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First impressions: Lost Ruins of Arnak
I’ve been aware of Lost Ruins of Arnak being popular. A friend even offered his copy on loan at one point. I said no, because I wasn’t keen on learning new games, and we were busy playing Anno 1800 and Hallertau anyway. Now, another long-time gaming buddy showered praise on Arnak on an online forum,…
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Great Western Trail, expanded
Alexander Pfister’s masterpiece Great Western Trail is still a rather good game. Last Wednesday, we played it with four players, which was a rare treat for me – I usually only play it as a two-player game. The four-player game is a good experience; the game flows so fast with experienced players, there’s hardly any…
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Uwe Rosenberg farming games
Uwe Rosenberg is a German board game designer with several highly respected titles in his ludography. If there’s a designer whose work I adore, Rosenberg is that. He has designed many games, but I’m particularly interested in his work around the farming theme and worker placement mechanism, starting from Agricola in 2007. This ignores his…
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The best teas to drink with Fields of Arle: Tea & Trade
Fields of Arle Fields of Arle is one of the best titles in the Uwe Rosenberg ludography. I’ve found Rosenberg’s games are often best with two players; in many cases, extra players just lengthen the game without offering much. Here, the player count is capped at two. Fields of Arle isn’t a tricky game. It…
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So Clover!
So Clover! by François Romain, published Repos Production in 2021. I received a review copy from Asmodee Nordics. Elevator pitch: Come up with clues for four two-word pairs and hope your friends can figure out your clues in this cooperative word puzzling game. What’s in the box? This game sure has eye-catching components. Each player…
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First impressions: Similo
As the last game last night, a friend introduced me to Similo. It’s a quick five-minute filler where you try to guess what someone else is thinking. Twelve character cards are laid down on the table, face up. One of the players tries to get the other players to guess which of those twelve characters…
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First impressions: So Clover!
Asmodee Nordics sent me a review copy of the game. So Clover! seemed attractive from the first mention, and I wasn’t disappointed when I played the game. It is a cooperative party game. Everybody gets four cards that form four linked two-word pairs, comes up with clues for those pairs, and the other players then…
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Musing on mahjong
I had a delightful opportunity to play mahjong recently. My son has always been into the game, and my daughter also got into it recently. She’s been interested, but the game has been too hard for her. Now that she’s 12, she can play. We were visiting my mother, who also plays, and while I…
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Blue Skies
Blue Skies by Joe Huber, published Rio Grande Games in 2020. I’ve played this couple of times with a friend’s copy. Elevator pitch: This very plain-looking game offers an interesting mix of short-term point collection and long-term area majority in a very old-fashioned way. What’s in the box? There’s a big very plain-looking board full…
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Lands of Galzyr
Lands of Galzyr by Sami Laakso and Seppo Kuukasjärvi, launched on Gamefound by Snowdale Design in 2021. The campaign draft can be found here. Snowdale Design loaned me a preview copy. I’ve previewed all previous Snowdale Design games, but I’ve also purchased every one of them afterwards. Elevator pitch: Narrative adventuring in a persistent open…