Recent games


  • Space Hulk Death Angel card gameSpace Hulk: Death Angel. I played couple of two-player games with my brother. In the first game we were severely beaten. We then tried playing the game removing the restriction on actions, allowing the same action to be taken several times in a row. Turns out the difficulty of the game is very much caused by that single rule, as the game became very easy. I think I’ve seen enough of the game, and I ended up giving my copy to my brother, who was more interested in it. I’ve updated the entry referenced above with some thoughts from the two-player games. My verdict: a nice co-op filler for those who like the theme, but I’m not sure the game has enough replayability for serious use.
  • Tzaar. This is a good one, one of the better in the Gipf series, especially from the point of view of an casual gamer. The game plays on a very good level, just casual enough, yet still offering a nice workout for the poor old nugget.
  • Carcassonne. Nooa wants to play the adult Carcassonne, not the children’s Carcassonne. That’s fine with me. He doesn’t quite get it, but it’s simple and fun enough and perhaps a bit more motivating than the kids version (but I like that one too).
  • Innovation. This one arrived yesterday and I got in the first game today. Crushed Hannu with Tools and Gunpowder, winning the game 6-1 by the seventh age. Not bad. Well, that wasn’t really a proper game, but enough to convince me (like I need any convincing) there’s an interesting game in the box and it’ll take couple of two-player games to get at it. I hope my brother likes this.
  • Hornet. Much better with four than with two.  The game isn’t as chaotic and depending on guesswork than I expected. Figuring out whether to use the risky or the safe version of the moves is actually fun and the battle for the hives is heated enough. Not my cup of tea, really, but I like the game nonetheless, especially as it took just 45 minutes. Rematch next week?
  • Saba: Palast der Königin. A boring exercise in pointlessness. The worst game I’ve played this year. Just avoid this one, ok?

Here’s some pretty hornets for you to wrap up this report of this week’s games.

Hornets of Hornet.
Brown and white hornets fighting for a hive. Photo: Markus A / BGG