Sometimes, you want something a bit more fancy. Something with a little bit of glitz and glam put on it. Nothing wrong with that. And that holds for our board games, too. Well, if you want a prettied-
Sometimes, you want something a bit more fancy. Something with a little bit of glitz and glam put on it. Nothing wrong with that. And that holds for our board games, too. Well, if you want a prettied-up version of Castles of Mad King Ludwig (a game about making beautiful castles, to begin with), you're in luck, as there's a Collector's Edition of the game up on Kickstarter now.
From the campaign:
The campaign's around 52x funded with 29 days left to go.
Hello there, Saturday! Nice to see you could stop by. Do come in, have a seat, and make yourself at home.I hope your Saturday is going nicely. I've got baking to do. Cookies, brownies, and maybe some
Hello there, Saturday! Nice to see you could stop by. Do come in, have a seat, and make yourself at home.
I hope your Saturday is going nicely. I've got baking to do. Cookies, brownies, and maybe some other stuff. We'll see.
But that's me. As for you, it's time to get you some review articles to chew on.
Today's articles feature: Fischkrieg Space Mat Starfield, the Pandemic App, They Come Unseen, Age of Tyrants, Thunderbirds, Jaipur, Hengist, Animal Upon Animal: Crest Climbers, Castles of Mad King Ludwig, Pharaoh’s Gulo Gulo, Expedition: Famous Explorers, Dragon Farkle, Ghostbusters: The Board Game, Codenames, Discworld: Ankh-Morpork, Subterfuge (iOS version), Rome: Rise to Power, Warhammer Quest the Adventure Card Game, and Automobiles.
The Pandemic App is a digital representation of this now classic cooperative board game. You can play it and control all the players or pass and play with your friends.
Commander Andy Benford was the living and breathing embodiment of Tom Clancy novels while many of us were still cutting our war gaming teeth on the likes of Risk, Stratego and Axis & Allies. (Okay, maybe also Panzer Blitz if you weren’t a total wimp.) Benford saw service aboard diesel-electric submarines, a nuclear-powered hunter-killer submarine and a nuclear-powered Polaris ballistic missile submarine, all during the Cold War. He retired from service in 1993.
He also designed a game, They Come Unseen by Osprey Publishing.
Who better than a retired Cold War submariner to design a game that simulates the cat and mouse interactions between Soviet destroyers and NATO submarines in the stormy, icy waters of the Barents Sea? They Come Unseen does just that with palpably tense and exciting game play. That is when you’re not trying to clarify a rule in the 10-page FAQ.
I think I mentioned Age of Tyrants a while back – a forthcoming 6mm scale battle game set in the Urban War universe and designed by a friend of mine: Mark Brendan. Well Mark popped over this week to run through the game with me in its current beta format, and we did a good bit of tinkering to help it along
Leigh! Thank you for joining us for this review of the Thunderbirds board game, although as you’ve never seen an episode of 1960s TV series you won’t be allowed to talk. You can nod along, though, and say things like "Wow!".
Jaipur is a great gateway game. My girlfriend is new to modern board games, so I’m always on the lookout for easy-to-play games that work well for two players. It doesn’t hurt if the game has some elements of more complex board games, but not enough to be intimidating to someone new to this insanely beautiful hobby of mine. If you’re in a similar situation, then I recommend finding a copy of Jaipur.
In Hengist, players are trying to accumulate the most treasure over the course of the game. Each turn, a player can take an action with each of their three raiding groups. This usually involves moving around the board into positions to raid villages. However, the most direct paths to the best treasure will be obscured, so the obvious path might actually lead to the worst treasure. Through experimentation and the use of spies, players can find the path to the best treasure and increase their wealth.
In Animal Upon Animal: Crest Climbers, players are trying to get rid of all the animals they start the game with by stacking them on a mountain. Each turn, players will roll a die that determines how many animals they can stack this turn, and possibly in what manner.
Take care though, because if you knock animals of the stack, you’ll have to take them into your herd. Be the first player to rid yourself of your animals and you’ll be the king of stacking.
Your main objective in Castles of Mad King Ludwig is to build the most successful castle. Success is defined through secret and public objectives, as well as the whim of every player’s grand vision. Every round, one player will be designated as the Master Builder. The Master Builder’s most important duty is setting the prices for the various castle rooms that are available to be constructed. In turn order, players will choose which room they’d like to construct and must pay the Master Builder the appropriate amount. After all other players have constructed their rooms, the Master Builder can select from the remaining rooms and this time pays the appropriate amount to the general supply.
Pharaoh’s Gulo Gulo is a dexterity adventure game for two to six players. Players try to remove boulders from the boulder trap without knocking over the pharaoh’s staff or knocking other boulders out in order to move forward along the path. The first player to make it to the mummy’s chamber and defeat the final trap lifts the mummy’s curse and wins the game.
In Expedition: Famous Explorers, you are in control of several locations on the world map. Your goal is to push the three ongoing expeditions through your locations which will score you points. But that’s not all: You also want to keep the expeditions from passing through locations controlled by your opponents so you can deprive them of said points.
You may be familiar with this sort of dice game, and the structure here doesn’t stray too far from the norm. You roll a handful of dice, set aside some that give you points, and then decide either to push your luck and roll again (knowing you might fail and lose everything you’ve accrued), or play it safe and lock in your score (all the while knowing you could have scored a LOT more if you just kept rolling).
Ghostbusters: The Board Game is an adventure board game for 1 – 4 players. They are the professionals in busting ghosts and closing gates to the Spirit World! This game is customizable, cooperative and it has high re-playability. It provides unique illustrations and figures based on the original work and designs of Dan Schoening, who is the artist of Ghostbusters comic book original series. Each Ghostbuster has his own role and unique abilities which can be gained by getting experience. The game has modes for different levels of players. Now it is your move to save the world from creepy ghosts!
Codenames was published in 2015 by Czech Games Edition. The game was designed by Vlaada Chvátil, the renowned Czech game designer famous for Through the Ages, Galaxy Trucker, Bunny Bunny Moose Moose, Space Alert, Tash-Kalar, Dungeon Lords, Dungeon Petz, and Mage Knight.
Discworld: Ankh-Morpork was published in 2011 by Treefrog Games. The game was designed by Martin Wallace. Illustrations in the game were done by Peter Dennis, Paul Kidby, Ian Mitchell, and Bernard Pearson.
Discworld: Ankh-Morpork belongs to the Discworld games family. This series is based on Terry Pratchett’s Discworld Universe. It also includes Clacks: A Discworld Board Game, Guards! Guards! A Discworld Boardgame, The Witches: A Discworld Game, Watch Out: Discworld Board Game, and Koom Valley Thud.
Hello there, Saturday! Nice to see you could stop by. Do come in, have a seat, and make yourself at home.I hope your Saturday is going nicely. I've got baking to do. Cookies, brownies, and maybe some
Hello there, Saturday! Nice to see you could stop by. Do come in, have a seat, and make yourself at home.
I hope your Saturday is going nicely. I've got baking to do. Cookies, brownies, and maybe some other stuff. We'll see.
But that's me. As for you, it's time to get you some review articles to chew on.
Today's articles feature: Fischkrieg Space Mat Starfield, the Pandemic App, They Come Unseen, Age of Tyrants, Thunderbirds, Jaipur, Hengist, Animal Upon Animal: Crest Climbers, Castles of Mad King Ludwig, Pharaoh’s Gulo Gulo, Expedition: Famous Explorers, Dragon Farkle, Ghostbusters: The Board Game, Codenames, Discworld: Ankh-Morpork, Subterfuge (iOS version), Rome: Rise to Power, Warhammer Quest the Adventure Card Game, and Automobiles.
The Pandemic App is a digital representation of this now classic cooperative board game. You can play it and control all the players or pass and play with your friends.
Commander Andy Benford was the living and breathing embodiment of Tom Clancy novels while many of us were still cutting our war gaming teeth on the likes of Risk, Stratego and Axis & Allies. (Okay, maybe also Panzer Blitz if you weren’t a total wimp.) Benford saw service aboard diesel-electric submarines, a nuclear-powered hunter-killer submarine and a nuclear-powered Polaris ballistic missile submarine, all during the Cold War. He retired from service in 1993.
He also designed a game, They Come Unseen by Osprey Publishing.
Who better than a retired Cold War submariner to design a game that simulates the cat and mouse interactions between Soviet destroyers and NATO submarines in the stormy, icy waters of the Barents Sea? They Come Unseen does just that with palpably tense and exciting game play. That is when you’re not trying to clarify a rule in the 10-page FAQ.
I think I mentioned Age of Tyrants a while back – a forthcoming 6mm scale battle game set in the Urban War universe and designed by a friend of mine: Mark Brendan. Well Mark popped over this week to run through the game with me in its current beta format, and we did a good bit of tinkering to help it along
Leigh! Thank you for joining us for this review of the Thunderbirds board game, although as you’ve never seen an episode of 1960s TV series you won’t be allowed to talk. You can nod along, though, and say things like "Wow!".
Jaipur is a great gateway game. My girlfriend is new to modern board games, so I’m always on the lookout for easy-to-play games that work well for two players. It doesn’t hurt if the game has some elements of more complex board games, but not enough to be intimidating to someone new to this insanely beautiful hobby of mine. If you’re in a similar situation, then I recommend finding a copy of Jaipur.
In Hengist, players are trying to accumulate the most treasure over the course of the game. Each turn, a player can take an action with each of their three raiding groups. This usually involves moving around the board into positions to raid villages. However, the most direct paths to the best treasure will be obscured, so the obvious path might actually lead to the worst treasure. Through experimentation and the use of spies, players can find the path to the best treasure and increase their wealth.
In Animal Upon Animal: Crest Climbers, players are trying to get rid of all the animals they start the game with by stacking them on a mountain. Each turn, players will roll a die that determines how many animals they can stack this turn, and possibly in what manner.
Take care though, because if you knock animals of the stack, you’ll have to take them into your herd. Be the first player to rid yourself of your animals and you’ll be the king of stacking.
Your main objective in Castles of Mad King Ludwig is to build the most successful castle. Success is defined through secret and public objectives, as well as the whim of every player’s grand vision. Every round, one player will be designated as the Master Builder. The Master Builder’s most important duty is setting the prices for the various castle rooms that are available to be constructed. In turn order, players will choose which room they’d like to construct and must pay the Master Builder the appropriate amount. After all other players have constructed their rooms, the Master Builder can select from the remaining rooms and this time pays the appropriate amount to the general supply.
Pharaoh’s Gulo Gulo is a dexterity adventure game for two to six players. Players try to remove boulders from the boulder trap without knocking over the pharaoh’s staff or knocking other boulders out in order to move forward along the path. The first player to make it to the mummy’s chamber and defeat the final trap lifts the mummy’s curse and wins the game.
In Expedition: Famous Explorers, you are in control of several locations on the world map. Your goal is to push the three ongoing expeditions through your locations which will score you points. But that’s not all: You also want to keep the expeditions from passing through locations controlled by your opponents so you can deprive them of said points.
You may be familiar with this sort of dice game, and the structure here doesn’t stray too far from the norm. You roll a handful of dice, set aside some that give you points, and then decide either to push your luck and roll again (knowing you might fail and lose everything you’ve accrued), or play it safe and lock in your score (all the while knowing you could have scored a LOT more if you just kept rolling).
Ghostbusters: The Board Game is an adventure board game for 1 – 4 players. They are the professionals in busting ghosts and closing gates to the Spirit World! This game is customizable, cooperative and it has high re-playability. It provides unique illustrations and figures based on the original work and designs of Dan Schoening, who is the artist of Ghostbusters comic book original series. Each Ghostbuster has his own role and unique abilities which can be gained by getting experience. The game has modes for different levels of players. Now it is your move to save the world from creepy ghosts!
Codenames was published in 2015 by Czech Games Edition. The game was designed by Vlaada Chvátil, the renowned Czech game designer famous for Through the Ages, Galaxy Trucker, Bunny Bunny Moose Moose, Space Alert, Tash-Kalar, Dungeon Lords, Dungeon Petz, and Mage Knight.
Discworld: Ankh-Morpork was published in 2011 by Treefrog Games. The game was designed by Martin Wallace. Illustrations in the game were done by Peter Dennis, Paul Kidby, Ian Mitchell, and Bernard Pearson.
Discworld: Ankh-Morpork belongs to the Discworld games family. This series is based on Terry Pratchett’s Discworld Universe. It also includes Clacks: A Discworld Board Game, Guards! Guards! A Discworld Boardgame, The Witches: A Discworld Game, Watch Out: Discworld Board Game, and Koom Valley Thud.
Mind Games, part of the American Mensa society, has released their list of the winners of their coveted Mensa Select Game award. Only those that pass rigorous testing can use this much-sought-after st
Mind Games, part of the American Mensa society, has released their list of the winners of their coveted Mensa Select Game award. Only those that pass rigorous testing can use this much-sought-after stamp of approval for their products. There are over 50 games that try for the award, but only 5 can be given it each year. This year's winners are Castles of Mad King Ludwig by Bezier Games, Dragonwood by Gamewright, Lanterns: The Harvest Festival by Renegade Game Studios and Foxtrot Games, Letter Tycoon byAd Magic/Breaking Games, and Trekking the National Parks by Bink Ink. Congratulations to the winners!
From the website:
Founded in 1990, American Mensa's Mind Games has become one of the most respected national games competitions. If you're unfamiliar with Mind Games, follow the quick links below to learn about this exciting annual event for Mensa members.
Of the more than 50 games entered and judged each year, five are chosen as Mensa Select®. Winners such as Scattergories™, Taboo™ and Apples to Apples™ have gone on to become top-sellers and award-winners.
325 judges, 60 competing games, and forty-four hours of nonstop board game action later, five games claim bragging rights as Mensa Select® winners!
San Diego Area Mensa hosted this year’s event at the Town and Country Resort in San Diego, Calif. Members of American Mensa, the high IQ association, selected five Mensa Select winners at its 2015 Mind Games event.
Out of the 60 entries in this year’s competition, only these five will have the honor of displaying the coveted Mensa Select® seal. This year’s Mensa Select games are: •"Castles of Mad King Ludwig," Bezier Games, Inc. •"Dragonwood," Gamewright •'Lanterns: The Harvest Festival," Renegade Game Studios and Foxtrot Games •"Letter Tycoon," Ad Magic/Breaking Games •"Trekking the National Parks," Bink Ink, LLC
“We are so pleased that game manufacturers from around the globe find value with our feedback and our Mensa Select designation,” said Chief Judge, Greg Webster “I can’t wait to see what awesome new titles will compete in 2016!” Next year's event will be hosted by the Chicago area chapter of Mensa.To find out about the competing games and the winners visit mindgames.us.mensa.org. American Mensa is an organization open to anyone who scores in the top 2 percent on an accepted, standardized intelligence test. Mensa has more than 56,000 members in the United States and more than 110,000 members globally.
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