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There are so many games we're dying to play after lockdown that we've had to do two parts! If you haven't read part one click here and come join us for part two when you've finished. If you have read part one then you know the drill- we miss playing games and here's what we miss the most.
Rob Wright
Of all the games I want to play after the lockdown, it’s a game that brings people together and unites them in a common cause… all before turning them against each other and blowing the whole lot to pieces. I’m talking about Dune, the re-re-release with tweaks of the classic seventies board game, re-released in the eighties for the David Lynch movie (with Toto, body bags, Sting in a posing pouch and all) and now re-re-released again for the upcoming Villeneuve re-re-re-imagining (with Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin and nobody to fill Sting’s posing pouch as yet).
Taking its inspiration from the seminal novel series (I got as far as God Emperor of Dune, which I considered quite enough, thank you very much), the game is an asymmetrical strategy with betrayal and fragile allegiances built into the very fabric of the game.
You play as one of six houses, each with their own victory condition but all sharing a king-of-the-sandpit win condition as well - gain power by gathering ‘spice’, the fictional drug that the whole galactic empire is built on, be you a living computer, an oracular reverend-mother or a space-folding space guilder, build armies by trading spice and fight or befriend your foes, but beware, because even your most loyal subject could be a traitor.
The elements are against you, with storms sweeping the planet surface, the planet is against you, with Giant Sandworms devouring all in their path (except for the Fremen, who have a deal with the almighty annelids) and you can’t even trust the weapons you take into battle as they may end up nuking the Bene Gesserit out of you (seriously: if you use a lasgun against a shield, it’s goodnight Manhattan, but if you’re Harkonnen… that’s kinda the point) – it makes Paranoia look like Mr Roger’s Neighbourhood. After re-uniting with all my friends, I just can’t wait to alienate them all again…
John H
Can’t wait to get Lords of Vegas to the table when we get out. I have been trying to get my hands on a copy of this for over a year and finally managed it just as my group stopped meeting immediately pre lockdown. Since then it has had multiple run outs with the family and now I want to put it front of my gamer friends.
It has been worth the wait to get. It's everything Monopoly ought to be if it weren’t awful. There’s solid economic foundations: gaining lots, building casinos, gambling on what type of casino will pay-out and reinvesting your money on more and/or bigger. There’s also the right dose of luck as you gamble on rolling casinos' dice with the hope of upping future pay-outs. There’s some take that too with sneaky takeovers through shrewd placement or lucky breaks after foolhardy expansion by opponents. And there also the free form negotiation which is the part which is a bit limited at home but will no doubt fly with my regular group.
I have played Chinatown (sadly out of print) which is phenomenal too, and all negotiation, really. But I think I prefer Lords of Vegas for the element of push your luck it brings to the mix. Oh, and I love the paper money, adorned with the faces of the Rat Pack – a touch of class. Can’t wait.
Louis Noble
Dear diary. I have no idea if anyone will ever see this - I hope they do, as it will mean that society has established some semblance of normality, after the dreadful crisis that our world now knows. I sit here at my dining table, surrounded by board games I do not know if I will ever play again, and in some cases, if I will ever play at all.
When all this is over, when normality returns, I hope I will get to play that brand new copy of Clinic Deluxe Edition, or my relatively recent purchase of Dinosaur Island. My kickstarter copy of La Stanza still stares at me, unplayed, envious of the attention other games on the table have already received. Underwater Cities waits patiently for the New Discoveries Expansion, and I imagine it will be a longer wait still.
However, there are two games which I hope to see played. I am part way through the Maracaibo campaign with friends, and we would like to continue. It’s not the campaign that I am keen to get back to, and neither is it the opportunity to play Maracaibo which motivates me particularly - I am quite honestly just keen to see my friends again.
But if there is any one game I am really looking forward to playing, purely for the sale of playing the game, it would have to be Cooper Island.
I played it twice at Airecon (board game conventions - remember those?), which is unusual; I was only there for two days, so to play any game of that weight twice suggests that I felt it was something special.
Tile laying is not a game mechanism that would grab my attention normally, however, it integrates so well with the other aspects of the game, and does not dominate gameplay, unlike many other games with tile laying at the core. The fact that tiles are stacked in Cooper Island, which in turn affects resource production is unusual enough to make the game play even more interesting.
The wealth of other game ideas in this mean that there are many routes to victory - I am very keen to explore these more, to get a feel for how well they balance. This is why I hope Cooper Island will be the first game I play after the period of lockdown is over.
Carl Yaxley
I can't settle on "that one game" I'm most eager to play post-lockdown, my choice changes daily (if not more often). I miss the social aspect of playing Magic the Gathering (MtG) with my friends on a weekly basis. We've tried playing via Arena and over video conferencing. It's still fun, but I much prefer it when we can actually meet up.
I also miss meeting up with my other friends, family and regular gaming group for board game sessions. I'm looking foward to getting Commands & Colors, Formula D, and Great Western Trail to the table again - as well as Lords of Waterdeep, Village, Concordia, Power Grid, Ships, and Riverboat. I could easily list more! The majority of my personal game collection has flitted through my mind when I've thought about post-lockdown gaming. I'm stilling aiming to play all of my games this year.
However, there are three games that regularly rotate to the top of my to-play list: Puerto Rico, Orleans, and Terra Mystica.
Puerto Rico is a fantastic game and long time favourite of mine. I really enjoy the gameplay - the mechanics work so well together, to create a streamlined yet immersive strategy game. In particular, action drafting combined with the follow mechanic presents the players with some interesting decisions to make. The challenge is selecting the right action, at the right time - to maximise the bonus and limit any gain your opponents will get in following you.
Orleans is another (more recent) favourite of mine. I was introduced to it last year and took to it immediately. The bag building and worker drafting/placement combination is fun. I've only been able to get a few plays in so far, and am keen to try out other strategies.
Terra Mystica is one of the newest games in my collection, it arrived just as the UK was put in lockdown. Aside from being a brilliant game, my copy is un-played. That reason alone makes me want to play it!
Ryan Hemming
Before the UK was shut down, Airecon just scraped itself into our lives like an Indiana Jones-esque manoeuvre, under a closing stone door. This was the last sizable gaming event that I had the pleasure of experiencing and, besides a small two or three person gathering, the last gaming gathering I’ve had since lockdown. Don’t get me wrong, I still dabble with my housemate, but he isn’t a big gamer. This has left me yearning for some of my heavier titles once all of this blows over.
One of my top priorities is Scythe . For the two of you that still haven’t heard of this game, it’s set in an alternate timeline, in Eastern Europe. Mechs roam the battlefields and players vie for control of the land and the coveted Factory, which can enhance your empire. It’s a resource management and area control game, with a sprinkling of combat. It’s well regarded for good reason and if you’re only just learning of it now, you ought to check out our review.
Anyway, this game had picked up some serious steam in our group, and we had several members keen to get it out. I’d recently added The Wind Gambit expansion to my collection, which spiced up gameplay with more end-game conditions and the airship units with variable powers. I was on track to add Invaders From Afar to my collection, but, alas, that’s now on hold.
The other game in my sights is one of my new purchases from Airecon. Dune whipped up plenty of hype when it first dropped at the tail-end of 2019. Lauded for its asymmetric factions and challenging depth, I couldn’t resist. I’m a sucker for asymmetry. With my gaming group leaning ever more towards heavier games, I was certain this would be a hit. Sadly, I don’t think this is going to hit the table for some time. Looks like I’m now resigned to fawning over the instruction manual instead - how sad.