Tag Archives: board games

Spaghetti & Meeples looks at Gem Packed Cards

Another great game from Ed Baraf. Enjoy the review, the furniture, and check out the links below the video.

Kickstarter page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ebaraf/gempacked-cards

iOS app: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gempacked/id963590007?mt=8

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Mint Tin Mini Apocalypse

Kickstarter Page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/subquark/mint-tin-mini-apocalypse

The rules as on BoardGameGeek:

A simultaneous 2 player game of surviving the apocalypse all in 5 to 10 minutes.

It’s a nice day in Meepleton. You & friends are enjoying the day without a care in the world . . .
BOOM! Transformers blow, cars crash, people fall to the ground unconscious. Phew! You’re wobbly but okay.
RAWR! Nearby a giant, heinous monster wreaks havoc!
Get your friends to the school’s forgotten fallout shelter.

Game Setup

Dump out tin, choose a color, place 4 meeps laying down & 1 standing on your side of tin.
Grab matching dice.
Tin is the Fallout Shelter (FoS).
Stand monster a few inches from FoS with green die behind it, 6 facing up.
Place 2 white supply boxes between the FoS & nefarious monster.

Game Play
Get your meeps to their feet, stay on yours, secure the FoS, get 1 supply box & seal the FoS!
Your actions are on 7s & you need 1 standing meep to help your single meeps or to knock down others.
FoS holds a max of 7 meeps.
Start game & roll your dice. Standard game is simultaneous rolling, not turn-based.
On a 7 you can:

  • Stand 1 meep (if none standing)
  • Help 1 meep to its feet
  • Help 1 standing meep into FoS
  • Knock down 1 standing opponent
  • Toss 1 opponent out of FoS (you need 1 in) BUT place them standing up outside FoS
  • Send out RECON PAIR from the FoS to get 1 supply box
  • Stand 1 knocked down meep in RECON PAIR
  • Knock down 1 meep in RECON PAIR
  • Drag 1 supply box into FoS with standing RECON PAIR
  • Seal FoS – Close lid with at least 4 of your meeps in & 1 supply box for the WIN!

What about the monster?

Three game modes – Decide before you start: UHOH or OMG or CRA-CRA!

  • UHOH activates monster die as soon as a supply box gets into the FoS. This is standard play. Once activated, player rolling doubles of monster die’s face-up number has to turn monster die down 1. A double 6 turns monster die to 5, a double 5 turns it to 4 & so on. When monster die is on 1, snake eyes (double 1s) ends game. Monster gets in FoS & eats you! BUT . . . either player can be a hero by tossing 1 of their outside standing meeps onto monster die! That meep is forever gone (but not forgotten). However, next double 1s ends the game unless another jumps on. Sacrificing a meep doesn’t need a 7 & can be done in or out of FoS but only when monster die is on 1.
  • OMG mode activates monster die when the game starts. Faster game but it sucks to be human.
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15 Centuries-Old Board Games | Mental Floss

15 Centuries-Old Board Games | Mental Floss.

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Stronghold Games Announces the Publication of “504”

I probably would have been happy with just 503 😉

Stronghold Games Announces the Publication of “504”Designed by Friedemann Friese 

“504” designated by Stronghold Games as Game #2 in its “The Great Designer Series”

New Jersey, USA – June 25, 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Stronghold Games is proud to announce the publication of “504″, a game designed by the renowned game designer Friedemann Friese, co-published with 2F-Spiele.

504 is a revolutionary concept in game design.  504 offers the game enthusiast 504 different games in a single box, achieving this via the use of nine game modules, which can be merged together to form 504 unique play experiences. The nine modules are Pick-up & Deliver, Race, Privileges, Military, Exploring, Roads, Majorities, Production, andShares.

In 504, players use the spiral bound “Book of 504 Worlds“, selecting three different modules in any order from the nine available, and thereby creating a unique “World”. For example, the selection of three modules for a World may create a game that is:

  • A racing game that expands through exploration with technology improving the racing or exploration (World “253”).
  • An 18XX-style stock game with network building for income and production sites to provide workers for the road building (World “968”).
  • A wargame with a pick-up and deliver economy and bonus scoring from majorities (“World 417”).

Thematically in 504, scientists in the future are able to build small alternate Earths. Exactly 504 such Earths have thus far been built. The scientists have programmed each of these Worlds with an individual set of laws and rules, which the inhabitants strictly follow and consider most important for their lives. These may be exploration, consumption, economics, military, etc., and each is unique. You can visit all of these 504 alternate Earths to experience how the people are living, and decide which of these worlds harbours the best civilization. On which World do you want to live?  Explore them all and decide!

Stronghold Games will release 504 as the second game in its new “The Great Designer Series”, which will highlight games from the best game designers in the world. 504 is designed by the renowned game designer Friedemann Friese, whose previous works include the acclaimed games Power Grid plus its many expansions, Friday, Fauna,Fearsome Floors, and many others. 

The release of 504 continues the commitment of Stronghold Games to partner with publishers globally, bringing their great games to North America and the rest of the world, as well as to continue to publish great euro-game designs.  504 follows the success of two smash-hit 2014 euro-games from Stronghold Games, Panamax andKanban: Automotive Revolution.  Stronghold Games recently announced Porta Nigra, by renowned game design team Wolfgang Kramer & Michael Kiesling, as the first game in its new “The Great Designer Series”, scheduled to be released later this year.

Stronghold Games will print 504 at Ludofact Germany, the leading printer of hobby games in the world. 504 has a tentative release date of November 2015. The MSRP for this game has not been set at this time. Stronghold Games will debut its English edition of 504 in October 2015 at the Essen Spiel in Germany.  Co-publishing partners for other language editions of 504 will be announced imminently by 2F-Spiele.

 

“This is a revolutionary game design for the hobby game industry,” said Stephen Buonocore, President of Stronghold Games. “It is an honor to be working with Friedemann Friese and his great company, 2F-Spiele, on such an ambitious and game-changing project.”

 

“My project 504 was not only hard work for 3.5 years, but it has been a dream of mine since I started to analyze game mechanics in the mid-90s”, said Friedemann Friese. “I’m happy to see my game at Stronghold Games next to a game that influenced my work a lot, Outpost. Stephen loved 504 from the first moment I showed it to him, so I believe my game is in good hands.”

Box Cover, Stronghold Games/English edition – “504” in “The Great Designer’s Series – #2”
Game Components – Map Tiles

 

Game Components – Shares

 

Game Components – Resources
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Stronghold Games Announces the Publication of “504”

I probably would have been happy with just 503 😉

Stronghold Games Announces the Publication of “504”Designed by Friedemann Friese 

“504” designated by Stronghold Games as Game #2 in its “The Great Designer Series”

New Jersey, USA – June 25, 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Stronghold Games is proud to announce the publication of “504″, a game designed by the renowned game designer Friedemann Friese, co-published with 2F-Spiele.

504 is a revolutionary concept in game design.  504 offers the game enthusiast 504 different games in a single box, achieving this via the use of nine game modules, which can be merged together to form 504 unique play experiences. The nine modules are Pick-up & Deliver, Race, Privileges, Military, Exploring, Roads, Majorities, Production, andShares.

In 504, players use the spiral bound “Book of 504 Worlds“, selecting three different modules in any order from the nine available, and thereby creating a unique “World”. For example, the selection of three modules for a World may create a game that is:

  • A racing game that expands through exploration with technology improving the racing or exploration (World “253”).
  • An 18XX-style stock game with network building for income and production sites to provide workers for the road building (World “968”).
  • A wargame with a pick-up and deliver economy and bonus scoring from majorities (“World 417”).

Thematically in 504, scientists in the future are able to build small alternate Earths. Exactly 504 such Earths have thus far been built. The scientists have programmed each of these Worlds with an individual set of laws and rules, which the inhabitants strictly follow and consider most important for their lives. These may be exploration, consumption, economics, military, etc., and each is unique. You can visit all of these 504 alternate Earths to experience how the people are living, and decide which of these worlds harbours the best civilization. On which World do you want to live?  Explore them all and decide!

Stronghold Games will release 504 as the second game in its new “The Great Designer Series”, which will highlight games from the best game designers in the world. 504 is designed by the renowned game designer Friedemann Friese, whose previous works include the acclaimed games Power Grid plus its many expansions, Friday, Fauna,Fearsome Floors, and many others. 

The release of 504 continues the commitment of Stronghold Games to partner with publishers globally, bringing their great games to North America and the rest of the world, as well as to continue to publish great euro-game designs.  504 follows the success of two smash-hit 2014 euro-games from Stronghold Games, Panamax andKanban: Automotive Revolution.  Stronghold Games recently announced Porta Nigra, by renowned game design team Wolfgang Kramer & Michael Kiesling, as the first game in its new “The Great Designer Series”, scheduled to be released later this year.

Stronghold Games will print 504 at Ludofact Germany, the leading printer of hobby games in the world. 504 has a tentative release date of November 2015. The MSRP for this game has not been set at this time. Stronghold Games will debut its English edition of 504 in October 2015 at the Essen Spiel in Germany.  Co-publishing partners for other language editions of 504 will be announced imminently by 2F-Spiele.

 

“This is a revolutionary game design for the hobby game industry,” said Stephen Buonocore, President of Stronghold Games. “It is an honor to be working with Friedemann Friese and his great company, 2F-Spiele, on such an ambitious and game-changing project.”

 

“My project 504 was not only hard work for 3.5 years, but it has been a dream of mine since I started to analyze game mechanics in the mid-90s”, said Friedemann Friese. “I’m happy to see my game at Stronghold Games next to a game that influenced my work a lot, Outpost. Stephen loved 504 from the first moment I showed it to him, so I believe my game is in good hands.”

Box Cover, Stronghold Games/English edition – “504” in “The Great Designer’s Series – #2”
Game Components – Map Tiles

 

Game Components – Shares

 

Game Components – Resources
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Board Game Jungle Looks at The Siblings Trouble

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Small World and a Small Look at Colonialism

In Small World players act as races that first extinguish lost indigenous tribes and then go after each other. Who are these lost tribes? Where are we coming from? I don’t know, but we’re all kinda pissed that we’re all here. OK, well, maybe not pissed, but certainly cranky and we all want our space, and your space, and their space. Why? Because the more spaces on controls the more points one gets and the player with the most points wins. This is colonialism.

You know what? I just tried typing the whole set-up and that was tedious. Let me link you to the rules and give you a basic idea of what you are doing instead. Also, look at this picture.

Small World Set Up

So, you will choose a race that has been paired with an ability. On your turn you place your corresponding tokens on regions, starting from the edge and make sure they are connected unless your ability says otherwise. at the end of your turn you collect money for the spaces you occupy. Simple enough. First though, there are Lost Tribe tokens you must battle. All that means is you use one more token from your army than you would have, same for areas with mountains. Other players will do the same, but look out! Players can come after your regions as well, thus depriving you of points and gaining points for themselves.

Agh! So frustrating. My Farming Humans can’t compete against the Bivouacking Ratmen. No problem. Put your race in decline. Go ahead. Do it. Now pick a new race with a new ability. See how you do. This is one of the things I enjoy about Small World. You are able to try different strategies with different races and abilities within one game. Maybe choosing the Amazons will allow you to rally and win the day after all.

There are also many expansions in case you get bored with all of the combinations that come with the core game. We currently only have the Grand Dames expansion. It was a must have as the Amazons are the only women represented in the core game.

Is this game fun? It is for me and my family, and for our few friends we have played it with. Are there concerns? Potentially. Let’s address them. You are displacing indigenous tribes. Yes, they are “Lost” and pretty faceless on the tokens in the game. It’s all to make you feel ok about pushing people out of their lands. All of the other players are doing the same thing, and then you may all go after each other. This is colonialism, but hey it IS an area control game. Should these things concern you? Maybe not. They didn’t concern me because it’s dwarves and giants and ratmen and ghouls. It’s a fantasy world. It did, however, concern a friend of mine and we had a great discussion about it being representative of the world at large and its history. It’s not a game she will want to play again anytime soon and I think that’s fine. I’m really glad that this game sparked this conversation and allowed us to talk about big issues. It’s not the goal of Small World. Small World just wants you to have fun. Small World just wants to pit you against your friends. Small World is just a game. But, then again, it is a game placed in our world, and in our world we have a lot of history of the displacement and destruction of indigenous people  and tribes, lost or not.

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Episode 2: Schadenfreude

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The Boardgame Group: TBG Is The Place To Be

A short video I did extolling the virtues of TBG.

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Thursday Thoughts: Alphabetical April

This is how we’re revisting games we haven’t played in awhile

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