Unboxing: Samurai Spirit

For my second unboxing post I have chosen the brand new game (technically still “unreleased” until Essen Spiel 2014) by the fantastic Antoine Bauza entitled Samurai Spirit.  Bauza is known for such games as 7 Wonders, Hanabi, Takenoko, Tokaido, and Ghost Stories.  These are all very different games which really show the range of Bauza’s design.  

Samurai Spirit is a co-operative adventure where you take one of seven samurai and fight off a horde of bandits as they attempt to loot and raze a small village.  You are trying to fend off the bandits over three rounds and you want to save at least one house, one family, and stay alive.  This is no easy task, as Bauza is well known for his difficult co-operative games!

A good friend of mine was able to pick this game up for me at Gen Con 2014 as Funforge (the game’s publisher) brought 300 copies for early sale.  Along with the game they included a promo card that was an eighth boss for the final round of play.  This card is an especially mean card that has some nasty penalties for those samurai that don’t deal with him quickly!

The first thing I noticed as I picked the game up from my buddy was that it was much smaller than the typical game on my shelf.  This box is less than half the size of a “normal” sized game such as 7 Wonders.  This made me a little nervous at first but I pushed that aside as I know that Funforge is well known for their excellent component quality.  When I opened up the box it was obvious that my hesitations held no weight.  There weren't tons of components, but each and every one of them were beautiful and of great quality.  The box came with cards, game boards, an unpunched token board, and a rule book.

To begin with, the game has seven player boards (above).  This is where the “majority” of the game will be played as they hold all the information you need about your character.  Each of the seven samurai (yes, this game is a nod to the exceptional 1954 movie by Akira Kurosawa entitled Seven Samurai) has their own power that they may unleash and/or share during the game.  Each of these boards may then be turned over to show the “beast mode” of each of the samurai.  This is a more powerful version of the samurai that may be unleashed during the game.

Then, you have the village board (above).  This is a simple village picture where you have six house tokens, three family tokens, and a certain amount of barricade tokens depending on the amount of players.  The tokens will be removed as families are killed by the bandits or as houses/barricades are burned.  Then, on the right side of the board you will place your bandit card deck.  Above the village is a place for your bandit cards that have snuck by the samurai.  Finally, there is a spot of the left side of the board where you place the bandit discards which represent defeated bandits.

Speaking of cards, there is a large deck of beautifully rendered bandit cards (above).  Each of these cards is numbered 1-6 and contains different icons which represent penalties that the samurai can take during certain conditions.  The cards that are numbered 1-4 are regular bandit cards are the samurai start out by fighting them in the first round of play.  The cards that are numbered 5 come into play during the second round and are considered lieutenants of the bandit clan.  Finally, if you are able to make it that far, the cards that are numbered with 6’s are the big, bad bosses.  These nasty cards have some bad penalties and often have two of them!

Lastly, I should mention that this game has an excellent box insert designed for storing all of the components of the game. It is a well-molded plastic that holds everything perfectly.  My wife knows how much I love this simple idea in gaming.  Come on publishers, make good inserts for your games, it isn’t hard and it makes for happier gamers!  That being said, this game is the perfect example of a well-done box insert!  Bravo Funforge, you’ve done well!

Oh my gosh, I almost forgot to mention the amazing samurai-shaped meeples that are included with the game!  They are an awesome addition!

So, needless to say at this point, the components and the box insert in this game are spot on!  This is definitely a game that screams quality over quantity.  While there aren’t many components, they are all so well thought out and well crafted that you don’t miss the ridiculous amounts that are in other games.  Also, after a few plays and really getting the rules down, I am loving this game!  Well, I suppose that’s all for now, until next time, game on!

Family Game Night #4: AKA "Unofficial" Family Game Night #1: AKA Antoine Bauza Day

This past Thursday (9/11), our friends Becks and Chris came to see us.  They live in England and are only able to come to the states once or twice a year, so whenever they're able make it “across the pond” we try very hard to get together and just hang out for a little while.  Em and Becks celebrated their 21st anniversary of being best friends while they were here...I don’t really how this affects family game night, but at least you know how we all know each other!

They arrived in the afternoon while Baby Knives (our child’s middle name is Knives so Baby Knives became an early nickname, just FYI) was taking  her nap (although not sleeping - welcome to the world of 2 year olds).  They arrived, had some lunch and Em decided she wanted to teach them Takenoko by the fabulous Antoine Bauza.  Just as an aside, I love that my wife now suggests we play games instead of it just being my idea!

As I’ve explained before, Takenoko is a simple modern board game where you take control of a panda who wants to eat bamboo and a gardener who wants to grow bamboo in order to please his emperor.  It is a simple and brightly colored game that uses game mechanics such as tile placement, set collection, and pattern building in order to obtain your objectives.  This makes for a super-fun, entry-level game that is easy to teach and fun to play.  Becks and Chris had a ton of fun playing and then even wanted to go for a second round.  Becks took the first (teaching) round and Em won the second.

After we had dinner we decided to play a few more games (of course). For our second, I wanted to pull out Hanabi (also by the great Antoine Bauza) and teach it to them.  This is a favorite of mine as it is totally different from any game I’ve ever played.  This game’s mechanics include memory, co-operative play, hand management, and set collection.  What makes this game totally different from any other game I’ve played is that you take your hand of cards and instead of looking at them you face them out towards your fellow players.  

You then take turns giving hints and attempting to score the most possible points (25 being the best) and creating a “crowd-pleasing” fireworks event.  While the theme is thinly pasted on, the game itself is a ton of fun.  Beware though, there is a certain level of frustration that players can have during this game as you never see your own cards.  I love pulling out this game whenever I can because it isn’t a great two player game and my wife isn’t a huge fan of it.  Becks and Chris seemed very entertained and I think if we had played a few rounds we may have hit a very high score!  As it is, we had a perfectly respectable score of 18.

Lastly, we ended up pulling out our third Antoine Bauza game of the day: 7 Wonders.  This is quickly becoming one of my favorite games as it is so quick and easy to teach and everyone who has played it really seems to enjoy the mechanisms and gameplay.  This game uses set collection, variable player powers, and my personal favorite, card drafting as its gameplay mechanisms.  Becks and Chris figured out the game relatively quickly during our teaching game (where Becks won again!) and then settled in nicely for another round before they had to leave for the evening.  Em took the final game, edging me out when Becks played a card I needed to finish a science set!

Happy Antoine Bauza Day!

As usual, we had a ton of fun playing games with our friends and teaching them a whole new side to the boardgaming world.  As both Becks and Chris enjoy gaming they both seemed to have a great time and I look forward to the time they're back in the states so we can have another prolonged gaming day!  Even though this wasn’t a planned “Family Game Night,” it was just as fun and I hope to have many more “Unofficial Family Game Nights!”  As always, it’s been a pleasure.  Until next time, game on!

Family Game Night #3

On August 31^st Em and I had our third “family game night” and they seem to be going really, really well.  For our third night we had three other people join us.  Dave, Lydia, and Leigh all came over to eat delicious appetizers and have fun gaming.  This was the first time Dave met Leigh and Lydia and they all hit it off as we had a great night gaming!

Let’s start off with the food that Em served us this time.  While the last game night had a “theme” of Italian style appetizers, this time Em passed on a theme and just made some stuff that sounded good.  It ended up being a very “cheese-centric” night and as usual her food went off with a bang! 

The first thing she chose to make for our third game night was a puff pastry tomato tart recipe that consisted of a puff pastry crust, sour cream, cream cheese, and tomatoes all baked in the oven.  The next recipe chosen were mini crab cakes with red pepper sauce.  These were as good as any crab cake you’d find in a restaurant!  The third savory appetizer Em went for were mini cheese ball bites with pretzels for serving.  Lastly, for a dessert appetizer, she chose to go with chocolate chip cheesecake swirl brownie bites.  By the end of the night I think we had finished off all of the appetizers before everyone left, that's how you know the cook is great!  If you are curious about the recipes, just hop over to Em’s blog, Tasty Mess.  You can find the post at http://www.tastymess.org/2014/09/family-game-night-2-aka-excuse-to-serve.html.

Onto the gaming!  This particular evening I chose to go with another game by Antoine Bauza entitled 7Wonders.  This may be his most popular work as it has been featured on Tabletop with Wil Wheaton.  7 Wonders is a fantastic “card-drafting” game where all of the players are trying to create their civilization and win the most victory points in doing so.  There are many different routes to victory including building civilian structures, science structures, military structures, guild structures, and your specific wonder.  Some of the wonders include the Babylonian Hanging Gardens, the Colossus of Rhodes, and the Pyramid at Giza just to name a few.  A player receives their starting hand of seven cards, chooses one they are able to build (using resources acquired), and then turns the rest of their hand over to the player to their left or right.  The game consists of three very quick ages and then you score at the end.

I had just received this game earlier in the week and decided that it was the game that we HAD to play as I’d heard nothing but great things about it!  I was SUPER happy that I went with this game as everyone had a blast playing!  It didn’t take long for everyone to pick the game up and by the second playthrough everyone had developed their own strategy for winning.  After three games, Em won one, Lydia won the second, and I won the third.  Dave came in second every time thus becoming our “bridesmaid” for the evening.  “Always the bridesmaid, never the bride...”

Another great night in the bag as Em and I are having a blast having these get-togethers!  I’m not sure what our next game will be but I have a few I’d like to break out.  As usual, I’ll let you know then!  Until next time, game on!

Family Game Night #2

Unfortunately I am late on this post, but in the end I‘m okay with it as long as my readers are!  On August 10^th, Em and I had our second “family game night” and it was just as successful as the first!  This time Em chose to cook even more delicious “appetizer-style” foods that we were able to enjoy along with our gaming.  This game night consisted of Em and I as well as our friends Leigh and Lydia.  They were brand new to our game night although Lydia enjoys good “designer” board games already.  Leigh is brand new to the hobby but she took quickly to the game we chose for the night and definitely enjoyed the gaming and fun!

To begin with, I feel as though I should talk a little about the delicious food that Em cooked up for the evening.  She began her planning by realizing she wanted to do a cannoli dip recipe for a sweet, Italian-inspired appetizer.  This consisted of the cannoli dip along with strawberries and both chocolate and original graham crackers on the side to dip.  This made her go with an “Italian” theme for the night and from there she went with three savory style appetizers.  

First she made some delicious marinara sauce and put it in a crock-pot with some small meatballs, a simple but delightful food.  She then went on to make some stuffed mini peppers with a fresh pesto for dipping or spreading on top of the peppers.  Lastly she went with a potted cheese spread that we were able to spread on crackers.  It was all delicious and you can find the recipes and more about them at Em’s blog: Tasty Mess.  You can find the specific post at http://www.tastymess.org/2014/08/family-game-night-excuse-to-serve.html.

Photo courtesy of Amazon.com

Following some delicious appetizers from my wonderful wife, we went on to the game.  For this night we chose a fantastic “gateway” game by one of my favorite (perhaps my very favorite!) game designers, Antoine Bauza.  The game we chose for the night is called Takenoko.  This is a beautiful game distributed by Matagot/Bombyx/Asmodee and it is known for its beautiful components and simple but fun gameplay.  We only had time for one full game, as it can take a little while with four players.  This was actually the first time that Em and I have played this game with more than three players and we found it to be just as fun!  I ended up winning but don’t really count it as a victory since both Leigh and Lydia were brand new to the game.  Even though they hadn’t played before, both of our new players did an excellent job and picked up the gameplay very quickly and vied for the lead the entire way through the game.

After Leigh and Lydia left for the night, Em and I decided to pull out Quarriors (a “dice-building” game) and played through a round of that.  All in all it was a great night of fun, “family,” and gaming.

As a side note, the picture that I’ve included of the four of us was “technically” from our most recent family game night, but we figured the addition of the hats would make it stand out and fake everyone out!  Perhaps it didn’t work, but it’s the thought that counts, right?  Until next time, game on!

Mice & Mystics: Chapter Two: Lily’s Tail

What follows is the second chapter in the story of the fantastic dungeon crawler Mice & Mystics by Plaid Hat Games.  Em and I took the past two nights and went through this scenario in the game and to be honest we rolled for crap the first night.  We actually didn't even make it out of the second tile before we were overrun by a bunch of roaches.  In a stroke of brilliance we decided to change our strategy as we replayed the chapter the second night.  We chose to change up the mice we played and that ended up being the difference between winning and losing.  

For this scenario Em chose to play with Maginos the mage and Tilda the healer.  I went with Collin the warrior prince and also controlled the rolling of Lily the archer even though we technically didn't have her in our party at first.  While the first chapter took quite a while for us to play through (about 2 ½ to 3 hours), this one only took us about 45 minutes to an hour to play.  Of course, at this point, we know how to play the game and were able to cruise through the dice rolling.  Thankfully Em and I rolled really well the second time through and with Em controlling a healer we were able to defeat the scenario.  Below is a summary of the story in chapter two of Mice & Mystics.

SPOILER ALERT!  If you are ever planning on playing this game you may not want to read ahead!  Otherwise enjoy the story.

Chapter Two: Lily’s Tail

After hearing the tale from the mayor of Barksbury, Linera, Collin is driven to help the mouse with her request to find her daughter.  He begs the help of his fellow travelers, Maginos, Tilda, Nez, and Filch and with quite a bit of hesitance (mostly from Nez and Filch) they all agree.  The group travels out of Barksbury and down to the entrance of the tree as a throng of mice await them, cheering them on as they get ready to exit the tree and move on to the dangers of the castle.  A young mouse brings a four-leaf clover and hands it to Maginos who thanks the child.

The group fights their way through some rat warriors and the old crow in the courtyard and enter the castle through a hole in the wall.  There they are met by a large group of hungry cockroaches but they make relatively quick work of the vermin.  At this point Collin and his group find a way up into the dining hall where they find a dinner fork that they think may be needed further on in their adventure.  Upon dropping back down into the caverns, the party moves on and finds themselves in a tunnel full of crystals.  Upon entering they realize that the glow from the crystals is not natural.  Maginos agrees with their observation but the group moves on.

Upon entering the cavern they see a small, lithe mouse struggling to free herself from a mousetrap that has been placed in the tunnel.  Collin shouts out to the group, “It’s Lily!”  As they run into the crystal tunnel their heads are suddenly filled with a vision.  They see a sickly, but beautiful young woman who is surrounded by Tilda’s healers who seem to be tending to her.  Filch poses a question of what the vision was to the group but Maginos, Tilda, and Nez push the question off for the time being as they rush in to help Lily.

End of Chapter Two.

That is the end of Lily’s Tail.  It was at this point that Em and I ran into the tunnels and came across a group of rat warriors and a centipede by the name of Skitter-Clak.  Em (controlling the mage Maginos) cast a spell which basically killed off Skitter-Clak as I (as Collin) rushed forward and released Lily with the dinner fork we found in the dining hall.  At this point, the four mice we controlled made short work of the remaining four rats and won the scenario.  Another fun play with my wife down, and next time we move on to chapter three, The Grapes of Rats.  Until next time, game on!

Obligatory 2014 Gen Con Post Part III : Top 10 List (Part II)

This past Sunday marked the final day of Gen Con 2014, to the sadness of some and the excitement of others.  I’ve actually been watching the live feeds from Board Game Geek during the entire duration of the event to get an idea of what is going on.  It has actually been quite interesting to see the feeds and watch as people start to look more tired and haggard by the fourth day of the gaming convention.  I know this post is a little later than I wanted but I am still obliged to finish off my top ten list from Gen Con!  What follows will be numbers one through five of my list.

#5 - Shadows of Brimstone: City of Ancients/Shadows of Brimstone: Swamps of Death (Flying Frog Productions)

I am slightly cheating with this choice by choosing two games for one pick, but there is a legitimate reason!  Both of the Shadow of Brimstone sets are being released at the same time and they are both stand alone base sets that need nothing else to play than what is in the box.  I have seen some things from this game and I love what I’ve seen so far.  Shadows of Brimstone is best explained as a dungeon delver that takes place in a wild west theme.  

What makes this wild west theme so interesting is that there is a great evil rising from the depths of the coal mines, an ancient evil and darkness that is threatening the entire area.  Basically this is a spaghetti western with a Cthulu overtone!  How could I not be super-interested in this?  I also love that this dungeon run is a fully co-operative game because it really makes it interesting for my wife as well.  I have been able to get her into gaming greatly due to the co-operative experience in said games.  This may not be a purchase for a while due to the price tag and due to the need to build models, but it is just a matter of time until Shadows of Brimstone finds its way onto my gaming shelf!

#4 - Consequential (Asmadi Games)

This game is a tough one.  To be honest I don’t know a ton about Consequential but what I do know highly intrigues me, enough to put it into my top five interests of the convention.  What I do know about this game is that it is another fully co-operative game that tells a story over four acts.  Each of these acts is contained within the box but they are packaged separately so that when they are opened they contain new cards, new locations, and new mechanics.  This game also takes the idea of preserving your character throughout the different acts and leveling them as you go.  I love this idea of persistence as it is becoming a huge mechanism in board gaming right now.  Consequential also contains an app that helps to tell the story of the game which I find very interesting.  While this is high on my interest list it won't be a must-buy until more information is released about the game.

#3 - Argent: The Consortium (Level 99 Games)

Argent: The Consortium is a new game release by the fantastic Level 99 Games and it has climbed its way all the way up to number three on my list!  This is a fantastic-looking game that takes place in Level 99’s World of the Indines.  This is a persistent world that they have used for many of their games including the well received BattleCon.  This is a big difference from the majority of the games put out by Level 99 in that this game heavily relies on Euro-mechanics such as worker placement.  What makes this different than other worker placement games is that the workers you place in different rooms each have a special ability.  This gives worker placement a new and fresh mechanism that creates a new way of thinking about your moves.  Because of the interesting gameplay, the beautiful artwork, and the persistent world of Indines, Argent: The Consortium makes its way into the number three spot on my top ten list.

#2 - Lords of Xidit (Libellud/Asmodee)

Lords of Xidit is an interesting game that has been re-themed and re-released by Libellud.  Formerly, it was a game called Himalaya by Regis Bonnessee and has now been re-themed and put into the world of Xidit.  Xidit is a world that was first realized in one of my current favorite games, Seasons.  Seasons is also a game by Regis Bonnessee so I suppose they thought it was be a good idea to re-theme Lords of Xidit into the same world as Seasons.  I have to say, from some of the early pictures that I’ve seen of this game I am blown away by the art just as I am by the art of Seasons.  While Seasons is a card drafting and hand management game, Lords of Xidit takes on programming and pick-up-and-deliver mechanics.  These are some mechanics that I don’t really have on my gaming shelf and would love to have them in this beautifully realized game!

#1 - Samurai Spirit (Funforge)

And my number one game interest of Gen Con 2014 is Samurai Spirit by the great Antoine Bauza and released by Funforge.  First of all, being released by Funforge, I have no doubt that the components and art will be perfectly integrated into the game.  Second of all, it is designed by one of my very favorite designers, Antoine Bauza.  This game seems to be a return to some of his older designs (i.e. Ghost Stories) and that is some of the best news I’ve heard!  Ghost Stories is a fantastic (and sometimes super-mean) co-operative game where you take on a role of a Taoist Monk trying to protect a town from an evil ghost dictator.  Samurai Spirit puts you into the role of a Samurai attempting to save a town from bandits.  I have seen some play from this game and it looks totally different from Ghost Stories while keeping his fantastic game design and slightly cruel nature of co-operative play.  This game seems mean and I love that!  At the time of writing this I actually have a copy coming to me before the release date of October or November.  A friend was at Gen Con this year and was able to pick this game up for me as well as a promo card for it!  I am so excited about this game and will be sure to do an unboxing when I receive it.

Thus ends my second half of my top ten interests of Gen Con 2014.  I hope you enjoyed these posts and were possibly able to see some games that interest you.  As always if you have any questions of comments feel free to post then at the bottom and I will gladly answer them.  Until next time, game on!

Obligatory 2014 Gen Con Post Part II : Top 10 List (Part I)

Today marks the beginning of this year’s Gen Con, “the best four days in gaming.”  It is North America’s largest tabletop gaming convention, and according to them the largest in the world.  Regardless of the size it is a spectacle of the hottest games of the year.  

Before checking out this list feel free to follow this link:http://www.alittlelatetothetable.blogspot.com/2014/08/obligatory-gen-con-post-part-i.html and read about my honorable mentions of the convention.  What follows will be the first half of my top ten list.  This post will include games six through ten and in the next day or so I will be posting the second half which will include games one through five.

#10 - Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Skull & Shackles Base Set (Paizo Publishing)

This is the follow up to last year’s hugely popular Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Rise of the Runelords.  Paizo, the game company that releases Pathfinder, has really taken this game and made a great adventure out of it.  Em and I are currently working our way through the Runelords base set and we just finished the first adventure pack and have moved on to the second.  This set adds on more classes (including a swashbuckler and a gunslinger) and pirate ships to the mix.  The few previews I’ve seen make it seem like they’ve really upped the fun level in this set.  The only reason it isn’t higher on my list is because we are still working through the first base set and won’t get this one until we’ve completed Runelords.  That being said, Paizo is also creating more character decks so there is even more variability in the character selection.  I love what they are doing with this game and can’t wait to see what comes in the future for Pathfinder Adventure Card Game!

#9 – Shadowrun: Crossfire (Catalyst Game Labs)

In a similar vein of Pathfinder, Shadowrun: Crossfire is a co-operative deck building style game where you and friends take control of your characters and fight through obstacles and villains.  This is by Catalyst Game Labs and the theme is really what drew me to it.  The Shadowrun world is a cyberpunk world that also contains magic and the like.  The mechanics make it different enough that it doesn’t seem that it will take the same niche as Pathfinder does.  I love co-ops and I’m love the theme.  For these reasons this game has made it onto my top ten interests of this year’s Gen Con.

#8 - The Battle at Kemble’s Cascade (Z-Man Games)

The Battle at Kemble’s Cascade is a game that takes the old arcade top-down space shooters and turns it into a tabletop experience.  I love this idea so hard!  I am a child of the 80’s and have always been an avid gamer so this one hits every button perfectly!  The game is playable for 2-5 people and includes all the ideas of those classic shooters.  Each of the player ships can be fully upgraded and can get power-ups all through the game.  While you are the other players are shooting up the alien hordes, they are also getting more powerful and bringing in the “big bosses” that I remember so fondly!  The theme is perfect, the mechanisms sound perfect, and it is being put out by Z-Man Games which means that the components will be top notch!  An easy choice for the top ten!

#7 - Abyss (Asmodee)

Abyss is a set-collection and hand-management game put out by the highly touted Bruno Cathala and it boasts some of the most beautiful artwork that I have ever seen in a card game…period!  This game is contained within a theme that seems somewhat pasted on, but the artwork is so beautiful that I truly can’t find fault in it.  With a gorgeous look and some mechanics that I haven’t really gotten into but really want to, this game has pushed its way onto the list and up to number seven!

#6 - Hyperborea (Asmodee)

Another Asmodee game makes it onto the list at number six.  Hyperborea is another beautiful looking game that relies on area control, worker placement, and a newer idea that they call “bag-building.”  In this you have little cubes that represent workers with different “powers” that you place on the board.  This is a similar mechanism to deck-building, where you use the cards you start with to buy and create a new and stronger deck.  Instead of cards however, you have your cubes that are placed into a bag which you draw from during the game.  I find this to be an incredibly interesting mechanism and one that I think I’ll enjoy.  

An added bonus is that there is a certain level of luck which means that my wife will probably enjoy it as well!  She like games with strategy to a certain point, but she loves it when they have an element of luck, at least when they are player versus player.  This is also considered to be somewhat of a light “civilization-building” game which we don’t have much of right now.  Between the mechanisms of the game and the beautiful components (one of Asmodee’s specialties!), Hyperborea makes it into number six on my top ten interests of Gen Con 2014.

That concludes my number six through ten.  Think these are good looking games?  Think something else should have been mentioned?  Any guesses to my next five?  Post comments, I gladly welcome conversation!  Stay tuned, in the next couple of days I will have my top five game interests of Gen Con 2014.  Until next time, game on!