The Opinionated Gamers

Caravan

• Designer: Joe Huber
• Publisher: Rio Grande Games
• Players: 2-4
• Time: 45 minutes
• Times played: 5, with review copy provided by Rio Grande Games

Caravan is a game that I heard everyone talk about after returning from the Gathering of Friends this year, and it had become one of my most anticipated games for this summer.  Designed by a good friend (and fellow OG writer), Joe Huber – the game was described to me as an old-school sort of game, with rules that can be explained in a few minutes but still providing great depth in actual play.

Keyforge: Age of Ascension

• Designer: Richard Garfield
• Publisher: Fantasy Flight Games
• Players: 2
• Time: about 30 minutes
• Times played: ~10 (I honestly have lost count), most with review decks sent by Asmodee NA

Keyforge: Age of Ascension is the name for the newest card pool in the Keyforge Universe.  Keyforge is the Unique Deck Game that first came out last year from Fantasy Flight. Using modern printing techniques, the catch here is that every single deck in Keyforge is unique.  That’s right, each one is individually printed, named, and shrinkwrapped. Per their algorithm, no one should ever have the same exact composition of a deck as you do. So, unlike it most other deckbuilding games where you explore the cards and then try to add in new cards to improve it – here, you simply get a deck – the composition of which never changes – and spend your time instead trying to make the cards in that deck work for you. 

In the game, each player is an Archon, found on the Crucible (the world where Keyforge takes place) with you deck – this is your team that is trying to find three keys which will unlock the Vault which wins you the game.  OK – enough backstory. It’s your deck against your opponent’s. Be the first to forge three keys to win.

Your name (remember, you’re an Archon) is printed on the back of each and every card in your deck.  One card is your identity card which you always keep face up in front of you. It shows your picture, your name, and the three houses which can be found in your deck.   There are 7 different Houses, and each has a different feel to how they work. You’ll have to just play with a bunch of different decks to figure out how they work… or not, maybe you’ll only ever buy one deck, and you’ll just know how the three from that deck works; that’s ok too.  Rather than reinvent the wheel, let me point you to a decent primer on the houses:  https://techraptor.net/content/introduction-to-keyforge-houses-your-guide-to-the-unique

Darwin’s Choice

• Designers: Marc Duer, Samuel Luterbacher, Elio Reinschmidt
• Publisher: Treeceratops
• Players: 2-6
• Ages: 10+
• Time: 60-120 min
• Times played: 3, with review copy provided by publisher

In Darwin’s Choice, players work to create (or should I say, evolve) species to gain them the most Darwin Points.  The bulk of the game is made up of Animal cards – each of which shows a portion of an animal – say a head, leg, tail or torso – that can be connected together to form an adapted creature.  Each card comes with a heart value on it (representing both its food need as well as food value when eaten) as well as abilities and strength icons. There are also Biome cards where the animals can live.   Each player starts with a hand of 10 cards which are freely chosen from the two decks of Animal cards (one deck for small animals and one for large animals).