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No joking around in the opening today. Let’s state a fact, one that we should celebrate. It feels right now like board gaming is hitting a peak. It’s a great time to be in the hobby. There’s a seemingly endless stream of high-quality games to choose from, far too many for our bank balances and shelves to handle. And with so many out there, all tastes are catered for, a wide variety of themes and styles to suit all manner of hobbyists. You want horror? Sci-fi? Fantasy? You name it, it’s out there.
We can’t keep on top of every single release and Kickstarter, right? But sometimes we get a second chance, so let’s start with a couple of Late Pledges…
The Last Command
This is like the cool sci-fi movie the ‘80s never made.
I blame Battlestar Galactica. Even though it was a load of rubbish (admit it, the original series is borderline unwatchable now), the spaceships were beyond cool. I’d even pretend my BMX was one while pegging around the streets (the imagination has always been waaaay out there). So this one’s an automatic tick for me. The Last Command from Sentient Games is a ship-duelling deck builder for one or two players that should take up to an hour to play.
It’s us or them, so let battle commence!
You will draw a card from one of two decks, System and Crew, it’s up to you which order and when. You’ll play System cards to upgrade your ship with special abilities, and if you pair these System cards with the appropriate Crew you will gain additional bonuses. There are dozens of unique abilities, meaning the combo possibilities are huge. You’ve got dual-deck building, then, mixed in with effective worker placement and resource management. After all, it’s not easy running a spaceship, especially under fire… Wanna know more? Of course you do, so head right on over here and get that Late Pledge in before you miss it a second time.
Grimcoven
Sometimes you want a meaty campaign. Sometimes you want the full experience of living within a fantasy world, the exploration the dead ends, the conversations with NPCs, the gradual progress towards the final confrontation. Other times, you simply want that cheesecake right away. You want to cut to the chase. Never mind the fact that the journey is more important than the destination and all that malarkey, what you want is boss battles. You’re tough enough, you can take it. (After all, Capcom made a whole videogame series out of this notion with Monster Hunter).
Here, then, if you can handle it, is Grimcoven from Awaken Realms. This is a miniature-based boss battler for 1-4 players set in a dark Victorian universe. You are part of a coven of other hunters who venture out on modular boss battles. Each character has a distinct development tree you can use to upgrade your abilities. Build and execute your unique combo, such as teleporting into any space on the map, gathering lament, gaining extra dice, and firing up a devastating attack on the boss. Sometimes a special electricity die will help you power up your armor, while at other times, you will forge magical bullets to be fired at the right moment.
Each game will see you choose from multiple arenas, bosses, elites, and possible adventures. Instead of following a scripted campaign (because we're too tough to waste time on exploration and conversation), dive right into a boss battle for an intense 2-3 hour gameplay session. Every boss offers a unique gameplay challenge, and bringing them down will be tactically demanding. You must work together and take full advantage of the arena and its resources to achieve your goal.
During combat, strategically use dice allocation to move around the board, fire up different combos, and gather lament to grow in strength. Build your character in roguelike fashion and try to claim the ultimate prize. Collect too much lament, however, and you may turn into one of the beasts you were sent to hunt, with your fellow hunters unable to help you in time! If you think you’ve got what it takes, then make your way to this page.
Cities
Sim City was a life changing game. If you were there with an Amiga in front of a little square tv, then you know exactly what I mean. It started a genre that’s always been tons of fun. Days of life have been lost to these games. Days. It got even worse when we discovered that you could summon Godzilla to stomp all of your hard work into oblivion. Great fun! The opportunity to play something like this in board game form, then, is too tasty to resist.
In Cities from Devir Games, you’ve been tasked by the city council to put together a plan to transform a whole neighborhood in the city. You have the opportunity to build new housing, office buildings, parks, and leisure areas near the waterfront. It is in your hands to make the city a better place.
Cities is a city-building game in which you draft the best projects and arrange them in your own playing area. Designed by Steve Finn and Phil Walker Harding and illustrated by Jorge Tabanera, it allows games for groups of 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, lasting about 40 minutes. With action and resource draft mechanisms, it will give you the opportunity to visit the cities of Sydney, London, New York, Barcelona, Rio de Janeiro, Lisbon, Mexico City, and Buenos Aires. Can you design the most magnificent neighbourhood?
This is available to order now. No crowdfunding early pledges, late pledges, whatever. Take a look and place an order here.
Crown Battles
It’s happened again: the King’s popped his clogs. They never seem to last very long, do they? Probably got something to do with sitting on his arse all day scoffing all the roast hog and mead that his slaves – sorry, staff – keep bringing him. He should have done more exercise, the lazy oaf. Perhaps try walking to the kitchen and making his own meals? Too late now. The throne is empty, the crown is left wanting, so guess what? Yep, there’s going to be a battle.
Crown Battles is from Ant Fun Games and is a trick-taker for 2-8 players. The battle is played over a number of rounds determined according to player count. For example, a two or three player game will be played over 10 rounds, four players over eight rounds. In each round you will receive a set number of cards which increases as the rounds continue. This is also predetermined. You will start by receiving two cards, then four, then six, then eight, and so on. A spin will determine the trump card suit.
In each round, you first predict how many tricks you will win. Then, after the card play, you check the battle outcome against your prediction: If it is correct, you gain a bonus and points for each trick you win; otherwise, you lose points. After playing all the rounds, the player with the most points wins the battle and the crown! If you’re a sucker for trick-taking games with great card art and interesting special abilities, then this is the place you need to go.
Merchant’s Quest
You’ll be a good, decent person like me, so the art style of SNES RPGs will fill you with the warm and cozies. Merchant’s Quest from Shandur Games, looks like a 16-bit world you’ll want to explore, but without the ever-present fear of random battles!
Listen up, merchant, you are running out of time! Once Winter sets in, you will not be able to run your wagon on the trails. You only have 20 days (turns) to earn as much money as possible in a new, unknown kingdom. You'll be accompanied by up to 5 other merchants all trying to take advantage of the wealth within these lands.
The board is divided into 3 separate regions, all offering unique opportunities. There's a lowlands, in which you'll find villages eager to sell the last of their produce (and an occasional thief who'll ruin your day), there's the mountains which are tough to pass but may hide lucrative gem mines, and then there's the highlands where you can sell your resources for a profit, if you find the right village. Every time you play, these features and more will be in a random order on the bespoke neoprene mat, which makes every play-through a unique adventure.
Throughout your voyage, you will travel back and forth between the different regions trading resources from village to village. The best prices are reserved at the castle, but be sure to time your arrival perfectly, for once you enter the castle you will not be able to return. Leave it too late, and you won't get in. The merchant who accumulates the most wealth by the end of the last day will be crowned victorious.
I’ve recently had the pleasure of playing a preview copy of this game, and it is quick and snappy and tons of fun. The unique neoprene mat with its 208 tiles does take a bit of effort to set up – make sure people do not abandon you to this task alone – but for me the ease of play, learning and teaching balances out the set-up time. I’m going to strongly hint that this is worth taking a look at, and then I’m going to direct you here.
Boblin’s Rebellion
Who or what is a Boblin? Sounds like the nickname for the weird guy in the corner of the pub who reckons he can get you anything you want, no questions asked, wink wink. Maybe that’s just the way my mind works. Turns out that he’s the star of quite a few games and started out in the Dungeon Drop series from Phase Shift Games. The thing with Boblin is, he’s got another plan, right? He’s after the throne (a bit of a theme today). He’s got himself a horde of goblin buddies and he’s persuaded them (with a mix of wild promises and good snacks) to tackle the goblin king and his troll guardians. He can’t manage this with bog standard gobbos, however. He’ll have to train them to become Stalkers, Stabbers, Slingers, Sparklers and Screamers – which sounds like a really fun bunch to have at parties.
1-4 players can dive into this engine builder and try their hardest to manage the most raucous resource of all – goblins! They will undo all your hard work if you let them. You’ll conquer key rooms as you push through the dungeon, learning new tricks as you go, but your mad army is reckless and clumsy. They will overuse and destroy rooms you’ve conquered, so it’ll be a real balancing act if you’ve got any chance of winning.
Also included in the box are two mini-expansions: Terrible Trolls and Hero’s Help. There’s even a full set of heat-printed goblins and trolls for Dungeon Drop, so there’s some good value for money in this package. Want it? You can get it now! Go here, and keep those ruddy goblins in line.
Get these links bookmarked, people, because I am merciless and I will be back in a week’s time with more games you’ll struggle to resist. You have been warned…
