Author: Antoinette Antonacci

Game Review

Bohnanza

Bohnanza is a colorful bean card game in which you must trade, plant, and harvest bean cards to eventually collect coins which help you win the game. Once the third season ends, or third decks runs out, the game ends and players count their coins. The most unique part of the game is that you can’t rearrange your hand and you must play the cards in their order. The game involves negotiating, trading, and managing your hand. The game was not hard to adjust to after the first round. I think it could work well as a gateway game because it has replay value, it’s fairly simple, uses luck, and has an overall fun appeal.

Game Review

Neon Highway, a space-themed broad game playthrough went fairly smooth. The game was easy and simple enough to play but I don’t feel like it had much replay value. The game was almost too simple with mechanisms similar to Candyland and Chutes and Ladders. The theme and style were appreciated but the gameplay will have to be corrected and improved to keep the players more interested. I could add more board conflict such as an alien fleet of enemies or a more variety of cards.

With the previous week (week 7) of reviewing other classmates games, this post will consist of reviews from week 8.

Gameplay

Sushi Chef Express prototype play was rather successful this week. The gameplay lasts about 25-30 minutes for four players. Some reviews suggested adding more cards or starting the game with 3 cards (instead of 5) for 3-4 players and keeping it as a starting hand of 5 cards for 2 players. Another idea would be to add attack cards that would steal or remove sushi pieces from opponents boards. Other suggestions included determining if it will be a more strategic game as appose to chance based which would involve changing certain actions on cards. The theme of the goals and roles will also be changed to match the game’s story better.

Destination Stranded! gameplay was also successful but might also need more cards added and perhaps add to the rules to remove some event cards with a certain amount of players playing.

Game Review

This week I played Sushi Go for the first time and thought it was a rather enjoyable fast-paced game. The goal is to grab the most sushi points by the end of the game. The gameplay is fast and constantly changing with cards that you play. It seems like a good gateway game that provides a fun atmosphere, replay value, and an uncomplicated ruleset. I enjoyed the graphics the most.

Collecting-Type Game Ideas

1. Toxic Collector – Board Game
   Compete against players for the most unique and dangerous critters. The more unique the find the more dangerous it is to keep it. Last one surviving with the most points wins.
2. Secret Trend – Board Game
   Compete to win entry into Fashion Week. Tell share secrets and gossip to get through the doors and gain your seat by the runway.

Game Reviews

Catan is a trading and strategy based game where players must build settlements, cities, and roads across a map. The first player to get 10 victory points wins. Catan is similar to Monopoly in some ways. Both games have similar mechanics such as trading, dice rolling, and collecting. Like Monopoly, Catan also uses negotiation and strategy skills. Monopoly’s theme provides a backdrop for the economic downfall of the Depression era. With concepts such as mortgage and bankruptcy, players must be money cautious in a winner-takes-all environment. Catan provides a more recent and familiar backdrop with concepts of limited resources, trade imbalances, and connected fortunes. Overall I thought it was a fun competitive game but I did feel like the rules took some time to adjust too. I do not think this is a gateway game due to its complexity.

Splendor is a game in which players are gem merchants trying to gain prestige points. With enough prestige points, wealthy players can receive visits from nobles which provide more prestige points. This game has a Renaissance theme and mechanics such as deck building and card drafting. The game has a prominent beginning middle and end which is shown by the number of prestige points a player has and how far away they are from the winning score of 15 points. The game could easily be a gateway game due to its originality, ease of play, luck, and replay value. I enjoyed this game very much and would play again.

Building Game Ideas

1. Royal Garden – Tile building game
   Compete with other players to build the most beautifully structured and floral garden for the King and Queen.
2. Animal House- Tile building game
   Work cooperatively with players to build a suitable home for your adopted pets.
3. Bulk Up – Deck building game
   You’re a squirrel preparing for winter by bulking up and stashing food. In this game, you do not play nice. The squirrel with the most nuts wins.
4. Career Builder – Deck building game
   Everyone has to start somewhere. Gain experience cards to level up your character. Trade experience cards, resources, and education cards for job cards worth more points. The player with the most points wins.
5. Burrowing Fox – Tile building game
   You play a Papa or Mama fox burrowing your new home for your family. Add tiles to extend your burrow and add much-needed resources for more points. Protect your fox from pretenders with repellent cards.

Game Reviews

NanoBot is a tile building science fiction game set in a petri dish. Each player has a bot with its own special skill that must be used to form the longest chain of NanoBots. Although the theme is unique, I did not feel like it was as immersive as Pandemic or other story filled games. The rulebook was slightly cluttered and could have been simplified. I did enjoy the reaction cards which spiced up the gameplay and made it more competitive.

Carcassonne is another tile-placing game but players are adding tile to build out a Medevil territory. The different tiles must connect with cities, roads, or grasslands, and players must decide to put down a corresponding knight, a robber,  monk, or a farmer. When an area is complete, it scores points for that player. The rulebook was rather confusing and our group sought further instructions online. The basic principles seemed easy, set down tiles and try to get the most points. I believe our group might have been a bit hasty with our few wooden characters so the game got pretty boring when we were just laying down tiles at the end. I think the puzzle-like form was the most intriguing part of the game.

 

 

Theme Ideas

1. Spoiler Alert – Card Game
   Spoil movie plots and twists with your friends. Cards include movies, Spoilers, and actions. Each player receives a movie card, 2 spoilers, and 3 actions. Use deduction and luck to guess the movie each player has. Play spoiler cards to eliminate other players. Use action cards to steal, look, or remove other players cards.
2. Neon Highway – Board Game
   Travel the space highways of Metis, a galactic metropolis full of wonder. Played in the dark, this glowing neon board, glow in the dark dice, and cards help players maneuver through this distant city. Although the city is full of excitement, the natives do not like outsiders. Travel through the city and avoiding giving away your cover. Collect riches and souvenirs along the way.
3. Mirror City – Board Game
   A board that can be used on either side. Choose daylight and you play cops and robbers across the board. Choose night time to play detective and suspected serial killer. Follow the board throughout the city and choose to catch the killer or escape being caught.
4. Dynasty – Board Game
   It is now your land and your colony. Choose your animal, skill, class, and mineral to build your ranks and take over more land. Pick up cards along the way and play ones that benefit your colony. Who will be the next dynasty?
5. Crowded City
   Played similarly to Battleship and Guess Who? Two players sit opposite of each other with a towering building/city in-between. Place your characters throughout the city out of your opponents view. Guess the area and the correct character and the last one left in the crowded city wins.

Game Reviews

In Takenoko, players must grow bamboo in the emperors garden and feed the giant panda. Each player must tend to the garden, feed the panda, and add plots in order to complete objective cards and gain points. The game ends when a player reaches a set number of goals. Overall I thought the theme of the game was cute and lighthearted, but the mechanics seemed slightly random at times. I personally had a hard time learning all the rules and understanding the use of all the pieces. If given more time to look at the rules I would say it’s a good gateway game. The theme is original but not too complex, and the players have luck, interactivity, some ease of learning, and a replay value.

For Eight-Minute Empire we did not have the English rules so we looked up and used what we could find on the game. I do not believe we played it correctly but it was still an interesting idea. The game is obviously supposed to be face paced and uses an exploring-like theme in which players move their armies across a map to take over as much land as they can. Players must use their tokens to buy cards to use actions in the game. When eight cards have been played the game is over. I believe it could be a good gateway game in aspects of its simple theme, ease of learning (with the correct rules), interactivity, luck and replay value being quite high.

Pandemic is a co-operative strategy board game with the theme of violent disease outbreaks all over the world. Each player has a role and special strengths to help fight the outbreaks. through the different decks, actions, and cities players must fight the outbreak and stop the spread of infections. The only reason I could see Pandemic not being a gateway game would be because of the complexity and slight learning curve.

Chess Board Game Ideas

1. A Piece of Cake
   Players start with an 8×8 square chess board. Roll a die and go to the square with the corresponding number or a multiple of that number. Each turn, a player must remove a square from the board itself. Choose your steps wisely.
2. Players start with a 2×2 square chess board. The game includes action cards, a die, tokens, and player pieces. If a card reveals an action such as roll the die. The player must roll and place their player piece on the board corresponding to the die roll. Board squares include instant death, resurrection, one token, or a shield to protect you for one round.
3. Sushi Master
   The game includes 4 4×12 square chess-like boards, 48 sushi pieces (flat round graphic discs), and a deck of cards. 2 to 4 players can play and start by choosing their preferred sushi roll. Each turn a player must pick up a card and complete the action. The first player to fill their sushi board wins. Players could use real sushi if desired.
4. Lactose or Intolerant
   Players start with a 6×6 square chess board, choose a dairy token, and pick up a card each turn. There are 3 decks. According to the square you go to, pick up a card for the deck labeled the same. You can only take 4 hits of dairy before you’re eliminated.
5. Musical Square
   Players work with an 8×8 square chess board and decks. Players land a square of the same numbered deck and must answer questions on the musical genre. The first player to collect 5 cards wins. Musical genre decks include rock/alt, pop, international, country, classical, rap, jazz, and metal.

Game Reviews

Dominion is a card game in which players must build their decks and use their current hands to their advantage. We started the game very skeptical of the many decks and purposes of cards. As we played we each slowly pick a strategy of cards we should buy or get rid of. The pacing of the game seemed well divided between the beginning, middle, and end of gameplay. We start slow in order to learn the rules and grow confident in the system by adding cards to our decks. The middle of the game seemed to be when we ran out of the first or second deck of cards. The end felt near when each player started scrambling for estate cards before the third deck ran out. No one really could tell who was the winner until each counted their estate cards.

Munchkin Gloom is a card game whose theme is a miserable story for each character. Players goals are actually to kill their own characters before the other players. This humorous game can be fairly competitive and fast-paced with each player only having 4 characters to kill. Each action card and retaliation card adds an interesting storyline or twist that makes the game a fun experience.

Card Game Ideas

1. Mind of a Serial Killer
   A murder-mystery card game that requires deduction and chance. First, you receive a character card in which determines your strategy and goal. Second, a player chooses a crime/story card. Keep your identity to yourself and complete your goal first. 3 or more players are needed.
2. Camp-or-Die
   A game of chance and elimination. Each player is a camper and must complete activities to win. Players have to avoid elimination cards that might that might prevent them from these activities. Cards include activities, badges, accidents, deaths, and actions. 2 or more players are needed.
3. Carnival Recruit
   It’s your first day on the job at the local carnival. As a new recruit, you must perform mediocre tasks to qualify for a better position. Compete with players to advance to a new job/ride, and who knows…maybe you could run the place. Each player starts with 5 cards and 3 tokens. Use tokens to buy tasks. Recieve tokens and a new job when you complete a task. The more difficult the task the better the job and more tokens you receive. Each round you can either buy a task, use an action, or pick up another card. Use action cards to give yourself an advantage over other players. 2 or more players are needed.
4. Stranded
   You’re stranded on an island and can either build a shelter or build a raft. Choose wisely because both have their consequences. Each player starts with 5 cards and collects 1 card each round. The players must collect the numbered/textured card according to their chosen survival strategy and must lay them out in the right order. You must do this before dark. A timer is set for 5 mins. When the timer goes off each player receives a problem. You may lose a card, have to reset, switch seats, etc. Reset the timer and begin a new day.
5. Pioneer
   Build your world and become a successful pioneer. Each player starts with 6 cards. According to the card, you may need to roll between a certain number or a specific number to gain money. Use the money to build structures in town. Each structure you build gives you a higher status. (I’m not sure where I want this one to go…)

Game Reviews

Star Fluxx had sci-fi themes from popular movies and tv shows. The Fluxx game was very involved and constantly changing. The game began as very difficult and complicated to understand but evolved to eventually become competitive and fast-paced. As my group played we had shifts in strategy, momentum, and rules that added a risk factor.  The challenge was to complete a goal to win as the game is constantly, shifting in rules and actions.

Love Letter plays on strategy and risk as you act as a potential love interest of the princess and compete against other players to win her affection tokens. With only sixteen cards, one must deduct what cards the other players have in order to give their letters. The game seemed fast paced because it was quick to learn and there were few cards.

Hanabi is a group effort card game in which players team together to play a series of cards in a certain order to set off a firework display. This game was rather complicated because each player couldn’t see their own cards but they could see the cards of other players. We had to follow the actions available and try not to light the fuse early. The game was interesting but it did not hold my attention for too long and seemed counterproductive. The game involved memory, deduction, and group cooperation.