Category: Written Reviews

Written Reviews

Chartae: Create the Map, Create the World

Lily Gould

There is something to be said about games that have a beautiful simplicity and sophisticated elegance. Chartae feels like one of those games for me. Over the course of the game, you are building a map and adjusting it to favor your domain: either land or sea. You want to dominate the map by creating the longest stretch of one type. This effectively relegates the other domain to the edges of the map or pushes them into small subsections. This quick game creates a unique board which a constant push and pull between players.

Written Reviews

Carcassonne

Lily Gould

I’m not going to lie. I only recently played Carcassonne for the first time, and I found it to be remarkably interesting. The only reason I was able to try it was because one of my coworkers lent me their copy. I was both impressed and underwhelmed by Carcassonne. And I know that is not going to be a popular opinion. The game was fun, had interesting core mechanics, and was something I outgrew a while ago. That isn’t saying it’s not a great game. I just was introduced to Carcassonne a little late in my board game journey.

Game, Written Reviews

Key to the Kingdom

Lily Gould

Okay, this is a bit of a throwback game for me. Key to the Kingdom was one of my go to games in my childhood. It really shaped some of my tastes growing up. At its heart, Key to the Kingdom is a DM-less RPG disguised as a roll to move board game. I was honestly shocked to come across a copy at the local board game flea market and I couldn’t have been happier to find it!! It takes you through a fantasy world where there are challenges galore leading up to a dungeon where monsters await you. One of the most interesting things about Key to the Kingdom is that it is a competitive game. You are racing against the other players to gather the right treasures and claim the throne of the Kingdom.

Game, Written Reviews

Calico

Lily Gould

Calico is a competitive tile laying game about creating your own personalized quilt to attract cats to snuggle into your blanket. Total Game Play: 30 to 45 minutes Designer(s): Kevin Russ Artist(s): Beth Sobel Publisher: Flatout Games As far as themes go, Calico is one that immediately attracted me. Making quilts? Heck yes! Collecting Cats?… Continue reading Calico

Game, Written Reviews

Red7: A Palette of Colors and Survival

Lily Gould

Red7 is a game about constantly winning, or more accurately, being the slowest to lose. This is all about the last person standing and manipulating the game to keep yourself in a winning position. I love how this game has you manipulate the board state, so you are winning at the end of each of your turns. And if you’re not winning, you’re eliminated. Red7 is all about numbers and colors, where that’s the highest number or the strongest color of the rainbow. This game is a lot of fun and keeps you on your toes.

Game, Written Reviews

Machi Koro

Lily Gould

Alright, so I know what you might be thinking. Machi Koro? That doesn't seem like it would be in Lily’s wheelhouse. And you’re right. Machi Koro is not my game of choice. It has been quite some time since I’ve played Machi Koro because it is a game that is very luck driven. And dice and I don’t have the best relationship. That being said, Machi Koro does hold a soft spot in my heart as it was something my brother brought into my life. I have fond memories of sitting around a table with him, his friend, and rolling the dice to see what was going to happen.

Game, Written Reviews

QE – Let’s Bail Out Some Companies!

Lily Gould

QE is a game all about bidding. The game is based on nations who are bidding to bail out companies that are “too big to fail” akin to the 2008 economic crisis. Which is why the name of the game is QE or Quantitative Easing. This game is about bidding but how much money are you willing to spend? It’s important to get value and cost doesn’t really matter so long as you’re not the country who has spent the most money. After all, that’s a lot of liability to take on. QE very much reminds me of the phrase “where the rules are made up and the points don’t matter” because the only thing limiting your spending is the other players at the table.

Written Reviews

Dixit

Lily Gould

Many games use abstract art as a key component of their design and Dixit leans hard into the world of abstract art and storying telling. Each card in Dixit has its own unique art that can be interpreted in many different ways and that’s just what the game wants! The storyteller will tell a story around one card and the other players have convince the table that their card belongs to the storyteller. But there’s a catch! The storyteller wants to be caught but not by everyone at the table so the story has to be just abstract enough.

Game, Written Reviews

Northern Pacific

Lily Gould

Do you like trains? Because I love trains! And, luckily for me, there are tons and tons of games about trains. I have discovered that many people are intimidated by train games (especially those of the 18XX varieties). I feel like one of the big contributors to this intimidation is the sheer number of pieces that these games tend to have. While Northern Pacific does contain several cubes, it couldn’t be simpler. Northern Pacific is a great introduction to route building and the fun of bidding on something that may not be a safe investment!

Game, Written Reviews

Battle Sheep

Lily Gould

After making this game out of cookies, it seems only right to give Battle Sheep a board game spotlight! Battle Sheep is a great abstract game that has a cute theme and can be absolutely brutal in it’s playstyle. Stacks of sheep roam the fields and take over the pasture, spreading out as far as they can while blocking in their opponents. This game is fast paced, easy to learn and play, and great for gamers of any experience! Continue Reading →

Game, Written Reviews

Bloodborne: The Board Game

Lily Gould

years. Many have praised Bloodborne for being a gothic masterpiece, so the powers that be decided to turn it into a board game! We bought this game for the miniatures. I mean, they are absolutely fantastic miniatures. If you just want to see the mini’s I would recommend jumping over to my original post on the game. But, to my delight, the minis are not the only part of the game! This game in intense, engaging, and I am constantly looking forward to my next session. Continue Reading →

Game, Written Reviews

Paris Connection

Lily Gould

Paris Connection is a fun and light train games that shows the balance between expanding companies and investing in stock. This game is short and a great introduction into the world of train games as it teaches some core concepts that can be applied to many games within the train genre. I absolutely adore trains games but, honestly, it wasn’t until I played Paris connection that some of the major lightbulbs started going off. This game is fun, fast, and a little silly as you can drive some train routes into a circle or into the middle of nowhere – just because you want to! Continue Reading →