Linkblog - 24.4.2016 - 23.11.2017

Another new addition is Viticulture Essential Edition - purchased on the occasion of a 10-euro voucher from the local game store, chosen because of the number of players (1-6). So far, I have only played it solo, but it works excellently for that. And from what I've seen, I'm already looking forward to playing it in the player round - a well-intermeshed worker placement, where the theme fits quite well with the actions in the game (ok, some details are a bit "creative", but overall the interplay of the actions makes sense). The whole thing then with quite challenging decisions in the game, but not as far as, for example, in Gallerist or similar highly complex games. So really something for the weekly round and not immediately a time investment for the weekend.

Recently, Godforsaken Scavengers arrived from Kickstarter and I tried it out right away. Originally, I only grabbed it because the unusual theme (or rather the style) appealed to me. It's basically a dungeon crawl with character attributes, events, locations, and everything that goes with it, packed into a super compact playtime and wrapped in appealing graphics. So, absolutely great for a quick game, as it hardly consumes any setup and the game itself is quick to finish. It has exactly the right length for the high proportion of luck it takes to survive - if things go wrong, not much time is invested, just shuffle and go again.

Another trade show souvenir is Azul, a nice tile-laying game with a super-friendly (and super-painted) theme: tile laying. The game itself is quite competitive and a lot of fun (at least for me) and has been well received in the board game group so far. I particularly like the short playing time, many games in our collection go beyond the hour and this one can be easily finished in 40 minutes, even with 4 players. In addition, it is super easy to teach to the players and the material is simply great. This will certainly find its way onto the table more often.

Triplock is a new addition that surprised me - I only picked it up because the manufacturer often delivers very interesting games in superb quality and the theme appealed to me (Steampunk world and lock picking). What surprised me, however, was how much I enjoyed it. Essentially, it's a classic memory game - uncovering combinations, remembering the same, swapping and twisting, and at the same time keeping an overview of what is where. A bit like the typical shell game, only as a board game with a story. And it works damn well, also (or perhaps even especially) solo. You happily play several rounds in a row until you've cracked the current scenario.

Nemo's War (second edition) I have now played twice, and it is becoming one of my favorite solo games. It captures the atmosphere of Jules Verne's books well into an entertaining game. Even if, of course, the theme is only carried by the cards and the graphics of the game. The game system is based on a lot of chance, which can be surprisingly well managed. The result is quite a bit of strategy in a yet relatively classic roll-for-success system. The playtime, however, prevents me from getting it on the table more often. Nevertheless, it ranks high on my list.

A few days ago, The 7th Continent finally arrived after almost 2 years of waiting. Wow, it was worth the wait! The game has turned out fantastic and has made it into my top list. If the fun continues, it's a clear favorite for the 10th place. The only thing that could have been left out are the fiddly tiny miniatures, I prefer the cardboard standees ten times more. But the game itself - simply grand. Very beautifully drawn cards, clear symbolism and simple game system - all together form a graphical choose-your-own-adventure game. Looks simply great on the table. In addition, a clever save/restore mechanism makes it trivial to pack away to free up the table (you have to eat sometimes). When continuing to play, there is a bit of sorting work, but it is also clear. And the story you experience is really worth the time you invest. In addition, a series of curses that you can expose yourself to and many adventurers that you can send on the journey, that offers a lot of replay value. Even if you naturally get to know the continent over time, it probably won't get boring. This will bring a lot of gaming fun and for the autumn the next Kickstarter with more curses is already announced. I think I'll be there again.

The Godfather: Corleone's Empire has risen to the top of my list lately - I was immediately interested when it was announced (Worker Placement where you shoot annoying opponent workers?), and when it became available early, I grabbed it. Since then, I've played it with 2, 3, and 4 players and I am absolutely thrilled. Unlike many other Worker Placement games, it is not a multiplayer solitaire, but highly interactive and extremely mean, in parts. Yesterday, I was practically destroyed by theft, extortion, and murder of my people. And that's extremely fun - even if you think you're completely out of it at times, there's surprisingly much potential for a comeback. All in all, definitely a game way up there in my top list.

ComancherĂ­a: The Rise and Fall of the Comanche Empire recently found its way to my table. Wow. Simply wow. It is a solo game about the history of the Comanche, from their rise as a dominant tribe in the North American plains to their decline in the Battle of the Red River. Interspersed with historical notes, the game offers a very interesting system in which the author also takes the trouble to trace the various mechanics back to historical conditions or cultural peculiarities. And all of this with very solid game elements of extremely good quality (definitely in the premium range for a GMT game). And the game itself? What impresses me most is the very well-developed "AI" for the opponents for a solo game. Usually, the opponents in solo games are relatively simple, more driven by chance, possibly controlled a bit by rule systems. Not in this game, here the opponents are assigned strategy markers that give a rough overview of what this opponent might have in mind next - if he is activated. But even then, a random element is added, in which these strategies can still change in the short term - and you never know exactly how active he will be. The peace plans visible so far can quickly turn into attacks. But what is guaranteed: the more you do yourself, the higher the chances that the opponent will also carry out many actions. So always think about whether the next action will bring you further, or whether the risk of even more opponent activations might be too great. The success check for your own actions is also interestingly structured: it is not simply always just a die that is rolled, many checks go against a chit-pull system, in which successes and failures are taken out of the pool of possible chits (in the case of successes even for a longer time), so that your own successes automatically show in stronger resistance from the opponents (recognizable by the more likely failures due to the change in the composition of the chits). All in all, this gives a very rounded picture of the opponents in the game, who do not simply sit passively around to then strike randomly and arbitrarily, but instead react quite a bit to your own actions. And this without a lot of administrative effort for the opponents. It will definitely come to the table more often, especially since it contains a lot of other game elements that I love, foremost the "technology tree", in which you can equip your tribes with additional techniques and abilities and culturally strengthen them, which allows you to better support your own strategies. Then there are 4 historical scenarios that can all be played standalone (each 1-2 hours) or as a large campaign one after the other (6-8 hours). Then there is a relatively moderate setup, which is not always the case with conflict simulations.

For our weekly game group, I'm always looking for interesting games for 7 or even more players. Between Two Cities only goes up to 7, but offers a very nice game from the beginner class. Not as complex as 7 Wonders or similar, but definitely interesting for a large round. The special point of this game: you play together with your two neighbors. Together with each neighbor, you build a city, but you are evaluated afterwards according to your weakest city. The player whose weakest city has the most points wins. A very interesting idea and brings fresh wind into the round, because the players have to plan together to have a chance, but still compete. And the evaluation of the cities is much easier than, for example, in Suburbia - overall it seems more like a variant of Quadropolis, only with drafting and support for many players.

Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear! (second edition) is a tactical conflict simulation of Germany's attack on Russia in World War II. Generally not my favorite topic, but Conflict of Heroes is simply a standout in the genre for mechanical reasons: it has one of the most refined systems for solo play in the area of tactical games. The opponents (depending on the scenario, you can control the Russians or the Germans and let the other side be controlled by an "AI") are controlled via a card system that is situationally built. The cards check various conditions and prescribe actions that the opponent performs - and all of this is placed in the context of the current game situation and the game scenario. This results in surprisingly "intelligent" reactions from the opponents, which make the game absolutely challenging, even when you're playing solo. Additionally, there's the option to use the Firefight Generator to create your own scenarios in a kind of pre-game. The interesting part here: the scenario is set up neutrally, you assemble both sides, but which side you play is only decided at the end. Therefore, it doesn't make sense to set up the scenario one-sidedly, as you would then have to play the weaker side. As a result, the game offers a very high replay value simply because the situations constantly change. And in this regard, it is clearly superior to Night of Man - another tactical skirmish game with a card-driven "AI" for the opponents - where there are only pre-made solo scenarios.

Pentaquark can best be described as "Patience for science enthusiasts." A card laying game with a reference to quantum physics and some interesting included variants. Nothing big or special, just a nice game to kill time in between. Interesting mainly because it is extremely compact and can therefore always be with you.

The Duke is a game that I had lying in the cupboard for quite some time because there was simply no opportunity for it - and I had practically given up on it. Then I planned it for our Mauritius vacation and played it several times with Juliana. It is definitely not Juliana's favorite game, but I had a damn good time with it. Basically, it's a much more variable chess with a certain element of chance. You start with the same - few - pieces on the board and can either move a piece with each move or bring a new piece into the game. To do this, pieces (square tiles with printed movement patterns) are turned over when activated, thus constantly changing their movement pattern. The result is a surprisingly interesting concept with very interesting strategic situations. I don't know if I'll ever get Juliana to play it again outside of beach vacations (for which it is ideal because of its very robust components), but it will definitely stay in my collection.

Yesterday, Mound Builders finally made it to the table. Very exciting. Mound Builders deals with an Indian culture of North America, of which only the burial mounds and a huge city (i.e., the traces of it) remain, but otherwise not much is known - except that they probably dominated North America culturally for about 1500 years. The game belongs to the State of Siege series, games that usually simulate a kind of stalemate. Situations in which enemies penetrate from the outside and must be repelled. In Mound Builders, however, you first build your empire in the first epoch of the game, which is then attacked in two further epochs. And the epochs all play quite differently (for example, the Spaniards are added as a catastrophe in the third). The game is set up quickly and is relatively quick to play once you have the phases down. However, this can take some time because the rulebook is rather unusual. But the effort is worth it if you want an exciting solo game with an interesting theme far removed from the usual. Of course, it is relatively strongly random, because almost every situation is resolved with dice. But this should not deter experienced solo players, as this is rather typical there - especially in conflict simulations.

Warhammer Quest: The Adventure Card Game I've had for a while, but only today had the chance to play it. The game is very similar to Space Hulk: Death Angel, but much more expanded. Even in the tutorial, there is much more decision space and you have much more of a feeling of control. It's fun and the different scenarios promise even more of it. Specifically, the upgrading of action cards looks interesting, but unfortunately is not part of the tutorial. But it definitely makes you want more. Setup is much more than in SH:DA. So let's see how often it actually lands on the table, especially since Arkham Horror LCG is also announced, which goes in a similar direction.

Recently, the German version of Scythe finally arrived at my place, and today it hit the table as a solo game. The material is fantastic and impressive visually. The game itself is also great - essentially a mix of a Eurogame with action selection and a 4X game. The exploration aspect was not very pronounced, the military aspect only moderate, both of which I like. It's about the typical Euro efficiency of one's own actions, but embedded in a stylish frame theme. What excites me is the good design of the player boards, which show possible actions at a glance. And the very fast game sequence during the game with manageable decision-making scope. Great.

51st State: Master Set is one of the newest games from Portal Games and a remake of the old 51st State with all expansions and revised rules. It practically brings Imperial Settlers back to the post-apocalyptic world of 51st State. I really like it. The asymmetry of the factions is not as pronounced as in Imperial Settlers (there by the own card stacks), but the game is much smoother and feels faster and more interactive. And the solo game is easier to play. Overall, I really like it, especially for the solo game even better than Imperial Settlers (although I still have to try the nation-specific AI and the campaign there).

Codenames: Pictures is the sister game of the Game of the Year - only with pictures instead of words. Tried it with Juliana using the two-player rules, and it works surprisingly well. Of course, nothing you would constantly play with two people, but it was just a practice round for the next game night anyway. It will definitely be tried out in the group there.

Red7 is a small and fast game for in between. Ideal for waiting for the food or even on the plane, as it only needs minimal space. And despite simple rules and fast gameplay, it does provide something to think about. Additionally, the game is modular in the rules and can be adjusted in complexity. All in all, a really nice game that will certainly come to our table more often.

Mare Nostrum: Empires finally arrived on Friday after almost a year of extra time. It was one of the more complicated Kickstarters. But the wait was worth it for the game. The components are - as typical for Academy Games - fantastic. The game itself is surprisingly straightforward for a game with this theme (cultures in the Mediterranean region with trade and war) and also plays very quickly. My first solo game (two cultures plus barbarians) had an even for me surprising turn - at the beginning Carthage was ahead, reached 4 wonders (the fifth would have brought victory), but Rome could switch to military to put pressure on trade and secure victory through dominance in the areas of trade, culture and military. Great system and I hope to bring it to the table more often.

Here's what I found worth reading over the course of the week and didn't want to link separately, collected and uncommented.

Here are some interesting reads from this week that I didn't want to link to separately, collected here without comments.

7 Wonders Juliana and I usually play in the Duell version. But since our Thursday round is growing, we also got the big game - with the Cities expansion you can play with up to 8 players. Today was the first training session with the 2-player variant included in the box. Definitely more cumbersome than the small duel, but equally definitely noticeable how the game can run with larger rounds - and it's fun for more. Just enough interactivity not to turn into a multiplayer solitaire, but enough strategy not to become a pure random number. I like it very much.

Here are some interesting reads from this week that I didn't want to link to separately, collected here without comments:

Here are some interesting reads from this week that I didn't want to link to separately, collected here without comments:

Whenever I look at EDH decks, I actually want to build something crazy that has massive combo potential and relatively high stability against various other decks. Slobad - Self-Mill/Eggs (Competitive) (Commander / EDH MTG Deck) does exactly that, if I interpret the list correctly. It's amazing how a rather "cozy" general can be bred into a combo monster.

Here are some articles I found worth reading this week, collected and uncommented:

Yesterday I played Deckmaster: A MTG Variant Format by Jim Bowie again - and this time, as often recently, against the Horde (the solo variant for MTG). Pretty cool, slowly my Main Stack is becoming quite usable for this. Still some fine-tuning needed, but it's getting there. The special thing this time: out of the three games I played, I basically played three different archetypes. In the first game, a classic lifegain deck, where I almost didn't care how many Minotaurs attacked me, as I kept coming back up through lifegain and could block with smaller creatures and attack with a few boosted creatures. In the second game, one of the funniest deck variants: Voltron. But not just any creature, but a 0/4 Ox from Theros. With the Vows of Wildness on it, a 3/7 for power-blocking large Minotaurs from the Horde and with the Firewhips then double strike after Titan's Strength as a 6/8. It went through the Horde like butter. But the coolest round was the third one: no creatures appeared, only removal and board wipes. The result was a classic control deck with which I could clear the Minotaurs right at the start. My deck still went down to only 4 points, but then it stabilized and in the meantime a finisher appeared with the Stalker from the sixth district. The Stalker gets a boost for every creature in the opponent's graveyard - and the Minotaurs have a lot there after a while. Which led to the Stalker, thanks to removals, simply clearing the Horde deck with 20-point hits. Cool.

Here's what I found worth reading this week, collected and uncommented:

Without Fear and Nobility is practically an oldie, but it was new for Juliana and me. I mainly got it to have something small for larger rounds, as our weekly board game evening is slowly growing. We have only played it in pairs so far, but even then the game is very nice. It reminds a bit of San Juan, with the buildings primarily serving as a source of money (and points), the violet buildings with special functions and the role selection. Very interactive and at least with two players even with strategic elements, which, however, in larger rounds are probably displaced in favor of purely tactical play. But it's definitely fun.

Yomi Starter Set: Grave versus Jaina is a very unusual and interesting game for me, which brings some problems in solo play. Yomi simulates the old 2D Fighter Games - classic Punch/Throw/Block actions in a Rock/Paper/Scissors configuration. But all of this as a card game with simultaneous playing of action cards. Which basically comes down to guessing the opponent's actions. Which doesn't work so well in solo play - due to the lack of a guessable opponent. So it's only the evaluation of your own hand of cards, a bit of statistics and card counting. Which is surprisingly interesting against an automaton that blindly draws from the deck. You wouldn't expect it, but the cards offer enough interesting combination possibilities that it remains interesting anyway. At least for learning the different characters, it is usable, whether it can also offer long-term fun remains to be seen. As I said, this only refers to solo play, with a real opponent it will certainly be different.

What I consider worth reading over the course of the week and did not want to link separately, collected here and uncommented.

What I considered worth reading during the week and did not want to link separately, collected here and uncommented.

What I considered worth reading during the week and did not want to link separately, collected here and uncommented.

Leaving Earth is a game in which players manage a space agency and must carry out missions. The solo version presents some exciting challenges, as you need to win at least half of the mission points available. This is already quite difficult - in my first game, to even have a chance of winning solo, I first had to examine Venus to find out that you can't land there (which allowed me to discard the Venus missions and thus reduce the point load) and then carry out a manned Mars mission. The latter failed due to lack of time and propulsion equipment. But ideas are already circulating on how to make the whole thing run better next time. And that's a good sign for a hard optimization game - here you don't shoot or send old men with atomic bombs to asteroids, here you plan your budget, your multi-year missions, and the risk you want to take. Cool. For Science!

Here are some interesting reads from this week that I didn't want to link to separately, collected here without comment.

1775: Rebellion hit the table for the second time today and was another great success: a draw, both sides controlled 5 colonies, and North America became a southern province of French Canada. The best of all possible outcomes when you look at today's presidential candidates. I really like the game - the strategies must really be balanced, if you want to hold the southern colonies, you also have to defend them, at the same time you don't want to lose the northern ones, because there are many colonies there. England is vulnerable because two hard-to-defend colonies lie far in the north, which the Americans can invade. I was two colonies ahead when I started the last round, but then I lost two colonies - and possibly Juliana could have even attacked three. Juliana also likes it, so it will definitely hit the table again.

Night of Man is a tactical combat game, Aliens vs Humans (or other Aliens). So far, my favorite game in the niche has been Hoplomachus, as it captures gladiatorial combat, which is its theme, quite well. And because it has solid solo rules. Night of Man complements my collection with more extended combat, also with solo rules. However, the rules themselves are also the biggest drawback - they are quite well written, but during the game, gaps and weaknesses become apparent, symbols without explanation, or situations that are not clarified. More careful development of the game would certainly have helped here. But if you use common sense, you can solve most things yourself. The game itself is very entertaining. The impulses go quickly, the game does not stall for long, as you usually only activate a few units (often only one). This way, both sides have something to do, and the reaction cards provide even more interaction. Definitely makes you want more, especially with the solo rules (so far it was left hand against right hand). And the components are well made, and especially the counters are very old-man-eye-friendly.

I don't really play MTG anymore (except online), but EDH is still my favorite format and I always check out interesting decks. Reinventing The Commander 2015 “Seize Control” Pre-Con, Part 2: It Seemed So Innocent… provides an interesting perspective on an Izzet deck focused on non-creatures. It really looks fun and is not the typical Mizzix or Melek Wahl. And it provides an interesting theme for the color combination that doesn't necessarily have to be based in Ravnica.

The Gallerist Review – A Masterpiece – Wolf's Gaming Blog is a good review of one of my favorite heavy games. This reminds me that I should definitely take the box out of the closet again.

Dawn of the Zeds (Third edition) is one of the Kickstarter deliveries I've been eagerly anticipating this year, which finally arrived a few days ago. The anticipation came from the fact that it's from one of my favorite publishers - Victory Point Games - who have ventured into mass-market production with this one. No more print-on-demand with laser-cut components, but professional production in high quality was the goal. Add to that the fact that Dawn of the Zeds is the pinnacle of the States of Siege series. Essentially tower defense with control of events and enemy attacks through a configurable deck of cards. The result? Wow. Simply wow. The components are absolutely top-notch, the entire material looks fantastic. The modular game system allows for different difficulty levels, both for cooperative play and for one-against-many. Plus, there's a No-Brains mode, which essentially offers an extremely simplified system for beer-and-chips evenings. The game is most comparable to a zombie movie, the story is built up excitingly and the prepared decks of cards keep the tension high. Absolutely fantastic gaming experience. The setup is a bit cumbersome, as all the elements need to be prepared, but it's within the acceptable range for such a game. This will definitely hit the table more often, as even in solo play, the whole thing is extremely fun.

UBports could potentially breathe new life into my old Nexus 5 when purchasing my next Nexus, which would be more than what was possible with my old Galaxy Nexus.

Simmons Games: Napoleon’s Triumph Sample Game shows well why I am looking for an affordable copy of this game. The graphic design is simply brilliant, the game system relatively compact and unusual, the whole thing looks more like one of the old military planning games than a classic wargame. Many possible ways the conflict can develop, depending on how the players decide. Simply all-around well made.

I am particularly fascinated by games with a scientific background. That's why Greenland was an obvious choice for me. The author Phil Eklund is known for his very intensive study of the themes of his games. This is also the case here - the struggle for survival of the Thule, Tunit and Norwegians in Greenland around the year 1000 is thematically addressed, especially the changes brought about by the Little Ice Age and the resulting changes in life and migrations. The result is a remarkably dense game with a lot of strategy and tactics. The rules are somewhat very compactly structured, but can be mastered with a bit of reading - or simply watch a few of the videos on the game page at BGG. In principle, not really much new in terms of techniques and mechanics - worker placement with dice decisions about success, resource management and an event engine that builds up the necessary pressure. The solo variant is solid and can be well adapted to your own requirements. Multiplayer I unfortunately haven't been able to try out yet, as the game is only available in English. But for solo, a clear recommendation.

1775: Rebellion is a game about the American Revolutionary War. Solidly situated in the War-Euro area with surprisingly compact rules. But not just Risk-with-theme, but quite strategic. I particularly like the very compact game situation with only 12 cards per faction - in the 4-player mode, it's played 2 vs. 2, with two players each playing two factions. Due to the small number of rules and cards, even the first game plays relatively quickly and you quickly recognize the strategic and tactical possibilities. And despite its compactness, the theme comes across well in my opinion. Definitely fun for more!

Here's what I found worth reading this week, collected and uncommented:

Here's what I found worth reading this week, collected and uncommented:

W1815 really surprised me on the first play: I expected a dice fest with wild randomness and little control in a historical setting. But I found a quite tricky dice puzzle. Of course, everything is left to chance, but the actions of the corps with reactions from opponents (even in chains) make the whole thing interesting - I constantly have to assess which risks and opportunities arise. In addition, the corps change depending on the situation and thus change the planning situation. This quickly brings surprisingly much deliberation and planning. Which is then of course rendered useless by the dice. And the whole thing works surprisingly well solo, simply let the dice tell the story of the battle (or a possible alternative story) and influence it by selecting the corps. Very relaxing and plays in 15-30 minutes.

Here's what I found worth reading this week, collected and uncommented:

Analog charm in digital times: With the new M-Series camera, Leica omits the display. Through this reduction, the user of the Leica M-D should only focus on their subject

Source: Ohne Display: Leica M-D ist eine analoge Digitalkamera - Golem.de - the joke is, I would actually like that. I ignore the screen on my M8 anyway and if my camera offers it (like the GH1), then I fold away the display. But for 6000 Euros? Nope.

Here are some articles I found worth reading this week, collected and uncommented: