Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Obligatory “What I Played In…” Post Part XXXII: February 2018

Wow has it ever been a crazy February into March this year!  I am much later on this post than I prefer to be and it’s also moving back my “End of 2017” series a little further than I like.  Oh well, it is what it is I suppose!  That being said, we had a great February of playing games!  We were able to hit over 50 plays in the month of 35 different games!  The 50 plays was pretty good but even I was surprised to see how many different games we got to the table!  I’ve already posted my February edition of my 25x5 challenge so feel free to check it out at the link below.


Alright, let’s go ahead and move on to the games that we played in February 2018!  Thanks for reading and enjoy!

Statistics:
Total plays in February 2018 – 53
Total unique games played in February 2018 – 35
New games played in February 2018 – 5
New games acquired in February 2018 – 1
New expansions acquired in February 2018 – 1
Most plays of a single game in February 2018 – 7


Designer – Christopher Badell/Paul Bender/Adam Rebottaro
Publisher – Greater Than Games/Sentinel Comics
Last play before February 2018 – 12/5/17
Total plays in February 2018 – 7

I got in a bunch of solo plays of this game this past month and it continues to be one of my favorites.  I will take any opportunity to play this when I have some time to do some solo gaming.  It has been a while since I’ve played multiplayer but I think I may do that sometime soon!


Designer – Michael Kiesling
Publisher – Plan B Games
Last play before February 2018 – 1/22/18
Total plays in February 2018 – 3

Man is this ever a fantastic game!  Plan B is on a roll.  It seems that whatever they will put out will be something special and I hope that the trend continues on!  I look forward to playing this game anytime and can’t wait to play it again.


Designer – Emerson Matsuuchi
Publisher – Plan B Games
Last play before February 2018 – 1/12/18
Total plays in February 2018 – 3

This past month was my birthday and I was able to get together with Josh, Jeff and Dustin for a game day.  We mostly played longer games we don’t get to do often but we did get in a play of this one during the day and it was awesome.  I love this game!


Designer – Vladimír Suchý
Publisher – Czech Games Edition
New to me
First play – 2/17/18
Total plays in February 2018 – 3

Em got me this game for my birthday and I was able to play it during our game day for my birthday.  This is an absolutely fantastic dice-drafting game that feels like a 3X game.  I already look forward to more plays of this amazing game.


Designer – Matt Leacock/Rob Daviau
Publisher – Z-Man Games
Last play before February 2018 – 1/14/18
Total plays in February 2018 – 2

We continued our journey through a world that is dying this past month and won in April but lost in the first half of May.  This game continues to be an awesome ride as we play through the story with Molly and Dustin.


Designer – Daniel Fremgen
Publisher – Renegade Game Studios
Last play before February 2018 – 1/20/18
Total plays in February 2018 – 2

We got in a couple of plays of this fun, simple worker-placement game this past month.  I still adore the theme on this although I do think the game could have used a tiny bit more development as some of the routes to victory seem a little obvious.  Regardless, this is a fun, family-weight game that I’d play most of the time I was asked and am glad to have in my collection.


Designer – Inka Brand/Markus Brand
Publisher – HUCH!/R&R Games
New to me
First play – 2/10/18
Total plays in February 2018 – 2

Josh picked up this game this past month and it was one of the games I was most interested in trying out from 2017.  I’m super happy that he picked this one up as we have really enjoyed it!  The dice-placement in this game is fabulous and the victory track makes the game a race but super interesting all the while.  I can’t wait to play this again!


Designer – Stephen Betts
Publisher – (self-published)
New to me
First play – 2/12/18
Total plays in February 2018 – 2

The designer got ahold of me and asked if I wanted a review copy of this game and I told him I’d be happy to check it out.  We got it this past month and proceeded to pull it out and play.  This is a light, quick, easy-to-teach card game that can be picked up and play in minutes.  I haven’t been able to play it at enough player counts yet to do a full review but the game is pretty decent.  There isn’t anything stellar here but it is a fun game in a small package.  Possibly more to come later!


Designer – Kevin Bishop
Publisher – Meromorph Games
New to me
First play – 2/8/18
Total plays in February 2018 – 2

This was a game that Josh got from Kickstarter and it was delivered this past month.  This is actually a really fun co-operative game in the same style as a game like Hanabi or Okey Dokey but much with much more math!  The artwork is great, the production is great and I’d highly recommend this as a co-op experience.


Designer – Alan R. Moon
Publisher – Days of Wonder
Last play before February 2018 – 1/27/18
Total plays in February 2018 – 2

Anytime I get to play Ticket to Ride is a good time and I got to play twice this past month!  We played the Old West map and the United Kingdom map and it was awesome!  I love how some simple tweaks in the different maps really make the game stay fresh and interesting.


Designer – Antoine Bauza/Bruno Cathala
Publisher – Repos Production
Last play before February 2018 – 11/10/17
Total plays in February 2018 – 1

Em and I pulled this fantastic two-player card drafting game out this past month and I was able to barely squeak out a win.  This is still one of our very favorite two-player only games and I don’t think that its going to lose its billing anytime soon.


Designer – Uwe Rosenberg
Publisher – Amigo Spiel
Last play before February 2018 – 1/3/18
Total plays in February 2018 – 1

Em and I pulled this one out this past month and played with Zack and Steph.  This game is one of our favorite card games and this round was close as usual.  Em was able to sneak out the win by just a couple of points.


Designer – Alexander Pfister/Andreas Pelikan
Publisher – alea/Ravensburger Spieleverlag
Last play before February 2018 – 8/27/17
Total plays in February 2018 – 1

We broke this out this past month and taught it to Steph.  She obviously caught on quickly as she was able to barely edge me out for the win!  I love this game and think it is an incredibly interesting mix between card play and board play.


Designer – Stefan Feld/Christoph Toussaint
Publisher – alea/Ravensburger Spieleverlag
New to me
First play – 2/23/18
Total plays in February 2018 – 1

Steph and I went over to Josh’s for a gamenight this past month and he pulled this quick little roll-and-write game.  This was a quick and fun roll-and-write and I think it is very well done.  This isn’t my favorite one in the genre but I really enjoyed it!


Designer – Jamie Stegmaier
Publisher – Stonemaier Games
Last play before February 2018 – 1/28/18
Total plays in February 2018 – 1

Em, Zach, Steph and I were able to get in another play of this wonderful campaign/Legacy-style game this past month and I was awesome!  We are nearly half-way through the game and loving every minute of it.  I’m looking forward to more plays!


Designer – Michael Kiesling/Wolfgang Kramer
Publisher – eggertspiele/R&R Games
Last play before February 2018 – 7/9/17
Total plays in February 2018 – 1

I pulled this game out this past month and taught it to Josh.  He really enjoyed it, which I figured he would!  This is just one of those perfectly elegant Euro-style designs that this duo always seems to pull off with flying colors.


Designer – Jonathan Gilmour/Brian Lewis
Publisher – Pandasauras Games
Last play before February 2018 – 2/2/18
Total plays in February 2018 – 1

Em and I taught this game to Steph this past month and played a round.  Em was able to take her herbivore strategy and barely edge out Steph for the win.  I came in third as I let too many of my customers get eaten!  I love this game!


Designer – Andrew Fischer/Nathan Hajek
Publisher – Fantasy Flight Games
Last play before February 2018 – 1/19/18
Total plays in February 2018 – 1

This was another of my birthday gameday games.  Josh took the time to print off some cards that improved part of the game and made it feel even more like Fallout than before!  Now the game has even more adventuring and we had an absolute blast playing!


Designer – Kane Klenko
Publisher – Renegade Game Studios
Last play before February 2018 – 11/5/17
Total plays in February 2018 – 1

One night where Dustin couldn’t come over for Gloomhaven night and Em was working I pulled this out and taught it to Josh.  He loved it!  No surprise there as this is an absolutely fantastic game!  We were actually able to win which is not an easy task in this game.


Designer – Kane Klenko
Publisher – Renegade Game Studios
Last play before February 2018 – 9/15/17
Total plays in February 2018 – 1

We pulled out and played a 4-player game of this one this past month during a gamenight.  We ended up pulling out the win with some nice flipping from everyone.  Klenko continues to be one of my favorite co-op designers and I look forward to what he’ll do next!


Designer – Vital Lacerda
Publisher – Eagle-Gryphon games
Last play before February 2018 – 7/8/17
Total plays in February 2018 – 1

I pulled this one out when Steph, Josh and I got together for a gamenight.  I am really proud of them for picking up the game very quickly and doing a really good job controlling the board and their points.  I love this game and look forward to my next play.


Designer – Isaac Childres
Publisher – Cephalofair Games
Last play before February 2018 – 1/25/18
Total plays in February 2018 – 1

We were only able to get in one play of our campaign this past month but that is okay.  This game hasn’t gotten old over time at all.  We are nearly at 20 plays and it is just as good as when we started.  We are looking forward to opening more characters and playing with them!


Designer – Dávid Turczi/Vangelis Bagiartakis
Publisher – Artipia Games
Last play before February 2018 – 1/17/18
Total plays in February 2018 – 1

Em, Steph and I pulled this one out this past month and played a game of it.  We were able to do really well and won on easy level.  I think we are getting to the point where we will start playing it on harder and with the different expansions.


Designer – Matthias Cramer
Publisher – ADC Blackfire Entertainment/Stronghold Games
Last play before February 2018 – 3/21/16
Total plays in February 2018 – 1

Wow, I didn’t realize it had been so long since our last play of this game!  I brought it with me to a gamenight to attempt to get in a play and was able to teach it to Josh and Dean.  They picked it up really quickly and did fantastic in the play!


Designer – Peer Sylvester
Publisher – Osprey Games
Last play before February 2018 – 9/1/17
Total plays in February 2018 – 1

I pulled this game out and taught Josh how to play.  I ended up selling him the game because I just don’t get the plays in of it and he really liked it.  It is nice because now it is still in our “gaming family” but with someone who will get more plays in.


Designer – D. Brad Talton, Jr.
Publisher – Level 99 Games
Last play before February 2018 – 9/28/16
Total plays in February 2018 – 1

Here is another game that we hadn’t played in way too long!  This is criminal!  I was able to pull it out at my birthday gameday and play with Josh, Dustin and Jeff and it was awesome!  This is such a good game and they really enjoyed it.


Designer – Bruno Cathala/Bruno Faidutti
Publisher – Fantasy Flight Games
Last play before February 2018 – 1/3/18
Total plays in February 2018 – 1

We played this at a gamenight in February and had a blast.  I was able to teach Josh, Jeff and Dean how to play and they had a blast.  We played a few rules wrong but I’m ready for next time!  This is a solid action selection and area control game!


Designer – Thomas Lehmann/Wei-Hwa Huang
Publisher – Rio Grande Games
Last play before February 2018 – 1/22/17
Total plays in February 2018 – 1

Em and I pulled this fantastic game out for the first time in a while and played a round of it this past month.  She was able to eke out a 4 point win against my tableau.  I am looking forward to playing it again and hopefully soon!


Designer – Keith Matejka
Publisher – Thunderworks Games
Last play before February 2018 – 5/23/17
Total plays in February 2018 – 1

Em and I taught this game to Steph this past month and had a great round of it.  This is definitely one of my favorite die-drafting/dice-placement games.  I love the theme and how it is integrated so cleverly into the mechanisms of the game.


Designer – Régis Bonnessée
Publisher – Libellud
Last play before February 2018 – 6/22/17
Total plays in February 2018 – 1

This is still my favorite game and everytime I get a chance to play it I’m reminded why!  This is just a fabulous card and dice game that may be the first dice-drafting game I’ve ever played.  Em beat me by 1 point in this particular play!


Designer – Scott Almes
Publisher – Gamelyn Games
Last play before February 2018 – 11/2/17
Total plays in February 2018 – 1

Em and I pulled this out to finish up a night of games and added in the Quest for the Golden Mushrooms expansion.  It was a blast!  She got way ahead of me in the beginning and I was unable to catch up the difference as she beat me.


Designer – Adam Carlson/Josh Carlson
Publisher – Chip Theory Games
Last play before February 2018 – 9/28/17
Total plays in February 2018 – 1

I pulled this game out this past month and played a solo round.  I took Ghillie up against Nom on a casual adventure and was able to crush him with my trap and pet heavy build.  I love this game so hard and don’t know if it will ever drop out of my top 5 games of all times!

Designer – Adam Carlson/Josh Carlson
Publisher – Chip Theory Games
Last play before February 2018 – 11/15/17
Total plays in February 2018 – 1

Em and I pulled this game out and I was able to beat her just barely.  This is just another example of the greatness of Chip Theory Games and how everything they’ve done so far has been fantastic.  I look forward to seeing what their next game will be!


Designer – Martin Wallace
Publisher – Space Cowboys
Last play before February 2018 – 1/1/18
Total plays in February 2018 – 1

Josh, Jeff and I got together for a gamenight and I was able to pull this one out and teach them.  They really enjoyed the resource management and route building of the game and how simple it was to pick up and play.


Designer – Adam West/Dan Schnake/Abe Schnake
Publisher – CrossCut Games
Last play before February 2018 – 11/22/17
Total plays in February 2018 – 1

Em and I decided to play this one since we just recently received the Forbidden Forest expansion from a Kickstarter.  This game is just an awesome card and dice game and the expansion gives even more ways to score points!  This is a game that I wish got more love than it does now, it deserves it.

New game acquisitions in February 2018:

New expansion acquisitions in February 2018:

Well there you have it!  Another great month of gaming in the bag and another coming up!  I can’t wait to see what games I get to try in the next month and the ones following.  Stay tuned as more posts from the “End of 2017” series should be coming up soon and since this is so late we’ll have another “What I Played in…” post coming up soon.  Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed!  Until next time, game on!

Monday, March 5, 2018

Obligatory 2018 25x5 Challenge Post Part II – February 2018

Alright, another month down and now it’s time to check in on my challenges for the year!  If this is your first time taking a look at this series, I’m doing four different challenges this year.  The first I’m doing is playing 25 different games 5 times each over the year.  The second challenge is playing at least 100 unique games over the year.  The third challenge is playing games at least 500 times over the year.  Finally, my fourth challenge is playing at least 25 new-to-me games.  Well, with that out of the way read on and I hope you enjoy!

2018 25x5 Challenge:

- Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn (0 plays in February, 0 total plays in 2018)
- Bärenpark (2 plays in February, 2 total plays in 2018)
- Baseball Highlights: 2045 (0 plays in February, 0 total plays in 2018)
- Broom Service (1 play in February, 1 total play in 2018)
- Champions of Midgard (0 plays in February, 0 total plays in 2018)

- Dinosaur Island (1 play in February, 3 total plays in 2018)
- Dungeon Petz (0 plays in February, 0 total plays in 2018)
- A Feast for Odin (0 plays in February, 0 total plays in 2018)
- Fields of Arle (0 plays in February, 0 total plays in 2018)
- The Gallerist (1 play in February, 1 total play in 2018)

- Great Western Trail (0 plays in February, 0 total plays in 2018)
- Imperial Settlers (0 plays in February, 0 total plays in 2018)
- Kitchen Rush (1 play in February, 5 total plays in 2018)
- Mechs Vs. Minions (0 plays in February, 0 total plays in 2018)
- Millennium Blades (1 play in February, 1 total play in 2018)

- Near and Far (0 plays in February, 0 total plays in 2018)
- Roll for the Galaxy (1 play in February, 1 total play in 2018)
- Roll Player (1 play in February, 1 total play in 2018)
- Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Card Game (0 plays in February, 0 total plays in 2018)
- Seasons (1 play in February, 1 total play in 2018)

- Spirit Island (0 plays in February, 3 total plays in 2018)
- Too Many Bones (1 play in February, 1 total play in 2018)
- Via Nebula (1 play in February, 2 total plays in 2018)
- Viceroy (0 plays in February, 0 total plays in 2018)
- Yokohama (0 plays in February, 0 total plays in 2018)

100 Unique Games Played in 2018 Challenge:

- 22 unique games played in February
- 42 total unique games played in 2018

500 Gameplays in 2018 Challenge:

- 53 gameplays in February
- 96 total gameplays in 2018

25 New-to-Me Games Played in 2018 Challenge:

- 5 new-to-me games played in February
- 11 total new-to-me games played in 2018

Well, there you have.  This is my second foray into this particular series so I hope you are enjoying it!  We seem to be trucking along with gameplays, unique games and also the new-to-me games.  I feel like we didn’t play enjoy of the challenge games this past month but that is cool because we got in some other great games!  So what are you guys playing?  Any cool challenges for the year?  Until next time, game on!