Lords of Waterdeep, Last Train to Wensleydale

by Mikko on May 4, 2012

in Session reports

Two weeks of board games, again:

  • Last Train to Wensleydale. This got played once back in 2009 and has been collecting dust ever since. Part of the reason is the assumed two-hour length. Well, we did play a three player game in less than 90 minutes last week, so I suppose it’s not that bad. I should probably try to get this on the table at least couple of more times. This is a weird game that certainly stands out from the standard train game fare. The way you need to get rid of your outrageously expensive track network is interesting. This game also takes some serious planning so that your last turn works out well. Mine didn’t, and I had to suffer huge loss penalty, despite being profitable most of the game. Interesting. Suggest.
  • Innovation. Three three-player games with experienced players. Tasty. Enthusiastic.
  • Lords of Waterdeep. This was better than expected! Worker placement from Wizards of the Coast, with a Dungeons & Dragons theme and take that mechanics? Doesn’t sound good. Turned out the game was reasonably short (just 80 minutes with five inexperienced players), the take that element was fairly subtle and the game wasn’t half bad. There’s some nice narrative in the quests – it’s not just collecting cubes, well mostly it is, but I thought there was still some fairly fun theme. It was fun to build the Tower of Luck building and complete the “Protect the Tower of Luck” quest – after all, it is my tower… Still just Indifferent. I’ll play again, but won’t suggest myself.
  • Felix: Cat in the Sack. Very much a game of skill, this one. I’ve now played seven games, and won the last five. Ok, yesterday I was helped a bit by an opponent who forgot the rules, but still. Lovely filler. Suggest.
  • San Juan. It’s been a year from my previous game of San Juan. Way too long. Two quick two-player games were a good reminder that this is an excellent game. Enthusiastic.

Take a look at Making Profit at IndieGoGo. This is a small economic game from Estonia, designed and published by an 18xx PBEM buddy Aigar Alaveer. He hired me to translate the rules, so I’m a bit partial, but it does sound like an interesting game, based on those rules. Simple game of buying and selling shares, developing and running factories. Ok, I have no idea if the idea works or not, but if it does, this just might be a nice little stock market game. My group likes these kinds of games, so expectations are high.

It’s also pleasantly cheap: just $30 for free delivery in Europe and $40 for free world-wide delivery. US games at Kickstarter tend to have world-wide shipping costs starting from $30…

Lords of Waterdeep #boardgames Wensleydale, fisheye view Last Train to Lungsville Emancipation, trusty workhorse

Three weeks of games

by Mikko on April 20, 2012

in More about games

Last three weeks of board games:

  • Kingdom Builder. 14 games, or so. I love this one. Turns out my game group doesn’t, but fortunately this works in other contexts, looks like a staple game for Monday night circus school games and I’m sure this is also welcome at Jyväskylä (five games during one weekend says so). The Nomads expansion looks like a must-buy (especially because of the red pieces, clever move delaying such a crucial player colour to the expansion). Lovely game. Suggest.
  • Tobago. Bought for Jyväskylä and we played four games in a row. Not bad, considering the three last games took about 30 minutes each. Very nice middle-weight game, light, fun and clever. I can see why this didn’t win Spiel des Jahres, it’s a bit too fiddly for that, but if you’re clever and already experienced with quality board games, Tobago will probably make a pretty good family game. Suggest.
  • Fresko. This time with correct rules. Much better that way, but still not that impressive. I was expecting a bit more, to be honest. Indifferent, definitely not a keeper.
  • Mystery Rummy: Jekyll & Hyde. No reason to play this when there’s MR: Jack the Ripper. Indifferent (but not Avoid).
  • Set. Might have hooked someone to this addiction. That’s fine; world needs more Set players. This was with the iPad version, which is rather nice. Enthusiastic.
  • Oregon. Twelve more recorded games since the last update, and more I haven’t recorded (I record Yucata games played on one sitting, but not those that drag on several days). Still fun, this is a very, very lovely game. Enthusiastic.
  • Brass. Quite the attraction. In a very unusual turn of events, we’ve now played Brass twice in two weeks. That’s pretty good for a game that takes two and half hours (about an hour for the canal phase, promising a two-hour game, then an hour and a half for the rail phase). I’ve lost both, for some reason I really, really suck in this game. Then again, both games have been fairly close affairs, except for one run-away leader. Interesting. Suggest, possibly enthusiastic if I figure out how to play this game successfully.

My 1000 rating project has reached the 800 rating milestone. Hooray for me.

Photos:

Manchester, so much to answer for #boardgames Brass, nearing end of canal era #boardgames Brass Tobago statue Master painters Orange flood

Oregon, Fresh Fish, Age of Steam

March 30, 2012

I missed yesterday’s games, thanks to a 39-degree fever. Nasty. Last week Petri wasn’t present, so we took the opportunity to play games Petri doesn’t care about that much. Unfortunately that list includes Age of Steam… So, of course, that was the first thing on the list. We played the Poland map from Winsome Games. [...]

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Container full of Fresh Fish

March 15, 2012

Last week we played Container and Fresh Fish. Container is one of those games that divide opinions, but we’ve got some fans of the game. I like it, the free-wheeling process of manufacturing, buying, selling and shipping just works. I like the way the economy depends on the players: if players waste money, the economy [...]

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Acquire, Age of Industry, Pantheon, Oregon

March 6, 2012

Biweekly recap time. Acquire. More Acquire. This one turned out to be a big hit. I sure don’t mind. Won’t be surprised if this hits ten plays this year. Suggest. Age of Industry. I’ve known that Brass is something I should be interested in. Hannu has had Age of Industry since it was published. How come [...]

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International business: Greed and Acquire

February 22, 2012

Two weeks ago we played Greed, incorporated. This is a Splotter game that came out in 2009. I’ve played it once before in 2010, then it languished unplayed for two years… But finally we got to play it again. Again, it was a blast. This is one of the most entertaining games I know, few [...]

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Mystery Rummy + more

February 6, 2012

I’ve been selling games. My collection is now 300 games, including expansions. That makes my personal collection about 250 titles, as we have about 50 kids games. My previously owned count at BGG now says 308. I suppose I can be considered an active game trader. I’ve recently sold Blue Moon (complete set, except promos), Evolution, [...]

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Elder Signs of Kansas Pacific

January 27, 2012

Two weeks of games. Last week I expected two players, but we got third. Good that I hadn’t prepared with strictly two-player affairs. Dominion: Hinterlands. I’m a Dominion fan, so I like the new expansion. Simple as that. It sure is no Alchemy. There are several interesting cards. Fool’s Gold (money; first played on turn [...]

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Puzzle Strike and gambling starlords

January 19, 2012

Puzzle Strike. Three more games. These were the best games so far. I played well, I think, winning two out of three. The games were well-fought and exciting. A tad long at 30 minutes or so each, but they didn’t drag on. I suppose there’s a good game in there. Going to play more today. Suggest. [...]

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First games of 2012

January 6, 2012

2012 is off to a flying start. My wife has been incredibly understanding of my board game hobby and I’ve been able to spend more time playing games. Part of that is definitely the kids: they’re older now (my son is 5 and my daughter is 3 in less than two weeks), so taking care [...]

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