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by BenjaminK | updated 24 hours ago
3 | 4 comments | [+]
Overview
This game is totally unfair! I’ve been playing it a lot—expansion included, after the first couple of games—and it’s really unfair how addicting it is. It’s all about building your own “funfair,” or theme park. But events happen that can be good or bad, the other players can ruin your plans (i.e. demolish your attraction), and you can even install super attractions that give you an unfair advantage (but if everyone has an unfair advantage, is it really that unfair?).
Initial Impressions
There are a lot of different cards. Lots of stuff when you open the box. But don’t worry! Not all of those cards are used every game. Yes, it can look intimidating, what with the various icons and whatnot, but Unfair is actually fairly easy to learn, understand, and enjoy.
I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed playing Unfair after my first time playing. And, honestly, it got better and better as time went on. As for first impressions, it was a bit intimidating, but that was quickly swallowed up in the joy of the rule book and the pleasure of playing the game.
Gameplay
The game itself reminds me of Smash Up…and then goes on to really have nothing to do with Smash Up other than choosing the game’s themes. Each player picks a theme—and, thereby, the associated deck—and then all the chosen theme decks are shuffled together (don’t forget to separate the cards out by type!). That’s the Smash Up likeness, and that’s where it ends.
All players draw from these combined decks that are made up of the various themes (i.e. pirates, dinosaurs—my favorite—ninjas, etc.). So, the market pool for cards you can buy will be a smattering of themes, all from the decks you chose. Same with the events, blueprints, and the like. So your theme park can be one theme or a glob of multiple themes. I won’t judge either way.
Setup involves separating all of the cards from their themed decks by type and shuffling each deck (by type) together with the other cards from other themes. There’s some work to do, but it’s worth it. (And, really, setup doesn’t take that long when everyone helps shuffle).
The game is played over eight rounds (six if you play with the “First Date” Game Changer card, which is recommended for your first time playing). Each round spurs city events (good and bad things that affect all players) and regular events (played by players to their benefit or to hurt another player), the Park phase (in which each player gets 3-4 actions—usually 3—to collect cards, play cards, and overall build up their park), the Guest step (in which you get dolla dolla billz!), and then clean up and prep for the next round.
It might look like there’s a lot going on…and you wouldn’t be wrong. But don’t worry! It’s not bad. With the various phases laid out as they are, gameplay is pretty dang smooth. You’ll get familiar with the iconography as you play (give it a game, maybe two), and your strategies will start coming naturally as you get to know how everything interacts together.
You’re trying to build the best park ever. That’s your job. You have a maximum of 15 (thousand) guests at a time, and this is where your money dollars generally come from. To actually get guests to visit your park, you’ll need to build attractions. Rides, shops, food stands, and the like all bring people in, and people have money. Sometimes you can take more money from them than usual (milk 'em if you got 'em!). It’s all about maximizing your income with the limited number of guests allowed inside (because COVID, I’m guessing).
At the end of the game, you’ll score points for the size of your attractions (the bigger, the better), completed blueprints (incomplete blueprints cause you to lose 10 points), coins, and other cards that have scoring abilities. Sometimes during the game you may need to take out a loan. Sure! Go ahead. Just remember that each loan makes you lose a fairly hefty sum of points at the end of the game, so getting multiple loans can be painful. But it can be useful, too, so choose wisely.
Essentially, Unfair is an economic game with mechanisms of set collection, take-that, card drafting, and tableau building. And it’s a ton of fun. While there are a lot of potentially hurtful interactions between players, they can be mitigated through savvy card use, but the option to hurt another player comes at the expense of playing a card that could also help you. Each card has a good thing for you on it, and a bad thing for someone else. You can only use one, so you gotta choose. In one game, I was totally vindictive to another player, constantly spoiling plans and ruining lives, while she only did one hurtful thing to me. Guess what? She won. They say cheaters never prosper, and, well, they might be on to something there. Whoever “they” are.
The base game of Unfair is wildly fun. The expansion adds other factions which provide new themes with new ways to score and even more ways to be unfair at your funfair.
Unfair: ABDW Expansion
What kind of name is ABDW, anyway? The kind that uses one letter for each theme, that’s what! ABDW adds Aliens, B-movies (think MST3K), Dinosaurs, and good ol’ wild Westerns. I have a fondness for dinosaurs, so naturally they became my favorite theme even before I knew what their schtick was. Once I discovered what they brought to the park, I loved them even more. Essentially, dinosaurs threaten to shut down attractions, eat other dinosaurs, and otherwise wreak havoc on your investment. Fortunately, they also bring in quite the crowd. They are technically upgrades—not attractions in their own right—but really add to the stress of building and managing a theme park.
Westerns are all about the wide-open spaces, and they’ve got panoramas that go on forever. Oh yeah, panoramas are a new scoring condition as made possible by the B-Movies theme. All factions have panorama attractions, but you only get points for them by playing them side by side, in picture order. I find the panorama scoring condition to be a fun addition, as it gives yet another way to score points for doing something you’re already doing, which is building attractions.
And then the Aliens come, along with their own currency. Their “special sauce” is what they refer to as “alien influence,” and work out to 2 points a pop at the end of the game, and are also used to purchase special Alien attractions and upgrades. But, just like all aliens, they like to abduct humans for, uh, testing and whatnot, so if your staff get any alien influence, consider them “disappeared without a trace” at the end of the round. But hey! At least they didn’t take you, fellow human.
The ABDW Expansion adds four new factions, new mechanics (i.e. panorama scoring), and an extra dose of unfair. This expansion is simply that: an expansion. It expands the core game (which is already full of gameplay) by giving you more themes to choose from. It doesn’t change the game in any ways other than what the new theme decks add. The expansion is solid, the new themes are great, and there is a lot to love.
As I said, Dinosaurs are my new all-time favorite faction, mostly because they involve rolling dice and pushing my luck to see if any escape, as well as the new park gates they add into the mix. But the Aliens are also a hoot with their shenanigans (like Space Elvis and abducting staff members), and have quickly become another favorite of mine. The Western theme gives space—extra lot! Woot woot!—and B-Movies activate panorama scoring. Of course, they offer more than that, but you’ll want to play with them yourself to see how everything can interact with each other.
I think the themes in the core box are wonderful, and these expansion themes just add to the fun.
Theme
Theme parks, Dinosaurs, and Ninjas? Oh my! Theme parks are always a lot of fun, but building and managing your own is just as intoxicating. Using (see also: stealing) money you acquired from strictly legal ways (*cough*) to build attractions and upgrade in order to fulfill blueprints and attract the most guests is, in summary, fun. The theme of the game looked good when I first saw the game, but after playing it, I’m hooked. It’s the various theme decks that really make the game. Because each theme deck comes with unique cards and rules, there are so many possibilities.
Also, the flavor text—in the rule book and on the cards—is witty, fun, and everything you’d expect in a game such as this. I tip my proverbial hat to whoever wrote that.
Art
The art is fun. It’s thematically on point, sometimes comical, and always fun to look at. The addition of panoramas also makes for some interesting choices which will affect the overall aesthetic of your park.
Standouts
These are the things that make the game so awesome (for me, anyway):
- Flavor text. (Please read the flavor text! It’s beautifully crafted for maximum laughter.)
- General gameplay. (It flows, it’s engaging, and it encourages strategic thinking.)
- Dinosaurs! (Rawr!)
- A plethora of possibilities. (With all of the theme decks available, Unfair is going to stay fresh for quite some time.)
- The rule book is full of sarcastic and hilarious remarks. (Perhaps my favorite, under “Redundant” in the glossary: “Redundant – This glossary entry.”)
Things to Consider
The “unfair” aspect of the game—namely, playing cards to do evil things to your opponents—isn’t for everyone. In fact, it can feel quite vindictive at times. But for those who enjoy that type of gameplay, it’s a blast. But even if you don’t particularly appreciate the “take-that” style of games, there are ways to do away with such devilry, such as the Game Changer card that simply doesn’t let other players do harm to each other.
The game box suggests 25 minutes per player, but in my experience, that’s a little on the short side. Of course, it depends who you’re playing with, too. And once you and your group have played a game or two, your turns will practically zip by. And despite games taking longer than 25 minutes per player, it certainly doesn’t feel that way. And it’s not just me that feels that way, either. Others have said the same thing.
The initial shuffling of decks and the post-game organizing can be cumbersome, but I find a little help can go a long way. Don’t let anyone leave until they’ve separated their cards by theme deck!
Final Thoughts
Welp, Unfair has become a favorite. It’s hard to let new games into my heart (I’ve been burned before), but Unfair has been completely fair to me. I really do love it. The rule book charmed me as I read it to learn how to play, and the gameplay had me going steady. The expansion sealed the deal. Whether you’re into “take-that” type mechanics or not, Unfair is a solid, wonderful game that gamers of all types can enjoy. And, with ten theme decks so far, there is a lot to love.
What’s the most interesting theme/amusement park you’ve been to? Let us know in the comments!
About the Author
Benjamin hails from Canada but now lives in Kentucky with his wife and kids. He’s a certified copyeditor through UC San Diego’s Copyediting Extension program. He’s a freelance writer and editor, covering everything from board game rule books to novels. An avid writer of science fiction and fantasy, it comes as no surprise that his favorite board games are those with rich, engaging themes. When he’s not writing or playing games, Benjamin loves to play ultimate Frisbee, watch and play rugby, and read the most epic fantasy books available. Follow him on Twitter @BenjaminKocher and Instagram @Benjamin_Kocher. You can also read his board game inspired fiction (among other things) at BoardGameImmersion.com.
by BenjaminK | updated 22 days ago
4 | 4 comments | [+]
Overview
Pan Am. The airline that changed the way we travel. They were the first to send commercial flights over both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, as well as the first to use computers for reservations. (At least, that’s what the rule book’s introduction says.)
Pan Am is a worker placement game in which you elbow your way into the industry to claim routes, increase your fleet, gain landing rights at various locations (through airports or destination cards), and buy and sell stocks in Pan Am, the airline that’s going to buy you all out anyway. You can out-bid your opponents to steal their action spaces for yourself, but in so doing you have to pay a higher price for the same action.
The difficulty is not too complex as to overwhelm even new players, but there is still a depth that can intrigue those gamers whose preferences fall on the weightier side as well.
Initial Impressions
While Pan American Airways is a pioneer in the commercial flight industry for a number of reasons, I was surprised it was enough of an influence to turn into a game. I’ll be honest, I didn’t have high hopes the first time Pan Am hit the table. I mean, it didn’t look too fancy, and I was skeptical that it would satisfy. Oh, how wrong I was!
I didn’t do so well on my first play, but I still enjoyed it, and that is the sign of a good game. (Not that I didn’t do well, but that I enjoyed it while not doing well.) I enjoy worker placement games to begin with and appreciated the “return to sender” mechanic, in which if a player’s worker is outbid, the outbid worker goes back to its player to be placed again.
It’s on the lighter side of mid-complexity, but I wouldn’t call it a game of “light” strategy. It’s also interesting because it’s based on Pan Am’s history, so aficionados of airplanes in the days of yore might appreciate some of the facts on the cards, which is a nice bonus. I myself enjoyed learning about the history, so there.
Gameplay
The game takes place over seven rounds, and each round the players place a worker (or “engineer,” officially) on a spot in one of the sections (A-E). When everyone is out of workers (or chooses not to place their remaining workers), each section of the board activates, starting with A and ending with E. The player must then remove their worker from their space (except for section D, which stays through to the next round, these workers being placed first, before all others) and then pay the cost (in money dollars) to take that action.
If you can’t afford it, you have to sell your shares (which you can buy at the end of each round) for $2 less than what the stock value is currently worth. If you still can’t afford it, then too bad. So it’s important to make sure you have the cash you need for your actions. But there’s another mechanic in the game that spices things up a bit, that I really like.
I call it the “return to sender” mechanic. If you have a worker on a space, another player can place their worker above yours on the track, claiming it for themselves. When this happens, your worker returns to you, allowing you to place it again, be it above the worker who just bumped you off (how dare they…) or somewhere else you can afford.
It’s a fun mechanic, because 1) you don’t get completely hosed by getting bumped (unless you really needed that space at that price), and 2) you can make your rivals pay more than they wanted if you know they need that particular action. It makes for some devious moves (if you’re into that), but it also punishes you as well if you force your way to the top of the track. Jolly good.
The gameplay has a good order of operations to it. Meaning, there are many times throughout the game where you’ll have a worker placed in section D (Routes) but you need something from A (Airports), B (Destinations), or C (Planes) in order to make your chosen route work. It can be a gamble, placing your worker on D before you have the requisite resources, but it can certainly pay off.
Overall, I like the gameplay. It’s easy enough to grasp but still provides a good amount of thoughts and strategy.
Theme
The theme of airplanes—commercial airlines, in particular—isn’t the most exciting theme I’ve ever played, but that doesn’t make the game any less interesting. In fact, I think the designers (who I wish were named, as opposed to the generic “Prospero Hall” placeholder) did a wonderful job turning this theme into an engaging game.
Because you start off with planes that can’t travel very far and then, as the game progresses, you can upgrade to more modern vessels, Pan Am is a working history of the aviation industry. It’s not a college course by any means, but it’s neat and interesting still the same.
Art
The art style is overall basic, but it fits with the era of the theme. Likewise, the destination cards are illustrated in the same vein as ye auld luggage stickers of days long past. It’s a good look, those old illustrations and I like them, as they give a nice taste of what passengers might expect at the destination.
Standouts
These are the things that stood out above the others:
- “Return to sender” worker placement
- Order of operations (in which some of your earlier placements will affect your later action spaces, which makes ensuring you have those early ones more important than normal)
- Fun planes
- Easy entry point into board games
Things to Consider
Consider playing it, maybe? Honestly, there’s not much to disparage about Pan Am. The game does play a tad differently at two players than at full player count, since things are more open. But, at the same time, you both get two additional engineers than you would with four players. So while things are a bit more open, it’s because you, personally, have more workers to place. But that’s not a negative thing at all.
Final Thoughts
Pan Am is an enjoyable game. It’s likely to be a favorite for some due to its easy access and provides a taste of heavier games. Others, however, will probably find it lacking their usual meat (I postulate that this group is smaller than the first). The folks in the middle—which will undoubtedly be a much larger group than the other two combined, will enjoy the game and be happy to play it when it’s suggested. That’s the category I’m in. It’s a good game—it really is—and one that I find (surprisingly, actually) calling back to me for another play.
Pan Am was my first game I had played from Funko Games. They are certainly onto something with Pan Am, and while I was at first skeptical of what their games might be like, I am now excited for—and enjoying—their other offerings.
What intrigues you most about Pan Am? Share with us in the comments!
About the Author
Benjamin hails from Canada but now lives in Kentucky with his wife and kids. He’s a certified copyeditor and a freelance writer and editor, covering everything from board game rule books to novels. An avid writer of science fiction and fantasy, it comes as no surprise that his favorite board games are those with rich, engaging themes. When he’s not writing or playing games, Benjamin loves to play ultimate Frisbee, watch and play rugby, and read the most epic fantasy books available. Follow him on Twitter @BenjaminKocher and Instagram @Benjamin_Kocher. You can also read his board game inspired fiction (among other things) at BoardGameImmersion.com.
by BenjaminK | updated 2 months ago
4 | 5 comments | [+]“Life before death. Strength before weakness. Journey before destination.”
- The first ideal of the Knights Radiant, from The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson
Overview
For those of you who have already read the Stormlight Archive books by Brandon Sanderson, you’re gonna like this one. For thoses who haven’t read the books yet…STOP AND GO READ THEM! Seriously. Best books ever. Favorites x 1,000,000,000. And, with the fourth Stormlight book—Rhythm of War—coming out this fall (EXCITE!), now is the perfect time to get your Stormlight fix through this board game! (Also, potential spoilers in the pictures.)
Call to Adventure: The Stormlight Archive is a standalone version of the regular Call to Adventure game by Brotherwise Games. In it, you are building a character’s origin, backstory, and destiny. It’s a simple game of rune casting (instead of dice chucking) and luck, but it hits a sweet spot in narrative board games that’s still good, even if you have no idea what Stormlight is. Or Odium. Or … well, you get the idea.
Initial Impressions
After a quick solo play (where I failed miserably to defeat Odium), I was into it. I still had some rules questions, but a quick BGG search helped solve those. While the rule book is nice and concise, it did leave some things open to interpretation, such as when certain cards activate, what happens if this edge case happens, et cetera. But, I liked it. And, I liked it more as I played it more. I was super excited to see a Stormlight Archive game, and I am happy with what it is.
Gameplay
Now, as I mentioned, Call to Adventure: The Stormlight Archive is a fairly straight forward game. On your turn, you can either get a trait or attempt a challenge. Traits are free—just pick them up and add them to the appropriate character card. Some traits have prerequisites you must fulfill first, but regardless of how you get it, it’s always a certain success. Easy pickings, but generally not as fruitful as successfully completing a challenge. Traits will generally have an icon or two along the top, giving your character those attributes (or points or ability to immediately draw a card, etc.). Or, it will have some sort of text to aid you on your next turn.
Challenges involve tossing runes. Tossing runes is essentially like rolling a d2. One side is a success, the other side is blank, a double success, or some other bonus. Challenge cards have a difficulty on them and have a top and bottom challenge from which to choose. Some bottom challenges have +1 added to their difficulty than what the top’s is, but the rewards are generally better for the more difficult tasks.
Attempting challenges is where the gameplay really is. Each time you attempt a challenge, you throw a base set of three generic runes. Now, set collection comes into play as you collect trait and challenge cards with specific symbols on them. As each challenge card shows two additional icons on the side, you may throw one additional rune of those types for each card you have attached to your character cards that match the symbols on the challenge card. So, if it had a sword and that purple mountain thing, and you had one card that was a sword attached to your character card and two purple mountain things, you would toss your three base runes, plus a sword rune and two purple mountain thing runes. These extra runes will be essential for accomplishing more difficult challenges. You may only throw a maximum of three runes per type, though, so if you have four sword icons on your character, you may still only throw three sword runes.
And there will be times when your additional runes simply aren’t enough (at least, with your luck they aren’t). So, you can spend experience tokens in exchange for dark runes, one token for one rune. These runes are great in that they guarantee at least one success, but if you throw a moon symbol, your good/evil track drops down to be more of an antihero. This affects how many points you can score (or lose, if you drop down too far), and which cards you can play from your hand (hero or antihero cards). But, sometimes it’s worth it to visit the dark side in order to succeed. Sometimes it can cost you the game (a fact of which I am painfully aware).
The game’s end is triggered once one player has three cards tucked under each of their three character cards (so nine cards in total). Then, everyone else has one last turn, and the game is over. Points are counted, and the player with the most points is the winner! Huzzah!
Not much to it, but there is a lot to think about still the same. Various cards you can acquire have those rune symbols on them (which is important not just for getting more runes, but for end-game scoring in some instances as well), along with other, less fancy symbols. These shadowed symbols (known as story icons)—and the Radiant symbol—can help with card abilities as well as with end-game scoring. This second group of symbols (not to be confused with Symbolheads, i.e. Cryptics, i.e. liespren) combine to give points by having 2, 3, or 4 of a single type, and can be repeated for the other types of story icons as well. The more of the same type of story icon you have (up to four), the more points you’ll score. So, while you can gain points from cards gained and cards played, you can score a lot for collecting these sets.
At the end of the game, you’re also able to tell your hero’s story through the cards added to your hero cards. This is pretty much mandatory when playing with me. Tell the other players about your hero’s backstory, their motivation, and their destiny. Storms, but I love a good story. Hoid must have had a hand in this end-of-game storytelling.
There is also a cooperative and solo variant, both of which play the same, more or less. Let’s talk about that now.
Solo and Cooperative Play
Solo and cooperative play have you building up your character(s) as normal, but instead of the game simply ending, the last stage is to fight the odious Odium. He starts with 5 tokens on his card per player at the start of the game. To defeat him, you must “challenge” him (like you would a regular challenge), beat him, and have zero tokens left on him at the end. For each value over Odium’s success score, you remove a token from his card. Each player must succeed in their attempt to defeat Odium; if even one fails, Odium wins. Fortunately, there are ways to remove tokens from him throughout the game. Unfortunately, he also has ways to gain tokens as the game goes on. Plus, he has his own deck of cards that is geared toward your downfall, so that adds some added fun into the mix as well.
The way Odium gains or loses tokens, or plays a card, differs depending on which adversary quest you use. For solo, there are only a couple of options, but more for co-op games. Working together as a team to defeat Odium seems a wee bit easier than going solo, due to some hero and antihero cards helping other players. But, solo is very well done. I am quite pleased with how it plays out solo, despite having yet to win by myself. I have beaten Odium cooperatively, though.
Theme
I, for one, simply cannot get enough Stormlight Archive in my pathetic, Radiantless life, and this version of Call to Adventure does a good job of bringing the world to life. I love the theme, and I like how the cards play well with that theme. If you have read the books, there are no spoilers. If you haven’t yet … well, you may have some things ruined (not to be confused with Ruin of Scadrial) for you. Nothing too huge, though. I also like how the solo/co-op variant pits the Radiants against Odium. A fitting conclusion to a cooperative game.
Art
The art is storming amazing! I can’t get enough of it. The first thing I did upon opening the box was go through each and every card and basked in their glory. Seriously, the artists must have attracted thousands of creationspren while working on these pieces. I love it! The art really speaks for itself, so here’s another picture to look at.
Standouts
These are the things that were A+ (for me, anyway):
· The theme (Surprised? You shouldn’t be.)
· The art
· Solid solo variant
Things to Consider
Now, these considerations aren’t necessarily bad. Rather, they’re something you may want to know about before investing (not to be confused with Investiture) in the game.
Complexity: You’re picking cards and tossing runes. That’s really all there is to it. While this is a pretty light game as far as complexity goes, it does what it set out to do wonderfully. And, there are certain aspects, such as set collection, that provide a bit more strategy as well. The cooperative variant is a nice switch up that provides a new challenge as well, so bouncing between that (and solo) and competitive play can help keep things fresh.
Luck: This goes along with complexity, but since your success relies on rune results, there’s not a lot you can do. Sure, you can toss dark runes (which could hurt you while still helping provide success) or play hero and antihero cards for a bit of mitigation, but luck is heavy here. That said, I don’t mind the luck factor at all. In fact, I think it helps add to the tension and enjoyment. But, your oaths and ideals may be different than mine, and that’s alright.
Rules: There were a few shady (not to be confused with Shadesmar) spots in the rule book where things weren’t clarified, but they weren’t crucial, although knowing for certain is always nice.
Final Thoughts
As an official Edgedancer (take the quiz!), it is my duty to remember. Perhaps that’s one reason I enjoy Call to Adventure: The Stormlight Archive as much as I do. You see, the game revolves around building characters and telling their stories, and telling stories is one way to remember the past. Even before the official quiz of the Knights Radiant dubbed me an Edgedancer, I have always been about storytelling. Finding out I was an Edgedancer was just a natural process (even though I really wanted to be a Windrunner, which was a close second).
But enough about Radiant orders. The game, itself, is a good game. Great, even, if you are invested in storytelling and the cosmere (or even just Roshar as a whole). I have a feeling, though, that the game might not have enough depth for some of the more die-hard gamers out there. But no matter what your gaming preferences, if you are even mildly obsessed with The Stormlight Archive, you really ought to play Call to Adventure: The Stormlight Archive, as I’m fairly confident you’ll enjoy it. Is it for everyone? Of course not. But I like it, and that’s what matters to me. I’ll probably end up playing this solo more frequently than with others, although playing with others—both competitively and cooperatively—is just as good as the solo variant (and I love a good solo game).
What’s your Radiant order? Take the quiz then share your results! It’s still fun to see, even if you have no idea what in Roshar I’m talking about.
About the Author
Benjamin hails from Canada but now lives in Kentucky with his wife and kids. He’s a certified copyeditor through UC San Diego’s Copyediting Extension program. He’s a freelance writer and editor, covering everything from board game rule books to novels. An avid writer of science fiction and fantasy, it comes as no surprise that his favorite board games are those with rich, engaging themes. When he’s not writing or playing games, Benjamin loves to play ultimate Frisbee, watch and play rugby, and read the most epic fantasy books available. Follow him on Twitter @BenjaminKocher and Instagram @Benjamin_Kocher. You can also read his board game inspired fiction at BoardGameImmersion.com.
by BenjaminK | updated 2 months ago
4 | 2 comments | [+]Overview
Growing up in Alberta, Canada, I knew what wolves were from a young age. Not that I’d ever seen one up close or in the wild, but they were common in some parts of the region. They were frighteningly beautiful creatures, full of mystery and majesty. To this day, they’re one of my favorite animals. When The Alpha came out from the good folks at Bicycle (you know, the playing card company), I was more than a little intrigued.
Getting down to it, The Alpha is a game about being the dominant pack. Hunting for food, fighting for a bigger share of food, and ultimately being the very best (like no one ever was). It’s a game that’s easy to learn for all ages, which is a strength, I think. There’s a fair amount of luck to it (i.e. rolling dice to see how much food comes out of the hunt), but it all works together to create a tasty game of dominance.
Initial Impressions
From first read of the rule book, I could tell it would be an interesting game. It is very thematic in terms of the life of a wolf. Hunt, chase, eat, fight, repeat. (How often do wolves fight? I don’t know.)
At first glance, it looks like a fun, lightweight strategy game. At second glance? Well, let’s just say there’s a bit more than meats meets the eye.
Gameplay
For a bit of background, players take turns placing a wolf on an animal (or berry patch) to hunt. This continues until all wolves have been played, including the two-headed alpha pairs (these count as two, and each player has one in their color). After this, it’s feeding time. The player with the most wolves on a creature rolls the die associated with the animal. The number that comes up is how much food that player gets. Of course, you could get an X, which is nothing. Or you could get killed, in the case of the livestock. But, with greater risk comes the greater reward. And I love a good risk.
But it gets better. If there’s a tie for most wolves, the players secretly decide whether to share the kill or fight for it. If both players share, then they split the food evenly. If only one shares and one fights, the fighter gets it all. If both fight…then each player loses a wolf for a few turns due to injury. And, uh, neither player gets food. (See kids? Sharing is good!)
There’s not a lot more to it than that. Sure, there are a few intricacies, but you get the idea. It’s all about placing wolves, trying to get more of yours on a critter than the other players, while at the same time trying to stop your opponents from getting too many on one beast. It’s a fine balancing act, and there’s usually one or two animals you’ll have to let fall to your opponents. Hopefully, the other players will take care of those. (Hopefully.)
I like how the game plays. Gameplay can (and should) go quickly. I think, perhaps, the most difficult decision you’re going to make is deciding if you should share the food or fight for it. Bluffing (or straight up lying) your way to more food is a key component of winning the game. Of course, many people I’ve played this with always choose to fight anyway, so sharing wasn’t really an option in those games.
I want to also mention that I taught my two kids this game. The youngest is three and the oldest is five. The youngest asked me, during the first round, “I’m done with this game. Did you win yet?” This was, of course, to be expected from one so young (even if he did end up winning). My oldest kid, though, absolutely loved it. It really is quite language independent, so I didn’t have to read things out for him and he could be left to make his own decisions. He caught on very quickly and I didn’t need to help him with his turns. He even recognized the danger of putting his wolf on the Livestock tile—a 1-in-2 chance of killing off that wolf for the rest of the game—but he put it there anyway (he rolled an X, so he survived, albeit without gaining any food).
The game is simple, but it is fun. Now, remember, it is a “light” strategy game, so you’re not going to be hurting your brain with these decisions. This might not be everyone’s go-to at game night, but if you and those you play with prefer lighter fare anyway, The Alpha is a good choice.
Theme
Wolves. Hunting. Being the very best (must…resist…temptation…). This is what you’re getting into with The Alpha. The theme comes across strong with art and the little wooden wolves. The dice also play into the theme, allowing for prey to become wounded (to be picked off the next round) or get away. Wolf packs fighting and getting injured, scavenging for leftovers, risking a blast from the farmer’s rifle in the livestock field … all of these aspects of the game contribute to a solid theme.
Art
I like animals, especially those types that stick close to forests and mountains. The art on the animal tiles are really well done. Perhaps that’s one reason I enjoy this game. I wouldn’t put it past me. But while they could have gone for a cheaper look, they went for more realism, and I appreciate that. It’s certainly a fun game to gaze at.
Standouts
These are the things that stood out to me (in a good way):
- Art
- My five-year-old can play it!
- Wolves
- Risk and reward
Things to Consider
While the following aren’t bad, they may be things you might want to consider.
Complexity: The complexity of The Alpha is a little too simple for my tastes. But, that’s just me. It’s still a good game, but you should know your audience when bringing this one out.
Runaway Leader: One issue I’ve found more than a few times is the problem of a runaway leader. Or, if you prefer, an inability for those who have fallen behind to catch up. I’ve lapped other players on the score track (and nearly been lapped myself). It’s not always fun to know you’re destined to lose, even before the last round comes upon you. Of course, some games can be close—perhaps too close for comfort—but having players roll poorly can really hurt their chances of even coming close to winning.
Final Thoughts
I like The Alpha. It’s a good, solid game. It may have an issue or two, but those can be overlooked—just know they exist and play accordingly. It’s perfect for younger kids wanting to play games with their parents. In fact, during the first round, my eldest son said, “This game is hard.” But not too hard. He still caught on quickly enough. Plus, he enjoyed looking at the pictures (as do I).
You know your preferences of games. If you like some lighter complexity mixed with luck, The Alpha is a great choice. There’s a lot to like about this game, and I’m looking forward to playing it as a family again soon.
About the Author
Benjamin hails from Canada but now lives in Kentucky with his wife and kids. He’s a certified copyeditor through UC San Diego’s Copyediting Extension program. He’s a freelance writer and editor, covering everything from board game rule books to novels. An avid writer of science fiction and fantasy, it comes as no surprise that his favorite board games are those with rich, engaging themes. When he’s not writing or playing games, Benjamin loves to play ultimate Frisbee, watch and play rugby, and read the most epic fantasy books available. Follow him on Twitter @BenjaminKocher and Instagram @Benjamin_Kocher. You can also read his board game inspired fiction at BoardGameImmersion.com.
Overview
What do you know about the scythe? For one thing, it’s a tool for harvesting crops. It’s also a handy weapon. But in the board game Scythe (by Stonemaier Games), does it reference a harvesting tool or a weapon? I submit that it’s both (as does the rule book, so confident I’m right about this).
Looking at the box art, one might think that Scythe is a war game. And it is. Sort of. But war doesn’t happen as often as it might seem, because winning the game doesn’t necessarily mean destroying the other players. Rather, there are many objectives players try to complete, and once a player has completed six of them, the game ends. Winning battles is only one of the many ways to get ahead in the post-Great War era of Eastern Europe.
But before we talk about anything else, it might be helpful to know a bit more about the game itself. Scythe is an area majority, resource management engine-building game for 1-5 players. Each player has a unique faction (with unique abilities) and a unique player mat (all with the same actions, but the costs of actions differ). Players harvest resources, build buildings (for bonuses), recruit mechs, and engage in thematic encounters.
Initial Impressions
I gotta say, the game is beautiful right out of the box. It may look like a lot at first glance, but worry not! Everything has its place, and it’s all streamlined in such a way that it’s not too difficult to learn. The actions are intuitive and, since there are only four main actions, you’ll get the hang of things quickly. The rule book is a huge asset to the game; it is well-written and easy to follow and understand. For a big-box game like Scythe, that’s important.
Gameplay
Perhaps the most important part of this review is that of gameplay. Is it fun? Is it tough to learn? Is it worth investing in all of the expansions? (I’ll leave that last one for you to figure out on your own.)
Well, I am happy to say that Scythe is a remarkably smooth game in terms of gameplay. As mentioned above, there are four main/top actions (called “top” because they’re at the top of your player mat), which helps keep your brain from exploding while learning. Those four “top” actions can move into other actions; for example, if you move into a space with another player’s mech or character, you start a battle.
There are also secondary, or “bottom,” actions (because—you guessed it—they’re at the bottom of your player mat). You can carry out a bottom action while the next player begins their turn, which helps cut out some of the downtime that would otherwise be there. I really like that aspect of the game, especially if the game is going to take a couple of hours to play through.
Another aspect of the gameplay I really like are the multiple paths to victory and, by association, the end-game condition. I mentioned that once a player places all six of their stars on achievements, the game ends. This makes it interesting for a few reasons. The first is that it gives you options. If you’re trying to accomplish one achievement but you somehow end up closer to another, go for that one instead. Each achievement can only be done once, with the exception of winning battles, which can be done two times. While this does encourage combat, it also encourages players to leave others alone, since they won’t be getting any stars out of it after their initial two.
The second reason I like the end-game condition is because the game ends as soon as someone has placed their last star. This brings the other players together—at least for a little while in the end—to keep one player from winning. The player interactions throughout the game are fun, but it’s the end-game that really ratchets things up.
All in all, I am very happy with how Scythe plays. There is a lot to like, and it’s not too tough that beginners to the hobby couldn’t pick it up after a few rounds. It’s a fantastic game for those looking for some combat but would also like to, you know, farm and build and stuff.
Theme
The theme of an alternate history 1920s Europa wouldn’t have been my first pick—or top 10 for that matter. And yet, I like it. A lot. The design really helps you get into the feel of the world, through art, actions, and encounters.
Speaking of encounters, this is probably one of my favorite aspects of the game. When your character (the human/animal duo) moves to a spot with an encounter token, you take the top encounter card from the deck. The card gives you three options, and you pick one of them. Some options include helping you gain free workers or mechs, and others give resources…at a price.
And then there’s the art. Actually, let’s make an entirely new section for that, shall we?
Art
I can’t talk about Scythe without mentioning the artwork. It’s so good! The encounter cards show such a vivid snapshot in time that I find it difficult to choose an option because I’m too busy looking at what’s going on in the picture. They are top notch, and I highly recommend taking a moment to look at the images before choosing an encounter option.
But it’s more than just the encounter cards. The board itself looks wonderful, the faction boards are detailed, and everything is done with such quality that I’d be happy framing the cards and box for their art alone. It’s this attention to detail that helps the game stand out as it does.
Solo Play
I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to talk about Scythe’s solo variant. The first solo game from Stonemaier Games I played was Wingspan, and I thought it was amazing. The same people that created Wingspan’s solo variant also created Scythe’s, so I had high hopes.
Well…
My hopes were met. The Automa rules are really, really good. It does take some time to get used to the Automa’s actions, but it starts to make sense relatively quickly. Toward the end of my first solo game, I wasn’t flipping through the rule book nearly as much. So that’s promising.
The Automa doesn’t act like a regular human player, but that’s to be expected. Instead, the Automa kind of teleports from A to B, as per the directions on the current Automa card. What it does do to near perfection is that it simulates what another player might have or do throughout a game. Scoring was also super close, which is a sign of good balance.
While I love playing with others, I do love a good solo game, and Scythe didn’t disappoint.
Standouts
These are the things that make the game so awesome (for me, anyway):
- Solo variant
- Smooth gameplay (solo and multiplayer)
- Encounters
- Option to battle or not as you choose
- End-game trigger
- Balanced at all player counts, including two players
Things to Consider
While the following point may not be inherently “bad,” it is something you may want to consider.
- Automa can feel a bit glitchy at times, but just for a moment or two (trying to keep track of everything it does and where it can and cannot go).
Honestly, that’s really the only thing that I could see being an obstacle, and that’s just for solo play.
Final Thoughts
For me, I love a game with a strong theme and tight mechanics; it helps me experience the game while I play it. I love how the game plays, and I love practically everything about it. I’m not always aboard the hype train (after all, there are some “highly popular” games that I’d rather not ever play again), but I can definitely see why Scythe climbed as high as it did on Board Game Geek.
And while good, smooth gameplay is essential, Stonemaier Games didn’t scrimp on the aesthetics, either. The art is stunning, and the components are all thick and high quality. This combination drives home a strong thematic experience. I’m a big fan.
What about you? What do you agree or disagree with me on from this review? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
About the Author
Benjamin hails from Canada but now lives in Kentucky with his wife and kids. He’s a certified copyeditor through UC San Diego’s Copyediting Extension program. He’s a freelance writer and editor, covering everything from board game rule books to novels. An avid writer of science fiction and fantasy, it comes as no surprise that his favorite board games are those with rich, engaging themes. When he’s not writing or playing games, Benjamin loves to play ultimate Frisbee, watch and play rugby, and read the most epic fantasy books available. Follow him on Twitter @BenjaminKocher and Instagram @Benjamin_Kocher. You can also read his board game inspired fiction at BenjaminKocher.com.
by BenjaminK | updated 52 days ago
3 | 2 comments | [+]Overview
Money has never been my cup of tea. And by that I don’t mean I eschew it, but rather that I struggle to account for it. (Get it? Account? Like accounting? No? Alrighty then…) I’m pretty money savvy—at least, I know how to manage what I have—but when it comes to actual accounting and mathing…well, that burns my brain. (There’s a reason I consider myself a writer and not a mathematician.)
So, when I got Exchange from Bicycle (the same people who published The Alpha and perhaps the most popular brand of playing cards known to man), I was a little nervous that my right-brained approach to things would make my time in the stock market a traumatic one. Fortunately, Exchange proved to be engaging and enjoyable not just for me, but for everyone we played with—including my father-in-law whose job is in finances. (Not that finances equate to Wall Street per se, but there is something of a familiarity between the two.)
Initial Impressions
My initial impressions were a little…confusing. The rule book wasn’t the most helpful at explaining the game, but after two plays, we did figure out that we were playing it incorrectly (although we daresay that “our” way is the “advanced/expert” way; see “Final Thoughts” below). Of course, we then started playing by the proper rules and everything made a lot more sense. We enjoyed it the wrong way (which isn’t always the case when playing incorrectly), but there’s certainly something to be said about playing the game as it was intended to be played.
Gameplay
The game takes place over five rounds, and each round has three phases:
- Select a security
- Select if you will buy or sell, and by how much
- Manipulate the market
The first phase simply has you solidifying what security you will be dealing with this round. Everyone places the card showing the security they selected into their Phase 1 sleeve, and then, when everyone has done so, they are revealed simultaneously.
Now that you know what everyone is planning on going for, you decide if you are going to buy or sell stock in the security you selected in phase 1. Drop the appropriate Phase 2 card (numbered 1-9) with “buy” or “sell” at the top, depending on if you want to buy or sell. You will buy or sell the amount shown on that card (i.e. 1-9).
Now that you’re locked in to that, it’s time to manipulate the market. You can try and increase or decrease the security you’ll be trading in, or a different one (which is always fun, since it affects the other players dealing in that particular security). There’s a fine line between messing with someone and not helping yourself enough, but that line varies round by round. Once everyone has locked in their card to either increase or decrease a selected security by 1, they are all revealed (cue groaning by those who are now buying/selling for more than / less than they had hoped). Then, a Market Forces card is flipped and resolved, which could make things even worse, or potentially better. At any time during the round, any player can pay $50 to look at the top Market Forces card, so at least there’s a way to know what’s coming and (hopefully) prepare for it.
The game goes on for five rounds, with a sixth round consisting only of Phase 3—without the Market Forces card. Then, the player with the most combined cash and market value wins!
The game itself is pretty straight forward, but there is something of a wildcard (aside from the Market Forces cards). This is the Lobbyist. The Lobbyist gets to put in an additional Phase 3 card into a separate sleeve (labeled “Lobbyist”). This helps the Lobbyist know more certainly how things might swing, and puts everyone else in a bit of a predicament. The player with the most cash gets this boon, so being rich is incentivized.
Thoughts on Gameplay
The game is easy to learn, once you actually know the rules after having read the rule book. It can play quickly, but table talk (i.e. petitions to work together or threatening others) can potentially slow things down. We discussed this aspect of the game and concluded that a two-minute timer for discussion would probably be good to have, despite there not being one included with the game. Otherwise, discussion could go on ad nauseum.
We had a six-player game take an hour and a half due to lengthy discussions during the rounds. Still, it made for some great decisions—and a sudden yet inevitable betrayal at the very end—which made for a memorable game. Just know going into it that it might be a longer game if you don’t curb discussion after a certain timeframe.
Theme
The theme of working the market is pretty strong due to the slider boards and the way things can quickly turn on you (or for your favor). While it may not be the most cinematic of themes, it feels just as stressful as I might imagine it being for a stock broker. (Well, perhaps not that stressful…)
There are certain “event” cards that are drawn each round that can affect the values you’re trying to manipulate. Reading the market—and taking a peek at what might be coming—is thematically on point and well done.
Art
The art isn’t anything fancy (it’s a money game, what did you expect?), but I don’t find the lack thereof to be distracting or to take away from the game in any way. It’s just not something you’re going to be writing home about.
Standouts
These are the things that make the game good (for me, anyway):
- The ability to sabotage other players
- “Teamwork” (because you never know if those you’re working with are going to go back on their deal)
- It makes me feel smarter than I probably am
- Newly discovered “Advanced” variant
Things to Consider
- It’s pretty lightweight in terms of complexity
- The rule book was fairly confusing
- You need at least three players (so you couples out there might need to find a new friend or two)
- The suggested play time on the box is a low estimate
Final Thoughts
Despite its flaws, I found Exchange to be a fun game. In fact, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it each time I played. It’s simple, true, and probably targets more of an entry-level gamer than anything, but it has enough that I wouldn’t be opposed to playing it again.
While it was fun the “real” way, I—and those I played with incorrectly those first two games—think our “advanced” variant is just slightly better. For our misinterpreted variant, instead of doing one phase at a time, players instead put one card in each phase sleeve before revealing any of them. It makes you more blind, but it also gives others less change to intentionally mess with you. It’s an interesting way to play, so if you get the chance, I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on this new variant. Still, the original, correct way of playing is also fun and enjoyable, so you can’t go wrong there.
Exchange is pretty basic, but it’s still fun, and fun is what matters. There is definitely an audience this game is geared toward, but I don’t think it would be insulting to a gamer who prefers more in-depth gameplay if they were to play it as well. It’s one of those games that is “good for all types of gamers” but doesn’t necessarily stand out in terms of being uniquely interesting. Fortunately, even us right-brainers can excel at (and enjoy) Exchange.
What interests you most about Exchange? Share your thoughts in the comments!
About the Author
Benjamin hails from Canada but now lives in Kentucky with his wife and kids. He’s a certified copyeditor and a freelance writer and editor, covering everything from board game rule books to novels. An avid writer of science fiction and fantasy, it comes as no surprise that his favorite board games are those with rich, engaging themes. When he’s not writing or playing games, Benjamin loves to play ultimate Frisbee, watch and play rugby, and read the most epic fantasy books available. Follow him on Twitter @BenjaminKocher and Instagram @Benjamin_Kocher. You can also read his board game inspired fiction at BoardGameImmersion.com.
by BenjaminK | updated 3 months ago
3 | 5 comments | [+]Overview
I grew up a few hours away from the Canadian Rockies and Banff National Park in Alberta. We’d visit in the summer and go skiing there in the winter. That’s where I fell in love with the mountains, coniferous forests, and the beauty of nature. Now I live in the Eastern United States, and while we may not have those same types of parks and forests, what we do have is not to be found out west. There is a varied beauty in this country that is hard to find elsewhere. Deserts, snow-capped mountains, a super volcano surrounded by gurgling earth, mammoth cave systems that still aren’t completely mapped out, and everything in between. I wish I could visit all the national parks this country has to offer. Perhaps I will.
While I wait for that to happen, however, I can console myself with the board game: Trekking the National Parks.
Trekking the National Parks is a beautiful game of, well, visiting the national parks in the United States. It’s straightforward and easy to learn, and is just as good with two players as it is with five. Its main mechanic is set collection, and you collect trek cards which you trade in for park cards, and you collect rocks (you know you’ve pilfered a rock or something from somewhere special before).
Moving from park to park, you compete with other players to get the most points from parks and rocks. It is simple in concept as well as execution, but it provides both an educational and entertaining look at the various national parks this country has to offer. The game is quite fun, and is also great for teaching kids (and yourself) about this country’s natural beauty.
Initial Impressions
The first thing I did was look through the park cards. I wanted to look at all of them and reminisce about the places I’ve already visited. Given, that’s not a lot (not yet), but the pictures were so good! From the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone to Mammoth Cave, my wanderlust set in nearly instantly.
The parks cards have fun facts on them about the park, which were fun to read. My boy, who is five, loved looking at the cards as well. We talked about the different places and it was fun to see him get excited about it. (Although, he’s still a little worried Yellowstone might blow up at any moment.)
My first game went exceptionally well. I enjoyed it, and I was eager to play again. It’s nothing earth shattering, but you don’t always need a “unique new mechanic!” to have a good game or a good time. I found the theme and mechanics to work together very well.
Gameplay
Throughout the game, players take turns doing two actions. Once their two actions are complete, play proceeds to the next player. This goes on until either one player has five Park cards, or all of the rocks are gone from the board.
There are four actions, and you can do two different ones or two of the same: draw a Trek card, move, claim a Park card, and occupy a major park.
Now, there are three major parks (out of six) used in a game. When you occupy one of these parks, you get a special bonus, which could be a one-time bonus or ongoing. There are three other parks always visible throughout the game. When one of these gets claimed, another one is revealed. You claim a Park card by trading in the required Trek cards, as indicated by the symbols on the Park card.
The Trek cards also have numbers on them, indicating the amount of spaces you can move. So, when you take a move action, you play a Trek card and move exactly that number of spaces. But what I like about moving is that you’re not limited to only one card. You can play as many Trek cards as you want and go from one end of the country to the other (by adding the numbers together). I like it because it makes you very aware of your Trek cards. You need them to move, and you need them to occupy or claim a park. But getting from A to B as quickly as possible can be hugely beneficial. What to do, what to do….
Hand management is essential in Trekking the National Parks. You need cards for movement and trading. But there’s set collection as well, so while you’re managing your hand, you also have to keep in mind what you need. And, you should probably also pay attention to the types of cards the other players are going for, otherwise you might be storing up for a specific park and have it snatched from under your nose. I like how the gameplay encourages you to try and out-plan your opponents.
Moving is also an interesting experience. You can’t pass over the same route in the same move (no going in circles, sorry), and if someone is on a park you want to pass through, you can’t get by (this park ain’t big enough for the two of us!). This makes for some strategic—or unintentional—blocking. However, you can end your move in the same park as another player. If you do, that player gets Sorry!’d and is bumped back to the Start space. That can be good or bad for the displaced trekker, depending on where you were aiming to go.
When you end your move on a park with a rock on it, you take the rock. Having a majority of rocks in their specific colors gives you points. As you may have deduced, this can lead to some angsty tactics (which I am totally fine with), and it will help dictate where you will want to move, as well as when. There’s a little meta game that’s all about picking up rocks that is quite fun in its own right. Sure, you get lots of points for claiming parks, but the stones are just as much about denying players points as they are about getting them yourself. And if you’re not paying attention, you might end up hitting rock bottom (thank you, thank you, I’m here all week).
With the abilities granted from major parks, the meta game of stones, and the back-and-forth of hand management and set collection, Trekking the National Parks is an engaging game with more going on than it may appear at first glance. It’s fast and easy to teach (and understand), and the turns can go by quickly…assuming people aren’t daydreaming, of course.
Theme
If I had to pull a theme out of thin air (which I’m about to do), I’d go with nature. Or, more specifically, the national parks themselves. (But I like the overall theme of “nature,” personally.) There’s also a theme of traveling. It’s not a theme I’m always drawn to (love me some sci-fi and fantasy!), but I do find it quite refreshing. Even just the pictures on the cards draw me into the game.
And the mechanics play well with the theme, which is always a plus. Sure, in real life there will be room for more than one person in a national park (except when COVID spikes, maybe) and you don’t end up somewhere out East if someone happens to visit the same park you do (*poof!* Magic.), but hey, it’s a game. These decisions have to be made in favor of gameplay. And the gameplay has gained my favor.
Art
The thing that stands out about the art isn’t so much the art, but the pictures. Many (most?) of the pictures were taken by the game’s designer, Charlie Bink, which is pretty rad if you stop and think about it. What a great way to use your own photos! The pictures help you get a feel for what the park might be like, and, honestly, I could go through those cards even without playing the game (and I have). But, like I said, growing up close to a national park (albeit in Canada), I learned to appreciate nature and the outdoors from a young age.
Standouts
These are the things that stand out to me about the game:
- Quality park pictures
- The rock meta game
- Easy to learn and teach
- A great educational tool
Things to Consider
The following isn’t “bad,” but it may be something to consider.
- Complexity: As mentioned, the game is fairly simple and straightforward, which may be a turnoff for some. Personally, I like how simple it is (this coming from someone who likes a super heavy game more often than not). Just know that you should expect lighter fare when getting into this. And that’s okay.
Final Thoughts
I enjoy Trekking the National Parks. In general, my personal preferences are games with a bit more depth, but don’t take that to mean this game isn’t good. This is a good game. It’s fun, it’s engaging, and there is most definitely a place for it on my shelf and on my table. I am, in the end, quite happy with this game.
It is well done with smooth and fun gameplay. The prime candidates for this game are those whose favorite games lean on the lighter side of the complexity scale. Still, I find the game to be quite engaging with some good strategic thought mixed into it. And I can’t help but fight for my favorite parks as they show up.
Trekking the National Parks will be a great game for my kids as well. They may be a little young at the moment (oldest is five), but in a year or two I think they’ll be able to enjoy it with a little coaching (at first). And, there’s always the cards to take out and look at when I feel trapped and need a getaway. There’s something to be said about pictures that capture the essence of a location, and that’s one of the things I love about Trekking the National Parks.
What is your favorite national park?
About the Author
Benjamin hails from Canada but now lives in Kentucky with his wife and kids. He’s a certified copyeditor through UC San Diego’s Copyediting Extension program. He’s a freelance writer and editor, covering everything from board game rule books to novels. An avid writer of science fiction and fantasy, it comes as no surprise that his favorite board games are those with rich, engaging themes. When he’s not writing or playing games, Benjamin loves to play ultimate Frisbee, watch and play rugby, and read the most epic fantasy books available. Follow him on Twitter @BenjaminKocher and Instagram @Benjamin_Kocher. You can also read his board game inspired fiction at BenjaminKocher.com.
by BenjaminK | updated 9 days ago
2 | 0 comments | [+]Overview
Now this is Halloween!
The FunkoVerse: Nightmare Before Christmas game is a light strategy game in which players control up to three characters from the film of the same name. Players must challenge and defeat rival characters, collect gems from around the board, and fulfil specific scenario requirements in order to win.
This Nightmare Before Christmas game takes place in the FunkoVerse, a series of games that use the same mechanics but deliver new themes—from Harry Potter to Jurassic Park and even the Golden Girls—and includes new boards, special characters, items, and more. You can even play with characters from other sets, creating a mashup of the ages!
Initial Impressions
Getting in a Halloween-themed game right before Halloween is oh-so poetic. The theme is certainly fitting for this time of year. Upon inspection, I recognized the characters, but not much else. You see, I’ve only watched The Nightmare Before Christmas a grand total of one time (although I’ve heard the music plenty of times). So I’m not too familiar with everything involved. That said, it wasn’t difficult to grok or enjoy.
Gameplay
The gameplay is essentially the same as the other FunkoVerse games. To sum up, players activate a character on their turn and take two actions. Then, after taking those actions, that character is exhausted and no longer able to take actions during that round. Then play goes to the next player, who does the same thing. And so on and so forth until the round is over, characters are no longer exhausted, and the game continues.
There are four basic actions:
- Move (up to 2 spaces)
- Challenge (roll dice to attack a rival)
- Assist (help up an ally that has been knocked over)
- Interact (pick up a gem from the board, or some other special action dictated by the current scenario)
- Rally (use two actions to stand up)
When a character is challenged and loses, that character is knocked down. The character is still in the game—and can still defend if challenged again—but if it’s knocked down and loses a second challenge, it is defeated and the attacking player gets a point (i.e. a gem).
Each character depicted by a Funko figure has special abilities. These abilities are performed by spending an ability token and putting it on your cooldown track. After each round, all items on the cooldown track go down by one. When an item leaves the cooldown track, it returns to its regular place. So, if you use a certain ability, you have to spend that specific color of token to do so. Which means you won’t get that token back until after 1-4 rounds. It’s a neat way of balancing awesome powers against ones that are, shall we say, less useful (but still effective!).
Before each game starts, players choose a scenario. While many FunkoVerse games have the basic four scenarios—Leaders, Flags, Control, and Territory—The Nightmare Before Christmas edition has Leaders and Territory, but also includes two new 4-player free-for-all scenarios—Infiltrate and Triumph. This is probably my favorite thing about this edition of the game. Sure, the box for the other games—such as the Harry Potter version—say 2-4 players, but it’s best as a two-player game. But, with these free-for-all scenarios, four players make for an exciting time! The map is smaller, which means less room to run so you’re forced into conflict. I really enjoy the 3-4 player scenarios; I think this free-for-all system is going to be quite popular.
Theme
The Nightmare Before Christmas movie may have the word “Christmas” in the title, but, let’s be real, it’s about Halloween. From the characters to the maps, FunkoVerse: The Nightmare Before Christmas is spot on. And, chances are you’ll want to play this around Halloween (or Christmas!), which is another perk of this theme.
The regular gameplay itself doesn’t really follow the theme—after all, it’s a system used for a host of other titles. But the theme is implemented nicely with character abilities.
Art
The art is solid. I mean, it’s what you’d expect by looking at the box cover. The maps are well done and the walls are drawn in nicely so there’s no mistaking the boundaries. No complaints here!
Standouts
These are the things that make the game so awesome (for me, anyway):
- FREE-FOR-ALL!
- Unique special abilities
- Halloween theme
- Large characters
Things to Consider
There’s not much to consider, other than it’s a light strategy game. It may be lighter than a lot of games, but it has fun gameplay.
Perhaps the only real downside of these FunkoVerse games are due to the bonus of the characters being so large. When everyone is packed in a certain area, positioning can be difficult with those bulbous heads of theirs. Also, when a character gets knocked down after losing an opponent’s challenge, they tend to get in the way. Not a big deal (especially if you just finish them off right after they’re knocked down), but it’s enough to warrant a statement about it.
Final Thoughts
FunkoVerse: The Nightmare Before Christmas is a good, solid game of light strategy. Not much to burn your brain over, but there’s enough to let it do some work, at least. While the theme and character abilities are fun and engaging, I think my favorite part about this version of FunkoVerse is the free-for-all scenarios, which shine at higher player counts. The other scenarios are still good, but they’re best (by far) with only two players. With the free-for-all scenarios, you can include the full player count and still have a frighteningly good time.
While I’m a strong neutral in regards to the IP itself, I think the game is well done, what with the maps, item and companion, characters, and character abilities. It’s thematic to the core (minus the actual goals of the scenarios) and is practically a staple for October game nights.
Share your thoughts on #The Nightmare Before Christmas in the comments!
About the Author
Benjamin hails from Canada but now lives in Kentucky with his wife and kids. He’s a certified copyeditor through UC San Diego’s Copyediting Extension program. He’s a freelance writer and editor, covering everything from board game rule books to novels. An avid writer of science fiction and fantasy, it comes as no surprise that his favorite board games are those with rich, engaging themes. When he’s not writing or playing games, Benjamin loves to play ultimate Frisbee, watch and play rugby, and read the most epic fantasy books available. Follow him on Twitter @BenjaminKocher and Instagram @Benjamin_Kocher. You can also read his board game inspired fiction (among other things) at BoardGameImmersion.com.
by BenjaminK | updated 2 days ago
1 | 1 comment | [+]Overview
I grew up a few hours away from the Canadian Rockies and Banff National Park. We’d visit in the summer and…wait, haven’t I written that before? *checks notes* Uh, sorry about that. As it turns out, that was from my previous Trekking review—Trekking the National Parks. This review is for Trekking the World. But, before we begin, I will say that, in my Trekking the National Parks review, I was saddened by the lack of Banff National Park. True, it’s not an American park so why would it be included, but that’s beside the point. In Trekking the World, however, Banff National Park is part of the journey! I was extremely happy to see it included, because Banff is my happy place.
If you don’t have a happy place—a place that calms you with its beauty and grandeur—you can find one here. There are so many amazing places in the world, and Trekking the World not only lets you travel to those places (not physically, obviously, or else the game would cost a heap more money), but has a lot of info about the locations on each card. Whether you’re looking for a fun game of travelling (because, at the time of this writing, COVID-19 has made it practically impossible to go anywhere fun…) or an educational game to teach your younglings about the wonders of the world, Trekking the World is where it’s at.
In Trekking the World, players compete to be the best world traveler by savvy use of set collection and hand management. Trade in cards for a tour at your location, collect souvenir sets for more points, and race to get tours of “must see” locations before the other travelers. Because FOMO.
Initial Impressions
If you’ve already played Trekking the National Parks (and if not, why not?), you’ll already know what to mostly expect. However, there are a few new things integrated to make gameplay and scoring a bit more competitive, which I enjoy.
If you haven’t played Trekking the National Parks, then be prepared for one heck of a trip! And by trip I obviously mean experience. The gameplay is smooth, n00b friendly, and engaging for all types of players. I was very impressed with my first play and really enjoyed the new scoring options and actions available.
The first game we played saw me lose, as they say, by a landslide—I came in fifth, and fourth place scored 11 points more than me. But, I did manage to get the Banff card. Sure, that was the only card I had collected, but like I told everyone else, “But I got Banff!”
And that, folks, is what winning really looks like.
Gameplay
On your turn, the first thing you have to do is move. After all, you won’t get very far if you don’t put one foot in front of the other (and soon you’ll be walking out the door). Unlike Trekking the National Parks, this time you must play at least one card to move. So no more camping on your desired location until you get all the cards you need for it. You move by playing one (or more) of your Trek cards and move as many spaces as the sum of the value on the cards. No using the same connection/path twice, no going through other trekkers (because COVID, probably), and no ending your turn on another trekker’s spot.
There are also airport spaces—one on each continent (except Antarctica, because the only thing to see there are penguins and the Mountains of Madness)—and you can use them to fly to any other unoccupied airport space. To do so, you must start your turn on an airport space. Then, before you take your move action, you may take off and move your trekker to another airport space. Then you can take your movement. This is a great way to get from the Land Down Under to the rains down in Africa without blowing all of your Trek cards.
Once you’ve moved, you have decisions. You may:
- Take two Trek cards (face up or facedown from the top of the deck)
- Take a tour (trade in matching Trek cards for the location card that matches the spot you’re currently on)
- Use a Journey card (activate a Journey card by discarding two Trek cards of the same color)
The actions are pretty basic, but you need to know when to use a Journey or draw cards, where to end your turn so you can set yourself up for future turns, and reading your opponents (or at least trying to) and getting to their goals the turn before they do. (No, I’m not bitter. Why do you ask?)
Souvenirs (the wooden cubes on each location space on the board) can get you a nice wad of points as well. If you have the most of a color, you get the corresponding tile/card. Of course, anyone can steal it from you if they surpass you on that type of souvenir. While those bonus points are nice, the real juice comes from collecting sets of souvenirs. If you have one of each type (yellow, blue, red, and white), you get five points at the end of the game. Two sets (i.e. two of each color) gets you ten points at game’s end. The more sets you get, the greater your bounty. It can pay off big time, but if you’re not careful, you’ll spend too much time hunting souvenirs and not enough taking tours, which is where you can score the main amount of your points. Find balance, young Padawan, and you will find victory.
Another new way to score points in Trekking the World (as opposed to its predecessor) is through the region bonuses. If you get the last souvenir from a region, you get the hidden bonus associated with that region. The point values of these tokens vary from 2-6 points. Nothing crazy, but it could certainly be the difference between winning and losing.
Thoughts on Gameplay
It’s great. Easy to set up, easy to play, and a good deal of thought and strategy. Trekking the National Parks is a “good game” (as quoted by me in my review of said game), but I think I like Trekking the World even more. The mechanics are smooth and not too simple to make it childish, yet they are still easy to follow while providing meaningful choices. The various ways to score points creates multiple strategies and makes for some fun decisions. Plus, I enjoy learning about all the wonders and amazing places throughout the world. What better way to learn than by playing?
Theme
Touring the world is something I would love to do, and while pandemics and money (and kids) make travelling difficult, world travel through board games can still be a lot of fun. Sure, you’re still stuck at home (and there’s nothing exotic about that), but we love simulating things we enjoy. After all, isn’t that what games are all about? And movies and television and books? If you want to go places, Trekking the World is your ticket to freedom.
Art
I want all of the artwork from this game framed and hanging all over my house. Seriously, I love the art in this game. The depictions of the 48 locations are stunning. While I love real photos of real places, there’s something special about quality art depicting those same places. I’ve been to the place depicted on the Banff card, and I can tell you right now that it is spot on.
I never thought a board game could make me homesick, but dadgummit, Trekking the World has done just that. Thanks a lot.
Standouts
These are the things that make the game so awesome (for me, anyway):
- Banff!
- Multiple ways of scoring
- Beautiful artwork
- Educational (each location card has an educational passage on the back)
Things to Consider
While Trekking the World feels meatier than its predecessor, it is still a fairly “light” game. Is that a bad thing? Heck no! It’s actually perfect for what the game is. But if meat is your jam (gross), that’s something to consider.
Final Thoughts
Welp, if Underdog Games were smart, they’d build a travel agency and use this game to advertise. Because dang, it makes me want to get out there and see the world! And while the famed rice terraces of the Philippines aren’t represented (kawawa naman), countless others (48 to be exact) are here in all their glory.
Trekking the World is solid. It’s fun. It’s beautiful. And it’s educational. There’s a lot to love about the game, and while it may not burn your brain strategically, it will certainly stoke your desire to experience the world. And who knows? Before the game’s through, maybe you’ll learn something new about the world in which you live.
How many locations from this game have you visited? Or where would you like to go? Comment below!
About the Author
Benjamin hails from Canada but now lives in Kentucky with his wife and kids. He’s a certified copyeditor through UC San Diego’s Copyediting Extension program. He’s a freelance writer and editor, covering everything from board game rule books to novels. An avid writer of science fiction and fantasy, it comes as no surprise that his favorite board games are those with rich, engaging themes. When he’s not writing or playing games, Benjamin loves to play ultimate Frisbee, watch and play rugby, and read the most epic fantasy books available. Follow him on Twitter @BenjaminKocher and Instagram @Benjamin_Kocher. You can also read his board game inspired fiction (among other things) at BoardGameImmersion.com.
by BenjaminK | updated 36 days ago
1 | 0 comments | [+]
Overview
Dobby the house elf told Harry Potter he shouldn’t go back to school. Something about danger and whatnot. Of course, Harry didn’t listen, and instead ended up getting Hermione in danger as well. I mean, it’s not like this is the first time this has happened. And, just like the villager Emperor Kuzco threw out the window, it won’t be the last.
FunkoVerse is an expansive world of games made from popular intellectual properties (IP) such as Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, and Nightmare Before Christmas, just to name a few. The gameplay is the same throughout all the various versions, but the characters are all unique. This allows for some fun crossovers, since you can use Harry Potter and Vold—He Who Must Not Be Named—in the café from Back to the Future with Marty McFly and…Jack Skellington? You bet your funky Funko fanny!
As these are strategy games, the goal is to earn points—more than the other team—to win. All players have the same basic actions, but have unique actions that utilize a nifty cooldown track, so you’re forced to pace your mondo beyondo powerful actions, as they take longer to recover.
Initial Impressions
First off, the game looks cool. There’s something about these larger-than-life Funko figures on the game board that attracts the eye…and interest. The rules aren’t difficult, nor are there an overwhelming amount of them.
FunkoVerse: Harry Potter is a simple game, but it has enough meat on it that it’s not too simple. After having played it, I’d say that this game is geared toward those who favor lighter games, as well as newcomers to the hobby. And Harry Potter. And, honestly, even people who enjoy more strategy in their games can also enjoy this for what it is.
And what is that? A fun, light-hearted jaunt in a unique universe with a host of your favorite characters. And let’s be honest, you know you want it just for the Harry Potter figures, anyway.
Gameplay
The Harry Potter FunkoVerse game comes with four unique scenarios you can opt to play with. The basic gameplay involves characters simply trying to knock out the others for points. With the scenarios, different methods of earning points are set forth with special rules. There’s Leaders (your chosen leader gets more points when knocking out players, but is worth more when they get knocked out as well), Control (control various markers to gain points), Flags (kind of like capture the flag, but…different), and Territory (king of the hill, more or less). These scenarios provide unique ways to earn points and can help keep your Harry Potter FunkoVerse game evergreen.
Plus, you can use characters from other sets as well, so that’s a lot of variety! But I digress…
As mentioned, the gameplay is relatively simple: Move around, cast spells (i.e. special actions), pick up point gems, knock down rivals, and finish the job by knocking them out. You gain points from collecting gems from the board, as well as by completing certain requirements as provided by the scenario you’re playing (i.e. control an area of the board or defeat a rival’s leader).
Each side controls two or three characters (without another set, this Harry Potter set provides two special characters per side—Harry P., Hermione G., Voldy, and Ms. Lestrange). If you opt for three characters per side, each side gets one basic character—an Auror and a Death Eater—which are represented by simple cardboard tokens. They have no special abilities, but are characters in every sense of the term and gameplay. Of course, you can always add in other characters from other sets, creating a hodgepodge of characters for a wild crossover of your design.
Throughout the game, characters move and challenge (i.e. attack) rival characters. Succeed in a challenge and the rival gets knocked down. But, a downed character needs to be challenged successfully again in order to knock them out and gain a point. Fortunately, teammates can help their partners up, or if their other characters are exhausted or too far away (use the buddy system!), they can use both of their actions for the turn to get up on their own.
Move, challenge, interact with tokens on the ground, and helping others up—this is the game in a nutshell. While everyone has these actions, characters have unique abilities and special actions that really add to the theme and complexity of the game.
For example, in this Harry Potter set, all characters have ranged attacks (they are using wands, after all). Harry Potter has his (in)famous Expelliarmus spell, allowing him to attack from distance and remove his target’s item. Moldy Voldy (don’t tell him I called him that) is able to attack from distance and roll six dice for his challenge instead of the regular two. Pretty powerful stuff.
When special abilities and items are used, their accompanying tokens (and item cards, if applicable) are placed on the cooldown track. I really like this aspect of the game, as your powerful spells go higher on the track than your dinky spells and items. At the end of each round, everything on the cooldown track shifts down by one, so you’re without those tokens and items for a while.
The cooldown system is familiar to a lot of people who play various video games (such as League of Legends), so they recognize that their more powerful special actions will take longer to get back to them. It’s a good balance, and one I’d enjoy seeing in more games.
Theme
The Harry Potter theme is magically delicious in this Harry Potter FunkoVerse game. I’m a massive Harry Potter fan (I even won tickets to a Utah Jazz game for having the best costume opening night for one of the movies), and I love seeing the familiar spells, nose-less bad guy, and familiar locations on the double-sided board.
The gameplay can fit the theme well, assuming you’re going for knockouts and whatnot, but even when you’re playing the various scenarios (that may not fit exactly with the theme), having those larger-than-life characters tromping around on the board is fun to experience. The abilities and special actions of the characters also add to the theme.
Honestly, the theme is well represented in the Harry Potter FunkoVerse game. And I am glad.
Art
The art stays true to the Harry Potter theme, but in its delightful Funko way—soulless eyes, too-large heads, and cartoony features. The boards look good and have distinguished walls, marked by thick outlines (not top hats and pocket watches) so there is no confusion where one starts or stops. And that’s a helpful design choice.
Standouts
These are the things that make the game so awesome (for me, anyway):
- Harry Potter!
- Harry Potter figures!
- Easy entry-level strategy game…
- …that has appeal to a wide range of gamers
- Various scenarios
- Ability to crossover with different sets/characters
Things to Consider
The character figures are large, which is awesome. But sometimes, they struggle to stand next to each other without bonking heads. This is a minor concern, as they do fit. But sometimes you have to turn them a bit.
When a character is knocked down, you literally knock down the character. This has them on their back on the board, taking up a few additional spaces. We haven’t had an issue yet in which the knocked down character ended up blocking traffic or was so surrounded they couldn’t physically fall down. Personally, I find it amusing, but I could see a few problems in some edge cases.
Luck. There is a good amount of luck. Which is fine…unless you’re me and can’t roll worth beans haha But really, rolling dice for challenges can be fine, but it can also lead to a lot of non-successes, due to an excessive amount of good or bad rolls. I wish there were ways to mitigate luck and to manipulate dice. One of the items included is the Felix Felicis potion that allows you to set one of your dice to a certain side, but that’s the only mitigation I’ve seen. Don’t get me wrong, I love dice in combat, but I’ve been burned too many times without the ability to mitigate some of that. I’m no Matrim Cauthon, that’s for sure.
Final Thoughts
Would the game work just as well without the cool figures?
Yes. And no. It’s complicated. Sort of.
The game itself would work and play well, even without the included figures. That point is evidenced with the cardboard tokens of the Auror and Death Eater. But, it’s not the same without those wonderful characters crowding the board.
FunkoVerse: Harry Potter (100) is a fun game. Its complexity is fairly low, but there’s still a good amount of strategy and gameplay that makes it fun for multiple types of gamers. You’ll probably find me playing this annually on July 31 (for HP’s birthday, of course), as well as other times when I want to mess around in this universe.
It’s light, it’s fun, and it’s certainly a good family game. I’m already anxious for my boys to grow up a bit more so they can play it with me, as I know they’re gonna love it.
As Albus Dumblydoor once said, “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.” In FunkoVerse: Harry Potter, you get to do both. Brew up a courage potion and control your favorite witches and wizards!
What gets you excited about this Harry Potter FunkoVerse game?
About the Author
Benjamin hails from Canada but now lives in Kentucky with his wife and kids. He’s a certified copyeditor through UC San Diego’s Copyediting Extension program. He’s a freelance writer and editor, covering everything from board game rule books to novels. An avid writer of science fiction and fantasy, it comes as no surprise that his favorite board games are those with rich, engaging themes. When he’s not writing or playing games, Benjamin loves to play ultimate Frisbee, watch and play rugby, and read the most epic fantasy books available. Follow him on Twitter @BenjaminKocher and Instagram @Benjamin_Kocher. You can also read his board game inspired fiction (among other things) at BoardGameImmersion.com.
updated 24 hours ago
Overview
This game is totally unfair! I’ve been playing it a lot—expansion included, after the first couple of games—and it’s really unfair how addicting it is. It’s all about building your own “funfair,” or theme park. But events happen that can be good or bad, the other players can ruin your plans (i.e. demolish your attraction), and you can even install super attractions that give you an unfair advantage (but if everyone has an unfair advantage, is it really that unfair?).
Initial Impressions
There are a lot of different cards. Lots of stuff when you open the box. But don’t worry! Not all of those cards are used every game. Yes, it can look intimidating, what with the various icons and whatnot, but Unfair is actually fairly easy to learn, understand, and enjoy.
I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed playing Unfair after my first time playing. And, honestly, it got better and better as time went on. As for first impressions, it was a bit intimidating, but that was quickly swallowed up in the joy of the rule book and the pleasure of playing the game.
Gameplay
The game itself reminds me of Smash Up…and then goes on to really have nothing to do with Smash Up other than choosing the game’s themes. Each player picks a theme—and, thereby, the associated deck—and then all the chosen theme decks are shuffled together (don’t forget to separate the cards out by type!). That’s the Smash Up likeness, and that’s where it ends.
All players draw from these combined decks that are made up of the various themes (i.e. pirates, dinosaurs—my favorite—ninjas, etc.). So, the market pool for cards you can buy will be a smattering of themes, all from the decks you chose. Same with the events, blueprints, and the like. So your theme park can be one theme or a glob of multiple themes. I won’t judge either way.
Setup involves separating all of the cards from their themed decks by type and shuffling each deck (by type) together with the other cards from other themes. There’s some work to do, but it’s worth it. (And, really, setup doesn’t take that long when everyone helps shuffle).
The game is played over eight rounds (six if you play with the “First Date” Game Changer card, which is recommended for your first time playing). Each round spurs city events (good and bad things that affect all players) and regular events (played by players to their benefit or to hurt another player), the Park phase (in which each player gets 3-4 actions—usually 3—to collect cards, play cards, and overall build up their park), the Guest step (in which you get dolla dolla billz!), and then clean up and prep for the next round.
It might look like there’s a lot going on…and you wouldn’t be wrong. But don’t worry! It’s not bad. With the various phases laid out as they are, gameplay is pretty dang smooth. You’ll get familiar with the iconography as you play (give it a game, maybe two), and your strategies will start coming naturally as you get to know how everything interacts together.
You’re trying to build the best park ever. That’s your job. You have a maximum of 15 (thousand) guests at a time, and this is where your money dollars generally come from. To actually get guests to visit your park, you’ll need to build attractions. Rides, shops, food stands, and the like all bring people in, and people have money. Sometimes you can take more money from them than usual (milk 'em if you got 'em!). It’s all about maximizing your income with the limited number of guests allowed inside (because COVID, I’m guessing).
At the end of the game, you’ll score points for the size of your attractions (the bigger, the better), completed blueprints (incomplete blueprints cause you to lose 10 points), coins, and other cards that have scoring abilities. Sometimes during the game you may need to take out a loan. Sure! Go ahead. Just remember that each loan makes you lose a fairly hefty sum of points at the end of the game, so getting multiple loans can be painful. But it can be useful, too, so choose wisely.
Essentially, Unfair is an economic game with mechanisms of set collection, take-that, card drafting, and tableau building. And it’s a ton of fun. While there are a lot of potentially hurtful interactions between players, they can be mitigated through savvy card use, but the option to hurt another player comes at the expense of playing a card that could also help you. Each card has a good thing for you on it, and a bad thing for someone else. You can only use one, so you gotta choose. In one game, I was totally vindictive to another player, constantly spoiling plans and ruining lives, while she only did one hurtful thing to me. Guess what? She won. They say cheaters never prosper, and, well, they might be on to something there. Whoever “they” are.
The base game of Unfair is wildly fun. The expansion adds other factions which provide new themes with new ways to score and even more ways to be unfair at your funfair.
Unfair: ABDW Expansion
What kind of name is ABDW, anyway? The kind that uses one letter for each theme, that’s what! ABDW adds Aliens, B-movies (think MST3K), Dinosaurs, and good ol’ wild Westerns. I have a fondness for dinosaurs, so naturally they became my favorite theme even before I knew what their schtick was. Once I discovered what they brought to the park, I loved them even more. Essentially, dinosaurs threaten to shut down attractions, eat other dinosaurs, and otherwise wreak havoc on your investment. Fortunately, they also bring in quite the crowd. They are technically upgrades—not attractions in their own right—but really add to the stress of building and managing a theme park.
Westerns are all about the wide-open spaces, and they’ve got panoramas that go on forever. Oh yeah, panoramas are a new scoring condition as made possible by the B-Movies theme. All factions have panorama attractions, but you only get points for them by playing them side by side, in picture order. I find the panorama scoring condition to be a fun addition, as it gives yet another way to score points for doing something you’re already doing, which is building attractions.
And then the Aliens come, along with their own currency. Their “special sauce” is what they refer to as “alien influence,” and work out to 2 points a pop at the end of the game, and are also used to purchase special Alien attractions and upgrades. But, just like all aliens, they like to abduct humans for, uh, testing and whatnot, so if your staff get any alien influence, consider them “disappeared without a trace” at the end of the round. But hey! At least they didn’t take you, fellow human.
The ABDW Expansion adds four new factions, new mechanics (i.e. panorama scoring), and an extra dose of unfair. This expansion is simply that: an expansion. It expands the core game (which is already full of gameplay) by giving you more themes to choose from. It doesn’t change the game in any ways other than what the new theme decks add. The expansion is solid, the new themes are great, and there is a lot to love.
As I said, Dinosaurs are my new all-time favorite faction, mostly because they involve rolling dice and pushing my luck to see if any escape, as well as the new park gates they add into the mix. But the Aliens are also a hoot with their shenanigans (like Space Elvis and abducting staff members), and have quickly become another favorite of mine. The Western theme gives space—extra lot! Woot woot!—and B-Movies activate panorama scoring. Of course, they offer more than that, but you’ll want to play with them yourself to see how everything can interact with each other.
I think the themes in the core box are wonderful, and these expansion themes just add to the fun.
Theme
Theme parks, Dinosaurs, and Ninjas? Oh my! Theme parks are always a lot of fun, but building and managing your own is just as intoxicating. Using (see also: stealing) money you acquired from strictly legal ways (*cough*) to build attractions and upgrade in order to fulfill blueprints and attract the most guests is, in summary, fun. The theme of the game looked good when I first saw the game, but after playing it, I’m hooked. It’s the various theme decks that really make the game. Because each theme deck comes with unique cards and rules, there are so many possibilities.
Also, the flavor text—in the rule book and on the cards—is witty, fun, and everything you’d expect in a game such as this. I tip my proverbial hat to whoever wrote that.
Art
The art is fun. It’s thematically on point, sometimes comical, and always fun to look at. The addition of panoramas also makes for some interesting choices which will affect the overall aesthetic of your park.
Standouts
These are the things that make the game so awesome (for me, anyway):
- Flavor text. (Please read the flavor text! It’s beautifully crafted for maximum laughter.)
- General gameplay. (It flows, it’s engaging, and it encourages strategic thinking.)
- Dinosaurs! (Rawr!)
- A plethora of possibilities. (With all of the theme decks available, Unfair is going to stay fresh for quite some time.)
- The rule book is full of sarcastic and hilarious remarks. (Perhaps my favorite, under “Redundant” in the glossary: “Redundant – This glossary entry.”)
Things to Consider
The “unfair” aspect of the game—namely, playing cards to do evil things to your opponents—isn’t for everyone. In fact, it can feel quite vindictive at times. But for those who enjoy that type of gameplay, it’s a blast. But even if you don’t particularly appreciate the “take-that” style of games, there are ways to do away with such devilry, such as the Game Changer card that simply doesn’t let other players do harm to each other.
The game box suggests 25 minutes per player, but in my experience, that’s a little on the short side. Of course, it depends who you’re playing with, too. And once you and your group have played a game or two, your turns will practically zip by. And despite games taking longer than 25 minutes per player, it certainly doesn’t feel that way. And it’s not just me that feels that way, either. Others have said the same thing.
The initial shuffling of decks and the post-game organizing can be cumbersome, but I find a little help can go a long way. Don’t let anyone leave until they’ve separated their cards by theme deck!
Final Thoughts
Welp, Unfair has become a favorite. It’s hard to let new games into my heart (I’ve been burned before), but Unfair has been completely fair to me. I really do love it. The rule book charmed me as I read it to learn how to play, and the gameplay had me going steady. The expansion sealed the deal. Whether you’re into “take-that” type mechanics or not, Unfair is a solid, wonderful game that gamers of all types can enjoy. And, with ten theme decks so far, there is a lot to love.
What’s the most interesting theme/amusement park you’ve been to? Let us know in the comments!
About the Author
Benjamin hails from Canada but now lives in Kentucky with his wife and kids. He’s a certified copyeditor through UC San Diego’s Copyediting Extension program. He’s a freelance writer and editor, covering everything from board game rule books to novels. An avid writer of science fiction and fantasy, it comes as no surprise that his favorite board games are those with rich, engaging themes. When he’s not writing or playing games, Benjamin loves to play ultimate Frisbee, watch and play rugby, and read the most epic fantasy books available. Follow him on Twitter @BenjaminKocher and Instagram @Benjamin_Kocher. You can also read his board game inspired fiction (among other things) at BoardGameImmersion.com.
[Unfair Expansion: Alien B-movie Dinosaur Western, Unfair]
updated 22 days ago
Overview
Pan Am. The airline that changed the way we travel. They were the first to send commercial flights over both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, as well as the first to use computers for reservations. (At least, that’s what the rule book’s introduction says.)
Pan Am is a worker placement game in which you elbow your way into the industry to claim routes, increase your fleet, gain landing rights at various locations (through airports or destination cards), and buy and sell stocks in Pan Am, the airline that’s going to buy you all out anyway. You can out-bid your opponents to steal their action spaces for yourself, but in so doing you have to pay a higher price for the same action.
The difficulty is not too complex as to overwhelm even new players, but there is still a depth that can intrigue those gamers whose preferences fall on the weightier side as well.
Initial Impressions
While Pan American Airways is a pioneer in the commercial flight industry for a number of reasons, I was surprised it was enough of an influence to turn into a game. I’ll be honest, I didn’t have high hopes the first time Pan Am hit the table. I mean, it didn’t look too fancy, and I was skeptical that it would satisfy. Oh, how wrong I was!
I didn’t do so well on my first play, but I still enjoyed it, and that is the sign of a good game. (Not that I didn’t do well, but that I enjoyed it while not doing well.) I enjoy worker placement games to begin with and appreciated the “return to sender” mechanic, in which if a player’s worker is outbid, the outbid worker goes back to its player to be placed again.
It’s on the lighter side of mid-complexity, but I wouldn’t call it a game of “light” strategy. It’s also interesting because it’s based on Pan Am’s history, so aficionados of airplanes in the days of yore might appreciate some of the facts on the cards, which is a nice bonus. I myself enjoyed learning about the history, so there.
Gameplay
The game takes place over seven rounds, and each round the players place a worker (or “engineer,” officially) on a spot in one of the sections (A-E). When everyone is out of workers (or chooses not to place their remaining workers), each section of the board activates, starting with A and ending with E. The player must then remove their worker from their space (except for section D, which stays through to the next round, these workers being placed first, before all others) and then pay the cost (in money dollars) to take that action.
If you can’t afford it, you have to sell your shares (which you can buy at the end of each round) for $2 less than what the stock value is currently worth. If you still can’t afford it, then too bad. So it’s important to make sure you have the cash you need for your actions. But there’s another mechanic in the game that spices things up a bit, that I really like.
I call it the “return to sender” mechanic. If you have a worker on a space, another player can place their worker above yours on the track, claiming it for themselves. When this happens, your worker returns to you, allowing you to place it again, be it above the worker who just bumped you off (how dare they…) or somewhere else you can afford.
It’s a fun mechanic, because 1) you don’t get completely hosed by getting bumped (unless you really needed that space at that price), and 2) you can make your rivals pay more than they wanted if you know they need that particular action. It makes for some devious moves (if you’re into that), but it also punishes you as well if you force your way to the top of the track. Jolly good.
The gameplay has a good order of operations to it. Meaning, there are many times throughout the game where you’ll have a worker placed in section D (Routes) but you need something from A (Airports), B (Destinations), or C (Planes) in order to make your chosen route work. It can be a gamble, placing your worker on D before you have the requisite resources, but it can certainly pay off.
Overall, I like the gameplay. It’s easy enough to grasp but still provides a good amount of thoughts and strategy.
Theme
The theme of airplanes—commercial airlines, in particular—isn’t the most exciting theme I’ve ever played, but that doesn’t make the game any less interesting. In fact, I think the designers (who I wish were named, as opposed to the generic “Prospero Hall” placeholder) did a wonderful job turning this theme into an engaging game.
Because you start off with planes that can’t travel very far and then, as the game progresses, you can upgrade to more modern vessels, Pan Am is a working history of the aviation industry. It’s not a college course by any means, but it’s neat and interesting still the same.
Art
The art style is overall basic, but it fits with the era of the theme. Likewise, the destination cards are illustrated in the same vein as ye auld luggage stickers of days long past. It’s a good look, those old illustrations and I like them, as they give a nice taste of what passengers might expect at the destination.
Standouts
These are the things that stood out above the others:
- “Return to sender” worker placement
- Order of operations (in which some of your earlier placements will affect your later action spaces, which makes ensuring you have those early ones more important than normal)
- Fun planes
- Easy entry point into board games
Things to Consider
Consider playing it, maybe? Honestly, there’s not much to disparage about Pan Am. The game does play a tad differently at two players than at full player count, since things are more open. But, at the same time, you both get two additional engineers than you would with four players. So while things are a bit more open, it’s because you, personally, have more workers to place. But that’s not a negative thing at all.
Final Thoughts
Pan Am is an enjoyable game. It’s likely to be a favorite for some due to its easy access and provides a taste of heavier games. Others, however, will probably find it lacking their usual meat (I postulate that this group is smaller than the first). The folks in the middle—which will undoubtedly be a much larger group than the other two combined, will enjoy the game and be happy to play it when it’s suggested. That’s the category I’m in. It’s a good game—it really is—and one that I find (surprisingly, actually) calling back to me for another play.
Pan Am was my first game I had played from Funko Games. They are certainly onto something with Pan Am, and while I was at first skeptical of what their games might be like, I am now excited for—and enjoying—their other offerings.
What intrigues you most about Pan Am? Share with us in the comments!
About the Author
Benjamin hails from Canada but now lives in Kentucky with his wife and kids. He’s a certified copyeditor and a freelance writer and editor, covering everything from board game rule books to novels. An avid writer of science fiction and fantasy, it comes as no surprise that his favorite board games are those with rich, engaging themes. When he’s not writing or playing games, Benjamin loves to play ultimate Frisbee, watch and play rugby, and read the most epic fantasy books available. Follow him on Twitter @BenjaminKocher and Instagram @Benjamin_Kocher. You can also read his board game inspired fiction (among other things) at BoardGameImmersion.com.
[Pan Am]
updated 2 months ago
“Life before death. Strength before weakness. Journey before destination.”
- The first ideal of the Knights Radiant, from The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson
Overview
For those of you who have already read the Stormlight Archive books by Brandon Sanderson, you’re gonna like this one. For thoses who haven’t read the books yet…STOP AND GO READ THEM! Seriously. Best books ever. Favorites x 1,000,000,000. And, with the fourth Stormlight book—Rhythm of War—coming out this fall (EXCITE!), now is the perfect time to get your Stormlight fix through this board game! (Also, potential spoilers in the pictures.)
Call to Adventure: The Stormlight Archive is a standalone version of the regular Call to Adventure game by Brotherwise Games. In it, you are building a character’s origin, backstory, and destiny. It’s a simple game of rune casting (instead of dice chucking) and luck, but it hits a sweet spot in narrative board games that’s still good, even if you have no idea what Stormlight is. Or Odium. Or … well, you get the idea.
Initial Impressions
After a quick solo play (where I failed miserably to defeat Odium), I was into it. I still had some rules questions, but a quick BGG search helped solve those. While the rule book is nice and concise, it did leave some things open to interpretation, such as when certain cards activate, what happens if this edge case happens, et cetera. But, I liked it. And, I liked it more as I played it more. I was super excited to see a Stormlight Archive game, and I am happy with what it is.
Gameplay
Now, as I mentioned, Call to Adventure: The Stormlight Archive is a fairly straight forward game. On your turn, you can either get a trait or attempt a challenge. Traits are free—just pick them up and add them to the appropriate character card. Some traits have prerequisites you must fulfill first, but regardless of how you get it, it’s always a certain success. Easy pickings, but generally not as fruitful as successfully completing a challenge. Traits will generally have an icon or two along the top, giving your character those attributes (or points or ability to immediately draw a card, etc.). Or, it will have some sort of text to aid you on your next turn.
Challenges involve tossing runes. Tossing runes is essentially like rolling a d2. One side is a success, the other side is blank, a double success, or some other bonus. Challenge cards have a difficulty on them and have a top and bottom challenge from which to choose. Some bottom challenges have +1 added to their difficulty than what the top’s is, but the rewards are generally better for the more difficult tasks.
Attempting challenges is where the gameplay really is. Each time you attempt a challenge, you throw a base set of three generic runes. Now, set collection comes into play as you collect trait and challenge cards with specific symbols on them. As each challenge card shows two additional icons on the side, you may throw one additional rune of those types for each card you have attached to your character cards that match the symbols on the challenge card. So, if it had a sword and that purple mountain thing, and you had one card that was a sword attached to your character card and two purple mountain things, you would toss your three base runes, plus a sword rune and two purple mountain thing runes. These extra runes will be essential for accomplishing more difficult challenges. You may only throw a maximum of three runes per type, though, so if you have four sword icons on your character, you may still only throw three sword runes.
And there will be times when your additional runes simply aren’t enough (at least, with your luck they aren’t). So, you can spend experience tokens in exchange for dark runes, one token for one rune. These runes are great in that they guarantee at least one success, but if you throw a moon symbol, your good/evil track drops down to be more of an antihero. This affects how many points you can score (or lose, if you drop down too far), and which cards you can play from your hand (hero or antihero cards). But, sometimes it’s worth it to visit the dark side in order to succeed. Sometimes it can cost you the game (a fact of which I am painfully aware).
The game’s end is triggered once one player has three cards tucked under each of their three character cards (so nine cards in total). Then, everyone else has one last turn, and the game is over. Points are counted, and the player with the most points is the winner! Huzzah!
Not much to it, but there is a lot to think about still the same. Various cards you can acquire have those rune symbols on them (which is important not just for getting more runes, but for end-game scoring in some instances as well), along with other, less fancy symbols. These shadowed symbols (known as story icons)—and the Radiant symbol—can help with card abilities as well as with end-game scoring. This second group of symbols (not to be confused with Symbolheads, i.e. Cryptics, i.e. liespren) combine to give points by having 2, 3, or 4 of a single type, and can be repeated for the other types of story icons as well. The more of the same type of story icon you have (up to four), the more points you’ll score. So, while you can gain points from cards gained and cards played, you can score a lot for collecting these sets.
At the end of the game, you’re also able to tell your hero’s story through the cards added to your hero cards. This is pretty much mandatory when playing with me. Tell the other players about your hero’s backstory, their motivation, and their destiny. Storms, but I love a good story. Hoid must have had a hand in this end-of-game storytelling.
There is also a cooperative and solo variant, both of which play the same, more or less. Let’s talk about that now.
Solo and Cooperative Play
Solo and cooperative play have you building up your character(s) as normal, but instead of the game simply ending, the last stage is to fight the odious Odium. He starts with 5 tokens on his card per player at the start of the game. To defeat him, you must “challenge” him (like you would a regular challenge), beat him, and have zero tokens left on him at the end. For each value over Odium’s success score, you remove a token from his card. Each player must succeed in their attempt to defeat Odium; if even one fails, Odium wins. Fortunately, there are ways to remove tokens from him throughout the game. Unfortunately, he also has ways to gain tokens as the game goes on. Plus, he has his own deck of cards that is geared toward your downfall, so that adds some added fun into the mix as well.
The way Odium gains or loses tokens, or plays a card, differs depending on which adversary quest you use. For solo, there are only a couple of options, but more for co-op games. Working together as a team to defeat Odium seems a wee bit easier than going solo, due to some hero and antihero cards helping other players. But, solo is very well done. I am quite pleased with how it plays out solo, despite having yet to win by myself. I have beaten Odium cooperatively, though.
Theme
I, for one, simply cannot get enough Stormlight Archive in my pathetic, Radiantless life, and this version of Call to Adventure does a good job of bringing the world to life. I love the theme, and I like how the cards play well with that theme. If you have read the books, there are no spoilers. If you haven’t yet … well, you may have some things ruined (not to be confused with Ruin of Scadrial) for you. Nothing too huge, though. I also like how the solo/co-op variant pits the Radiants against Odium. A fitting conclusion to a cooperative game.
Art
The art is storming amazing! I can’t get enough of it. The first thing I did upon opening the box was go through each and every card and basked in their glory. Seriously, the artists must have attracted thousands of creationspren while working on these pieces. I love it! The art really speaks for itself, so here’s another picture to look at.
Standouts
These are the things that were A+ (for me, anyway):
· The theme (Surprised? You shouldn’t be.)
· The art
· Solid solo variant
Things to Consider
Now, these considerations aren’t necessarily bad. Rather, they’re something you may want to know about before investing (not to be confused with Investiture) in the game.
Complexity: You’re picking cards and tossing runes. That’s really all there is to it. While this is a pretty light game as far as complexity goes, it does what it set out to do wonderfully. And, there are certain aspects, such as set collection, that provide a bit more strategy as well. The cooperative variant is a nice switch up that provides a new challenge as well, so bouncing between that (and solo) and competitive play can help keep things fresh.
Luck: This goes along with complexity, but since your success relies on rune results, there’s not a lot you can do. Sure, you can toss dark runes (which could hurt you while still helping provide success) or play hero and antihero cards for a bit of mitigation, but luck is heavy here. That said, I don’t mind the luck factor at all. In fact, I think it helps add to the tension and enjoyment. But, your oaths and ideals may be different than mine, and that’s alright.
Rules: There were a few shady (not to be confused with Shadesmar) spots in the rule book where things weren’t clarified, but they weren’t crucial, although knowing for certain is always nice.
Final Thoughts
As an official Edgedancer (take the quiz!), it is my duty to remember. Perhaps that’s one reason I enjoy Call to Adventure: The Stormlight Archive as much as I do. You see, the game revolves around building characters and telling their stories, and telling stories is one way to remember the past. Even before the official quiz of the Knights Radiant dubbed me an Edgedancer, I have always been about storytelling. Finding out I was an Edgedancer was just a natural process (even though I really wanted to be a Windrunner, which was a close second).
But enough about Radiant orders. The game, itself, is a good game. Great, even, if you are invested in storytelling and the cosmere (or even just Roshar as a whole). I have a feeling, though, that the game might not have enough depth for some of the more die-hard gamers out there. But no matter what your gaming preferences, if you are even mildly obsessed with The Stormlight Archive, you really ought to play Call to Adventure: The Stormlight Archive, as I’m fairly confident you’ll enjoy it. Is it for everyone? Of course not. But I like it, and that’s what matters to me. I’ll probably end up playing this solo more frequently than with others, although playing with others—both competitively and cooperatively—is just as good as the solo variant (and I love a good solo game).
What’s your Radiant order? Take the quiz then share your results! It’s still fun to see, even if you have no idea what in Roshar I’m talking about.
About the Author
Benjamin hails from Canada but now lives in Kentucky with his wife and kids. He’s a certified copyeditor through UC San Diego’s Copyediting Extension program. He’s a freelance writer and editor, covering everything from board game rule books to novels. An avid writer of science fiction and fantasy, it comes as no surprise that his favorite board games are those with rich, engaging themes. When he’s not writing or playing games, Benjamin loves to play ultimate Frisbee, watch and play rugby, and read the most epic fantasy books available. Follow him on Twitter @BenjaminKocher and Instagram @Benjamin_Kocher. You can also read his board game inspired fiction at BoardGameImmersion.com.
[Call to Adventure: The Stormlight Archive]
updated 2 months ago
Overview
Growing up in Alberta, Canada, I knew what wolves were from a young age. Not that I’d ever seen one up close or in the wild, but they were common in some parts of the region. They were frighteningly beautiful creatures, full of mystery and majesty. To this day, they’re one of my favorite animals. When The Alpha came out from the good folks at Bicycle (you know, the playing card company), I was more than a little intrigued.
Getting down to it, The Alpha is a game about being the dominant pack. Hunting for food, fighting for a bigger share of food, and ultimately being the very best (like no one ever was). It’s a game that’s easy to learn for all ages, which is a strength, I think. There’s a fair amount of luck to it (i.e. rolling dice to see how much food comes out of the hunt), but it all works together to create a tasty game of dominance.
Initial Impressions
From first read of the rule book, I could tell it would be an interesting game. It is very thematic in terms of the life of a wolf. Hunt, chase, eat, fight, repeat. (How often do wolves fight? I don’t know.)
At first glance, it looks like a fun, lightweight strategy game. At second glance? Well, let’s just say there’s a bit more than meats meets the eye.
Gameplay
For a bit of background, players take turns placing a wolf on an animal (or berry patch) to hunt. This continues until all wolves have been played, including the two-headed alpha pairs (these count as two, and each player has one in their color). After this, it’s feeding time. The player with the most wolves on a creature rolls the die associated with the animal. The number that comes up is how much food that player gets. Of course, you could get an X, which is nothing. Or you could get killed, in the case of the livestock. But, with greater risk comes the greater reward. And I love a good risk.
But it gets better. If there’s a tie for most wolves, the players secretly decide whether to share the kill or fight for it. If both players share, then they split the food evenly. If only one shares and one fights, the fighter gets it all. If both fight…then each player loses a wolf for a few turns due to injury. And, uh, neither player gets food. (See kids? Sharing is good!)
There’s not a lot more to it than that. Sure, there are a few intricacies, but you get the idea. It’s all about placing wolves, trying to get more of yours on a critter than the other players, while at the same time trying to stop your opponents from getting too many on one beast. It’s a fine balancing act, and there’s usually one or two animals you’ll have to let fall to your opponents. Hopefully, the other players will take care of those. (Hopefully.)
I like how the game plays. Gameplay can (and should) go quickly. I think, perhaps, the most difficult decision you’re going to make is deciding if you should share the food or fight for it. Bluffing (or straight up lying) your way to more food is a key component of winning the game. Of course, many people I’ve played this with always choose to fight anyway, so sharing wasn’t really an option in those games.
I want to also mention that I taught my two kids this game. The youngest is three and the oldest is five. The youngest asked me, during the first round, “I’m done with this game. Did you win yet?” This was, of course, to be expected from one so young (even if he did end up winning). My oldest kid, though, absolutely loved it. It really is quite language independent, so I didn’t have to read things out for him and he could be left to make his own decisions. He caught on very quickly and I didn’t need to help him with his turns. He even recognized the danger of putting his wolf on the Livestock tile—a 1-in-2 chance of killing off that wolf for the rest of the game—but he put it there anyway (he rolled an X, so he survived, albeit without gaining any food).
The game is simple, but it is fun. Now, remember, it is a “light” strategy game, so you’re not going to be hurting your brain with these decisions. This might not be everyone’s go-to at game night, but if you and those you play with prefer lighter fare anyway, The Alpha is a good choice.
Theme
Wolves. Hunting. Being the very best (must…resist…temptation…). This is what you’re getting into with The Alpha. The theme comes across strong with art and the little wooden wolves. The dice also play into the theme, allowing for prey to become wounded (to be picked off the next round) or get away. Wolf packs fighting and getting injured, scavenging for leftovers, risking a blast from the farmer’s rifle in the livestock field … all of these aspects of the game contribute to a solid theme.
Art
I like animals, especially those types that stick close to forests and mountains. The art on the animal tiles are really well done. Perhaps that’s one reason I enjoy this game. I wouldn’t put it past me. But while they could have gone for a cheaper look, they went for more realism, and I appreciate that. It’s certainly a fun game to gaze at.
Standouts
These are the things that stood out to me (in a good way):
- Art
- My five-year-old can play it!
- Wolves
- Risk and reward
Things to Consider
While the following aren’t bad, they may be things you might want to consider.
Complexity: The complexity of The Alpha is a little too simple for my tastes. But, that’s just me. It’s still a good game, but you should know your audience when bringing this one out.
Runaway Leader: One issue I’ve found more than a few times is the problem of a runaway leader. Or, if you prefer, an inability for those who have fallen behind to catch up. I’ve lapped other players on the score track (and nearly been lapped myself). It’s not always fun to know you’re destined to lose, even before the last round comes upon you. Of course, some games can be close—perhaps too close for comfort—but having players roll poorly can really hurt their chances of even coming close to winning.
Final Thoughts
I like The Alpha. It’s a good, solid game. It may have an issue or two, but those can be overlooked—just know they exist and play accordingly. It’s perfect for younger kids wanting to play games with their parents. In fact, during the first round, my eldest son said, “This game is hard.” But not too hard. He still caught on quickly enough. Plus, he enjoyed looking at the pictures (as do I).
You know your preferences of games. If you like some lighter complexity mixed with luck, The Alpha is a great choice. There’s a lot to like about this game, and I’m looking forward to playing it as a family again soon.
About the Author
Benjamin hails from Canada but now lives in Kentucky with his wife and kids. He’s a certified copyeditor through UC San Diego’s Copyediting Extension program. He’s a freelance writer and editor, covering everything from board game rule books to novels. An avid writer of science fiction and fantasy, it comes as no surprise that his favorite board games are those with rich, engaging themes. When he’s not writing or playing games, Benjamin loves to play ultimate Frisbee, watch and play rugby, and read the most epic fantasy books available. Follow him on Twitter @BenjaminKocher and Instagram @Benjamin_Kocher. You can also read his board game inspired fiction at BoardGameImmersion.com.
[The Alpha]
Scythe Review
updated 3 months ago
Overview
What do you know about the scythe? For one thing, it’s a tool for harvesting crops. It’s also a handy weapon. But in the board game Scythe (by Stonemaier Games), does it reference a harvesting tool or a weapon? I submit that it’s both (as does the rule book, so confident I’m right about this).
Looking at the box art, one might think that Scythe is a war game. And it is. Sort of. But war doesn’t happen as often as it might seem, because winning the game doesn’t necessarily mean destroying the other players. Rather, there are many objectives players try to complete, and once a player has completed six of them, the game ends. Winning battles is only one of the many ways to get ahead in the post-Great War era of Eastern Europe.
But before we talk about anything else, it might be helpful to know a bit more about the game itself. Scythe is an area majority, resource management engine-building game for 1-5 players. Each player has a unique faction (with unique abilities) and a unique player mat (all with the same actions, but the costs of actions differ). Players harvest resources, build buildings (for bonuses), recruit mechs, and engage in thematic encounters.
Initial Impressions
I gotta say, the game is beautiful right out of the box. It may look like a lot at first glance, but worry not! Everything has its place, and it’s all streamlined in such a way that it’s not too difficult to learn. The actions are intuitive and, since there are only four main actions, you’ll get the hang of things quickly. The rule book is a huge asset to the game; it is well-written and easy to follow and understand. For a big-box game like Scythe, that’s important.
Gameplay
Perhaps the most important part of this review is that of gameplay. Is it fun? Is it tough to learn? Is it worth investing in all of the expansions? (I’ll leave that last one for you to figure out on your own.)
Well, I am happy to say that Scythe is a remarkably smooth game in terms of gameplay. As mentioned above, there are four main/top actions (called “top” because they’re at the top of your player mat), which helps keep your brain from exploding while learning. Those four “top” actions can move into other actions; for example, if you move into a space with another player’s mech or character, you start a battle.
There are also secondary, or “bottom,” actions (because—you guessed it—they’re at the bottom of your player mat). You can carry out a bottom action while the next player begins their turn, which helps cut out some of the downtime that would otherwise be there. I really like that aspect of the game, especially if the game is going to take a couple of hours to play through.
Another aspect of the gameplay I really like are the multiple paths to victory and, by association, the end-game condition. I mentioned that once a player places all six of their stars on achievements, the game ends. This makes it interesting for a few reasons. The first is that it gives you options. If you’re trying to accomplish one achievement but you somehow end up closer to another, go for that one instead. Each achievement can only be done once, with the exception of winning battles, which can be done two times. While this does encourage combat, it also encourages players to leave others alone, since they won’t be getting any stars out of it after their initial two.
The second reason I like the end-game condition is because the game ends as soon as someone has placed their last star. This brings the other players together—at least for a little while in the end—to keep one player from winning. The player interactions throughout the game are fun, but it’s the end-game that really ratchets things up.
All in all, I am very happy with how Scythe plays. There is a lot to like, and it’s not too tough that beginners to the hobby couldn’t pick it up after a few rounds. It’s a fantastic game for those looking for some combat but would also like to, you know, farm and build and stuff.
Theme
The theme of an alternate history 1920s Europa wouldn’t have been my first pick—or top 10 for that matter. And yet, I like it. A lot. The design really helps you get into the feel of the world, through art, actions, and encounters.
Speaking of encounters, this is probably one of my favorite aspects of the game. When your character (the human/animal duo) moves to a spot with an encounter token, you take the top encounter card from the deck. The card gives you three options, and you pick one of them. Some options include helping you gain free workers or mechs, and others give resources…at a price.
And then there’s the art. Actually, let’s make an entirely new section for that, shall we?
Art
I can’t talk about Scythe without mentioning the artwork. It’s so good! The encounter cards show such a vivid snapshot in time that I find it difficult to choose an option because I’m too busy looking at what’s going on in the picture. They are top notch, and I highly recommend taking a moment to look at the images before choosing an encounter option.
But it’s more than just the encounter cards. The board itself looks wonderful, the faction boards are detailed, and everything is done with such quality that I’d be happy framing the cards and box for their art alone. It’s this attention to detail that helps the game stand out as it does.
Solo Play
I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to talk about Scythe’s solo variant. The first solo game from Stonemaier Games I played was Wingspan, and I thought it was amazing. The same people that created Wingspan’s solo variant also created Scythe’s, so I had high hopes.
Well…
My hopes were met. The Automa rules are really, really good. It does take some time to get used to the Automa’s actions, but it starts to make sense relatively quickly. Toward the end of my first solo game, I wasn’t flipping through the rule book nearly as much. So that’s promising.
The Automa doesn’t act like a regular human player, but that’s to be expected. Instead, the Automa kind of teleports from A to B, as per the directions on the current Automa card. What it does do to near perfection is that it simulates what another player might have or do throughout a game. Scoring was also super close, which is a sign of good balance.
While I love playing with others, I do love a good solo game, and Scythe didn’t disappoint.
Standouts
These are the things that make the game so awesome (for me, anyway):
- Solo variant
- Smooth gameplay (solo and multiplayer)
- Encounters
- Option to battle or not as you choose
- End-game trigger
- Balanced at all player counts, including two players
Things to Consider
While the following point may not be inherently “bad,” it is something you may want to consider.
- Automa can feel a bit glitchy at times, but just for a moment or two (trying to keep track of everything it does and where it can and cannot go).
Honestly, that’s really the only thing that I could see being an obstacle, and that’s just for solo play.
Final Thoughts
For me, I love a game with a strong theme and tight mechanics; it helps me experience the game while I play it. I love how the game plays, and I love practically everything about it. I’m not always aboard the hype train (after all, there are some “highly popular” games that I’d rather not ever play again), but I can definitely see why Scythe climbed as high as it did on Board Game Geek.
And while good, smooth gameplay is essential, Stonemaier Games didn’t scrimp on the aesthetics, either. The art is stunning, and the components are all thick and high quality. This combination drives home a strong thematic experience. I’m a big fan.
What about you? What do you agree or disagree with me on from this review? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
About the Author
Benjamin hails from Canada but now lives in Kentucky with his wife and kids. He’s a certified copyeditor through UC San Diego’s Copyediting Extension program. He’s a freelance writer and editor, covering everything from board game rule books to novels. An avid writer of science fiction and fantasy, it comes as no surprise that his favorite board games are those with rich, engaging themes. When he’s not writing or playing games, Benjamin loves to play ultimate Frisbee, watch and play rugby, and read the most epic fantasy books available. Follow him on Twitter @BenjaminKocher and Instagram @Benjamin_Kocher. You can also read his board game inspired fiction at BenjaminKocher.com.
[Scythe]
updated 52 days ago
Overview
Money has never been my cup of tea. And by that I don’t mean I eschew it, but rather that I struggle to account for it. (Get it? Account? Like accounting? No? Alrighty then…) I’m pretty money savvy—at least, I know how to manage what I have—but when it comes to actual accounting and mathing…well, that burns my brain. (There’s a reason I consider myself a writer and not a mathematician.)
So, when I got Exchange from Bicycle (the same people who published The Alpha and perhaps the most popular brand of playing cards known to man), I was a little nervous that my right-brained approach to things would make my time in the stock market a traumatic one. Fortunately, Exchange proved to be engaging and enjoyable not just for me, but for everyone we played with—including my father-in-law whose job is in finances. (Not that finances equate to Wall Street per se, but there is something of a familiarity between the two.)
Initial Impressions
My initial impressions were a little…confusing. The rule book wasn’t the most helpful at explaining the game, but after two plays, we did figure out that we were playing it incorrectly (although we daresay that “our” way is the “advanced/expert” way; see “Final Thoughts” below). Of course, we then started playing by the proper rules and everything made a lot more sense. We enjoyed it the wrong way (which isn’t always the case when playing incorrectly), but there’s certainly something to be said about playing the game as it was intended to be played.
Gameplay
The game takes place over five rounds, and each round has three phases:
- Select a security
- Select if you will buy or sell, and by how much
- Manipulate the market
The first phase simply has you solidifying what security you will be dealing with this round. Everyone places the card showing the security they selected into their Phase 1 sleeve, and then, when everyone has done so, they are revealed simultaneously.
Now that you know what everyone is planning on going for, you decide if you are going to buy or sell stock in the security you selected in phase 1. Drop the appropriate Phase 2 card (numbered 1-9) with “buy” or “sell” at the top, depending on if you want to buy or sell. You will buy or sell the amount shown on that card (i.e. 1-9).
Now that you’re locked in to that, it’s time to manipulate the market. You can try and increase or decrease the security you’ll be trading in, or a different one (which is always fun, since it affects the other players dealing in that particular security). There’s a fine line between messing with someone and not helping yourself enough, but that line varies round by round. Once everyone has locked in their card to either increase or decrease a selected security by 1, they are all revealed (cue groaning by those who are now buying/selling for more than / less than they had hoped). Then, a Market Forces card is flipped and resolved, which could make things even worse, or potentially better. At any time during the round, any player can pay $50 to look at the top Market Forces card, so at least there’s a way to know what’s coming and (hopefully) prepare for it.
The game goes on for five rounds, with a sixth round consisting only of Phase 3—without the Market Forces card. Then, the player with the most combined cash and market value wins!
The game itself is pretty straight forward, but there is something of a wildcard (aside from the Market Forces cards). This is the Lobbyist. The Lobbyist gets to put in an additional Phase 3 card into a separate sleeve (labeled “Lobbyist”). This helps the Lobbyist know more certainly how things might swing, and puts everyone else in a bit of a predicament. The player with the most cash gets this boon, so being rich is incentivized.
Thoughts on Gameplay
The game is easy to learn, once you actually know the rules after having read the rule book. It can play quickly, but table talk (i.e. petitions to work together or threatening others) can potentially slow things down. We discussed this aspect of the game and concluded that a two-minute timer for discussion would probably be good to have, despite there not being one included with the game. Otherwise, discussion could go on ad nauseum.
We had a six-player game take an hour and a half due to lengthy discussions during the rounds. Still, it made for some great decisions—and a sudden yet inevitable betrayal at the very end—which made for a memorable game. Just know going into it that it might be a longer game if you don’t curb discussion after a certain timeframe.
Theme
The theme of working the market is pretty strong due to the slider boards and the way things can quickly turn on you (or for your favor). While it may not be the most cinematic of themes, it feels just as stressful as I might imagine it being for a stock broker. (Well, perhaps not that stressful…)
There are certain “event” cards that are drawn each round that can affect the values you’re trying to manipulate. Reading the market—and taking a peek at what might be coming—is thematically on point and well done.
Art
The art isn’t anything fancy (it’s a money game, what did you expect?), but I don’t find the lack thereof to be distracting or to take away from the game in any way. It’s just not something you’re going to be writing home about.
Standouts
These are the things that make the game good (for me, anyway):
- The ability to sabotage other players
- “Teamwork” (because you never know if those you’re working with are going to go back on their deal)
- It makes me feel smarter than I probably am
- Newly discovered “Advanced” variant
Things to Consider
- It’s pretty lightweight in terms of complexity
- The rule book was fairly confusing
- You need at least three players (so you couples out there might need to find a new friend or two)
- The suggested play time on the box is a low estimate
Final Thoughts
Despite its flaws, I found Exchange to be a fun game. In fact, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it each time I played. It’s simple, true, and probably targets more of an entry-level gamer than anything, but it has enough that I wouldn’t be opposed to playing it again.
While it was fun the “real” way, I—and those I played with incorrectly those first two games—think our “advanced” variant is just slightly better. For our misinterpreted variant, instead of doing one phase at a time, players instead put one card in each phase sleeve before revealing any of them. It makes you more blind, but it also gives others less change to intentionally mess with you. It’s an interesting way to play, so if you get the chance, I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on this new variant. Still, the original, correct way of playing is also fun and enjoyable, so you can’t go wrong there.
Exchange is pretty basic, but it’s still fun, and fun is what matters. There is definitely an audience this game is geared toward, but I don’t think it would be insulting to a gamer who prefers more in-depth gameplay if they were to play it as well. It’s one of those games that is “good for all types of gamers” but doesn’t necessarily stand out in terms of being uniquely interesting. Fortunately, even us right-brainers can excel at (and enjoy) Exchange.
What interests you most about Exchange? Share your thoughts in the comments!
About the Author
Benjamin hails from Canada but now lives in Kentucky with his wife and kids. He’s a certified copyeditor and a freelance writer and editor, covering everything from board game rule books to novels. An avid writer of science fiction and fantasy, it comes as no surprise that his favorite board games are those with rich, engaging themes. When he’s not writing or playing games, Benjamin loves to play ultimate Frisbee, watch and play rugby, and read the most epic fantasy books available. Follow him on Twitter @BenjaminKocher and Instagram @Benjamin_Kocher. You can also read his board game inspired fiction at BoardGameImmersion.com.
[Exchange]
updated 3 months ago
Overview
I grew up a few hours away from the Canadian Rockies and Banff National Park in Alberta. We’d visit in the summer and go skiing there in the winter. That’s where I fell in love with the mountains, coniferous forests, and the beauty of nature. Now I live in the Eastern United States, and while we may not have those same types of parks and forests, what we do have is not to be found out west. There is a varied beauty in this country that is hard to find elsewhere. Deserts, snow-capped mountains, a super volcano surrounded by gurgling earth, mammoth cave systems that still aren’t completely mapped out, and everything in between. I wish I could visit all the national parks this country has to offer. Perhaps I will.
While I wait for that to happen, however, I can console myself with the board game: Trekking the National Parks.
Trekking the National Parks is a beautiful game of, well, visiting the national parks in the United States. It’s straightforward and easy to learn, and is just as good with two players as it is with five. Its main mechanic is set collection, and you collect trek cards which you trade in for park cards, and you collect rocks (you know you’ve pilfered a rock or something from somewhere special before).
Moving from park to park, you compete with other players to get the most points from parks and rocks. It is simple in concept as well as execution, but it provides both an educational and entertaining look at the various national parks this country has to offer. The game is quite fun, and is also great for teaching kids (and yourself) about this country’s natural beauty.
Initial Impressions
The first thing I did was look through the park cards. I wanted to look at all of them and reminisce about the places I’ve already visited. Given, that’s not a lot (not yet), but the pictures were so good! From the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone to Mammoth Cave, my wanderlust set in nearly instantly.
The parks cards have fun facts on them about the park, which were fun to read. My boy, who is five, loved looking at the cards as well. We talked about the different places and it was fun to see him get excited about it. (Although, he’s still a little worried Yellowstone might blow up at any moment.)
My first game went exceptionally well. I enjoyed it, and I was eager to play again. It’s nothing earth shattering, but you don’t always need a “unique new mechanic!” to have a good game or a good time. I found the theme and mechanics to work together very well.
Gameplay
Throughout the game, players take turns doing two actions. Once their two actions are complete, play proceeds to the next player. This goes on until either one player has five Park cards, or all of the rocks are gone from the board.
There are four actions, and you can do two different ones or two of the same: draw a Trek card, move, claim a Park card, and occupy a major park.
Now, there are three major parks (out of six) used in a game. When you occupy one of these parks, you get a special bonus, which could be a one-time bonus or ongoing. There are three other parks always visible throughout the game. When one of these gets claimed, another one is revealed. You claim a Park card by trading in the required Trek cards, as indicated by the symbols on the Park card.
The Trek cards also have numbers on them, indicating the amount of spaces you can move. So, when you take a move action, you play a Trek card and move exactly that number of spaces. But what I like about moving is that you’re not limited to only one card. You can play as many Trek cards as you want and go from one end of the country to the other (by adding the numbers together). I like it because it makes you very aware of your Trek cards. You need them to move, and you need them to occupy or claim a park. But getting from A to B as quickly as possible can be hugely beneficial. What to do, what to do….
Hand management is essential in Trekking the National Parks. You need cards for movement and trading. But there’s set collection as well, so while you’re managing your hand, you also have to keep in mind what you need. And, you should probably also pay attention to the types of cards the other players are going for, otherwise you might be storing up for a specific park and have it snatched from under your nose. I like how the gameplay encourages you to try and out-plan your opponents.
Moving is also an interesting experience. You can’t pass over the same route in the same move (no going in circles, sorry), and if someone is on a park you want to pass through, you can’t get by (this park ain’t big enough for the two of us!). This makes for some strategic—or unintentional—blocking. However, you can end your move in the same park as another player. If you do, that player gets Sorry!’d and is bumped back to the Start space. That can be good or bad for the displaced trekker, depending on where you were aiming to go.
When you end your move on a park with a rock on it, you take the rock. Having a majority of rocks in their specific colors gives you points. As you may have deduced, this can lead to some angsty tactics (which I am totally fine with), and it will help dictate where you will want to move, as well as when. There’s a little meta game that’s all about picking up rocks that is quite fun in its own right. Sure, you get lots of points for claiming parks, but the stones are just as much about denying players points as they are about getting them yourself. And if you’re not paying attention, you might end up hitting rock bottom (thank you, thank you, I’m here all week).
With the abilities granted from major parks, the meta game of stones, and the back-and-forth of hand management and set collection, Trekking the National Parks is an engaging game with more going on than it may appear at first glance. It’s fast and easy to teach (and understand), and the turns can go by quickly…assuming people aren’t daydreaming, of course.
Theme
If I had to pull a theme out of thin air (which I’m about to do), I’d go with nature. Or, more specifically, the national parks themselves. (But I like the overall theme of “nature,” personally.) There’s also a theme of traveling. It’s not a theme I’m always drawn to (love me some sci-fi and fantasy!), but I do find it quite refreshing. Even just the pictures on the cards draw me into the game.
And the mechanics play well with the theme, which is always a plus. Sure, in real life there will be room for more than one person in a national park (except when COVID spikes, maybe) and you don’t end up somewhere out East if someone happens to visit the same park you do (*poof!* Magic.), but hey, it’s a game. These decisions have to be made in favor of gameplay. And the gameplay has gained my favor.
Art
The thing that stands out about the art isn’t so much the art, but the pictures. Many (most?) of the pictures were taken by the game’s designer, Charlie Bink, which is pretty rad if you stop and think about it. What a great way to use your own photos! The pictures help you get a feel for what the park might be like, and, honestly, I could go through those cards even without playing the game (and I have). But, like I said, growing up close to a national park (albeit in Canada), I learned to appreciate nature and the outdoors from a young age.
Standouts
These are the things that stand out to me about the game:
- Quality park pictures
- The rock meta game
- Easy to learn and teach
- A great educational tool
Things to Consider
The following isn’t “bad,” but it may be something to consider.
- Complexity: As mentioned, the game is fairly simple and straightforward, which may be a turnoff for some. Personally, I like how simple it is (this coming from someone who likes a super heavy game more often than not). Just know that you should expect lighter fare when getting into this. And that’s okay.
Final Thoughts
I enjoy Trekking the National Parks. In general, my personal preferences are games with a bit more depth, but don’t take that to mean this game isn’t good. This is a good game. It’s fun, it’s engaging, and there is most definitely a place for it on my shelf and on my table. I am, in the end, quite happy with this game.
It is well done with smooth and fun gameplay. The prime candidates for this game are those whose favorite games lean on the lighter side of the complexity scale. Still, I find the game to be quite engaging with some good strategic thought mixed into it. And I can’t help but fight for my favorite parks as they show up.
Trekking the National Parks will be a great game for my kids as well. They may be a little young at the moment (oldest is five), but in a year or two I think they’ll be able to enjoy it with a little coaching (at first). And, there’s always the cards to take out and look at when I feel trapped and need a getaway. There’s something to be said about pictures that capture the essence of a location, and that’s one of the things I love about Trekking the National Parks.
What is your favorite national park?
About the Author
Benjamin hails from Canada but now lives in Kentucky with his wife and kids. He’s a certified copyeditor through UC San Diego’s Copyediting Extension program. He’s a freelance writer and editor, covering everything from board game rule books to novels. An avid writer of science fiction and fantasy, it comes as no surprise that his favorite board games are those with rich, engaging themes. When he’s not writing or playing games, Benjamin loves to play ultimate Frisbee, watch and play rugby, and read the most epic fantasy books available. Follow him on Twitter @BenjaminKocher and Instagram @Benjamin_Kocher. You can also read his board game inspired fiction at BenjaminKocher.com.
[Trekking the National Parks: Second Edition]
updated 9 days ago
Overview
Now this is Halloween!
The FunkoVerse: Nightmare Before Christmas game is a light strategy game in which players control up to three characters from the film of the same name. Players must challenge and defeat rival characters, collect gems from around the board, and fulfil specific scenario requirements in order to win.
This Nightmare Before Christmas game takes place in the FunkoVerse, a series of games that use the same mechanics but deliver new themes—from Harry Potter to Jurassic Park and even the Golden Girls—and includes new boards, special characters, items, and more. You can even play with characters from other sets, creating a mashup of the ages!
Initial Impressions
Getting in a Halloween-themed game right before Halloween is oh-so poetic. The theme is certainly fitting for this time of year. Upon inspection, I recognized the characters, but not much else. You see, I’ve only watched The Nightmare Before Christmas a grand total of one time (although I’ve heard the music plenty of times). So I’m not too familiar with everything involved. That said, it wasn’t difficult to grok or enjoy.
Gameplay
The gameplay is essentially the same as the other FunkoVerse games. To sum up, players activate a character on their turn and take two actions. Then, after taking those actions, that character is exhausted and no longer able to take actions during that round. Then play goes to the next player, who does the same thing. And so on and so forth until the round is over, characters are no longer exhausted, and the game continues.
There are four basic actions:
- Move (up to 2 spaces)
- Challenge (roll dice to attack a rival)
- Assist (help up an ally that has been knocked over)
- Interact (pick up a gem from the board, or some other special action dictated by the current scenario)
- Rally (use two actions to stand up)
When a character is challenged and loses, that character is knocked down. The character is still in the game—and can still defend if challenged again—but if it’s knocked down and loses a second challenge, it is defeated and the attacking player gets a point (i.e. a gem).
Each character depicted by a Funko figure has special abilities. These abilities are performed by spending an ability token and putting it on your cooldown track. After each round, all items on the cooldown track go down by one. When an item leaves the cooldown track, it returns to its regular place. So, if you use a certain ability, you have to spend that specific color of token to do so. Which means you won’t get that token back until after 1-4 rounds. It’s a neat way of balancing awesome powers against ones that are, shall we say, less useful (but still effective!).
Before each game starts, players choose a scenario. While many FunkoVerse games have the basic four scenarios—Leaders, Flags, Control, and Territory—The Nightmare Before Christmas edition has Leaders and Territory, but also includes two new 4-player free-for-all scenarios—Infiltrate and Triumph. This is probably my favorite thing about this edition of the game. Sure, the box for the other games—such as the Harry Potter version—say 2-4 players, but it’s best as a two-player game. But, with these free-for-all scenarios, four players make for an exciting time! The map is smaller, which means less room to run so you’re forced into conflict. I really enjoy the 3-4 player scenarios; I think this free-for-all system is going to be quite popular.
Theme
The Nightmare Before Christmas movie may have the word “Christmas” in the title, but, let’s be real, it’s about Halloween. From the characters to the maps, FunkoVerse: The Nightmare Before Christmas is spot on. And, chances are you’ll want to play this around Halloween (or Christmas!), which is another perk of this theme.
The regular gameplay itself doesn’t really follow the theme—after all, it’s a system used for a host of other titles. But the theme is implemented nicely with character abilities.
Art
The art is solid. I mean, it’s what you’d expect by looking at the box cover. The maps are well done and the walls are drawn in nicely so there’s no mistaking the boundaries. No complaints here!
Standouts
These are the things that make the game so awesome (for me, anyway):
- FREE-FOR-ALL!
- Unique special abilities
- Halloween theme
- Large characters
Things to Consider
There’s not much to consider, other than it’s a light strategy game. It may be lighter than a lot of games, but it has fun gameplay.
Perhaps the only real downside of these FunkoVerse games are due to the bonus of the characters being so large. When everyone is packed in a certain area, positioning can be difficult with those bulbous heads of theirs. Also, when a character gets knocked down after losing an opponent’s challenge, they tend to get in the way. Not a big deal (especially if you just finish them off right after they’re knocked down), but it’s enough to warrant a statement about it.
Final Thoughts
FunkoVerse: The Nightmare Before Christmas is a good, solid game of light strategy. Not much to burn your brain over, but there’s enough to let it do some work, at least. While the theme and character abilities are fun and engaging, I think my favorite part about this version of FunkoVerse is the free-for-all scenarios, which shine at higher player counts. The other scenarios are still good, but they’re best (by far) with only two players. With the free-for-all scenarios, you can include the full player count and still have a frighteningly good time.
While I’m a strong neutral in regards to the IP itself, I think the game is well done, what with the maps, item and companion, characters, and character abilities. It’s thematic to the core (minus the actual goals of the scenarios) and is practically a staple for October game nights.
Share your thoughts on #The Nightmare Before Christmas in the comments!
About the Author
Benjamin hails from Canada but now lives in Kentucky with his wife and kids. He’s a certified copyeditor through UC San Diego’s Copyediting Extension program. He’s a freelance writer and editor, covering everything from board game rule books to novels. An avid writer of science fiction and fantasy, it comes as no surprise that his favorite board games are those with rich, engaging themes. When he’s not writing or playing games, Benjamin loves to play ultimate Frisbee, watch and play rugby, and read the most epic fantasy books available. Follow him on Twitter @BenjaminKocher and Instagram @Benjamin_Kocher. You can also read his board game inspired fiction (among other things) at BoardGameImmersion.com.
[Funkoverse Strategy Game: Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas 100]
updated 2 days ago
Overview
I grew up a few hours away from the Canadian Rockies and Banff National Park. We’d visit in the summer and…wait, haven’t I written that before? *checks notes* Uh, sorry about that. As it turns out, that was from my previous Trekking review—Trekking the National Parks. This review is for Trekking the World. But, before we begin, I will say that, in my Trekking the National Parks review, I was saddened by the lack of Banff National Park. True, it’s not an American park so why would it be included, but that’s beside the point. In Trekking the World, however, Banff National Park is part of the journey! I was extremely happy to see it included, because Banff is my happy place.
If you don’t have a happy place—a place that calms you with its beauty and grandeur—you can find one here. There are so many amazing places in the world, and Trekking the World not only lets you travel to those places (not physically, obviously, or else the game would cost a heap more money), but has a lot of info about the locations on each card. Whether you’re looking for a fun game of travelling (because, at the time of this writing, COVID-19 has made it practically impossible to go anywhere fun…) or an educational game to teach your younglings about the wonders of the world, Trekking the World is where it’s at.
In Trekking the World, players compete to be the best world traveler by savvy use of set collection and hand management. Trade in cards for a tour at your location, collect souvenir sets for more points, and race to get tours of “must see” locations before the other travelers. Because FOMO.
Initial Impressions
If you’ve already played Trekking the National Parks (and if not, why not?), you’ll already know what to mostly expect. However, there are a few new things integrated to make gameplay and scoring a bit more competitive, which I enjoy.
If you haven’t played Trekking the National Parks, then be prepared for one heck of a trip! And by trip I obviously mean experience. The gameplay is smooth, n00b friendly, and engaging for all types of players. I was very impressed with my first play and really enjoyed the new scoring options and actions available.
The first game we played saw me lose, as they say, by a landslide—I came in fifth, and fourth place scored 11 points more than me. But, I did manage to get the Banff card. Sure, that was the only card I had collected, but like I told everyone else, “But I got Banff!”
And that, folks, is what winning really looks like.
Gameplay
On your turn, the first thing you have to do is move. After all, you won’t get very far if you don’t put one foot in front of the other (and soon you’ll be walking out the door). Unlike Trekking the National Parks, this time you must play at least one card to move. So no more camping on your desired location until you get all the cards you need for it. You move by playing one (or more) of your Trek cards and move as many spaces as the sum of the value on the cards. No using the same connection/path twice, no going through other trekkers (because COVID, probably), and no ending your turn on another trekker’s spot.
There are also airport spaces—one on each continent (except Antarctica, because the only thing to see there are penguins and the Mountains of Madness)—and you can use them to fly to any other unoccupied airport space. To do so, you must start your turn on an airport space. Then, before you take your move action, you may take off and move your trekker to another airport space. Then you can take your movement. This is a great way to get from the Land Down Under to the rains down in Africa without blowing all of your Trek cards.
Once you’ve moved, you have decisions. You may:
- Take two Trek cards (face up or facedown from the top of the deck)
- Take a tour (trade in matching Trek cards for the location card that matches the spot you’re currently on)
- Use a Journey card (activate a Journey card by discarding two Trek cards of the same color)
The actions are pretty basic, but you need to know when to use a Journey or draw cards, where to end your turn so you can set yourself up for future turns, and reading your opponents (or at least trying to) and getting to their goals the turn before they do. (No, I’m not bitter. Why do you ask?)
Souvenirs (the wooden cubes on each location space on the board) can get you a nice wad of points as well. If you have the most of a color, you get the corresponding tile/card. Of course, anyone can steal it from you if they surpass you on that type of souvenir. While those bonus points are nice, the real juice comes from collecting sets of souvenirs. If you have one of each type (yellow, blue, red, and white), you get five points at the end of the game. Two sets (i.e. two of each color) gets you ten points at game’s end. The more sets you get, the greater your bounty. It can pay off big time, but if you’re not careful, you’ll spend too much time hunting souvenirs and not enough taking tours, which is where you can score the main amount of your points. Find balance, young Padawan, and you will find victory.
Another new way to score points in Trekking the World (as opposed to its predecessor) is through the region bonuses. If you get the last souvenir from a region, you get the hidden bonus associated with that region. The point values of these tokens vary from 2-6 points. Nothing crazy, but it could certainly be the difference between winning and losing.
Thoughts on Gameplay
It’s great. Easy to set up, easy to play, and a good deal of thought and strategy. Trekking the National Parks is a “good game” (as quoted by me in my review of said game), but I think I like Trekking the World even more. The mechanics are smooth and not too simple to make it childish, yet they are still easy to follow while providing meaningful choices. The various ways to score points creates multiple strategies and makes for some fun decisions. Plus, I enjoy learning about all the wonders and amazing places throughout the world. What better way to learn than by playing?
Theme
Touring the world is something I would love to do, and while pandemics and money (and kids) make travelling difficult, world travel through board games can still be a lot of fun. Sure, you’re still stuck at home (and there’s nothing exotic about that), but we love simulating things we enjoy. After all, isn’t that what games are all about? And movies and television and books? If you want to go places, Trekking the World is your ticket to freedom.
Art
I want all of the artwork from this game framed and hanging all over my house. Seriously, I love the art in this game. The depictions of the 48 locations are stunning. While I love real photos of real places, there’s something special about quality art depicting those same places. I’ve been to the place depicted on the Banff card, and I can tell you right now that it is spot on.
I never thought a board game could make me homesick, but dadgummit, Trekking the World has done just that. Thanks a lot.
Standouts
These are the things that make the game so awesome (for me, anyway):
- Banff!
- Multiple ways of scoring
- Beautiful artwork
- Educational (each location card has an educational passage on the back)
Things to Consider
While Trekking the World feels meatier than its predecessor, it is still a fairly “light” game. Is that a bad thing? Heck no! It’s actually perfect for what the game is. But if meat is your jam (gross), that’s something to consider.
Final Thoughts
Welp, if Underdog Games were smart, they’d build a travel agency and use this game to advertise. Because dang, it makes me want to get out there and see the world! And while the famed rice terraces of the Philippines aren’t represented (kawawa naman), countless others (48 to be exact) are here in all their glory.
Trekking the World is solid. It’s fun. It’s beautiful. And it’s educational. There’s a lot to love about the game, and while it may not burn your brain strategically, it will certainly stoke your desire to experience the world. And who knows? Before the game’s through, maybe you’ll learn something new about the world in which you live.
How many locations from this game have you visited? Or where would you like to go? Comment below!
About the Author
Benjamin hails from Canada but now lives in Kentucky with his wife and kids. He’s a certified copyeditor through UC San Diego’s Copyediting Extension program. He’s a freelance writer and editor, covering everything from board game rule books to novels. An avid writer of science fiction and fantasy, it comes as no surprise that his favorite board games are those with rich, engaging themes. When he’s not writing or playing games, Benjamin loves to play ultimate Frisbee, watch and play rugby, and read the most epic fantasy books available. Follow him on Twitter @BenjaminKocher and Instagram @Benjamin_Kocher. You can also read his board game inspired fiction (among other things) at BoardGameImmersion.com.
[Trekking the World]
updated 36 days ago
Overview
Dobby the house elf told Harry Potter he shouldn’t go back to school. Something about danger and whatnot. Of course, Harry didn’t listen, and instead ended up getting Hermione in danger as well. I mean, it’s not like this is the first time this has happened. And, just like the villager Emperor Kuzco threw out the window, it won’t be the last.
FunkoVerse is an expansive world of games made from popular intellectual properties (IP) such as Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, and Nightmare Before Christmas, just to name a few. The gameplay is the same throughout all the various versions, but the characters are all unique. This allows for some fun crossovers, since you can use Harry Potter and Vold—He Who Must Not Be Named—in the café from Back to the Future with Marty McFly and…Jack Skellington? You bet your funky Funko fanny!
As these are strategy games, the goal is to earn points—more than the other team—to win. All players have the same basic actions, but have unique actions that utilize a nifty cooldown track, so you’re forced to pace your mondo beyondo powerful actions, as they take longer to recover.
Initial Impressions
First off, the game looks cool. There’s something about these larger-than-life Funko figures on the game board that attracts the eye…and interest. The rules aren’t difficult, nor are there an overwhelming amount of them.
FunkoVerse: Harry Potter is a simple game, but it has enough meat on it that it’s not too simple. After having played it, I’d say that this game is geared toward those who favor lighter games, as well as newcomers to the hobby. And Harry Potter. And, honestly, even people who enjoy more strategy in their games can also enjoy this for what it is.
And what is that? A fun, light-hearted jaunt in a unique universe with a host of your favorite characters. And let’s be honest, you know you want it just for the Harry Potter figures, anyway.
Gameplay
The Harry Potter FunkoVerse game comes with four unique scenarios you can opt to play with. The basic gameplay involves characters simply trying to knock out the others for points. With the scenarios, different methods of earning points are set forth with special rules. There’s Leaders (your chosen leader gets more points when knocking out players, but is worth more when they get knocked out as well), Control (control various markers to gain points), Flags (kind of like capture the flag, but…different), and Territory (king of the hill, more or less). These scenarios provide unique ways to earn points and can help keep your Harry Potter FunkoVerse game evergreen.
Plus, you can use characters from other sets as well, so that’s a lot of variety! But I digress…
As mentioned, the gameplay is relatively simple: Move around, cast spells (i.e. special actions), pick up point gems, knock down rivals, and finish the job by knocking them out. You gain points from collecting gems from the board, as well as by completing certain requirements as provided by the scenario you’re playing (i.e. control an area of the board or defeat a rival’s leader).
Each side controls two or three characters (without another set, this Harry Potter set provides two special characters per side—Harry P., Hermione G., Voldy, and Ms. Lestrange). If you opt for three characters per side, each side gets one basic character—an Auror and a Death Eater—which are represented by simple cardboard tokens. They have no special abilities, but are characters in every sense of the term and gameplay. Of course, you can always add in other characters from other sets, creating a hodgepodge of characters for a wild crossover of your design.
Throughout the game, characters move and challenge (i.e. attack) rival characters. Succeed in a challenge and the rival gets knocked down. But, a downed character needs to be challenged successfully again in order to knock them out and gain a point. Fortunately, teammates can help their partners up, or if their other characters are exhausted or too far away (use the buddy system!), they can use both of their actions for the turn to get up on their own.
Move, challenge, interact with tokens on the ground, and helping others up—this is the game in a nutshell. While everyone has these actions, characters have unique abilities and special actions that really add to the theme and complexity of the game.
For example, in this Harry Potter set, all characters have ranged attacks (they are using wands, after all). Harry Potter has his (in)famous Expelliarmus spell, allowing him to attack from distance and remove his target’s item. Moldy Voldy (don’t tell him I called him that) is able to attack from distance and roll six dice for his challenge instead of the regular two. Pretty powerful stuff.
When special abilities and items are used, their accompanying tokens (and item cards, if applicable) are placed on the cooldown track. I really like this aspect of the game, as your powerful spells go higher on the track than your dinky spells and items. At the end of each round, everything on the cooldown track shifts down by one, so you’re without those tokens and items for a while.
The cooldown system is familiar to a lot of people who play various video games (such as League of Legends), so they recognize that their more powerful special actions will take longer to get back to them. It’s a good balance, and one I’d enjoy seeing in more games.
Theme
The Harry Potter theme is magically delicious in this Harry Potter FunkoVerse game. I’m a massive Harry Potter fan (I even won tickets to a Utah Jazz game for having the best costume opening night for one of the movies), and I love seeing the familiar spells, nose-less bad guy, and familiar locations on the double-sided board.
The gameplay can fit the theme well, assuming you’re going for knockouts and whatnot, but even when you’re playing the various scenarios (that may not fit exactly with the theme), having those larger-than-life characters tromping around on the board is fun to experience. The abilities and special actions of the characters also add to the theme.
Honestly, the theme is well represented in the Harry Potter FunkoVerse game. And I am glad.
Art
The art stays true to the Harry Potter theme, but in its delightful Funko way—soulless eyes, too-large heads, and cartoony features. The boards look good and have distinguished walls, marked by thick outlines (not top hats and pocket watches) so there is no confusion where one starts or stops. And that’s a helpful design choice.
Standouts
These are the things that make the game so awesome (for me, anyway):
- Harry Potter!
- Harry Potter figures!
- Easy entry-level strategy game…
- …that has appeal to a wide range of gamers
- Various scenarios
- Ability to crossover with different sets/characters
Things to Consider
The character figures are large, which is awesome. But sometimes, they struggle to stand next to each other without bonking heads. This is a minor concern, as they do fit. But sometimes you have to turn them a bit.
When a character is knocked down, you literally knock down the character. This has them on their back on the board, taking up a few additional spaces. We haven’t had an issue yet in which the knocked down character ended up blocking traffic or was so surrounded they couldn’t physically fall down. Personally, I find it amusing, but I could see a few problems in some edge cases.
Luck. There is a good amount of luck. Which is fine…unless you’re me and can’t roll worth beans haha But really, rolling dice for challenges can be fine, but it can also lead to a lot of non-successes, due to an excessive amount of good or bad rolls. I wish there were ways to mitigate luck and to manipulate dice. One of the items included is the Felix Felicis potion that allows you to set one of your dice to a certain side, but that’s the only mitigation I’ve seen. Don’t get me wrong, I love dice in combat, but I’ve been burned too many times without the ability to mitigate some of that. I’m no Matrim Cauthon, that’s for sure.
Final Thoughts
Would the game work just as well without the cool figures?
Yes. And no. It’s complicated. Sort of.
The game itself would work and play well, even without the included figures. That point is evidenced with the cardboard tokens of the Auror and Death Eater. But, it’s not the same without those wonderful characters crowding the board.
FunkoVerse: Harry Potter (100) is a fun game. Its complexity is fairly low, but there’s still a good amount of strategy and gameplay that makes it fun for multiple types of gamers. You’ll probably find me playing this annually on July 31 (for HP’s birthday, of course), as well as other times when I want to mess around in this universe.
It’s light, it’s fun, and it’s certainly a good family game. I’m already anxious for my boys to grow up a bit more so they can play it with me, as I know they’re gonna love it.
As Albus Dumblydoor once said, “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.” In FunkoVerse: Harry Potter, you get to do both. Brew up a courage potion and control your favorite witches and wizards!
What gets you excited about this Harry Potter FunkoVerse game?
About the Author
Benjamin hails from Canada but now lives in Kentucky with his wife and kids. He’s a certified copyeditor through UC San Diego’s Copyediting Extension program. He’s a freelance writer and editor, covering everything from board game rule books to novels. An avid writer of science fiction and fantasy, it comes as no surprise that his favorite board games are those with rich, engaging themes. When he’s not writing or playing games, Benjamin loves to play ultimate Frisbee, watch and play rugby, and read the most epic fantasy books available. Follow him on Twitter @BenjaminKocher and Instagram @Benjamin_Kocher. You can also read his board game inspired fiction (among other things) at BoardGameImmersion.com.
[Funkoverse Strategy Game: Harry Potter 100]
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