Game Nite magazine issue 20

Game Nite

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the magazine of tabletop gaming

January 2018

phil walker-harding game designer

v

Issue # 20

Board game photography pt. 1

GameTek

book review

In this issue: 36

Interview Phil Walker-Harding Game Designer

Book Review 06

GameTek The First Ten Years

mobile Review 08

The Brink of War + Race for the Galaxy Expansions

Game Photography 12

Part One: Overview

game Reviews 18

24

Caverna: Cave vs. Cave

Index of Past Interviews

Review index 64

Back Issue Index

Joraku

Trick Taking Area Control.

Raga of the Ganges

42

Cytosis

48

Castle Dukes

54

Minute Realms

Dice/Worker Placement.

Biological Worker Placement.

Castles, Dragons & Dexterity.

A Quick City Builder.

top 10 04

Interview Gallery 60

Race Across Russia.

28

Solo Gaming 58

Michael Strogoff

My Current Top 10 Android Apps

Calendar 71

February 2018

Contributors 63

Game Nite Contributors

Š Game Nite 2018. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used or reproduced without the written permission of the publisher.

All information contained in this magazine is for educational purposes only and is, as far as we are aware, correct at the time of release. Readers are advised to contact manufacturers and retailers with regard to the price of their products. All material remains the property of its respective creators. Opinions expressed by the writers are their opinions alone and may not reflect the opinions of Game Nite. Disclaimer: Game Nite receives review copies of games, but does not accept payment for reviews.

From across the table

Game Nite ISSUE # 20

A

couple of months ago I started an Instagram account for Game Nite and was impressed with the platform. Which I guess isn’t too surprising, seeing as how I enjoy looking at good photographs - and there are plenty of them there! I was so impressed, that I even decided to open a personal account.

With that in mind, I thought that it might be a good idea to do a series on Photography with the emphasis on games. This will be a multipart series that will focus on various aspects, such as: Subject Matter, Composition, Depth of Field, Lighting and Equipment. This month I provide an Overview on the topic and next month we will discuss, Subject Matter. I would like to thank @blrTorpedo’s suggestion for more information on Game Photography and I hope that he and others will find the articles useful.

Cover Photograph by Serge Pierro.

Raja of the Ganges © R&R Games

Editor in Chief/Publisher: Serge Pierro

This month’s Top Ten features the best board/card games that I am currently playing on my Android tablet. 7 Wonders was just released, so I’m not sure where it will wind up in a month or two, but you can expect my review of it in the next issue.

The February calendar features Imhotep and provides the release date for issue #21.

In this issue: Tom Franklin reviews Castle Dukes.

Jeff Rhind continues his popular Solo Gaming column, this time featuring, Caverna: Cave vs. Cave.

Special thanks to Phil Walker-Harding for taking time from his busy schedule to share his thoughts with our readers.

If you are interested in contributing to Game Nite, feel free to contact us, as we’d love to hear from you!

Serge Pierro

Editor in Chief/Publisher editor@gamenitemagazine.com

Editor:

Eric Devlin Writers:

Photographers:

Tom Franklin Serge Pierro Tom Franklin Jeff Rhind Jeff Rhind

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@GameNiteMag

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Top 10 -

Apps for Android

1 Through the Ages CGE Digital Designer: Vlaada Chvatil

2

Terra Mystica Digidiced

Designers: Helge Ostertag & Jens Drogemuller

3 Race for the Galaxy Temple Gate Games Designer: Tom Lehmann

4

Paperback Fowers Games

Designer: Tim Fowers

5

Age of Rivals Roboto Games Designer: Roboto Games

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Game Nite Issue #20

By Serge Pierro

6

Star Realms White Wizard Games Designers: Darwin Kastle & Rob Dougherty

7

Friday Brettspielwelt GmbH Designer: Friedemann Friese

8

Baseball Highlights 2045 Peter Kossits Designer: Mike Fitzgerald

9

Splendor Asmodee Digital Designer: Marc Andre

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7 Wonders Repos Production Designer: Antoine Bauza Game Nite Issue #20

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Book Review

By Serge Pierro

GameTek: The First Ten Years by Geoff Engelstein

W

hile there are a growing list of books devoted to Game Design these days, there seems to be a shortage of those that are devoted to contemporary board games. Sure, Chess and Go are mentioned in many Design tomes, but it is rarer to see titles such as Tigris and Euphrates and Incan Gold. And it’s rarer still, to have the author of the book actually be a published board game designer.

Although “GameTek: The First Ten Years” isn’t specifically about Game Design, it does touch on the Science, Math, Psychology and Game Theory, in a way that should prove to be of use to both budding and experienced game designers.

“GameTech: The First Ten Years” is a 325+ page hardcover book that includes a dust jacket. When the jacket is removed, it reveals a glossy hardcover that features the same graphics as those printed on the jacket.

The book contains a Foreword by Tom Vassel and is organized into 7 main sections: Game Theory, Math, Psychology, Science, Game Mechanics, Psychology Games and History. Each of these sections are further broken down into individual chapters that are devoted to various topics of interest. The chapters are short and easily digestible, while at the same time succinctly stating the objective of the chapter in an interesting and concise manner. Their brevity provides an impetus for you to keep turning the pages, although there are times when you will want to pause your reading and reflect on the material that you had just read.

There are several illustrations/diagrams scattered throughout the book, but make no mistake, this is a text driven book and it is slanted towards the science/mathematic structure of games.

One of the things that separates this book from others is that Geoff Engelstein has an extensive background on the subject matter. He has designed board games such as: The Ares Project, Space Cadets, The Fog of War and Survive: Space Attack. He has a degree in Physics and Electrical Engineering and is an adjunct professor of Board Game Design at the NYU Game Center. He knows what he is talking about and breaks it down so that you will understand it also. That being said, the book does tilt towards areas of interest that are more science/math based, though it never reaches a level that leaves you behind.

And while all of the chapters are interesting, should you like delve deeper into the presented material, the back of the book features a References section that contains an Episode Guide listing links to the original broadcasts, as well as a Recommended Reading list that contains a variety of interesting books.

Although the book can get a bit technical at points, there is nothing that I would consider to be difficult for the average gamer or designer to understand. The strength of the book is that the examples used clearly present the material that is easy to understand due to the known examples. Example: It is fairly common for any book that delves into Game Design to start off with the classic “Prisoner’s Dilemma”, yet what differentiates this book from others is that not only does Mr. Engelstein provide the classic approach, but then he gives examples from actual board games. For instance he discusses the roles of Italy and Austria-Hungary in the game Diplomacy and then follows with an example of its use in Incan Gold. This goes a long way towards providing the reader with examples that are easier to understand than some of the “drier” classical examples.

The only real “downside” to the book is that I would have preferred more material devoted to the “Game Mechanics” and “Game Theory” chapters and less to the “Psychology” and “Psychology Games”.

“GameTek: The First Ten Years is a worthy addition to any game designer’s library. Due to the concise nature of the chapters, this is a book that you can pick up and read at any time and quickly breeze through a specific topic and then spend time contemplating on its merits. I look forward to reading this book again in the future!

Author: Geoff Engelstein Publisher: Ludology Press

Highly Recommended www.ludology.net

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Mobile Review

By Serge Pierro

Race for the Galaxy Expansions: The Brink of War +

I

n issue #16 of Game Nite we took a look at the excellent Race for the Galaxy app and gave it an “Editor’s Choice Award”. However, that review was for the base game and didn’t include the two expansions that were also available for purchase at the time. Recently, The Brink of War was released, this is the third expansion and it requires the first two expansions. Let’s take a quick look at what each of these expansions have to offer.

The first “arc” of expansions for Race for the Galaxy includes: The Gathering Storm, Rebel vs. Imperium and The Brink of War. Each of them offers new cards and strategies, as well as building upon the previous expansion.

The first expansion, The Gathering Storm, features the Goals cards, which I consider to be essential. These present players with various opportunities to score points, by meeting certain conditions. Six cards are randomly chosen and players will try to meet the requirements and be the first to claim the card and its points. This adds another layer of depth and excitement, as it puts some more emphasis on the “Race” element of

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Race for the Galaxy. The User Interface (UI) displays the Goals as small icons along the right edge of the “window” overlooking the planet. In order to have the icon expand into something readable, you have to place your finger over the icon and hold it in place until the information is displayed.

The second expansion is Rebel vs. Imperium and it requires both the base game and The Gathering Storm.

Not surprisingly it adds new cards and additional Goals.

This expansion introduces the concept of “Takeovers”, in which you are able to takeover your opponent’s Military worlds. It adds another avenue of interest, however, it is not a strategy that I often use, but it is certainly an interesting one and can be quite fruitful when properly implemented.

The latest expansion is The Brink of War, which is the last expansion in the first expansion arc. This continues the tradition of expanding the card pool with the inclusion of new cards and Goals, as well as introducing a new mechanism: Prestige.

Prestige is a resource that is obtained during the game by playing cards that have the Prestige symbol on them.

These symbols appear on specific cards next to the VP hex or they can be triggered by cards already in play.

Besides having an in-game use, they are also worth 1 VP each.

Development or search for a Military Planet that has a Defense of “5” or more. Needless to say, this is a great addition to the game, as your overall strategy is less likely to stall due to poor draws. When using this expansion, the UI adds a “?” Action icon above the other Action choices.

One use of Prestige is for the new action called Search.

This takes place before any of the other actions and is only usable once per game. You get to choose from one of nine categories and search for a card that matches that criteria and put it in your hand. Some sample searches include: search for a “6” cost VP producing

Prestige can also be used as a bonus during a specific phase, yet again it is only available once per game, so you have to choose carefully. You can tap twice on the Action button to select its Prestige bonus. If you tap and hold the button, you are able to see its effect.

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Mobile Review

(Cont.)

Another benefit of Prestige is that it can provide VP’s throughout the game. At the start of each round, the players who have the most Prestige gain 1 VP. There are cards that allow you to trade Prestige for VP’s. One game I started with the “Uplift Mercenary Force” and quickly added “Ravaged Uplift World” which allowed me to continue to have more Prestige than my opponent, thus gaining 1 Prestige each round. And then I used the “Interstellar Casus Belli” to trade 1 Prestige for 3 VP’s each turn, thus building a strong Prestige>VP engine.

In the same game I used 1 Prestige for the special “−3 cost to a Planet” Action in order to bring into play the 9/9 “Alien Departure Point” at a cost of only 6 cards.

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Using mainly those cards as an engine, I was able to quickly drain the pool of VP’s and easily win the game.

All in all, each of these expansions are well worth the price in order to take an already excellent app and elevate it to the next level. With the additions of the Goals and Prestige to the base game, the replayability and depth of the game has increased. It should be noted that Keldon Jone’s (see issue #16) excellent AI is implemented in each of the expansions as well. It will be interesting to see if the next expansion arc is going to make its way to the platform. Either way, Brink of War, as well as the previous two expansions, are all an excellent addition to an already exceptional app.

Version # Price: Devices:

Expansions $3.99 Android and iOS Developer: Temple Gate Games

Highly Recommended www.templegategames.com

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Photography

By Serge Pierro

Board Game Photography: Pt. 1 Overview

R

ecently on Twitter it was suggested by @blrTorpedo that I do an article on “How to take good photos of board games for newbies”. However, such a topic seems to demand more than just a cursory article and I felt that a series of articles would be more interesting.

So starting with this issue I will be discussing what I think goes into taking “good photographs” of board games, after all “good” is a somewhat subjective matter.

I will be covering a broad range of topics and hopefully they will prove to be helpful to those looking to take better photos.

Let’s take a look at an example. Our subject is going to be the Worker from “New York 1901” and we are going to use the same equipment for all of the shots. A Nikon d90 with a Sigma 105mm 2.8f Macro lens that is mounted on a Manfrotto/Bogen 3021 tripod and triggered with a Nikon infrared remote.

The first thing that needs to be addressed is, “What exactly is a good photograph?”. It is clear that when you look at some photos, some of them seem “better” than others. So what are the factors that go into making it appear “better/good”?

PHOTO ONE:

It is important to try and figure how to condense a game into a single image. What defines it? Components?

Board? Miniatures? What is the essence of the game? Are you looking to highlight one aspect of the game?

Subject: Our Subject is going to be the Worker from the game. In this shot he appears to be small compared to the rest of the frame. The photograph seems to be more interested in “New York 1901” as a whole, instead I feel that a good photograph is composed of three of focusing on the Worker. elements: Subject, Composition and Lighting, with perhaps Composition and Lighting being the most Composition: The first thing that jumps out is all of important elements. Oftentimes I will see a photograph the “noise” in the picture. There’s a lens cover in the that showed potential, but it missed out on two of those background in the upper right and the instruction book three elements. in the upper left. When taking a photograph the frame

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Photo One

of the photo should be filled with the Subject at hand, in this case the Worker. No beer bottles, hands, TV screens or anything else that happens to be laying around or in the background. Draw attention to the subject!

As far as the problems of the composition goes, there’s a lot of room along the right side of the photo that takes our attention away from the Worker. The green Worker blends in with the green building. The drawing tools on the board are distracting because they are in focus and draw the eye away from the Worker. It could even be said that the sharpness of the blue building competes with the sharpness of the Worker. The yellow building draws your eye towards itself. Your eyes are naturally drawn to things that are either bright or in focus.

Geometrically the angle of the manual don’t seem to accentuate the angles of the two sides of the board.

Lighting: This shot was taken with the on-camera flash - which is something that I never use, however, I see many people use it and thought that it would be useful to show why it’s no good. Let’s take a look at the problems brought about by its use. The entire area is flooded with the light from the flash, thus drawing attention to the black lens cap in the upper right which would have less notable without the flash. The Worker has several areas of specular highlights that make it look “fake”. The flash has also filled in the areas of shadow that would have given the figure more definition and a sense of form. The figure is a bit washed out. Notice the difference between the shadows on the left side of the blue building, compared to those on the green building. The green building is directly inline with the flash, whereas the blue building is off to the left and still has areas in shadow which help define its mass.

Oftentimes the use of an on-camera flash is one of the main culprits in ruining an otherwise acceptable shot.

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Photo Two

PHOTO TWO: things that you want to be thinking about as you look Subject: This is the same setup as the previous photo, through the viewfinder of your camera. You are setting with the manual and lens cap removed from the up the shot before you take it. Digital cameras allow background. This is one of the first steps of taking a you the opportunity to take many test shots and get good photo: remove anything that is in the background instant verification as to whether or not this is the shot that isn’t related to the subject or the composition. I that you may want to take. moved the tripod both closer to the Worker and a couple of inches to the right, so that he would be the Also note the receding planes of the composition. We primary focus of the shot. have our Worker up front and sharply in focus, then our next layer is the blue and green buildings that Composition: Normally you would not want to have started to soften due to the “depth of field”, yet have the subject in the exact middle of the frame, as still retain shadow details, and finally our back plane this can lead to a boring composition. It works here is occupied by the yellow building that has become because of the horizontal lines of the buildings and the “creamy” due to the “depth of field”. These three layers angles formed by the corner of the board, as well as the allow for the Worker to become the main focus of the arrangement of the buildings and the Worker. This image and stand out from the background. photo has a much more interesting composition than the previous one. An important improvement over And while this composition is clearly better than the previous photo is that the Worker’s head “pops” the previous one, it is still not good enough. Why? by having the yellow building in the back. This shot The drawing utensils on the board continue to be was arranged with that in mind. These are the types of a distraction. If this shot was going to be used for a

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Photo Three

Game Nite review, I would have broken down this setup and found a less intrusive area of the board and then reconstruct the composition for the new photo.

Again this is something that you want to think about BEFORE you take the photo. I left it here so that you can see why it is not a usable shot and hopefully you’ll remember this as an example.

Lighting: I shoot everything with natural light. This photo was taken near my living room window which faces north. North light is indirect light and isn’t as harsh as direct sunlight. I’ve had professional photographers ask me about my studio and they seemed quite stunned when I tell them that I’m shooting on a cloth covered cardboard box resting on my living chair and guitar amplifier! Another thing that I always use is a diffuser.

I made mine out of tissue paper and a cardboard frame.

Diffused light provides softer shadows and lights the subject in a more pleasing manner. Notice also the

shadow definition on the buildings in the background as the light is coming from the right side and is casting soft shadows to the left.

PHOTO THREE: This photo is the same as the previous photo, except that it has been cropped for Instagram. Since the standard Instagram photo is 1080 x 1080 pixels, this provides a further challenge for the photographer, in particular when dealing with composition. The previous image was imagined as a horizontal image for a magazine layout and thus the space on each side of the photo was taken into account. However, when we crop that photo for Instagram, we get a more intimate look at the shot as the extraneous information on the left and right sides of the photograph are removed and the focus on the Worker becomes even more pronounced.

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Photo Four

Compare the first photo to the Instagram photo and you can easily see that the focus of the Instagram photo is that of our original objective - the Worker!

As mentioned previously, this photo is also not suitable for publication. This is mainly due to the drawing utensils that are in focus on the board and the angle of the photo (see below). But, I also wanted to point out a couple of other things that would have to be changed

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as well. On the bottom of the green building there is a small white section of the “77” space. I would first reposition the green building so that the white area wasn’t showing. It is distracting. The same is true of the white showing to the right of the blue building. Yes, this can be considered to be nitpicking, but that is how you start to improve your photos - by examining all of the things that are currently wrong with them and improving upon them in future shots.

Non-Publication Quality

PHOTO FOUR: The last photo is a photo that I had previously used for a Black and White challenge on Instagram. This photo is more publication worthy. Why? First of all the camera angle is better, as we are looking directly at the Worker. In the previous photo we were looking slightly downward. By having the figure looking directly at us, it displays a “confident” look, while the one looking downward seems a bit “weaker”.

The next factor is the size of the Worker. In the Black and White photo there is no doubt that we are looking at the Worker, as he fills up more than 50% of the photo’s height. In the color shot the Worker is less than 50% of the photo’s height.

Publication Quality

When we compare the boards we can see that the Black and White one has a better composition. First of all we have the white line at the bottom of the photograph leading our eyes to the figure and then the steel beam in his hand leads our eyes upward towards the buildings and then our eyes return to focus on the face of the figure in the middle as it “pops” from the background.

As far as the color one goes, the writing utensils on the board are pointing towards the bottom of photograph, so our eyes are drawn to the figure and then pointed off to the bottom of the photo and “off of the page”. Your composition should entice your eyes to linger on the subject matter - not leading them to move outside the photos frame.

Overall I spent more time getting the lighting and composition right for the Black and White photo than Let’s compare the buildings. The Buildings in the Black and White photo are displayed at an angle, and I did for the color ones and I think that it shows. The in doing so they are able to display more structure and color photos were shot very quickly, thus assuring that mass. Even with the bokeh of the “depth of field” you I’d have plenty of mistakes to talk about. So, take your can still see various levels of planes and shadows. The time...

Buildings in the color photo are arranged in a more In the next installment we will discuss choosing a “straight ahead” fashion and thus don’t have quite the same sense of “mass” and “form” as in the Black and subject that best represents a game or a specific aspect White photo. The Black and White Buildings look of that game. “tall” and the ones in color look “small”.

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Michael Strogoff

By Serge Pierro

Race Across Russia

A

lthough Jules Verne is best known for classics such as Around the World in 80 Days, Journey to the Center of the Earth and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, he also wrote books that weren’t Science Fiction. Michael Strogoff is one such book. It is the story of couriers in 19th century Russia racing to get news to the Tsar’s brother concerning a traitor’s plan for invasion. How well does the game capture the novel… let’s take a look and find out.

Michael Strogoff comes in a 10” x 10” x 2 1/4” linen finished box. There is a standard cardboard insert that has a well down the middle and two shelves on the sides to support the board.

The game’s 8 page rulebook is the size of the box and covers all of the pertinent information, including the iconography and the abilities of the Allies. An interesting note is that the last page is devoted to the 12 movement spaces on the game’s board. Each space has a synopsis of the events from the book that it relates to. This background information enhanced the game play and fortified the theme.

The four panel board features Pedro Soto’s art and is made of a linen finished, sturdy, cardboard stock.

All of the cardboard components are linen finished and are made of standard punchboard.

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The 150+ linen finished cards measure 2 1/4” x 3 1/2”.

Since they are not shuffled throughout the game, they should be fine as they are.

The custom meeples and disks are all made of wood.

The meeple colors are: Red, Yellow, White, Blue, Green and Black.

Also included are one black and one white die.

At the start of the game, each player receives a meeple and a matching energy disk. The meeple is placed on the first space on the main board and the energy disk is placed on the “6” of the player’s Character Board.

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Michael Strogoff (Cont.)

Each player is dealt 5 cards from the Action deck and each of the other decks are shuffled and placed on the appropriate area on the board and each player receives one card from the “Russia” deck to start their adventure.

The black die (the Tartar troops) is set to “3” and placed on “9” space. The black meeple (Ivan Ogareff) is placed on the board at the space corresponding to the number of players.

The object of the game is for the players to race to the capital of Siberia and defeat the traitor, Ivan Ogareff, before he is able to successfully invade Russia with the Tartars.

Each round is made up of two parts: a Courier’s phase and a Traitor Phase.

cards. The player takes the top card from the matching Route deck and places it to the right of any cards alongside their Character board. If one of the icons on the newly placed card matches any of the icons on any previously played Route card(s) the player is penalized.

The penalties are: Discard an Action card from your hand, Lose 1 Energy and/or Turn this card face down.

While the first two are self explanatory, the face down penalty slows a player by forcing them to use a Rest Action to turn the card “face up”. Players are unable to Advance if they have any cards “face down”.

Rest: The Rest Action contains three separate abilities: Draw 2 Action Cards, Gain 1 Energy and Flip over a Face Down card. The player chooses either two of the same or two different abilities listed above.

The Courier’s phase is divided amongst the players, as each player is considered a Courier. During a round, Resolve Dangers: Using this action allows you to each player may choose from the following: “Ask an resolve the Dangers that you have encountered along Ally for Help”, “Advance”, “Rest” or “Resolve Dangers”. your journey. There are several ways in which Dangers can be resolved: “Asking an Ally for Help” is an optional action that a player can take at the start of their turn. They can Discard one Action card with an icon that matches the discard a card that matches one of the revealed Ally icon on the most recent Route card (the card furthest cards and use that Ally’s special ability. right) and place a Resolution token over the icon. Icons that are covered no longer count towards triggering On their turn each player must choose one of the during a check. If all of the icons on a card are covered, following: it is removed from the row. (see below) Advance: This is the main means of moving across the If you don’t have an Action card that matches the icon, board. To use this action you must spend 1 energy on you can discard any two identical icons from your hand your Character board and move your meeple to the next to cover any one icon on any card in your Journey row space. Each space corresponds to a particular deck of of cards.

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The last method of resolving the Dangers is by spending When a player enters “Irkutsk”, instead of drawing a one Energy point and placing a Resolution token on Route card, they instead begin a final duel with “Ivan”. any card in your Journey.

The first thing that they have to do is remove all of the Route cards that they had accumulated by discarding all At the end of the Resolve Dangers action, the player of the relevant icons. If they don’t have the appropriate is able to choose one card that has been removed from icon then they have to spend 1 Energy to cover the their Journey this turn and place it under their Character icon/remove it. Should a player have any Energy left board, gaining access to the special ability on future and some cards remaining in hand, then they actually turns. This is an important aspect of the game and the duel “Ivan”. The number of cards drawn is indicated choice of what Dangers to resolve and place under the on the board where “Ivan” finished. This is usually five board are essential to winning. cards and you are facing “Ivan” at his full strength. For each card that is played you have to match the icon, The second part of a turn is the Traitor’s Phase. This otherwise you lose 1 Energy. Should you ever reach is where the game plays against the players. To initiate 0 Energy, you are eliminated. Other players continue this phase, turn over the top card of the Action deck to play until they either defeat “Ivan” or they are also and resolve the icons on the bottom of the card. The eliminated. first icon is the “Ivan Ogareff” icon and it tells you how many spaces to move him. The last icon is the “Move Michael Strogoff is a fun, yet, brutal game. Fans of the Tartars” and it shows where to place the black Tartar games such as Ghost Stories, Samurai Spirit and The die, and if necessary, change the number on the die. Grizzled will love the challenge presented here. Like the The middle icon can be one of four separate actions: aforementioned games, you can expect to lose far more draw a card, roll the white die and resolve any of your games than you will win. However, unlike the previous abilities that match, place an Ally on the “A”, “B”, “C” games, this is essentially a multiplayer solitaire game, or “D” space or the Sangarra Spy card is triggered. as there is no interaction with other players in terms of helping them on their way, due in large part that the Play continues in this fashion until “Ivan Ogareff” theme of the game is that each player is a Courier trying arrives in “Irkutsk” (the 12th space on the board). to get the news of the traitor to Siberia. So the feel of During the Traitor Phase Ivan no longer draws cards, the game is quite similar whether it is a solo game or but instead the Action die is rolled and the player with all five players. receives the actions that are activated and the Tartars move that number of spaces towards “Moscow”. Should At the time of writing this review I still haven’t beaten the Tartars enter “Moscow”, the game ends with the the game - either played solo or with a group. It is a razor successful invasion of Russia and all of the players lose. sharp balancing act as you try to balance the game’s two

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Michael Strogoff (Cont.)

currencies. On the one hand you have Energy which is spent in order to move your courier forward, yet at the same time it can also be used to remove Dangers.

In order to replenish your Energy you have to spend a turn to do so, thus adding to the tension, as “Ivan” still gets his turn and moves forward. The other currency is your hand of cards. With an initial hand limit of seven cards, it is not an easy task to remove Dangers along your route while trying to maintain a full hand by the time you reach the Syberian capital. Of course there is also the issue of spending a turn in order to remove Dangers, which again, doesn’t stop “Ivan” from taking a turn and you losing a tempo in the race to “Irkutsk”.

“Players who enjoy a difficult challenge are going to be very interested in giving this one a try.

The overall production of the game is commendable and the playing experience, while frustrating at times, is a classic example of “Let’s play it again!”.”

And speaking of removing Dangers, one of the most important decisions you will make is what card to take to add beneath your Character board for its abilities.

My personal favorite was the ability to draw a card and increase your hand size. Since the end of the game is a flurry of card discards to remove the remaining Dangers and dueling with “Ivan”, having as many cards as possible is important. Another favorite is the card that gives you +1 Energy, as this is the other currency that will be needed in the final showdown.

I’m always up for a challenge, and Michael Strogoff is certainly providing one at this point. I will be continuing to play this as a solo challenge to see if I can actually beat it. If you are looking for a game that is challenging for either your group or yourself, then Michael Strogoff is one that you should be taking a look at.

Players who enjoy a difficult challenge are going to be very interested in giving this one a try. The overall production of the game is commendable and the playing experience, while frustrating at times, is a classic example of “Let’s play it again!”. Once you’ve played it a couple of time you will fly through your turn as the gameplay is very fast.

Designer: Publisher: Players: Mechanic: Ages: Length:

Alberto Corral Devir 1-5 Action Management 12+ 60+ Mins.

Highly Recommended www.devirgames.com

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Joraku

By Serge Pierro

Trick Taking Area Control

C

hocolate and Peanut Butter. Caramel and Salt. Cinammon and Chili.

Trick Taking and Area Control. Sometimes some of the most interesting combinations use the strangest components and Joraku is no exception.

Joraku is a samurai themed game that uses Trick Taking in order to score points via Area Control. Let’s take a look at this intriguing combination and see if it works.

We will be looking at the Tasty Minstrel Games version of the game which comes in a smaller box than the one by Moaideas Game Design. The box measures 4” x 6” x 1 1/4” and contains a two well cardboard insert.

The rules sheet is folded to the size of the box and is double sided and printed on a heavy paper stock. It measures 11” x 14 1/4” when completely unfolded.

The ruleset is easy to understand and there are several examples and plenty of illustrations.

The board for the game is made up of four panels that are placed side by side and are arranged in numerical order. These are made of a sturdy cardboard stock and are double sided, however, both sides are identical.

The 38 cards are made of a decent card stock and are shuffled at the start of each of the three rounds. Sleeving is optional.

The games’ Damiyos and Samurais are both made of wood. The customdoublesided Daimyo tokens feature an excellent Men-yoroi graphic printed in black on both sides. The Samurai tokens are basic wooden cubes. The colors of the components are: Blue, Green, Yellow and Red. Setup is easy. The board is assembled and each player receives a set of components in their chosen color. The six Daimyo cards are shuffled and each player is dealt one card. The cards are revealed and the players will place their Daimyo token on the region on the board that matches the Daimyo’s number. The Kachidoki card is given to the player whose Daimyo has the highest number. The Skirmish cards

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are shuffled and dealt out according to player count. (3 players/6 cards and 4 players/5 cards) The player who currently owns the Kachidoki card goes first. They will play a card from one of the four suits. The range of cards are 0 (the Ninga) and 1-6 (the Samurai). When a card is played the player has a choice to either place up to 3 of their available Samurais in the

region that matches the number on the card played or they can instead use the card’s value for action points.

The three actions are: • • •

Move the Damiyo one space (2 actions).

Move a Samurai one space (1 action).

Remove an opponent’s Samurai from an area where your Daimyo is located and return it to the owner’s supply (1 action).

The Ninja is a special card as its numerical value is considered “0”, however, it is the only card that can beat a “6”. Its ability is that you can place up to three cubes anywhere on the board, either in the same territory or different areas.

After the first player completes their turn, the game proceeds in turn order and players have to match the initial suit played.

If they are unable to do so, they can play any card.

After each player has completed their turn, the card with the highest number wins the trick and receives the Kachidoki card. The new owner checks the region in which his Daimyo

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Joraku (Cont.) is present, as well as any other Daimyos and Samurai, and score Reputation Points based on the amount of influence each player has in that region. Daimyos are worth 2 influence and Samurai are worth 1.

Play continues in this fashion until all of the cards have been played from the player’s hand. Then there is the Prestige phase in which players are rewarded Reputation Points based on the Area Control mechanism. Starting on the right of the board (Shinano) and working towards the left (Kyoto) each of the armies in each area compare their influence. The player with the highest influence receives the points for 1st place, etc.

The unique scoring aspect of the game is that it has three Prestige phases and each has its own series of points to be allocated. For instance, at the start of the game Kyoto is worth “0” points, whether you have a presence there or not, but at the end of the third Prestige phase it is worth “15 pts” for first place, yet Shimano is worth “7 pts” during the first Prestige phase and then is worth ”0 pts” for the rest of the game. This all makes thematic sense, as the word “Joraku” means: “Going to Kyoto”.

After the third Prestige phase is scored, the game ends and the player with the highest score wins. In case of a tie, the player who started with the highest value Damiyo wins.

The game also includes 6 Variant rule cards which slightly change the rules of the game. Two of these cards are chosen at random and used throughout the game. For example, one of the cards changes the points given with the Kachidoki card to 4 pts. for 1st, 2 pts. for 2nd and 0 pts. for 3rd. These cards provided just enough change to provide for some more dynamic play and greater replayability.

As mentioned at the start of the review, the concept of Trick Taking and Area Control is a strange one, but not only does it work, but it works well. I loved the scoring method in which the right side of the board was worth more points early

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Game Nite Issue #20

in the game and yet became increasingly useless in the later rounds and yet the left side of the board then became more valuable. This led to several interesting strategies, each one dependent on which Daimyo you drew at the start of the game.

The only downside that we became aware of was that the Ninja card became less valuable in the later part of the game, as players usually had all of their Samurai on the board and playing the Ninja granted them nothing on their turn. This was especially true during the last round.

I was initially quite surprised when the game arrived and I saw the size of the box, as I was aware of the Moaideas version of the game and it was played on a larger board and came in a larger box. However, the Tasty Minstrel version is compact and portable and more likely to be chosen as a game to play when you are on the go.

Overall this is another quality game by Moaideas Game Design, and Michael Mindes continues to show his strong eye for recognizing quality games in the Asian markets and then publishing them with Tasty Minstrel Games. This game is a winner for both publishers!

Designer: Publisher: Players: Mechanic: Ages: Length:

Iori Tsukinami Tasty Minstrel Games 3-4 Trick Taking, Area Control 14+ 40-60 Mins.

Recommended www.playtmg.com

Raja of the Ganges

By Serge Pierro

Enchanting Worker Placement

O

ur attraction to games is often influenced by the game’s mechanisms or theme. However, there are times when the box art and the overall graphic design grab our attention and make us want to know more about it. Rajas of the Ganges is one such game. Although the husband and wife team of Markus and Inka Brand are known for their thoughtful designs, it is the captivating artwork that immediately captures your attention. While Dennis Lohausen (see Issue # 7) is no stranger to the world of board games (Terra Mystica, The Voyages of Marco Polo and Camel Up), for this game he has elevated his work to another level. Let’s take a look at the game and see if it can live up to the visual elements.

The linen finished 11 1/2” x 11 1/2” x 2 3/4” box draws you in with its captivating artwork and the black, custom, plastic insert has specific areas devoted to each of the components - including a space below the “Kali” boards for storing the assembled elephant first player token. The insert’s design also allows for the storage of the board as a “top” for the components below, as well as a flat surface on which to store the player boards and rulebook.

The game’s large 36 page rulebook is actually three 12 page rulebooks combined. The three sections are in German, English and French. The rules are heavily illustrated and feature several examples. Each of the board’s spaces are explained and further clarified. The last three pages of the rulebook are devoted to the “Navaratnas Version”, the “Ganga Module” and a brief “Mogul Lexicon” which provides further backstory/flavor to the game’s theme.

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The four panel board is double sided and linen finished.

The four Province Boards are double sided and linen One side is devoted to 2 players, whereas the second finished, with one side featuring a more advanced side is used for 3-4 players. The artwork on the board version. is incredible and can easily be considered a work of art.

Between this and the Kalis Statue board, Lohausen has The Province tiles themselves are like all of the other totally outdone himself! cardboard components, as they feature a linen finish and are made of a sturdy stock. The backs of these tiles are gorgeous.

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Raja of the Ganges (Cont.)

The Kali Statue Boards are stunning. These are also double sided with a basic side and a more difficult side.

There is also a minor artistic variant with the sides, as the basic side has the statue hands holding spaces for two dies, while the difficult version has a more “traditional” look with a hand with an eye peering out from the palm and a bowl of water.

Rajas of the Ganges is a worker placement game and it should come as no surprise that there are various areas on the board where Workers can be placed to take an action. The four main areas are: Quarry, Market Place, Palace and the Harbor.

On a player’s turn they will place one of their workers on an available space and pay any costs associated with All of the player components are made of wood and it and resolve the action. come in four colors: Red, Yellow, Blue and Green. As is often the case, in “less than ideal lighting” it is often There are spaces on the board that require dice as hard to make out the difference between the Blue and payment. When a player obtains a die, it is rolled and Green items. placed on one of the hands of the Kali statue board.

A player may not have more dice than the number of The main component of the game is the 48 translucent hands on the statue. To use a die as payment, you have dice. These look great and come in the following colors: to return it to the supply. Both the color and pips are Purple, Orange, Blue and Green. As mentioned above, important, as some costs are in pips, some in colors the Blue and Green dice are hard to differentiate in “low and others in a combination of both. In the case of light” conditions. purchasing a Province tile, you need both the correct color and also the correct number of pips in order to There are various cardboard components of the same complete the transaction. Example: a Province tile may quality as the aforementioned ones, as they were all have a cost of “Green 9”. The player will have to pay punched from the same punchboards. The standout as many Green dies whose total pips equal 9 or more. is the four-piece first player token of an elephant that If there is no number associated with the color die, needs to be assembled. then only the color is used. Example: The Balcony area allows you to trade 1 purple die for 2 green dies.

The game is easy to setup, due to the devoted page in the rulebook that sections off each thing that needs to When paying the cost of an action with Money, the be done, as well as providing any relevant illustrations. player’s token is moved accordingly along the Money track. This is one of the interesting aspects of the game, The object of the game is to be the first player to have as each time you spend money, you are setting yourself their Fame and Money tokens pass each other on the back, thus making it harder to pass your Fame token on scoring tracks. the board. There is a slow, yet steady, back and forth

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The Quarry area is devoted to the purchasing of movement on the Money track, though once your economic engine is up and running, you can start to Province tiles to be placed on your personal Province board. Each space has a cost associated with it and a make more substantial gains along the track. player has to pay the cost in order to be able to purchase Each player starts with 3 Workers. There are an a Province. The Province is obtained by discarding the additional three Workers on the board that can be dies with the correct color and pip amounts. obtained by landing on the appropriate spaces on the After a Province tile has been bought, it is placed on Money, Fame and River tracks. However, in the base game you are only allowed to have a maximum of five your Province board and must have one of its roads Workers, so the sixth Worker is removed from the board attach to the road of another tile already on the board. when the fifth one is obtained.

The roads can also lead to the sides of the board and grant players special bonuses. If the tile contains a As previously mentioned there are four main areas in Building, the player moves their Fame token equal to which to place your workers: Quarry, Market, Palace the current standing on the Construction track for and River.

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Raja of the Ganges (Cont.) that Building. The construction of Buildings is the main means of moving along the Fame track. If the tile contained Goods, then they immediately score the amount of Money listed on the card.

The Market area is where you can exploit your economic engine. One space allows you to gain Money for two different Goods (Silk, Tea or Spices) that you own.

This action is free. The better space costs a die and it allows you to pick one Good and discard a die, using the # of pips, to sell that many (# of pips) instances of that particular Good. Example: You own 5 tiles that produce Tea, so you discard a die with “4” pips and collect money from 4 of the 5 tiles, if you discard a die with “5” pips, you can collect from all five.

“The Chambers” contains a variety of actions. In order to use any of the spaces you have to discard a die with the relevant amount of pips on it. Example: If you discard a die (any color) with one pip on it, you can take the first player token and gain 2 Fame points.

The last area in which you can place your Workers is the “Harbor”. The first space is free and then the others have a cost. You discard a die with a value from 1-3 and then move your ship up to the amount of spaces of the discarded die. The River contains a variety of abilities that will prove to be very useful throughout the game. Most players preferred to “slow play” the River by moving only one space at a time, yet there were times when racing down the River was beneficial, for instance, when attempting to gain an extra Worker or for gaining While the Quarry and Market areas are going to be access to the better abilities towards the end of the River. your main source for scoring points, it is the Palace area There are two other areas on the board worth noting. of the board that you will use to implement your strategy to do so. There are four areas within the Palace: Outer These are the areas for tracking Karma and Building Balcony, The Terrace, The Balconies and The Chambers Upgrades.

The Karma area keeps track of how much Karma you “The Outer Balcony” allows you to place a Worker for free and take 2 Money and reroll any number of your have available. Karma is used as a means of mitigating the luck of the die rolls. It allows a die to be flipped dies. to its opposite face. Example: Spend one Karma and “The Terrace” allows you to place a Worker for free and turn a “1” into a “6” or a “6” into a “1”. For the most part this is useful in order to take a “1” and turn it into take a die of the color at that space. a “6” for the expensive Provinces tiles or to turn a “6” “The Balconies” allow you to trade one of your dies for into a “1” in order to use the “Great Mogul” space in two dies of a different color. The trades are stated on the Palace and grab the first player token and two Fame the board and are absolute. Example: You can trade one points.

Orange die for two Purple dies, but you can’t trade one Orange for any of the other colors.

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The area for the Building Upgrades is divided into four separate sections that correspond to the individual Buildings available in the game. Each Building is further divided into three sections that range from 2-4. At the start of at the game each player’s cube is placed on the “2” space of the track and any time that they upgrade a Building the cube is moved to the next area, in this case “3”. The track maxes out at “4”. The upgrades only affect your future purchases and not the value of the Provinces that you already own.

The end of the game is triggered when one player’s set of scoring tokens pass each other on the score tracks.

Play will continue if there are any players still due an action on the current turn. If no one else is able to

pass their tokens on the track, then the player who did, wins. If two or more players have their tokens pass each other, then the distance between the two tokens owned by each player is totaled and the greater distance wins.

If there is a tie, then the player who first passed their tokens wins.

Raja of the Ganges turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. Friends were a bit surprised that I enjoyed the game as much as I did, as I’m usually not a fan of games that include dice. But their usage in the game is not as detrimental as other games. The availability of the Karma track is a step in the right direction to help mitigate the odds of a bad die roll, though there are various other methods in the game to get “better”

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Raja of the Ganges (Cont.) numbers, such as the action that gives you 2 Money and you can reroll as many dies as you’d like or you can even trade in a die that is of no use and receive two new dies in its place. So the “bad” roll is temporary at best. Having said that, there aren’t many really bad rolls. High die rolls of 4, 5 and 6 will generally be used for purchasing Province tiles and rolls of 1, 2 and 3 will be useful for moving on the River. Another factor is that the Chambers contains actions for each face of a die, so there is always something that you can use a die for, and that is why the dice mechanism in this game is enjoyable. A bad roll is only a temporary problem, but not one that will have a long term effect on your strategy.

Fans of euro-games are going to want to take a look at this one, as it will prove to be challenging amongst themselves, as well as providing an upgrade game for players ready to move up from Gateway games. The replayability of the game is enhanced by the inclusion of advanced variants.

Rajas of the Ganges is a keeper for me and I look forward to having it hit the table again in the future.

There are interesting decisions and strategies to pursue throughout the game, while at the same time there is no instances of getting bogged down by the weight of the game. The scoring can be quite tight when playing with experienced players and yet it’s short enough that there were players asking to play it again after their first It’s worth repeating how gorgeous Dennis Lohausen’s game - and that is always a strong indication of a quality art is for the game. There wasn’t one person who wasn’t game. This is a game that I think many players are amazed at the Kali Statue boards. There were some going to really enjoy! players who initially thought that the main board was a bit busy, but after a round or two they no longer felt that way. This is not an uncommon perception for new players of a worker placement game that has this level Designers: Inka &Markus Brand of artistic detail.

And although the artwork is gorgeous, it is the game play that is the most rewarding aspect of the game. There are so many choices to be made and several intriguing strategic paths to pursue. While obviously the Money and Fame tracks will be the focus of your attention, it is the River that adds an additional element of interest to the game and can be of great help, especially in the later part of the game when a River strategy starts to pay off with larger returns due to the better spaces towards River’s end.

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Publisher: Players: Mechanic: Ages: Length:

R&R Games 2-4

Worker Placement, Resource Managment

12+ 45-75 Mins.

Highly Recommended www.randrgames.com

Interview

By Serge Pierro

• Imhotep • Cacao • Sushi Go! • Barenpark Phil Walker-Harding Thank you for taking the time to share your What games over the years have you enjoyed thoughts with our readers, can you tell us a little most, from both the point of personal enjoyment, something about yourself? as well as those that influenced your growth as a designer?

I live in Sydney, Australia with my wife Meredith. I really love playing and designing board games! I studied film at university and hoped to be a director one day. Of course, board games have taken over as my main creative pursuit now. I also work part-time at my church where I look after a small non-traditional congregation.

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

Yes, I used to design games for fun with my brother and cousin when we were quite young. Most of them were pretty silly, and based on the various mass market games we had played. I remember one of them was a simple roll and move game. But landing on one space made you put an ice cream container on your head, another space made you stick a toilet roll in a hole in the container, and another made you wear a cardboard sign around your neck. You couldn’t win unless you had all three!

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When I first got into modern board games, many of Reiner Knizia’s designs really struck a chord with me.

He was a big influence in terms of teaching me how different scoring systems can change the whole purpose and personality of a particular gameplay element.

Some favorites of his are Lost Cities, Ra and Tigris and Euphrates. Some other all-time favorite games include Blokus, Carcassonne and Race for the Galaxy.

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

Well, since Race for the Galaxy came out on iOS, I have been playing more of that than usual! Another recent release that I have been really enamored with is Kingdomino. I think it is a modern day classic.

Who are your favorite game designers?

Reiner Knizia is right up there as I have mentioned. I also really enjoy the work of Bruno Cathala and Antoine Bauza.

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?

I am still pretty new to collaborations, so I am not sure if I would be a good partner to design with! But getting to work with any of my favorite designers I am sure would be a great experience. I also think designing with someone of a totally different style would be a great learning process, so I would be up for that too.

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

Often I start with an experience I would like the players to have. A type of social interaction, or a particular moment of play I would like to facilitate. My next question is then what sort of mechanism might create this. I do sometimes start with a fun theme (for example, building pyramids in the case of Imhotep), but because my games are usually very simple often different themes can work with the mechanisms I come up with.

You had started off by self-publishing your games and now you are being published by larger companies. How has this changed your approach to both the design and prototyping processes?

Well the biggest change is that I am no longer worried about the components and cost of a game.

When I self-published I always kept my games small and easy to produce so that l would be able to handle them logistically. For this reason I tended towards card games early on. Also, being responsible for the entire production of a game has taught me a lot, and this knowledge really helps when I design and pitch to publishers now. For example, my final prototypes these days certainly benefit from what I learned about the art and graphic design of games.

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Interview

(Cont.)

What is your daily design/playtest schedule like?

Do you work on games everyday?

I would say I work on games almost every day, even if that is just making notes in my design notebook. But I usually get to put in a substantial amount of time a few days a week. I often test designs out at my weekly game group, and then schedule extra sessions with testers when required.

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

I always aim for accessibility and easy of play. I want my games to be very easy to get into, and for new players to quickly see and enjoy the consequences of their actions. I also have a tendency to want to “boil down” a particular mechanism to its core. So I enjoy presenting simple and clear systems in my games for the players to explore.

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

Well Sushi Go has certainly resonated with the most people, so I think I must have captured something fun and accessible in that game! But I would probably also say that Imhotep has my most original and interesting mechanism at its core.

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Australia has a burgeoning game design community. What can you tell us about the Australian scene?

Yes there are some really good Australian designers and publishers starting to make a splash. The scene here is still a bit separated based on location - but this is just a reality of living in a country where our capital cities are all so far apart. However, this is improving for sure. It doesn’t seem that there is a specific style of game that we gravitate to as a scene, rather I sense that designers here are quite eclectic in their tastes.

“Barenpark” continues the recent design trend of using polyomino tiles. What do you feel separates “Barenpark” from the other polyomino tile games?

Barenpark is very quick to learn and play which I think is a big part of its appeal. I also think it can provide a satisfying experience for both new or young gamers and players looking for a little more strategic punch.

My favorite thing about polyomino games are those moments when you get a tile to fit exactly in a space you have set up for it. This is so satisfying! So when I designed Barenpark, I tried to make these moments happen very often. Because the board you are playing your tiles to expands as you go, there are always tight spaces you get to fill in. I think this is a large part of what makes the game fun.

What were the challenges you faced when taking your popular game, “Sushi Go!”, and expanding it into “Sushi Go Party”, in particular, the choices of the additional cards and scaling it for 8 players?

Once Sushi Go did well, I had ideas for an expansion and also a larger sequel that was more like a full board game. In the end, I decided to merge them together!

I always knew I wanted to expand the game to allow more players. This wasn’t too difficult, as simultaneous pass-drafting allows for plenty of players to be involved with not much downtime. The biggest challenge was when I decided to add more than double the content in terms of new card types for the game! Around half of the new card ideas came to me quite quickly and worked quite naturally. But the other half took a whole lot of brainstorming, testing and tweaking. I’d say this was one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced as a designer - working through all those different possibilities.

In “Imhotep” the various sites are quite unique and it almost feels like a series of games within a game. Did you initially design the game with each site in mind, or did you have more of them and eventually whittled them down to the ones chosen?

Originally, I thought the game would just be about building the pyramids. That was my original concept.

But once I figured out how transporting the stones worked, it became clear that sending them to multiple different sites would be more fun. It made sense to have these sites be various different Egyptian monuments, and their shape and layout inspired me to think of different scoring rules for each one.

How early in the design process of “Cacao” did you come up with the idea of printing the meeples on the tiles and was there any particular inspiration for doing so?

Actually, in my original prototype those icons were huts rather than people. The idea was that you were spreading out your civilization across the board. The publisher, Abacus Spiele, changed them and I think it is much more intuitive. Players already have the idea that placing a pawn on a space can trigger the associated action.

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Interview

(Cont.)

Are there any plans for “Archeology” to reprinted?

The latest version is called Archaeology: The New Expedition and is published by Z-Man Games. I believe a new printing of that is on its way.

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

There is already a Sushi Go app, which is lots of fun!

No other plans at the moment, although you can play Cacao and Imhotep on the web.

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

New expansions for Cacao and Imhotep have just been released in Europe, and should arrive in english editions early in 2018. I have a couple of new titles coming out next year, but nothing is ready to announce. Although, there should be something more coming in the Sushi Go universe eventually!

What prompted you to include the Water Field in the design of “Cacao”, considering that the main What advice would you have for aspiring game scoring mechanism is provided by the tiles? designers?

I felt that I needed something in the game that all the players really had to work at - something that would hurt you if you just ignored it. Everyone needs to collect at least some water, so that creates a bit more competition and interaction around those tiles. It was quite late in the design that I decided to introduce a water track to tally up how much water you had. Originally, you just had to add up your water from the main board, but a track made this much simpler.

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My main advice would be to just get your designs out there. You really learn so much by making your games available in some form to a wider audience. So I often recommend that new designers work on a small, simple to produce game and then make it available via print and play, or print on demand. Each completed design teaches you valuable lessons and grows your skills, so just keep at it!

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Cytosis

By Serge Pierro

Biological Worker Placement

C

ytosis continues Genius Games foray into games that use contemporary mechanisms, yet have educational merit. This time we have a big box, worker placement game that might be an ideal gateway game for those looking to explore that mechanism.

It is fast and easy to play, as well as providing players with an insight into the inner processes of cell biology.

One can’t help but notice that Genius Games upped the production values on this release, as everything is top notch. The 8” x 11 1/2” x 2” linen finished box is the first indication of the quality to be expected. The cardboard insert features two wells, one large and one small, and three shelves to support the board.

The 24 page rulebook is the size of the box and is lavishly illustrated, covering the base game and the expansion. Sixteen pages are devoted to the base game and eight pages for the Virus expansion. The length of the book is due to the fact that every space on the board and each of the cards are fully explained and clarified.

Also included is an excellent four page booklet that explains the science of the processes, as well as how they relate to the game itself.

This is an outstanding resource for teachers and parents, as well as for players who are interested in knowing the science behind the gameplay. Each of the 12 subjects are divided into two sections:

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“The Science” and “The Game”. Example: Section IX - “The Mitochondria - ATP Production”, has a two paragraph synopsis devoted to the scientific subject matter and then one paragraph as to how this relates to placing a Flask on the board’s Mitochondria space and the resulting effects.

The four panel, double sided board is made of a very thick and sturdy cardboard stock. One side is for the base game and the other for the Virus expansion.

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Cytosis (Cont.)

All of the cardboard components are sturdy and The game is based on a number of rounds and this printed on thick, above average stock. However, is determined by the number of Event cards. Once the player mats for the Virus expansion are printed the last Event card is revealed, the last round of the on average stock. game commences.

The main components of the game are made of wood and include cubes for resources, cylinders for markers and custom Flasks for each player. The player colors include: Orange, Green, Light Blue, Pink and Purple, while the resource colors are Green, Black, Red, and Yellow, as well as Tan for the expansion.

The 70+ cards are linen finished and printed on decent card stock. Since they are not shuffled throughout the game, they won’t need sleeves.

Also included are five custom dies for use with the expansion and has one face featuring a custom graphic in place of the “6”.

Since the components for the expansion are initially mixed in with the others, you will need to separate them. I used one of the enclosed bags to hold the cards and resources and placed them and the dice into one section of the insert.

The setup to the game is fairly straightforward and is based on the number of players. Other than the player count, there’s nothing unusual about setting the game up.

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Considering Cytosis can be considered a “gateway” worker placement game, it should come as no surprise that the game’s mechanisms are simple, yet they do provide for an entertaining, as well as educational, gaming experience.

There are two phases to a round, a Worker Placement phase and an Event Phase. During the Worker Placement phase each player will take turns placing their Flasks on one of the available spaces on the board and resolving the action at that space.

Once all players have completed placing their Flasks, the Event Phase takes place and an Event card is turned over and resolved.

The object of the game is to complete “Cell Component” cards, which are similar to “quests” in The Lords of Waterdeep. One of the aspects of Cytosis that makes it interesting, is that in order to complete these objectives the players have to actually go through an in-game biological process in order to satisfy the demands. As an example, using the Rough ER (Protein Hormone Synthesis/ Receptor Synthesis) a player places one of their Flasks on an available space in the Rough ER and then places one of their Transport Vesicle Disks

on an available Transport Vesticle location. They then trade the same number of “mRNA” resources for an identical amount of Protein resources and place the Protein on the Transport Vesticle disk.

The second part of the process entails later placing another Flask on at the “Golgi Apparatus”. You then move the Transport Vesicle Disk from the Rough ER to the Golgi Apparatus and place the appropriate Carbohydrate or Lipid from your personal inventory onto the Disk, further building towards the Cell Component card they are trying to complete. The final step is placing a Flask on the Plasma Membrane. Here the player will reveal the

Cell Component card that matches the biological structure they just built and pay the appropriate amount of ATP to complete the process. Then the card is placed in the player’s area and the points earned are immediately scored on the scoring track.

Receptor cards are triggered when the associated Card is scored and these points are also added to the scores of any player who owns the appropriate Receptor. And while the above sounds crazily complex and scientific, the actual moves are very simple to do… they just sound complicated.

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Cytosis (Cont.)

The other spaces on the board are devoted to While the game has the feel of several other workercreating Enzymes, gathering Resources, going first placement games, there is the unique aspect of the next round, purchasing cards, etc. building the cell components via the biological systems. I liked the fact that you had to plan your One of the strategic elements of the game is strategy over several turns as there were times where placing one of your Flasks on the “Laureates in you weren’t able to gain access to the function you Biology” space and then taking one of your Goal were interested in, yet you still needed to make Markers and placing it on one of the available the important decisions in order to plan for future spaces on the Goal Cards. If you are the first one turns. to place your marker on a specific Goal Card you immediately score 3 points. These cards grant “End The only real downside to the game is the fact of game” bonuses for the criteria stated on the card. that everything is so scientific. Seeing things such Example: “Enzyme: Score an additional 2 points as “Protein Hormone Synthesis” and “Transport for each Enzyme you completed this game”.

Vesicle Disks” can be a bit “off-putting” for people who are not scientifically inclined. However, from After the last Event card is revealed, the last round and educational standpoint, this is an important commences and all of the players will have a final feature of the game. turn. Then all of the endgame points are added to the current scores of the players and the player with I have no idea what their next release is going the most points wins. to be, but I’m looking forward to seeing what it is, as each game that I’ve played has been a great I’ve become a fan of John Coveyou’s designs educational tool, as well as being an enjoyable for Genius Games, as they have contemporary gaming experience. Parents should definitely be mechanics and fine production values, while at the looking at what this line of games has to offer. same time they excel in teaching the subjects on which they are based. Cytosis is the latest release Designer: John J. Coveyou and it is their best one yet! This could easily be Publisher: Genius Games considered a gateway game for the worker placement mechanism and yet the simple game play will be Players: 2-5 of enough interest to allow parental gamers to play Mechanic: Worker Placement this with their kids without becoming bored.

Ages: Length:

10+ 60 - 90 Mins.

Recommended www.gotgeniusgames.com

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Castle Dukes

By Tom M Franklin

Castles, Dragons and Dexterity

I

f you’ve ever wondered if a real person actually wins and receives a game from a BoardGameGeek.com contest, I can assure you that it does happen. Case in Point: After 10+ years of entering BGG contests, I finally won one! And as a result, here’s my review of Castle Dukes.

Players also have a standing fortified castle entrance they place in front of their player mats. This is where they will note their score on three important qualities of their castles, rooms, guests, and battlements: Comfort, Defense, and Offense. All opponents can see these scores and plan their strategies accordingly.

On each turn players are given five coins with which to Castle Dukes combines the mental strategies of a limited resource game with the Jenga-like steady hands purchase a Room (or Rooms) for their castle and/or buy Pillars, Floor tiles, or a card from the Construction Deck. of a dexterity game.

The goal of Castle Dukes is quite simple: score the most Victory Points. However, VPs are only scored once, at the end of the ninth round, and not everything you buy or build will score you points, much less survive to the ninth round. This means there’s little room for tactical error, much less collapsing castles.

Each player starts with a player mat that has three foundation spaces for building castles. Each mat also has two helpful charts: on the left you have the purchase price for all items and the Comfort/Offense/ Defense rating some of those items grant you. On the right-hand side, you’ll find a list of the end game points each scoring component gives you.

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Rooms are set out on a separate game board with the cheapest Room (one coin) at the bottom and progressively more expensive rooms (two through five coins) placed above. Each Room costing more than a single coin also comes with an accompanying bonus in the form of a Coffer, a Serf, or a Table, each of which can help either in Defense or end of game Scoring.

Room cards also come with icons denoting (a) if they allow for a visiting Serf, Princess, Knight, and/or King to occupy the room and (b) any Comfort/Defense/Offense bonus they provide. As well there may be an indication as to whether they must be built on the first two floors or on the third floor or higher of your castle.

Photo : Tom M Franklin

After the third round, however, the game changes in The first three rounds of Castle Dukes are considered the building phase. Rounds go quickly as each player two important ways: tries to balance the building of their castle’s floors, At the end of each round a Visitor card is turned over. rooms, and any possible battlements with the balancing The card will show a Princess, Knight, or King. Players of one floor atop the other. then look to their standing castle entrance markers to However, since certain Rooms and all Battlements see who has the highest ranking for each category. A can only be built on the third floor or higher, you have Princess will go to the castle with the highest Comfort an incentive to build higher, quickly. To build a stable ranking; a Knight to the castle with the highest Offense; foundation on each existing floor for the new floor a King to the castle with the highest Defense. In order above you will want at least four pillars supporting the to claim a Visitor, you not only must have the highest new floor, one for each corner. However, in a race to standing for that Visitor’s category but you must also build higher faster, you may decide to go with only have a Room in a Castle with the icon for that Visitor. three pillars. Or two. Or, if you’re really daring, one.

Each surviving Visitor grants the castle builder VPs at the end of the game.

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Castle Dukes

(Cont.)

The Visitor card that gets turned over at the end of the fourth round may is checked for a flame icon. If a flame icon is present, the Dragon makes an appearance.

If not, the Dragon will appear at the end of the fifth round.

To resolve a Dragon attack a player pulls five random damage tokens from a bag. These tokens are decidedly not nice. Some require you to remove a Room. Or a Pillar. Or an entire floor and everything on it. Or two Pillars. Or a Visitor. Or two.

The number of these tokens you must resolve depends on either your castle’s Offense or Defense rating. The higher your rating, the fewer tokens you’ll need to deal with. Chances are good, though, that you’ll have to resolve at least three to all five of these tokens.

over and build a roof. You can then buy Construction cards and immediately put their defensive battlements (and score their Defense ratings) to defend against the Dragon’s attack.

After our first game, my weekly gaming friends and I each in our own way, began building weaker Castle sections just for the purpose of taking damage. This allowed us to do minimal damage to our scoring Castle(s). I did this with a separate stand-alone Castle while a friend did this with uncovered upper floors of his Castle. Another player paid whatever it took to get as many Rooms with high Offense icons as possible.

While this greatly reduced the number of damage tokens he had to resolve, in the next game very few of these Rooms came up for sale

Castle Dukes does a number of things very well. The Removing any and all of these elements requires a very box was shipped in an appropriately sized box and steady hand. If your castle topples during this or any the game itself was packed with four plastic corner phase, you do get to rebuild, but you’re automatically protectors which earned my respect right away. Inside docked -2 points at the end of the game. the box there are a lot of components, as well as zip-lock The Dragon returns during round seven or eight and baggies to store them all in. Of the 50 Meeple included, might return at the end of the final round. This makes the Kings, Knights, and Princesses are all painted. (The 20 gray Serfs are not) your last round strategy something of a gamble.

With the inevitable coming of VP-carrying Visitors and the Dragon you will need to approach your Castles strategically. Initially, buying Rooms with high Comfort, Offense, or Defense icons are the only way to build your ranking in those categories. While Offense and Defense will help to reduce the number of Dragon damage tokens you’ll need to resolve, Comfort may get you Princesses in your Castle -- Princesses which can be “sacrificed” to the Dragon and reduce that number as well. (More on this later.)

Starting with the third level of your Castle you can choose to not build another floor but to flip the floor tile

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Once the rules have been explained the game moves fairly quickly. The First Player token only comes into play during the Room buying phase and Dragon attacks.

Otherwise, all players are able to purchase Floor tiles, Room cards, Pillars, Construction Cards, and build their castles simultaneously. This keeps the game moving quickly and makes the experience that much more enjoyable. Although the decisions necessary for resolving the Dragon damage tokens are done one at a time, watching your opponent’s hands as they try to remove Visitors or Pillars or Room cards make for a fun time as well. Will the Castle collapse or not?

Photo : Tom M Franklin

At the start of each round players are given five coins to purchase items with. Confusingly, instead of including cardboard coins among the many sheets of cardboard punch-outs, there is only a Coin Track on the player board for you to track your five coins. As saving coins from one round to the next is a strategy we all used during the game, this Track quickly proved inadequate.

We have continued to use some spare glass globs for coins ever since.

playing this with younger kids if it weren’t for the way the Knights represent Strength and the Princesses represent Comfort, and the fact that Princesses can be sacrificed to the Dragon for your benefit. (Can you imagine playing this with your young daughter and telling her the only worth a female has is for Comfort and Sacrifice?) I keep hoping we, as a society, are moving away from such confining stereotypes and Castle Dukes could have easily created a much better game for everyone if they had either gone against stereotypes or given Princesses a To be blunt, I dislike the sexism Castle Dukes perpetuates. power more on par with the Knights and removed their Although the game says it’s for 12+, I could easily see sacrificial aspect.

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Castle Dukes

(Cont.)

Photo : Tom M Franklin

Overall, the artwork and component quality is excellent.

The cardboard used for the game board, player mats, and all of the punch-out pieces is thick and the printing is nicely done. (Although a few of the table leg pieces have already lost their printed images) The Meeple are nicely designed and the paint job is an extra bonus. The 16-page rule book is in full color with many helpful illustrations. All cards are the smaller gaming size, but given Room cards must fit on Floor tiles and no cards are kept hidden in your hand, this is understandable.

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After many plays of Castle Dukes my gaming group and I all agreed that we liked certain aspects of the game very much. Both the building and forced deconstruction phases require steady hands, concentration, and strategy.

The simultaneous building phase for all players at once was a nice step. Seeing what Room cards came up for sale, watching how everyone else chose to construct their Castles from the random floor tiles purchased, and the strategies they were employing made each game a different.

Photo : Tom M Franklin

There was, however, something about the game play that didn’t quite sit right with any of us. We each agreed that by limiting the Dragon damage to 15 tokens led to a certain amount of predictability which could then be planned for. A greater range of damage types and tokens would make for a better game. Certain items that came with the more expensive Room cards allow for scoring, but only when collected in sets which none of which any of us ever attained during any of our many playthroughs. We couldn’t agree on the single end of game scoring system, some liked that aspect, while others wanted to see more scoring opportunities at different points during the game.

And while it might seem minor, the notion of the Dragon attacking Castles left, for me, too much to the imagination. Yes, there is a dragon on the box sleeve that matches the First Player dragon token and, yes, there is a dragon wreaking destruction on a castle on the box illustration. However, after such a tactile experience building floor upon floor and adding Room cards and Visitors, pulling five Damage tokens out of a bag simply

does not a Dragon make. If anything, it feels very anticlimatic. It’s more of a nuisance than trying to recover from the viscous attack from a fire-breathing, castle-destroying dragon blotting out the sun and attacking from the skies.

This was another game members of my gaming group liked more than I did. It’s a game that I am still willing to play and might even use to introduce new gamers to the hobby. I just wish parts of it had been better thought-out and perhaps play-tested more thoroughly.

Designer: Publisher: Players: Mechanic: Ages: Length:

Dominic Michael H Medieval Lords 1-4 Tile Placement, Dexterity 12+ 60 Mins.

Recommended www.medievalords.com

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Minute Realms

By Serge Pierro

A Quick City Builder

I

don’t mind games that last two hours or more, however, there are times when a short filler just seems to “hit the spot” and over the last several years this segment of the market has released some fairly interesting offerings. One such game is DV Giochi’s Minute Realms which offers a light and fast game with just enough “punch” to make it interesting.

Minute Realms comes in an 8” x 8” x 2” box that features spot varnishing for the game and company logos. The inside of the box features a custom, four compartment, black plastic insert that even has an area for storing the assembled first player marker. It’s worth noting that many publishers are “upping their game” by including custom plastic inserts and in doing so really add an additional layer of value to their games.

The game includes two, 4 page rulebooks, each one in English and Italian. Due to the ease of play, these concise instructions cover all of the pertinent information, including the iconography, as well as including some illustrations and examples.

The Invader Track is a sturdy cardboard square that is the size of the box and the Invader tokens and two-piece first player marker are made of the same stock.

The 56 oversized cards measure 7mm x 11mm (approximately 2 3/4” x 3 3/8”) and are of a good stock and shuffle nicely. The cards are not shuffled throughout the game, so sleeves shouldn’t be needed.

The 30 pearlescent gold/orange plastic coins are “chunky” and measure approximately 1” in diameter and 3/16” thick.

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To start the game, shuffle the Invader tiles (based on player count) and place the stack on the first space of the Invader Track. Each player is given between 3-5 coins based on the number of players/ starting position. A first player is chosen and play begins.

The game is played over eight rounds, with the fourth and eighth rounds having a special “Invasion” phase.

If a player chooses to keep their card, they proceed to the Build phase where they either purchase the card by paying its cost or turning it over to erect a “Defensive At the start of the round each player is dealt one card Bastion” and receive 2 coins from the supply. If can’t pay face up in front of them and two additional cards are for a card, you have to turn it over to build a “Defensive dealt face up in the middle. Then the starting player has Bastion”. The back of the card has two shields which to make a choice: keep the card that was dealt to them will protect your city from two points of attack during or trade it to another player for their card or for one of the Invasion. The card is placed in your tableau and is the two cards in the middle of the table. unavailable to other players.

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Minute Realms(Cont.)

If a player chooses a card from another player or the central location they will have to resolve the Trading Action(s) listed on the card. These actions can include: Receiving “X” coins from the supply, paying the player or supply for the card or placing an Invader on the appropriate space. After the Trading Actions have been resolved, then the player either pays the cost to build it or turn it over as a “Defensive Bastion”.

Play continues around the table in this fashion until everyone has taken a card. Then the cards in the middle of the table are discarded and the first player token is given to the next player and the next round begins in the same fashion and the stack of Invaders move up to the next space.

As mentioned earlier, the 4th and 8th rounds end with the special Invasion action. At the end of the 4th turn, any Invasion tokens that were placed on the Invasion Track are revealed and the total amount of Strength is tabulated and compared to each player’s amount of Shields. If a player has Shields equal to or greater than the Invaders Strength, nothing happens. If they have less, they have to take one of their cards and flip it over to erect a “Defensive Bastion” and they do not receive 2 coins for doing so. The 8th turn is resolved in a similar manner, except this time all of the Invaders on both Tracks are totaled and compared against each player’s Shield total. If they fail, they must flip over a card, however, if they are successful, they receive Victory points equal to the Strength of the Invaders.

After the 8th round is over, and the Invaders are resolved, each player will add the points that are face up on their cards and add this to the Victory points obtained during the Invasion. The player with the most points wins. Coins are used for tiebreaks.

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Minute Realms proved to be an entertaining filler game.

We preferred playing it at the higher player counts because the odds of an Invader appearing on the track was increased and we felt that the Invaders are what made the game tense and interesting.

Having said that, we felt that there should have been more probability of an Invasion, as this was what gave the game a bit of an edge as players had to decide whether to build Defensive Bastions or construct a new building. At the lower player counts most players were happy to “dance around” the cards that had the Invaders on them and concentrate entirely on building their realm without the worry of losing something to an invasion. Surprisingly the extra Invader tokens that are used for the 4-5 player games are all “0” and make the likelihood of a successful Invasion even less probable.

This relatively fast filler is an excellent game to unwind with at the end of a full night of gaming. Pawel Hordyniak’s artwork is well suited for the theme and the various scoring methods kept players busy trying to put together various scoring combos. This is a welcome addition to the genre of light filler games.

Designer: Publisher: Players: Mechanic: Ages: Length:

Stefano Castelli DV Giochi 2-5 Drafting, Set Collection 10+ 15-30 Mins.

Recommended www.dvgiochi.com

Solo Gaming

By Jeff Rhind

Caverna: Cave vs. Cave

C

averna: Cave vs. Cave is a two player game designed

by Uwe Rosenberg and published by Mayfair Games where you are competing dwarves (in the Caverna universe) trying to excavate and build up your cave system with rooms that will score you points at the end of the game. Like all Uwe games there is a solo mode as, word has it, that is how he develops his games. You will not be competing against anyone but just trying to achieve a high score which, admittedly, is pretty hard to beat.

Your player board features a cave ripe for excavating and exploring along with a Goods track to keep track of resources including gold, flax, wood, stone, food and grain or in this game, Emmer. As you excavate tiles in your cave, you flip them over and add them to the pool of available rooms to build. All have a cost to build using your available resources like wood, stone, or gold. These rooms are worth victory points at the end of the game.

Some are one-time bonuses, others allow you to trigger that building later in gameplay to convert a type of resource(s) to another type of resource(s), while others are on-going conversion/bonus rooms. The trick is each building may have a requirement as to where it can be placed in the cave system in so far as where walls exist on

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each of the four sides of the room. You can turn the tiles to help the spatially challenged fulfill the requirements depicted on the tile. Also, you can build walls through an action tile that can be played to help set up your plan to construct “that” particular room.

The true crux of the game is the action selection board.

There are four basic actions to start and each round an additional randomized action is flipped over and adds to the bevy of actions that are available – but remember, you only have a set number of actions you can perform each round. Argh! Eventually in the final round, a total of four actions can be selected as you try to maximize your final points before the game ends.

Cave vs. Cave is a puzzle game whether multi-player or solo. Granted there is no “take that” experience as actions do not get blocked by another player. However, as the game progresses the number of choices you have in a solo game increases. Certain actions allow you to trigger the special abilities of constructed rooms in your cave. Most importantly, which order you perform them in is part of the challenge, frustration and fun. Plus, some action tiles require you to feed the number of workers that you are currently using in that round: two, three or in the last,

Photo: Jeff Rhind

four – true Rosenberg! Some rooms in your cave will require food to trigger their special/conversion ability.

The game plays remarkably fast, even as you spend the time to math out exactly what your strategy is which means you can get in multiple plays trying to best your score each time.

the gold piece was a chunky wooden or plastic bit instead of cardboard and then when it turns over above 10 gold, it could be replaced with a larger one. This is an opportunity for some to “trick” out their copies.

(Cardboard Goods chits are included if a player would rather use those.) The only real complaint I have on the player board is the Goods track can get crowded and As with most action selection games, you’ll never have thereby can make the game feel a bit fiddly. This is just enough rounds to get done what you want to get done a nitpick and not a big deal. Finally, this game is ripe which, of course, is all part of the puzzle. Also, the more for future small expansions that add more room tiles you play the game, the more you will memorize the to add into the mix and up the challenge and options! actions that are coming in the round, you just won’t The solo game of Cave vs. Cave is a great opportunity know in what order they will appear. For some, that to learn the game to make it easier to teach and more limits replayability as you can sort of “program” your engaging to play. play waiting for a particular action tile to become available. This is somewhat mitigated by the randomness So, go grab your pick axe, start excavating your cave and of the various available rooms that get revealed. The start playing! component quality is great although, I sort of wish

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Interview Gallery

Steve Jackson #1

Dan Verssen #1

Paul Herbert #1

Reiner Knizia #2

Franz Vohwinkel #2

James Ernest #2

Mark Copplestone #2

Reiner Knizia #3

Peter Adkison #3

Brom #3

Chenier La Salle #4

Ryan Dancey #4

Brian Snoddy #4

Beth Sobel #5

Bruno Faidutti #5

Tom Jolly #6

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Antoine Bauza #7

Dennis Lohausen #7

Ryan Laukat #8

Chad Hoverter #9

Matt Leacock #9

Greg Isabelli #9

Ignacy Trzewiczek #10

Jacqui Davis #10

Johan Koitka #10

Jamey Stegmaier #11

Michael Menzel #11

Kay Wilke #11

Vincent Dutrait #12

Mike Fitzgerald #12

Sandy Petersen #13

Mihajlo Dimitrievski #13

Game Nite Issue #20

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Interview Gallery

Bruno Cathala #14

John Ariosa #14

Friedemann Friese #15

Joshua Cappel #15

Eric Vogel #15

Mac Gerdts #16

Keldon Jones #16

Steve Finn #17

J. Alex Kevern #18

Richard Ham #18

Ludovic Roudy #19

Bruno Sautter #19

Phil Walker-Harding #20

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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 ready... but, currently finds his free time devoted to doing Game Nite.

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.

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

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

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• • • • • •

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

• • • • • • • • •

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

• • • • • • • • •

Nevermore Gold West Arcadia Quest

Dragon Flame

New York 1901

Lift Off! Tesla vs. Edison

Yashima Targi

• • • • • • • •

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

Game Nite Issue #20

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Game Review Index

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Game Nite Issue #20

• • • • • • • • • • • •

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

• • • • • • • • • • • •

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

• • • • • • • • • • • •

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

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

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 Game Nite Issue #20

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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

• • • • • • • • • •

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 Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu

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7&7 March of the Ants: Minions of the Meadow Honshu Web of Spies Saga of the Northmen Tournament at Camelot Haspelknecht: The Ruhr Valley Plague Inc. Zephyr Terrible Monster 5ive Duress

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Fantasy Realms Space Race Isle of Skye Unearth ION Escape from 100 Million BC Battle for Souls COG Near and Far Terraforming Mars Caverna: Cave vs. Cave Pocket Mars Terra Mystica Hafid’s Grand Bazaar

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The Climbers Whistle Stop The 7th Continent Witches of the Revolution Viral Sentient Road Hog PeltaPeeps

Game Nite Issue #20

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Game Review Index

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Game Nite Issue #20

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Mini Rails Nightmare Forest: Alien Invasion The Ruhr Summit Seikatsu Tulip Bubble Covalence

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Joraku Michael Strogoff Minute Realms Castle Dukes Rajas of the Ganges Cytosis

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