Game Nite magazine issue 16

Game Nite

Issue # 16

the magazine of tabletop gaming

F

e e r

Game Reviews Race for the galaxy app review

Mac gerdts game Designer

Keldon Jones RFTG AI Developer

GameFolio System init

Book Reviews and more!

In this issue: Reviews

book review

4 It’s All a Game Boardgame History

6 The Games We Played Gaming Etiquette

Interviews 24

Race for the Galaxy AI.

56

Mac Gerdts

22

7&7 Saint or Sinner?

24

Minions of the Meadow.

26

Keldon Jones

30

March of the Ants

Honshu

City Builder.

Web of Spies

Secret Missions.

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Saga of the Northmen

Solo Gaming

42

Tournament at Camelot Arthurian Trick Taking.

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Haspelknecht The Ruhr Valley

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Plague Inc. An Infectious Experience.

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Zephyr Winds of Change.

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Interesting Microgame.

Game Designer.

Field Commander: Alexander Jeff Rhind

Accessory Reviews 16

The Game Folio System Transport System

Mobile Reviews 12

Race for the Galaxy Android and iOS

Review index 80

Pillage and Plunder.

Terrible Monster

70

5ive

72

Duress

Simple Filler Abstract Race Game

Contributors

Back Issue Index

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Game Nite Contributors

From the gaming table

Game Nite ISSUE # 16

T

he current popularity of board games can be attributed in part to players wanting to engage in a more social setting - sitting around a table with friends, rather than sitting alone in front of a computer. This has resulted in a boom in attendance for conventions, game cafes and local game nights. And yet, due to the success of the hobby, there are a growing number of excellent, board game apps being released. Thus allowing players the convenience of playing against online opponents or an AI. Oddly… It seems that we’ve come full circle.

Cover Photograph by Serge Pierro.

Saga of the Northmen © Minion Games

Editor in Chief/Publisher: Serge Pierro

In this issue: In this issue, Bill Braun reviews “Web of Spies: Secret Missions” and “Plague Inc.”.

Editor: Eric Devlin

Tom Franklin reviews “The Games We Played”.

Jeff Rhind continues his series on solo games - this time featuring the excellent: “Field Commander: Alexander”.

Contributing Writers: Photographers: Bill Braun

Serge Pierro

Special thanks to Mac Gerdts for taking time from his busy schedule to share his thoughts with our readers.

David Niecikowski

Bill Braun

Kevin Lauryssen

Jeff Rhind

Special thanks to Keldon Jones for sharing his insight into Artificial Intelligence.

Congratulations to Ken Shannon, Karen Boginski & Jody Barbessi and Wizkids for winning an Editor’s Choice Award for their excellent trick taking game, “Tournament at Camelot”.

Jeff Rhind Tom Franklin

Congratulations also to Temple Gates Games for winning an Editor’s Choice Award for their excellent app of “Race for the Galaxy”.

If you are a writer, photographer, reviewer, etc. and feel you have something unique to contribute to the magazine, feel free to contact us. We’d love to have you on board!

Follow us on Facebook:

www.facebook.com/GameNiteMagazine Visit us at:

Serge Pierro

www.gamenitemagazine.com Follow us on Twitter:

Editor in Chief

@GameNiteMag

editor@gamenitemagazine.com Issue #16

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Book Review

It’s All a Game

By Serge Pierro

A

the Board Game hobby continues to grow, it is not surprising to see that several books have started to appear that cover various aspects board game history. Some of them have focused on Eurogames, while others delved into the origins and backstory of ancient classics. Tristan Donovan has written a well researched book that broadly covers the history of board games, with an emphasis on the classic board games that were available pre-Catan. These include Chess, Backgammon, Monopoly, Clue, Mouse Trap, Scrabble, Risk, Trivial Pursuit, and more. Let’s take a look a why this recent offering is a “must have” for those interested in the history of modern board games.

The book contains 16 chapters, each of them devoted to either a specific topic and/or game. Usually there is one dominant game that is being written about, while at the same time a secondary game is introduced that is somehow related to the first game.

It is the depth of the research on each game that readers will find fascinating. While others have offered much of the same material, Donovan has dug a little deeper and offers information that I haven’t seen in other books on the subject. Even Tom Vassel is quoted on the back cover as saying “…Think you know everything about board games? Read this to find out otherwise!”.

There were several instances where I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of effort that Donovan put into the book to make sure that it provided enough “new” information to make this a worthwhile addition to a gaming library.

The venerable game of Chess is handled nicely. With such a deep and rich history, it would be easy to just gloss over the known facts of the game and move along. But, the book gives a concise overview, while at the same time contributing interesting anecdotes throughout. As a tournament level player I was delighted to see that the game was treated with respect, while also providing information that wasn’t just a rehash of a Wikipedia link.

Backgammon was treated in a similar manner, however, the difference here is that the perspective is geared towards the promotional skills of Prince Alexis Obolensky. This proved to be fascinating, as the exploration of the game is taken from its past, to the era of the jetsetter class and then to its current state.

And while the Chess and Backgammon chapters were interesting, most readers are going to be more interested in the chapters that cover the classic board games from the 20th century. Each of these are given the same scholarly treatment, though oftentimes they are more in-depth, due in part to the nature of the games and their proximity to the modern era.

Example: The chapter covering Monopoly begins with three pages establishing the social and political underpinnings of the era. Although the historical nature is concise, it is fascinating to delve into the backdrop of how the game came into being. Perhaps some gamers are familiar with Elizabeth Magie’s “The Landlord Game”, however, when you read about the backstory during this period in history, one gains a greater understanding about how the game developed. It is against this backdrop that the history of Monopoly unravels. This chapter, like many in the book, is what makes this book so fascinating; Tristan Donovan goes the “extra yard” in meticulously researching his subject matter and presenting it in an entertaining and educational format.

One of the other entertaining and interesting chapters deals with the eccentric Marvin Glass. Besides bringing “Mouse Trap” and “Operation” to the market, it appears that he had a large impact on the industry as a whole. This is a fascinating read and illuminates some of the “characters” that have always been part of the industry.

The entire book was wonderfully researched and the angles presented were different from other books that I’ve read on the subject - it also includes an excellent reference section that contains material for each chapter. This would make an excellent first book for someone that has an interest in the history of board and card games or for the serious gamer who enjoys reading about board game history.

Author: Tristan Donovan Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Highly Recommended www.stmartins.com

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Book Review The Games We Played: The Golden Age of Board & Table Games

By Tom M Franklin

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n 1980, Arthur and Ellen Liman’s son found them an old puzzle map of Wales at a yard sale. Ellen, an artist, was intrigued by by the art while Arthur’s interest was piqued by the puzzle’s place in cultural history. Her fascination with that puzzle led Ellen to include a chapter on collecting board games in a book on decorating which, in turn, led the couple to create a collection of their own. A collection that grew to over 500 board games.

The couple donated the collection the New York Historical Society in 2000. Two years later the Society opened an exhibit of 200 games from the collection to the public. The games displayed were produced from 1840 - 1920 and offered a fascinating glimpse into the gaming diversions of the American middle class in that era.

The Games We Played: The Golden Age of Board & Table Games is the book “inspired” by that exhibit. At 11” x 11”, and in full color, it fits into the category of a ‘coffee table’ book -- the kind of book that one displays in their living room, shows off to visitors, and can use as a conversation starter. While some modern day board game enthusiasts might use it for this purpose, the book is also a fine visual history of the hobby.

The book divides the games it reproduces in its pages into rough headings, with each chapter providing a loose framework for the games described.

The first chapter is Parlor Amusements and shows box artwork and cards for a variety of simple card and letter games including Mother Goose’s Party or the Merry Game of Old Maid (McLoughlin Brothers, 1887) and The Premium Game Logomachy, or War of Words.(McLoughlin Brothers, 1889) Also included are various

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conversation starters like The Sociable Telephone: A Game for the Smart Set (J. Ottoman LIth Co., 1902) and fortune telling games such as Chronomagica (McLoughlin Brothers, 1870) Of particular interest is a game called Mixed Pickles (Selchow & Righter, 1890) which involves matching three cards with assorted sentence parts that, when combined, the game promises to keep players “convulsed with laughter at the ludicrous combination of sentences.” (Sound familiar?)

The next chapter, The World’s Educator, shows examples of alphabet spelling blocks, Quiz games for history, geography, the Bible, and famous people. It also includes some of the very first mass produced games tied in to

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children’s literature with Little Goldilocks and the Three Bears: A Pleasing Game (McLoughlin Brothers, 1890), Jack the Giant Killer (McLoughlin Brothers, 1890), and Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater (Parker Brothers, 1890). Each of these book themed games were simply Roll and Move games, with the “Peter Peter” game featuring many tangential circles rather than the standard single loop around the board.

Morals and Materialism provides some fine examples of the mid-to-late Nineteenth Century views on how hard work and, as the book states, “virtuous Christian living” were the models for success in American society. The earliest such example is The Mansion of Happiness (1843 with numerous editions by equally numerous companies). The 1864 board shown allows player to advance when landing on such spaces as “Justice”, “Honesty”, “Temperance” and “Humility” while they lose ground if they land on “Poverty”, “Idleness”, “A Perjurer”, or “Ingratitude.”

The Checkered Game of Life (Milton Bradley, 1866) is played similarly but on a checkers-like board with players moving through the stages of life. Players move forward if they land on tiles like “”Bravery to Honor” and “”Honesty to Happiness” while they’re sent back on squares that read “”Ambition to Fame”, “Crime to Prison”, or “Politics to Congress.” “The Checkered Game of Life” is also noteworthy for introducing a point scoring mechanism to the Roll and Move nature of the game, making it the person who finishes with the most points the winner.

For fans of the continually reprinted game of Pit (Parker Brothers, 1904) there are examples of the original cards used to represent Wheat, Oats, and the Bear, as well as the original card backig graphic.

The brief chapter on War Games shows examples of games such as Game of War at Sea or Don’t Give Up the Ship (McLoughlin Brothers, 1898) where players try to rid the Spanish-American War era seas of their opponent’s ships.

Also shown are two trivia quiz-like games, Schley at Santiago Bay and Roosevelt at San Juan. (both Chafee & Selchow, 1899) Also included, oddly, are some ten pin-like bowling games featuring cardboard cut outs featuring cowboys/ cowgirls and indians; Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders; and soldiers.

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Book Review (Cont.)

Parlor Athletics collects board games that attempt to bring sporting activities on the parlor room table. Game of Baseball (McLoughlin Brothers, 1886), The Game of Basket Ball, which features two all-girl teams (Chaffee & Selchow and McLoughlin Brothers, 1898), and Game of Golf, whose box is illustrated with three cherub-like tots in long dresses, curled locks, and tiny golf clubs in their hands. (McLoughlin Brothers, 1866) (The Game of Golf board shows a helter-skelter board of numbered ‘holes’ connected by multiple paths of red and/or blue dots indicating it was a Race game of some sort.)

The front and back cover images of The Games We Played is a replica of the board from Game of Bicycle Race (McLoughlin Brothers, 1895). Up to four players moved by spinning a special cardboard spinner and advancing on the board, completing enough laps to accumulate the agreed upon winning number of miles.

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collection.

In 1896 Parker Brothers introduced Pillow-Dex, a game that came with a cord and some balloons. The cord was stretched lengthwise along a table and served as a ‘net’ that players needed to bat a pear-shaped balloon over. The box promised “The Exciting and Laughable New Game” was “Fun for All Ages” and apparently it was -- the following year Parker Brothers introduced Pillow-Dex Tennis. This version came with the same pear-shaped balloons but added a webbed net that could be supported by two parlor chairs and a pair of rackets. (“Helpful Fun for Indoors or Outdoors”) Lest we forget, Tiddledy Winks, which was patented in England in 1889, became very popular with American game players. The Improved Game of Tiddledy Winks (McLoughlin Brothers, 1890) and The Popular Game of Tiddledy Winks (Parker Brothers, 1897) also made it into the Limen

At the turn of the century, as more and more people were leaving the farm for life in the city, board games began following the public’s lead. The Urban Experience leads with games that feature a stylized map of lower Manhattan (The Post Office Game, Parker Brothers, 1897) and a cross-country trip from New York to San Francisco with big city stops along the way. (The Game of Phoebe Snow, McLoughlin Brothers, 1909) The dichotomy of urban versus rural experiences were played up in a series of games titled Peter Coddle’s Trip to New York (Milton Bradley, circa 1890). In this precursor to the modern-day Mad Libs, one player read aloud a paragraph while other players read from strips of paper to fill in blanks in the sentences, hopefully with comedic effect.

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Book Review (Cont.)

The book ends with a very brief chapter titled ‘Round the World that features several race games including Game of Race Around the World (McLoughlin Brothers, 1898), Game of To the North Pole by Airship (McLoughlin Brothers, 1897), The Amusing Game of Innocence Abroad (Parker Brothers, circa 1888), and ‘Round the World with Nelly Bly (McLoughlin Brothers, 1890) As the book says in its introduction, Arthur and Ellen Liman were drawn to the games they collected for their place in social history and for their art. The Games We Played is a faithful representation of their interests.

What little accompanying text there is either quickly sets up the chapter (in overly large font size and in confusing colors) or gives the suggestion that more is known about a particular game than the author cares to share in this book.

The artwork is reproduced in fine detail.

Occasionally box covers or game boards take up an entire page to show off the detail of the work.

There are, however, several notable absences in The Games We Played. Racism, which was rampant during these years, is only shown in two games. Some games were represented only by the box that held the game, with the board itself not shown. Only one board had the accompanying game rules included (Jerome Park Steeple Chase (McLoughlin Brothers, circa 1885) and that’s because they were printed in the open space at the center of the race track. Given the layouts of many of the boards shows it’s safe to guess that most were Race games with a Roll and Move mechanic, but I couldn’t help wanting to read the rules for the majority of the games presented.

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Describing what is, essentially, a picture book and only being able to show a few examples of those images is a difficult task at best. However, should the subject matter appeal to you at all or if the names of some of these games piqued your curiosity, I hope you will seek out The Games We Played. I suspect you’ll be happy you did.

Author: Margaret K. Hofer Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press

Recommended www.papress.com

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Mobile Review

Race for the Galaxy The Race Now Goes Mobile

By Serge Pierro

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017 is shaping up to be a year where many topnotch board games and card games are being brought to the mobile market. And when it comes to top card games, Race for the Galaxy is amongst the best of them. Even though it has previously been available on the computer, as well as online at “Board Game Arena”, this is the first time that we will have an official implementation, and with it, all of the production and intellectual resources that that implies.

There are already whispers that this might be the gaming app of the year, let’s take a look and see if it lives up to such lofty standards.

Upon loading the game you are greeted with a screen featuring excellent graphics and a progress bar. This gives you a taste of what you can expect to see from both a graphic and overall layout.

If you are new to the game, you will be happy to know that there is a rules section and a separate Tutorial area to get you up and running as quickly as possible.

Since “Race for the Galaxy” can be a bit overwhelming, due in large part to all of the different icons, you might want to watch an online video to help you ease your way into the game. However, once you wrap your head around the icons the game is quite easy and straightforward.

The rules section is broken down into various categories and gives an explanation of each. This is useful for players who are looking to brush up on the game after a long layoff.

The Tutorial section is broken down into three sections, each one introducing a new concept, for example: how to settle Military planets. The device will take you step by step through the learning process.

In order to start a new game you will start at the main screen. If you already have chosen a user name, it will appear in the upper left corner of the screen. The center of the screen is devoted to the main lobby and it offers you the opportunity to play a new game against the computer or play online. While the bottom of the

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screen features several icons to take you to the associated areas. These include: Settings, Store, Rules and Credits.

The Settings area has five user adjustable settings. The Music and Sound Effects each have 9 adjustable volume levels. Animation Speed has 3 levels: Normal, Fast and Instant. The Graphics can be toggled between High and Normal. The Language support currently only supports English and German.

In the Store you will find the expansions that are currently available for sale. At the time of this review, Gathering Storm and Rebel vs. Imperium were available at $3.99 each. When you click on the title you are greeted with a new window that explains the highlights of the chosen expansion.

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Mobile Review (Cont.)

The Rules icon brings up an overview of each of the game’s main sections and associated choices.

The Credits icon shows a screen of the pertinent credits, including a list of the playtesters.

The gameplay is the same as the actual card game. Players will be spending cards to purchase cards. When one player has 12 cards in play or if the Victory Chip pool is depleted the game ends. The player with the highest score wins.

The interface and game play are both smooth. Players will select what action they are going to take on the left side of the screen by selecting the associated icon. For most plays

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there is an “OK” that is used to accept the player’s decision.

When a card is used as payment, it is dragged “into space” on the screen.

Online play is fairly straightforward. You have the options of exchanging personal codes with a friend so that you can set up a private game, setting up a game that others can join and joining a game that someone else has setup. If you have games that are already in progress, you tap on the associated graphic and that game loads and is available for your next move. As a bonus, every time you go “online” you will receive a notification if it’s your turn to make a move in one of your games.

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However, one of the main draws to the game is the implementation of Keldon Jones’s renowned Artificial Intelligence. This highly acclaimed AI is well known in the Race for the Galaxy community. (See our interview with Keldon Jones in this issue.) There are three levels of difficulty with each of the offering a solid game. The AI has also been adapted for the expansions that are currently available. For many, this will be the determining factor for purchasing the app.

Perhaps my favorite aspect of the game is the Stats section.

The app has an amazing selection of stats available to satisfy any stat junkie. There are seven separate topics that can be sorted by different types of criteria. I look forward to playing many games in the future and being able to evaluate the stats and analyze the findings.

Race for the Galaxy is “must have” app for the mobile device platform. Temple Gates Games should be commended for capturing all of the game’s essentials and delivering an excellent gaming experience with a User Interface and AI that are top notch. I was able to play the New Worlds expansion, which includes some new starting worlds and the AI and game play were as strong as with the base game. It will be interesting to see how the other expansions hold up, as they introduce a greater influx of cards, as well as new mechanics.

If you are a gamer that enjoys excellent card games, then this is one that you will want to have on your mobile device.

Version #: 1.0.1348 Price: $6.99 Devices: Android and iOS Developer: Temple Gates Games

Highly Recommended

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Accessory Review

The Gamefolio System

By Serge Pierro

Gaming Transport System

W

ith the growing popularity of gaming conventions and game nights, many gamers are looking for ways in which they can transport multiple games.

Once the convenience of cloth shopping bags and duffel bags has worn off, there is a desire for something more practical and better suited for their needs. The Gamefolio System by INIT is one such product, as it offers gamers a complete system in which to carry their games.

The Gamefolio System (Classic Edition) is made up of a Vault bag and four Gamefolio cases.

The Vault duffel bag can be used either as a standalone transportation unit for your games or in tandem with the Gamefolio cases. The bag is made of a water resistant nylon fabric (a rain cover is offered as an accessory) and looks great. The company logo is beautifully embroided on the front and on the rear there is a plastic covered pocket for placing a business card or for providing other means of identification. The zipper runs from the top of the bag and down the front, revealing a flap that can be folded back to display the contents. Each of the bag’s zippers has a small cord attached and a rectangular plastic piece on the end with the INIT logo, these make it easier to open the zipper without have to grab the zipper itself.

There are two main means of carrying the bag: a shoulder strap and an attached handle. The shoulder strap is attached to the bag via a sturdy metal clip that opens and closes for attaching and removal. This clips onto the metal tabs that are part of the bag. The strap can easily be removed if you want to use the handle system instead.

Due to the weight of the system and the enclosed games, we found that the shoulder strap was the one used most often for carrying long distances and the handle was more suitable to short distances. The handle is made up of two straps that are sewn into the bag and attach together via a section of material with velcro. When the cloth/velcro combination is used it forms a comfortable “padded� handle in which to carry the bag. Both systems provided adequate means for transportation and will mainly come down to what you feel most comfortable with.

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On each end of the Vault duffel bag is a zippered section that opens to reveal more storage area. Each of these sections can easily fit a Kosmos sized two player game, as well as snacks and other items that you might want to bring with you. On the inside there are three pockets, one of which is twice the size of the other two. The smallest would be ideal for pens, pencils, etc.

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Game (Cont.)

Game Review Review (Cont.)

Accessory Review (Cont.)

Although the Vault duffel bag should prove to be adequate for most player’s needs, it is the Gamefolio cases that make the system really shine. The base system comes with the Vault duffel bag and four Gamefolio cases. The cases are available in an assortment of colors and are somewhat reminiscent of a laptop case. The Vault holds a maximum of five cases. We found that with four cases there was enough room to also include a boxed game. The main purpose of the Gamefolio system is that you can transport games without their boxes by storing all of the components in the cases. Depending on the size of the game, it’s even possible to store more than one game in each one.

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Each case has a handle that is sewn on. We tried to rip the handle off of the case, but to no avail, as the connection is strong. This case includes a small, plastic pocket, as well as a larger one along the back spine, which can be used as a means to identify the contents of the case. The top of each case has a piece of clear vinyl that is sewn into the main structure, as well as having a velcro tab to open and close it. This area could be used for storing rulebooks or game boards, as well as helping to identify the contents of the case. The top is reinforced with foam, thus providing strength and protection. Upon opening the case via the same zippers as mentioned above, you are greeted with a large number of storage areas. On the inside lid of the case

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there is a pocket that can be used to store a game’s board, as well as three zippered storage compartments that feature the same clear vinyl used on the outside. These can be used to store some of a game’s larger components.

However, the most interesting storage components are the individual zippered “bags”. Each “bag” is a piece of the aforementioned clear vinyl that is sewn with black thread and has a zipper attachment at the top. These will be used for storing meeples, cubes, dice, playing cards, etc. Each of these slide into a custom pocket for both organization and ease of transportation. There is still plenty of room inside the case, should need to store more items.

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Accessory Review (Cont.)

The INIT Gamefolio system will prove to be of interest to anyone who transports a large number of games to and from either a game night or a convention. Having the possibility of breaking down several smaller games and including them into one of the Gamefolio cases is a space saving plus. I’ve found them to be quite useful for transporting prototypes, as there is plenty of room for cards, components and boards.

The only potential downsides I see are: You are greeted with a mild smoky/vinyl scent when you open the bag.

The system itself weighs 11+ pounds without any games included. When this is fully loaded it could prove to be a problem for someone with back problems.

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INIT has put together a practical system that delivers on what it promises. The overall construction is solid and they offer a lifetime guarantee. So, if you are looking for a transport system to carry multiple games, then you should certainly take a look at this and see if it meets your needs.

Manufacturer: INIT Gear Recommended https://initgear.com

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Game Review

7&7

Are you a Saint or a Sinner?

By Serge Pierro

E

ver since Magic the Gathering introduced their “split” cards I’ve been fascinated with the concept of “two cards in one”.

7&7 takes that concept one step further by allowing players to change the orientation of the cards that are already in play. Let’s take a look at this quick and fun filler.

The game comes in a 6” x 4” x 1 1/2” box with spot varnishing.

There is a cardboard insert that holds the deck of cards in place, as well as providing a shelf for the rulebook and Reference Cards.

The 16 page rulebook is the size of the box and features illustrated rules, as well as devoting six pages to clarifying each of the card’s abilities.

The two Reference Cards are made of card stock and feature each of the abilities, along with their associated illustration. The double side cards have one side devoted to Virtues and the other to Sins.

The 77 cards seem to be of a slightly thin card stock, yet have excellent snap and have proven to be durable thus far. Each of the cards features the artwork of Terry Alec, which adds a nice whimsical touch to the theme.

Players will be attempting to collect either a set of 7 Sins or 7 Virtues. In order to do so they will be drawing cards from a common deck and playing cards within their tableau.

To start the game each player is dealt five cards. On a player’s turn they must do one of two things: play a card from their hand and resolving the effect, and then drawing a card to end their turn OR not playing a card and drawing three cards and end their turn.

When you play a card from your hand you get to choose the orientation. Most cards have a Sin half and a Virtue half. The orientation stays the same unless there is a card effect that changes it. You can have more than one of each Sin/Virtue, thus benefitting from their effects; however, each individual Sin/Virtue still only counts as one for the sake of completing the set of 7. Example: If you have 3 Greed cards in play they only count as 1 Sin towards your goal of seven.

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One of the main strategies is Converting. This changes the orientation of a Sin to Virtue or a Virtue to Sin. This makes for some interesting moments, especially in multiplayer games when a player is about to win and the other players start to convert the cards to deny a victory.

However, it’s a balancing act, as you don’t want to convert too many Sins into Virtues, only to see them then win via a Virtue victory!

The card Chastity has the unique ability of Blocking, which can be considered a “counter-spell”. It can only be played from your hand to stop a player from playing a card. If a card is Blocked it is placed in the discard pile and the player is allowed to play another card instead.

Although the game play is quite simple, it is the interaction of the effects and the use of Converting that makes the game fun. At first it seemed like the Sin cards had the best abilities, but soon it became apparent that there was quite a bit of flexibility on both sides to make for some dynamic gameplay. The “tug of war” aspect of the game keeps everyone involved. It is important to keep an eye on the balance of cards in play, as there are some quick combos that can end the game suddenly, if you are not paying attention.

Since this is only a 15-20 minute filler, I can see this hitting the table quite often, as it fills a niche of a game that can be played both early in a gaming session or late at night, as the decision making isn’t overbearing, yet there is enough “meat” to keep the players engaged. Recommended for players who enjoy card games that have a variety of effects.

Designer: Cory Goff Publisher: Times Infinity Games Number of players: 2-5 Mechanic: Set Collection Ages: 13+ Length: 15-20 mins.

Recommended

www.timesinfinitygames.com

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Game Review March of the Ants:

Minions of the Meadow

New Inhabitants in the Meadow

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t’s not unusual that after a game has been reviewed that it gets put aside and rarely gets played again. However, that is not the case with March of the Ants (reviewed in issue #4), as it still finds its way to our table. So when the March of the Ants: Minions of the Meadow expansion was released, we were quite interested to see what it brought to the original game. And apparently it is quite a bit!

Minions of the Meadow comes in a 8 1/2” x 6” x 2 1/2” linen finished box. It contains a two section cardboard insert that has two wells for the components, as well as providing some support for the card stock components.

The 20 page rulebook is packed with information as well as a few diagrams explaining some of the new concepts. The rules are divided into sections for the Base Expansion and the 3 Modules.

There are several card stock components with a linen finish, these include player aides, Predator info cards, Major Worker extension boards, etc. Some of these are double sided for use with specific modules.

There are 6 new hex tiles that are used for specific modules, as well as several different tokens. All of these are linen finished and are made of a quality cardboard stock.

The 44 linen finished cards are marked for use in either the Base Expansion or one of the 3 modules.

There are several different wooden components. These include custom meeples such as the 5 Predators, 10 Major Workers and 36 Aphids.

Minions of the Meadow contains a lot of new material. At its core is the Base Expansion that adds Major Workers and Tactic cards, both of which we now consider these to be essential.

To use the Major Workers each player receives 2 Major Workers and a Nest card. On the card is the cost to bring them into play, as well as the additional upgrade abilities. We felt that they provided the most significant addition to the game, especially the Basic Ability to possibly add two larvae at the start of the Soldier Phase thus providing for more strategic conflicts.

By Serge Pierro

The Tactics cards are also a welcome addition and are a “must” for future play. These cards can only be played during combat and have no cost. There are 3 different types: Events, Colony Goals and Evolutions.

Each have an ability when played, as well as providing Ferocity. For the Colony Goals and Evolutions, if you meet the win/loss condition stated on the card you get to put the card into play for free. These cards proved quite useful during the game, especially in tandem with the Major Workers, as they encouraged combat and made the game more dynamic.

We also loved the Season cards. These provide an “event” that influences the round. There are 4 Spring and 4 Fall and each game you randomly choose two of each and then at the start of a round you turn one over (stack the 2 Springs on top of the 2 Falls) and the effect lasts for that round.

The other modules: Aphids, Parasites and Predators, all add more elements to the game and are designed to be incorporated into the base game. Although they are interesting, we felt that they were better suited as separate entities to spice up the game and add variety. However, fans of the game looking for a much deeper experience will find these to be an excellent addition to the base game and base expansion.

Fans of Solo and/or Co-op games will rejoice at the ability to play either against the Broodmother or play it asymmetrically with one player (as the Broodmother) against all of the other players!

There is a ton of new gameplay packed into this expansion. You should expect several sessions in order to play each one and learn their nuances, as well as deciding which ones to include in future games.

This offers tremendous replayability and longevity to the lifetime of this game. If you are a fan of March of the Ants, then this is a must have for your collection.

Designers: Ryan Swisher & Tim Eisner Publisher: Weird City Games Number of players: 1-5 Mechanic: Area Control Ages: 13+ Length: 60-90 mins.

Recommended www.weirdcitygames.com

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Game Review

Honshu

By Serge Pierro

Interesting City Builder

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hen it comes to themes, Feudal Japan is one that I can’t resist. Since Honshu has an illustration of a Samurai on the box and the game is set in Feudal Japan, I felt that this was a game that I must try. Let’s see if the theme delivers.

Honshu comes in a 5” x 7” x 1 1/2” box and has a white cardboard insert that provides two storage areas, one for the cards and the other for the score pad and cubes.

The rules are printed on an elongated sheet of paper that is folded into six “pages”. The rules are concise and feature card clarifications, as well as an illustrated “Final Scoring” page.

The game includes 84 cards of a decent card stock. And while I favor cards that have a linen finish, the matte finish on these cards are better suited for the sliding of cards on top or below each other, as the surface won’t hinder the process.

Forty wooden cubes are provided in four different colors.

A small scoring pad is also included.

To begin the game players will decide if they will use the “A” or “B” side of the Starting Province cards. Any Production squares on the card are immediately filled with the corresponding Resource cube.

Each player is also randomly dealt a Player Order card and a hand of six Map cards.

The game is played over the course of 12 rounds, which are in four groups of three. For the first 3 rounds players will play a card from their hand and then at the start of the 4th round they will pass their remaining 3 cards to the player on the left. After the remaining 3 cards are played each player will receive a new hand of 6 cards.

Again they will play 3 cards and then pass the remaining 3 cards, this time to their right. The game ends when the remaining 3 cards have been played.

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During a round there are two phases: Card Selection and Building.

During the Card Selection phase players will play a Map card from their hand, in accordance to the turn sequence indicated by the Player Order cards. When a card is played the owner has the option of using one of their Resource cubes to raise the

number on the card by 60. After all cards have been played (with or without Resource cubes) the highest number receives the “1� Player Order card and the remaining numbers get assigned to the other players based on the number they played. Then in the new turn order, each player gets to choose what Map card they want from the cards played.

During the Building Phase each player will place their newly acquired Map card onto any of the other Map cards in front of them. The newly placed Maps must go on top of or below any of the previously played Map cards. The newly attached card must have at least one square go on top of or below a previously played Map card. Lake squares cannot be covered. If the Map has a Production Square on it, the corresponding Resource cube is placed on it.

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Game Review (Cont.)

Play continues in this manner until all 12 rounds have been played. Then the scores are tallied.

Scoring is determined as follows: Each displayed Forest scores 2 points.

Each Town square scores 1 point, however, only the largest district of Town tiles score.

Any Production cubes remaining on their Production squares are moved onto the corresponding Factory square (only one cube per square) and score between 2-4 points, as indicated on the card.

The Lake districts are scored as follows: 0 points for the first Lake and then 3 points for each additional one.

We enjoyed the fact that there were multiple strategies to pursue and while the game is playable without the endgame scoring cards, using them led to more interesting situations and bidding tactics.

The tension created by the passing of the last three cards in a hand was interesting, as players had to decide on how to use their initial hand knowing that they were going to be passing the last three cards to an opponent, as well as receiving a set of three cards from another opponent.

I was a little surprised that the cards were “random”.

In terms of “strength”, the #60 was not much different than the #1 card. We would have preferred to have Players can use the included score pad to total their seen some correlation between the bidding numbers scores. The highest score wins. and the squares offered on the cards, thus increasing The game also contains a set of 8 End of Game scoring the strategy while bidding. cards. These provide various scoring bonuses and Overall this was an enjoyable game that should appeal provide a greater variety of game play and enhance the to many families and gamers. As long as you don’t replayability of the game. I believe that the majority of mind that the theme is pasted on, you will certainly players will agree that these are essential for the game, as enjoy it. they add a great deal to the game play, as well as keeping it “fresh”.

As I mentioned at the top, Feudal Japan is my personal favorite theme, however, I have to sadly say that the theme was just pasted on, as it had nothing at all to do with Feudal Japan or Samurai. Fortunately I play games for the mechanics and challenges, not for the theme, so I found that the game itself was entertaining.

One of the things that we found “odd” was the use of a Resource token for the “+60” addition to a card played.

We never found a situation where it was worthwhile to spend a token, especially as the reward was rarely equal to the 2-4 endgame points that the Resource would yield in the end game.

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Designer: Kalle Malmioja Publisher: Renegade Game Studios Number of players: 2-5 Mechanic: Bidding, Tableu Building Ages: 8+ Length: 30 mins.

Recommended www.renegadegames.com

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Game Review

Web of Spies: Secret Missions

By Bill Braun

A Secret Worth Sharing

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eb of Spies was the first Kickstarter that I backed and remains as a game that continues to hits my table quite often. It is also one of the first games to incorporate light deck building with a game board, a mechanism that has gained quite a bit of traction and popularity with other, more recent titles such as Clank! and Tyrants of the Underdark. As a small (and I mean small) box expansion, Secret Missions attempts to increase the Spy theme by giving players the option to resolve individual Missions to gain points. But does Secret Missions add to the overall immersion of the game, or does it unnecessarily bog down the experience like so many other board game expansions that have come before it?

Gameplay Secret Missions introduces a new way to play Web of Spies by adding a predetermined point system into the game. Without this expansion players were previously focused on building up their deck of cards with more powerful weapons and abilities before going on the hunt and eliminating their opponents. Now, the first player to achieve 10 points (as is recommended by the expansion rules) wins the game. An alternate win condition can be achieved when any player is eliminated and, of the remaining players, whomever has the highest score becomes the winner.

Additionally, each opposing agent that a player eliminates is also worth a single point towards their ending total.

At the start of a new game players begin with one Mission card. Whenever a player ends their turn without an active Mission, they are able to draw a new one. Players may never have more than one active Mission at a time and may never complete more than one Mission in a single turn.

These Mission cards are kept hidden from the other players and should

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be kept face down or in their respective hand of cards.

Mission cards generally display the map of the game board, clearly identifying where a player must position their agent(s) in order to complete the Mission objective. For example, the “Pick Up

Photo by: Bill Braun

Forged Passports� Mission identifies that the player must have an agent in both Lima and Berlin during their turn in order to satisfy the Mission requirements.

When completed, that player would reveal their Secret Mission and gain three points.

occasion, another players turn: revealing an asset card from their hand that costs x-amount or more, having no more than a single agent in a single region, killing an opponent’s agent, using a Sabotage asset card, etc.

Regardless of the type of Secret Mission acquired, each card will also include a location on the map that the Other Secret Mission cards may instruct the player to player has an opportunity to reject the Mission. When a satisfy more specific actions during their turn or, on player rejects a Secret Mission they are able to discard it

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Game Review (Cont.)

Although Secret Missions add just the right amount of interesting game play, too many of the individual Mission cards feel overpowered. Given that this expansion relies heavily on the luck of the draw, a player may see luck Theme and Components I stand by my original review of Web of Spies (see issue shining on them very early on and be able complete 2-3 #7) and believe that Secret Missions enhances the overall Mission cards back-to-back that score them nearly enough theme of the game. As in any good Spy movie, there’s points to win the game in just a few rounds of play. more to it than just assassinating your enemies. These new Missions add to the level of immersion and prompt Thankfully, the solution to this is easy enough and can be a greater feeling that you are leading a team of secret realized by bumping up the win condition to 15 and, for a agents, tasked with globetrotting across the board and slightly longer game, even 20 points. This helps to ensure accomplishing your objectives, while still determined to that the focus of the game, and still my preferred method of winning – eliminating your opponent’s agents – isn’t eliminate any other agents that get in your way. completely lost or replaced with completing Missions.

Although nothing more than a pack of 50 cards, the Increasing the number of points needed to win the game quality remains consistently high. Matching the helps with the overall balancing issues, while forcing the linen finish of the base game and promoting easy to players to think on a much more strategic level. understand iconography and task explanations, Secret If you already own Web of Spies and are looking to add Missions nicely merges into the base game. this expansion to the experience I suggest you reach out directly to Cole Medeiros, the game’s designer, through Final Thoughts his website: http://www.web-of-spies.com and draw two new Missions, keeping one and discarding the other.

Designer: Cole Medeiros Publisher: Self Published Number of players: 2-4 Mechanic: Hand Management Ages: 14+ Length: 60 mins.

Recommended www.web-of-spies.com

Photo by: Bill Braun

Web of Spies continues to be a game that is frequently requested by both my gaming groups and family.

Adding in the Secret Missions expansion is seamless, easy to understand, and provides a deeper level of strategy that players must now incorporate on their path to victory. Although the expansion suggests ending the game with the first player to achieve 10 points (a combination of completed Missions and assassinating agents), my numerous play sessions have determined that this scoring system often prematurely ends the game. Unfortunately, this is the expansion’s only mark against it and is a direct result of what feels like several unbalanced Mission cards.

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Interview

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Keldon Jones

By Serge Pierro

Developer of the Race for the Galaxy AI How did you get started in developing AI’s?

In college I did some simplistic AIs for some class projects, such as chess and Dots and Boxes, as well as some video games. After getting into board games in the early 2000’s, I saw a post on BoardGameGeek about a Puerto Rico AI that learned to play via genetic algorithm evolution.

I found this very intriguing and decided to see if I could do something similar.

Photo supplied by Keldon Jones

I was also interested in neural networks, which I had seen used to learn strategies in games like poker and backgammon. These games have hidden information and random elements, which make them a lot more like modern boardgames, so I thought neural nets would apply well. I started working on Puerto Rico myself, and managed to get something that seemed to play reasonably well. I never released it to the public, though, since I never got around to making a decent user interface. Playing the game required setting up a copy of the actual board game, and typing in your moves. It was all very primitive.

I later made another program for Blue Moon, a dueling card game by Reiner Knizia. This time I went ahead and added a more friendly graphical interface, and after getting permission from the publisher, released it to the public for others to try. People seemed to enjoy using it, which was a nice motivation to keep improving it and eventually move on to making others.

Some time later I played Race for the Galaxy and decided after the first game that I wanted to do an AI for it as well. With the experience I’d gained from doing Blue Moon it was quite a bit easier this time and I had something I felt was ready for release fairly quickly.

Are you a gamer, if so, what are your favorite games?

Yes, I’m in a group that meets weekly. We tend to play newer games a lot without repeating too often, so it’s hard to pick out favorites. Some that I’ve really enjoyed recently have been Codenames, Hanabi, Roll for the Galaxy, Mage Knight, and Pandemic Legacy.

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Interview (Cont.)

Did you confer with the Tom Lehmann about “Race for the Galaxy”?

How did you come to work on the Race for the Galaxy app?

I contacted Rio Grande Games for permission to distribute my PC version of Race. They had Tom send me a reply, in which they denied permission as they were pursuing a commercial product. So I just kept it to myself for a while.

During this period the first expansion was released, and I had enjoyed working on the AI enough that I went ahead and added support for it, as well as continuing to make other improvements.

After yet more years, Tom once again approached me about another company that wanted to produce a commercial digital version of Race, Temple Gates Games. I was feeling burnt from our previous attempt with Goko, as well as just burned out on working on Race in general, but Tom convinced me to give it a go. It also helped that this time, the Temple Gates team would handle all the interface development, and I would just be providing the part I felt most comfortable with, the AI and rules engine.

Around this time another hobbyist version of Race was released for multiplayer play over the internet. Apparently they hadn’t asked for permission first, so Tom got in touch with them. After some back and forth, they decided to allow this other project to stay online. When this was announced I got back in touch with Tom and I was able to get in on the same deal and released my own version as well.

In the years that followed, Tom brokered a deal with Goko, a startup company wanting to make versions of boardgames that you’d play in a web browser. I was brought in to do a lot of the coding, including a new browser-based user interface. Tom and I worked together on designing this pretty closely. I flew out to San Francisco to meet up with him and the Goko people. Unfortunately, shortly before we were ready to release it, Goko ran into financial troubles and shuttered the project.

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So I packaged up a version of my code and sent it off to them to handle the porting to mobile devices. I think they’ve done a great job with the UI, which was always the weakest part of my hobbyist implementation. I know Tom is excited to have it finally finished as well, as he has literally spent years trying to make it happen.

What is the toughest part of developing an AI? The neat thing about learning AI’s is the element of surprise -- I don’t have to specifically program in a set of strategies to follow. The AI plays the game against copies of itself tens of thousands of times, and from this experience can determine the best course of action to take.

The problem with this approach is, when the AI makes a clearly bad move, how do you fix it?

Neural networks are basically a “black box” with little visibility into how they came to an answer.

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Oftentimes the root cause of a poor AI decision is a flaw in the game simulation mechanics. To decide on a course of action, the AI predicts the game state that results from each possible decision, then feeds those states to the neural network. The highest “score” from the network is assumed to be the best state, so that decision is the one taken. But if the simulated game doesn’t accurately match what would actually happen, this causes most of the bad plays.

It’s difficult to make a stronger, smarter AI, so the default level is “hard”. To make easier levels, I add some random “noise” to the neural network outputs. This causes the AI to sometimes pick the second- or third-best option. For easier levels, just increase the amount of noise. I ran several tests, tuning the amounts of noise, so that the medium AI would only win roughly 25% of the time against the hard AI. The easy one was tuned even lower, of course.

So most of my time spent in developing the AI is in bughunting the game prediction code. It can be tedious and time-consuming work, but it’s nice to get rid of the occasional bone-headed play.

Have you worked on other AI’s for other board/ card games?

Have you programmed AI’s for any of the expansions, if so, what challenges did they provide?

Yes, the first three expansions are fully supported, and the cards of the fourth expansion (Alien Artifacts) are supported, though not the Orb scenario that it includes. The main challenges of those is more in supporting the new card powers, as they tend to be more complex than those in the base game. Also each expansion adds some new gameplay mechanics (goals, takeovers, prestige, etc) that need to be implemented.

The AI itself has needed relatively few changes to support each expansion.

How do you go about determining and programming the AI for the different difficulty/AI levels?

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As I mentioned above, I have a partially finished one for Puerto Rico. I also did another for Ra, but again it didn’t have a graphical interface for playing against. I have a few half-started ideas that never went beyond early stages. Maybe one day I’ll revisit some of them.

What would be your “dream game” to do the AI for?

Tough to say. One type of game that would be interesting are cooperative games. It would be an interesting challenge to have an AI partner that could provide some guidance on what it thinks your best moves might be, while not just playing for you.

As far as more traditional games go, I’d really like to tackle something meaty like Mage Knight, but that has so many moving parts it’d be tough just getting a working set of rules, much less a full AI.

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Game Review

Saga of the Northmen

By Serge Pierro

Viking Conquest and Pillaging

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ue in part to the success of the TV series “Vikings”, there has been a noticeable rise in Viking themed games. Continuing this trend is Saga of the Northmen, in which players will vie for control of Europe and its surrounding areas, while accumulating the most plunder.

Saga of the Northmen comes in an 11 1/2” x 8 1/2” x 1 3/4” box.

Included is a cardboard insert that is divided into three equal parts with the center being the storage area for the components and the two wings for supporting for the board.

The eight page rulebook is the size of the box and is clearly laid out with numerous examples and notes throughout.

The bi-fold board is made of a sturdy cardboard stock and measures 10 3/4” x 16” when unfolded.

The 76 cards are of a decent stock and measure 1 3/4” x 2 3/4”. There were no problems with shuffling or wear. The 4 Infamy cards use the same stock as the main cards, yet they are 2 1/2” x 3 1/2”.

The linen-finished, cardboard tokens appear to be slightly thinner than the material used for the board.

There are 120 wooden Influence cubes (divided into four colors) and 45 wooden Plunder tokens.

To start the game, each player is dealt 6 Influence cards. Then place 3 cards face up next to the draw deck, these will be available during the draw phase. Each player is also dealt two Trade Route cards.

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Divide the 45 Plunder tokens into three equal stacks.

One stack will be used each round and act as a timing mechanism - when the 15 tokens are depleted, the round ends.

Each player receives a specific amount of Infamy cubes to be placed on their Infamy Card. This is determined by the number of players and their position relative to the starting player.

The game consists of three phases: Rally, Marching and Planning.

can draw from one of the three face-up cards or from the top of the deck. Then play continues with the next player.

During the Rally phase, players will be competing to control certain territories on the board. Each turn they will play one Influence card from their hand and place the amount of Influence cubes indicated on the card in the appropriate area.

At this time you also have the option of hiring a Hero for 3 Infamy cubes. If the Influence card played also has a neutral Region listed on the bottom, you place a Plunder token in that region. Then you end your turn by drawing a card. You

The Marching Phase determines who controls the Seven Kingdoms. The number of Influence cubes and Heros in each Kingdom is totaled and the player with the most Influence gains control of that Kingdom. The player(s) with lower Influence totals remove their Influence cubes from the Kingdom and place them on their Infamy card. This is done for each Kingdom.

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Game Review (Cont.)

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During the Movement phase the order of play follows the chart printed on the game board. Movement is determined by the Influence cards that you played earlier. These cards will allow you to move either by land or sea, depending on the card type. You can move the number of cubes equal to the printed total on the Influence cards you played, with Heros moving by either land or sea. You can only move into Neutral Regions. Once all of the Kingdoms have made their movement, including those who used a Time Token to delay movement, combat takes place. Combat is simple: whoever has the most cubes/heroes in the area wins. The defeated armies are placed on their owner’s Infamy Card to be used as Infamy. The winner collects all of the Plunder tokens in that Region.

Once combat is complete players will have the opportunity to play any of their completed Trade Route cards. In order to complete a Route, a player must have control of the Kingdom and have at least one Influence in the Neutral Region. After this is done, all of the remaining Influence cubes and Heros are returned to the player’s Influence pool.

During the Planning Phase players will prepare for the next round. Here players will spend their Infamy points to: draw new Trade Routes and/or Hold Influence. The Hold Influence action is interesting, as players will discard all of the Influence cards in their hand at the end of this phase, unless they spend one Infamy for each card they would like to keep.

Then all of the previously played Influence cards, as well as the face-up cards and the deck are collected and shuffled together and each player is dealt up to a hand size of six cards.

Three new face-up cards are placed next to the new draw deck and the next 15 Plunder tokens are put into play and the game continues as above.

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Once the third round is completed, players will total their Plunder and Trade Routes to receive their final score. Though there is a bonus for the player with the most unused Infamy.

The highest score wins.

While Saga of the Northmen could be considered a light game, there is a surprising amount of “meat” to the game. It really shines with four players and the turns are brisk.

We enjoyed the Infamy/Influence mechanism, and we found ourselves purposely throwing Influence cubes into a losing battle, just so that we could reuse them as Infamy.

The only real downside to the game was the size of the board.

There just wasn’t enough room for placing all of the cubes in hotly contested areas and on more than one occasion we were left wondering what territory a cube belonged in. The game deserves a larger board.

This is a solid game that plays in 30-40 minutes and yields a satisfying experience that exceeds its size and length. I think that many players will be pleasantly surprised.

Designers: Scott Leibbrandt Publisher: Minion Games Number of players: 2-4 Mechanic: Area Control Ages: 12+ Length: 30-40 mins.

Highly Recommended www.miniongames.com

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Game Review

Tournament at Camelot

By Serge Pierro

Arthurian Trick Taking

W

hen it comes to popular categories of card games, trick taking is usually high on the list. One of the things that makes these games so interesting is their wide variety of game play. Tournament at Camelot is a trick taking game from Wizkids, that elevates the genre, while at the same time satiating the desires of gamers, especially those who have an interest in the lore of King Arthur.

The game comes in a 9” x 6” x 1 1/2” box. The insert features two wells for the storage of the cards and tokens.

The 12 page rulebook is the size of the box and contains several illustrations.

The rules are simple and feature examples of gameplay and scoring. There is also a short history on the lore of King Arthur.

The coated cards are oversized and measure 2 3/4” x 4 3/4”. Also included are several thick, cardboard tokens.

An interesting aspect of the game is the use of the Protagonist and Companion cards. At the start of the game each player will receive a matching pair, these will grant players special abilities during the game.

The Companion cards must first meet a threshold in order for their effects to become active.

Example: One of the Protagonist/Companion pairs is “King Arthur” and “Excalibur”. “King Arthur” has the ability to add +3 to any Sword card that he plays. When “King Arthur” reaches the threshold of 200 health or less, “Excalibur” becomes activated. “Excalibur’s” ability is to add up the total number of points that he took from Sword cards during

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the damage phase and double the points and have those points added to each of his opponents injury totals.

Players will also receive two, double sided cards that The crux of the game is the Tournament Round in will be used to track their health. which players will play a card from their hand to form the trick. The starting player will begin the trick by playing Both the Weapon and Godsend decks are shuffled and a Weapon card that has a specific suit and number (ex: each player will receive 12 cards from the Weapons deck Sorcery 7). Then the following players must match the and the Godsend deck is placed aside for future use. suit or play a Merlin or Sorcerer’s Apprentice card, if Continued on next page>

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Game Review (Cont.) they are unable to do so they must play an Alchemy Tournament at Camelot has a lot going for it, as it card. If they are still unable to play any of the above, will appeal to families due to the simplicity of the trick they place a card from their hand into the discard pile taking, yet will have gamers clamoring for more, due and immediately take 5 points of Shame damage. to the special abilities and the powerful Godsend cards.

This was a game that was enjoyed by everyone who Once all of the cards have been played the Melee played it and was requested numerous times by players begins and any cards that have an equal value are placed who had played it previously. face down; these cards can’t win or lose the trick, yet they will still be used to deal damage. The player who The only real downside to the game was that the chart played the lowest card loses and places all of the cards for distributing the Godsend cards was listed in the into a pile next to them. These will be used to calculate rulebook, we would have preferred a separate player’s damage at the end of the round. Play continues until all aide so that we didn’t need to have the rulebook taking the cards in all of the player’s hands have been played. up room on the table.

Then each player totals the damage taken and updates their health accordingly.

We really enjoyed the Character abilities, as they added a great deal to the game - especially when the threshold Standard and Sorcerer’s Apprentice cards deal 5 pts. was reached and the new abilities were obtained. There of damage, Poisoned cards 10 pts. and Merlin cards 25 is a high replayability factor due to the 8 Character card pts.. sets and the effects generated by the Godsend cards.

Even so, we wouldn’t mind seeing more Protagonist, After damage is dealt there is a check to see who is Companions and Godsend cards released in the future eligible to receive Godsend cards. These cards will to further add to the gameplay and replayability. typically go to the player with the lowest life total.

There is a chart in the rulebook showing the pertinent Overall, this is a welcome addition to our collection information. Players who are 100 pts. or 200 pts. behind of card games and one that I expect to see hitting the the player with the most health receive an additional table quite often in the future. If you have an interest Godsend card. in trick taking games, then this is one that you will certainly want to take a look at - I think that you will be There are 24 Godsend cards and they have a wide range pleasantly surprised! of abilities that tend to be quite powerful. Example: “The Holy Grail” offers the player the choice of either Designers: Ken Shannon, Karen Boginski & Jody Barbessi immediately gaining 25 life or waiting until the end Publisher: Wizkids of the Tournament round and gain 50 life, while also increasing an opponent’s life by 25 points.

Number of players: 3-6 Play continues as above until one players life total reaches zero, thus ending the game. The player with the highest life total, wins.

Mechanic: Trick Taking, Special Abilities Ages: 14+ Length: 45 mins.

Highly Recommended www.wizkids.com

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Game Review

Haspelknec ht : The Ruhr Valley

By Serge Pierro

Back to the Coal Mines

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n issue #12 of Game Nite we gave Haspelknecht a Highly Recommended rating, as it proved to be an excellent game and worthy of the rating. And even thought there are two more games yet to come in the trilogy, Capstone Games and designer Thomas Spitzer have released a newly designed expansion, Haspelknecht: The Ruhr Valley. While this is not a part of the original series, let’s take a look and see if it is nonetheless a worthy addition to this popular German trilogy.

The expansion comes in a 12 1/2” x 9” x 1 1/2” box. There is no insert and it appears that the main reason for the box size is so that it can be displayed on a shelf alongside the base game.

The 12 page rulebook is the size of the box. The rules are profusely illustrated and have in-depth explanations of the new Development tiles, as well as concise explanations of each of the expansion’s two modules.

All of the cardboard components are linen finished and are made of a thick cardboard stock -- needless to say, these have the same level of quality as the base game. The expansion also includes 20 wooden pieces that are painted grey and are representative of Iron.

The expansion includes 13 new Development tiles, as well as components for two modules that can be used either separately or together.

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Many fans of the base game are going to love the thirteen new Development tiles, as they add further nuances to the game, as well as increasing the game’s replayability. There’s lots of interesting new effects and they mix nicely with the base set.

The rules even make recommendations as to what tiles should be considered for replacing other tiles in the base game.

As an example: The “Water Channel” allows a player to place any removed Pit water tokens onto this tile and when it has three token on it they can be exchanged for a Victory Point. This ability is usable throughout the game and presents an alternate path for amassing points.

Another tile of note is called “Thanksgiving”, which has an interesting in-game effect, as well as requiring that a tile be placed over the Autumn Pit Water phase

on the game board, thus changing the layout of the game board.

Module one is called “Black Developments” and this adds a new level of Developments to the “tech tree” along the bottom section. The module includes 5 new “Black Development” tiles, along with the associated Assist tile for the new level. It also includes Victory Point markers for each player, as well as Markers of the final scoring.

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Game Review (Cont.)

Game Review (Cont.)

Game Review (Cont.)

The “Black Development” tiles are not easy to come by, due in part to their location on the “tech tree”.

Unlike regular tiles, players are only allowed to obtain one of them, so planning is essential. As a bonus, other players are blocked from using a tile that has already been possessed. Victory Points received for acquiring the tiles uses the same procedure as the base game, with the first player to acquire one receiving more points than players who acquire one later. Like the base game, this information is printed on the Assist tile. One of the other benefits of obtaining a “Black Development” tile is that you are given an opportunity to choose one of the Bonus Markers that will be used at the end of the game. The first player to obtain a “Black Development” tile will get to choose from all of the Bonus Markers and players who acquire one later will have to choose from whichever ones have been left. The Markers have decent abilities that cover a range of scoring criteria, however, none of them could be considered overly powerful.

They’re just a small boost for the endgame scoring.

“Black Development” Tile Example: The “Horse Mill” offers the player a choice of whether they would like to receive 2 Food or remove 5 Pit Water tokens. While both of these are good choices, it is easy to see that this has a nice synergy with the aforementioned “Water Channel” tile, thus further building an engine around Pit Water.

“Bonus Marker” Example: One of the markers allows you to return 2 Debt chits to the supply before they would be tabulated, while also allowing the player to ignore any Pit Water that they may have remaining.

Module two is called “Iron” and adds the Iron resource to the game, which is used for strengthening the coal tunnels. Although this module adds some more depth to the game, it also adds more time to the length of the game, so this is something that you will have to consider

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when using it. It includes Enhanced Tunnel player boards, 3 new Development tiles that are “Iron-centric” and an extended year tile.

The Enhanced Tunnel board is double sided and the players will choose one side and place it face up over the pertinent section on their original player board. The “B” side of these boards are asymmetrical. However, both sides of the board feature the need to support certain sections of the tunnel with Iron. Iron is used in the same manner as Wood in the original game.

The main reason that the game takes longer with this module is the use of the extended year tile. This changes the number of rounds from 3 to 4. Many players will welcome the extended length, as it allows for more strategic depth and a more satisfying gaming experience.

Considering that this was not part of the original trilogy, this is a welcome addition to the base game. We previously Highly Recommended Haspelknecht and with the addition of the Haspelknect:The Ruhr Valley expansion we can do so, again. There is enough interesting material here to keep fans happy for quite awhile. Even with its unusual theme, the future of this game and the rest of the trilogy appears to be bright.

Designer: Thomas Spitzer Publisher: Capstone Games Number of players: 2-4 Mechanic: Action Management Ages: 12+ Length: 90-120 mins.

Highly Recommended www.capstone-games.com

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Game Game Review Review

Plague Inc. - The Board Game

By Bill Braun

An Infectious Experience

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here continues to be a trend in the tabletop industry as more and more titles are being adapted from video games. Resident Evil Deck Building Game, XCOM The Board Game, The Witcher Adventure Game, Portal: The Uncooperative Cake Acquisition Game and, most recently, Dark Souls The Board Game, are just a few of the titles that come to mind from a long and continually growing list. Some have remained true to their digital counterparts, representing unique and interesting tabletop experiences, while others are clearly lacking direction and dedication to the source material.

the world and score DNA points. With the digital version having been played over one billion times, reaching nearly one million five-star ratings, will Plague Inc. The Board Game realize an equal amount of success?

Gameplay

The object of Plague Inc. The Board Game is simple enough. Each player is trying to score the greatest number of DNA (aka, victory) points. This is accomplished by having the most plague tokens in a Country each turn, killing an entire country (or having your plague tokens in a country that is Plague Inc. The Board Game, designed by James killed), and winning end game bonuses through a Vaughan and developed by Ndemic Creations, variety of achievements. based on their digital offering of the same title, takes the concept first presented with Z-Man At the beginning of the game each player is dealt a Games’ hugely popular board game, Pandemic, and starting Country Card, with the remaining starting flips it on its head. Rather than working together Country Cards shuffled back into the Country as a team of scientists racing against the clock to Deck. The Country Deck is then created based on save the world from a deadly outbreak, Plague Inc. the number of players and acts as the timer for the The Board Game pits players against each other to game. After identifying the first player (determined effectively evolve their disease, infect cities across by the person to have most recently washed their

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Photo Courtesy of : Ndemic Creations

hands), play continues clockwise with each player completing a set of phases during his or her turn.

The developers of Plague Inc. The Board Game have smartly addressed a common concern regarding the advantages a first player may have by adjusting the number of starting DNA points. The first player begins the game with zero, player two with one, player three with two, and so on. Because DNA points serve a dual purpose — end game victory points and the currency used to purchase and evolve your disease — this helps the game feel more balanced from the beginning.

Each player is given a double-sided player mat, offering two modes of play — standard bacteria mode on one side, and the more advanced, virus mode on the other. A turn reference is also printed on the mat that explains each phase of the player’s turn: DNA, Country, Evolution, Infection, and Death, and five spaces are reserved to evolve your disease Traits. Two of these evolution spaces have innate abilities printed on them, making them immediately available to the player until they are replaced (covered up) with more powerful traits.

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Game Review (Cont.)

Photo Courtesy of : Ndemic Creations

The DNA phase adds points to the player’s DNA score (tracked on the outside edge of the game board) based on the number of countries the player currently controls or shares control of (has the most plague tokens on it). Players that share control of a country will still gain the applicable DNA points.

the face-down Trait Deck). Discarding a Country Card is often a good strategy to block or prohibit your opponents from infecting new regions of the World Board, while also providing you with better and more affordable Trait Cards to be purchased later in the game.

The Country Phase allows players to either select one of three face-up Country Cards, or draw blindly from the top of the Country Deck. The player must then decide to either place that Country Card onto the board in an eligible and open spot, or discard it to refresh their hand of Trait Cards (discarding their entire hand and drawing back up to five from

Acting very much as a double-edged sword, the Evolution Phase is one of the more interesting phases of the game. Throughout the game you are working to add DNA points. But these same points are used as the currency in the game, spent when evolving your disease with new Traits. As such, a player’s DNA points are in a constant

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Photo Courtesy of : Ndemic Creations

this phase is that the city-connection rules for infection are recalculated each time a Plague token has been placed. A player may infect an adjacent country that has a Seaport identifier on it and then, having evolved their disease to include the water transmission trait, infect a separate country in another region of the world that also has a Seaport.

It quickly becomes a domino effect and is quite interesting to watch as the levels of infection sweep Infection involves the player taking a number of across the World Board.

Plague cubes (based on their current infection rate The last phase of the game is the Death phase. and dictated by evolved Traits) and spreading them to connected cities — in the same region, through the This is the only point in the game that relies on water and airborne Trait ability — while also being the randomness of a dice roll. During this phase, mindful of the hot and cold climates. A disease that players attempt to kill any country that they control has not yet evolved to resist these various climates and that is fully infected. The player rolls a single cannot infect those cities. What’s interesting about D6 and attempts to get a result that is equal to or state of flux, raising and lowering. However, it is understood very early on in the game that without an advanced disease — one that can infect hot or cold environments and have water or airborne transmission capabilities — opportunities for widerspread infection will quickly diminish. Thankfully the DNA cost associated with these evolved Trait Cards is refunded during the end game scoring.

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Game Review (Cont.)

Photo Courtesy of : Ndemic Creations

lower than their disease’s Lethality (again, evolved through Trait cards). Every player begins the game with a Lethality rate of one, making it rather difficult to kill countries early on. However, after a country has been killed, each player will receive DNA points equal to the number of Plague tokens that occupy that country. Additionally, these same players receive an event card (up to a hand limit of three). The player that has killed the country will keep it as a trophy for additional, end game scoring bonuses.

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Plague Inc. The Board Game also offers a single player mode that utilizes an interesting Artificial Intelligence (AI) mechanism, referred to as the Plague Bot. Although I only experienced this mode a few times, the Plague Bot poses a significant challenge; one that, if not kept in check early on, will run away with the game completely. The solo rules work quite well and appear to be more than an afterthought on the part of the developers.

Although unlikely that it will become my preferred method of playing the game, it still offers a nice

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alternative that is easy to understand and quick to play.

plastic DNA-like strands to be used as victory point markers and biohazard cubes as infection markers.

Even the lonely, six-sided dice has a smattering of blood along each of its sides; an appropriate detail considering what the dice is used for during the game.

Theme and Components There’s no two ways to put this, Plague Inc. The Board Game leans heavily on a very dark theme. Much like its electronic older brother, the point of the game is to evolve your disease to effectively and efficiently eradicate all of humanity.

Whether that’s through uncontrolled diarrhea and vomiting, hallucinations and fever or complete organ shutdown, victory is gained in the most disturbing of methods.

Final Thoughts I was pleasantly surprised with Plague Inc. The Board Game. It is exceptionally easy to teach and player turns go by quickly with minimal downtime.

The tug and pull of the DNA point system adds a good amount of tension, while the included event cards help to keep the experience fresh. Although I initially considered that the game could be won or lost based on the luck of the card draw, I have come to realize that there are enough opportunities built into the game to mitigate and manage a hand of unusable cards. Whether or not you’ve experienced the digital version of Plague Inc. should not deter you from giving its tabletop sibling a try.

Did the theme bother me? Not in the least.

Did it give me some cause for reflection after playing the game? Absolutely. And while it is very much on the fringes of science fiction, history is full of devastating diseases that have effortlessly wiped out massive populations. Society in general likes to think that something like this could never happen again. Some of us believe otherwise. I’ll just say that Ndemic Creations did a fine job of capturing the theme.

The quality of the components is also worth noting. The developers could have easily cut costs and resorted to wooden cubes. Instead, they took the game’s presentation to the next level by including

Designer: James Vaughan Publisher: Ndemic Creations Number of players: 1-4 Mechanic: Area Control, Hand Management Ages: 12+ Length: 40-75 mins.

Recommended www.ndemiccreations.com

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Interview

Mac Gerdts

By Serge Pierro

Game Designer Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with our readers, can you tell us a little something about yourself?

Did you start designing games at an early age? If so, do you remember what your first game design was like?

Well, I am a 55 years old hobby game designer from Hamburg in the north of Germany. I studied economics and started working for the City of Hamburg in 1989.

My son, who also loves playing boardgames, was born in 2006.

If I find the time, I enjoy bicycle trips around Europe. Recently I cycled 1,800 km from Heidelberg (Germany) to Barcelona (Spain).

That was great fun!

The first design was around 1973, when I was a big fan of the Asterix comic series by Uderzo and Goscinny. I painted large boards of the Roman Empire, where the Romans fought against other nations like the Gauls, the Germans, or the British. The game system was very simple: throw a dice and move your troops. This could go on for hours!

Mac Gerdts

Designer Concordia Antike Imperial Antike Duellum

Photo supplied by Mac Gerdts

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Interview (Cont.)

What games over the years have you enjoyed most, from both the point of personal enjoyment, as well as those that influenced your growth as a designer?

The search for boardgames was not an easy task in the 1970s, there were so little of them available in the shops, and almost no information about other titles published outside Germany. The first boardgame which I purchased was Ă–l fĂźr uns alle from Ravensburger, a design from 1960, maybe better known to you under the English title Oil:The Great Adventure. This was later followed by Das BĂśrsenspiel (aka Broker). From then on, I started to enjoy economic themes and mechanics, and started to introduce them in my designs which were steadily growing in complexity. I never owned and never liked Monopoly though. Later in the 1980s, I discovered Diplomacy and Kremlin, both games with a very high degree of interaction which I enjoyed a lot. But I always spent most of my time with my own designs and ideas.

When the opportunity presents itself, what games have you currently been playing?

The latest game was Great Western Trail

by Alexander Pfister, a very impressive design indeed!

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Who are your favorite game designers?

There are many of them. Just to name a few, Martin Wallace comes to mind, the Portuguese guys Paulo Soledade, Nuno Bizarro, and Vital Lacerda, Daniele Tascini from Italy, Richard Breese, and most recently Alexander Pfister.

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Is there a particular designer that you would be interested in collaborating with? If so, what type of game would you be interested in making?

What do you think defines your “style” as a game designer, is there a specific mechanic or rule set or… ?

To be honest, I never thought of collaborating with another designer.

Well, after the first couple of publications I was often called the rondel guy. But ultimately my aim is to offer maximum depth with a minimal rule set, of which CONCORDIA may be a good example. Turns have to be quick and rules have to be short to keep you always involved.

At the same time, decisions have to be tough and always interesting. A game should force you to take decisions all the way, and your decisions should influence the opportunities of other players. With short turns, there are many decisions to take, and with many decisions, there is - hopefully - a lot of variety. This is what I always try to achieve. And yes, a historic theme is important to me, but given the choice, short and concise game rules should be even more important.

When starting a new design, do you start with a theme or a mechanic?

It’s the theme, stupid. My next game TRANSATLANTIC has from the very beginning always been a game about steamships. The design started some years ago, and has seen many different mechanics like the good old rondel, shareholding, or worker placement, and now finally cards. The task is to find the mechanics which work best to make a good game.

What is your daily design/playtest schedule like?

Do you work on games everyday?

Oh no, with my regular work, that is definitely not possible. And I doubt if it would be desirable as well. There are 1 or maybe 2 days a week which are spent with gaming and/or designing.

Sometimes, I do not work on my games for several weeks in a row. Designing games is a hobby, not a fulltime job for me.

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Interview (Cont.)

Which one of your games do you consider your best design, and why?

My personal vote goes to IMPERIAL. It’s an economic game disguised as a war game, and the interaction and dynamics between players is pure fun. You set subtle incentives which are followed by a complex cascade of developments, I really love that. At the same time, I am very pleased that players like CONCORDIA so much. It seems that CONCORDIA is a game which grows on many players, the more they play it and the more they explore the possible strategies. On the BGG-website, unlike all my other designs, it has been steadily and constantly climbing over the years, and sales never went down. If you ask my publisher, his vote would certainly go to CONCORDIA.

“Antike Duellum” is one of my favorite two player games. What challenges did you face in taking “Antike” and designing it for two players?

A two player game is quite different from a multiplayer one, because harming your opponent is always beneficial for you, and there are no alliances to deal with. The biggest challenge was to avoid a feeling of playing chess by making 2 player Antike less predictable, but at the same time without

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creating too much luck. That was the main reason why the event cards came into play.

They also make the game more variable, and may as well add some historical flavor. Other adjustments had to be made, but I think the event cards are the key element which differentiate it from original Antike well enough.

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You are well known for the use of Rondels in your “Concordia: Salsa” is an excellent expansion for designs. What is it about Rondels that you find so the base game. Was the addition of Salt and the fascinating?

Forum tiles something that was “leftover” from the original design or were they designed separately?

The rondel is a straightforward mechanic to limit and plan your decisions, and it can be applied to very different types of games. You can easily plan several turns ahead, and consider your opponent’s likely moves as well. And last but not least, it is very easy to explain a game just by walking with your finger around the circle of limited actions.

Yes and no. Earlier versions used six different commodities, but that seemed too much and finally was reduced to five. Salt as a sixth commodity may be considered as going back to original ideas. But the Forum tiles definitely were a new idea after publishing the base game.

“Concordia: Gallia/Corsica” adds two new maps “Concordia” is on my top 10 games list and it features to the game. What are your design goals when one of the most ingenious scoring mechanisms that designing new maps for Concordia?

I’ve ever seen. How did you develop the idea of the collection of cards being used as a scoring modifier? Having a look at the Roman Empire, I try Was this initially the core mechanic of the game, or to identify areas which have an interesting was it something that was added as the game was geography layout, and also cover a region not being used before. The double sided board developed?

I don’t remember the development process exactly, but earlier versions did certainly not use cards as a scoring modifier. They did not even use cards at all. You commanded colonists with different professions walking around on an ancient map between cities, where they could build different types of buildings. Later on, each profession could do different things like trading, exploring, or building houses. Finally, they were represented by cards, and it seemed natural that each of your persons should score some victory points.

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should contain a map for higher, and another map for lower player counts. And a little twist in the rules also helps to offer you more variety.

Sometimes a twist is forced by the geography, for instance the extra bonus when reactivating production in CORSICA, because there are so few provinces, the special rules for movement of ships in GERMANIA, because there is no sea around, or the split setup for ships in GALLIA, because you cannot sail directly from the Mediterranean.

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Interview (Cont.)

Can you tell us anything about the “Concordia: Egypt and Crete” expansion?

All I can say now is that they will offer something new to you. Please be patient!

What can you tell us about your upcoming release “Steam Ship Company”?

You mean TRANSATLANTIC? It is about the history of steamships in their Golden Age from 1870 to 1914. TRANSATLANTIC is an economic strategy game where you run your own shipping company and build your fleet out of 45 different historic ships like for instance the MAURETANIA, LUSITANIA, OCEANIC, etc. Each steamship is individually illustrated and shows its original

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technical data. Speed is important to win the Blue Riband of the North Atlantic, tonnage may earn you extra money, and the passenger capacity is important to undertake sea cruises. You will have to deal with tough competition on the shipping market and inside the different regions of the maritime world, where newer vessels expulse the older ones. Apart from steamships, you also acquire trade posts around the world, and coal bunkers to fuel your steamers. The central mechanic of TRANSATLANTIC is reminiscent to CONCORDIA: choose your actions with cards from your hand, but unlike that game, there is by far more variety of them. And you score already during the game, although the final scoring remains important and may still surprise you!

Are there any plans to bring any of your games to the mobile platform for iOS or Android?

You may already purchase an iPad version of IMPERIAL, but I think it’s much better to play it in person. Other plans I do not know about.

Are there any other upcoming projects that you are at liberty to discuss or announce?

Sorry, but at the moment there are none I could talk about.

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What advice would you have for aspiring game designers?

Never give up! And always listen to your gaming group. If you don’t have a group of devoted gamers, who are willing and able to give you critical feedback, you are lost. If the game is not working well, it’s always the fault of the game, not of the group. Present your ideas at many different groups and not only to your fans. It also helps to create a good looking prototype to attract new players to it. And don’t think that you will earn a lot of money. To have fun in gaming and socializing is always the most important thing!

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Game Review

Zephyr:

Winds of Change

By Serge Pierro

Steampunk Co-op

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o-op games continue to be a popular choice amongst gamers and Portal Dragon’s offering of “Zephyr: Winds of Change” adds to the growing list. Let’s take a look at what this high quality production has to offer.

The game comes in a 11 1/2” x 9” x 2 3/4” linen finished box. There is a cardboard insert that has two wells and three shelves. Due to the weight of the components, the insert will shift during storage or transportation.

There are 2 books included: a 28 page rulebook and an 8 page first mission tutorial. While both are nicely laid out, there are several typos and omissions that made it harder to learn the game than necessary. Once you figure things out, the game plays quite smoothly.

All of the components have high production values. One can’t help but be impressed by the five, linen finished player boards. The boards are made of a top section of heavy cardboard, and have cutouts for tile placement, while a bottom layer supports the recessed areas of the top.

There are two card sizes: 2 1/2” x 3 1/2” and 3 1/2” x 5 1/2”. Both of these are linen finished. But, the real eye-catcher is the inclusion of 40 Crew Personalities cards that are made of a transparent plastic. These come shipped with a protective sheet on them to prevent scratching and when peeled reveal a crystal clear card with art and text. (You can see in the photographs the protective film on and off the cards.)

Another interesting component is the Scrap Meters. These are made of the same high quality, linen finished cardboard as the various tokens, and need to be assembled to form the dials that track the game’s currency.

The other components include four marbled dice and 60 wooden cubes.

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The crux of the game is completing a Mission. There are 8 missions to choose from, each with various levels of difficulty and lengths. The Mission lists the relevant details, the goal and starting resources. There is also an area that tracks the Mission’s progress.

Each player will choose one of the 5 Ship Player boards and outfit it by spending their initial resources, as well as receiving the Ship’s deck of 10 cards and the associated Standee. When you choose to add upgrades, you take the card that matches the upgrade and it gets shuffled into your deck.

The Crew Personalities can also be considered “upgrades” and have an important role in your attempts to complete Assignments and Missions. These are made up of a standard Faction card and one of the unique clear plastic Crew Personalities, thus yielding different combinations every game. Each card has an effect that Continued on next page>

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Game Review (Cont.) can be used separately, though the two cards cannot be The solo variant is essentially the main game with a physically separated during the game. With 40 different small starting bonus. I would have preferred to have seen Members and Companions, this yields a large amount a dedicated variant, however, the game itself is well suited of replayability. Though I would have loved to have for solo play with one player controlling multiple ships. seen a greater variety of the effects on the Faction cards, as there are only five different effects.

The one thing that I really disliked about the game was I really hated how the cards looked. Why produce such Movement is tracked by Standees on the Assignment a quality project and then make the cards look like they card. Some Assignments can be attempted by a single are worn and ragged? player, while others have spaces for Allies. When moving, each player can Explore and choose either a Be prepared to have to deal with some errors in Skirmish card or a Scavenge card. The Skirmish card both rulebooks while playing your first game. Once will enter the player into combat with an enemy, while you’ve played a game or two the gameplay is smooth the Scavenge card will have conditions that need to be and effortless. But your initial play could be slightly met in order to be successful. frustrating.

Combat is an important part of the game and is the main co-op component. When combat is initiated, the players will choose a target and draw X cards from their deck (X= what is printed on their player board, + 1 additional card for every 2 upgrades). As the Captain of the ship, you may play any 1 card, however, the other cards can only be played by a crew member sharing that trait. Combat is simultaneous, so you can’t take out a ship before they take a shot at you. Your card effects go off against the targeted ship and the enemy ship rolls dice with the results being shown on the enemy cards. Damage to affected Hulls take place and combat continues until there is only one side left. If you win you get to roll for Salvage which will grant you currency to be used for upgrades and purchases.

As if the standard combat wasn’t tough enough, there are also Commanders and Warlords who make your life even more miserable. On the bright side, defeating a Commander will grant you a premium upgrade for your ship. The Warlords are just plain nasty - they have Waves of ships that need to be defeated before you can attack them.

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Although it is listed as a co-op game, I found that it excelled as a solo game with one player controlling multiple ships. There didn’t seem to be enough “co-op teamwork” in the main game, other than participating in battles. With the large assortment of cards and all of the Characters, there is enough variety and playability here to keep a person entertained for quite some time. So, if you are looking for a solitaire game with high quality components, or playing it as originally intended, there is plenty of game packed into this box.

Designers: Jon Mietling & Aaron Kluck Publisher: Portal Dragon Number of players: 1-5 Mechanic: Co-op Ages: 13+ Length: 20 mins./player

Recommended www.portaldragon.com

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Game Review

Terrible Monster

By Serge Pierro

Interesting Microgame and Expansion

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errible Monster is a 16 card microgram that combines elements of Love Letter and Magic the Gathering. This game offers a surprising amount of gameplay for such a small package. We will be taking a look at the base set and the Desperation expansion.

The game comes in a 5 1/2” x 3 3/4” x 3/4” box.

The rules are printed on a single sheet of double sided, glossy paper that’s folded into 8 “panels/pages”. The rules are concise and there are some diagrams, as well as a clarification/hints page.

Two reference sheets are included. These are printed on the same paper stock as the rules. These include the text of each of the cards.

The cards are printed on a nice, linen finished, card stock.

The 14 tokens are printed on typical cardboard stock.

To begin the game each player receives 4 Life tokens and 2 Counter tokens. The deck is shuffled and each player is dealt 5 cards. The remaining cards form the draw deck.

On the first turn of the game the starting player plays one card and play proceeds to the next player. For the remainder of the game play goes as follows: At the start of a player’s turn they will draw a card and then have the opportunity to play up to 2 cards. If they should have five or more cards at the end of their turn they will have to discard down to five. Play continues in this manner until one player has lost all of their Life tokens.

Although the game is fast paced there is a lot of subtle gameplay involved. For starters, with the inclusion of the Counter tiles there is no “automatic” play, as your opponent has the opportunity to use a tile to cancel the card. However, the current player will have the opportunity to use two Counter tiles to cancel the initial Counter.

This provides for some strategic use of the Counters. Ideally you’d like to save them to keep any of the Monsters from appearing on the table, however there are times when this just might not be feasible. The game starts with two additional Counters that can be obtained by card effects, so there is some leeway for a single Counter to go off and still have two remaining.

In the base game there are only 3 Monster cards. However, the challenge is figuring how to get them into play without them being Countered or removed quickly. The main Monster is the “Terrible Monster” who does four points of damage at the start of your next turn, so your opponent has one turn in which to deal with it. But the “Terrible Monster” can’t be put into play as a regular card, it has to be brought into play by another card effect, and that’s where the game gets interesting. You and your opponent are constantly vying for position in order to bring a Monster into play. Since there is a small card pool it is possible to try and calculate what cards might be in your opponent’s hand.

The base game is fun and plays quickly, however, with the addition of the Desperation expansion the gaming experience becomes much more interesting. The expansion introduces a new card class, “Heroes”. Each player receives a Hero card at the start of the game and may use its ability instead of using a card. The Hero abilities can’t be cancelled by a Counter token. These cards have a wide range of abilities and really “sharpen” the game play. The expansion also includes 2 new Monsters and 2 new Spell cards. All four cards are powerful.

Terrible Monster delivers a surprising amount of gameplay in such a small and fast filler. While it contains elements of deduction, it also has a “meatier” tactical and strategic element. As you become more familiar with the card set, the strategy becomes more complex as you try to set up combinations and track what your opponent may have in hand. This is a perfect game for when you have only 10 minutes or less to devote to a game!

Designer: SHUN Publisher: Sweet Lemon Publishing Number of players: 2 Mechanic: Hand Management Ages: 10+ Length: 10 mins.

Recommended www.sweet-lemon.eu

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Game Review

5ive

By Serge Pierro

Simple Filler Game

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ne can never have too many filler games in their collection, whether they are for a quick game while waiting for other players to arrive, or something to play in-between other games, these gems are a staple in the gamer’s arsenal. 5ive is GameStax’s offering to the category. In this review we’ll look at both the base game and the Expansion Pack.

The base game comes in a small 5 1/2” x 4” x 1 5/8” box with no insert, while the Expansion Pack comes in a sealed foil pack.

The base set includes 55 linen finished cards, while the expansion adds an additional 15 cards. The cards for the base game will play 2-4 players and with the inclusion of the Expansion Pack it raises the player count to 5-6. Each of the cards features a unique piece of art.

The rules are printed on a heavy, coated, single sheet of paper that is double sided. The rules are clear and include several illustrations.

5ive is a very simple game. Each player is trying to be the first to have a set of five cards in their Court. This set has to include at least one of each of the card types: King, Queen, Bishop, Knight and Rook.

To start the game each player is dealt 4 cards. The top card from the deck is placed face up next to the deck to start the discard pile.

On a player’s turn they will do the following: Draw a card, Play a card and Resolve the card.

After a card is played there is an opportunity for the other players to “Block” it. Each player, in turn order will have the chance to play a “Block” card, as well as a copy of the card they are looking to Block. If the card is successfully blocked, it is placed in the discard pile along with the two cards used to Block it and the turn ends. If it is successful, then the card effect is resolved and play moves onto the next player.

The card actions are as follows: Block (Rook) - This can be played into your Court as one of your five Court members, or, it can be used as part of Blocking an opponent’s card.

Draw (King) - If successful, the King lets you draw a card.

Discard (Queen) - If successful, the Queen forces an opponent to discard a card from their hand.

Destroy (Knight) - If successful, the Knight allows you to destroy a card in an opponent’s Court. The destroyed card is placed in the discard pile.

Recover (Bishop) - When playing the Bishop the active player announces what card they are looking to take from the Discard pile. If successful, the Bishop is placed in their Court and the recovered card is placed into their hand.

Any of the cards listed above may be placed into their Court with the effects being ignored.

The first player to have all five card types in their Court wins.

While the mechanic for Blocking was “semi-interesting”, the only time it was ever used was when someone was about to win. After all, giving up two cards in order to block one is poor hand management and leads to the other player(s) gaining Card Advantage. We have a saying: “Cards win card games” and if you’re going to waste cards at a 2-1 ratio, you are not going to find yourself in a position to win. We also found that it bogged down the game, as every card was subject to “Are you going to Block it?”.

5ive can be considered as a simple gateway game for children or family members who are not gamers. With its simple game play and a variety of effects, players of all ages and levels can participate and enjoy it.

While it’s probably not a game that serious gamers will enjoy, it can be a way to “gently” introduce others to the world of hobby games. If you want a simple filler game to draw others into the hobby, this may be one you want to look at.

Designer: Luke Wilkinson Publisher: GameStax Number of players: 2-6 (w/expansion) Mechanic: Set Collection Ages: 6+ Length: 15 mins.

Worth Trying www.gamestax.com

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Game Review

Duress

By Serge Pierro

Abstract Race Game

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ven though Chess is my first love, I’m often perplexed by the number of games that are “based” on it. Duress takes the movements of Chess pieces and uses them to maneuver their tiles to try and capture the Goal tiles on the board. Let’s see if it delivers an interesting gaming experience or if it’s just another Chess exploitation.

The game comes in a 12” x 8 3/4” x 1 3/4” box with no insert.

The rules are the size of the box and are printed on a single sheet of paper and folding in half - yielding four pages. There are several small black and white diagrams throughout that show the different movements. The rules are fairly clear, however, what happens to a movement tile after it is drawn is a bit ambiguous. It appears that it should be placed back in the bag so that the next player draws from the same pool. Even though this might appear “obvious” to the designer, it should have been clarified. The rules also state that tiles should be drawn from a bag. However, other than the clear plastic bag that the components come shipped in, there is no bag. The rules also state that the Goal tiles are black, however, they are yellow.

Each panel of the four panel board measures 6 1/2” inches and is made of a sturdy cardboard stock.

The playing pieces are all silkscreened wooden tiles. There are two sets of pieces for the players, red and blue, while the scoring tiles are yellow and the movement tiles, white.

Extra blank tiles of each type are also included.

The object of the game is to move your pieces (which have “letters” on them, ex: “A”, “K”, etc.) to the capture the corresponding Goal pieces in the center of the board.

The rules include a basic starting setup, as well as providing alternate setups. I’d recommend that you’d start with the initial one and after playing a couple of games you can try some of the others.

At the start of a player’s turn they will randomly draw one of the movement tiles and move one of their colored tiles with the appropriate chess movement.

Each player will continue to draw and move their tiles until one player has captured 9 Goal tiles.

The first problem I have with the game is that chess pieces dominate the cover of the box. This proved to be confusing to prospective players, as they pre-judged the game as a chess variant.

I like the concept of the game and can’t help but think that having developed a unique movement system might have yielded a more interesting experience. While using the movements of chess pieces may make it easier for players who know the movements, it detracts from the originality of the game design itself. In the same manner, using tiles with letters immediately brings to mind Scrabbleand this game has nothing to do with words.

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Unique icons could have made for a more interesting look to the game, as well as possibly providing an interesting foundation for a theme.

There are optional rules that should be used regardless. Having pawns being able to “capture” a Goal tile is a must, as most of the time you are waiting for a bishop, queen or king to make a diagonal move.

Using this option made the game far more interesting, as the base game stalls at points due to the standard rules. You will also want to consider using less pawns in the bag, as the inclusion of all eight pawns slows down the game considerably.

When using the aforementioned pawn variations it proved to be a fun racing game. The randomness of the setup of Goal tiles should allow for decent replayability - especially when using the alternate setups. I think that this game would be a wonderful supplement for young children interested in learning how to play chess, as it would reinforce in their minds how the pieces move. While not a “gamer’s game” it would make for a nice gift for someone who has a casual interest in games.

Designer: Dave Shilane Publisher: Doctor Rocket Number of players: 2 Mechanic: Abstract Ages: 8+ Length: 30 mins.

Worth Trying

www.duressthegame.com

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Solo Gaming

Field Commander: Alexander

By Jeff Rhind

“In the end, when it’s over, all that matters is what you’ve done.”

Alexander the Great

Y

ou are Alexander and with his army conquer their way from Macedon on the Grecian peninsula through Mesopotamia to Indus and finally ending back in Babylon where Alexander would eventually die in 323 BC. If your campaign is successful, he shall be glorified as he completes Prophecies, governs enemy Cities or razes Enemy Strongholds. Can you conquer the ancient world and become history’s most successful military commander, Alexander the Great?

Field Commander: Alexander is a solitaire game published by Dan Verssen Games. The game includes four mounted campaign maps to choose from that include Granicus, Issus, Tyre, and Gaugamela. The Battle of Granicus is the best scenario to start with as other maps add more difficult armies to face as well additional rules. You may also string your plays from map to map for one giant, world conquering campaign!

As you overpower more and more areas on each map, you will encounter Prophecies that you may or may not complete. These objectives will allow your Alexander to level up and become more powerful.

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Various game counters represent your forces as well as those of your enemies. They include Archers, Light and Heavy Cavalry, Phalanx and Infantry, among others.

Each counter possesses a strength value as well as a speed, or initiative, that determines who strikes first in battle.

Having the sequence of play printed right on the board is a great reminder of the order of the steps you do on each turn. Initially, you can spend Gold to flip your counters from their reduced side back to full strength. Then, each unconquered Enemy Stronghold gets their chance to execute randomized orders that can build up their city with walls, place more Gold in them for you to loot, or even make them harder to beat by placing a garrison with

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extra forces within the city. Next, you get to scout ahead to see if the adjacent area you wish to move into offers any resistance or you may have to spend more Gold in order to have enough supplies for your troops.

Engaging enemy forces on the battlefield occur when you enter an occupied enemy region. Each enemy force counter draws a random enemy Battle Plan counter.

The number drawn may be modified by Advisors you’ve brought along on your campaign. The Battle Plans give their assigned force an advantage. Likewise, Alexander’s forces get their own Battle Plans based on Alexander’s level as well as those plans that are purchased with Gold.

Battle resolutions are based on the speed of the counter denoted in the upper right corner of the counter. Forces of the same speed are resolved simultaneously. Each hit reduces the opponent’s unit to its reduced side, or if already reduced, removes it from play. The game

includes a player log sheet (that may be photocopied) to keep track of stats as you play your campaign. It also has an area for your battlefield at the bottom. A free, printable 8.5” x 11” battle mat on BoardGameGeek makes battling enemy forces easier to organize and, quite frankly, more thematic.

If you are successful in your war-like ways, Alexander will gain Glory. Additionally, pivotal areas of the map can be governed (Gold over the course of the game) or razed (a one time Gold pay out). The last step allows you to spend your acquired Gold and Glory on items such as purchasing forces, a City that gains you VPs, random Insight counters or Advisors that both allow for your forces to have special abilities, and you can level up Alexander to make him more formidable and allow you to gain additional Battle Plans to use against your enemy.

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Photo: Jeff Rhind

All that being said, it is a very enjoyable game. It’s a lightweight, dice rolling war game. But make no mistake, it’s not necessarily easy to win. The best experience you can have with it is to play the entire linked campaign. Or if time, and for many of us, space is an issue, you can play just one of the maps instead of all four.

There are other games in the Field Commander series including Rommel and Napoleon. Coming soon from DVG will be a Robert E. Lee version. So, depending on your interests, there might be a Field Commander game just right for you. This game is a great entry-level game into the system and a fantastic way to dip your toes into the shallow end of the war gaming pool. Heavier war games are out there for sure, but if you want something light, fast and quick, you can’t go wrong with Field Commander: Alexander.

Photo: Jeff Rhind

This is an over simplification of the rules because like most DVG games, there are some persnickety rules and exceptions, and the rulebooks are generally not laid out especially well or indexed. Also, the game is heavily lucked based since it relies on dice for battle outcomes although those rolls can be mitigated through Battle Plans, Insight and Advisor counters. For those that may be scared that this game, like many war games, comes with a lot of counters, it does not. It’s very manageable.

Overall, the system is fairly straight forward to understand and after a couple of plays you probably won’t need to refer to the rules. Deciding which Battle Plans to use against enemy forces, when to Govern or to Raze a pivotal area, and what Advisors to choose, all add juts enough complexity to the game.

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Contributors Serge Pierro

Serge has playtested numerous games for several companies, including Wizards of the Coast and AEG. He has also written for Duelist, Inquest and Gamer print magazines. His award winning photography has appeared in both newspapers and magazines. He has self published a game, and has several other designs scheduled for a 2017 release.

Eric Devlin

Eric has been the North East Regional Representative for Wizards of the Coast, the brand manager of Legends of the Five Rings, as well as working with Sabretooth and Third World Games. He has an extensive background in playtesting for top companies. He has also written for Games Quarterly, Duelist, Inquest and others.

Bill Braun Bill has been a contributing writer for PSNation and High-

Def Digest, an Editor and Publisher Relations Director for 30PlusGamer, and the co-creator and podcast host of A Band of Gamers.

John Anthony Gulla John graduated with an M.A. in Humanities, wherein he focused his study on games, the history of gaming, and game design as it relates to the Humanities. He is an avid board gamer and game collector, with over 200 games in his current collection. You can reach him on BGG.com under the username JohnAG68

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Jeff Rhind Jeff is a single father raising a 19 year-old son and a 8 year-old daughter, and slowly coaxing them into the world of tabletop gaming. He has been gaming for many years and shares his love and appreciation for the hobby by reviewing and talking about games on his web site: completelyboard. com as well as his You Tube channel at youtube.com/completelyboard.

You can also follow him on twitter @jeffrhind

David Niecikowski David is a published game designer and recognized expert on using traditional games with families and students. Since 2000, over two dozen of his board games, role-playing supplements, books, and articles have been published. He has also worked as a freelance marketing and event consultant with scores of industry companies such as Alliance Game Distributors, Gen Con, Wizards of the Coast, Upper Deck, Mayfair, Rio Grande, AEG, and Out of the Box.

Kevin Lauryssen Kevin has a Master in Audiovisual Arts and majored in Animation. He works as a Freelance Draftsman for multiple companies in Belgium. He’s an avid gamer who has created a web-comic about boardgaming. His work can be found at www.game-night.be

Tom M Franklin

Tom lives in North Carolina where he and his wife are staff to their five cats. His writing has appeared in his agent’s Inbox and the occasional hand-written letter to friends. He grew up playing Abstract Strategy Games (back when they were simply called games) and still regards dice of all kinds with suspicion. His Board Gaming Claim to Fame is having taught over 300 kids how to play Chess. Considering he’s been playing board games for over 50 years he really should be much better at them than he is.

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Game Review Index

• • • • • •

This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the 2-4 of Us Small World Stella Nova Shoot-Out Postcard Cthulhu Postcard Empire

• • • • • • •

Tile Chess Cards of Cthulhu Samurai Spirit Golem Arcana Pairs Sutakku Timeline

• • • • • • • • •

Baseball Highlights 2045 Samurai Sword Paperback For the Crown Trench Firefly Cutthroat Caverns Rise of the Zombies Shadow Throne

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• • • • • • • • •

Rhino Hero Attila Spurs and Sprockets Chaosmos March of the Ants AquaSphere Fidelitas Rise of Cthulhu Maha Yodah

• • • • • • • • • •

Animal Upon Animal Sushi Draft Stones of Fate WWII: Stalingrad Stockpile The Magnates Sentinel Tactics Flip City Space Movers 2201 Dark Tales

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Nevermore Gold West Arcadia Quest Dragon Flame New York 1901 Lift Off! Tesla vs. Edison Yashima Targi

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• • • • • • • •

Outer Earth 1944: Race to the Rhine Runecast Cycling Tour Witkacy Firefly: Fistful of Credits Dozen Doubloons King Down

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Game Review Index

• • • • • • • • • • • •

Steam Works Web of Spies Cartography Xia: Legends of a Drift System Orleans Raiders of the North Sea Hoyuk Wizards of the Wild Myths at War Ring It! Hogg Wild for Wealth The Martian Investigations

• • • • • • • • • • •

Cosmic Run Imperial Harvest Under the Pyramids (Eldritch Horror Expansion) Bomb Squad Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization Luna Biblios Dice Trekking the National Parks Fuse Skulldug!

Horrible Hex

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Cuisine a la Cart Foragers The Shadow Over Westminster Scoville Valeria: Card Kingdom Onitama Knit Wit Worlds Fair: 1893 Flip City: Reuse Gruff The Walled City Empires at Sea

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Game Review Index

• • • • • • • • • • • •

JurassAttack!

Oh My Gods!

Looting Atlantis 13 Days Apotheca Tiny Epic Galaxies Automobiles Daxu Slaughterville Kheops Scoville: Labs Ancient Conflict Treasure Chest

• • • • • • • • • • • •

Dr. Eureka Stockpile: Continuing Corruption Sugar Gliders Dawn of the Zeds: Third Edition Vast: The Crystal Caverns The Networks Grifters Trajan Conspiracy!

Secrets of the Last Tomb Best Treehouse Ever Matryoshka

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Imhotep In the Name of Odin Centauri Saga Draconis Invasion Dastardly Dirigibles Flamme Rouge Haspelknecht Hansa Teutonica Star Trek Panic Theomachy Commissioned San Ni Ichi Small City Issue #16

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Game Review Index

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• • • • • • • • • • • • •

Kanagawa Lunarchitects Hero Realms Santorini Vinhos: Deluxe Colony Sun Tzu Bermuda Crisis Tavarua Explorers of the North Sea America San Allies Crisis

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Hanamikoji Element Villages of Valeria Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition 7 Wonders Duel Oceanos Herbaceous A Feast For Odin Schotten Totten This Belongs in a Museum

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Ninja Taisen Space Invaders Dice!

The Dresden Files Card Game Pyramids Quests of Valeria Amun-Re Cultists of Cthulhu Magic Maze Knot Dice The Cohort Crazier Eights

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