Played with review copy provided by designer/publisher
I was approached by the designer of Chroma Mix to take a look at it in advance of its KS campaign, and the theme of mixing colors really caught my eye. In this game, players use pigment cards to create the colors they need to win.
There are four levels of cards – corresponding to the number of pigment units required to create them. Each player starts with one each of soft cyan, pale magenta and light yellow. A market is setup on the table with 6 each of the level 2 and 3 cards dealt out. All of the level 1 and level 4 cards are always available. Each of the different colors has a unique combination of victory points as well as possible ongoing and/or instant effects. Each player is also given a player aid card which succinctly summarizes the actions each round.
Once again, our intrepid heroes, Larry and Ben, ventured to the far northern realms of Niagara Falls and a week of gaming bliss at the Gathering of Friends. We got to meet with friends, old and new, had a lot of laughs, and played some great games. Just like last year, we’ll be describing our experiences in a joint report. The games are all listed in alphabetical order, with the year of publication included to help give you a point of reference. We’ll also be adding our OG-style ratings for each title. A weekful of gaming is too much to cover in just one posting, so we’ll relate the first half of our experiences today and finish things up on Friday. Let’s get started!
Ben’s Intro: Larry linked up with me after moving away from our game group last year. We drove to Niagara Falls and stayed for almost the entire con, having customary stops for food in Pittsburgh and the Niagara area. We ate Polish sausages, Kielbasa, pork chops, pizza, and some dang good BBQ before heading home. I took advantage of the Gathering to teach Larry games that he hasn’t had the chance to play in his “forever home”.
On the left, Larry gives his seal of approval for the spicy mustard at Gadawski’s, where we had our first meal in Niagara Falls. Our heroes got lucky, as it turned out this was the only day during their during their stay where the Polish restaurant would be open. The sausages were yummy.
Larry’s Intro: The only negative about my wife and I moving to our new location was leaving my old games groups. Specifically, I missed playing games with Ben. But that’s what the Gathering is for! So we made a point of playing a bunch of games together, including a lot of Essen titles that I missed out on, but which Ben was able to teach me.
Overall, there weren’t too many great new games I played, but there were a lot I liked a lot. There were so many, in fact, that I’m inventing a new OG rating of “I Really Like It” to distinguish them from the mere Like’s. With more play, some of these could easily graduate to games I love. Continue reading →
Says the box: “My City: Roll & Build is a dice game in which over four chapters, each with three episodes, you create a unique city. The roll of the dice shows everyone which building to draw on their game pad, and from episode to episode, you have to face new challenges. First the land is developed and later gold is found. This brings bandits into your city who must be surrounded and taken into custody. You can play through the campaign or pick your favorite individual episodes or chapters to play over and over again.“
As you probably know, the Opinionated Gamers are big fans of escape rooms and puzzle hunt games. In the past few years, we have reviewed all different sorts:
Escape the Room board games (Exit, Unlock, Escape the Room, Werewolf)
Real physical escape rooms (Playground, Mission Mars)
Virtual escape rooms done over the internet (The Escape Game)
At home escape room puzzles done by physical escape rooms (Chasing Hahn)
Print and play puzzle packs (example)
The first game of the trilogy from diorama.games, The Vandermist Dossier
Says the publisher: “Face booby traps, menacing villains, and supernatural threats in this puzzle-filled, action-packed “escape room” game. Using Dr. Jones’ journal as your guide, you’ll decipher ancient texts, uncover valuable clues, and defeat unknown evils with logic, deduction, and creative thinking. Plus, you’ll navigate trap-filled temples and mysterious jungles by drawing your route through perilous maps. Choose wisely, and you’ll find fortune and glory in this unforgettable adventure!”
As the front of the rules proudly proclaims “THIS IS NOT A NORMAL GAME!”. It is a game of puzzles and pathways. The story is outlined in a journal, and you’ll read through this interactive story as you play the game. You will encounter two types of challenges…
“The human race has exhausted all the energy available on planet Earth. If they are to advance into an intergalactic civilization they must harness the power of a solar system. They must build a dyson sphere. Solar Sphere is a dice placement/manipulation game with elements of engine building, resource management, and set collection. Set hundreds of years in the future in a time when competition will move mankind forward, but when collaboration is also sometimes necessary. In Solar Sphere, each player commands a mothership. Their primary task is to build a dyson sphere. But, with crew to hire and aliens attacking the sphere, there are many other ways to earn prestige and become the savior of mankind… As the game progresses, more aliens will arrive to defend a sun that they also need. Fight them off alone, or join forces with other players and share the rewards. However, if no one takes on the rebellious aliens, then you all lose points. Solar Sphere combines a combination of mechanisms with a powerful theme to bring players an immersive experience.”
