Abstract games are my favorite. I enjoy the decreased reliance on luck, the mano a mano head-on strategy of all players having perfect (or near-perfect) information. In many ways, it’s the desire to see the best player win. Now, that’s not to say that I don’t like (or that the best player doesn’t win) heavier titles – I enjoy Scythe, the North Sea trilogy, T.I.M.E Stories, etc., but if presented a choice, I’d probably take a night playing one game each of Azul, Sagrada, Grackles, and Reef, rather than one game of a heavier (longer play time) title.
That being said, I love Thundergryph Games’ Spirits of the Forest. The game play, components, presentation, art, time constraints, solo variant, even the way it all fits so neatly in the box – all of it is A+. It is not only my favorite abstract game, but it was my favorite game of 2018. I was playing it again this weekend for the umpteenth time when I discovered something new about the game –
I had been playing it wrong.
It isn’t like I had only played the game once and was missing a detail that was messing with gameplay. This was part of my 10X10 in 2018. I had played this game several times, both multiplayer and solo. Also, it’s not like it’s Campaign for North Africa – Spirits has a 1.31 weight on BGG and plays in about 15 minutes. But for whatever reason, I missed a detail in my initial run through of the rules, and never had a reason to go back and revisit the rules as the mistake didn’t really affect gameplay. But this weekend, I was flipping through the rulebook and discovered that I had been making a pretty big error in game play.
Thankfully, it didn’t change my opinion of the game. In fact, it probably made me like the game more because it increased the difficulty and need for careful strategy. But it was still a bit humbling to look through the rulebook of a game that I had taught, played several times, and touted as the best game of 2018, and find that I wasn’t playing it right.
So the question this week is this – is there a game that you played more than a couple of times only to later find out that you were playing it wrong? If so, did it change your opinion of the game for better or worse? Let us know on the Everything Board Games Community Facebook page or on Twitter at @ETBoardgames.
This week was busy one for Kickstarter releases starting with the highly teased and anticipated title from Renegade Game Studios – Terror Below. The overall staff pick of the week is already approaching the 450% funded mark with 20 days left to go. In Terror Below, 2-5 players are competing to gather W.O.R.M. (Weapons of Remote Massacre) eggs and deliver them to some “government men over at Area Fifty-somethin’” to collect rewards. However, the more vibrations the players make with their board movement, the more attention they get from the Worms and the more likely they are to kill them. However, each player starts with three characters – each continuing on when the predecessor passes. Players only need one surviving character to win. Terror Below seems to add a fun survival component to a pick-up and deliver game. The game includes impressive components and art work and will most likely be the latest hit from Renegade Game Studios.
The next highest vote getter among the Everything Board Games review staff this week is In the Hall of the Mountain King from Burnt Island Games. This 2-5 player area control game has players taking on the roll of trolls working to rebuild the abandoned kingdom under a mountain. The game includes an interesting “cascading production” system where newly hired trolls are placed above two other trolls allowing them to gain their resources, but the two trolls at the bottom of this “pyramid” also gain any resources they have ability to carry. The art by Kwanchai Moriya (Cryptid, Dinosaur Island, Kodama, etc.) looks awesome. In the Hall of the Mountain King is currently 190% funded with 21 days to go.
Did I mention that I like abstract strategy games? My pick this week is TACTIKI from Armored Panda. This 2-player abstract beauty looks like the best parts of Stratego and Gobblet rolled into one. In TACTIKI, players are trying to move 5 of 10 pieces to their opponent’s side of the 5X5 game board and build a Tac or Tiki statue 5 pieces high. On the back of each piece there is a number, ranging from 1 to 5 that determine the strength of the piece during attacks. A piece with a 5 is stronger than a 4, and both are stronger than a 3. A 3 is stronger than a 2, and both are stronger than a 1. But a 1 is stronger than a 5. I am curious if this is a traditional Polynesian game or just uses that as a theme, but I like the look and gameplay and will most likely be backing. TACTIKI is currently 46% funded with 27 days to go.
Other games receiving votes this week are Mechanica (42% funded with 24 days to go) and Xerxes (94% funded with 19 days to go).
Did we miss anything this week? Let us know what caught your eye and/or dollars on the Everything Board Games Community Facebook page or on Twitter at @ETBoardgames.
Nick S – EBG Reviewer
FEATURED KICKSTARTER PROJECTS
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EBG STAFF PICKS: KICKSTARTER OF THE WEEK
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Dane Trimble In The Hall of the Mountain King |
Dave Merrell TACTIKI |
Brody Sheard Terror Below |
David Jensen In The Hall of the Mountain King |
Stephen Gulik Terror Below |
Alexa Chaplin XERXES |
Nick Shipley TACTIKI |
Nicholas Leeman Mechanica |
Delton Perez Terror Below |
George Jaros Fry Thief |
Derek Dez Maggs Fry Thief |
Jeremy Davis Terror Below |
Benjamin Kocher Terror Below |
James Freeman Terror Below |
Rodger Moore XERXES |
Michael Stine Mechanica |
James Reid In The Hall of the Mountain King |
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NEW KICKSTARTER PROJECTS
See all our Featured Kickstarter.com games and those coming up HERE!
