Board Games have recently come into my life and I did not realize the depth and intensity of this hobby! Join me as I dive further in and explore the hidden gems and the obvious ones.
Recent Games
Paris Connection
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!
Blokus
board. The tiles within the game are made up out of one, two, three, four, and five blocks. Each configuration of block exists creating some interesting shapes. This game may be light on rules, but it has so many possibilities that it can be played in a variety of ways. While I’ve only had this game for a few weeks, I have already played over 10 times and I am ready to play more.
Stationfall Stats
fall is a game of hidden identities, secret relationships and asymmetric goals. Players are given two character cards at the beginning of the game – one will be their main character and one will be their secondary character. And I was really curious about the choices people have made in our games and the popular winning character. As well as the unloved characters. This only covers about 12 games (all of which can be found on the MCG YouTube Channel or the Guerric Samples Games YouTube Channel). I’m very excited to see the results and watch the game stats change as more and more games get played!
Root – A Deck Comparison
I recently got a request to do a comparison between the two decks from Root: A game of Woodland Might and Right by Leder Games. The Standard Deck comes with the base game while the Exiles and Partisan deck is available as an expansion for the game. Since each deck is balanced in their own way, there are some big similarities between the decks but there was also some surprising differences. And there were somethings that I learned even though I’m pretty sure I inherently knew them, but I never did the math before. So, without further ado, let’s drive in!
Oath – 17 Games, So Many Stats
Alright, y’all knew it was coming. I just can’t help myself. We are seventeen games into our Oath Chronicle. SEVENTEEN. How did that happen?? (It’s a game that draws you back to it, that’s how). It seemed like a good time to get into the stats of the game and take a deeper dive into what was happening in the game.
Bullet <3
Bullet ♥ is a unique game where you react to bullets, or pieces, that are attempting to hit you. Bullets will be placed on your sight board as they are fired toward you – and you’ll be able to react to the bullets clearing them and oh so conveniently redirecting them to other players at the table. The main mode to play in Bullet ♥ is the standard timed mode where you have three minutes each round. Each player will be a specialized heroine which will act as an asymmetric faction.
The Field of the Cloth of Gold
Field of the cloth of gold is a two-player game that allows you to revel in the greatness of kingdoms of England and France as their respective leaders. This game reflects the meeting in Balinghem in June 1520 where the ruler of each kingdom is trying to outshine each other while celebrating their friendship. It’s a heathy rivalry. Probably. Join the story of kings, castles, tournaments, and dragons to show off your ostentatious wealth!
Steam Park
Who doesn’t love pop-out roller coasters built specifically for Robots? And those Robots get so excited they make… dirt? Steam Park is a fun themed game where you can build three-dimensional roller coasters to fill your part as well as other stands and attractions. The core of this game is about resource management as well as using dice to determine your turns.
Mass Effect: Galaxy at War
Mass Effect has been on my mind quite a bit lately. I would attribute that to the newly available Legendary Edition which could not have come out soon enough. I wanted to take this chance to talk about Mass Effect Risk because I got it a while back and I’ve always wanted to try it out. To my surprise, this game has a lot to offer and made me incredibly happy as a Mass Effect fan. Going above the standard Risk game, Mass Effect Risk leans more into the war game category with multiple factions aiming for different goals.
Root Tournament – Overall Statistics
Root: A game of Woodland Might and Right has a very special place in my heart. The intense, battle of a game that hides behind the cutest of animal designs. This game is the only tournament style game that I have ever played in. With a new drafting systems for tournaments coming out in the latest expansion, I thought now would be a good time to look at the overall statistics for the tournaments played thus far.
Lords of Waterdeep
Lords of Waterdeep takes place in the city of Waterdeep, the City of Splendors, a core location in the Dungeons and Dragons core World. This game takes you into the city where you and other lords vie for control of the city through completing quests and expanding the city. But resources are tight, and treasure is limited, so taking advantages of your opportunities is a must!
Small World
I remember visiting my cousins house a few years back, stacking up his game collection and playing through them. One of the biggest impressions on my mind coming out of that session was Small World. This game explores a dynamic fantasy setting using area control mechanics with a bit of pushing your luck. Finding the right dynamic between the new regimes and the old regime is also something to keep in the balance.
Sprawlopolis
Traveling on the road can be difficult. Especially because it’s hard to bring Board Games with you! But Sprawlopolis can fit in your pocket! This game works from only an 18-card deck but has so much variability between each play that each game can feel completely different! Which is a very impressive feat for a game with so few components. So, watch as this ever changing and sprawling metropolis unravels.
Dinosaur Table Battles
Who doesn’t love dinosaurs? Who doesn’t love dinosaurs battling other dinsoaurs? Who doesn’t love teams of dinosaurs battling each other? Well that’s what Dinosaur Table Battles is all about! I truly do love this game as it has such a great theme and a great mechanic. The biggest challenge for me with this game is that dice hate me! (More on that later). But for now, get your claws out for a ferocious battle.
Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile
Oath is an epic game about history and the rise and fall of peoples and empires. This game deal with resource management, card management, area control, and even a bit of negotiation. All in all, this a game with a lot of mechanics and easily falls in the category of a heavy weight game.
Oath perfectly fits in the range of games that I enjoy. Not only does it have complexity, but it also introduces the concept of the Chronicle system. The results of every game affect the next game. The winner of each game goes on to be the ruler of the Empire in the next game. The map and world deck also change from game to game making Oath feel like a living board game.