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Even though I’m talking to you right now, I’m not here. I’m in Norway, trying to find out why someone such as myself is in a country that counts herring as a national dish. Actually, that’s not even true. I’m writing this before I go to Norway, pretending that I’m already there, although when you read this I will be there, possibly dangling from a ludicrously steep skylift whilst praying to a parade of deities, possibly ogling the little villages along the fjords and wondering how to move here.
The point is, I’m not around to see what you’re up to. Neither is anyone else. It’s just you on your own reading this. That means there’s nobody watching if you want to buy a new game, or add one to your Want/Need list, or do whatever you want. Go on, I’m not looking. Honest.
Mini Moons
There’s this big thing about space and exploring it and finding new planets to colonize because we’ve knackered this one. Okay, all very exciting. But how many things can go wrong with a rocket ship and things crashing into you and you crashing into things and the hypersleep units not functioning properly so you age like a hundred years or landing on the wrong planet and… nah, I’ll give it a miss. What’s that? There’s cats that need rescuing from a bunch of little moons? I’m in.
Mini Moons is self-published by Diego Teran and is a solo resource management card game that comes packed inside a mint tin. It’s quite amazing how much game is neatly stashed inside such a diminutive package.
There’s a retro vibe to the art style – it puts me in mind of the designs you’d get in 50’s and 60’s sci-fi movies, with a splash of cartoony colour from the cats you have to rescue (and you’d better rescue them, I’m watching you). The little neon tracker cubes give a suitably futuristic feel, and the way that the moons you visit are constructed out of the mini cards is genius. It won’t be an easy mission either, as those vital resources will drip away faster than you think…
I’ve had the pleasure of previewing Mini Moons, and quite honestly I’ve played products in much larger boxes with much less gameplay than this. Might I recommend a visit to the Kickstarter? Yes, I think I might.
Florence
Looking for something with a different, deeper vibe, something that will test your ability to influence others and work your own flavour of politics? Ever dreamed of currying favour with the ruling Medici in beautiful Florence as you struggle for positions of power? I’ve got the very game for you.
In the publisher’s own words: Florence is a Euro-style area control game in which the regions you want to hold change each round as the Medici move around the city attending various functions. Over nine rounds, each player dispatches family members to attend parties, give gifts, brag about their achievements, engage in spurious gossip, and muscle their way through crowds to get some valuable face-time with the Medici. The chief resource in Florence is time: As the Carnevale moves into full swing and the streets fill with revellers, they will become harder to navigate.
But by ensuring that your family is at the front of each queue and the most talked about (by meeting conditions of various "brag" cards), you gain valuable points to elevate your family's status. Each Medici is impressed only by a specific approach, and as the night goes on, they become harder to impress — which scores you more points for increasingly harder objectives should you do so.
Plenty of mechanisms to keep you busy here, and you can’t rest on your laurels if you want to be successful. With an evocative art style matching the grand theme, this could prove particularly absorbing for those with a politically strategic mind. Tell you what, pop over here for a closer look, why don’t you?
Speakeasy
I love the theme for this one. 1920s Prohibition? Oh man, this is going to look and play good. Once it’s on the table it will transport you into a glamorous (and lethal) movie world of goons and guns and people saying things like ‘Hey, yer a wise guy,’ in accents far better than I can do. So, what’s the beef? Lucky Luciano has divided Manhattan into different districts, each assigned to a specific mobster responsible for handling their "business" operations. Yeah, you're that mobster, and the operations are your 'business'.
Speakeasy from Eagle Gryphon Games is a worker-placement and card-management game in which you're looking to stand out from your rivals. It'll take all of your cunning and resources to stay ahead of the competition. As you improve your operation, become more infamous, and upgrade to more lavish speakeasies and even casinos, you'll attract the attention of the outside mafia and the police. You need to use your leverage to keep your business running and receive your share from Lucky Luciano. Your ultimate aim is to gain the biggest share possible. Why should you share the dough with them other chumps, huh?
You’ll hire goons to help you, and place them on illicit liquor runs to maximize your profits. You’ll cook the books – don’t want the taxman knowing what you really earn! You can attack and rob to gain additional resources. You’re going to be a busy little mobster.
Speakeasy should be live on crowdfunding as we speak, so head over here wiseguys and wisegals, and let’s see what yer made of.
Undaunted 2200: Callisto
It's the future. We live on Jovian Moon Base. The leading corporations that funded the foundation and building of the base have allowed greed to come between them. Protests have broken out around the mine which is intended to provide the rich with ever more riches, strikes bring work to a halt, contracts are broken. Basically, everyone is a bit miffed and on the verge of combat. It's the future, and it's just as bad as the present. We never learn, do we?
Undaunted 2200: Callisto from Osprey Publishing is a standalone game in the Undaunted series, which transports the core gameplay of previous games to a new science fiction setting. Play across stunningly illustrated map boards in two-player, four-player, and solo game modes. Navigate the barren lunar landscape, manoeuvre to seize dominant high-ground positions, and utilize your formidable mechs to gain control of Callisto and its precious resources.
This is a hefty game – each scenario comes with its own board – so you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck. There’s a lot of really positive reviews coming through for Undaunted 2200, with a lot of praise for the solo mode as well. So if you’re in the mood for a meaty game, head here and snag yourself a copy now,
Alpina
Space is all well and good – and we’ve been out there a couple of times today - but what about all the wonders we have on this here planet we call Earth? If you’re like me, you’re in constant awe of the world we live in and the creatures we share it with, and you might also wish the buggers would stay still a little longer so you can get a decent picture of them. This game will give you that opportunity!
Alpina from Helvetiq is a fast-playing game for 2-4 players in which you’ll grab your camera and photograph the wonderful animals of Switzerland national park. There you can find grass frogs, chamois, & spotted nutcrackers in a variety of landscapes (lakes, mountains & forests), each with their own scoring criteria. Players start with a hand of 6 cards and you'll place cards orthoganally ona grid creating a 5x5 landscape. Once you start placing your cute hiker meeples, any card with a hiker on it will score points according to the criteria on the card. Once the grid is finished, whoever has the most points, wins. You’ll have some decisions to make: are you placing a hiker this turn, are you placing cards to help your previously placed hikers score or will you try to block your opponent from scoring? This should turn out to be a fast-playing, nature themed, small box game with thematically beautiful artwork. Easy to learn, quick to set up, lots of animals, and ideal for family game night.
There’s a great offer going on this cute little game right here, so take a look!
Nature
Let’s continue the earth-bound delights theme with a game about all those lovely and cute animals we share the planet with. I mean, some of them are cute, others are rather more bitey and chompy aren’t they? And even the cute ones aren’t cute if you’re – for example – a beetle getting chewed on by a weasel. It isn’t just each other these animals want to nibble on: sometimes it’s us (which I find highly disagreeable). But it is there right to eat or be eaten and they’ve earned it through the challenges of evolution.
Nature from North Star Games is a strategy board game for 1-6 players where the goal is to adapt your species in an ever-changing ecosystem where food is scarce and predators lurk. You receive points for growing and sustaining a flourishing population. Your species must adapt to the changing environment amidst two threats: starvation and predation. The innovation of Nature is a modular game system that allows you to create and explore a unique ecosystem each time you play. There is no limit to the number of modules you can add. You can play Nature on its own, or combine modules to create over 20 unique ecosystems.
The Kickstarter is reaching the halfway point of its campaign, so you’ve got a bit of time to check it out here, where there’s plenty of information about what looks like a great game with plenty of replayability.
That should be a decent variety of themes and styles for you to choose from. While you’re doing that, I’m hanging off the side of a ship looking for whales (some fool has told me you can’t see whales in the Norwegian Fjords: I’ll be the judge of that). Chop chop with your game-buying decisions though, because I’ll be back soon with more…
