Alison Brennan: Game Snapshots – 2025 (Part 13)

Carrying on from the last article, Mistwind (which I write up below) became a 3-bathroomer as well. Everyone started with one air-whale and most bought the extra two, making turns more and more complicated, hindered by not being able to plan what to do with all those air-whales until you see what public goods and contracts other players have left you when your turn starts. I’ll admit, when my turns are 10 seconds, wait for 3 minutes, take turn 10 seconds, wait for 3 minutes … well, I start checking out my nails to pass the time. One is only human after all.

What I value are games where plantime = tweenturntime, the corollary being perceived downtime = 0. Which is why Civ and similar games at a 4 player count isn’t recommended – it’s not the overall game length that’s the issue (for me anyway), it’s that plantime < tweenturntime at that point, whereas at 2p and 3p it’s mostly equal enough.

If adjusting player count doesn’t get to a point where perceived downtime = 0, I gradually lose engagement. No matter how interesting other player turns might be. And then I find I gradually care less. And then my turns get even faster. And then it’s going to be tough getting it back to the table. And then … dude, where’s my car!

New-to-me games played recently include …

THE BRIGADE (2018): Rank 7527, Rating 6.6

As we’re going thru setup and overview (the town is burning, we’re competing to put out the fire fastest), the first comment was “why isn’t this a co-op”? Ahh, well, the expansion has exactly that option and luckily so because the competitive version is not that hot (so to speak). It only seems to take a handful or so of turns (get water, move meeples, extinguish fire, put out cubes to control tiles as a reward, repeat) before someone’s met a win condition, usually half a turn ahead of other players. Turn order matters. So does the random fire growth card draws – you weirdly want the fire to explode close to you so you get to put out more control markers. Weird. Anyway, it was kinda fun thematically but we’ll try the co-op next and see how it compares to the (“I haven’t been played in years now, come on”) older Flash Point.

Rating: 6

MISTWIND (2024): Rank 3129, Rating 7.7

It’s a pickup and a delivery game but it’s the action selection mechanism that makes it interesting. There are 4 sets of actions – get resources, do extra stuff, pick up effect cards, or build on the map.  Each set has 5 actions numbered 1-5 and there are restrictions – you can only do one action in any given number (and one number not at all), in some sets you can only go once and only where no one else has been, and so on. Managing those restrictions is much of the game. Turn order is key, trying to work what other people will leave you, what you need to race for. That’s the first part of each turn, gradually building your network up on the board for VPs and to cheapen travel. The second part is moving your air-whale around (yes, that’s what I said) to pick up cubes and deliver them to destinations with demand for that good, which earns points and usually more resources. You always feel like you’re racing – to get that action first, to get that cube delivered first – and yet there seems to be enough options available to achieve other things if pipped. It’s an enjoyable game (the amazing minis up it admittedly) but, other than checking out new card effects, I’m not sure how much more there is to explore other than managing those races.

Rating: 7

NOVA ROMA (2024): Rank 2116, Rating 7.8

It has the same type of decision each turn as Barcelona – which of the available intersections (combination of 2 actions) do I need to take before it’s gone – but with a way lower rules barrier to entry. Also without all the chained actions so turns go faster. You’re filling out your board and getting resources to get new character powers, move up tracks and compete for area majorities (all dressed up with theme). I like how different actions are ramped up in power each round, and the lure of ramping them up even further if you can get the same action more than once (leading into an evaluation of what action are others less likely to take this round). There aren’t as many paths to explore as Barcelona but each of your 15 turns provides a hard choice (and some groaning beforehand if your preferred spot is taken, but luckily you have backup plans!) and it’s definitely solid in its own way.

Rating: 7

ORANGES & LEMONS (2024): Rank 8816, Rating 7.4

This ain’t no point salad. It’s a point smorgasboard. 16 action types. Half will get you resources. Half will turn your resources into points in various ways. It’s worker placement, with consequent resolution in action order. Early actions acquire early turn order next round so that’s a consideration. Early rounds go quickly with only 2 meeples each and a ton of action spots. Each round gets progressively slower as the meeple count grows, the action spots dry up, and the sequencing of getting resources in time for later actions gets harder. Being classically euro, by the 90-min mark I was ready for it to be over. By the 150-min mark, I was caring even less about the eking out of final points. I still enjoyed it. There are many different paths and combinations to try. But the thought of watching each other player model and execute 4-5 actions of resource balancing each round causes hesitation.

Rating: 7

PTIT POIS aka EASY PEASY (2025): Rank 18753, Rating 6.1

Shedding game where the round ends when one player has shed either their hand (starts as 4 cards) or their tableau (2 face up, 2 face down). Each player’s score is the higher face value of their hand or tableau with the player going out scoring 0 if their score is the lowest and double it otherwise. If you draw high cards (especially in your tableau) you’re stuffed – there’s no fixing. There’s no compensation for play order. If the player before you doesn’t play the colours you have (to allow you chain-plays or reveal your face-down cards and make them playable), you’re stuffed. There weren’t too many saving graces. Play 3 rounds to hammer the message home.

Rating: 4

SIDE EFFECTS (2017): Rank 4765, Rating 6.7

Have a bunch of different ‘mental disorder’ cards in your tableau and be the first to cover each with the specific ‘treatment’ card required for that disorder. You get two card plays each turn so (and it happened in our game) it can all be over by someone’s second turn. You draw 2 cards at start of turn (which slows the game down while you assess), can target anyone likely to go out with take-that effects (oh what fun), and trade for cards you need (let’s slow the game down further). There wasn’t a lot here to attract me back as you may have gathered.

Rating: 5

TORCHLIT (2024): Rank 8806, Rating 7.5

Normal trumpy trick-taking with a novel scoring approach. Each time you win a trick or match rank with the winning card (off suits, trumps), move up one rank on the score ladder. Whoever plays the lowest card to the trick adds one card of each colour played to its appropriate rank on the score ladder. At the end of the round, score points if your kept bid card matches your rank on the score ladder (Xylotar style) plus pts for the cards of that rank added to the score ladder. Which means your score isn’t dependent on winning the most tricks (which is refreshing) but instead on matching your bid and hoping that a ton of cards of that rank are added. Players with incorrect bids can score higher than correct bids. Which feels rather capricious but trick-taking is fun and I’m willing to explore more to find out.

Rating: 7

WYRMSPAN (2024): Rank 144, Rating 8.0

Well it’s much the same game as Wingspan so it gets the same rating. It’s like a Ticket To Ride variety expansion really. I probably prefer this version, mainly because it does away with the exasperating birdbath offerings and you get to choose your resources (but they’re also harder to come by). There are now two sets of cards which you need to balance, First you build the caves (to which the usual column egg cost applies but nothing else) and get the immediate effect offered by the cave card (often being resources). Then the dragons live in the caves, but for the resource cost only, meaning the typical Wingspan cost is split over 2 cards. There are other wibbles (like the benefits wheel you can circumnavigate) but the drivers are the same – alternate gathering and playing actions, shoot for end-round points, get card combo’s and lots of eggs, see how it all pans out. In the past it would have been an 8 – I enjoy playing but I don’t get excited by the thought of playing again, perhaps because I know I’ll feel beholden (right or wrong) to the luck of the card draw.

Rating: 7

Thoughts of other Opinionated Gamers:

Mark Jackson: Take my opinion with a grain of salt – I wasn’t particularly taken by Wingspan and gave Wyrmspan a try because I thought it might have more interesting decisions. However, I made the mistake of playing with five players. Heed my warning, gentle gamer friends – do NOT play this with five players. (The game slows down the farther you go – and with five players, that is VERY slow.) Otherwise, I like it slightly better than Wingspan, but in a “I might play it again if someone asked” way.

Tery: I enjoyed my one play of Torchilt as well. It had a few interesting twists as a trick taker, and I look forward to playing again as I had lots of “oh, I could have. . . “ moments during the game.