A classic Euro feel. Collect terrain cards from the draft and then spend them to branch out from your start camp to build camps on terrain (and next to symbols) that match the contracts you start with and pick up along the way. With only one camp allowed per spot, there’s a bunch of race tension about whether you’ll get the cards you need in time to get that spot you want. Turns go quick resulting in a 45 min outing. Every map is different. There are scenarios to explore. It’s simple (and I suspect it might get a bit samey) but likeable.Continue reading →
We are not alone! It is the 23rd century, and proof of alien life has finally been discovered beyond our solar system. In fact, recent developments in technology have triggered a cascade of discoveries throughout the galaxy; intelligent life and advanced civilizations are now known across many planets, moons, and asteroids in the Milky Way. Now the race is on to establish interstellar relations with the aliens. The only chance we have of reaching alien life is by pooling our resources to build the required Super Ship. In an unprecedented, albeit uneasy, co-operation between the planetary governments, the peoples of our solar system have finally built the first of these Super Ships. Now, the coalition known as the Extraterrestrial Greeting Organization — EGO — is now ready to launch our first mission.
In EGO, players proceed through a sequence of major and minor events including auctions, drafts, risks, and more. Risks and egos are the lifeblood of this game as players will frequently find themselves in a game of chicken with their rival ambassadors as they try to impress various alien civilizations and earn political power. At the end of the game, players earn significant bonus points or suffer serious penalty points depending on how offensive the aliens find them to be. Ultimately, the ambassador with the most prestige and respect will earn a seat in the Galactic Senate and be crowned the winner of the game. EGO is a drastic reimagining of the strategic, push-your-luck auction game, Beowulf: The Legend
Times played: 4, with review copy provided by Matagot/Grail
In the co-operative card game Level 10 — which was first released as Okey Dokey — players work together to try to complete the challenge. In Okey Dokey, you are putting on a music festival with different performers and must play out all fifty cards in order to complete the performance.
In Level 10, you try to help Izzy play through all ten levels in each of five different video game worlds; each world is represented by a row of cards on the table. Players will play cards one by one to this 5×10 grid — 40 level cards and 10 reset cards — to (hopefully) complete the game. Players’ hands are kept secret from one another and only slight suggestions can be made.
If a player cannot play a card on their turn, the players (and Izzy) lose.
A great American city awaits your vision! Step into the shoes of an urban planner as you take on the challenge of transforming a bustling metropolis into a modern masterpiece. Raise gleaming skyscrapers, build bridges connecting roads and shape green spaces and water fronts to create a city that stands the test of time. Each decision matters; every building, every street, every neighborhood is a piece of your legacy. Gather the right materials,outplan your rivals, and claim your place as the architect of the future. Smart planning equals stunning results. In this completely independent version of Cities you will find the essence of its predecessor but with new mechanics, such as skyscrapers, bridges and highways.
Thanks to the evil machinations of Doctor Mindbender, a hole has been ripped in the space/time continuum and both the G.I. Joes and their arch enemies (COBRA) have been sucked into Valhalla. In real life terms, that means that the G.I. Joe IP is now a part of the Heroscape game system. And even though I’m a little too old to have been a G.I. Joe: Real American Hero fan, there’s a lot to love in these new boxes.
A quick reminder for those of you living under a (virtual) rock when it comes to board games: Heroscape is a miniatures skirmish combat game played on a board constructed out of (incredibly cool) plastic terrain pieces. (Seriously: folks who play with other minis systems have used this 3D terrain because it works so well.) Since the theme is a battle for dominance in world where the Valkyrie Generals can recruit warriors from multiple times & dimensions, there is a wild mixture of heroes & squads – aliens & Matrix guys & Braveheart & dragons & robots & kung fu monks & gorillas with guns, to name a few. More recently, the good folks at Renegade have added armored polar bears, alien space pirates, and anthropomorphic woodland creatures wielding high tech weaponry… to name a few more. And it’s one of my favorite games…
A note about the pictures throughout this review: they were all taken by me on maps I created using both newer and older Heroscape terrain. Specifically, a number of the pictures were taken using a combination of the urban landscape terrain available in the Battle Box with the addition of the urban terrain that was part of the Marvel Heroscape set back in 2007. (They match really well.)
My latest review of new Heroscape boxes from Renegade Game Studios will include the four G.I. Joe boxes as well as the new terrain box (Caverns of Valhalla) and a few other extras. Let’s get to it!
People love traveling. We want to meet new cultures, see famed landmarks with our own eyes and taste the world cuisine. One of the most pleasant ways to explore a new city is just going for a walk. But how to chart a tour route that satisfies everyone? There’s an answer!
En Route is a flip-and-write game in which you create tour routes to the most interesting landmarks of the real-world cities (London, New York City, Hong Kong, Paris, Cairo, and Rio de Janeiro) and the made-up First City packed full of geek references. Every city features basic and specific mechanisms, so all of them play and feel differently.
The game features constant and quite intense player interaction, and players have a fair degree of control and can strategize. It plays fast, dynamic, and makes you constantly think about what your opponents want to do (and sometimes even negotiate so that they play cards that are beneficial to you!).
