence - the game of <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/5432/snakes-and-ladders">Snakes and Ladders</a> (on
which Life was loosely based) evolved out of a game in which the
objective was religious ascendancy; however, neither this game, nor
its centenary successor, would mark the end. Indeed, there are many
out there which have taken the journey through life as their subject;
from the classic <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1475/careers">Careers</a> to the more recent <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/16366/funny-friends">Funny Friends</a>, they have
provided different slants on what, essentially, is a game in which
players meander towards life goals in competition with fellow
players.</div>
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Most recently, <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/16755/artipia-games">Artipia</a>
have blessed us with <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/181687/pursuit-happiness">The Pursuit of Happiness</a>; the game that put
designers <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/84477/adrian-abela">Adrian Abela</a> and <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/73154/david-chircop">David Chircop</a> on the map. In the same
tradition as MB's classic, players choose a path through life; unlike
other recent attempts to gamify the path through life, the result has
been a most enjoyable strategy game which closes the gaps other games
on this theme failed to.</div>
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The game board presents
the possibilities; the choices a player may make as they progress
through life. Players spend time (small hourglass tokens) on various
aspects of life; they can use this time to study, play, interact or
work – each of these actions will increase their knowledge,
creativity, </div>
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influence or money respectively. Using these resources,
players can further spend their time on projects, items, activities,
relationships, careers or just rest. Some of these actions will bring
benefits; more knowledge, creativity, influence or money. The real
goal, however, is to be happy; players can be happier in the short
term, but long-term happiness is what really counts. And in addition
to giving players extra resources, the various action can ultimately
lead to happiness.<br />
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Projects represent
something the player or players become heavily involved in during
their lives. Projects come in three broad flavours; basic,
single-round and group projects. Basic projects require players to
start at the simplest level, and may be advanced over time.
Naturally, the longer one spends on them, the greater the benefit.
Single-round projects are one-off events; a player taking one of
these can put as much or as little effort into it as they wish, with
the benefits gained being proportionate to the effort. Group projects
allow other players to become involved; each project has four roles,
and the benefits gained by all involved increase when more roles are
filled.</div>
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Players can also buy
items or engage in activities; usually these cost money,</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHPUC6QKlSfnInxq3iqaxcz2wYe8a8F98Z6vs0Mk8_M-QEfPvbqN2Rc-fZjVC6URutaZCe5LwDvxzowLHtj2VJrmdVlBQpp175BnyA1z4bY-r0eG8PFJTT_37tUDkHM492f98a/s1600/100_6215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHPUC6QKlSfnInxq3iqaxcz2wYe8a8F98Z6vs0Mk8_M-QEfPvbqN2Rc-fZjVC6URutaZCe5LwDvxzowLHtj2VJrmdVlBQpp175BnyA1z4bY-r0eG8PFJTT_37tUDkHM492f98a/s200/100_6215.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
which is why
the associated action is the “spend” action. Items bring players
benefits depending on the level of the item; for instance, one could
enjoy a boardgame collection which fills a shelf, but a roomful is
better! More expensive, higher level items, usually have associated
upkeep costs; players have to continually pay these costs or lose the
item. Similarly, when one chooses an activity it can be carried out
at any level; the main difference with activities is that they tend
to not require upkeep. Activities might best be described as leisure
on which you spend money; like items, higher level activities bring
greater benefits. Both items and activities may be upgraded, they may
never be downgraded.<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
At some point a player
may feel they ought to take on a career; usually because they need to
support their activities or maintain their items. To get through the
interview requires spending resources; depending on the job, this
will require different levels of influence, knowledge and/or
creativity. As we all know, it's fine getting your foot in the door,
but to keep that job you have to maintain it every round. This means
working at it, which will require time and resources. The benefit
gained is always monetary, and sometimes beneficial in other ways.
Failing to work at a job will lose you that job; this is not a good
thing as I will explain later. Jobs come in three different levels,
with better levels paying more, but requiring more work. Thankfully,
one does not have to go straight in at the top level; from lower
levels one can seek promotion into a higher level job of the same
category. And when you get to the highest level, you can look forward
to retirement!</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
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<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Finally there are
partners with whom one can start relationships; these can be started
by dating, developed into relationships and taken as far as raising a
family. Taking it to the next level means you have to meet with your
partner's requirements for a relationship; this could be something as
simple as being creative, or something as demanding as having been
involved in multiple projects. Like jobs, a player has to put some
effort into a relationship to maintain it; again, this requires time
and resources. Unlike jobs, you need not have just one partner;
however, more than one relationship is, unsurprisingly, rather
stressful.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Which brings me onto
the concept of stress. In the bottom right-hand corner of the board
just above the short-term happiness track, is the stress track.
Players start the game in the middle, relatively healthy, and not too
stressed; however, any stressors they encounter during their life
will move them to the right, rendering them more unhealthy and
reducing the time they have to spend on projects, items, activities,
jobs and relationships. The rest action can help with stress, but it
won't make you better once you get bad. For better health, players
must engage in projects with health as a benefit; but usually it is
too little, too late!</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
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<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Stress can be increased
by taking the overtime action (which basically means pushing yourself
to do more at the cost of your health), overindulging in projects,
jobs and relationships (extra stress if you have more than one
relationship, too), getting rid of cards from your tableau (breaking
up, leaving work, or abandoning projects) and losing something
because you cannot keep it up (getting sacked, your beau breaking up
with you, or an item not being maintained). Some losses will also
make you unhappier in the short-term; that's sad, but once the first
player marker is passed to the happiest player, you get over it.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Stress is also
increased quite heavily by old age; should this increase take you
beyond the last (red) space of the stress track, it is your dying
day. Yes, this is quite a sad occasion too; but leaving a good
inheritance for your loved ones will allow you to die a bit happier
than would otherwise have been the case. Once every player is dead,
the game ends, and final scoring for collective life goals and
inheritance is added to the players' existing level of long-term
happiness.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I know, I know; I have
rambled on about this game without (overtly) telling you what I think
of it. Well, while there were some complaints on the presentation
during the Kickstarter campaign earlier this year (particularly that
the box insert was a bit flimsy), I have not really had a problem
with it. Initially, I felt the cartoon artwork lent itself more to a
family game; however, on playing it, I found it was the most
appropriate means of presentation – it just isn't meant to be a
serious game. In fact, a lot of the fun is in the projects, items and
activities themselves; a generally humorous presentation supporting
the cartoon artwork.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
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<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
However, don't get the
idea that this is child's play; whilst the mechanisms are quite
simple, lining up the right combination of resources to achieve one's
personal goals (completing that project, buying that yacht or passing
that job interview) is not always easy. This game has also managed to
achieve what other recent games on the subject failed to –
credibility as a game. Comparing this with Funny Friends might seem a
little unfair (they're close in theme, yet not exactly the same), but
whilst the concept was good in Funny Friends, the execution was
comparatively bland. The Pursuit of Happiness is more focused on how
we spend our time and resources, so much so it almost looks like worker placement
(with time markers being the workers); however, there is no exclusive
use of actions, and the restriction is on each individual themselves
– more time on the same action causing more stress.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Amongst our group there
have been pointed criticisms of The Pursuit of Happiness; however,
the overall consensus was this is a very good game. There were
concerns about downtime whilst players were working out what do do
during their turns, but I think that will disappear, as it has not
been a problem in most games I played. Health benefits seem quite
rare amongst the projects and activities; but then again, one would
not wish to be flooded with them, so I don't see this as a real
problem.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I can recommend The
Pursuit of Happiness as a middle-weight game, with increased
suitability as a family game. It is one of those few titles which
will appeal across the spectrum; buy it, play, it, enjoy it, and
cross it off your bucket list!</div>
Pawnstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14138454253813433739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16505715.post-9443048282560436852016-10-03T22:49:00.000+01:002017-01-22T19:41:23.179+00:00Going Underground - Evolution of a Small World.<span style="font-family: inherit;">In 1957, a French film director of some considerable success (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048980/">The Red Balloon</a> is still celebrated as a landmark film) called <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14.772px;">Albert Lamorisse</span> invented a boardgame about world conquest entitled <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/9294/la-conquete-du-monde">La Conquéte du Monde</a>, which was to become one of the most influential boardgames of the twentieth century. In 1959, Parker Brothers took his design and turned it into <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/181/risk">Risk</a>, which has since been a mainstay of the boardgaming hobby in many countries worldwide.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGslv1moPhqXIb7YyU44SkwkDpGb8Z3xSyk9t11_sz0eQ7_ZLe-cejlV2FC53GHaz40XUvAN3rwiA3CRu52B-CYJFCaQIOkCMuzxtOaonpItKBa2d_AoT9gAXwk1-sI5hv-TkI/s1600/100_6196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGslv1moPhqXIb7YyU44SkwkDpGb8Z3xSyk9t11_sz0eQ7_ZLe-cejlV2FC53GHaz40XUvAN3rwiA3CRu52B-CYJFCaQIOkCMuzxtOaonpItKBa2d_AoT9gAXwk1-sI5hv-TkI/s200/100_6196.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Over more than half a century, the undeniable influence of Risk had evolved many times over; numerous games of strategy and warfare have emerged, many of which could quite rightly be described as variants of Lamorisse's original game; abstract units controlling territories and engaging opposing players in a quick and simple battle. The term we use today where games involve possession of territory, is "area control".</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyup08G5fK14T_DkkHSp4HjEwyX1C7tAMit2U4eM0hD047VSmODTmCzA7NYeAFQOqweghkrcjGgvvg3-vu3Saq6IHL4piJ-MC_z1K97Ro-9w0DQ1GVK1sYZxz_ST4x6nmhvjPd/s1600/100_6200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyup08G5fK14T_DkkHSp4HjEwyX1C7tAMit2U4eM0hD047VSmODTmCzA7NYeAFQOqweghkrcjGgvvg3-vu3Saq6IHL4piJ-MC_z1K97Ro-9w0DQ1GVK1sYZxz_ST4x6nmhvjPd/s200/100_6200.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
Forty years on from Risk's inception, a Belgian called <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/49/philippe-keyaerts">Philippe Keyaerts</a>, decided to take a similar approach; <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/60/vinci">Vinci</a> was essentially a more strategic variation of Risk (although I cannot say for certain this influenced Mr Keyaerts - Tresham's Civilization is as likely a contender), utilising a European map, an alternative, deterministic combat system, and attributes applied to any particular player's current civilisation in the form of two paired-off counters. Each counter provided a special attribute for the civilisation; for instance, Agriculture scored extra for controlling farmland, Diplomacy permitted a player to name one opposing empire with which to remain at peace until their next turn, or perhaps Militia, which gave extra strength to the empire's armies.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwYd5dQlLExGkqVs1Rc388fFZBjscStBTqHhhH_vCY8Cp3HjC0oPCkov84orC0USbRfmwpSC22yF5xgITF84e_4Uk4vqcKHnlrpascrGWpe2dI0QoavQ0x2WIoa_XIQ6ewqJbw/s1600/100_6202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwYd5dQlLExGkqVs1Rc388fFZBjscStBTqHhhH_vCY8Cp3HjC0oPCkov84orC0USbRfmwpSC22yF5xgITF84e_4Uk4vqcKHnlrpascrGWpe2dI0QoavQ0x2WIoa_XIQ6ewqJbw/s200/100_6202.JPG" width="200" /></a>Vinci was a very good game; however, it was not without its "issues". One most decried was the endgame; because scores were tracked openly, as soon as the endgame condition looked as though it would be met, players could adopt an all-or-nothing approach to take victory. Arguably, any player who could consciously get themselves into such an opportune position for the endgame deserved the win; however, the issue is that a player does not necessarily consciously do so. I never really found it a problem; the endgame can often be predictable, although the other players themselves are not - just like most games. I found a good draw of civilisation tiles for the starting player to be much more significant.<br />
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Ten years on from that came the emergence of <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/40692/small-world">Small World</a>; Keyaerts had taken the core elements of his game Vinci, and ported them into a fantasy setting. In doing so, he had addressed a number of the "issues" highlighted by players over the decade. The game played to limited turns as opposed to ending after one or more players hit a particular points value. The points gained were hidden, rather than the open score track of the original. There was less possibility of overpowered pairings, because civilisation tiles were replaced by a combination of race tokens and special power tokens - one of each to every pair. Each race had its own set of counters; this was a very good idea, as flipping them would be easier than digging out a separate set of declining tokens when a race went into decline; sadly, it meant the tactile wooden discs from the original were gone. Combat was still the same, but came with a simplified interpretation (not that it required much simplification); however, the most controversial change was the introduction of the die.<br />
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This die was used for a player's final conquest of the turn, and provided a random bonus strength for the attack of between zero and three counters. This meant that, what would have been no conquest at all in the original game, could possibly conquer two enemy armies through sheer luck! Unlike a lot of Vinci fans, I had no problem with this; it felt a little unnecessary, and added something else to the turn process, but it wasn't that bad. No, I had more of an issue with game length; although the game had been simplified greatly, I thought the number of rounds (for a full complement of five, at least) were too low, and that the game ended far too quickly, just as things were developing.<br />
<br />
In an effort to bring in yet more balancing elements, there were four separate boards, each designed for a specific player count, which permitted the game to scale well. This was another unnecessary change; there was never a problem with this in Vinci simply because empires would expand without contest, then as they declined, new empires would take over. Arguably, the original game suffered as a two-player game, and perhaps the "easy" solution of making players run two civilisations each is a bit of a cop-out with regards to scaling, but this game went all the way up to six players and generally worked well with as few as three.<br />
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On the plus side, a game like Small World is always going to be ripe for expansions; this resulted in new races and powers being brought out in small expansion sets, a deck of cards to add variety (albeit generally random variety), a variable board layout, and a whole separate standalone game compatible (to some extent) with the original. And yes, they brought out a six-player board; this essentially meant the game could do everything the original could; however, as with all expansions, there is a cost involved, and that often outweighs the benefit - although I suppose that is a different argument.<br />
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Not content with expansions, the Keyaerts/ Days of Wonder combination produced a separate, stand-alone game from the same stable. <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/97786/small-world-underground">Small World: Underground</a> hit the stores in 2011. It introduced a whole "new" set of races and powers (some were equivalent to those in the original), a whole new set of boards set in the underworld of Small World, and special rules for Relics and Popular Places. Underground there are no seas, but there is a river; volcanic activity may threaten, and deep chasms form the greatest natural obstacles. A tunnels expansion permits ambitious players to combine this set with Small World, to permit armies to travel from the surface and vice-versa. This is my favourite of the Small World products; I like the slightly darker theme, the introduction of magical places and items, and the replacement of seas and lakes with a river.<br />
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If one discounts the deluxe, <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/140135/small-world-designer-edition">Small World Designer Edition</a> which was released last year, and the <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/207121/small-world-river-world">River World expansion</a> due out soon, that about covers the story so far for the Small World universe. My personal favourite is still Vinci; I still feel the game in its original form is the best of the three, possessing the strongest story arc, developing enough that every choice to decline or expand is meaningful, and themed around Ancient Europe. Whilst I am not personally against the fantasy theme, and while it makes sense to divide the special powers squarely down the middle (such that some mixes are impossible), the alterations that gave the game a wider audience were also alterations which took something away from the original. I know, I know; it's mainly a thematic difference; but really, the reduction in playing time and the severely simplified approach just felt to me like the game had been cheapened.<br />
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Don't get me wrong; I like Small World enough that I bought most of it (I'm still short Realms, the six-player map, the Spider's Web expansion, Necromancer Island and of course, the latest, River World); however, I long for the glory days of Vinci. Please, Mr Keyaerts, give us a reprint!Pawnstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14138454253813433739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16505715.post-85215006008585665292016-08-23T22:57:00.000+01:002016-08-23T23:06:16.466+01:00Art for Art's Sake?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd7BjSkcvodQosGovhhL8c1pDHtkbOGQuIJGvwitUmo9E4BhyphenhyphenOvzghCXoefzVpcWDQY9fTSxJrJPwTUmUKWScdLocrRLSLnO4OAmtxF25ceEB7PtBRT5GP84z2_hDtGXmFjgn6/s1600/100_6189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd7BjSkcvodQosGovhhL8c1pDHtkbOGQuIJGvwitUmo9E4BhyphenhyphenOvzghCXoefzVpcWDQY9fTSxJrJPwTUmUKWScdLocrRLSLnO4OAmtxF25ceEB7PtBRT5GP84z2_hDtGXmFjgn6/s200/100_6189.JPG" width="149" /></a>The art world can be fascinating; from valuable, rare pieces selling for millions at auction, to the art itself, pushing the boundaries of sensibility, presenting an avant-garde impression of real world subjects, or just being art. If you ever looked upon <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountain_(Duchamp)">Duchamp's Fountain</a>, for instance, and thought, "it's just a urinal", you not only appreciated it, you probably understood it better than most gamers! I say this because few games have covered the art world beyond a series of auctions with profit being the goal; not that there is anything wrong with this, however, you should just stick to <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/118/modern-art">Modern Art</a> - or even <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1501/masterpiece">Masterpiece</a> - if this is your preference.<br />
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Last year, <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/12396/vital-lacerda">Vital Lacerda</a>'s <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/125153/gallerist">The Gallerist</a> presented a different slant. The game is based upon the concept of the "gallerist", one who not only deals in and collects art, but actively encourages and promotes artists, and displays the artists' art in their own galleries. Such a role is undertaken by each player, in a typically complex Lacerda production which has been a delight to both play and teach for the past year or so.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNEnlEX_qeu7A_sTOW4hGgHdlYuSpPs2Bp73OuwlSIL-dsap-THXauZFWK5_LEmTUI0i1v37KDXugzBoaTDus-5UND0R7uTcn-Oh92pzaKK0lzHPs58m5IQ5nenOAF81zLQlkm/s1600/100_6192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNEnlEX_qeu7A_sTOW4hGgHdlYuSpPs2Bp73OuwlSIL-dsap-THXauZFWK5_LEmTUI0i1v37KDXugzBoaTDus-5UND0R7uTcn-Oh92pzaKK0lzHPs58m5IQ5nenOAF81zLQlkm/s200/100_6192.JPG" width="195" /></a></div>
The board depicts four action locations - the Artists Colony, the International Market, the Media Centre and the Sales Office. The players' galleries, all of which are reached by visitors from a plaza in the centre of the board, sit between the action locations. Two actions are possible in each location, one of which is chosen when a player moves his gallerist token to that location. At the expense of some influence, a player whose gallerist or assistant is present on a location another player chooses, may implement a location's action, after the current player has taken their turn. This extra action is known as a "kicked out" action; if you cannot afford the influence, you can still use the kicked-out action for other basic actions instead. For instance, you can issue tickets to bring visitors into your gallery, or use an assistant to perform an action on a contract.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMB5i1vZWEjAdRD2LGFXRmYunQGJlotniE4Qpw1sduwhNyYSJXgxMgI9y8AGRSxfMI8fTPjSt68YqGj0d12ugmbEewZXPlFHbKvbZN9t5EXQtgA7F2dKIdTBliYxWxXO8RY7fe/s1600/100_6194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="74" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMB5i1vZWEjAdRD2LGFXRmYunQGJlotniE4Qpw1sduwhNyYSJXgxMgI9y8AGRSxfMI8fTPjSt68YqGj0d12ugmbEewZXPlFHbKvbZN9t5EXQtgA7F2dKIdTBliYxWxXO8RY7fe/s200/100_6194.JPG" width="200" /></a>The four action locations are the core of the game. At the artists colony, a gallerist can discover an artist as yet undiscovered; the player also gains a commission from this artist, which may be upheld later in the game, as a reward for promoting the artist. Artists are displayed in a nearby tableau, divided into four artist types (two artists for each type); photographers, sculptors, painters and digital artists. Alternatively, the gallerist may purchase a work of art, at the current price that artist demands, which is entirely dependent upon the artist's fame. The artworks are kept stacked next to the artists of that type; when one is bought, an appropriate work is taken from the top of the stack, along with any tickets and bonuses. Usually, this brings more visitors to the central plaza.<br />
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In order to sell a work of art, a player has to visit the Sales Office. There must be at least two visits made before selling a work; a contract must first be signed, then on a later visit, a work of art of an appropriate type matching the contract may be sold to a visitor in one's gallery, at the current price (again, dependent upon the artist's fame). Naturally, a visitor will leave one's gallery with the purchase. Contracts are kept in a tableau near the Sales Office, for ease of view and access.<br />
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Of course, a work of art is only as valuable as its artist is famous; therefore, it is often in the interests of the gallerist to promote artists - especially if their works are on display in ones gallery! For this, the player must visit the Media Centre, where the options are to promote an artist or to hire assistants. Promotion increases artist fame, and therefore the value of the artist's works. This is not without cost, of course; the cost being paid in influence. Alternatively, a gallerist can recruit assistants, who will help in both the running of the gallery, and trading on the International Market.<br />
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The International Market allows a player to place bids on the endgame auction of three renowned works of art; the more a player pays, the better the bid. Benefits are also gained in accordance with the bid chosen. Alternatively, the gallerists will seek to increase their reputation as an art aficionado, taking bonus tiles according to the placement of assistants on the appropriate section of the International Market. The only downside of either choice is that their assistant does not return to their gallery.<br />
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At the end of the game, having bought and sold art throughout, in addition to efforts on the international market, players will go through a final scoring. Majorities in the International Market earn bonus cash; the best combined bids for one player in the International Auction gain that player first choice of the three works of renown; finally, all unsold art is worth its closing value. Added to this are bonuses gained from curator and collector cards, which players were dealt at the start of the game to give them defined goals to play towards.<br />
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The Gallerist, as you can see from the photos, has been made with some of the finest quality components; the game design matches the quality in every way. The players must choose between numerous actions to best promote the art they have a vested interest in; however, it is not always so easy. One restriction is that there may only ever be two works from each artist in play, so while you may have just promoted the blue photographer, another gallerist might buy the last available work (and there will not be another available until one is sold)!<br />
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I particularly like the way the main actions are separated by their commonality; for instance, you rely upon contracts to make sales but cannot contract and sell consecutively, unless you can engineer a kicked-out action opportunity (and somebody else permits it by visiting the same location), or else return having been kicked out, in your next turn. Similarly, you cannot discover an artist and pay for his commission instantly, hire assistants and promote an artist, or both promote yourself and make an offer on artworks of renown. It's one of those games where you want to do everything, but have to settle for doing a bit at a time.<br />
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Additionally, at those stages when every player wants to take the same action, there is greater opportunity for non-active players to perform kicked-out actions. Just like every other game divided into actions, getting as many as possible is key to victory; this makes the opportunity to use kicked-out actions very important. Even when player influence is at a premium, being kicked out of a location at least permits a player to return there the next turn, which accelerates game-flow. This is a good solution to the problem of extended play time; I think without it, the game would stretch beyond three hours.<br />
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As I understand it, The Gallerist is still widely available after <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/167427101/the-gallerist-a-game-by-vital-lacerda-the-art-of-s?ref=discovery">last year's Kickstarter campaign</a>, at least it is here in the UK. If you like Lacerda's other output, you will love this; it's different enough to distinguish from the rest, but definitely bears some of his signature design maxims - the board is never wasted, for example, and every action is finely interwoven with the rest such that nothing is wasted. If you thought <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/42052/vinhos">Vinhos</a> or <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/109276/kanban-automotive-revolution">Kanban</a> were a bit complicated, this one may also be for you; it is comparatively easy to play, as generally there are three locations to choose from, and a player can usually only use one of the two actions at that location.<br />
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To me, this game about art is... art itself!Pawnstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14138454253813433739noreply@blogger.com2