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Today, we turn the lens onto a blogger extraordinaire and lovely lady of board games - Favourite Foe. That doesn’t mean she gets away from the hard hitting questions though! I know she is a queen of roll/flip and writes so I’m interested to see how many she mentions. I’m also expecting a mention of some very pretty games, as she has a good eye for pretty game design.
What Is Your Favourite Board Game?
Wow, Kirsty. You don’t pull any punches. First question in and I am already on the ropes! Haha. This is going to sound like I am “lawyering” my response, but I do not have, and could never have, a single favourite board game. My collection serves so many purposes. It is my go-to place for when I am happy or excited and want to play with family or friends. But it is also my sanctuary when I am anxious and need the focus, peace, and certainty that comes with sitting alone in front of a game, free from pace or pressure.
As such, I have favourites for all occasions! What I can say is that, right now, one game I am really enjoying is Cascadia. This is a tile laying, spatial puzzle where you are trying to create habitats that suit the indigenous wildlife of the Pacific Northwest region of the USA. Each game has 5 species specific scoring objectives, and placement optimisation becomes more difficult as you develop out your terrains. It also has a simple to operate but smooth and effective solo mode, not to mention a cracking campaign!
What Game Would You Recommend To Get Someone Into Gaming?
I came to gaming very late in life, and I was introduced to the colourful, crunchy, and infinitely variable world of hobby gaming through Ticket to Ride Europe and Catan. Both are great games, and I still play them to this day (although I hope that my strategies have developed a little bit over the intervening years!). And I would probably still stand by Ticket To Ride as a great introduction or “gateway” game. It contains a good selection of mechanics that are present in so many other games, and none feel overwhelming when they come together. Card drafting, set collection, hand management, area control, networking, end game bonuses…..They all form a single experience and, as it is a euro-game, there’s no player elimination which can sometimes sour first steps into what we all love to do. And with expansions and different map packs, each with their own specific scoring strategies, further exploration into the hobby can be done within the comfort of a familiar game and basic rule set.
What Three Board Games Would You Play For The Rest Of Your Life?
Ouch! A KO question on which to end! Well, I plan to live long enough to take advantage of modern medicine turning us all into everlasting beings. So I guess these three games had better be good ones! Welcome to your Perfect Home would be one. With its huge number of expansions (all of which are in the box with my base game so they are of course included although none are technically needed!) and ability to play alone or with any number of players, this flip and write will give me centuries of gaming joy. My second has got to be Rummikub. This tile laying, set collection game based on the original card game, Gin Rummy, is such a gem. Its award winning gameplay sadly gets overlooked these days in favour of flashier offerings, but it is superb, and I am always up for a game of Rummikub! My third game choice would have to be Wingspan. This is an absolutely beautiful engine building, tableau creating, hand management game about attracting birds to different wildlife preserves. It is a game that my dear pal Hannah Blacknell introduced me to, and it was an instant love affair. With so many gorgeous illustrations to admire, calm but thinky decisions to make, a great Automa Factory solo mode, and beautiful components, I will never tire of playing with these beautiful birdies.
Well, as I expected, some very pretty games mentioned there. Cascadia is a game I am enjoying at the moment. It is a wonderful, relaxing and pretty game. The art on the Wingspan cards is also beautiful. My surprise is that there was only one roll/flip and write mentioned. However, Welcome To… is a great game, and one which Favourite Foe introduced me to. I agree, it is great there are several expansions. Each of these change up the game very slightly whilst still keeping the same fun feel.
I have enjoyed finding out a bit more about the board gaming brain behind Favourite Foe and I hope you have too. She has mentioned some cracking games which I would highly recommend checking out if any of them interest you.
Come back next month to find out more about the zatu bloggers.