Liga: Hexemonia preview with some designer’s notes

Posted on August 11, 2014 by Andrea "Liga" Ligabue

hexemoniaDesigner: Fabio Attoli
Publisher: Pendragon Games Studio
Players: 2-4
Time: 45 minutes
Ages: 13+

Rules will be soon available on Pendragon Game Studio web-site

Once upon a time there was hexes: every game with the ambition to be something more than just Ladder & Snakes has to have hexes. Than started the “German Revolution” but games like Settlers, Kings & Things, Keythedral and Twilight Imperium show us how hexes – big hexes – can be used successfully not only in simulation/wargames. Now big-hexes are again “a la mode”, at least in the entourage of Italian designers, if you think excellent recent games like GodZ or Hyperborea.

No surprise if a new publishers and an almost novice designer decided to offer a real tribute to the hexes with Hexemonia release, an hex-based game settled during the era of the mighty Greek’s City State, somewhere between the 8th and 6th Centuries BC.

Hexemonia is a game of resources management and wars and in this article we will preview it with the help of the designer, Fabio Attioli, and the publisher, Andrea Vigiak … have a nice read!

Continue reading →

Posted in Designer Diary, Interviews, Reviews | Leave a comment

Essen 2014 Quick Reviews and Previews Japon Brand

Posted on August 9, 2014 by lornadune

Essen Quick Previews-Okazu Games

Isaribi   by Hisashi  Hayashi will make  its Essen debut this fall.  The designer is one of my favorites with a diverse portfolio of games that I enjoy playing and admire for the innovations such as the String series, Sail to India, Trains, Patronize and Trick of the Rails.

Isaribi which refers to the lights on fishing boats at night on the sea is a pick up and deliver game. The mechanism is action based. You start with 1.5 actions.  On your turn you fish, upgrade technology, move or sell fish to the market. Of course there are always more things that  you want to do than you have actions. The number of fish you can collect and the speed at which you move is limited by your tech. The type and amount of fish you can sell is limited by your market and actions. There is a bit of luck in the market determination because it is random card draw. The game is over in 5 rounds so things move along pretty quickly.

Overall Isaribi is a solid game although perhaps not quite as innovative as some of Hayashi’s other games. What really helps raise this game for me above other pick up and deliver games is the fantastic art in the game by Ryoko Hayashi. It’s done in  Ukiyo-e style, a Japanese art movement during the Edo period and feels very thematic.

Continue reading →

Posted in First Impressions, Reviews | Leave a comment

Matt Carlson: Review of the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Rise of the Runelords

Posted on August 7, 2014 by Matt J Carlson

Pathfinder boxPathfinder Adventure Card Game: Rise of the Runelords

Primary Designer: Mike SelinkerPublisher: Paizo Publishing
Ages: 13+
Players: 1-4 (5 w/ expansions)
Time: 90 mins

It’s almost been a full year since the highly popular launch of the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Rise of the Runelords at GenCon 2013.  The base game, and its six expansions have sold well enough to spawn a sequel base game at GenCon in just a few more days.  It is difficult to pin the game down to just one genre.  It is clearly some sort of adventure game, with its progressive episodes, dice based combat, and character growth.  It also has just a hint of a deckbuilding mechanic, but at such a slow deckbuilding pace it may not satisfy fans of the deckbuilding genre who like to quickly see how their deck stacks up.

Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Jonathan Franklin: Review of Enclave: Zakon Krańca Świata

Posted on August 6, 2014 by gamekahuna

Enclave: Zakon Krańca Świata

Designer: Łukasz Woźniak

Publisher: G3/RedImp/ST Games

Players: 2-4

Time: 90-120 minutes

Ages: 12+ (The game is not that complex, but it is dark)

 

Reviewed by Jonathan Franklin

Times Played: 2 (with review copy provided by G3 Games)

 

Theme then mechanisms vs.mechanisms then theme.

Enclave is a true Euro-style worker placement game based on a dystopian Polish book. The players are stuck with the 99% while the Masters of Brilliance and their followers are off in another dimension. We play the role of snatchers (aka Robin Hoods) who plan and execute missions to steal items from the Masters.

Enclave has a thick theme. When I first taught the game, I explained all the back story and what was going on. It did not go over that well, so I’d say that if you have read the books, the theme will make more sense. If you have not read the book, take the paragraph above to explain the theme and move along. Underneath the skin, it is an interesting Euro that has some variability, but a strong thematic core that leads to similarities across plays.

scan by jnorris

Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Mary Dimercurio Prasad: Review of Valley of the Kings

Posted on August 5, 2014 by Mary Prasad

Valley of the Kings

  • Valley of the Kings Box CoverPublisher: Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG)
  • Designers: Tom Cleaver
  • Artists: Banu Andaru
  • Players: 2-4
  • Ages: 14+
  • Playing Time: 45min
  • Languages: English
  • MSRP $19.99
  • Release: 2014
  • Reviewed by: Mary Dimercurio Prasad
  • Game Played: Review Copy
  • Number of Plays: 3-4

Introduction

Players are Egyptian nobles at the time of the pharaohs, preparing for their death and burial in the Valley of the Kings. In the Egyptian religion, when you die you can take it with you! Egyptians therefore stocked their tombs with food, shabti (statuettes of servants who will work for them in the afterlife), canopic jars (to preserve their organs), statues of the gods, household items, and amulets. You compete with the other players to accumulate the best artifacts for your tomb. At the end of the game, you score the artifacts stored there – the player wit the most victory points wins! (From the rulebook.) Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Jonathan Franklin: Review of Super Fantasy: Ugly Snouts Assault

Posted on August 4, 2014 by gamekahuna

Super Fantasy: Ugly Snouts Assault

Designers: Marco Valtriani

Illustrator: Guido Favaro

Graphics: Frederico Dumas

Publisher: Red Glove

Players: 1-6

Time: 90-150 minutes

Ages: 8+ (8 year olds might need some initial coaching, but then should be fine)

Reviewer: Jonathan Franklin

Played 4 times with a varying number of players (review copy provided by Red Glove)

What is it about cooperative dungeon crawls? They seem powerfully transporting to another world that is both more exciting than paying the electric bill and more challenging that going to get some milk at the store.

Super Fantasy: Ugly Snouts Attack is worth your consideration for several reasons, but first, a bit about me. I played D&D in grade school, I have not played Descent, I don’t have the patience for discussions about line of sight or interrupts with different stacking powers. Therefore, take the rest of this review with that in mind.

Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment