Well, that was another hot month, but thank god for some rain.
We’ve had more than usual going on this month, so less games have been played than normal. That’ll make this monthly round up shorter than previous ones.
NEW GAMES OF THE MONTH
Being a quiet gaming month meant that we got less new games to the table too, but we did manage to complete our second and final challenge of the year. We like to set our 52×1 challange to make sure we at least average a new game a week. This helps keep the Shelf Of Shame down somewhat.
I finally pushed through the intimidation and learnt SPIRIT ISLAND. A big thanks to @risa.game.table who had suggested to me that I pick River Surges In Sunlight as my starting Spirit, and that it’ll be easier to learn solo. It was still a slow start, and a lot of manual reading, but not having another player waiting on me releaved a lot of the pressure. And the game is really good. Kind of like PANDEMIC on steroids. It was tough going, and I like that it’s not a cake walk. The next day I taught my girlfriend. To simplify the teach, we used one island tile, and then the following day we played with the full 2-player map. She really enjoyed it too, so it’ll be a nice addition to our co-op play sessions.
Next up was NINE MINUTE KINGDOM. This is a small box game I backed on Kickstarter where players draft cards to build up a nine section kingdom. There are goal cards selected randomly each game that affect how you want to be grouping (or not grouping) your areas. It plays super quick, and the Kickstarter version has a bucket load of expansions to add to the replayability.
A game we’ve had on our Shelf Of Shame for almost a year was PORT ROYAL. I’ve heard so much good about it and grabbed it while visiting Dave’s Comics in Brighten last September. I didn’t know too much about it, but it was always discussed in such popular light. And what a great game it is. I absoloutly love the coin mechanic where the back of every card is the games currency. This means that the selected cards will always be different in every game you play. And while I’m not a fan of push your luck games normally, I didn’t feel hindered by my cautiousnous. Plus, the small box means it’ll be easy to take out with us. Looking forward to trying at higher player counts.
And finally, the game that got us over the line on our 52×1 Challenge was my first purchase at this years UKGE. We somehow ended up playing a run of Japonese themed games, and IKI was our Sunday afternoon treat. It was a little daunting to learn, and I couldn’t find any decent teach videos from the normal folk I go to. But we started to pick up on the mechanisms and around halfway through we had a good flow going. I’ve reread the manual and seen that we made a few mistakes, so we got it back to the table within a few days to have another turn. I like the training/ retirement mechanic, and the feeding of you meeples. And the rondel mechanic is good to, with you able to get round the board in two or three turns on average. It’s a beautiful addition to our collection and one we’ll no doubt play often.
And that was it. We’ll still be playing new games, but we’ve managed the minimum target for the year which is good.
KICKSTARTER ARRIVALS
As well as the small box NINE MINUTE KINGDOMS, we also had two big Kickstarter delevieries this month.
First up was the double delivery of AGE OF ATLANTIS and the WINDWARD expansion, TREACHEROUS SKIES. Due to delays in both projects, along with rising shipping costs, this turned up inside one box. That made for an epic unboxing, especially as I’d forgotten some of the extras I’d added to the game. For WINDWARD, I got the playmat and the coins, and for AGE OF ATLANTIS I could not resist the metal Posiden statue. Tansferring everything from the WINDWARD base game took a fair bit of time but I’m looking forward to playing now with all the extras and replacement components.
A week later saw the arrival of the VISCOUNTS OF THE WEST KINGDOM expansions, which also came with the three big boxes for the seires. I spent that weekend transferring everything over from the small boxes, as well as sleeving as I went (over 500 sleeves in total!). It all takes up less room on the shelf now, and is easier to get to the table as a single box. Am looking forward to going through the trilogy trying all the expansions now.
Looking at my list of backed games, there is potential for a slew of arrivals if things aren’t delayed more. Now I just have to find room for everything.
1vs1 CHALLENGE 2022
There was more fight back in this months challange. I managed to cut my girlfriends lead down to just 14 near the end of the month, but our Bank Holiday gaming gave her a 6-2 advantage and meaning she’s ended up just losing 1 win over all. The only games I seem to win are the 30mins or less games, perhaps due to the longer conentration skills needed that I just do not have. But damnit, I do like those bigger games and can’t help myself. They may be my downfall.
Current score: (Me) 172 vs 189 (Girlfriend)
(Clarification: co-op wins count as a point to both)
HIGHLIGHTS
- Completing our 52×1 Challenge.
- Posting my 50th Blues Reviews on Instagram.
- Playing an online D&D One-Shot with some awesome strangers.
- Retiring my Doomstalker in GLOOMHAVEN.
Always Play Blue 