Schlagwort-Archive: game of the month

“Seeland” is our Game of the Month

Günter Burkhardt is the author of 54 games; Wolfgang Kramer developed more than 200 (plus variants). “Seeland” is their first joint effort. No surprise that with such potent fathers their offspring is immaculate.

A single elegantly constructed roundel is used to keep track of our moves, their changing costs and our remaining capital. We buy seed and mills to cultivate a plot in Zeeland, gaining points if we manage to create a healthy biotope in the vicinity of our mills. Being Simple, interactive and fun, “Seeland” is an excellent family game.

“Rapa Nui” is our Game of The Month

There are probably more games about Easter Island than people living there, but it seems that this isolated little island is an endless resource for ideas for game authors. With Rapa Nui we have a very welcome addition to the genre “Easter Island Game”, because the mechanics and the theme go well hand in hand here in this little empire building/action maximizing game. Especially the “sacrifice” mechanic is worth a second look: on one hand I want to keep the most valuable resource cards in my hand for points, but I have to sacrifice the same cards as well to actually make them valuable. Out of this dichotomy the game draws a lot of flair. It is also a very fast game, and is fun in repeated play (especially with 3-players – ideal and less random than the 4-player version).

“Québec” is our Game of the Month

Québec convinces as a fast-paced strategy game, which thanks to its introductory rules is also family-friendly. The competition for majority in the zones of power coupled with a win-win based participation in building construction creates a game feeling free of aggression that is little known in a worker placement game like this. The continuous expansion of building sites over four rounds providing plenty of strategic options and the chance to gain victory points in each round by placing workers in the zones of power are a source of multiple strategies.

“Airlines Europe” is our Game of the Month

As also new editions of old games can become „Game of the Month“, “Airlines Europe” is the worthy new winner of this title. Alan R. Moon’s game can easily be called a “classic”, and also in the new version the mechanics – which served as a model for other great games like “Ticket to Ride” or “Union Pacific” – can still convince. The new version also plays more fluidly and the sabotage (deemed unfair by hardcore Eurogamers) is gone. Very recommended!

“Strasbourg” is our Game of the Month

If you know the other games by Pegasus you might be in for a double surprise – “Strasbourg” is neither a fantasy game nor a historical roleplaying game (which could have been expected) but a real Euro with an ingenious bidding mechanic. Because all players decide for themselves how many bidding cards they draw and use each round each bidding round turns into an exciting battle for key acquisitions. As it is already fiendishly difficult to earn money in the game one could even call it a “dearth game”, because one has to use the limited resources (bidding cards, money) to utmost effect. A challenge for pro gamers and lots of fun!

If Pegasus has intended to reach a completely new market for their games – the critical Euro gamer – they have been very successful indeed!

“The Castles of Burgundy” is our Game of the Month

‘The Castles of Burgundy’ is this year’s highlight from Alea. Players develop their princedom and try to be faster and better than their fellow gamers. Because new supply and possible actions are controlled by dice, players’ plans need to be constantly adjusted according to their respective capabilities. Originally, Stefan Feld’s much more complex design has been streamlined in cooperation with Alea’s Stfan Brück resulting in a challenging territory building game that lets us discover new development possibilities with every new play.

“Pantheon” is our Game of the Month

Many prude American gamers are put off by the cover of the game (I can only say: honi soit qui mal y pense), but they are missing out on a great new Tummelhofer game that really rocks! “Pantheon” is a game that is easy to get into. Like in all good games there are several ways to victory, and through the effects of various people and the gods there is also a slight flair of “History of the World” involved (even though there are no battles). A bit of luck is also needed, but skillful play is rewarded, in so far the game has to be viewed as an advanced family game more than a game for hardcore eurogamers and VP counters. But as a whole the feeling is fresh, not entirely the usual fare, and most important: fun to play!

“London” is our Game of the Month

At first glance this is a small card game in a big box. But the built-in mechanics pose a real challenge for everyone, even more so against one’s own desires. Frivolously, we may be tempted to create a mighty card display as a source for victory points, but in consequence poverty increases in our district and threatens to suffocate us with its burden of negative points at game end. Modesty rules and we need to apply economic reasoning when using our cards. Everyone for himself, yet logical, varied and creative. A real Martin Wallace hit.

“7 Wonders” is our Game of the Month in October

Games for 7 players that play fast and are not boring are pretty rare: but “7 Wonders” manages this beautifully. Using an attractive card drafting mechanic (lent from the game “Fairy Tale”) every player is always active and has to make decisions, the cards themselves are then played simultaneously while conflicts and trades are resolved with your direct neighbors only (which can happen simultaneously in larger rounds as well) without slowing down the action. The Empire-Building aspect is also excellent – the game manages to convey the feeling of leading different ancient civilizations with unique abilities quite well. Apart from the high cost this game can be heartily recommended and is definitely one of the highlights of Spiel 2010.

Our Game of the Month July 2010: Fresko

Games with artists as protagonists have a good tradition in European gaming, if one thinks of classics like ‘Princes of Florence’ or ‘Leonardo da Vinci’. There are also many games, in which artists (or at least artistically ambitious craftsmen) play an important role, like in ‘Pillars of the Earth’. It’s a well-liked theme, which perhaps can be explained by the special role of art itself in European history.

In ‘Fresco’ players emulate Michelangelo and mix their colour pots to create a huge ceiling painting. Important for this is not only good action management but also to keep one’s artist happy and inspired (that one cannot be happy and inspired with too little sleep should be common knowledge). ‘Fresco’ is one of those rare games in which theme and mechanics blend well. In fact the game is explained very easily because everything is logical and clear. In a wonderful way it is equally good as a family game (buying and mixing colours is fun) but also as a freak game (action optimizing) – therefore it can be wholeheartedly recommend to all kinds of gamers.