Solo Gaming in the Time of Covid-19

Posted on September 6, 2020 by Mark Jackson

I started doing a lot of solo gaming when my oldest son (and chief gamer buddy) left for college in August 2019. Even with him home during this extended time of quarantine, I’ve still been playing solo games. And with him returning to campus a couple of weeks ago, the solo gaming has picked up again.

I know, I know – there are plenty of board game apps on iOS and Steam… and I own many of them. But there’s something really satisfying about physically playing a game: shuffling cards, moving pieces, seeing it all spread out in front of you. 

And, because I’m “that guy”, I crunched the numbers and found that 20%+ of my gaming this year was solo (compared to 6% last year). I expect that number to rise this fall.

So, what follows are my thoughts on a variety of solo games I’ve played over the last 8 months – ordered by number of solo plays in 2020. (Note: this is not necessarily how much I like a particular game for solo play – for example, I think Nemo’s War is a brilliant design but only played it twice this year… so far.)

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Dale Yu: Review of Ripple Rush

Posted on September 5, 2020 by Dale Yu

Ripple Rush

  • Designer: Ken Gruhl
  • Publisher: Stronghold Games
  • Players: 1-5
  • Age: 14+
  • Time: 10-15 minutes
  • Times played, 6 with review copy provided by Stronghold Games (most solo)

Ripple Rush was a game I hadn’t heard of before I talked to my Stronghold press rep, and then when I saw the box, my mind thought – hey wait a minute, this looks really familiar, maybe it’s a reprint of a German title…  When the game arrived, it turns out that it isn’t a reprint at all (in fact, Stronghold is the only publisher listed for it)  – but the familiarity of the cover art made me want to play it first from my box of Stronghold/Indie goodies…  The game is a pen and paper affair that can be played solo – thus perfect for a rainy night in the Coronavirus era.  Sure, I’m not completely homebound any more, but still, more often than not, I’ve got nights at home to fill with mostly solitaire amusements.

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Posted in Essen 2020, Reviews | 1 Comment

Brandon Kempf – The Top 10 games (at least according to BGG) That I Have Not Played

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Brandon Kempf

As board gamers, we seem to put a lot of stock in the Top 100 games as “voted” on by BoardGameGeek users and the arguments constantly thrown around by the pundits. We even discuss them quite often here on the Opinionated Gamers message board. Usually this ends with me taking a look at the BGG top 100 and seeing just what I haven’t played. The thing about the Top 100 is though, it’s seemingly really driven by a newer crowd of board gamers. With games like Carcassonne falling out of the Top 100 and ending up currently at 173 and about to be passed by games like Just One and possibly Secret Hitler, I firmly realize I am not as aligned with others, game taste wise. I love Just One, don’t get me wrong, but the free fall of Carcassonne just boggles my mind. From a high of number 6 in 2002, to where it is now doesn’t sit all that well with me. But, this isn’t really an article about my qualms with how the BGG Top 100 shakes out, that’s a whole other beast. This is a look at the Top 10 games on BGG that I haven’t played for one reason or another. 

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Dale Yu: Review of Black Swan

Posted on September 3, 2020 by Dale Yu

Black Swan

  • Designer: Gary Kim
  • Players: 2-4
  • Age: 10+
  • Time: 20-30 minutes
  • Times played: 3, with review copy provided by Mandoo Games

In this partnership game, which was originally published in 2012 per my BGG background search by Wednesday Games,  players play tiles to the table with the goal of being the team who earns the most points.  Per the story in the original rules: “You become the Prince Siegfried and take a journey to save the nobles and Odette who have turned into a swan due to the cunning spell of evil sorcerer, Von Rothbart.  Be aware of the attack of the black swan in the journey.  If you aren’t you will have unrecoverable damages.”  Umm, sure.  Don’t be scared away by the story, because it’s a pretty interested trick taking game…

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Dale Yu: Review of Super-Skill Pinball: 4-cade

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Dale Yu

 Super-Skill Pinball: 4-cade

  • Designer: Geoff Engelstein
  • Publisher: Wizkids
  • Players: 1-4
  • Ages: 12+
  • Time: 30-40 minutes
  • Times played: 4, with review copy provided by Wizkids

I have always been fascinated with pinball machines.  One of my prized childhood possessions (well, I guess really my parents owned it) was a old Williams Comet table that we had in our basement.  I played that thing for countless hours when I was a kid – and nothing made me happier than working through the progressions of the game to create the opportunity and then convert the “Million Point Shot”.  Pinball is a game that takes a lot of skill, a decent bit of luck and a little bit of physical pushing and shoving to succeed.  Super-Skill Pinball tries to bring that same excitement to your gaming table.

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Posted in Essen 2020, Reviews | 1 Comment

Silver Dagger (Game Review by Chris Wray)

Posted on September 1, 2020 by Chris Wray
  • Designer: Ted Alspach
  • Publisher: Bezier Games
  • Players: 2 – 4
  • Ages: 14 and Up
  • Time: 45 Minutes
  • Times Played: > 10 (On Review Copy from the Publisher)

Silver Dagger is the fourth game in the hit Silver line of fast-playing card games designed by Ted Alspach.  Silver Dagger was announced today and is planned for an October release.  I received an early copy, and I’ve been playing it over and over with my game group and family.  

Based on the system from Cabo, each game in the Silver series is a hand management and set collection card game with a werewolf-themed twist.  Silver (a.k.a. Silver Amulet) and Silver Bullet were released last year, and Silver Coin was released earlier this year.  The Silver line of games can be combined, so sort of like with Dominion, you can mix different sets to make custom decks.  

Each game in the series features a different namesake relic, and as probably guessed, this one is a silver dagger, fashioned with Bezier’s signature werewolf head at the end of the metal component.  In Dagger, gameplay can change direction for the first time, with players pointing the dagger in the direction the turns are taken.  

Silver Dagger ups the complexity a bit from previous games in the line, but it also ups the strategy and opportunities for clever play.  The art is more striking than ever.  Previous fans of the Silver line will naturally love Dagger.  

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