Obligatory “What I Played In…” Post Part IV: October 2015

We’re back! This is my “What I Played In…” series where I take a look at the games I played the previous month. Since we’ve moved on into November I’m going to take a look at the games that I’ve played in October. We didn’t beat the raw numbers of September (our highest amount of plays in a month so far) but we did pretty well. We do however have quite a few new games that we played/obtained. That being said let’s take a look at the games that were played in October of 2015.

Statistics:
Total plays in October 2015 – 49
Total unique games played in October 2015 – 16
New games played in October 2015 – 6
New game acquired in October 2015 – 5
Most plays of a single game – 9

Patchwork
Designer – Uwe Rosenberg
Publisher – Mayfair Games/Lookout Games
New to me
First play – 10/11/15
Total plays in October 2015 - 9 

This was one of our new acquisitions for the month of October. My wife and I were able to take an anniversary get-a-way to Annapolis, Maryland where we stopped off at a great game shop (Games & Stuff). At this shop we bought some games and Patchwork was one of them. This is actually the first Uwe Rosenberg game that we’ve played and it is an amazing 2-player experience! We have loved every play of this game and I don’t think it will ever get old. This beautifully simple, tile placement game could be top 10 territory for both of our lists. I want to play it right now!

Rhino Hero
Designer – Scott Frisco/Steven Strumpf
Publisher – Haba
New to me
First play – 10/9/15
Total plays in October 2015 – 8

This is another of our 4 games we picked up at Games and Stuff. It is a simple building game that I’ve lovingly stated is “Jenga if Jenga were fun”. In truth it is somewhat opposite as you are building a tower of cards and placing a little wooden rhino superhero meeple on different levels all while trying not to knock the building over. It is such a simple game but we have found ourselves having a ton of fun with it and with other people who have played it with us. I highly recommend this game for families and children and gamers alike for a light filler game.

Welcome to the Dungeon
Designer – Masato Uesugi
Publisher – IELLO
New to me
First play – 10/3/15
Total plays in October 2015 – 7

We picked this game up just before we left on our vacation so we were able to play it a few times while we were away. This is a fun, beautiful (as most of IELLO’s stuff is!), and quick push-your-luck game where you are placing monsters in a dungeon and essentially betting if you can take the character through successfully. I like the simple gameplay and push-your-luck nature of the game. As a bonus it is also very easy to teach to new gamers!

The Builders: Antiquity
Designer - Frédéric Henry
Publisher – Asmodee
New to me
First play – 10/9/15
Total plays in October 2015 – 5

This game was an impulse purchase (although I had already researched the game) at Games and Stuff while we were looking around. I knew that this game would be another simple one that my wife and I would dig. Sure enough, this is a fun little building game that is very portable so we are easily able to take it to coffee shops and set it up and play a few rounds with no problem. Fun art and gameplay make this a winner. We are looking forward to trying the game with more people and see how it goes.

Trambahn
Designer – Helmut Ohley
Publisher – Mayfair Games/Lookout Games
New to me
First play – 10/9/15
Total plays in October 2015 – 5

This game was the last one that we purchased at Games and Stuff and it has been an instant hit with me and Em. This game is a beautiful set-collection and hand management card game where all of the cards have multiple uses. If you’ve read any of my blogs up to this point you are probably aware that cards with multiple uses is one of my very favorite mechanisms, and this game does it beautifully. We are quickly become large fans of these Lookout Games 2-player series and will probably look for more!

Roll for the Galaxy
Designer – Thomas Lehmann/Wei-Hwa Huang
Publisher – Rio Grande Games
Last play before October 2015 – 9/3/15
Total plays in October 2015 – 3

What more is there to say about this game? It has become one of our favorite games and there hasn’t been a play of it that we haven’t greatly enjoyed! We are still looking forward to getting the expansion, Ambition, so there is even more replayability!

Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn
Designer – Isaac Vega
Publisher – Plaid Hat Games
Last play before October 2015 – 9/11/15
Total plays in October 2015 – 2

Ah Ashes, how fun you have been! Em and I are still enjoying this game greatly! I think that this is one of the top games that have come out in 2015 and it has a definite chance to crack my top 10 list! I look forward to the inevitable expansions that should start releasing this spring!

Tides of Time
Designer - Kristian Čurla
Publisher – Portal Games
Last play before October 2015 – 9/23/15
Total plays in October 2015 – 2 

This game hit the table twice in October and it is still a great card-drafting game. We quite enjoy it as a good quick game that has very high replayability and fun. Plus, it’s gorgeous!

Dungeon Petz
Designer – Vlaada Chvátil
Publisher – Czech Games Edition
Last play before October 2015 – 8/1/15
Total plays in October 2015 – 1

We got in a good play of Dungeon Petz in October and that is always fun. This is one of our favorite worker placement style games and it is one of the most thematic that we’ve ever played. Vlaada is an amazing designer and this is just more proof of that. I highly recommend this one!

Elder Sign
Designer – Richard Launius/Kevin Wilson
Publisher – Fantasy Flight Games
Last play before October 2015 – 4/11/15
Total plays in October 2015 – 1

We brought this game out with a friend of ours who hasn’t really played many modern boardgames and he really enjoyed the experience! We always have fun pulling this game out as it is just simple, dice-chucking fun.

Firefly: The Game
Designer – Aaron Dill/John Kovaleski/Sean Sweigart
Publisher – Gale Force Nine, LLC
New to me
First play – 10/10/15
Total plays in October 2015 – 1

This is a game that we’ve wanted to try for some time and never had the opportunity. During our anniversary trip we visited some good friends and they actually had the game and hadn’t tried it yet! We pulled it out and after some laborious rulebook reading dove headfirst into the game. This isn’t the way I really like to play games as I’m the one that teaches them. Because of this I like to have read the rulebook a few times and really have a decent grasp of the games mechanisms. Thankfully we found the game to be fairly easy to learn and we had a really good time with it! We don’t have any pick-up-and-deliver games so this may be one we pick up in the future.

Ghost Stories
Designer – Antoine Bauza
Publisher – Repos Production/Asmodee
Last play before October 2015 – 8/20/15
Total plays in October 2015 – 1

We decided that Halloween night we would play some Ghost Stories by the fantastic Antoine Bauza! We pushed the level up to normal and we were able to just barely defeat Wu-Feng before we became completely overrun! We don’t play this one enough as we really enjoy it every time we pull it out to play. I would love to acquire the White Moon expansion and some of the cool looking promo packs one of these days to give even more variability to the game!

Hanabi
Designer – Antoine Bauza
Publisher – R&R Games
Last play before October 2015 – 9/8/15
Total plays in October 2015 – 1

Em and I brought this game with us on our anniversary trip and pulled it out at Panera Bread. I always love my plays of this and Em seems to really be warming up to it more and more as we break it out. This is a great game and a fun one to pull out with people who haven’t really played many modern boardgames.

Paperback
Designer – Tim Fowers
Publisher – (Self-published)
Last play before October 2015 – 8/16/15
Total plays in October 2015 – 1

We pulled this game out and as usual had a great time with it. It still remains one of our favorite implementations of a deck-builder. We just recently bought this game for a friend of ours who loves a good word game and it went over great.
 
Rattle, Battle, Grab the Loot
Designer – Ignacy Trzewiczek
Publisher – Portal Games
Last play before October 2015 – 8/31/15
Total plays in October 2015 – 1

Another play of Rattle, Battle, Grab the Loot in the books! I suppose I can understand some of the critique that this game gets, but I just think that they don’t understand what it is all about. This is meant to be a fun game where you are building your pirate ship/crew/loot and just have a fun time doing it. It isn’t meant as a heavy strategic game, but rather as a fun “family-style” game. If you aren’t into these types of games then don’t get it. If you just want a fun time, then this is a fantastic game!

Star Wars: Imperial Assault
Designer – Justin Kemppainen/Corey Konieczka/Jonathan Ying
Publisher – Fantasy Flight Games
Last play before October 2015 –8/14/15
Total plays in October 2015 – 1

Sean, Em and I were able to pull out and play another mission in our ongoing campaign. Always an enjoyable time although I got a bit annoyed with the particular mission I played as it felt very impossible to win as the Imperials. No matter though, always love a good play of this one! We are about three missions away from the final scene!

There we have it. Another month’s plays down. What beauties will we behold in November? I suppose that only time will tell! Before I sign out, below are my new acquisitions in October. Hopefully I will be able to pick up a few new ones in November that we really enjoy.

New acquisitions in October 2015:

• The Builders: Antiquity
• Patchwork
• Rhino Hero
• Trambahn
• Welcome to the Dungeon

As always, thanks so much for reading and please feel free to comment or ask any questions if you have them. Until next time, game on!

Obligatory “What I Played In…” Post Part III: September 2015

Hey all, we’re back for another round of “What I Played In…” This is my series of posts where I list what I played for said month, and said month is September of 2015! This post would normally have been earlier in the month but that time was taken doing my Essen Spiel 2015 series. Now that those are done, on to my “What I Played In September 2015 post! This month has taken over as my most plays, but mostly that is because of some smaller, quicker games that have been hitting the table a lot. Alright, check out my list and enjoy!

Statistics:
Total plays in September 2015 – 68
Total unique games played in September 2015 – 25
New games played in September 2015 – 3
Most plays of a single game – 22


Codenames
Designer – Vlaada Chvátil
Publisher – Czech Games Edition
New to me
First play – 9/7/15
Total plays in September 2015 – 22

A friend of mine let me know that Codenames was at our local comic and game store and I went right over to pick it up to make sure I got a copy! This has been the hotness since Gen Con and I wanted to see what it was all about. 22 plays later I’d say it is a hit with everyone we’ve played it with! It is just a fun word association game that was brilliantly and simply designed. I highly recommend this to absolutely anyone, it will go over great!

Coup
Designer – Rikki Tahta
Publisher – Indie Boards & Cards
Last play before September 2015 – 8/22/15
Total plays in September 2015 – 10

This is the second month that we’ve had Coup and it is still very popular. Such a simple and quick game and I like the deduction in it. It is one of those games that I look forward to teaching to new people because I think it will draw them into more modern boardgames.


Tides of Time
Designer – Kristian Čurla
Publisher – Portal Games
Last play before September 2015 – 8/24/15
Total plays in September 2015 – 5

This game continues to hit the table. It is such a simple 2-player card drafting game and those are incredibly rare. Normally card drafting isn’t a mechanic that works well with only 2-players but here it does. My wife and I can finish a game of this in about 10 minutes and then move on to another game if we want. It is a fun and heavily tactical card game.


Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Rise of the Runelords
Designer – Mike Selinker/Paul Peterson/Chad Brown/Tanis O’Connor/Gabby Weidling
Publisher – Paizo Publishing
Last play before September 2015 – 6/5/15
Total plays in September 2015 – 3

I played 3 rounds of Pathfinder ACG this month to finish up The Hook Mountain Massacre Adventure Deck for my solo play. My wife and I really enjoy this game but we find it more and more difficult to get it to the table. Oh well, we will finish the adventure path eventually!


Shinobi Clans
Designer – Jürgen Mayer
Publisher – Posthuman Studios
New to me
First play – 9/8/15
Total plays in September 2015 – 3

My sister-in-law and her husband got this game for me for my birthday this past February. We finally got it to the table and really enjoyed it! I was actually annoyed that we hadn’t gotten it out sooner when we realized that this is quite a fun little game. We’ve played it 3 times now and everyone has had a good time playing.


Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn
Designer – Isaac Vega
Publisher – Plaid Hat Games
Last play before September 2015 – 8/29/15
Total plays in September 2015 – 2

This continues to be a hit among me and my wife. We are starting to get to the point where we want to add in other players and trying this like the drafting and deck building parts of the game. We’ve had a blast with the pre-built decks and I don’t see us stopping this game any time soon. I highly recommend this for any CCG fan! Plus, bonus, it’s not a CCG!


Munchkin Loot Letter (Love Letter)
Designer – Seiji Kanai
Publisher – Alderac Entertainment Group
Last play before September 2015 – 8/15/15
Total plays in September 2015 – 2

What more to say about Love Letter? This is just a simple, small game that goes over well and is a very solid filler. It will always be in our collection just for quick plays and teaching to new gamers.


Roll for the Galaxy
Designer – Thomas Lehmann/Wei-Hwa Huang
Publisher – Rio Grande Games
Last play before September 2015 – 8/16/15
Total plays in September 2015 – 2

This game is just awesome. We haven’t had a missed month of playing this game since we obtained it earlier this year. We can’t wait for the expansion, Ambition, to be released to give us even more options!

Shadowrun: Crossfire
Designer – Mike Elliott/Rob Heinsoo/Jim Lin/Gregory Marques/Sean McCarthy/Rob Watkins
Publisher – Catalyst Game Labs
Last play before September 2015 – 8/31/15
Total plays in September 2015 – 2

Viceroy
Designer – Yuri Zhuravlev
Publisher – Mayday Games/Hobby World
Last play before September 2015 – 8/31/15
Total plays in September 2015 – 2

This continues to be a game that we’re going to pull out a few times a month and completely enjoy! Actually we’ve started to wonder what it would be like to play at either 3 or 4 players so we may be getting even more fun out of the game soon!


7 Wonders
Designer – Antoine Bauza
Publisher – Repos Production/Asmodee
Last play before September 2015 – 8/9/15
Total plays in September 2015 – 1

Again, 1 play in a month is never enough of this game. Every time I play it I love it more! I can’t wait to get my hands on the new 2-player version of this game that was released at Essen Spiel 2015 entitled 7 Wonders: Duel. I think that Em and I will get 7 Wonders: Duel to the table quite often!

Brew Crafters
Designer – Ben Rosset
Publisher – Greater Than Games
Last play before September 2015 – 7/2/15
Total plays before September 2015 – 1

We got one play of this in September and it is another game that we may only pull out once a month or every other month but we have a great time playing it when we do! It is a great worker placement that is apparently somewhat similar to Agricola but with a much cooler theme!

Carcassonne
Designer – Klaus-Jürgen Wrede
Publisher – Z-Man Games
Last play before September 2015 – 6/12/15
Total plays in September 2015 – 1

We had a good, mellow play of Carcassonne this month with Em’s dad, Terry. We really love pulling this game out with people who aren’t necessarily gamers as it goes over well and is just fun to look over the board afterwards at what you’ve built.

Catan
Designer – Klaus Teuber
Publisher – Mayfair Games
Last play before September 2015 – Not sure
Total plays in September 2015 – 1

Wow, I think it’s been about a decade since I’ve played this game. A buddy gave us a copy of Catan and we finally decided to break it out and play. I remember not liking it but actually enjoyed my play of it this time. I still think the thief/robber is a terrible mechanic but that’s just me. As a side note, my wife is still really not a fan although she also said it wasn’t as bad as she remembered it being.

Diamonds
Designer – Mike Fitzgerald
Publisher – Stronghold Games
Last play before September 2015 – 6/28/15
Total plays in September 2015 – 1

We got in a play of Diamonds with Em’s dad. He ended up pulling out the win in this one. It’s always a good time playing this one, and super easy to teach!

Dice Brewing
Designer – Filip Głowacz/ Ireneusz Huszcza
Publisher – Board&Dice/StuntKite Publishing
Last play before September 2015 – 7/6/15
Total plays in September 2015 – 1
 

We got 1 play in and as has been the norm recently, we seem to be enjoying it more and more with each play. Once you figure out how to gain the resources you need this is a fun play.

Hanabi
Designer – Antoine Bauza
Publisher – R&R Games
Last play before September 2015 – 8/6/15
Total plays in September 2015 – 1

This continues a run of this game. We’ve played it a couple of months straight which is cool because I really like it and it seems to be growing on Em. This is one of those games I can take anywhere and teach easily. We played a 4-player game with Molly (sister-in-law) and Dustin (brother-in-law) and score a respectable 18 points. I think if we’d played again we would have done really well!

Imperial Settlers
Designer – Ignacy Trzewiczek
Publisher – Portal Games
Last play before September 2015 – 8/24/15
Total plays in September 2015 – 1

We played. Of course we played! This is one of our favorite games of all time! Oh, and I lost to the Egyptians with the Atlanteans. Always an awesome game, even when I lose!

Mage Knight Board Game
Designer - Vlaada Chvátil
Publisher – WizKids Games
Last play before September 2015 – 7/12/14
Total plays in September 2015 – 1

Wow, I finally taught this game to Em. It was epic! Honestly, she didn’t enjoy the game that much but she was still willing to learn and try the game with me which is just one of the reasons that she is so cool! This is an awesome game that I may only pull out once or twice a year due to its epic nature but I love every moment when I do!

Mice and Mystics
Designer – Jerry Hawthorne
Publisher – Plaid Hat Games
Last play before September 2015 – 11/18/14
Total plays in September 2015 – 1

Em and I took on the fourth chapter of the Sorrow & Remembrance story line and she rolled those die like a boss! We cruised through this chapter without very much difficulty and loved every minute of it! We always enjoy our plays of this game and hopefully this will give us enough of a kick to remember how fun it is and pull it out more often. On the same note, hopefully Tail Feathers will bring it to the forefront of our minds more often!

Province
Designer – Samuel Strick
Publisher – Laboratory Games
Last play before September 2015 – 8/2/15
Total plays in September 2015 – 1

Em and I played this at a coffeehouse in September and had a great time. It is such a small and quick Euro-style game and I love that it takes no work at all to pull it out and get it ready! It is a solid and fun little game.

Robinson Crusoe: Adventure on the Cursed Island: Voyageof the Beagle (Vol. 1)
Designer – Ignacy Trzewiczek/Robert Masson/Marion Heuser
Publisher – Z-Man Games/Portal Games
New to me
First play – 9/26/15
Total plays in September 2015 – 1

This is similar to last month is that I’m considering this a new to me game. I’ve played the base game a bunch of times and love it but this is the first time that I’ve played the Voyage of the Beagle expansion and I think that Ignacy and crew did a wonderful job on it. I am looking forward to future plays of this expansion!

Samurai Spirit
Designer – Antoine Bauza
Publisher – Funforge
Last play before September 2015 – 8/20/15
Total plays in September 2015 – 1

This game continues to be one of mine and Em’s go-to co-op games. We always have fun with the small puzzle that this game puts forth on every play. We always love it and would highly recommend it to anyone who likes a good puzzle, a quick game, and a solid co-operative experience.

Seasons
Designer – Régis Bonnessée
Publisher – Libellud/Asmodee
Last play before September 2015 – 8/16/15
Total plays in September 2015 – 1

Yay for a game of Seasons! This game is still both mine and Em’s number 1…at least for the time being. That just means that it is always fun and we always love it! This still has my favorite custom dice of all times! Oh, and gorgeous art by Naïade!

Tokaido
Designer – Antoine Bauza
Publisher – Funforge
Last play before September 2015 – 8/19/15
Total plays in September 2015 – 1

We broke this one out for a play with Em’s dad while he was here for a visit. This is always a simple game to teach but still fun and relaxing. I actually scored 99 points in this one which I’ve never done before…so close to 100! Oh, and again, art by Naïade! How can you go wrong with this one?

And there you go! Those are my plays in September 2015. As usual, it was a great month of gaming with my wife and friends. This month’s winner was definitely Codenames as that game just seems to hit the right note with everyone who plays it. Shinobi Clans was really a surprise and I knew the art was good but didn’t know a ton about the game when it was bought as a gift for me. We’ve quite enjoyed the plays we’ve had of it so far.

October is going to be a heavy new games month as (spoiler) we’ve already gotten a few for our anniversary. I won’t tell what they are yet but we’re enjoying all of them. If you haven’t had a chance, go back and check out my Essen Spiel posts. They are all about my interests from this past weekend’s gaming convention in Essen, Germany. If you have any questions or comments feel free to make note at the bottom. Until next time, game on!

Obligatory 2015 Essen Spiel Post Part V: Top 10 List (Part II)

And here we are at the final post (probably) in my Essen Spiel 2015 series.  Tomorrow will be the first day of Essen and I can’t wait to see the live feeds coming from the BoardGameGeek crew!  They set up a booth every year and do some short live demos of the new games coming out at the convention.  They are set up through Livestream and I hope to be able to watch a decent amount of their feed this year to see all of the sweet games that are coming out.  That having been said, if you haven’t had a chance then feel free to check out my previous four posts in the Essen series.  You can check out these post at the links below:

Essen Spiel 2015 Top 5 Game Expansions

Essen Spiel 2015 Top 5 Game Reprints/Re-Implements

Essen Spiel 2015 Honorable Mentions

Essen Spiel 2015 Top 10 Games 6-10

Thanks for checking out those previous posts.  This will most likely be the final post in the Essen series (unless something else jumps out at me!) so sit back, relax and take a look at my top 5 games being released at this year’s convention.

#5 – 7 Wonders: Duel (Repos Production)

7 Wonders: Duel is a card drafting, set collecting, civilization building game designed by Antoine Bauza and Bruno Cathala and will be released by Repos Production.  Many of you have probably heard of (played and loved!) 7 Wonders.  This game is the two-player version that was created from the ground up by the original designer Antoine Bauza and his co-designer Bruno Cathala.  This game uses a card drafting system in order to gain cards which are placed in the player’s tableau and will score then and/or help them in some way during play.  This game looks absolutely amazing.  It takes many of the ideas and graphic concepts of 7 Wonders but it uses slightly different ideas to bring these ideas to fruition.  My wife and I love 7 Wonders but never got into the 2-player variant as it seemed a little too fiddly for our tastes.  This looks like it will give the same feel of its big brother while being just as fun (if not more so!) to play.

#4 – Antarctica (Argentum Verlag)

Antarctica is an area movement and control game designed by Charles Chevallier and will be released at this year’s Essen by ArgentumVerlag.  In this game you are a researcher down in Antarctica.  This game is set many years in the future and ours is looking grim as global warming has caused mankind to send people down to the last continent in order to further research.  This game has an interesting mechanic where you can’t do certain actions until the sun comes around and warms up the area so you can move your ship and have your researchers do other actions.  This is a beautiful game and looks like it will be quite fun.

#3 – Big Book of Madness (Iello)

Big Book of Madness is a co-operative, deck building, fantasy card game designed by Maxime Rambourg and will be released by Iello.  This game finds the player taking the role of a student who is in their first year at a magical school.  They have been told not to open up a certain book which ends up being a grimoire prison!  Of course, being that they are young students, they open up the grimoire and these housed monsters start to come out of the book.  You will use your deck in order to cast spells and help your fellow players defeat these monsters.  All the while different events will come out that you need to pass before getting these monsters back in the book.  This game also has amazing art by Naiade so there is another plus for it.  I already have this game on pre-order and can’t wait for it to hit my door!

#2 – The Gallerist (Eagle-Gryphon Games)

The Gallerist is a worker placement, commodity speculation, set collection game designed by Vital Lacerda and will be released by Eagle-Gryphon Games.  This game was originally on Kickstarter and funded with quite a few people buying into the game.  I wasn’t sold on this game at first but the more I looked into it the more I liked it.  This game finds the players using their workers in order to discover artists, help them become more well known, sell works of art, find works of art, and getting visitors into your art gallery.  The artwork and the gameplay in The Gallerist both look amazing.  Lacerda is well known as a great designer who just keeps getting better with hits like CO2, Kanban, and Vinhos.  This looks like an even more accessible and fun game.  This will probably be a Christmas purchase this year and I can’t wait to see this beautiful game in person!

#1 – Pandemic Legacy: Season 1 (Z-Man Games)

Pandemic Legacy is a co-operative, hand management, set collection, legacy-style game designed by Matt Leacock and Rob Daviau and will be released by Z-Man Games.  This has been my most anticipated game for some time.  I have been interested in Pandemic for a long time but for some reason have never pulled the trigger.  When I heard that Pandemic Legacy was a thing, I got super giddy!  The legacy style of game is starting to creep into our boardgaming hobby and I think it is nothing but a great thing!  I love the idea of persistence in a game.  The decisions that we make now will affect us five games down the line.  This is a story game where we, as players, get to decide where we take the game with our actions and that is just exciting!  I can’t wait for this game as it will be a definite Christmas purchase.

There you have it.  These are game 1-5 on my top 10 Essen Spiel 2015 list.  This year’s convention appears as though it will be a blast and I really can’t wait till we start to see photos and videos on the proceedings.  If you think these games look good, let me know.  If you think there are more worthy games in my top 5 from Essen, just let me know.  And of course, any questions or comments just let me know!  Until next time, game on!