Machi Koro
This is a charming little city building game by Masao Suganuma and published originally by IDW and now by Pandasaurus. Yes, I know that this game is nearly 10 years old and has expansions I am not covering here and and indeed as a legacy version and a sequel game, but as a mainstay on my personal game collection and a game that I have snared many boardgame converts on I think that it deserves your attention. Machi Koro is and example of a game that does as thing does it very well and then normally comes to a conclusion...
Tiny Towns
Today we are looking at Tiny Towns, a game from the publisher AEG designed by Peter McPherson. This is a resource placement game where you take on the role of a town planner trying to build the best layout from the building types and resources. Play time is spritely with rounds zipping past quickly and little down time for players between having things to do. The building types and resources that are available to each player during the game are the same. With most things being consistent putting all players on a mechanically equal footing, it is only your tactics...
Fungi
Fungi, a game designed of Brent Povis, is a two-player card game that involves collecting and cooking a variety of mushrooms for a delicious meal one woodland evening. The play time is once familiar between 20 and 30 minutes but while getting used to the slightly convoluted rules and the less than quick to run through rules booklet up to 40 minutes. I can recommend while the rules may initially seem a little opaque on paper once you have played the game through its sense of progress turn by turn will win you over. The short run time make the game a...
Imploding Kittens (an Exploding Kittens expansion)
From the moment you lay eyes on the huge box that that this card game expansion come in your interest will be piqued. The majority of the packaging comes from trying to wrap up the new “Cone of Shame” device. This enormous comedy vet cone which while fun to play with a couple of times soon gets discarded from play in favour of pointing and laughing. Let me explain; one of the new card types and mechanics introduced in this game is the ability to reverse the direction of play (using a snappily named “Reverse” card.). The Cone of Shame...
Kingdom
One of the things that strikes me about Kingdom (on steam) is the restful way you play it it for the most part. The pixel art graphics slide their way across your screen pleasingly as you ride from one end of your kingdom to the other. Gawking aside the in game mechanic of spend coins, get stuff, spend coins, upgrade stuff, spend coins, hope that you get some return on coins, is nice and simple and stays just on the right side of scarcity to remain fun. Threat comes from the nightly wave of mobs, in this game I believe...
Exploding Kittens
Well here is a card game that is definitely worth a look. A winner takes all experience where players try and avoid drawing the titular “Exploding Kitten” cards while collecting enough useful cards to insulate them from the vicious end game. If you can read you can play, but be warned players can go out after having their defences ripped away by other players so there will be tantrums in players of all ages.The line drawn cards have a quirky (that is to say fun and weird like a licking a unicorn-pig hybrid to see into the future, not post-modern...
Carcassonne
Okay. (takes a deep breath) this one is a biggie. Carcassonne is one of those board gaming monoliths which due to its age and wealth of expansions are a considerable commitment to review. So to make this more palatable for me and you, I shall treat this as Alice suggests and “Start at the beginning.” Carcassonne is a tile and worker placement game in what we have come to know as the European style. Each turn a tile is placed by a player from the randomised deck of tiles and then that player has the opportunity to set down one...
From awful beginnings…
Well, I suppose it’s time to chuck a bit of paint around the old site and to get a spot of content dabbed here and there. Please bear with me.