Dale Yu: Review of Birdwatcher

Posted on December 16, 2022 by Dale Yu

Birdwatcher

  • Designer: Zakir Jafry
  • Publisher: Renegade Game Studio
  • Players: 1-5
  • Age: 13+
  • Time: 45 minutes
  • Played with review copy provided by Renegade Game Studio
  • Amazon affiliate link – https://amzn.to/3YcyDVQ

birdwatcher

Well, I guess that it’s safe to say the bird themed games are all the rage now; the leader of the pack being Wingspan.  Birdwatcher seems to be a different sort of game – it is a fast, competitive game in which players are rival wildlife photographers on a hunt to snap photos of the elusive and illustrious birds of paradise.

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Simon Weinberg – Review of Challengers

Posted on December 15, 2022 by Dale Yu

 

Challengers

  • Designer: Johannes Krenner, Markus Slawitscheck
  • Publisher: 1 more time Games, Z-Man Games
  • Players: 1-8
  • Age: 8+
  • Time: 45 mins

challengers

“Challengers” is a game that breaks the mold. I was lucky enough to play a prototype at the ‘Gathering of Friends’ last April and it was the game I was most looking forward to seeing at Essen. For my taste it is quite simply: fun in a box.

Firstly let’s talk about value for money. In the days where publishers are charging 60 Euros for a game, Challengers contains not only an enormous number of cards but also 4 colourful player mats in neoprene and three holders for the 3 decks of cards – all for 40 Euros. Continue reading →

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Dale Yu: Review of Planet B

Posted on December 14, 2022 by Dale Yu

Planet B

  • Designer: Johannes Natterer
  • Publisher: Hans im Gluck
  • Players: 2-4
  • Age: 14+
  • Time: 30-45min/player

planet b

“At some point in the not-so-distant future, we humans had to look for a new place to live. Just when we thought we’d have to settle for Mars, we suddenly discovered a new planet, one we lovingly christened “Planet B”. It was a second chance for humanity, and of course we were determined to do everything right this time because as everyone knows, we humans learn very well from our mistakes… In Planet B, you slip into the role of corrupt governors. You make crooked deals with corporations to advance your own interests. You build your city, let the population work for you, rise in the favor of political factions, or control the news. Of course, all of this comes at a price — and by the time you’re vying for the presidency, you’ll want potential voters to be on your side. In the end, as always, only one thing counts: Who has managed to pocket the most government money?“

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Opinionated Gamers Holiday Gift Guide – Part 7 – Boardgames for the Franchise Superfan

Posted on December 13, 2022 by Dale Yu

Well, the holiday season is upon us, and it’s time to start looking for gifts for loved ones (and assorted family members too). Gamers are notoriously hard to shop for because…. reasons. We’ve polled our writers here and we’ve come up with a few lists that might help you find some gifts for that special gamer in your life. With all these lists, we will use Amazon affiliate links (and if you buy things from clicking these links, we might make a commission that help us keep the proverbial lights on here)

You can check out our previous lists at: https://opinionatedgamers.com/category/holiday-gift-list/

Matt C. has come up with his own thematic list for this year’s Gift Guide!
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With the explosion of media from big-name franchises like Star Wars, Marvel, and Lord of the Rings there is almost too much for one person to consume. However, some will say there is never enough of their favorite setting. For those folks, or friends of those folks who need gift ideas, I present the following list of thematic boardgames. Each captures the flavor of the settings, supported by a quality, enjoyable boardgame underneath. They’re not just a copy of Monopoly with scenes from a movie slapped on top.

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Dale Yu: Review of World Splitters

Posted on December 13, 2022 by Dale Yu

 

World Splitters

  • Designers: Tony Chen, Romain Caterdijan
  • Publisher: EmperorS4
  • Players: 2-5
  • Age: 8+
  • Time: 45-60 minutes
  • Played with review copy provided by publisher at SPIEL 2022

world splitters

World Splitters is the second game from the Essen crop set in the same futuristic world.  The other game has already been reviewed – World Exchangers.  In this game: you, as one of the factions, are re-designing the administrative divisions of the New World with other competing factions. You will split and bid for the land while your goal is to obtain the highest influence in the enclosed regions. With that ambition in mind, are you able to intertwine multiple interests and make irresistible offers? You will place fences to divide the area into designated sizes for bonuses and auction the right to occupy the space besides.

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Dale Yu: Review of Quarto

Posted on December 12, 2022 by Dale Yu

Quarto

  • Designer: Blaise Muller
  • Publisher: Gigamic
  • Players: 2
  • Age: 8+
  • Played with review copy provided by Hachette USA
  • Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/3BtnFkS

Quarto

Quarto is one the classic wooden abstract games, first hitting the market in 1991 and gaining acclaim as a recommended game for the 1993 Spiel des Jahres.  Like many great abstract games, it is beguilingly simple – the short description found on the game’s BGG entry pretty much explains the whole game!

 

“Quarto has a 4×4 board and 16 pieces. Each piece has four dichotomous attributes — color, height, shape, and consistency — so each piece is either black or white, tall or short, square or round, and hollow or solid. The object is to place the fourth piece in a row in which all four pieces have at least one attribute in common. The twist is that your opponent gets to choose the piece you place on the board each turn.”

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