Gunkimono (Game Review by Chris Wray)

  • Designer:  Jeffrey D. Allers
  • Publisher: Renegade Game Studios
  • Players: 2 – 5
  • Ages: 10 and Up
  • Time: 45-60 Minutes
  • Times Played: > 4 (with additional plays on Heartland)

Gunkimono.jpg

Gunkimono is a tile placement game in which players take on the role of Japanese daimyo, plotting their military advances across the countryside.  The game was originally farming themed and named Heartland, but Renegade Game Studios re-themed and re-released it at Gen Con this year to a fair amount of enthusiasm.  

Gunkimono is a game with enough depth and strategy for gamers, yet it is also approachable enough for non-gamers.  Add in the fact that it works with with a range of player counts, and this tile placement game is an excellent addition to many game collections.   Continue reading

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Dale Yu: First Impressions of Trapwords

Trapwords

Trapwords is the newest word/party game from CGE. Given the huge success of Codenames, the Czech company has found a gaming niche which they are happy to fill. In Codenames, players tried to give clues in order to get their teammates to choose (multiple) words from an array on the table. There were a number of assassin words, determined by a randomly drawn card, which would cause an automatic loss if your teammate chose them. This simple and elegant formula has spawned a number of different extensions and expansions.

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OG now officially on Instagram

Ok, we are now officially on Instagram. Our account is opinionatedgamersblog

Please come follow us there!

https://www.instagram.com/opinionatedgamersblog/

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Voices in Board Gaming: Interview with Bill Corey Jr.

About Today’s Guest: This is the third interview in our “Voices in Board Gaming” series here on The Opinionated Gamers.  Today’s guest, Bill Corey Jr., is one of my favorite voices in the hobby, and his live YouTube show, The Cubist, is always a pleasure to watch.  As you’ll read below, Bill has been a gamer most of his life, and even though he’s been doing this for decades, his enthusiasm for board gaming is still contagious.  You can reach Bill via twitter at @CubistPodcast or check out his YouTube channel for The Cubist.  

(1)  When did you get into the hobby?  What’s kept you in it for so long?

My dad was one of the original playtesters for Dungeons & Dragons before I was born, and my mom did two of the pieces of artwork in the original three D&D books (the Amazon and Lovely Witch, I believe they’re called). I remember being in Gary Gygax’s house as a small child while all the grownups were in his basement playing something on the sand table down there. They had some bowling themed dice game they’d let me play to keep me occupied.

As I got older and learned to read, I discovered I loved the idea of stories being told through D&D, and I vaguely remember running my dad through a randomly generated dungeon at the age of 6. (Fun fact #1: that’s why I’ve always considered 6 my lucky number… it’s the age I first thought of myself as a gamer.) It was almost certainly terrible and un-fun for Dad, but we did it together, and that meant a lot to me as a child. Continue reading

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Dale Yu: Review of Spring Meadow

 

Spring Meadow

  • Designer: Uwe Rosenberg
  • Publisher: Stronghold Games / Spielwiese
  • Players: 1-4
  • Ages: 10+
  • Time: 15 mins
  • Times played: 7, with review copy provided by Stronghold Games

In Spring Meadow (according to the story in the rules):  The first delicate flowers of spring herald the end of the harsh winter while the sun shines longer every day, pushing the snow back. Lush meadows begin to bloom and the curious marmots wake from their hibernation. Spring is finally coming to the mountains, making it a perfect time for a hike.  Carefully plan your route, watching out for the marmot burrows. Pack a picnic as your chance to earn an edelweiss hiking pin is rather slim if you end up hungry and sitting on a rock among the remaining snow.

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Essen 2018: Quick Thoughts on 5 Games (Mini Reviews by Chris Wray)

Spiel ’18 (a.k.a. Essen) starts on Thursday, so our coverage here on The Opinionated Gamers begins in the next few days.  Several of us will be at the fair, and I’ll be in town from Tuesday to Monday.

I’ll be doing coverage from the fair like I normally do, though I’m cutting back this year, instead opting for more frequent Twitter updates (@OpinionatedGmrs) throughout the day.

But due to the magic of importing games and/or games coming out slightly before the fair, I’ve already started playing several Essen ’18 titles.  Below I put quick thoughts on 5 games.  These are just my personal initial thoughts, and some of the ratings below are after just one play, so keep that in mind.  Also, to cover all of these titles, I’m skipping any rule review and going straight to my opinion. Continue reading

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