Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the (*trumpets/fanfare*) “2017 DGA Awards”. You may now applaud. Seriously though, this time of year is probably one of my favorites. Aside from the fact that tax season is almost here, I get to revisit all the games I’ve played this year and compare them against games I listed as my favorite for the previous year.
Board Games
Move over “Simon”, you four-colored electronic memory game that I didn’t totally rage quit on repeatedly as a kid you! “Dash” is in town and will test your dexterity skills in ways that isn’t so hardcore and frustrating. I know, I know…”Simon” probably isn’t all that bad, but my short-term memory has always been rather poor. “Dash” is a bit different in the sense that you don’t have to remember long chains of sequences, but still try to remember where the colors are in your grid as they are face-down. I feel that it wouldn’t be a good fit for gamers looking for something in-depth, but it’s pretty solid as far as casual family games go. As with my other more recent reviews, I decided to do this one in a video format. Enjoy!
Thinking about picking up “Starfall”, the latest tabletop game by Designer Scott Almes? Look no further, the below has everything you’ll need to see whether or not it’s something you might want to play. Spoiler: If you like “Sushi Go!”, you’ll like this too.
“Constellations” is absolutely brilliant. It’s quick, it’s educational, and it looks fantastic. Don’t take my word for it…see it for yourself!
Buy low, sell high. That’s what it’s all about in “Facets of Fortune”, one of the prettiest games I’ve seen in a while. With some strategic planning and a little bit of luck, you could be the one to be standing on top of a pile of money when the game ends. Like in recent posts, I opted to cover the game visually so feel free to check out the video below if you have time. Special thanks to Lowell Press from Millbrook Games for providing me with a press copy. It’s available on Amazon for about $25, so be sure to use the Amazon tool on the right sidebar if you’re interested in buying it because you’re awesome that way.
Game Designer Steve Finn was kind enough to send me a copy of “Cosmic Run: Rapid Fire” which successfully funded through Kickstarter earlier this year. At the time of writing, he’s still fulfilling rewards for Kickstarter backers but the game should be available through his website soon. In the meantime, check out my impressions video below for a primer on the rules. It’s meant to be played with two players but has a solo variant listed in the back of the manual. Vinnie Jr. and I had fun with this one (he particularly enjoyed blowing up my ships) and we both recommend it as a quick filler as it plays in less than a half hour. I personally would have enjoyed more depth on the tech side of things, but it definitely accomplishes what it sets out to do.
Arrrrrrrrrrr, Matey! We be here today t’ loot a look “Potato Pirates”, a card game that’ll be seekin’ fundin’ through th’ Kickstarter process in late Augusy\t / Early September o’ 2017. In this three t’ six player adventure, ye’ll be tasked wit’ either acquirin’ all seven o’ th’ Potato Kin’ cards or eliminating all o’ th’ other players from th’ game. Okay, I’m done with the pirate talk, I swear. Special thanks to the folks at Codomo for providing me with a prototype copy for preview purposes. It’s important to stress that prototypes are not always reflective of the final product, making everything that you see and read about below (including the rules) subject to change.
It is time to select a new coven leader. But how? By doing what witches do best, of course: HEXING, GARDENING, and POTION BREWING! Break out your CAULDRONS because it is time to play CAULDRON: BUBBLE AND BOIL (by INDIE Game Developer Rob Booth)! The game is nearly ready to go to the printers but in order to do so, CAULDRON: BUBBLE AND BOIL NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT!
“E.T.” was one of my favorite movies as a kid. There’s just something about that little alien that made him so darned likable. “The Visitor”, a game that’ll be seeking funding through the Kickstarter process soon, reminds me a lot of the aforementioned movie. In short, an alien craft has arrived on Earth and of course, they don’t go unnoticed. A female “kid” and “agents” both see the craft go down and race toward it, only to be met by a barrier. The kid and the agents will have to try to figure out what the pass-code/rule is in order to get through. In essence, it’s like “Codenames” with an “E.T.” theme. Special thanks to the folks at Tiltfactor for providing me with a prototype for preview purposes. It’s important to stress that prototypes are not reflective of the final product, making everything you read about here (including the rules) subject to change.
How many parents out there have kids who love to pretend that they are Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, or Hermione Granger? Heck, maybe even you have been known to cast a spell or two! “Wizard Roll”, a simple tabletop family game, lets you do just that. You’ll be rolling dice and claiming elements/runes in order to be the first to complete spells and thus earn points. The first player to seven points wins. Special thanks to the folks at RoosterFin Games for providing me with a press copy for review purposes.
“Century: Spice Road” is, as best as I can explain it, a resource-management deck/hand builder that’s extremely easy to play. Everyone starts with the same two cards but can buy more later from a general pool, like in “Star Realms“. The whole idea is to use these cards to acquire different spices (cubes) and then turning those cubes in to acquire victory point cards. Our first game took about forty minutes or so, but a lot of our time was spent trying to figure out which spices to trade for what spices and how to manipulate our caravan (cube pool of ten max cubes) to get the cube colors we want.
As a former member of the United States Chess Federation, I admit to being a little intrigued when I saw the offer to review “Duress”. At first glance, the game looked like a cross between “Scrabble” and “Chess”. I came to learn that it was similar to “Scrabble” in looks only (what with the lettered tiles) as no spelling is actually involved. Instead, players take turns drawing a chess tile from a bag then moving one of their lettered pieces using that chess piece’s move rules. The goal? Move your colored tiles (A-P) onto the yellow goal letters in the middle of the board before your opponent does. Special thanks to the folks at Doctor Rocket, LLC. for providing me with a press copy for review purposes.
I had the pleasure of discovering this really easy (yet deep) abstract strategy game that reminded me of “Tigris and Euphrates” and “Acquire” in the way that you could absorb territory on the board. The goal is to be the first to get all of the pagodas of your color onto the board. There are other game ending conditions, but that’s what you’re aiming for. Everything about the game is fantastic and only requires about thirty minutes of your time. The rulebook is one sheet, front and back. I opted to cover the game in a video as opposed to writing out a review. Hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed “Qin”!
Ever wanted to play a biology-themed game without all that confusing biology? “BIOTIX” is what you’ll want to play as your sole goal is to get as many different types of BIOTIX onto your petri dish card as possible at the end of a day. You’ll have to be careful though…your petri dish can only handle so many BIOTIX of a particular color. Going over causes a bio-reaction, the effects of which change depending on the color. You earn points for the BIOTIX still on your petri dish when the day ends and the player with the most points after three days, wins. Special thanks to Curt Covert from Smirk and Dagger Games for providing me with a press copy for review purposes.
The latest iteration of “12 Realms” by Mage Company proves that the series is still alive and kicking. “12 Realms: Dungeonland” is a stand-alone game that retains the previous games’ theme, what with the inclusion of characters like Little Red Riding Hood and Prince Charming. In this version however, there’s a heavier focus on RPG mechanics…that is, the ability to level up your characters and upgrade their abilities using a skills tree. A new A.I. system is also featured that allows bosses to react a certain way depending on the situation. “12 Realms: Dungeonland” is set to seek funding through the Kickstarter process May 15, 2017.
When you’re playing a tabletop game with some sort of catastrophic theme, you’re either on one side or the other. For example, in “Pandemic”, you’re always fighting for humanity against four deadly diseases. “Castle Panic” has you fighting against orcs and trolls every single time. “Wanted Earth” however lets players be either the humans or the invading aliens, which is a neat twist. In short, it’s a miniatures game that pits the human heroes against an invading alien force called the Goigons, though the Kickstarter page hints that more may be available via stretch goals.