What I Played Last Week 18/08/14
Fun games this past week! I don’t think one blog post will do them all justice, but I am excited to talk about them, and I think I’ll come back to them in future.
Tzolk’in
Worker placement on steroids, Tzolk’in looks like a euro version of terrible board game classic Mouse Trap. 6 huge gears rotate as the game progresses, moving workers around the board, so when you place them in one turn, you have to consider where they’ll be when it’s time to take them off. What blows my mind about this game is the scarcity of actions available to you each turn. You’re forced to place or remove at least one worker each turn, and quite often, that scuppers your plans, because you were really hoping you could hang on for just one more round while the wheels span. That said, the options open to you for those few actions is usually massive. I think it’s love.
Once Upon A Time
My partner loves Dixit, and I’m always on the lookout for more games that are less about the rules and more about the stories. Once Upon A Time is a game that’s going to play right into our hands on that one - all my friends talk a lot of nonsense when we play games, and in this game, your job is to do just that! The catch is, like Dixit, you have to be a bit creative to have any fun, so this definitely isn’t for everyone. It’s also probably not very fun if you are going to play by the rules word for word - I think you need to be a bit flexible and be willing to not let the rules get in the way of a good story. That said, I think it’s a great game for my group. Loads of fun two player and I can’t wait to play with more.
One Night Ultimate Werewolf
My friends love Resistance: Avalon, so I thought that One Night Ultimate Werewolf would go down really well, and I was totally right. This is Resistance light, I guess. It’s printed on big thick chunky cards and the rules need almost no prior explanation, so it was really easy to bring out to the pub and teach people after a few pints, which instantly gives it a place in my heart, and it doesn’t take long for people to get their heads around. The only catch is, if you can’t convince someone to give it one go, they’ll never get it, and it’s pretty hard to explain without actually playing it or seeing people play it. Rounds last 10 minutes, maybe, at a push, and leave you wanting more - it’s got serious one-more-go potential. It doesn’t have the depth of Resistance, though, which I have to say, I did miss. There’s definitely a place for both games in anyone’s collection.