Quick Look: Glamour
Designer: Luke Haer
Publisher: Mirth Drake
Year Published: 2022 (Will Launch on Kickstarter – Exact Date Unknown)
Foreword:
I received this bluff/bid game from Luke Haer, with Mirth Drake, and had the opportunity to talk with him a bit via email after blind testing the game with some friends. This game is a prototype and has a little bit of work left before it’s ready for full production but is far along in the process and will be launching to Kickstarter soon.
From the Publisher:
Review:
Initial Impression/Components:
The game had nice card art with pleasing colors. The Dram (bid chips) were a good size and thickness. I enjoyed how the Court Fae were Tarot size and the fairy cards were standard.
Favorite:
I liked the court cards best; the large tarot size prints were great for the images but also made them an appropriate size to place bids on.
Least Favorite:
I did not like the bluff mechanism based on the number of cards available. The prototype I had came with 13 fairy cards. 7 unique types with 6 copies (one had only one copy). Each round players play 3 fairies, so in a 4-player game you have 1 left out and 12 used. I cannot see how it’s possible to bluff by the third turn or likely the second. There’s just too much information available to bluff the remaining cards.
Overall:
I like the theme, art, and game foundation but there’s room for it to grow. I have shared actionable feedback with the designer and know that they have not finalized the product (which is good news). They were very open to constructive criticism and I respect that in a company. As a fellow designer, I know that listening to those that interact with your game is critical to its success. It is a hard task to take all that information and extract the most useful parts but that skill is, in my opinion, what shows the strength of the designer.
Areas they did well:
– Art, component quality, and images
– 4 seasons collected as a win condition
– Cards with unique abilities
– Bidding and maneuverable bids.
– Adaptations for player counts
– Facedown Court cards
– Quick Game/ Low downtime
Areas they could have improved:
– More unique fairy cards and/or increased quantity in the deck
– Some kind of reward/risk to being forced to bluff for the two special card types that require that
– Wording of rulebook. Clear definitions, and explanations.
– Removal of Kingmaker in ties.
– Court card count per game and Dram count per round
– Better decision choices
Final Thoughts:
I think this game is well on its way and I’ll be following its progress to check for changes. The ball will be in Mirth Drake’s court as to the final quality of their game. I do believe that they will make the necessary adjustments prior to fulfillment, but if they do not, I’d have to pass on this title.
I’ll see you next time, back here at The Game Table,
Zerility
If you’d like to connect with Mirth Drake or learn more about the game, here are a couple of links to get you in the right place:
Facebook: https://www.
Kickstarter Prelaunch Page: https://www.kickstarter.
Find out more at BGG. (insert link)
Do you find that you’re missing too many reviews as we drop them? Provide your name and email below and we’ll keep you in the know of what we reviewed that week as well as other hot news!!!!!
Brad Hiscock, aka “Zerility”, is a construction project manager and electrician by trade who was the owner of a 6-time award winning electrical company. His passion for board games has led him from playing hundreds of original titles to creating a design and publishing company of his own, Convivial Games. As an up and coming collaborator on many projects, he is always eager to try new games and meet new people.
Find him reviewing on the socials too!
&
All of Brad Hiscock, aka “Zerility”‘s reviews can be found HERE.