Thursday, May 31, 2018

Obligatory “What I Played In…” Post Part XXXIV: April 2018

Alright everyone, time for another “What I Played In…” post!  This one will take a look at the games that we played in April of 2018.  It was another solid month were we got in over 50 plays so we’re trucking along on the different challenges for the year.  Before we move on to the main part of the post feel free to check out how my challenges for 2018 are going in my monthly post.


Now with that out of the way we can move on to the main event.  Thanks so much for reading this post and I hope you enjoy!

Statistics:
Total plays in April 2018 – 57
Total unique games played in April 2018 – 29
New games played in April 2018 – 3
New games acquired in April 2018 – 2
New expansions acquired in April 2018 – 2
Most plays of a single game in April 2018 – 11



Designer – Uwe Rosenberg
Publisher – Amigo Spiele
Last play before April 2018 – 11/10/17
Total plays in April 2018 – 11

I got the opportunity to play this one a bunch of times this past month as we like to pull it out during downtime and play a few rounds.  This will always be one of my favorite quick, light dice-chuckers for when I have a small space and small amount of time.  I consider this one basically a perfect filler game.



Designer – Michael Kiesling
Publisher – Plan B Games/Next Move Games
Last play before April 2018 – 3/25/18
Total plays in April 2018 – 4

This game is quickly becoming one of our favorite light, quick and strategic games to pull out with those who don’t play very often.  We were able to pull it out and play with my in-laws this past month and they really enjoyed the game.  I really love this game and hope that it gets the nod for the Spiel des Jahres this year!



Designer – Isaac Vega
Publisher – Plaid Hat Games
Last play before April 2018 – 12/30/17
Total plays in April 2018 – 3

Em and I pulled this game out a few times this past month and tried out some of the new decks that we’ve recently obtained.  She tended to enjoy Jericho while I tried out Echo and NamineI am really enjoying these decks and looking forward to trying them out against some of the original Phoenixborn.



Designer – Bruno Cathala
Publisher – Blue Orange Games
Last play before April 2018 – 3/23/18
Total plays in April 2018 – 3

Josh brought this game over one night this past month and we were able to teach Em how to play.  We played a few rounds and had a blast playing.  Em really enjoyed the game and it is just a matter of time before we pick it up to have it in our house as well!



Designer – Alexander Pfister
Publisher – Lookout Games/Mayfair Games
Last play before April 2018 – 9/5/17
Total plays in April 2018 – 3

I taught this game to Steph recently and it is one we like to pull out and play on downtime.  It is still one of my favorite “just card” games.  I love what the designer was able to do with a simple deck of cards and some clever cardplay.  I really want to find the second expansion one of these days!



Designer – Cody Miller
Publisher – Far Off Games
New to me
First play – 4/6/18
Total plays in April 2018 – 3

This is a game that I picked up from someone used along with the Embers of a Forsaken Star expansion.  We are really enjoying this game so far!  It was a game that I’d been looking at for quite a while and knew that we’d like it but was worried it would feel too much like other pick-up-and-deliver games we already have.  Happily it feels very different and is becoming a favorite!



Designer – Uwe Rosenberg
Publisher – Amigo Spiele
Last play before April 2018 – 3/2/18
Total plays in April 2018 – 2

We were able to play this game a couple times this past month with Em’s parents as they were in town.  This is one of our favorite straight card games and we love pulling it out when family is in town.  I am already looking forward to playing again!



Designer – Uwe Rosenberg
Publisher – Z-Man Games
Last play before April 2018 – 10/15/17
Total plays in April 2018 – 2

Em had a Thursday evening work thing to do this past month and so I decided to pull out this gem and play some solo rounds.  I ended up playing a really bad first round and doing quite well in the second one.  I love how this game is basically a Euro-based sandbox game.  I look forward to playing this one again!



Designer – Dávid Turczi/Vangelis Bagiartakis
Publisher – Artipia Games
Last play before April 2018 – 2/21/18
Total plays in April 2018 – 2

Em and I decided to we wanted to break in some new timers (the originals weren’t working) that were sent to us for this game.  We played one round on easy and one round on normal and we were able to win them both!  This is a tough game and we seem to be getting better at it.  Now I look forward to adding some of the expansion modules into it!



Designer – Justin Blaske
Publisher – Five24 Labs
Last play before April 2018 – 7/13/17
Total plays in April 2018 – 2

I pulled this game out one day and taught it to Steph during some downtime and we were able to play a couple of rounds.  We each won one game.  This is a game that probably should make it to the table more often but sadly doesn’t.  It is a solid little worker-placement game that is very portable.



Designer – Chris Cieslik
Publisher – Asmadi Games
Last play before April 2018 – 11/23/17
Total plays in April 2018 – 2

I recently got this Kickstarter delivered and decided to teach it to my buddy Steph during some downtime.  We got our butts handed to us!  This is a great little dice placement game with some interesting mechanisms.  I really enjoy it but I completely disagree with the time on the box.  Know if you’re going to play this it will usually take over an hour.



Designer – Christopher Badell/Paul Bender/Adam Rebottaro
Publisher – Greater Than Games/Sentinel Comics
Last play before April 2018 – 3/28/18
Total plays in April 2018 – 2

I played a couple more rounds of this fantastic game this past month and took on The Ennead in the Tomb of Anubis to make it really thematic!  It was a great couple rounds and I was able to pull out the victory in both!



Designer – Phil Walker-Harding
Publisher – Gamewright
Last play before April 2018 – 3/2/18
Total plays in April 2018 – 2

We pulled this quick card-drafting game out this past month when Em’s parents were in town for the week.  This is such a quick and easy to play game and really makes for a great “gateway game” for those not in the hobby.



Designer – Richard Garfield
Publisher – IELLO
Last play before April 2018 – 3/30/18
Total plays in April 2018 – 1

Em and I pulled this fantastic card-drafting and area-control game out when Steph was over one night and taught it to her.  Steph ended up pulling out the win!  This is such a fantastic game and I still say that it is so much more fun that it has any right to be!



Designer – Jamey Stegmaier
Publisher – Stonemaier Games
Last play before April 2018 – 3/25/18
Total plays in April 2018 – 1

We were only able to get in one play of our Legacy campaign but even one play is awesome for the month!  This is one of our current favorite games to play with our buddies Steph and Zach.  We have made it to game 8 and are thus over halfway done with the campaign.  I am looking forward to seeing where the game ends up!



Designer – Uwe Rosenberg
Publisher – Z-Man Games
Last play before April 2018 – 11/18/2016
Total plays in April 2018 – 1

It had been way too long since I’d played this game and thus decided to remedy that this past month.  I brought it along with me to a game night and taught it to Josh.  He and I played it and we both scored really well.  He played a killer first game and I look forward to playing it again and hopefully picking up the expansion in the near future.



Designer – Jesse Li
Publisher – Tasty Minstrel Games/Moaideas Game Design
New to me
First play – 4/8/18
Total plays in April 2018 – 1

We just received this game from a Kickstarter last year and it is the pretty Deluxified Tasty Minstrel Games’ version!  I am having a lot of fun with this game.  It is even a strong 2-player game which makes it even more interesting!



Designer – Mike Gnade
Publisher – Rock Manor Games
New to me
First play – 4/27/18
Total plays in April 2018 – 1

Jeff picked this game up and brought it during a game night and we tried it out.  This is a solid co-operative, action-point-allowance game where you are trying to survive some sort of post-apocalyptic tragedy, try to complete your missions and get away without dying.  We had fun and I’d enjoy trying it out again!



Designer – Ryan Laukat
Publisher – Red Raven Games
Last play before April 2018 – 4/10/18
Total plays in April 2018 – 1

Em and I pulled out this campaign style game this past month and played the last round of our character campaign.  We were able to finish out our character’s stories and find out what became of them.  This is a great game and I’m looking forward to our next campaign!



Designer – Jesús Torres Castro/Matt Leacock
Publisher – Z-Man Games
Last play before April 2018 – 4/30/17
Total plays in April 2018 – 1

Em and I pulled this game out one night while her parents were in town and played it along with them and Molly.  We actually did pretty darn good but we were just missed being able to pull off the win.  This is a great version of Pandemic and I’d highly recommend it.



Designer – Keith Matejka
Publisher – Thunderworks Games
Last play before April 2018 – 2/3/18
Total plays in April 2018 – 1

Josh and I pulled this game out this past month to play it with the Monsters & Minions expansion.  This game is outstanding and I personally think it is even better with the expansion!  I love the decision space in this game and it has even more with the expansion content.



Designer – Hisashi Hayashi
Publisher – Gamewright
Last play before April 2018 – 11/19/17
Total plays in April 2018 – 1

Steph and I pulled this game out and I taught her during some downtime this past month.  She and I played a decent game and we ended up tying.  She dug the game and I remembered how much fun this roll and write is!



Designer – R. Eric Reuss
Publisher – Greater Than Games/Fabled Nexus
Last play before April 2018 – 1/26/18
Total plays in April 2018 – 1

Em, Josh and I had an evening where we decided to pull out this game and play a three-player round.  We played some interesting spirits and were able to pull out the victory.  I love this game and already look forward to my next play.



Designer – Alan R. Moon
Publisher – Days of Wonder
Last play before April 2018 – 3/2/18
Total plays in April 2018 – 1

Em, Steph and I had a gamenight this past month and decided to play this game with the France mapThis will always be a great go-to game for us and we really love playing on the different maps to give it a different feel each time!



Designer – Kristian Čurla
Publisher – Portal Games
Last play before April 2018 – 6/18/16
Total plays in April 2018 – 1

This is another game I brought in and taught Steph during some downtime.  This is just a clever two-player card-drafting game that has some really cool card art in it.  It will never top my list but is still a really good two-player drafting game.



Designer – Adam Carlson/Josh Carlson
Publisher – Chip Theory Games
Last play before April 2018 – 3/23/18
Total plays in April 2018 – 1

Josh and I pulled this game out one night at a gamenight and taught it to Jeff.  We then went on to play and epic game against Duster and were able to pull out the win!  This is a top 5 game for me and I don’t know that it will even drop lower than that.  I adore this game and can’t wait for the expansion content to be delivered sometime this year!



Designer – Martin Wallace
Publisher – Space Cowboys
Last play before April 2018 – 3/13/18
Total plays in April 2018 – 1

Josh and I pulled this out at the end of a gamenight and decided to try out the flip-side of the board.  It is the more “difficult” side according to the rules and I will say that they are totally right!  This made the two-player game even tighter and more interesting and I think I will play this way every time I play with only two!



Designer – Scott Caputo
Publisher – Bézier Games
Last play before April 2018 – 3/10/18
Total plays in April 2018 – 1

I brought this to a gamenight and Jeff and Josh agreed to try it out.  We ended up playing a three-player game of it and it was awesome!  I noticed right away how much tighter things were with only one more player.  I really look forward to trying this out with 4 and 5 players and possibly picking up the expansion which should be out later this year.



Designer – Adam West/Dan Schnake/Abe Schnake
Publisher – CrossCut Games
Last play before April 2018 – 2/11/18
Total plays in April 2018 – 1

I brought this one night and taught this game along with the expansion to Steph.  This is still one of those highly underrated games (in my opinion) that I really wish was out there more.  It is a fantastic little card and dice, combo-heavy game that Steph really liked.

New game acquisitions in April 2018:

New expansion acquisitions in April 2018:

And there goes another month.  Sorry I’m so late with this one but it’s been a crazy few months and I’m just glad to have had a little time to finish it up!  I hope to be able to do my challenges and gameplays of May a little earlier this coming month but no promises.  Regardless of what happens, thanks so much for taking the time to read.  It really means a lot to me!  Until next time, game on!

Thursday, May 10, 2018

Obligatory 2018 25x5 Challenge Post Part IV – April 2018

Alright!  We’re on to month four of this year’s challenge and trucking along!  Time to check in this month and see how we’re doing in our gaming challenges for this year.  Feel free to check out my previous few months if you’re curious.  On to the challenges!

2018 25x5 Challenge:

- Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn (3 plays in April, 3 total plays in 2018)
- Bärenpark (0 plays in April, 2 total plays in 2018)
- Baseball Highlights: 2045 (0 plays in April, 0 total plays in 2018)
- Broom Service (0 plays in April, 1 total play in 2018)
- Champions of Midgard (0 plays in April, 0 total plays in 2018)

- Dinosaur Island (0 plays in April, 4 total plays in 2018)
- Dungeon Petz (0 plays in April, 0 total plays in 2018)
- A Feast for Odin (2 plays in April, 2 total plays in 2018)
- Fields of Arle (1 play in April, 1 total play in 2018)
- The Gallerist (0 plays in April, 1 total play in 2018)

- Great Western Trail (0 plays in April, 0 total plays in 2018)
- Imperial Settlers (0 plays in April, 1 total play in 2018)
- Kitchen Rush (2 plays in April, 7 total plays in 2018)
- Mechs Vs. Minions (0 plays in April, 1 total play in 2018)
- Millennium Blades (0 plays in April, 1 total play in 2018)

- Near and Far (1 play in April, 1 total play in 2018)
- Roll for the Galaxy (0 plays in April, 2 total plays in 2018)
- Roll Player (1 play in April, 2 total plays in 2018)
- Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Card Game (0 plays in April, 0 total plays in 2018)
- Seasons (0 plays in April, 1 total play in 2018)

- Spirit Island (1 play in April, 4 total plays in 2018)
- Too Many Bones (1 play in April, 3 total plays in 2018)
- Via Nebula (1 play in April, 4 total plays in 2018)
- Viceroy (0 plays in April, 1 total play in 2018)
- Yokohama (0 plays in April, 1 total play in 2018)

100 Unique Games Played in 2018 Challenge:

- 14 unique games played in April
- 71 total unique games played in 2018

500 Gameplays in 2018 Challenge:

- 57 gameplays in April
- 206 total gameplays in 2018

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

- 3 new-to-me games played in April
- 20 total new-to-me games played in 2018

And there we are!  This was the fourth post in the series meaning we are 33% through the year.   I can’t believe that we only have 8 months left in the year!  We’re still trying to truck along but have quite a bit of games to play to hit our 25x5.  Well all, thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed!  Until next time, game on!