I was so excited when we went to the new and improved game section of B & N this weekend. There are lots of good 'gamer' games that they haven't had before. Agricola, Dominion, Alhambra, Castle Panic, all the Munchkins, Word on the Street (which will probably be my next game purchase there), all sorts of stuff. And the B & N Onyx editions of some old favorites, including Stratigo, and more kid's games.
It seems that Barnes and Nobel are getting into the game business seriously. And good sales are always included, so we perused the 30% off table too.
I had been wanting to pick up Forbidden Island since I heard about it on the Spiel. Great bits, cooperative game play, and it comes in a TIN!! (I collect useful tins to store things in, so any game in a tin is a bonus!)
With an e-mail coupon to save on the already very reasonable price of Forbidden Island, I was able to pick up a little Connect Four carabiner key chain from the sale table for basically free.
We tried it tonight twice, first The BFF, The Munchkin, and I, and we didn't even come close to winning. The second time, The Munchkin opting for season four of Angel he's watching on Netflix, so we tried it two player. We had some great luck, like drawing no Waters Rise cards for most of the Treasure Deck, then drawing two at once, which actually makes the water rising not as bad. But second time through the Treasure Deck, the Waters Rise cards came up too quick, and bit us in the ass. We opted to play through our plan as if we hadn't gotten the last one at just the wrong time, and we would have won if that last card had been even one card lower in the deck!!
It's a very compelling game. We're excited to try it four, five, and six player, to see if it's better or worse. Also excited to push that 10+ age suggestion, we have some very bright game players at our church game day, that are 7 or 8 that I think would really bring something to the game.
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Monday, August 30
Monday, February 2
Super WoW Review
#1 I don't I would have liked or even understood the game if I had never played the online MMORPG. I will even go a step further and say that if you've never played it online, you may even want to skip this review, as I would definately NOT recommend this game to you.
WoW is known for it's artwork and details, and that's the first thing you notice on the box, and the insides are even better. The core set, which is what we got, has everything needed for both players to start (it's only a two player game, tho I would guess that expansions could add more players). There is one of three random boards, and three random characters each, in two of three teams, Horde, Allaince, and Monster. We hot Horde and Monster, and a green foresty playing board. I wish we would have gotten the cool iced fucia board, it was purty.
Each of the six total game characters that you get have a card to represent them, with stats and specials, and two cards of things they can use, a weapon, instant action, buff, or heal ability. In one of the ways to add to your game, you can get extra cards for their abilities, and make your own 'deck' for each of your characters. Some cards are unique to the type of team, or to the species, or to the specific character (that might only be for the Legendary characters), and other cards could be used by anyone.
Whenyou buy more boosters, you get more cards, and I can really see how you could make a great team with abilities that really compliment their strengths.
The figs themselves are just georgeous! Very detailed and painted so well they don't look machine made. Since we got Monster, we could recognize things we had actually fought against in the game, like a harvest gollum, very cool. The figs have separate bases that are intended to go together. With maybe half of our figs, the dude went into the base just fine, but the others just wouldn't stay, so we abandoned the bases after a while. The bad part about this, is that one of the things that you keep track of with the base is the health, which can fluctuate every turn. We ended up having to use other means, which was annoying. The other thing you keep track of with the base is the round that the character can next play. This worked well, we just set the base next to the card for the character, but still would have been better if it was attached to the fig!
The round, and counting the round is the most unique thing about this game. Most of the other parts reminded us of Battle Lore, or other games, but we've never seen this technique. The BFF pointed out that this makes the board game more like the MMORPG. What happens is that when your little dude does something, anything, he has to 'pay' for it by clicking ahead on the round counter, and then he has to wait until that round to do anything else. Did that make sense? Well, it took me a few times to hear this before it sunk in. There are spaces marking 1-10 across the top of the board, telling you which round you're on. When you use a weapon, it would cost 2-4 'clicks' (depending on how powerful it is), so if you used the weapon on round 3, and it cost 2 clicks to perform the action, you move it to 5, and that character cannot do another action until you have gotten to round 5.
And remember to click it before you do the action! It's way too easy to forget, but it was our first time.
Our game went well, we both enjoyed the game play of it. Like most games when we're trying out the starter set, I wished for more choices of cards and characters, but I really see the potential in this. The BFF let me play Monsters, because he thought that would be the stronger team (he always wants me to win the first time we play to make sure that I want to play again-which is funny, because him winning just makes me want to play again more so I can beat him!) The Monster team should have been stronger, but my Legendary Drunken Panda couldn't roll for crap, and gave the other team double points when he was killed. '<
Overall, it's a keeper. Even though I can see it getting expensive with buying more boosters! At least each booster has the same team, which helps grow the troops. I want to figure out how to get another board without having to buy another whole starter set, I want that iced fucia!!!
Edit 2-4-9: I confused myself with the title, but I figured it out, this is the game we played during the Super Bowl!
WoW is known for it's artwork and details, and that's the first thing you notice on the box, and the insides are even better. The core set, which is what we got, has everything needed for both players to start (it's only a two player game, tho I would guess that expansions could add more players). There is one of three random boards, and three random characters each, in two of three teams, Horde, Allaince, and Monster. We hot Horde and Monster, and a green foresty playing board. I wish we would have gotten the cool iced fucia board, it was purty.
Each of the six total game characters that you get have a card to represent them, with stats and specials, and two cards of things they can use, a weapon, instant action, buff, or heal ability. In one of the ways to add to your game, you can get extra cards for their abilities, and make your own 'deck' for each of your characters. Some cards are unique to the type of team, or to the species, or to the specific character (that might only be for the Legendary characters), and other cards could be used by anyone.
Whenyou buy more boosters, you get more cards, and I can really see how you could make a great team with abilities that really compliment their strengths.
The figs themselves are just georgeous! Very detailed and painted so well they don't look machine made. Since we got Monster, we could recognize things we had actually fought against in the game, like a harvest gollum, very cool. The figs have separate bases that are intended to go together. With maybe half of our figs, the dude went into the base just fine, but the others just wouldn't stay, so we abandoned the bases after a while. The bad part about this, is that one of the things that you keep track of with the base is the health, which can fluctuate every turn. We ended up having to use other means, which was annoying. The other thing you keep track of with the base is the round that the character can next play. This worked well, we just set the base next to the card for the character, but still would have been better if it was attached to the fig!
The round, and counting the round is the most unique thing about this game. Most of the other parts reminded us of Battle Lore, or other games, but we've never seen this technique. The BFF pointed out that this makes the board game more like the MMORPG. What happens is that when your little dude does something, anything, he has to 'pay' for it by clicking ahead on the round counter, and then he has to wait until that round to do anything else. Did that make sense? Well, it took me a few times to hear this before it sunk in. There are spaces marking 1-10 across the top of the board, telling you which round you're on. When you use a weapon, it would cost 2-4 'clicks' (depending on how powerful it is), so if you used the weapon on round 3, and it cost 2 clicks to perform the action, you move it to 5, and that character cannot do another action until you have gotten to round 5.
And remember to click it before you do the action! It's way too easy to forget, but it was our first time.
Our game went well, we both enjoyed the game play of it. Like most games when we're trying out the starter set, I wished for more choices of cards and characters, but I really see the potential in this. The BFF let me play Monsters, because he thought that would be the stronger team (he always wants me to win the first time we play to make sure that I want to play again-which is funny, because him winning just makes me want to play again more so I can beat him!) The Monster team should have been stronger, but my Legendary Drunken Panda couldn't roll for crap, and gave the other team double points when he was killed. '<
Overall, it's a keeper. Even though I can see it getting expensive with buying more boosters! At least each booster has the same team, which helps grow the troops. I want to figure out how to get another board without having to buy another whole starter set, I want that iced fucia!!!
Edit 2-4-9: I confused myself with the title, but I figured it out, this is the game we played during the Super Bowl!
Thursday, November 20
Rapid Recall
The other game that we played at this month’s family game day was Rapid Recall. This game is definitely in the Party Game category, playing with two teams of at least two, and could have many more. One thing we like in a party game is something that doesn’t HAVE to have even numbers on the teams. Since we’re mostly playing just for fun, we don’t get bent out of shape over teams, and always try to mix up who’s on which team.
Rapid Recall is one of the variations of Password, as in “Everyone loves Password, how can we change it just enough to make a new game of it?” Taboo is a good example of this. Rapid Recall is not.
In Rapid Recall, one team member has a list of words, and gives clues to his/her team, but the team doesn’t shout out the answers, they instead throw a chip into the chip bowl when they think they know the answer. After the timed period of clue giving and chip throwing, there is a separate timed period (and second timer) for the team members to rapidly recall all the answers they thought they knew, and take a chip from the bowl to signify they got the answer. If they miss any, then the other team also has a timed period to try to remember the answers, also taking the left over chips. The game is won when one team has enough chips to fill up their side of the board.
I think the concept is actually kinda good, but I think the execution is what kinda breaks this game. Team members tried to coach each other to remember the answers they had thrown their chip in for, which works in theory, but when others start listing words, it’s easy to forget what words you were trying to remember. Sometimes different team members thought of different answers for the same chip, and the rules say only the first answer counts (like if the answer was supposed to be flower, and they answer rose instead), so there was a little scuffling if someone answered quicker and wrong. It was also very difficult to get momentum back if it was lost, especially for the second team to try to venture guesses. If there was any discussion at all, we’d all get off track, then you can’t remember anything!
I would rearrange the concept a bit and try it again. Here’s my idea of better mechanics to the good concept:
Everyone plays for themselves. Players take turns around the table reading the clues, and everyone has a turn giving clues (once or twice around depending on how many people you have). All other players are the guessers and like in the real rules, they throw in a chip when they think they know the answer, and the giving of clues and throwing in of chips is still timed. Then on to the guessing of clues, which will not be timed, but will go in turn around the table, starting with the player on the clue giver’s left. Each player makes a guess or passes, and if they got one of the words, they take a chip, and play continues around the table until either all the chips are gone or all players pass in turn. You don’t have to only guess the answers you personally put in, and similar answers can still be guessed. How many chips each player gets each round is added up, and after everyone has had a turn (or two) giving clues, the winner is whoever has the most chips, representing the most correct answers. You’ll have to make sure to keep guessing chips and scoring chips separate, which could be done using the two different colors that came with the game, or after each clue giving round, the number of correct answers everyone has is just written down. That might be easier.
I think this would be fun in the guessing and remembering parts, and there will definitely be a benefit to being the person on the clue giver’s left. The most recent answer will probably be on the tip of the tongue, no matter who threw in the chip. Or players might try to only remember their own answers, but by the time it gets to them, their answers were already given. It could be a fun party ruckus.
I picked up this game at a thrift store, Extreeme Artist and I love to go thrifting, and I always look for games. Unfortunately, the one brand of thrift store we usually go to because of it’s better hours, is the one that prices games a bit higher than the others. But I guess $2 or $4, a game for under five bucks is a good bargain even if you end up only playing it once. That being said, I still want to get my money’s worth, and besides playability, I’m usually checking for good bits.
This game has very interesting bits, two colors of plastic chips (which do rather resemble a puffy Dorito); three cups to hold the chips, two triangle ones that are the same colors as the chips, and one larger one to throw the chips into; the board with triangles of the same colors with a hole in the center to set the larger cup into; two sand timers of different time; the box of questions; and the device to put the question card into, which has a handy sliding arrow to mark which words have been guessed. All these bits would have many uses, counting games with little ones, markers for other games, guitar picks, cups for actual chips, you get the idea. And another box of words for whatever other Password-like game you like to play.
Hmmm, you could use the sliding arrow card holder to check off your grocery items…
Rapid Recall is one of the variations of Password, as in “Everyone loves Password, how can we change it just enough to make a new game of it?” Taboo is a good example of this. Rapid Recall is not.
In Rapid Recall, one team member has a list of words, and gives clues to his/her team, but the team doesn’t shout out the answers, they instead throw a chip into the chip bowl when they think they know the answer. After the timed period of clue giving and chip throwing, there is a separate timed period (and second timer) for the team members to rapidly recall all the answers they thought they knew, and take a chip from the bowl to signify they got the answer. If they miss any, then the other team also has a timed period to try to remember the answers, also taking the left over chips. The game is won when one team has enough chips to fill up their side of the board.
I think the concept is actually kinda good, but I think the execution is what kinda breaks this game. Team members tried to coach each other to remember the answers they had thrown their chip in for, which works in theory, but when others start listing words, it’s easy to forget what words you were trying to remember. Sometimes different team members thought of different answers for the same chip, and the rules say only the first answer counts (like if the answer was supposed to be flower, and they answer rose instead), so there was a little scuffling if someone answered quicker and wrong. It was also very difficult to get momentum back if it was lost, especially for the second team to try to venture guesses. If there was any discussion at all, we’d all get off track, then you can’t remember anything!
I would rearrange the concept a bit and try it again. Here’s my idea of better mechanics to the good concept:
Everyone plays for themselves. Players take turns around the table reading the clues, and everyone has a turn giving clues (once or twice around depending on how many people you have). All other players are the guessers and like in the real rules, they throw in a chip when they think they know the answer, and the giving of clues and throwing in of chips is still timed. Then on to the guessing of clues, which will not be timed, but will go in turn around the table, starting with the player on the clue giver’s left. Each player makes a guess or passes, and if they got one of the words, they take a chip, and play continues around the table until either all the chips are gone or all players pass in turn. You don’t have to only guess the answers you personally put in, and similar answers can still be guessed. How many chips each player gets each round is added up, and after everyone has had a turn (or two) giving clues, the winner is whoever has the most chips, representing the most correct answers. You’ll have to make sure to keep guessing chips and scoring chips separate, which could be done using the two different colors that came with the game, or after each clue giving round, the number of correct answers everyone has is just written down. That might be easier.
I think this would be fun in the guessing and remembering parts, and there will definitely be a benefit to being the person on the clue giver’s left. The most recent answer will probably be on the tip of the tongue, no matter who threw in the chip. Or players might try to only remember their own answers, but by the time it gets to them, their answers were already given. It could be a fun party ruckus.
I picked up this game at a thrift store, Extreeme Artist and I love to go thrifting, and I always look for games. Unfortunately, the one brand of thrift store we usually go to because of it’s better hours, is the one that prices games a bit higher than the others. But I guess $2 or $4, a game for under five bucks is a good bargain even if you end up only playing it once. That being said, I still want to get my money’s worth, and besides playability, I’m usually checking for good bits.
This game has very interesting bits, two colors of plastic chips (which do rather resemble a puffy Dorito); three cups to hold the chips, two triangle ones that are the same colors as the chips, and one larger one to throw the chips into; the board with triangles of the same colors with a hole in the center to set the larger cup into; two sand timers of different time; the box of questions; and the device to put the question card into, which has a handy sliding arrow to mark which words have been guessed. All these bits would have many uses, counting games with little ones, markers for other games, guitar picks, cups for actual chips, you get the idea. And another box of words for whatever other Password-like game you like to play.
Hmmm, you could use the sliding arrow card holder to check off your grocery items…
Friday, November 14
Agricola: Family
On our family game days, I try not to be too bossy about what we will play, and just see who shows up and what they want to play. I was hoping to play Agricola, so I was glad when Dad asked about it. Since both of my kids were home this time, along with both of my parents, me and the BFF, that's six and Agricola only plays up to five. I offered to just be the teacher, and let them all play, and that way I could help anyone with their turn, but my folks opted to play as a team. This worked out great, I think, because while my Mom is a great gamer, she is a bit of an unconfident player with new games, and playing on a team with Dad gave her someone to confer with about each turn.
I wanted to introduce the game to the new players with the Family way to play. This was the first time playing Family for the BFF and I, so we were all trying something new. The Family way to play mostly means no cards, no Occupations and no Minor Improvements. The first board piece for possible actions is turned over, with a couple slight changes on actions that involve the cards; Starting Player has one food instead of a Minor Improvement, Occupation is changed to Build Stable &/or Bake Bread, and the Day Laborer is changed from two food to one food, one building supply (not sure why the change on the Day Laborer). Playing five player gave us lots of great action possibilities as well, I think I like playing five player best, lots of wood and clay available!
We had a good time playing, and ended with most of the scores pretty close, the BFF excited that he beat me by one point! Team Mom & Dad got a somewhat slighted, since there are only four stoves/ovens to be able to cook animals in, and they didn't get to buy one. They ended up having to take a couple begging cards, but if they had been able to get an oven, they wouldn't have had to beg, and would have had a comparable score. (BTW, the BFF only beat me by one point because I forgot that I had to have TWO plowed fields to get a point.)
I thought it would be fun, since the game or version was new to all of us, to do a bit of a survey about what everyone thought of the game. So here are same questions I asked everyone:
1)What did you think of the game? (BFF and I-What did you think of the Family way of playing the game?)
2)On the BGG scale, please rate the game.
3)What was the best part of the game?
4)What was the worst part of the game?
5)What’s your favorite game right now?
And here are everyone's answers:
Rawk Star Age 17
1)It was ok, pretty good
2)6
3)The little sheeples
4)First player system, I didn't like how it worked. It wasn't an incentive at the end, and if you're the last player, you're messed up
5)D&D 4.0
Artist Extreeme Age 15
1)It was fun.
2)7
3)Having to decide what to eat
4)The length
5)Munchkin / D&D
Grandpa Retired and Loving it
1)I thought it was fun, took a little long to get into.
2)7
3)I kinda liked the way it related to agriculture, to reality. You need to know that you have to eat.
4)Takes a while getting into it the first time.
5)Pegs & Jokers-depends on who you're playing with. With our volunteer friends: card games; with you guys: a board game.
Grandma Retired and feisty
1)I guess I enjoyed it, I think I will enjoy it more the next time I play.
2)8
3)Learning a new game.
4)Not understanding the rules to begin with.
5)The card game Golf / Pegs & Jokers
the BFF Forty-Something
1)I thought it was harder because getting things like grain was harder, not more than one way. was it more fun? no.
2)7 for Family, 8 for regular
3)Playing it with the family, almost a gateway game
4)Waiting between turns
5)Race for the Galaxy
ME A little older than the BFF, and he never lets me forget it
1)Not as much fun without the cards
2)6 for Family, 9 for regular
3)Playing a three generation game
4)Not having the cards
5)Agricola (did you even have to wonder?)
I wanted to introduce the game to the new players with the Family way to play. This was the first time playing Family for the BFF and I, so we were all trying something new. The Family way to play mostly means no cards, no Occupations and no Minor Improvements. The first board piece for possible actions is turned over, with a couple slight changes on actions that involve the cards; Starting Player has one food instead of a Minor Improvement, Occupation is changed to Build Stable &/or Bake Bread, and the Day Laborer is changed from two food to one food, one building supply (not sure why the change on the Day Laborer). Playing five player gave us lots of great action possibilities as well, I think I like playing five player best, lots of wood and clay available!
We had a good time playing, and ended with most of the scores pretty close, the BFF excited that he beat me by one point! Team Mom & Dad got a somewhat slighted, since there are only four stoves/ovens to be able to cook animals in, and they didn't get to buy one. They ended up having to take a couple begging cards, but if they had been able to get an oven, they wouldn't have had to beg, and would have had a comparable score. (BTW, the BFF only beat me by one point because I forgot that I had to have TWO plowed fields to get a point.)
I thought it would be fun, since the game or version was new to all of us, to do a bit of a survey about what everyone thought of the game. So here are same questions I asked everyone:
1)What did you think of the game? (BFF and I-What did you think of the Family way of playing the game?)
2)On the BGG scale, please rate the game.
3)What was the best part of the game?
4)What was the worst part of the game?
5)What’s your favorite game right now?
And here are everyone's answers:
Rawk Star Age 17
1)It was ok, pretty good
2)6
3)The little sheeples
4)First player system, I didn't like how it worked. It wasn't an incentive at the end, and if you're the last player, you're messed up
5)D&D 4.0
Artist Extreeme Age 15
1)It was fun.
2)7
3)Having to decide what to eat
4)The length
5)Munchkin / D&D
Grandpa Retired and Loving it
1)I thought it was fun, took a little long to get into.
2)7
3)I kinda liked the way it related to agriculture, to reality. You need to know that you have to eat.
4)Takes a while getting into it the first time.
5)Pegs & Jokers-depends on who you're playing with. With our volunteer friends: card games; with you guys: a board game.
Grandma Retired and feisty
1)I guess I enjoyed it, I think I will enjoy it more the next time I play.
2)8
3)Learning a new game.
4)Not understanding the rules to begin with.
5)The card game Golf / Pegs & Jokers
the BFF Forty-Something
1)I thought it was harder because getting things like grain was harder, not more than one way. was it more fun? no.
2)7 for Family, 8 for regular
3)Playing it with the family, almost a gateway game
4)Waiting between turns
5)Race for the Galaxy
ME A little older than the BFF, and he never lets me forget it
1)Not as much fun without the cards
2)6 for Family, 9 for regular
3)Playing a three generation game
4)Not having the cards
5)Agricola (did you even have to wonder?)
Friday, October 10
Agricola @ Nuke Con
The most anticipated game in our house recently was Agricola. (and that is pronounced ah-GRICK-oh-lah)(and yes, I am the annoying one who has corrects everyone who pronounces it like a soft drink)(and by everyone I mean every game store clerk, every potential player, even the guy who taught us the game)
Last weekend at Nuke Con, I finally got to play it. I preregistered on-line to make sure I didn’t miss it. And the guy that taught us during the slotted time was happy to teach more new players and play more games during the rest of the weekend, so I actually got to play three times. I was a little afraid that I had read and heard too much hype, like a movie where all the good parts were in the trailer, and it wouldn’t be as good as anticipated. But playing it everyday of the convention only made me want it more!
Since this is leaning toward a review, let me mention what kind of games I usually like. My official favorite game is Carcassonne. I love all it’s expansions, I love all sorts of Eurogames, give me wooden bits and I’ll be very happy. My close second favorite game, or maybe I’ll say my favorite game series, is Zombies!!! I love all things zombie and gross like that, zombie movies and comics are always watched and read, and zombies are a theme in my arts-n-crafts, too. So I’ll play any and all games related to zombies, but the Twilight Creations Zombies!!! series will always be at the top of my list. (Now if I can figure out a game with zombie meeples…) I like various card games and party games, I don’t lean toward collectable card games though, and I’m usually turned off by war themes. Good mechanics of a game will win me over, but it’s the bits I love. Gimme good bits!
Speaking of good bits, back to Agricola! (who doesn’t love a good segue?) I opened the box this morning to get the rule book out to read, and there’s all the great bits! Nothing like the smell of cardboard and wood in the morning. ;p The first thing that impressed me was that they included a bag full of baggies, for when you separate out the bits. That’s game packaging at it’s finest. There are quite a few different kinds of bits, and I had wondered if it might get confusing, but I haven’t really run into that yet, except for clay is the lighter brown disk, and wood is the darker brown disk. I’m not sure if so many kinds of bits will be confusing for younger or older players, we’ll test it out with my mom next month.
The first two games we played, we just used the E deck. The coolest part, IMHO, about Agricola is the different sets of cards, and the quantity of each, so that the cards you use each time will be different. The three sets are: E which is basic, I for Interactive, and K for Complex (remember, the game was written in German). In each set there are Occupation cards and Minor Improvement cards, and you are dealt seven of each, and with a total of over 300, depending on how many players and which set you use, the possibilities are virtually endless. There are different cards used for different numbers of players, last weekend all three games were five player games, so we used the most cards available. The cards give you ways to do things easier, or allow you to break a specific rule. But a warning for new players, when you're first learning, and someone has a card that lets them break a specific rule, it's easy to forget that they get to do it because of the card, and get confused on the actual rule. That happened to us a couple times, when someone had a card that let them bake bread at harvest time.
Since I had watched the "Board Games with Scott" video of Agricola, I had a pretty good idea of the rules before sitting down to be taught. The best thing I learned from the video was to watch the scoring. As Scott says, ‘you want a little bit of everything’, and I really kept that in mind playing my first game. I’m proud to say that the tip from Scott even helped me win a little prize! Our game teacher played with us, and since he’d played many times before, he outdid all of our scores by plenty, almost doubling them. But out of us four newbies, I had the highest score, thus the prize. Watching the scoring is one of the keys, as our teacher pointed out, it is a two point swing, having nothing of something will give you a negative point, where even only one of something will give you a positive point in most cases. I only beat the BFF by that two point swing (but don’t feel too bad for him, he watched the video, too!).
The progression of playing is interesting, the second time playing, I also did pretty good (tied for second after our experienced teacher), and tried to incorporate more of my cards. The third time, with no newbies, we advanced up to the I deck and used one of the advanced rules, where you are dealt 10 cards and have to decide on the 7 that you want. I really got too focused on the cards that time, trying to use all the cards together, and ended up messing myself up, and even having to take ‘begging cards’. Begging cards are what you want the least in this game, and what you have to take if you can’t feed your family at a harvest. I was so intent on making my cards work together, I forgot that I had already eaten my sheep, and had to take two stupid begging cards! Our teacher had been saying all weekend that everyone he had ever taught hadn’t had to take begging cards, and I messed up his good record. (Sorry, Jerry!) At the end of that game, one other player who I think won that time around gave me some good advice: try to get maximum regular score points, focus on that, not on the cards. Why didn’t I think of that?!?
I always like learning strategies from other players, I watched our teacher save up his wood and build his fences all three times we played. I figured he's had good luck with that strategy, but it didn't leave him a lot of time to get animals out. It will depend on what cards you have, I suppose, when I had animal cards, I really needed to build my fences early! Another good tip I picked up from our teacher is the difference between the stage and the round. Some cards specify stage, which is a set of rounds, and he had a player with hurt feelings when he misunderstood the card.
Now I'm off! I have a date with the rest of the rules, and all the bits, and maybe a solo game tonight.
Last weekend at Nuke Con, I finally got to play it. I preregistered on-line to make sure I didn’t miss it. And the guy that taught us during the slotted time was happy to teach more new players and play more games during the rest of the weekend, so I actually got to play three times. I was a little afraid that I had read and heard too much hype, like a movie where all the good parts were in the trailer, and it wouldn’t be as good as anticipated. But playing it everyday of the convention only made me want it more!
Since this is leaning toward a review, let me mention what kind of games I usually like. My official favorite game is Carcassonne. I love all it’s expansions, I love all sorts of Eurogames, give me wooden bits and I’ll be very happy. My close second favorite game, or maybe I’ll say my favorite game series, is Zombies!!! I love all things zombie and gross like that, zombie movies and comics are always watched and read, and zombies are a theme in my arts-n-crafts, too. So I’ll play any and all games related to zombies, but the Twilight Creations Zombies!!! series will always be at the top of my list. (Now if I can figure out a game with zombie meeples…) I like various card games and party games, I don’t lean toward collectable card games though, and I’m usually turned off by war themes. Good mechanics of a game will win me over, but it’s the bits I love. Gimme good bits!
Speaking of good bits, back to Agricola! (who doesn’t love a good segue?) I opened the box this morning to get the rule book out to read, and there’s all the great bits! Nothing like the smell of cardboard and wood in the morning. ;p The first thing that impressed me was that they included a bag full of baggies, for when you separate out the bits. That’s game packaging at it’s finest. There are quite a few different kinds of bits, and I had wondered if it might get confusing, but I haven’t really run into that yet, except for clay is the lighter brown disk, and wood is the darker brown disk. I’m not sure if so many kinds of bits will be confusing for younger or older players, we’ll test it out with my mom next month.
The first two games we played, we just used the E deck. The coolest part, IMHO, about Agricola is the different sets of cards, and the quantity of each, so that the cards you use each time will be different. The three sets are: E which is basic, I for Interactive, and K for Complex (remember, the game was written in German). In each set there are Occupation cards and Minor Improvement cards, and you are dealt seven of each, and with a total of over 300, depending on how many players and which set you use, the possibilities are virtually endless. There are different cards used for different numbers of players, last weekend all three games were five player games, so we used the most cards available. The cards give you ways to do things easier, or allow you to break a specific rule. But a warning for new players, when you're first learning, and someone has a card that lets them break a specific rule, it's easy to forget that they get to do it because of the card, and get confused on the actual rule. That happened to us a couple times, when someone had a card that let them bake bread at harvest time.
Since I had watched the "Board Games with Scott" video of Agricola, I had a pretty good idea of the rules before sitting down to be taught. The best thing I learned from the video was to watch the scoring. As Scott says, ‘you want a little bit of everything’, and I really kept that in mind playing my first game. I’m proud to say that the tip from Scott even helped me win a little prize! Our game teacher played with us, and since he’d played many times before, he outdid all of our scores by plenty, almost doubling them. But out of us four newbies, I had the highest score, thus the prize. Watching the scoring is one of the keys, as our teacher pointed out, it is a two point swing, having nothing of something will give you a negative point, where even only one of something will give you a positive point in most cases. I only beat the BFF by that two point swing (but don’t feel too bad for him, he watched the video, too!).
The progression of playing is interesting, the second time playing, I also did pretty good (tied for second after our experienced teacher), and tried to incorporate more of my cards. The third time, with no newbies, we advanced up to the I deck and used one of the advanced rules, where you are dealt 10 cards and have to decide on the 7 that you want. I really got too focused on the cards that time, trying to use all the cards together, and ended up messing myself up, and even having to take ‘begging cards’. Begging cards are what you want the least in this game, and what you have to take if you can’t feed your family at a harvest. I was so intent on making my cards work together, I forgot that I had already eaten my sheep, and had to take two stupid begging cards! Our teacher had been saying all weekend that everyone he had ever taught hadn’t had to take begging cards, and I messed up his good record. (Sorry, Jerry!) At the end of that game, one other player who I think won that time around gave me some good advice: try to get maximum regular score points, focus on that, not on the cards. Why didn’t I think of that?!?
I always like learning strategies from other players, I watched our teacher save up his wood and build his fences all three times we played. I figured he's had good luck with that strategy, but it didn't leave him a lot of time to get animals out. It will depend on what cards you have, I suppose, when I had animal cards, I really needed to build my fences early! Another good tip I picked up from our teacher is the difference between the stage and the round. Some cards specify stage, which is a set of rounds, and he had a player with hurt feelings when he misunderstood the card.
Now I'm off! I have a date with the rest of the rules, and all the bits, and maybe a solo game tonight.
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