Dale Yu: Review of Ancient Knowledge: Heritage

Posted on February 16, 2025 by Dale Yu

Ancient Knowledge: Heritage

  • Designer: Remi Mathieu
  • Publisher: iello
  • Players: 1-4
  • Age: 12+
  • Time: 30 min / player 
  • Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/3WPdpym 
  • Played with review copy provided by publisher

Ancient Knowledge is a strategic card game in which you erect monuments and build artefacts to pass on your knowledge. Time will make your constructions ephemeral,so make the right decision and combine the many cards at your disposal, because all knowledge is doomed to disappear…

It’s up to you to find the best synergy so that you can pass down knowledge before the decline of the emblematic monuments you have constructed, monuments we still find nowadays in the four corners of the globe. From Mexican pyramids to the Sphinx of Giza, passing through the famous cities of Tiwanaku and Babylon, only the cleverest builder will shine through the ages and seize victory. In this game, your only enemy is time.

Prove to your opponents that you are the worthy representative of your Legacy! Will your monuments withstand the trial of time?

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Dale Yu: Review of Steam Power

Posted on February 15, 2025 by Dale Yu

Steam Power

  • Designer: Martin Wallace
  • Publisher: Wallace Designs
  • Players: 1-5
  • Age: 14+
  • Time: 60-90 minutes
  • Played with review copy provided by publisher

In Steam Power, players “race” to build the best rail network to meet their contractual obligations and make the most money. On your turn, you can perform two actions from a selection of choices, letting you lay tracks, build factories, fulfill contracts, earn money, or collect more contracts. Building a factory brings resources to the board that all players have access to…at a price. The game ends when a certain number of contracts are fulfilled, which varies by player count. The player with the most points (and money, which converts to points) wins.

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Posted in Essen 2024 | 1 Comment

Heroscape: Yet Another Love Letter

Posted on February 14, 2025 by Mark Jackson

I know, I know… some of you are tired of reading my reviews that wax eloquently about my deep & abiding love for all things Heroscape. I apologize in advance – this isn’t going to be a substantial departure from my previous missives.

Once again, let me note for those of you who’ve been living under a gaming rock for 21 years that Heroscape is a miniatures skirmish combat game played on a board constructed out of plastic terrain pieces. Since the theme is a battle for dominance in world where the Valkyrie Generals can recruit warriors from multiple times & dimensions, there is a wild mixture of heroes & squads – aliens & Matrix guys & Braveheart & dragons & robots & kung fu monks & gorillas with guns, to name a few. And it’s one of my favorite games…

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Dale Yu: Review of Chu Han

Posted on February 13, 2025 by Dale Yu

 

Chu Han

  • Designer: Tom Lehmann
  • Publisher: Matagot
  • Players: 2
  • Age: 14+
  • Time: 25 minutes
  • Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/4fdQF1B 
  • Played with review copy provided by publisher

Chu Han is a two-player card game of dynastic intrigue set in ancient China before and during the Chu-Han Contention, 206-202 BCE. Two clans, the Han and Chu, vie to supplant the weak Qin ruler and forge China’s first true dynasty. Historically, the Chu began in a stronger position, but the Han managed to defeat them. Chu Han is a trick-taking, climbing, and shedding game with special powers consisting of multiple hands. Players begin each hand with a mixture of Chu and Han cards, representing strains within clans, hostage taking, and shifting allegiances. Optional Events and two historical campaigns provide additional variety. The goal is to score 31 points before the other player. Can you outmaneuver your rival to found a new dynasty?

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Dale Yu: Review of  FACER

Posted on February 12, 2025 by Dale Yu

FACER

  • Designer: uncredited
  • Publisher: FACER
  • Players: 2+
  • Age:  2+
  • Time: 5 minutes
  • Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/49YbQTT
  • Played with review copy provided by publisher

FACER is a unique card game that turns facial recognition into a fun and strategic challenge. Set in a world where every card features a distinct face, FACER tasks players with identifying similarities between these faces using information from a machine learning algorithm. The result is a game that blends strategy, perception, and a touch of data science in an accessible and engaging way.

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Dale Yu: Review of Space Bureau

Posted on February 11, 2025 by Dale Yu

Space Bureau

  • Designer: Andrey Kolupaev
  • Publisher: Hobby World
  • Players: 1-4
  • Age: 12+
  • Time: 60 minutes
  • Played with review copy provided by publisher

Welcome aboard, Captain, Sir!  The 10-XN class starship is ready for discovery. New worlds are waiting for us!    “Space Bureau” is a board game about space exploration in a tiny universe. You’ll be the captain of an alien starship traveling through the wormholes of hyperspace.

Your goal is to earn as many credits as possible and possibly receive a prize of galactic proportions from the Spacebureau, a microcosmic trade agency whose creation 100 years ago opened an era of interplanetary trade relations!  To do this, you’ll have to travel the small universe to discover new planets, bring trade representatives there, establish galactic corporate offices, and collect samples of alien products. Maybe you’ll earn enough to become captain of the millennium and have your picture on the bar wall of some dusty planet. Or at least scrape by for employee of the month. Godspeed!

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