Sunday, November 13, 2016

Obligatory “What I Played In…” Post Part XVI: October 2016

Alright…If you didn’t catch it I just finished up my Essen Spiel 2016 series and will be starting a new series soon, either my top 10 2016 edition or a Kickstarter series.  Before all of that we’ll take a look at my game plays for October 2016.  This was a much lighter month as my wife and I just moved along with our 4-year-old to Indiana so we’ve had our hands full and not able to game as much as we’d like.  That being said, we still got in 38 plays and were able to try out a few new ones.  Okay, let’s move on to October’s plays.

Statistics:
Total plays in October 2016 – 38
Total unique games played in October 2016 – 20
New games played in October 2016 – 6
New games acquired in October 2016 – 1
New expansion acquired in October 2016 – 0
Most plays of a single game in October 2016 – 8



Designer – Stone Librande/Chris Cantrell/Rick Ernst/Prashant Saraswat/Nathan Tiras
Publisher – Riot Games
New to me
First play – 10/20/16
Total plays in October 2016 – 8

This game was my only new acquisition this past month and man is it awesome!  We’ve played quite a bit of it in October and at both two and three player counts.  This game is just a fun ride!  I feel like they just figured out how to distill fun and turn it into a game.  For those who don’t know, this game was put together by Riot Games who puts out one of the most popular video games in the world, League of Legends.  This game puts you in the shoes of one of the Yordels (a smallish race of Gnome-like creatures) who are learning to control mechs in order to defeat the minions.  I love the co-operative programming of this game as you’re trying to defeat hordes of minions coming at you all at once.  I love that the hype was totally deserved!



Designer – Alan R. Moon
Publisher – Days of Wonder
Last play before October 2016 – 9/26/16
Total plays in October 2016 – 4

Woot!  We got in a few games of this gateway wonder and they were awesome!  I think this game is going to hit my top 10 when we finally get around to doing them.  It has just enough choices and player interaction (especially at higher player counts) to make for a fun game with anyone.  This month we also got to teach some new players the game and everyone enjoyed it.  This month’s maps include Nederland, Pennsylvania, United States, and United Kingdom.



Designer – David Harding
Publisher – Grail Games
New to me
First play – 10/1/16
Total plays in October 2016 – 3

This game is one we picked up at the end of September and played this past month.  We got it for very cheap and it was definitely worth it.  It is a fun, simple hand-management game with bluffing and set-collection mechanisms built in.  The artwork is beautiful and the little wooden tokens that are included are great!  This is a fun two-player only game and I’d highly recommend it for any gaming couple out there.



Designer – Rob Daviau
Publisher – Plaid Hat Games
New to me
First play – 10/24/16
Total plays in October 2016 – 3

Now for the big boy of the month!  A buddy, Josh, picked up Seafall and he, myself, and Em have started going through it.  I know it has a good rating on BoardGameGeek but I’ve heard a lot of lash-back and honestly don’t understand it.  We have been having a great time with the game so far.  We’ve noticed it to be very balanced with the three of us as we are three games in and within three total points of each other’s scores.  In the last game we actually had a three-way tie which was broken by the title held by Josh.  We’re loving the experience so far and are looking forward to our next session!



Designer – Uwe Rosenberg
Publisher – AMIGO Spiele
Last play before October 2016 – 9/26/16
Total plays in October 2016 – 3

Of course we got in a few more plays of this wonderful little filler in October.  We carry this with us pretty much everywhere as it is portable, fun, and takes up very little table space.  This is one of our favorite fillers and we always look forward to some quick plays of the game.



Designer – Antoine Bauza/Bruno Cathala
Publisher – Repos Production/Asmodee
Last play before October 2016 – 8/22/16
Total plays in October 2016 – 2

Em and I got in two quick plays of this incredible two-player card game and as usual loved every minute of it!  This has become one of our favorite games to pull out when we have little time and it is an amazing game.  I am so pumped to eventually get the Pantheon expansion to make this game even more replayable and entertaining!



Designer – Chuck Yager/Matt Leacock
Publisher – Z-Man Games
Last play before October 2016 – 8/31/16
Total plays in October 2016 – 2

We pulled this game out and played it with Molly and Dustin and it was awesome!  Oh, and we totally got our butts handed to us in both games.  We taught the two of them the game and it was a blast even though we got totally crushed and Cthulhu rose to plunge the world into madness.



Designer – Isaac Vega
Publisher – Plaid Hat Games
Last play before October 2016 – 9/23/16
Total plays in October 2016 – 1

Em and I pulled out the new Victoria and Leo decks and went head to head in this incredible battle card game.  I was able to pull out the win which gives me a little bit of a winning streak in it.  We absolutely adore this game and I can’t wait to get more and more decks as they are always amazing!



Designer – Mike Fitzgerald
Publisher – Eagle-Gryphon Games
Last play before October 2016 – 8/5/16
Total plays in October 2016 – 1

We broke out this beautiful two-player card game this past month and as always had a great time with it.  Em was able to build a really nice free agent pool with her deck and had it rolling.  I just didn’t have enough gloves and she was able to take me out four games to one.



Designer – Ben Rosset
Publisher – Dice Hate Me/Greater Than Games
Last play before October 2016 – 9/10/15
Total plays in October 2016 – 1

Wow, apparently it has been a year since we broke out this great worker placement game!  My buddy Josh wanted to try it out so I brought it over and we played.  Josh picked it up very quickly and did very well as he brewed up some good beers.  I was able to win, but didn’t do nearly as well as I have in the past as I was just trying to do too much.  I love this game and want to break it out more!



Designer – Richard Launius/Kevin Wilson
Publisher – Fantasy Flight Games
Last play before October 2016 – 10/18/15
Total plays in October 2016 – 1

Before we moved to Indiana, Meghan and her fiancé, Eric, were able to come over the bridge and meet up with us.  We broke out Elder Sign and faced off against the elder gods.  We were rolling really well and able to win the game although the doom track was getting really close to the end.  It was a very fun game…I love when the game really fights back!



Designer – Przemysław Świerczyński
Publisher – Board&Dice/Greater Than Games
New to me
First play – 10/5/16
Total plays in October 2016 – 1

We got in our first play of this new resource management and tile-laying game this past month.  We really enjoyed the experience!  This game looks great on the table and is even more fun to play.  We enjoyed the play immensely and can’t wait to play again!



Designer – Uwe Rosenberg
Publisher – Z-Man Games
Last play before October 2016 – 8/7/16
Total plays in October 2016 – 1

This past month we broke out this fantastic Rosenberg two-player, worker-placement game.  This game is always amazing and I really wish I could get more plays of it in.  This is a game that may possibly make it onto my top 10 list eventually!



Designer – Matt Hyra
Publisher – Cryptozoic Entertainment
New to me
First play – 10/27/16
Total plays in October 2016 – 1

Josh pulled this game out one night after we were done with a long gaming session as a quick filler before I head home for the night.  This game was quite fun.  I don’t tend to love real-time competitive games but this game is so quick that it doesn’t overstay its welcome.  I don’t feel the need to own this one but it is a fun distraction.



Designer – Nikki Valens
Publisher – Fantasy Flight Games
Last play before October 2016 – 9/16/16
Total plays in October 2016 – 1

This game was the final game we played with our game group before we moved to Indiana.  We played the first scenario to teach everyone the game.  We had five people and faced off against the dangers and ended up with three of us winning the game and two of us going insane and not completing the goals!  I love this game and can’t wait to play again!



Designer – Tim Fowers
Publisher – (Self-Published)
Last play before October 2016 – 12/13/15
Total plays in October 2016 – 1

It has been a while since I’d played this wonderful deck-building word game.  Josh, Steven and I pulled this game out after a game of Eldritch Horror.  This game is a fantastic deck-builder where you are building words and improving your deck.  I went for a speed game while Josh took the big word, big point long game route.  We ended up completely tied for first place which was hilarious.  Always a great game and I need to get it to the table more often.



Designer – Uwe Rosenberg
Publisher – Lookout Games/Mayfair Games
Last play before October 2016 – 9/22/16
Total plays in October 2016 – 1

I feel like I mention it every month…but what more is there to say about this game?  It is one of our favorite two-player games and we have played it at least once a month since obtaining it a little over a year ago.  We love it and probably always will!



Designer – Scott Frisco/Steven Strumpf
Publisher – HABA
Last play before October 2016 – 8/28/16
Total plays in October 2016 – 1

We pulled this out this past month once with my mom and dad.  This is one of my favorite dexterity games.  I love how simple it is to teach/play and the artwork and presentation of it is just fantastic.  I haven’t played a ton of HABA games but there are a bunch I want to try!



Designer – Michael Shinall
Publisher – Cool Mini Or Not
New to me
First play – 10/16/16
Total plays in October 2016 – 1

I have been playing a bunch of games with my buddy Josh since we moved back to the area and this is one that he taught me.  It is a MOBA style game where you are attempting to kill the other player’s heroes while attempting to gain objectives.  It is a fun game but maybe a little too luck driven for my personal tastes.  That being said I’d play it if asked!



Designer – Phil Walker-Harding
Publisher – Gamewright
Last play before October 2016 – 9/5/16
Total plays in October 2016 – 1

Em and I pulled this game out during one of our breakfast dates and it is always a very fun game.  I love the simplicity of this drafting game.  If we are teaching people about card drafting then this is the game we’ll go to while if we want something a touch heavier we’ll pull out 7 Wonders.

New game acquisitions in October 2016:
Exoplanets

Well ladies and gents…that just about does it for another installment of my monthly game plays.  Thanks so much for taking the time to read and let me know what you’ve played lately that I should try out!  Until next time, game on!

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