My lovely friends got me some gift cards for my birthday, and naturally, I spent a chunk of them on new board games. The conversations mostly went like this — friend tells me that he/she wants to get me a board game but didn’t know which one I already had, so he/she opted for gift cards. Yay!
It’s been a chaotic few weeks (personally and professionally), and I haven’t been able to purchase any new games recently either, hence the lack of posts. But I have done some gaming (not as much as I would like) and here are a few exciting new games I’ve gotten a chance to play recently.
It was great to get in some substantial gaming this past Friday and Saturday, as my weekly board gaming has been hit or miss because of cancellations and busy schedules. I didn’t actually play any games on Sunday, as I took the time to do some errands and watch Netflix’s Stranger Things. I seriously binge-watched all 8 episodes in one day. IT’S THAT GOOD!
I try not to buy too many 2-player games as it’s hard to get them on table, but when I first played Onitama, I couldn’t resist. Besides being gorgeously designed with an Asian theme, this game is compact, easy to learn and quick to play — all perfect elements to fill the time when waiting for others to join your game night.
Onitama plays about 15 minutes and comes elegantly packed into this long rectangular box. Inside, the game comes with a rolled-up mat, 10 player pieces (a Master Pawn and 4 Pawns for each player) and cards for game play. My friend asked if I had purchased this game because of the player mat, and that may or may not have factored into purchasing this game …
The goal of this game is to capture your opponent’s Master Pawn or move your own Master Pawn all the way to the other side of the mat into the center space. The game has a chess feel to it, planning your moves to avoid being captured.
Each person starts with their pieces on their side of the mat and 2 playing cards. A third playing card sits in the middle between them. On your turn, a player picks a movement and attack action based on one of the cards in front of them. Each card has an abstract design on a grid in which one pawn (Master or regular) can move. This grid represents the spaces on the mat. Upon taking an action on a card, the card moves to the middle and that player receives the card previously in that middle spot.
So each game has a total of 5 moves you can do. The cards just trade hands, and you can see what options your opponent has for this round and next. When you land in a space where an opponent has a pawn, that pawn is immediately captured and removed from the game. Also, you can never make a move that would cause you to fall of the board or into a space you already occupy.
And that’s the entire game. I love how each game is different, as the game comes with 16 move cards. There is also strategy involved in planning your moves out, while trying to avoid giving your opponent a move card that will hurt you. The components are sturdy, beautiful and perfect for those small pockets of down time, whether it’s just the two of you or you guys are waiting for others to join you.
Man, where did the time go? It’s already mid-July, and it’s still hotter than hell. I’m so ready for the Phoenix summer to be over! I’ve been staying inside a lot, playing board games naturally. Even amid all the Pokemon Go excitement (yes, I totally downloaded the game), I’m still not venturing outside too much, unless I really have to. And with that, there are two new games I’ve played in the past two weeks, and a couple oldies but goodies …
My two friends were in town last weekend, and we took a quick road trip to Sedona, Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon in northern Arizona. The state never ceases to amaze me in terms of scenery. It truly has some of the most gorgeous locations in the U.S. I posted a few photos on Instragram from the trip.
One friend left on Sunday afternoon, and the other on Sunday night. That left us with a few hours of chill time in between and, of course, some quick games. I busted out Patchwork since it’s a 2-player game and fairly short with a game time of 30 minutes.
My friend’s brother had a work party at his house last weekend, and he wanted to play board games. So my friend invited me and another guy as reinforcements to teach some games to about 20 people who don’t board game at all.
I loaded up my Big Frakkin Bag (it literally says that; it’s a Battlestar Galactica promo bag from the mid-2000s) with all sorts of party games and shorter games. My board-game friends did the same. We had no idea what people wanted and figured that it didn’t hurt having a lot of game options.
Many (many, many) moons ago, I graduated from college with an English degree. Naturally, Shakespeare has been a big part of my life, so when I saw this game at BGG Con last year, I purchased a copy. I loved the colorful artwork and was intrigued by the bidding and action-management mechanic of the game. Fast forward six months later, it’s still sitting on my shelf, waiting to be played. Shame, shame!! (Oh, wait, that’s Game of Thrones).
I recently stopped by to see my family in the LA area during my trip out to Gamex during Memorial Weekend. I decided to step back down memory lane and take photos of some of the games I used to play growing up that were still sitting on bookshelves.
Full disclosure: I only got into heavy euro gaming about five years when I was given my first gateway game, Ticket to Ride. Growing up, it was all about party games (and a few of those Girl Talk board games at sleepovers), and my sister and I had tons of fun playing these games with other family members.
Strategicon holds its board-game convention three times a year in LA. I had so much fun the last two times I went (at Gateway and OrcCon) that my friend and I decided to make the trek west again.
Over the span of the 3 days I was there, I played 12 games, one that lasted 11 hours. (We left early Monday but the con continued until late that afternoon). It was a great mix of personal favorites and learning a whole bunch of new ones. Brace yourself, folks, there’s a lot of photos ahead …