Each month the Tabletop Together Team gets together to compare notes and talk about what games we played. In this article series, we share the highlights of the last month with you.
Peter H. Møller
A nasty cold and too much work, unfortunately, got in the way of gaming time this month. But I did get to play some games. The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine is my most played game of course (that’s not fair since you play it so many times in a row). My friends like it and I can see it’s a good game, but it just isn’t a game I enjoy that much. I’ll still play it with them if they want. Good company and lots of laughs still make it a more than worthwhile activity for me.
I did play two games I hadn’t tried before that I enjoyed. The first was Pandemic: Fall of Rome. I’ve never been a big fan of Pandemic, it always felt a little too dry for me and I never really liked the setting. So I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed Pandemic: Fall of Rome. The setting plays a big part in my enjoyment of it and I enjoyed the legions you can recruit and use to combat the barbarian hordes. I’ll definitely play it again and it’s staying in my collection (for now at least).
The other game I enjoyed, and my favourite game of the month, was Glen More II: Chronicles. Such a simple ruleset but so many fantastic decisions to make along with some nice components and art makes this a game one I want to play more. My wife truly kicked my ass, but I still enjoyed every second of it. I’ll be playing this one again soon and can’t wait to dig into the chronicles and see what they add to the game.
Jacob
I played two games more than any other this month. One was brand new to me and the other has become a go-to with a couple of my friends. Dice Throne hit the table with a new friend and then 4 plays later we decided to call it a night. Dice Throne has become a favourite of mine as it is pretty straight forward, using a yahtzee-style mechanic, but each hero provides a very unique style of fighting. We stuck to the season one characters, but I doubt this will be the last time this game is requested.
The new to me game I got to play was The Crew. My friend and I both grew up with trick-taking games so we were intrigued enough to play this with the two-player variant which includes a dummy hand. The Crew is a cooperative trick-taking game where each game/round is a “mission” that must be completed by the players. Most of the first 10 missions consist of each player being responsible to win a trick that contains a specific card. The first few missions it is only one card per player, but the further you go the more you may have to win. The missions get more difficult as you progress through the 50 different ones and will require those cards to be won in a specific order, or for one player to not win a trick at all. I love trick-taking games and don’t play them enough, so the simple to learn rules with progressively harder goals has made the Crew jump up on my list of games to regularly play.
Eline
August made me fall back to 3 dusty games on my shelf: Dream Home, Fleet: The Dice Game and Space Base.
Dream Home by Rebel Games is a lovely family game about building and furnishing your house. It has some card drafting, set collection and memory. It’s a bit too light for me and my boyfriend to enjoy as a 2-player game. I’m keeping it in my collection, though, as it can be a nice filler for 3 to 4 regular gamers, in between the heavier stuff on a game night.
Fleet: The Dice Game by Eagle-Gryphon Games is a roll-and-write that leaves all others in the genre far behind. Turns feel a bit like keeping the ball in play as long as possible on a pinball machine. Players are fishermen in Ridback Bay and need to unlock fishing licenses, launch boats and catch fish. The order in which you take your actions is of the utmost importance as you want to trigger as many bonus actions as possible. You definitely have to keep your focus and trust the fair play of your opponents as mistakes are easily made and quite untraceable.
The highlight of my August gaming was having a friend over to play Space Base. I love the “someone roles and everybody gets stuff” mechanism. It has all players engaged throughout the whole game. This game designed by John D. Clair and published by AEG is a solid choice for gamers that like Machi Koro and have a soft spot for space settings. Players all start with the same fleet of space ships that they will gradually upgrade and diversify. A nifty game element is when you buy a new card you always use the entirety of your saved credits. If you have 17 credits and want to buy a ship that costs 12, you’ll lose 5 credits. Luckily some card abilities let you advance on your income track to reduce these financial losses. Whoever earns 40 points first is the winner! I was just one turn away from victory when it got snatched from my hands. I need a rematch!
Peter van der Helm
This month started out with two more plays of Watergate. I finally got the chance to play as the Washington Post and it didn’t disappoint. Playing the other side of this asymmetrical game is just as fun! I also introduced a friend of mine to 7 Wonders Duel and Mr. Jack Pocket as two nice 2-player games that he might enjoy. He did. Especially 7 Wonders Duel. The way card drafting is done in this two-player game is quite original and I really recommend it. The highlight of the month was playing, Caylus 1303. I owned the original not too long ago but decided to let it go. When I heard Caylus was getting a new version with some streamlined gameplay but with the nasty provost I knew I needed Caylus back into my life. Especially because the artwork was done by Andrew Bosley. In fact, we would have played this game on the next game night if Covid-19 hadn’t happened. So I was eager to finally play Caylus 1303. It was everything I hoped for from a new Caylus. Limiting the game to 9 rounds was also a great adjustment to the original. The game didn’t drag on and everyone had a great time playing. I’m in the camp that prefers the new Caylus 1303 over the old version. Next, I played Tokaido, Quacks of Quedlinburg and Kingdomino with the family. So I didn’t play any new releases, but the old games need some love too right?
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