Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Obligatory “What I Played In…” Post Part XXXVII: July 2018

Hey all, I’m back with another installment of what games we played this past month.  We had a solid month of a bunch of games played but only one new one.  We ended up with 50 plays of 21 different games.  My next post will include the games played at Gen Con, but for now let’s see how this month went.  Before I move on to the main post, feel free to see how my 2018 challenges are going.


Alright, with that out of the way we can move on to the main portion of the post.  These are all of the different games that we played this past month so read on and I hope you enjoy!

Statistics:
Total plays in July 2018 – 50
Total unique games played in July 2018 – 21
New games played in July 2018 – 1
New games acquired in July 2018 – 1
New expansions acquired in July 2018 – 10
Most plays of a single game in July 2018 – 21



Designer – Christopher Badell/Paul Bender/Adam Rebottaro
Publisher – Greater Than Games/Sentinel Comics
Last play before July 2018 – 7/14/18
Total plays in July 2018 – 21

I was able to get in a ton of solo plays this past month since I didn’t get to do many multiplayer games.  I was able to hit just over 20 plays and it continues to be one of my favorite games of all times!  Now I’m just more excited as the expansion hit my door (although technically in August) and I will be able to play it soon!  Also, August will the month I probably hit 100 total plays of this fantastic, super replayable card game!



Designer – Alexey Konnov/Alexey Paltsev/Anatoliy Shklyarov
Publisher – Brain Games
Last play before July 2018 – 11/28/18
Total plays in July 2018 – 5

Steph and I got a little downtime at work this past month and we were able to pull this little card games out for a few plays.  This is one of those games I like to keep in a bag because it is super quick and easy to teach and a fun little distraction.



Designer – Alexander Pfister
Publisher – alea/Ravensburger
Last play before July 2018 – 6/13/18
Total plays in July 2018 – 2

Em and I pulled this game out this past month and played a couple rounds of it.  This is such a great game and I’m glad that we have it.  I will always play this game as I think it is one of those games that should get more love!



Designer – Cédrick Chaboussit
Publisher – Ludonaute
New to me
First play – 7/19/18
Total plays in July 2018 – 2

This was the only new game we played this past month and we really liked it!  I tried it for the first time with Em and then again about a week later with Josh and Jeff.  This is a fairly thinky little dice and card game that is pretty simple to teach and play.  I look forward to playing more of this one.



Designer – Chris Cantrell/Rick Ernst/Stone Librande/Prashant Saraswat/Nathan Tiras
Publisher – Riot Games
Last play before July 2018 – 3/30/18
Total plays in July 2018 – 2

Em and I pulled this game out one night when Josh came over and we were able to get in two different missions worth of play!  This is such a great game and it really solidifies it every time we get to play.  I am looking forward to going through more missions as we are really getting close to the end!



Designer – Matt Leacock/Rob Daviau
Publisher – Z-Man Games
Last play before July 2018 – 6/3/18
Total plays in July 2018 –2

We were able to play two months of this game with Dustin and Molly this past month and they were epic!  We have finally made it to the last month so we have either one or two games left before reaching the inevitable conclusion of this fantastic game.  I am looking forward to seeing how we end up doing!



Designer – Thomas Lehmann/Wei-Hwa Huang
Publisher – Rio Grande Games
Last play before July 2018 – 3/11/18
Total plays in July 2018 – 2

Em and I pulled this out this past month and played two rounds of it.  I ended up getting some awesome engines rolling (buh-dum-ching) and was able to pull out two victories against Em.  This isn’t normal as her dice-rolling is usually better, but I’ll take it wherever I get it!



Designer – Michael Kiesling
Publisher – Plan B Games/Next Move Games
Last play before July 2018 – 5/27/18
Total plays in July 2018 – 1

Em and I played this game with Josh this past month and it was a great round!  Josh and I ended up tying for the win but he was able to edge me out in the tie-breaker.  I love the simplicity of this game and how deep it still is!



Designer – Uwe Rosenberg
Publisher – Rio Grande Games/Amigo Spiele
Last play before July 2018 – 6/9/18
Total plays in July 2018 – 1

Mom and dad came into town this past month to spend a week with us and Fiona and it was great.  This is the game that we most commonly pull out and play with family and this was no different.  I love this card game and it still continues to be one of my favorite and one we pull out consistently!



Designer – Richard Garfield
Publisher – IELLO
Last play before July 2018 – 4/28/18
Total plays in July 2018 – 1

Em and I pulled this out and played with Josh this past month and I had quite the round!  I was able to get a really good combo together and score very well on the scroll cards that score at the end of the game.  I was happy to win this way as I’ve seen people win all different ways in this game!



Designer – Emerson Matsuuchi
Publisher – Plan B Games
Last play before July 2018 – 5/28/19
Total plays in July 2018 – 1

Em, Josh and I pulled this game out one night when he came over for gaming.  It was another epic round as Josh and I ended up only two points away from each other and I barely pulled out the win.  This is such a great game and I really want to try the new one as well.



Designer – Frank West
Publisher – The City of Games
Last play before July 2018 – 3/8/18
Total plays in July 2018 – 1

Josh pulled out this game one gamenight and taught Jeff how to play.  We played a great three player round and it was awesome!  We were able to complete the campaign/mission and win the round but didn’t have time to continue on to the higher levels.  I love this game and look forward to getting my own copy of it!



Designer – Jens Drögemüller/Helge Ostertag
Publisher – Z-Man Games
Last play before July 2018 – 3/14/18
Total plays in July 2018 – 1

I finally brought this game over to a gamenight and taught Josh and Jeff how to play.  They really enjoyed it and picked it up pretty quickly.  I know at least Josh is looking forward to trying it again now that he knows how to play.



Designer – Isaac Childres
Publisher – Cephalofair Games
Last play before July 2018 – 6/28/18
Total plays in July 2018 – 1

Dustin, Em, Josh and I were able to get in one play of this fantastic game this past month and we have hit about 25 plays and don’t really seem to be even scratching the surface!  I look forward to more plays and we hope to hit a few more next month.



Designer – Peer Sylvester
Publisher – Osprey Games
Last play before July 2018 – 2/10/18
Total plays in July 2018 – 1

Josh pulled this game out one gamenight that it was just the two of us and we were able to pull out the victory.  We did a good job in managing the deck and ended up winning.  This is a solid co-operative card game!



Designer – Vladimír Suchý
Publisher – Czech Games Edition
Last play before July 2018 – 3/16/18
Total plays in July 2018 – 1

Josh, Jeff and I played this game during a game night this past month and it was awesome!  This has become one of my favorite space-themed games and also games with dice drafting and action selection.  I love this game and look forward to more plays!



Designer – Keith Matejka
Publisher – Thunderworks Games
Last play before July 2018 – 4/13/18
Total plays in July 2018 – 1

Josh and I pulled this game out with Jeff and taught him the new expansion to it!  This is a great expansion for the base game and really adds more decision points to an already amazing game.  I look forward to more plays of this and more games in the universe!



Designer – Alan R. Moon
Publisher – Days of Wonder
Last play before July 2018 – 4/28/18
Total plays in July 2018 – 1

Em and I played this game with my parents when they were here for a week this past month and it was a blast.  We love every play of this game and my parents enjoy it as well.  I am looking forward to seeing what map pack they release next as I’m sure one is in the works.

Rally Boy” (Unpublished Prototype – Name Pending)


Designer – Josh Jacoby
Publisher – (unpublished)
Last play before July 2018 – 5/4/18
Total plays in July 2018 – 1

Josh pulled his prototype out again as he really wanted to get it ready before going to Gen Con.  We played a round with some new rules and he is really tightening it up.  I’m looking forward to how it continues to grow!



Designer – Martin Wallace
Publisher – Space Cowboys
Last play before July 2018 – 4/20/18
Total plays in July 2018 – 1

I pulled this game out one day when Steph came over to play some games.  This was a new game to her and she did a really good job in it.  I don’t remember the score but I’m pretty sure she was just barely behind me at the end of the game.



Designer – Hisashi Hayashi
Publisher – Tasty Minstrel Games/OKAZU Brand
Last play before July 2018 – 3/20/18
Total plays before July 2018 – 1

This is the second game that Steph and I played the one day she came over during the morning/afternoon to play.  She was new to this one as well and also did a great job picking up the concepts and just barely lost me to me.  I love the elegance of this game!

New game acquisitions in June 2018:

New expansion acquisitions in June 2018:

Woot!  And there we have it, another month in the books and ready to roll into another!  We played some really good stuff but I am fairly certain next month will be just as good since it will include plays from Gen Con!  I was also able to pick up a bunch of the expansions for Arkham Horror: The Card Game.  Thanks so much for reading this month and come back soon for more!  Until next time game on!

Monday, August 13, 2018

Obligatory 2018 25x5 Challenge Post Part VII – July 2018

Another month in the books and another month of some great stuff played!  I’m starting to feel as though I won’t be able to complete my 25x5 challenge this year but I’m still trucking along!  Keep reading to see how I’m doing in the challenges and thanks so much for taking a look!

2018 25x5 Challenge:

- Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn (0 plays in July, 4 total plays in 2018)
- Bärenpark (0 plays in July, 5 total plays in 2018)
- Baseball Highlights: 2045 (0 plays in July, 2 total plays in 2018)
- Broom Service (2 plays in July, 4 total plays in 2018)
- Champions of Midgard (0 plays in July, 2 total plays in 2018)

- Dinosaur Island (0 plays in July, 5 total plays in 2018)
- Dungeon Petz (0 plays in July, 1 total play in 2018)
- A Feast for Odin (0 plays in July, 2 total plays in 2018)
- Fields of Arle (0 plays in July, 1 total play in 2018)
- The Gallerist (0 plays in July, 1 total play in 2018)

- Great Western Trail (0 plays in July, 1 total play in 2018)
- Imperial Settlers (0 plays in July, 1 total play in 2018)
- Kitchen Rush (0 plays in July, 8 total plays in 2018)
- Mechs Vs. Minions (2 plays in July, 3 total play in 2018)
- Millennium Blades (0 plays in July, 1 total play in 2018)

- Near and Far (0 plays in July, 1 total play in 2018)
- Roll for the Galaxy (2 plays in July, 4 total plays in 2018)
- Roll Player (1 play in July, 3 total plays in 2018)
- Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Card Game (0 plays in July, 5 total plays in 2018)
- Seasons (0 plays in July, 1 total play in 2018)

- Spirit Island (0 plays in July, 4 total plays in 2018)
- Too Many Bones (0 plays in July, 3 total plays in 2018)
- Via Nebula (1 play in June, 5 total plays in 2018)
- Viceroy (0 plays in July, 3 total plays in 2018)
- Yokohama (1 play in July, 2 total plays in 2018)

100 Unique Games Played in 2018 Challenge:

- 2 unique games played in July
- 95 total unique games played in 2018

500 Gameplays in 2018 Challenge:

- 50 gameplays in July
- 352 total gameplays in 2018

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

- 1 new-to-me games played in July
- 29 total new-to-me games played in 2018

Well everyone, there you have it!  These are all of my challenges and how I’m doing for the year.  I’m well on track for 100 unique games played during the year with 500 total gameplays and I’m done with the 25 new-to-me games already.  The one I’m really not sure I’m going to hit is the 25x5 challenge.  I think I may have been a little optimistic to hit that goal with the games I chose but I wanted a bit of a challenge so there you have it.  Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed!  Until next time, game on!

Thursday, August 2, 2018

Obligatory 2018 Gen Con Post Part III: Top 5 Anticipated Game Demos

Alright, I’ve decided to go ahead and create a third post in my Gen Con 2018 series.  While I wasn’t totally impressed by the games that are for sale this year I am very interested in some of the games that are being demoed.  Before we take a look at my anticipated demos feel free to check out the previous two posts in the series.



Alright, now that we have the prior posts out of the way let’s move on to the post.  Again, this post will take a look at the five games (plus one honorable mention) that I’m most interested in checking out that aren’t for sale but have a demo at Gen Con 2018.  Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!

Honorable Mention – Duelosaur Island (Pandasaurus Games)


Duelosaur Island is a dice-drafting, hand-management and set-collection game designed by Ian Moss and published by Pandasaurus Games.  This game takes some of the ideas brought out in Dinosaur Island but creates a totally new, two-player experience.  The players will use some dice-and-card drafting to research dinosaurs and build habitats for said dinosaurs.  This games looks like it is a tight and fun game and I can’t wait to get my copy of it when it ships next year.  The game has the wonderful art by Kwanchai Moriya and looks amazing.  The only reason this game isn’t higher on my demo list is because I already have it on pre-order through a Kickstarter earlier this year.



Escape Plan is a card-drafting, tile-placement and area movement game designed by the fantastic Vital Lacerda and published by Eagle-Gryphon Games.  This game has players in the role of a thief who has just successfully robbed a bank and is currently hanging low before going and grabbing their loot and splitting.  Everything goes well until the SWAT and police get involved and accusations are made and each thief goes out on their own to escape being caught while getting as much of their loot as possible.  This is done with card play and movement along a board.  In classic Lacerda ways, this game is heavy but looks to work really well with the theme.  I am looking forward to trying this one out.



Lockup: A Roll Player Tale is a worker-placement, area-control and set-collection game designed by Stan Kordonskiy and published by Thunderworks Games.  This game takes place in the Roll Player universe and puts players in the role of a group of minions who has been locked in the king’s dungeons.  The players will try to increase their reputation while keeping the suspicions of the guards low.  The minions may not be able to escape but they will try to make their stay as comfortable as possible in this game.  The game goes in phases where their cells will be searched, place their minions in different parts of the dungeon and then score points at the lights out phase.  This game looks fun and I love the theme so I really want to try it out.



Orbis is a route-building, tile-placement and civilization game designed by Tim Armstrong and published by Space Cowboys.  This game puts players in the role of a god who is creating their territory as best as possible.  The players will do this by taking tiles from the nine lands and when that tile is taken all adjacent tiles will get worshippers of the same color thus making them more tempting for the next player.  There are some restrictions as to how the tiles may be placed making for what appears to be some interesting and puzzling decisions.  I love a good tile-placement game and this looks to be both fun and beautiful which really seems to be Space Cowboys’ modus operandi.  I hope to be able to get a demo of this game during the couple of days I’m there.



Comanauts is a dice-rolling, co-operative, adventure book game (the first was Stuffed Fablesdesigned by Jerry Hawthorne and published by Plaid Hat Games.  This game follows a Dr. Martin Strobal who has created the Mobius Ring.  This invention was supposed to help humanity but instead is creating a singularity and threatens to destroy the very world we are on.  Unfortunately Dr. Strobal has fallen into a coma and that is where the players come in.  Players will band together to dive into the doctor’s dreams and attempt to defeat the demons that haunt him and unlock the secrets that are hidden in his psyche.  This game’s theme is absolutely amazing as it reminds me of the fabulous game Psychonauts and just excites me to try it out.  This is a must demo at the convention!



Tidal Blades: Heroes of the Reef is a worker-placement and dice-rolling game designed by Tim and Ben Eisner and published by Druid City Games.  This game takes place in the Tidal Blades universe and has the players using worker-placement and dice-building/rolling in order to get magicians to help mitigate the challenges of going into the mysteries of “The Fold”.  This game looks beautiful and Druid City Games are doing a good job with their games thus far.  I really want to try this game out!

Well, there you have it, post #3 in the bag!  These are all games that are supposed to be demoed during the convention and I’d really like to try most if not all of them.  These could all be winners or they could be duds but I hope to know more soon.  This ends the “pre-convention” posts but I may still do one afterwards.  Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed!  Until next time, game on!

Wednesday, August 1, 2018

Obligatory 2018 Gen Con Post Part II: Top 5 Anticipated Games

Woo hoo!  Now that Gen Con 2018 is here I have my second post ready to go.  There are so many great games out there and while I thought this year’s offers were a little weaker than last there are still many that I’m anticipating.  Before we move on to this post feel free to check out my first which takes a look at my top 5 anticipated game expansions.


Alright, now that the preamble is out of the way let’s go ahead and move on to the meat of the post.  This post will take a look at my top 5 anticipated (plus 1 honorable mention for good measure!) games of Gen Con 2018.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!



Undertow is a new stand-alone expansion for the 2017 Chip Theory Games hit, Too Many Bones designed by Adam Carlson and Josh Carlson.  Undertow is also designed by Adam and Josh and will see its release at Gen Con 2018.  Too Many Bones is a dice-building, rpg game where the players take on the role of a Gearlock who is traveling through the country taking on tyrants who are rising up.  This is one of my top 5 games of all time and I absolutely love it!  This expansion gives players a stand-alone adventure and adds in two more Gearlocks as well as move tyrants and encounters to the game.  I absolutely can’t wait to get my copy from the Kickstarter.  I am cheating a little with this game as it is technically an expansion but it is also a stand-alone.  This is why I have put the game as my honorable mention, otherwise it would have been my number 1 game anticipation of the convention!



Reef is an abstract strategy, pattern building game designed by Emerson Matsuuchi and published by Next Move Games/Plan B Games.  This game has the players attempting to create the most beautiful reef as they choose colors and patterns to grow and expand the reef.  The players will use cards and pieces and create the reef.  The better they do the more points they gain.  This game is released by Plan B Games new imprint, Next Move Games, and so far everything they have done we have really loved.  Because of this, Reef makes it onto my list at number 5.

#4 – Root (Leder Games)


Root is an area control, hand management and variable player power game designed by Cole Wehrle and published by Leder Games.  This game has the players taking the role of different woodland factions as they are attempting to take back the forest from the nefarious Marquise de Cat.  This game is a highly asymmetric game where the factions play very differently from each other.  The Marquise wants to harvest the riches of the land while the Alliance attempts to strengthen their own resources while subverting the rule of the Cats.  The Vagabonds can form alliances with the different factions to help out while the Eyrie are hoping to take back their birthright.  This game looks incredible and I would love to try it out and possibly pick it up while at the convention this year.



Brass: Birmingham is an economic, hand-management and route building game designed by Martin Wallace, Gavan Brown and Matt Tolman and published by Roxley.  This game is a sequel of sorts to the original Brass designed by Martin Wallace and released in 2007.  The game is an economic strategy game where the players are entrepreneurs during the industrial revolution and must build and develop their industries and network to exploit the market demands.  The players will use different actions and card play in order to create and further their industries and make theirs the best.  I have never played the original but this sequel looks absolutely amazing and I can’t wait to try it out!



The Rise of Queensdale is a worker-placement, civilization and dice-rolling game designed by Inka and Markus Brand and published by alea and Ravensburger.  This game is a Legacy-style game where the players will be building up their own area in Queensdale.  The players will use worker placement and dice rolling in order to collect raw material, build buildings and gain fortune and glory in order to win the king’s patronage.  The game allows the players to upgrade their dice, gain more upgrades and develop their personal boroughs all over the course of multiple game sessions.  I am really looking forward to this game as I think my wife and I will really love it!



The Reckoners is a co-operative, dice-rolling and simultaneous action selection game designed by Brett Sobol and Seth Van Orden and published by Nauvoo Games.  This game follows the novels by Brandon Sanderson and puts players in the roles of the Reckoners as they are attempting to find out the weaknesses of evil super-powered villains in order to kill them since they have taken over the world and created terror wherever they are.  The players will roll dice and use simultaneous action selection each turn in an effort to take down the Epics.  This game is amazingly produced and looks like a ton of fun.  I can’t wait to pick up my pre-order at Gen Con!

Well, there you have it, my top 5 plus 1 anticipated games of this year’s Gen Con.  I will be at the convention on Friday and Saturday and look forward to just walking the halls and playing games with my friends and checking out new stuff.  If any of you are going feel free to let me know and maybe we can meet up for a game!  I may still do one more pre-convention post where I’ll take a look at demo-only games and I may still do one follow up to the convention.  Thanks so much for taking the time to read and I hope you enjoyed it.  Until next time, game on!