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You and me, we’ve got a trust thing going on, so I’m not going to lie to you: I’m battering this week’s episode at the last minute. I mean the very last minute. I still haven’t got a clue what I’m going to write about. It’s not going to work out well. I mean, leaving it to this late stage means I’m probably only going to find one or two games at best to write about, so it’s going to be a really short article. Sorry.
Although…
I think I’ve found more than one or two.
Flock Together: Birds of a Feather Eggspansion
Chickens are great, aren’t they? You can fry them then slap them in a bucket. You can stuff them with stuffing then stuff them in an oven. They make some good soups (but how do they stir the pot with those little wings haha). They even pop out eggs that you can eat while you wait for your chicken to roast. Turns out, we aren’t their only predators. They have enemies down on the farm… but the chickens ain’t gonna take it no more.
In the base game your chicken forages for food, lays eggs and grows into a full-grown warrior. You'll use your resources to attack your foes, but if you can grow as the seasons pass, so can your enemies. You'll have to work as a team to defeat them and gather the loot. This expansion provides an extra player board, taking the game up to 6 players, 6 new chicken books with a full backstory for each new hero, six new predator books and brand new loot drops. There's also extra weather cards, a chicken die, extra tokens and cheeples (chicken verions of meeples, obviously, and they're great).
The chicken and predator books - as with the original - will help you keep track of your hero and their upgrades (I kinda want to get into Flock Together for these smart little books alone). This expansion takes the number of chickens available to choose from to 17, which is a cluck of a lot of variety and gives loads of replay options. Each has unique in-game abilities, so choose your chicken warrior wisely. The Kickstarter still has a couple of weeks to go, so flutter on over here to see ‘feather’ or not it’s the game for you (ooof).
Inori
Some board games are things of beauty (okay, to us hobbyists they all are, but let’s not lie and pretend we don’t have a favourite child). You play them not just because they’re a great game, but also because they’re sooo good to look at. And when a game description contains words such as ‘foliage’ or ‘sacred’ or ‘spirits’ then there’s a good chance a game will have artwork that’s on point. If only there was a game with all of those words…
In Inori Valley, villages are built under the foliage of an immense sacred tree and coexist with benevolent yet jealous Spirits. Each year, the chiefs of the villages make offerings to the Spirits and erect Altars in their honor on the Great Tree. Receive the most Favors from the Spirits and become the Keeper of the Great Tree at the end of the year!
Inori is a fast-paced worker placement game offering an accessible and engaging experience. Now, you either love or hate made-up words (big fan here), so brace yourself for this one: it’s being presented as a coomperatition game. Confused? Bemused? It’s a blend of competition and cooperation, wherein you’ll have to shift strategies as the game progresses, figuring out when is it best to work with others and when is it more advantageous to go your own way while making offerings to the spirits of nature. You can make collective offerings, but the question is whether or not you personally will benefit from the divine intervention? It’s harmony or rivalry, and the choice is in your hands.
The artwork is gorgeous in this one, and it’ll look amazing on the table. Want it? Go get it! Follow the link, my friends.
Estate: Raise the Realm
How wonderful are the rich and privileged, eh? They work their bums off in a supermarket or in social care or on a tech help phone line, and they earn their way towards a fine plot of land with a twenty bedroom mansion – all en-suite – and a whole bunch of people they can order round. But they’ve earned it! It’s not like they simply inherited that great big property from a family line that’s passed it down through the years, an inheritance that comes from war or oil or lucky investments. Oh, wait a minute… You know what? Don’t sweat it, I’ve got a way for you to pretend that life’s given you a winning hand.
Estate: Raise the Realm from Grod Games is for one to five minutes, and should take around 20 minutes per player, and considers itself a fast-paced gateway Euro – not too heavy then, but if you’re a fan of Euro-style games this could be a great choice from bringing family and friends deeper into the trap… I mean, the hobby with you.
Each player will take on the role of a Noble Leader that has been bequeathed an estate with a team of workers. Your goal is to build an Estate that would be the envy of all the land. At its heart, ESTATE is a gateway Euro game in which players choose to use their workers on one of four actions performed in the course of each turn to develop their estate and score victory points.
This one’s in the final stages of its crowdfunding campaign – it’s passed the target, but there’s plenty of room for you to get involved as well. Here it is.
Masters of Crime: Shadows
It’s lovely in Amsterdam. Well, it was until you showed up, you criminal ratbag. There’s so many sights to see, landmarks and galleries and museums, but you’re about to shatter the peace and break into the famous Bachmann Gallery and steal a mysterious painting. To do this, you’re looking for a team in Amsterdam’s underworld that will lead you to success. You’ll also scout out the gallery, hack security systems and inspect building plans. Can you plan the million-dollar robbery of the century and pull it off as coolly as the charming Hollywood villains?
Masters of Crime: Shadows is a one to six player mystery game which should take around three or four hours to complete. You’re scouting out the gallery in order to steal a famous painting – but to do that, rooms must be examined, security systems hacked, and puzzles solved. There are many ways to steal a masterpiece. Which one will you choose? In addition to the game material, the internet is also an important part of the game: Google Maps, extra websites, and clever online research help with this exciting adventure in Amsterdam.
We like a bit of variety here at the Board Horde, so this one’s for you anti-establishment types. And if you fancy taking on the challenge, grab yourself a copy right here.
Ultimate Voyage – Final Quest of the Treasure Fleet
Ships? Treasure? The Seven Seas? Sign me up! Danger? Ah, now that’s not so much my kind of thing. A lot of danger, you say? Okay, perhaps I’ll wait for the next ship. What’s that you say? I’ve already signed up… There’s something factual in that, I’ll admit it, but look, I’m probably not
the crew member for you. Perhaps we could cancel that contract… Ah, we’re already sailing. I guess I could swim back to port, but I’ve got this thing where I swim like a stone…
Ultimate Voyage – Final Quest of the Treasure Fleet from Little Monk games is a medium weight exploration game for one to four players which should take up to two hours to play. Journey back to 1431 AD, Ming China, and stand alongside Admiral Zheng He in the final expedition that once enforced the Ming tributary system. The seas have been silent for nearly a decade, dissent whispers through the court, but can you seize this last opportunity to craft the most captivating tale of your travels?
This is a thematic expedition game wherein you’ll choose to sail, trade, engage in combat, explore, negotiate and construct during your turn. The aim of your voyage is to bring back Profit and Prestige. You’ll have open and secret objectives to complete, and also a porcelain tower to build, which will be the ultimate display of your achievements. The various characters you can choose from have their own back stories, abilities and starting resources, so there should be new interactions and different strategies every game. Replayability is increased by the four different paths to victory, the four different endgame triggers along with random setups, events and encounters.
Just one week before this one sets sail – and it’s already fully funded (I try to select projects that look most likely to be fulfilled), so head on over to Kickstarter and get your pledge in.
Ultimate Treehouse Deluxe Edition
One ultimate isn’t enough this week! I’m here to deliver the best of the best, and today I’m giving you the opportunity to create a treehouse of legendary stature!
So, how you gonna build it? Why, you’ve got a crew of animals. What else were you expecting? Okay, so a bunch of rodents and stuff aren’t going to be ideal craftspeople, but that’s where you come in! You’re going to crack that whip, get those furry butts moving! Wages will be docked if this project isn’t completed in time, that’s right you damn squirrels, no nuts for you unless… What’s that? Employment laws? Well, of course we’ll treat our furry little friends nicely. I might even let them have a break…
Ultimate Treehouse from Fat Brain Toy Co. – created by Kate Hunt and with artwork by Tristam Rossin – is a whimsical resource management and tile placement game for 2 to 4 players, should play in around an hour. Play action cards to collect materials and give yourself advantages, then spend materials to build exciting additions to your treehouse. Add the essentials, like doorways, windows, and a ladder. Make it comfortable with a stove and a hammock. You can stick in a swing, an observation deck, a slide, and even a zipline! But plan carefully… Some additions are worth more Victory Points than others, and inclement weather could ruin everything. Whoever can think ahead, prepare for the worst, and accumulate the most Victory Points by the end of the last day wins the game! Easy to learn yet thick with strategy, Ultimate Treehouse is an engaging adventure the whole family will enjoy. It’s right here waiting for you if you’ve got the irresistible urge to live the dream.
Chickens, ships, treehouses, robbery, there’s something there for all tastes, surely (‘Don’t call me Shirley,’ cries the audience). A decent selection for a last minute gathering of new, recent and upcoming releases, and it’s not even half of what I discovered while rooting around. You want more? Not today, me dears, we’ll spoil ourselves. I’ll hold some for next week, just in case I mismanage my time again, and we can enjoy them together!
