…were correct: with more than two players, the game is very chaotic and not much fun. The point-sharing mechanism is definitely more interesting than with two players; probably the sweet spot is three players. Well, four is probably nice too, if you like tactical chaos and two is good, if you prefer strategic abstracts… In…
…next game we’ll use the optional rule that allows forcing a prisoner exchange with a supply card — just to make the game more fun to play. Of course, the prisoner situation was part of my tactical genius of defeating good units while losing the very sucky militia. One thing I learned was indeed that…
Steam is an interesting variant of Age of Steam. It won’t make AoS obsolete, but it seems to stand quite well in comparison. Things I like about Steam: the new income system where income can be changed into cash creates a whole new financial environment in the game. It’s not quite as strict as in…
…slightly stricter than in Tetris, since there’s no moving sideways. Badly placed tile will block a lot. There are four rounds, each with a different scoring rule. In each round, every empty spot is one negative point. In the first round, extra points are awarded for completed rows. In the second, for spaces with point…
…bits could look nice, except at least the copy we had was a bit smutty. The Da Vinci theme is nonexistential, of course, except some Da Vinci art on the board. Removing Vitruvian man’s manhood is a disgrace, if you ask me… Ugh. Review is coming up; I’m not going to play this stinker again….
…don’t know how the game works with kids — well, I’d suppose — but Viva Topo! is definitely a very cheery filler for adults. With four players the cat can be very, very brutal, which of course contributes to the fun of it all. The components are gorgeous, by the way. Selecta makes wooden toys,…
…stones twice, four stones and three stones once. I actually won the first six-stone game, Juho gave up after some pretty horrible mistakes. He got his game together and won the next three games, of course. One of them was closer, two were pretty obvious victories. My rating dropped immediately to 15 kyu, which is…
…the middle player of the round comes from Mittlere or Plus-Minus. In the original version players collect sticks (good) and potatoes (bad), which cancel each other out. Cosmic Eidex is derived from Plus-Minus Jass, where the potatoes are forgotten and players strive to get seven sticks. 10 of stars, Wisdom or Weisheit, comes from Weis…
…I’m currently poor as a beggar and can’t afford one. Making my own using the printable set at the web site is of course possible, but it’s rather complicated as I don’t have a colour printer and the result will be so damn ugly I know I’ll have trouble getting people to try it… Kogge…
Once again I play Go and get my ass kicked by lower-ranked opponents. Of course it only means my rating is still too high… Rating players is certainly an interesting and fuzzy subject. I doubt there can be a totally satisfied rating system, if the ratings are only deduced from the played games. It doesn’t…