2018 Game Reviews

[xixstar]

How about an ongoing thread for all the games you play this year? A spin off on the holiday review thread, but more ongoing.  Feel free to add your own reviews of any new-to-you games you've played this year or even a game you've played before that you'd love to share with everyone else. 

This is brought on because I attended a small, local game convention where I got to try our several games new-to-me. My daughters, ages 9 and almost 8, also went and they had a great time as well trying out new games and meeting new friends.

I will post one comment per game to make replying/asking questions a little easier. I'm also including links to the games on boardgamegeek for more information and reviews. I was going to add amazon links, but I have noticed the reviews there don't always reflect as well on the game as they should. That and some games are not listed on amazon at all.

[xixstar]

Thurn and Taxis  -- https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/21790/thurn-and-taxis

 

This game was somewhat similar to Ticket to Ride. Instead of building trains, you’re building postal routes and post offices in Bavaria and surrounding areas. You are competing to get the most points while completing specific length routes and you can work on your routes independently of what other players are doing. Compared to Ticket to Ride, there isn’t really any blocking involved, though you can take a route card that you think your opponent need but if you're then not able to play on your own that turn, you’ll lose your entire route. Playing just to be spiteful does not seem like a successful strategy for this game (helpful if you have someone that likes to play against others more than for themselves). You’re also competing to get certain bonuses first as well to help you get more points. 

 

 

The overall theme was nice with attractive artwork, fast enough game play and nice enough game pieces. I would happily play this with friends, anytime, and would probably only buy it if I found it at a steal of a price. It is fairly quick to get into to start playing, which, as the weekend went on, I discovered is it’s own special benefit.  I think it took us about an hour and maybe a little more to play — I wasn’t tracking time at this point. 

note: I only played this one time, so this isn't a definitive review of the game, just a first impression. 

[xixstar]

Kerala: The Way of the Elephant -- https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/191055/kerala-way-elephant

 

This game was a demo game at the convention and has beautiful artwork and playing pieces. It is an abstract, puzzle sort of game where you’re building on your own area while selecting from a pool of available tiles your opponents are also selecting from. You're trying to build out your area so that you have all 5 colors but each colored area is connected, you can lose point for having disconnected color areas. There are 2 basic tiles: colors tiles worth various points or movement tiles that let you move either a previous placed tile or your elephant. Did I mention it is a beautiful game, especially if you love elephants? I’ll have to find a internet photo to share of the game in play, I forgot to take one.  The tiles have a really nice feel to them and I love the colors.

 

 

So there is some thought/strategy going on and luck as to what tiles are drawn. You can select tiles to prevent opponents from getting a better tile, but then you also have to be able to make use of the tiles still available to you. Overall, it is an enjoyable game. It is pretty and also quick and easy to get set up and going, so probably a nice game to play with someone new to games or if you’re short on time. I think it takes about 30-40 minutes to play one game. 

[xixstar]

Ice Cool - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/177524/ice-cool

 

 

I didn't play this but my kids spent hours doing so. I think one game runs about 40 minutes, just a guess (mentioned by poster below: it depends on how well you can flick your penguin so more plays will speed this up dramatically and 40 minutes is probably worst case scenario and factors in teaching distract-able children too). One child even requested it for a birthday gift, so it was quite popular with the kids. The game board builds out into a large square “school†and you flick penguins through doorways to get fish and try to not be caught by the hall monitor. It is a cute game, but it feels like a novelty game to me and I would not want to own it because I’m not convinced that it will not hold up over time as a game played almost entirely buy children. Maybe some adults would like it, but I am not a huge fan of dexterity games.  Also, it hurts my fingers to flick things and one of my children agreed, but yet, she was still happy to play it again and again.

ETA: my time estimate is probably way too long.

Edited January 16, 2018 by xixstar

[xixstar]

Santorini -- https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/194655/santorini

note: I only played this once, this is mostly just a first impression reaction.

 

This game was on my buy list for Christmas this year, but I went with another game and after playing this one, I’m glad I did. This was a nice abstract game and it has a great base game option and then you can add enhancements, which I think is great for learning to play and then varying the game play later. My kids really enjoyed this and probably played it with another child for over an hour. 

 

The woman that taught me to play argued it’s really a good 2 player game though there are option for 3-4 plays, she insists that 2 player is better. So, I didn’t play it with more than 2 but maybe the kids did. It’s super simple in concept - your turn only involves two steps: move 1, build 1. You win when your player reaches the top of a 3-tier tower. Sounds simple but can be quite a challenge to actually win, depending on your opponent.  Once you have the base game down, there are cards that add different powers to your player to allow another level of game play - I didn’t play with the cards to test it out and playing with the cards is argues to be a whole new game, almost.

 

 

Why I’m glad I didn’t buy it? I am not sold that it will be a long standing game in terms of number of plays. I really only want to buy games that I am sure will get played again and again and again. I think this one will get a LOT of play for a couple weeks and then it will probably fall out of favor, But also, these types of abstract games aren’t my favorite kind to play (I’ll be honest, I mentally struggle with spatial/strategy games in general, so that colors my view a lot). Reviews online state that adding the cards/god powers really open the game up more, especially for 3-4 players, so I probably need to give this a try with those cards and maybe more players too.  

Everyone I talked to that owned the game loves it, so maybe I'm the odd one out in not loving it. One kid thinks it just alright and one really liked it. 

[xixstar]

Photosynthesis -- https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/218603/photosynthesis

note: this is a first reaction based on a single game play.
 

What an absolutely beautiful game! The game pieces are beautiful, the colors are great, the theme of the game is awesome! And, right now, I would not buy this game, at least not yet.  

I played a 4-player version of this game with all players that hadn’t played before — there wasn’t much set up time needed to get going, the game play is fairly simple, we did not use the advanced rules. We all agreed that we we underwhelmed by the game and consensus was that it might now be a good 4-player game, that may have been the problem. I did not try this again with just 2-3 players, maybe that will revive it, I so wanted to love this game. I think my kids could learn to play this game, always a point I’m considering about games.

 

 

Did I mention it was beautiful? Yeah, but that didn’t save it. I kinda felt like the game just felt stale the entire time. We all expected a little development or deepening as we went on and it actually seemed to get less enjoyable as we neared the end of the game. I really wanted to love this game and maybe it can be saved with another trial run with just 2-3 players or maybe the advanced rules help because this game gets lots of positive reviews and all four of us were not feeling the love - so again, we decided 4 players was too many. Oh but I love the way the game looks, I really want to love it…. 

[xixstar]

Via Nebula  -- https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/191231/nebula

note: this is a first reaction off a single game play.
 

Another beautiful game - awesome colors and artwork and game tokens. This game made me smile just looking at it, and thankfully, playing it did to. Another gamer suggested we play this one after I’d commented on how much I love beautiful games and it was a pleasant reward. I think, of all the games I played, this one is probably the one I would be most likely to buy. It is the most accessible to new gamers while also having all the elements that game-y geeks will enjoy. 

 

The purpose to build castles with resources you have to collect and collect winning victory points. It didn’t take long to explain this game and total game play was probably just an hour? It was getting late into the evening so my sense of time was getting skewed.
 

I loved all the components of this game - the little wood meeples ( there were piggieeples? Oink oink) and the game pieces. It has some elements of cooperation without being a cooperative game. It also isn’t really set up to sabotage other people, you’re really working to be the first to complete the tasks. 

 

 

I think my kids could also play this game - I would say it’s fairly similar to Settles of Catan in overall concept, though you don’t have the whole card collection or rolling for resources aspects, the resources are on the board. And it’s also set up so that you can get penalized if you start taking resources you don’t need. Lots of fun and beautiful to play.  

[Alice]

The best game we got at Christmas was Revolution. https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/34887/revolution

 

Each round you bid on different people who you want to influence to your side. Whoever wins that person gets points, plus some other things that help you get points in the end. It’s fairly easy to understand. My eight year old very quickly got it. There is a good amount of strategy as you have to kind of guess what other people will bid and figure out how best to use the resources you have. But it’s not super long like some strategy games.

 

I have one kid who loves games like Catan and Risk. And one son who will play them but gets really distracted if it’s too complicated and who doesn’t like to sit for a game that goes more than about an hour. This one can be played in an hour or slightly less which was just about right. The other nice thing was that everyone is doing something every turn so there really isn’t any time when you are sitting and waiting for your turn (like in Catan). 

[happypamama]

I want to go to a games convention — that sounds so fun!

 

Pyramix — This is a relatively simple game that doesn’t take long to learn or long to play, but it’s a lot of fun. There are many avenues for strategy — do you take more lesser items that may yield big in the end, or do you take fewer greater items, especially if it means your opponent can’t get them? Offensively or defensively? No reading involved, so the 6yo can play, even if he doesn’t understand the nuances. And it comes with a triangular pyramid shaped board — what’s not to like about that?!

[xixstar]

Istanbul - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/148949/istanbul

note: first reaction based on a single game played.
 

First, I played this with two expansions. After playing it and after seeing the base game layout without the expansions — I would *not*recommend learning to play with two expansions. However, now that I’ve used the two expansions, I can’t imagine playing the game without them but it was a steep learning curve (and maybe it could have been easier). I played this one late at night when I was already quite tired, but my kids were moving into hour 5 of D&D and I had more time to kill.

 

The player introducing this game to my explained every card before starting, I was confused by the middle of the explanation and lost by the end (did I mention it was very late?). I played with 3 other players and I was the only one new to the game. This is one reason it would be better to learn on the base game, it's much smaller and less to know (and do). I missed the story behind the game which stole some of the fun of the game, all I knew was that I needed to collect 6 rubies to win — when I mentioned this lack of knowledge to some other gamers the next day, they all laughed and said that “a guy collects 6 rubies†is the story of the game. I still think I should read the text in or even on the box. 

 

So, you might think I didn’t like that game, but nope - I loved it. After multiple turns where I was feeling completely stupid, getting frustrated and a little snippy with people, and thinking I was absolutely stupid to learn a new game so late in the night, it all finally clicked and I saw lots of potential and finally had wrapped my brain around the game - and then it ended. There are lots of elements to the game, lots of things to do, ways to interact with other players and ways to win — again this was with two expansions, so it had ALL the options. The game pieces were great to play with, wonderful feel and artwork, and we played with upgraded coins which were even more awesome, but at a price tag of $40 for coins like that — umm, I’m probably never going to get any. You play until one player gets 6 rubies, so you can keep your eye on the other players to know how close they are to winning and adjust your strategy accordingly.  

 

 

I would buy this game in an instant… if the price were right, which it may never be because I'm frugal. It may end up on the big wish list for next year’s Christmas. Other bonus, I think that my kids could also play this game well - starting with the base game and working up to expansions. My almost-8yo might struggle a little, but honestly, I think she’d get the hang of it after playing 1-2 times. It is a little longer without being crazy long, probably 1.5-2 hours? But a lot of that was teaching me how to play (that could have been a lot faster if we’d just started to play and let me learn as I go).   

[xixstar]

Dinosaur Island  -- https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/221194/dinosaur-island

note: again, first reaction based on single game play
 

You’re building your own Jurassic Park! The colors on this game are a little ridiculous, hello 90s theme! It’s intentional but it also feels a little over the top and silly… but, the bright colors is why I walked over to this game to start with. I got to play with a fancy kickstarter version with all the bells and whistles, so I’m kinda afraid to see what the base retail game looks like because it was the little dinosaurs and other game elements that I liked so much. 

 

This game has a lot of elements going on, lots to do and factors to consider, but was not too much or impossible to learn. The teaching time to get started was long - I’d guess almost 30 minutes was spent just explaining how to play but once you have all of that out of the way, the game play increases greatly. I think this one would be fun to play multiple, multiple times because there is so much you can do and the game comes with some many variations and plot changes, you’re never playing the same game twice. It also has a solo player feature.  You play rounds until you complete 3 of the 4 objectives, the end can come on abruptly if you’re not paying attention to what other players are doing. Oh - the other great thing with this game is that it has settings to play a shorter, medium or longer game — such a smart idea!

 

 

I played with 3 players (it can go up to 4) and it worked great. It was neat to see what the other players were doing and have my own little plan — though my plan failed and I didn’t come close to winning. But now that I know how to play, I have a better understanding of how to win (maybe). This game plays with DNA, builds attractions, build dinosaurs, balances security/excitement/threat levels — your patrons can get eaten by the dinosaurs, but it’s okay, more people will still show up the next day.  This was a lot of fun, I would be happy to own this game if I could fit it into the budget.  As for kids, I think my 9 year could possibly play this game. I think the almost-8yo would get bogged down in all the details. But they’re both a little borderline - it might really need 1-2 more years for them to be able to play it competitively.  

[xixstar]

Outlive -- https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/191051/outlive

note: first impression from a single game play
 

I was excited to play this, hoping I had found a game that DH might like the theme enough to play. The basic concept is that you’re post nuclear attack and are building the best fall out shelter/community in order to be rescued in 6 days. I like that this game has a set length, you’re not unexpectedly thrust into the end of the game, you know where you are and can sense how you’re stacking up against other players as you go along. It had some great elements of selection to help you custom your strengths when you get started and also as you go along. I played with 3 other players and enjoyed the pace of the game, it didn’t feel too long though some people could take a little while to take their turn - analysis paralysis they call it - but that is probably because 3 of us were learning the game.

 

This game had many factors you had to manage - being able to feed everyone, protect yourself from radiation fallout, find resources to repair items, and deal with negative events/actions. There is some interaction with other players, you can attack/"pressure" them but it’s not really designed to be a game of attack, I don’t think. You are working to make sure you meet your needs and “attacking†someone else only works in certain situations and is usually only done because they just happened to be where you needed to be - going out of your way to attack someone seemed illogical to me because you don't have enough moves to waste an action.

 

All of the elements in the game seemed to really add to the theme and the game I was playing (another fancy kickstarter version) has great pieces that helped you mentally “stay in the gameâ€. I am not sure if DH would like the one, or not - maybe - there are a lot of things happening in the game. I think my girls would be able to play this one in another two years, maybe at 10 or 12? I felt like it was on par with Dinosaur Park with how to you have juggle many aspects, but in this game, if you do something wrong, the people you rescue might die, so you have more to lose in this game. I think there are many options to have a varied game each time (I think Dinosaur Island has more variations possible) and I think it had a single player option too.

 

I would be happy to own this one, even if it isn’t my usual “beautiful†genre of games, but only if DH will play with it with me — and I can find someone else, from time to time, to play too. I think it’s the way the game has a set length that makes me like this one as much as Dinosaur Island. The cost of the game will probably prohibit me from buying it anytime soon since it is a newer game, I believe. 

[xixstar]

Jaipur  -- https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/54043/jaipur

 

 

I didn’t play this, but watched a new friend learn to play it. It’s a two player game, no reading involved at all, and has a fun and simple concept of play of trading or selling items to get the most points. It seems simple enough to teach quickly and interesting enough that you can really play some fun games with it. I liked that is has cards and tokens and that you play it to the best out of 3 rounds. This was a cute and quick game, currently on my wish list, that I would be happy to own.  I think my kids would enjoy playing this one too.  I will probably buy this one within the year. 

[shawthorne44]

Splendor

 

https://www.amazon.com/Asmodee-ASMSCSPL01US-Splendor-Board-Game/dp/B00IZEUFIA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1516111503&sr=8-1&keywords=splendor

 

Simple rules, interesting strategy.   Rules:  Every turn you either collect some gems, or use gems to buy cards which have permanent gems and maybe points.   First person to 15 points wins.  

It says 10+ for the age, but my 7-year-old loves it.   Reading isn't really required.  The cards are soooooo pretty.  To some extent you are doing your own strategy and other people are doing theirs.   But, then they take the card that you were going to buy, or take the gems you wanted and then *hmrph* you have to change gears.   I bought this with my Christmas money and we've averaged at least one game a day since it arrived.  The cards that come out are different for every game, so the game is different.  

 

I too would love a game convention.  

 

[school17777]

Mexican Train Dominos

 

I got this game on sale after Christmas because up to 8 people can play. We like Phase 10 and it sort of reminds me of that game, but everyone is on the same “phase†each round. We played a couple of times so far. It took us a couple of rounds to figure out all the rules.

[xixstar]

One of my kids got this one for Christmas and it's been a big hit with kids and adults. Our games don't run anywhere near 40 minutes, more like 15. Since each round runs until one of two goal is accomplished how long it takes depends on how accurate you are at moving your penguins. Like mini-golf I can see it taking a very long time with little kids.

Great point - yes, it depends on how quickly you learn to flick the penguin and the ability of the players. I never watched how long a game took after the first learning game. 

[xixstar]

We went to another gaming event and played some more games!  I mostly played with my kids at this event and we got to try several new game.  So, lets get started...

Ticket to Ride: Rails and Sails -- https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/202670/ticket-ride-rails-sails

 

This was our first game of the day, I played with the 9yo and 7yo. It is quite similar to Ticket to Ride with new maps - it includes a double sided map for two game play variations, added ship routes and harbors. We started setting up The World map when a passerby commented on our early morning dedication to jump right into a 2.5 hour game; another passerby mentioned that The Great Lakes map was easier and shorter — so we switched over to the shorter map.  

 

This map had destinations that could be completely cut off by another player — much sadness was expressed when this was discovered, maybe our main game does too but we’ve yet to encounter that. Rails and Sails has a unique feature where each player selects their starting ratio of trains to ships - -something that will impact the routes you can build as you go on. We went with the beginner suggestion in the rule book and I would like to play again making my own selection and seeing how that impacts my play. 

 

Being new to this game, it was hard to keep track of ship cards and train cards and multiple times each of us tried building a route with the wrong cards (i.e., trying to build a train route with ship cards); I’m sure additional play would ease this confusion.  Overall impression, we all really enjoyed this. Seeing as how we like Ticket to Ride in general, this would be a fun addition to add to our collection but I won’t be running out to buy it anytime soon only because there are other amazing games at the top of my list.

[xixstar]

Splendor - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/148228/splendor

 

Second game of the day, again still playing with the 9yo and 7yo, was Splendor. You’re basically buying resources or resource cards in order to be the first person to get 15 points and win. This sounds relatively simple, and it is, but we all enjoyed it. I think we like the tactile weight of the gem and gold tokens the most, but it was still a fun game to play. In general, it seems like a fairly quick game, though some folks started their own game next to us and were still playing almost an hour later, I think. So - it depends on the players.

 

 

The girls were able to play this again successfully with a 8yo and 6yo (the game is probably rated at 10+) and they had fun together. Throughout the day, I think that together we played 3x (twice in the morning and once in the evening) and 2-4 more times with other children. Charlotte wants us to add this game to our collection - hopefully we will at some point. I’d be happy to own it and would like to play with others with a little more strategy involved.  

[xixstar]

Camel Up . - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/153938/camel

 

Third game, my kids and I were on quite the roll of playing together… I had seen a youtube review for this game, so we gave it a try. It took a bit to figure out how to play, learning a new game from the rule book (versus a video) is never my favorite. The con was too loud to watch the video I tried on my phone.

 

You are at a camel race track, betting on which camel is going to win (or lose). There are a few actions you can take, taking/placing bets, moving the camel forward, adding positive or negative actions to the race track. You’re trying to get as much money as possible. 

 

The game has a cardboard pyramid that will dispense the camel dice, kinda a gimmick, and the copy we were playing was already showing a fair amount of abuse and it didn’t work well. A laser cut or 3D printed version would improve the game experience. 

 

The game ended earlier than it should have (we earned very little money despite bidding well) because the girls frequently opted to move the camel instead of bidding or taking other actions. Also, it would have been more fun if the kids had a stronger understanding of probability. Honestly, I’m sure another round of play would have greatly improved their skill level but the first game was a little disappointing. The girls played this with other kids and adults later in the day and were able to teach it to everyone else and would be happy to play again. 

I liked the game, would be happy to play it, but would not be willing to spend the money on it, it feels a little too gimmicky to me. 

[xixstar]

The Palace of Mad King Ludwig - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/223278/palace-mad-king-ludwig

 

Finally - I played a game with other adults (mostly - one older kid joined in). This was a demo game and no one knew how to play when we started but we did have someone explaining it to us. You’re building the most amazing castle every with interesting rooms and are trying to complete rooms (by connecting rooms to all the doorways) to earn special favors. Everyone is building on the same castle. 

 

This game has the hallmark of something I’d love - lots of little pieces - but it felt a little tedious and boring. It is a tile placement game and there are some elements where each player is working towards bonuses (some group bonuses and some individual ones) and such. There are bonuses for having the most or the least of certain elements. The end comes when you run out of rooms to build or if the ever encouraging moat overtakes the castle. 

 

 

Like I said, this game felt a little boring to me and too tedious to keep track of everything. I wouldn’t turn down playing, if it was the only game available to play, but it won’t be on any wishlists of mine.  

[xixstar]

Potion Explosion - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/180974/potion-explosion

 

Back to playing with my kids! I was excited to see this in the game library. Having seen a video review in December, I wanted to buy it for  Christmas if it weren’t for all the marbles. In my house, if the marbles hit the floor, who knows what inaccessible place they’ll roll to.  

 

For this game, you’re setting off chain reaction explosions and building special potions. There is the selection of ingredients (all the marbles in the rack) and you select one marble to remove. If, when you remove a marble, two or more marbles of the same color crash together, you get to collect those ingredients. If another set of same-colors marbles hit, again, you can take those (hence the chain reaction option). 

 

The marbles/ingredients are used to complete portion recipes.  Each potion has special powers you can use on a later turn. You’re trying to get the most points from completed potions and also by earning skill tokens too. 

 

 

I have this game on my phone and I enjoy trying to figure out the best was to get as many ingredients (that I need) as I can. It is more fun in person and I would happily own it if we had carpet to reduce the travel pathway of dropped marbles. The kids played it a couple more times during the day and begged for me to buy it multiple times.  

[xixstar]

Codenames and Codenames Pictures - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/178900/codenames

 

I got to play with adults again, yay! This would be a fun group or party game that doesn’t take long to explain.

 

You can play in two teams and there is an assortment of cards with words or pictures laid out with some of the cards belong to each team and one card belongs to the assassin, selecting the assassin card will lose the game.

 

One person from each team is giving their team one-word clues to help them select the words or pictures that belong to their team while also hoping they don’t accidentally guess the assassin card or the opposing team’s cards. You're trying to find a word that can apply to several of the cards without applying to the wrong cards too.

 

I played both as a guessing team member and as a hint-giving member. I found it to be a fun game and something I’d be happy to play at mom’s night and I think everyone would enjoy it.

 

This isn’t a game I’d opt to play in any other situation. I think I like the pictures version better, but it felt easier to find one-word clues to give on the pictures than finding hints for the word version. We also played a couple rounds that combined both words and pictures.

 

 

This also seems like a game that would work better with teams that know each other well enough - but maybe not. I played with a group of friends that all knew each other and frequently played together (I didn’t know anyone) and the reason I didn’t like being a guesser was because I wasn’t as assertive as I would have been within my own circle of friends with my guesses.

 

[xixstar]

Carcassonne - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/822/carcassonne

 

This is quite the iconic board game and my first time every playing it. Apparently this game is the origin of game “meeples†- little wooden game figures. It’s a tile laying game where you’re trying to earn the most points by building and controlling roads, farms, cities. You can sneak into other people’s territories to ether share their points or to take over completely. It took about 30-45 minutes to play. It’s clear that a lot of strategy can be involved in this game and there are expansions available to extend the game play.

 

 

This was a fast and fun game to play - I played a couple rounds with two other players who were well versed in the game. It was quick to pick up but it will take me a few plays to improve my strategy.  Later in the night, I showed the girls to play and they picked it up quickly and enjoyed it too.  I’d happily play this one again and would be happy to own it as well.  

[xixstar]

Nmbr9 - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/217449/nmbr-9

 

 

This is an abstract puzzle game where you’re trying to fit together various number pieces, selected at random based on card play, and trying to build layers of numbers on top of bottom layers. I dislike this kind of game because my spatial skills are severely lacking. It’s a visually appealing game, the pieces feel nice, but I wish it had the ability to snap pieces together because checking to see where I wanted to place my next number tile would often bump the lower number tiles and everything would get shifted and messed up. I played it 2-3x and pretty much disliked every round.   

 

Edited January 28, 2018 by xixstar

[xixstar]

World's Fair 1893 - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/178336/worlds-fair-1893

 

This game came home with us, so we played it the day after the convention. The concept is that you’re building exhibits for the 1893 Worlds Fair and I really enjoyed it. I saw this at the last convention and had added it to my wish list.

 

It’s a beautiful game with great artwork on the cards and it has some nice game pieces like the ferris wheel game board the the blue ribbon tokens.

 

I played with the 9yo an 7yo and they picked up on the game fairly quickly, though the 7yo did have a greater disadvantage with strategy as she didn’t pick up on subtle planning she should have done. The kids really enjoyed reading all the cards in the game and were excited when they’d come across a historical figure they had read about in other books or in school.

 

The game is designed for 2-4 players but feedback from convention attenders is that it plays best with 3 players. The box said 45 minutes but I think it took us more than an hour — however, we were playing all-in with the theme and reading almost every card out loud.

 

 

This game was a lot of fun and I look forward to playing again.

 

[Farrar]

Nmbr9

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/217449/nmbr-9

 

I really, really liked this one. We got it for Christmas this year. We're fans of games that are good for quick play - we like long games too, but the quick ones tend to see a lot of use. One game takes about 15 minutes to play of this. Another nice benefit is that everyone plays their turns at once (like in 7 Wonders) so there's no waiting for others to do their thing to take your turn. You're basically trying to build up pentamino like tiles in the shape of numbers to score more points. The higher you build, the more points. You draw cards to determine what tile comes next (you play each number 0-9 twice). You have to fit the tiles down entirely on top of other tiles. At the end, you deconstruct your tiles and tally your points, which makes for a little bit of nice, quick math - I've needed a whiteboard for it, though people are really good with mental math may not - the scores tend to be in the hundreds, but not higher than that.

 

[xixstar]

Nmbr9

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/217449/nmbr-9

 

I really, really liked this one. We got it for Christmas this year. We're fans of games that are good for quick play - we like long games too, but the quick ones tend to see a lot of use. One game takes about 15 minutes to play of this. Another nice benefit is that everyone plays their turns at once (like in 7 Wonders) so there's no waiting for others to do their thing to take your turn. You're basically trying to build up pentamino like tiles in the shape of numbers to score more points. The higher you build, the more points. You draw cards to determine what tile comes next (you play each number 0-9 twice). You have to fit the tiles down entirely on top of other tiles. At the end, you deconstruct your tiles and tally your points, which makes for a little bit of nice, quick math - I've needed a whiteboard for it, though people are really good with mental math may not - the scores tend to be in the hundreds, but not higher than that.

Your score comment made me laugh - I think the highest I got was 62 and my others games were even lower. This is not my skill area at all so for me it isn't fun - my kids did enjoy it. And I agree, fast games often get more play and everyone playing at once is a nice game element, no getting bored during someone else's turn. 

[Farrar]

Your score comment made me laugh - I think the highest I got was 62 and my others games were even lower. This is not my skill area at all so for me it isn't fun - my kids did enjoy it. And I agree, fast games often get more play and everyone playing at once is a nice game element, no getting bored during someone else's turn. 

 

I thought it was funny that we had different takes. To be fair, dh is also spatially challenged and he was like you - his pieces kept moving and he didn't love it. But the kids and I did. I think our scores were mostly from about 70 or so up to 200 or so. An amount that can get tricky if you're not ace at mental math.

[Lady Marmalade]

 

Dinosaur Island  -- https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/221194/dinosaur-island

note: again, first reaction based on single game play

 

You’re building your own Jurassic Park! The colors on this game are a little ridiculous, hello 90s theme! It’s intentional but it also feels a little over the top and silly… but, the bright colors is why I walked over to this game to start with. I got to play with a fancy kickstarter version with all the bells and whistles, so I’m kinda afraid to see what the base retail game looks like because it was the little dinosaurs and other game elements that I liked so much. 

 

This game has a lot of elements going on, lots to do and factors to consider, but was not too much or impossible to learn. The teaching time to get started was long - I’d guess almost 30 minutes was spent just explaining how to play but once you have all of that out of the way, the game play increases greatly. I think this one would be fun to play multiple, multiple times because there is so much you can do and the game comes with some many variations and plot changes, you’re never playing the same game twice. It also has a solo player feature.  You play rounds until you complete 3 of the 4 objectives, the end can come on abruptly if you’re not paying attention to what other players are doing. Oh - the other great thing with this game is that it has settings to play a shorter, medium or longer game — such a smart idea!

 

 

I played with 3 players (it can go up to 4) and it worked great. It was neat to see what the other players were doing and have my own little plan — though my plan failed and I didn’t come close to winning. But now that I know how to play, I have a better understanding of how to win (maybe). This game plays with DNA, builds attractions, build dinosaurs, balances security/excitement/threat levels — your patrons can get eaten by the dinosaurs, but it’s okay, more people will still show up the next day.  This was a lot of fun, I would be happy to own this game if I could fit it into the budget.  As for kids, I think my 9 year could possibly play this game. I think the almost-8yo would get bogged down in all the details. But they’re both a little borderline - it might really need 1-2 more years for them to be able to play it competitively.  

 

 

My brother bought the all-in Kickstarter for Dinosaur Island and brought it home over Christmas break.  We played it four player and absolutely loved it.  LOVED it!  It was easy to pick up and it really felt like a board game version of Jurassic Park.  It was so fun, and I couldn't stop laughing when one of my dinosaurs eat a customer!

 

They have started to trickle out that they will be putting an expansion on KS this spring that will include water dinos.  My brother said that they may offer a deluxe version that includes the original release.  It will cost a pretty penny I'm sure, but I definitely want this one in my collection.  

[callapidder]

A couple games played today...

 

First up was Fabled Fruit with my husband and 11-year-old son. https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/203427/fabled-fruit

 

This is a game that will change each time we play it, which fascinates me. I look forward to seeing how it evolves.

 

In essence, you place your player token on a card (called a "location") in order to take the action written that card. All of those actions are aimed at obtaining or trading for various "fruit cards" -- the currency of the game. For example, "Draw two fruit from the deck" or "Give a banana to a player of your choosing. That player must give you two other fruit of their choosing."

 

Over time, you collect fruit cards with the aim of using them to purchase "fabled juices." A juice might cost 3 coconuts and a strawberry, for instance. 

 

Game ends when one player has purchased four juices.

 

The interesting thing is that as juices are purchased, new "locations"/action cards are introduced to the game and old ones are gradually phased out. These alter the game more and more over time. So for example, after we play two more times, we might no longer be able to choose the action "Draw two fruit from the deck," but we will have new, different actions from which to choose.

 

This is a short and light game, but one we look forward to playing quite a bit.

Edited January 29, 2018 by callapidder

[callapidder]

Next up was Cottage Garden with my husband. https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/204027/cottage-garden

 

My son beat me at this game earlier in the week and chose to sit this one out. However, he couldn't resist popping in and offering my husband helpful hints, since it was his (husband's) first time playing.

 

In Cottage Garden, you work to fill up "garden plot cards" with Tetris-type pieces (polyominoes). As you complete garden cards, you score points based on how many visible flower pots and how many  visible plant covers are on the card after all the squares of dirt have been covered with the polyomino pieces. There is an interesting selection method for the polyominoes. They are chosen from a grid in the center of the table. On your turn, you may only choose from a given row, the row being determined by a marker that moves predictably around the grid, one space per turn. This allows you to plan ahead as you fill your garden cards, but can cause me to freeze up a bit as I try to plan too far ahead.

 

Cat tokens and flower pot tokens can help you fill in stranded dirt squares as you go.

 

I love this game and play the app on my iPad regularly. My husband wasn't too sure about it, so we'll see if he gives it another chance or not.

Edited January 29, 2018 by callapidder

[xixstar]

My brother bought the all-in Kickstarter for Dinosaur Island and brought it home over Christmas break.  We played it four player and absolutely loved it.  LOVED it!  It was easy to pick up and it really felt like a board game version of Jurassic Park.  It was so fun, and I couldn't stop laughing when one of my dinosaurs eat a customer!

 

They have started to trickle out that they will be putting an expansion on KS this spring that will include water dinos.  My brother said that they may offer a deluxe version that includes the original release.  It will cost a pretty penny I'm sure, but I definitely want this one in my collection.  

Please share if that happens because I am absolutely interested in this game. I'd be willing to spend actual money on a game, versus my usual buying everything at the absolutely lowest price I can find. 

[shawthorne44]

 

Splendor - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/148228/splendor

 

Second game of the day, again still playing with the 9yo and 7yo, was Splendor. You’re basically buying resources or resource cards in order to be the first person to get 15 points and win. This sounds relatively simple, and it is, but we all enjoyed it. I think we like the tactile weight of the gem and gold tokens the most, but it was still a fun game to play. In general, it seems like a fairly quick game, though some folks started their own game next to us and were still playing almost an hour later, I think. So - it depends on the players.

 

 

The girls were able to play this again successfully with a 8yo and 6yo (the game is probably rated at 10+) and they had fun together. Throughout the day, I think that together we played 3x (twice in the morning and once in the evening) and 2-4 more times with other children. Charlotte wants us to add this game to our collection - hopefully we will at some point. I’d be happy to own it and would like to play with others with a little more strategy involved.  

 

 

We are still bonkers for this game.  Have played it multiple times a day.  

[xixstar]

We are still bonkers for this game.  Have played it multiple times a day.  

That is great to hear - I'm so disappointed that I let a friend convince me to buy a different game for my dd's birthday that I didn't like when she is now asking for splendor. But to be fair, this is a game I'd prefer to be "family game" versus owned by a specific child. I'm just sad to miss out on the excuse to buy a game.

[shawthorne44]

That is great to hear - I'm so disappointed that I let a friend convince me to buy a different game for my dd's birthday that I didn't like when she is now asking for splendor. But to be fair, this is a game I'd prefer to be "family game" versus owned by a specific child. I'm just sad to miss out on the excuse to buy a game.

 

I'd suggested the game when my mom was looking for ideas for DD's Christmas presents.  Mom isn't used to paying that much for a game, so she went with another idea.  I bought it with MY Christmas money, so it is my game.  

[shawthorne44]

Please share if that happens because I am absolutely interested in this game. I'd be willing to spend actual money on a game, versus my usual buying everything at the absolutely lowest price I can find. 

 

I had no idea I had a brain-twin.  

Tell me you like men in kilts.  

[Lady Marmalade]

 

Black Fleet was one of our Christmas games this year.  We really like it! It played great as a three player game, which is a requirement for us as usually DH does not join us in our gaming.  However, we thought he'd like this one, and the complexity really ramped up with that fourth player.  It plays well as both a 3 or 4 player game.  Also, the components are fabulous- love the little ships and the metal coins in the game.

 

Game on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Asmodee-SCBF01ENASM-Black-Fleet-Game/dp/B00KU13E5M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1517244465&sr=8-2&keywords=black+fleet

 

The basic game play is very easy to pick up.   Each turn you use a movement card that allows you to move your Merchant Ship, Pirate Ship, and the communal Navy Ships.  Everyone gets to move the navy ships on their turn, so where you want them to go may not be where they end up going.  Your merchant ship is attempting to move cargo from point A to point B, while your pirate ship is attempting to run into other player's merchant ships to steal the cargo.  Once stolen, it's a race for the pirate to get the treasure buried before a navy ship can interfere and send the pirate back to a beginning port.  Delivering cargo (or burying it)  to its destination yields the player coins, which get traded in for advancement cards.   The game ends when one player has managed to flip over all their cards triggering the end game.  The winner is either the only person to get all their cards flipped, or if other players manage to flip on their last turn, the winner is the one with the most coins.  

 

There are also fortune cards that change things up for a turn, giving players unique abilities for that turn only.  The game, overall, is a great gateway game for someone really wanting to get into more complex board gaming.  I think it's a touch more difficult than Ticket To Ride, but not at all as complex as Catan with regards to strategy.  I think you could probably play this game with ages 8 and up, depending on the child.  The box says 14 and up, but I think my nephews could play it with no problems. 

[vonfirmath]

Nmbr9

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/217449/nmbr-9

 

I really, really liked this one. We got it for Christmas this year. We're fans of games that are good for quick play - we like long games too, but the quick ones tend to see a lot of use. One game takes about 15 minutes to play of this. Another nice benefit is that everyone plays their turns at once (like in 7 Wonders) so there's no waiting for others to do their thing to take your turn. You're basically trying to build up pentamino like tiles in the shape of numbers to score more points. The higher you build, the more points. You draw cards to determine what tile comes next (you play each number 0-9 twice). You have to fit the tiles down entirely on top of other tiles. At the end, you deconstruct your tiles and tally your points, which makes for a little bit of nice, quick math - I've needed a whiteboard for it, though people are really good with mental math may not - the scores tend to be in the hundreds, but not higher than that.

 

I've gotten a chance to play 7 Wonders twice and *love* it. We unfortunately don't own the game -- my sister and parents do. But my son REALLY wants to play it when we have it available and even my 6 year old daughter played this last time. (Trying to remember if she played with someone) It's a longer game. But even when you feel you are falling behind, at the end it all comes out okay because all the different methods of acquiring points are actually valuable.

[6packofun]

We bought Potion Explosion for Christmas and really enjoy it.  

 

Next game, bought and played is Red Flags and it cracks us up.  Basically like Apples to Apples, only there are cards with good qualities and cards with red flags.  The premise is that you are setting everyone up with long-term dating relationships.  One person is the judge who is getting matched.  Everyone plays two cards with good qualities.  Then, in a second round, everyone gets to throw a red flag on the person to their left, and then the persuasion to pick your match ensues.  The combos are pretty hilarious.

 

Example:  My pick for you..."Owns your favorite museum" and "is a hot barista" BUT..."doesn't know the difference between your and you're"

 

OR  My match for you..."Has beautiful eyes" and "you will never get sick as long as you're dating" BUT..."sold your pets on Craigslist"

 

OR  This person..."Creates shelters for the homeless" and "is completely blind to all of your flaws" BUT..."has ____ for hands" (and you get to fill in the blank!)

 

*We got the nerdy expansion for this and it's great.  LOL

 

The creator of this game also has one called Superfight! which is similar gameplay only you create characters with certain powers or abilities or even problems and the judge has to decide who would win a fight between them.

[stephanier.1765]

Suspend -

 

We've had this a number of years and have the best time every time we play it. My son's wedding was game themed and Suspend was one I brought along because it's easy to learn and it's any man's game (meaning that the person who usually wins games is pretty much on par with everyone else). At the wedding, my son's best friend is a big time gamer of the video kind but he feel in love with Suspend and had the best time playing it even though I kicked his butt.

 

This game is great for adults and kids alike. Definitely one of my favorites.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Suspend-Family-Game/dp/B007EA4UBY/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1517254300&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=suspend+game+melissa+and+doug&psc=1

[xixstar]

Forbidden Desert - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/136063/forbidden-desert

We picked this one up at the game convention auction sale (hint hint, if you have any game cons nearby, they often have sales and are a great place to find some well priced games!). Played this one with my 9yo and 7yo, lots of fun and I think we will enjoy playing it many times. It is a cooperative game and was our first time playing that style of game.

You're stranded in the desert and trying to find parts to repair your aircraft while finding and keeping enough water on hand that you don't die. Sandstorms make everything more challenging by increasing the amount of sand in your way.  You have to excavate to find clues to help you find the parts and the sandstorm is making the game board tiles move every game, adding an interesting challenge. 

We played this on Normal, versus the easiest level of Novice,  despite the instructions telling us to go with the easiest level since we hadn't played before and were not familiar with cooperative games. And we lost, with less than half the objectives completed. One of the players died of thirst and this was while having the water carrier which really helps with water management, but maybe it is only helpful when rivalrous siblings are not playing -- I don't think they really grasped the cooperative intent of the game and weren't as willing to help each as much as they could. You can also excavate resource tiles which give you special powers, in hindsight, we should have encouraged the player that had multiples of these to use them more frequently and generously. 

I like that this game is for 2-5 players and that there is the cooperative element involved. I like the game pieces - all the tiles have a nice weight to them and there are cute little clips that help you keep track of your water level and storm intensity level - I think this was a smart element design. I found the aircraft parts to be a little lacking in creativity - mostly, it just seemed like an odd collection of items that you add to the ship, but the kids really liked them. I liked the steampunk feel to the game - it was a nice alternative to more traditional desert theming. 

I was happy to get this game versus Forbidden Island (FI) based on reviews that said that this one built on the the great concepts in FI and made it even better. But If Forbidden Island fell in our laps, I wouldn't complain. My only real complaint with this game is that it is in a tin, I hate games in tins. So I'll be making a new box for it (and Sushi Go Party) soon.

[xixstar]

Pandemic - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/30549/pandemic

 

Another cooperative game. Walmart (select stores) threw this game on clearance for $9 and I was excited to pick it up at such a great price since it was on my wish list. I have played it twice, once by myself (playing two players - yes, I'm dorky enough to play solo) and last night I got to play this with another adult, yay!

You're working to find a cure for worldwide diseases while treating infections and outbreaks with hopes of eradicating the disease completely. You can set your difficulty level which I really like - since I play with adults and kids, it is really nice to have games with variable difficulty levels. We played on the easiest level and were able to beat the game fairly easily, but I think it was just the luck of the draw and luck of drawn specialist abilities. In my solo game on the easiest level, I also won, but not as easily. 

The game elements are really nice, I love the clear little disease cubes and want the extension that includes an petri dish to keep them in. There is nothing about this game that I didn't like and look forward to increasing the difficulty level the next time I play. I am hoping that the theme in this game will draw DH in enough that he'll happily play with us. I think the 9yo and 7yo can play this with us too 

[cjzimmer1]

I can't really give reviews since mostly my sons play these games.  But since we own many of the ones listed here, I suspect someone may find them interesting.  Anyways, the 3 lasted acquisitions are Love Letters, Imhotep, and Terraforming Mars.  I know all have been played many times (and they've all arrived since the first of the year).  I do know Love letters is a pretty quick game and works for a pretty wide range of ages.  My 20 year old will play it with his 9 and 11 year old siblings and that is saying a lot because he won't often play with them because they slow things down too much while they try to understand what to do.  Terraforming Mars is a long game (2-2 1/2 hours) and and highly recommended from the board game geeks at our church.  I actually overheard several of them talking how excited THEY were that my son had bought the game since no one owned it yet.

Edited January 30, 2018 by cjzimmer1

[Lady Marmalade]

I can't really give reviews since mostly my sons play these games.  But since we own many of the ones listed here, I suspect someone may find them interesting.  Anyways, the 3 lasted acquisitions are Love Letters, Imhotep, and Terraforming Mars.  I know all have been played many times (and they've all arrived since the first of the year).  I do know Love letters is a pretty quick game and works for a pretty wide range of ages.  My 20 year old will play it with his 9 and 11 year old siblings and that is saying a lot because he won't often play with them because they slow things down too much while they try to understand what to do.  Terraforming Mars is a long game (2-2 1/2 hours) and and highly recommended from the board game geeks at our church.  I actually overheard several of them talking how excited THEY were that my son had bought the game since no one owned it yet.

 

Terraforming Mars is another great one! We've played it 4 and 5 player and I don't think either time took us near as long as 2 1/2 hours though.

[Lady Marmalade]

Pandemic - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/30549/pandemic

 

Another cooperative game. Walmart (select stores) threw this game on clearance for $9 and I was excited to pick it up at such a great price since it was on my wish list. I have played it twice, once by myself (playing two players - yes, I'm dorky enough to play solo) and last night I got to play this with another adult, yay!

 

You're working to find a cure for worldwide diseases while treating infections and outbreaks with hopes of eradicating the disease completely. You can set your difficulty level which I really like - since I play with adults and kids, it is really nice to have games with variable difficulty levels. We played on the easiest level and were able to beat the game fairly easily, but I think it was just the luck of the draw and luck of drawn specialist abilities. In my solo game on the easiest level, I also won, but not as easily. 

 

The game elements are really nice, I love the clear little disease cubes and want the extension that includes an petri dish to keep them in. There is nothing about this game that I didn't like and look forward to increasing the difficulty level the next time I play. I am hoping that the theme in this game will draw DH in enough that he'll happily play with us. I think the 9yo and 7yo can play this with us too 

 

We hardly ever win Pandemic.  Maybe one out of ten times, but we keep going back to it for more punishment!  We bought the On The Brink expansion specifically because it came with the petri dishes.  We also really like the complexity it's added to the game.  Definitely worth the purchase to add to the game.  As a bonus, both Pandemic and On The Brink fit in just one of the boxes nicely.  This is one of the games that we have been able to suck DH into playing with us as well, so there is hope there for you! 

[emmaluv+2more]

We hardly ever win Pandemic. Maybe one out of ten times, but we keep going back to it for more punishment! We bought the On The Brink expansion specifically because it came with the petri dishes. We also really like the complexity it's added to the game. Definitely worth the purchase to add to the game. As a bonus, both Pandemic and On The Brink fit in just one of the boxes nicely. This is one of the games that we have been able to suck DH into playing with us as well, so there is hope there for you!

We have never won Pandemic. We’ve come maddeningly close so many times, but never actually won. It’s thrilling and infuriating at the same time.

[athomeontheprairie]

I'm so glad you started this thread. I went looking for the Christmas Game Thread a little while ago and couldn't find it.

There are several on this list already that were on my list, and hopefully I'll get the chance to play some of them soon.

We are slowly building a better game collection, and there are so many games out there that look amazing. And so many different types that we've never had a chance to experience.

 

How did you find your game con? That is something I would love to do, and would love to take my two older kids to.

 

Games we've played recently

Machi Koro: Bright Lights Big City

My oldest and I really enjoyed this game. It is very different from any other card game we own. Since we've played several times without using the 7> cards, we added a house rule that you need 4 of those before you can build your last landmark. That forced us to use the other deck of cards and brought some added fun into each round-but also extended the amount of time it took for a game.

 

Imhotep

This may end up being a favorite. It was simple enough that it only took us 5-10 minutes to set up and understand. The game itself is rather fast-I think we would have enjoyed it a little more if it would have been longer. But as it was it was a good length for my 10yo-who doesn't enjoy some of the longer games we have. Maybe play was 30 minutes or so? We loved that the game board is in 5 pieces each with 2 sides. It'll make the game different each time. We loved the elements-the wooden blocks, and the little boats. I think this will be one my kids choose frequently.

 

Lost Cities: the card game

I *LOVED* this game. A lot. You are building decks of cards in various "suits" to earn points across a shared board. There's some strategy that may change depending on who you are playing against-I play very differently when playing with dd12, dh, and my sister. It is a 2 person game. I've order the board game so that we can play with 4 people, but haven't received it yet.

 

My sister brought Pandemic when she came to visit recently. Loved it. This is a game I would like to own, and I'm slightly jealous of the pp who said they picked it up for $9! I don't think I've ever played an adult cooperative game before-it was frustratingly awesome.

[laughing lioness]

 

We went to another gaming event and played some more games!  I mostly played with my kids at this event and we got to try several new game.  So, lets get started...

 

Ticket to Ride: Rails and Sails -- https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/202670/ticket-ride-rails-sails

 

This was our first game of the day, I played with the 9yo and 7yo. It is quite similar to Ticket to Ride with new maps - it includes a double sided map for two game play variations, added ship routes and harbors. We started setting up The World map when a passerby commented on our early morning dedication to jump right into a 2.5 hour game; another passerby mentioned that The Great Lakes map was easier and shorter — so we switched over to the shorter map.  

 

This map had destinations that could be completely cut off by another player — much sadness was expressed when this was discovered, maybe our main game does too but we’ve yet to encounter that. Rails and Sails has a unique feature where each player selects their starting ratio of trains to ships - -something that will impact the routes you can build as you go on. We went with the beginner suggestion in the rule book and I would like to play again making my own selection and seeing how that impacts my play. 

 

Being new to this game, it was hard to keep track of ship cards and train cards and multiple times each of us tried building a route with the wrong cards (i.e., trying to build a train route with ship cards); I’m sure additional play would ease this confusion.  Overall impression, we all really enjoyed this. Seeing as how we like Ticket to Ride in general, this would be a fun addition to add to our collection but I won’t be running out to buy it anytime soon only because there are other amazing games at the top of my list.

 

We were given this game for Christmas. It is much more complicated than Ticket to Ride and there is a lot to keep track of. That being said, it's a lot of fun and a great strategy game for your collection!

[vonfirmath]

We hardly ever win Pandemic.  Maybe one out of ten times, but we keep going back to it for more punishment!  We bought the On The Brink expansion specifically because it came with the petri dishes.  We also really like the complexity it's added to the game.  Definitely worth the purchase to add to the game.  As a bonus, both Pandemic and On The Brink fit in just one of the boxes nicely.  This is one of the games that we have been able to suck DH into playing with us as well, so there is hope there for you! 

 

Any idea what is going on with On the Brink? Amazon has all the rest but not that expansion

[Lady Marmalade]

Any idea what is going on with On the Brink? Amazon has all the rest but not that expansion

 

You're in luck, I DO know what is going on.  On The Brink is currently undergoing a re-print.  It will be back soon.