This wasn't a bad month of purchases for me. There was a fairly big list still, but at least most of them got played or were played before purchasing. This also the first game I'd backed on Kickstarter since May and have only backed one since then. This is my birthday month, so that could have made this month much worse. For that reason, I'm pretty proud there was at least some restraint.
Banned Words
I got this on sale plus a coupon. I really like the idea of this game. It's similar to Taboo if you know that game. One team has a word to try to get their team to guess within a time limit. The other team has a short amount of time to write down words that are banned for the clue giver. I believe the clue giver doesn't get to see the banned words list, but any time they say one the banned word is revealed to give the opposing team a point. Its a cool balance of what words you can give in clues and which will get banned. Sometimes the obvious clues are missed and available, so the obscure ones that you are trying end up giving the other team points. Very interesting.
Caverna: Cave vs Cave
2 player only versions of games have been doing well and we recently got hooked on Caverna: The Cave Farmers and liked it a lot. I could see us playing it more often if it were shorter and adapted specifically for 2 (although the base game is great with 2, but possibly "long"). It turned out that this is hit or miss with most people. It somehow came into our collection and didn't get played. I was sure that it would and am still baffled as of why it didn't.
Le Havre
:star::star::star::star::star::star::star::star::star::nostar: (9/10)
Le Havre is a game that I've actually only played with the app. I do own the game and find it very fun. With the random setup for the buildings, you really have to update your strategies accordingly. There are some hard choices with each turn you get. Gain the built up resources from the boats that are moving, or go to a building to perform those actions. I'm still not sure about the strategy of feeding and if taking out loans can be a good thing or should be avoided at all costs.
Loony Quest
:star::star::star::star::star::star::star::star::nostar::nostar: (8/10)
What a cool, silly, fun game. I guess I'd group this with the dexterity realm, but it has more to do with your spacial abilities. This is not to be taken too seriously. There is a map to navigate. You have a clear sheet to draw your path on and it will be in front of you, but the map is in the middle of the table. After the time limit, you take your sheets and place them on the map to see how well you've done. It makes for a lot of laughs. Seeing different paths and strategies i a blast and I've laughed at someone's rediculous approach... just to see it score more points than mine. Loved it!
Mint Delivery (Kickstarter backed)
I backed this project for a number of simple reasons without even having to play the game. This is a very inexpensive game. The designer did a wonderful job with Mint Works. They are very responsive and communicate with backers to keep them informed on the progress regularly. I really only have 1 other pick up and deliver game, so it will hopefully fill that hole nicely and give me a better idea of whether I should look at other games of that type.
NMBR 9
:star::star::star::star::star::star::star::star::nostar::nostar: (8/10)
I love, love, love tile laying games. This is a fantastic one. It's short, quick, and easy to play. The insert is great for setup and tear down, so it can be played in a flash. I thought that would allow me to play this often. We played a few times at first, but it isn't a favorite for my family. I enjoy it a lot though and would happily play it with anyone that wants to. The biggest complaint is for people that follow or duplicate someone else. I never found myself looking at anyone else's area until the end. They also have some promo tiles to make each players starting tile unique to keep that from happening.
Pit
I'd heard about this game from the Dice Tower contributors, The Family Showdown. They have talked about how exciting, loud, and crazy this game can get. I ran across a copy at a thrift store for chump change and picked it up without hesitation. We haven't played it yet. You are gathering up cards by drawing or trading to try to get all cards of a single type. There's also the infamous bell to ding once you've completed your set. Who doesn't like a good bell featured in a game, right? LOL
The Quest for El Dorado
:star::star::star::star::star::star::star::star::star::halfstar: (9.5/10)
WOW! This game is fantastic! Deck building is a huge hit with me and the people I play with the most. We really loved the twist of using that deck to move for a race rather than the typical battling themes. It does have some similarities to Clank!: A Deck-Building Adventure, but a much different feel and a true race game at that. The modular track is great and you are able to make the difficulty as easy or hard as you'd like. The setup and tear down isn't as fast as I'd like, but the game play is worth it and we have played twice in a row and just mix up the track. I can't wait to see what else they release for this game!
Roll Player
:star::star::star::star::star::star::star::star::nostar::nostar: (8/10)
I played this at the St. Louis, MO convention, Geekway. I enjoyed it and so did everyone else that played it with us. Unfortunately the theme is actually one that isn't interesting for my family. You are building up your RPG character to get the desired stats based on your goals. The biggest complaint is that you spend your time building up this character and then don't do anything with it, but the expansion supposedly fixes that. I'm worried that this game will never make it to the table for me and getting the expansion might not change that and dump more money into a game I won't get played.
Ticket to Ride Map Collection: Volume 1 – Team Asia & Legendary Asia
:star::star::star::star::star::star::star::star::nostar::nostar: (8/10)
I'd been waiting on the Ticket to Ride expansions for them to be on sale, discounted, or ding & dent. This was the last map pack we needed and it finally hit the discounted shelf. It was an OK version, but nothing very memorable for us. We haven't tried the cooperative side and I think that might help make it unique and interesting enough to pick to play. We have broken it out specifically to use the card holders that come with it though! What a great component addition! That alone made it worthwhile to have.
Las Vegas
:star::star::star::star::star::star::star::star::halfstar::nostar: (8.5/10)
My family absolutely loves this game. You are rolling dice, taking all the dice of one of the numbers you rolled, and placing them on the associated numbered location. There is money to be won at each location and whomever has the most dice there will with the largest amount, 2nd most... etc. There is also a tricky part of the game where ties eliminate those tied dice and can possibly leave the big prize to someone with less dice at that location. Easy to teach, play, and have fun with. A great filler game. Does anyone know anything about the expansion for this? We play this a lot, so I was curious about what it adds.
Werewords
:star::star::star::star::star::star::star::star::star::nostar: (9/10)
I'd heard a lot about how much fun this game and Insider was. They are very similar, but it seems that there's a slight edge to Werewords. It's basically a game of 20 questions (although not limited to 20). They've added in the seer and werewolf roles from One Night Ultimate Werewolf if you are aware of that. Both of those roles know the secret word along with the mayor that is the person answering the questions. The werewolf tries to lead the group away from the word, but the seer is guilding them to it. However, they can't be too obvious about it. When one team wins, the other gets a chance to identify the seer/werewolf. If they do, they steal the win away! It's also a great introduction to the One Night series of games.
Whistle Stop
:star::star::star::star::star::star::star::star::star::halfstar: (9.5/10)
I had this high on my anticipated game list this year. You are moving your train and building the board as you explore new areas. Picking up the rare and common cubes along the way. You'll deliver them to stations along the way to get stocks or the end destinations to get higher points and bonuses. There are other special tiles as well to get, trade goods or gain coal or whistles. It seems like the real focus of this game is around the stocks. The person with the most stock of each type gets a bonus 15 points which really adds up.