Well, this month saw a little more of us playing games more than once. My top 11 played games of November all had at least two plays, some quite close together. This especially helps with new games, and we’re trying to do it more often when learning so that we don’t find ourselves relearning games weeks or months down the line..
NEW GAMES OF THE MONTH
After our most recent D&D session, we asked our friends if they wouldn’t mind teaching us CLANK! A DECK BUILDING ADVENTURE For one, it’s on my Top 100 Scratch Off poster, but also it’s a Deck Builder and one we hear a lot of good things about. And it was fun. They were a little rusty, so there were a few rules goofs, but I can see the potential of the game. I don’t know that we’d own it at just the two of us as we have other Deck Builders with less table pressence that play quicker for us. But I’d be interested in trying some of the different versions.
I really enjoy playing and teaching SPLENDOR, but I wasn’t so sure that we needed SPLENDOR DUEL in our collection too. I almost didn’t buy it, but a shop visit saw me almost leaving empty handed until I caught sight of it out the corner of my eye. And now, after a few games, I’m certain of two things. 1) It’s my preferred version of the game when there are just two of us, and 2) I am way better at original SPLENDOR.
I’ve always wanted to go big on at least one Kickstarter. When I saw the original MARVEL UNITED, I almost pulled the trigger, but I’m glad I held off. While I’m a big Marvel geek, it was the X-Men that got me into comics and superheroes. I’ve had MARVEL UNITED X-MEN for quite a while now, but as with a lot of games, we’d not gotten around to it yet. So, when my replacement figures and tokens turned up, I thought it was about time. It was easy to teach, and it’s definitely a lighter, more family friendly game, but it was good. There are days when I don’t want anything heavy and competative, so this works great. And I have all the content for it, so we’ll have lots more to play.
Last year I was in a rough place mentally, and like a lot of people, spending money is a coping mechanism. My plan around then was to cut back on Kickstarters, but the downer saw me backing about four or five games close together, games I might not have backed under different circumstances. One of those was BIRDWATCHER, and I have to say, I’m actually glad I did. While it’s art screams ‘rival to WINGSPAN!‘, it’s not really. There’s no engine building, and instead you’re collecting sets by manipulating birds between four different locations; jungle, clearing, tree, and journal. There’s a nice mix of sets scoring mixed with end game goals in the form of published papers that you choose to collect. This allows you to make your own plan as you go. It’s got a small amount of take that, but it doesn’t happen much. A pretty chill and very good looking game.
TO THE DEATH! was the first Kickstarter I ever backed. I was drawn by the affordabilty, the solo play, and the pixel art. But when it turned up, I’d met someone who I gamed with regularly and I’d drifted from solo. I also found the game difficult to decipher with a bad rule book and little in the way of online tutorials. Three years after it turned up, I finally tried it and . . . I found it rough going. There is a lot of content now, and it makes the game perhaps a little unbalanced. There is also less choice than seems at first glance. Without the right cards in hand, and the right circumstance before you, you wind up limited to what you can do. I’ll definitely give it more time, but I wasn’t too impressed with that first play.
Speaking of disappointing games, we did not enjoy our play of RUN ANIMALS, RUN! It looked like a fun little game, but one with dark and serious undercurrents (urbanisation is destroying wildlife habitats). What we found was a game where first player leads the resource collection, and the second player struggles to do more than keep up. It may perhaps play different at higher counts with less to go around, but at two, it just felt like obvious steps until I completed my cards first.
We’ve enjoyed ROYAL VISIT in the past with it’s beautiful art and tug of war card gamplay, and HIDDEN LEADERS has a lot of similaraties. What makes it a little different is the win condition, where you have a choice right to the end of the game, and you’re manipulating pieces to fullfill that condition. And while there are four different ways to win, a couple of them are easier than others with how the pieces can be spaced on the board. Also, the art is fantastic, and definitely makes the game stand out.
I’ve always wanted to try SCYTHE, but didn’t want to invest in it if it was no good at 2-player (says the man who still has an unplayed copy of TWILIGHT IMPERIUM). Thankfully our cool gaming buddies lent us their copy with a few of the extras too (metal coins and realistic resources). It was so good that we played two games back to back on a Saturday evening, and then again a few days later. And while we enjoyed it a just 2, I also found that it’s not as complicated as it looks and we could easily teach some of our other friends. The copy has been returned now, but there might just be a new copy under our tree come Christmas.
I’m really into the Valeria series from Daily Magic Games. I love the artwork, and I enjoy different games and mechanics all set in one world. Last year I backed the 3 game set of DICE KINGDOMS OF VALERIA, THRONES OF VALERIA, and the single player tower defence game SIEGE OF VALERIA. Now due to some issues in transport, a few of us in the UK are still waiting for parts of this set (I’m missing Dice Kingdoms), but I did get to sit down with SIEGE OF VALERIA and I really enjoyed it. It’s best described as Plant vs Zombies within the Valeria setting. Monsters and Siege Engines are marching towards your city wall, and you must use attack dice to take them out. The thinking comes from deciding when to go after the Siege Engines (the only way to victory), and when to kill the easier monters to gain bonues. There are times when you see you’ve made a mistake on a previous turn and it’s coming back to bite you. And the game has limited turns, so you need to be efficient too.
If you said I could only keep one Kickstarter game in my collection, ENDLESS WINTER: PALEOAMERICANS would have been it. I’ve been eagerly awaiting this one since it funded back in 2020. A mix of the stunning artwork (there’s the Mico again), the beautiful components, and a whole bunch of mechanics meant it ticked a lot of my boxes. It’s had a rough road getting here, but we’ve had two plays now. The first game was really enjoyable. Close fought as we each learned tactics and worked out how to play cards efficiently. I will say that the second game presented some flaws, with the area control showing it’s importance, and me being stuck a lot not being able to do much (game ended 115-35). Hopefully most plays end up like our first as that was a lot of fun. And to top it off, the box and insert are amazing. Well designed in how they hold everything.
One of the first games I wanted to try when I was pulled into the hobby was ARKHAM HORROR: THE CARD GAME. I liked the idea of a campaign game but played out with just cards. But I didn’t want to play alone, so I put it off. Now though, with an online voucher just sat there, and the urge not going away, I finally ordered the Revised Core set. We’ve only played the first scenario, but there is an issue. I really really enjoyed it, despite getting my butt handed to me and being eliminated. My girlfriend however (who was then left alone and surrounded) didn’t enjoy it as much. We’re going to try it again from the start, now that we have a better understanding. And I’ve heard the the first campaign isn’t the best, so I’m itching to grab Dunwich if we can get through this one. Overall, glad I tried it, and hoping it stays around.
KICKSTARTER ARRIVALS
We really are trying to get games played quicker when they arrive so as to not add to our Shelf Of Shame, and this month really shows that it’s working. We played BIRDWATCHER, ENDLESS WINTER, and SIEGE OF VALERIA within days of thier arrival.
1vs1 CHALLENGE 2022
Well, you can only climb uphill for so long before it gets exhausting. I couldn’t keep up the momentum and have started giving ground again. It was slow going, as some evenings it ended 1 win each, keeping things level. But overall, it’s gone from a negative 9 to a negitive 15.
I think one of the problems is that I like playing games that my brain isn’t good at. Like THE CASTLES OF BURGANDY. Amazing game. But I’m yet to work out a good stratery. Hopefully one day.
Current score: (Me) 230 vs 245 (Girlfriend)
(Clarification: co-op wins count as a point to both)
HIGHLIGHTS
- Making it to the second level of the Mad Mage’s Dungeon
- My MARVEL UNITED X-MEN replacment parts turning up
- Getting some new Captain America Pop! Vinyls
- Our friend lending us her copy of SCYTHE with all the bells and whistles so that we could finally try it
- My copy of ENDLESS WINTER arriving
- Having my question read out on the ‘Whose Turn’ podcast
Always Play Blue 