I got a review copy of Celtica, the much-dismissed game from Kramer and Kiesling. I don’t get the really bad ratings; the game has an average of 5.2 now, I’d expect something above 6 (like the 6.4 for That’s Life! — I think the games are on pretty equal level).
We played with Johanna, and it was fun. Sure, there’s plenty of luck, but there are also decisions to make. It’s a light game, but not pointless. Thanks to a card-hungry baby, we had to play a variant (with open cards), which kind of ate the surprise value from the game, but I don’t mind. I’d like to try this with more players, though five is probably way too chaotic. Three or four could be nice.
The game’s also really pretty, it’s definitely one of the pretties boards in my collection. It’s the emerald green, I think…
But yeah, the angry ratings amaze me. I mean, you don’t have to like this one, but to give it a two, meaning it’s "extremely annoying", now that sounds a bit over the top. Maybe those people are really allergic to luck or maybe they’ve played a different game, I don’t know, but this is such a harmless game, how can you hate it with passion?