Century: Spice Road was a game that was a big hit. Although I wasn't the biggest fan of it, it still saw allot of play as it was quick, simple, and could easily be introduced to groups. My main complaint is that one mechanism doesn't make a game, and it was really hurt by the lack of any non-obvious victory point pathway (such as end game goals or achievements).
So when I heard Eastern Wonders was meant to be a gamer's version of Spice Road, I was excited. And it does indeed add some additional mechanisms such as a tech-tree of sorts and end game scoring. While Spice Road is a card and hand-management game, Eastern Wonders is much closer to a pick-up-and-deliver game. It also has the benefit of being able to be combined with Spice Road.
Eastern Wonders, however, felt like a two-steps-forwards/three-steps-backwards situation. The game adds a bunch of extra steps to set-up (including putting the board together, which should've really have had an included play-mat) and to each turn. In addition to this, the graphic design to see all the information is lacking, with the structures you build always obscuring important information you are missing.
But, for me, I guess this also suffers from a fatal flaw like Spice Road. In Spice Road, the lack of end-game or alternate scoring pathways left it feeling much less exciting than things like Splendor (with the noble tiles). Here, it is that the map remains pretty static for most the game. If you can spot a route that you can turn over resources quicker by travelling in circles, there is very little outside sources that can stop you.
This is alleviated by combining Spice Road and Eastern Wonders to form a larger game, now requiring hand management and board management. The problem with this is that it turns into the same price as an expensive big box game, and you still have the graphic design issue. At this price, the game needs to be stellar rather than just good for what you are physically receiving. Unfortunately, it just isn't.
So in the end, Eastern Wonders wasn't for me. I prefer Spice Road because it plays quicker and is easier to set-up and teach to new players. However, for me, the Century series feels like a series of games that isn't for me as they miss essential ingredients of what makes the style of games fun. Maybe if they release a reasonably-priced box for the combined games than it may be more worthwhile.
2 out of 5 wondrous waffles.
Showing posts with label gateway game. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gateway game. Show all posts
Saturday, 4 May 2019
Tuesday, 5 March 2019
BOARD GAME REVIEW: SPACE PARK
Space Park is a game Keymaster Games that seems to be fitting into that ever so crowded genre of light-medium games, or gateway games. It is of the same weight as games such as Splendor and Ticket to Ride. It has a couple of rules and plays quite simply.
In this game, you are travelling around a board (which forms a circle), taking actions to collect gems. You use these gems to trade in for points (either directly or by victory point cards). The cards here also can give you special abilities. It is a victory point race like Splendor, with the game ending once a victory point goal is reached.
The components in the game are really good. The space-rock-gems are great, are a good size and easy to handle. The spaceships moving around the board are also great. The cards and board look really nice, with nice big artwork and also thought given to maximise there usability. The only complaint is that the fast travel and xp tokens could have done to be a little larger.
In terms of gameplay, it is a gateway game. Very few rules, non-complex interactions between the rules, and some player interaction but a lack of heavy take-that. The game plays very quickly as the board only gives each player 3 choices per round, effectively limiting analysis paralysis. This all makes the gameplay smooth and fast, which is good.
In the end the game is good. It doesn't really put a step wrong. It doesn't quite have the potential for big surprising plays that other games do. Although it never really sets out to accomplish this, it does hold it back from those high ranks. Instead it is just a really fun, solid little game.
4 out of 5 whizzing waffles.
In this game, you are travelling around a board (which forms a circle), taking actions to collect gems. You use these gems to trade in for points (either directly or by victory point cards). The cards here also can give you special abilities. It is a victory point race like Splendor, with the game ending once a victory point goal is reached.
The components in the game are really good. The space-rock-gems are great, are a good size and easy to handle. The spaceships moving around the board are also great. The cards and board look really nice, with nice big artwork and also thought given to maximise there usability. The only complaint is that the fast travel and xp tokens could have done to be a little larger.
In terms of gameplay, it is a gateway game. Very few rules, non-complex interactions between the rules, and some player interaction but a lack of heavy take-that. The game plays very quickly as the board only gives each player 3 choices per round, effectively limiting analysis paralysis. This all makes the gameplay smooth and fast, which is good.
In the end the game is good. It doesn't really put a step wrong. It doesn't quite have the potential for big surprising plays that other games do. Although it never really sets out to accomplish this, it does hold it back from those high ranks. Instead it is just a really fun, solid little game.
4 out of 5 whizzing waffles.
Monday, 12 November 2018
BOARD GAME REVIEW: SPLENDOR (2014)
Splendor is a game about collecting gems in the form of poker chips, and then trading them for cards. These cards then give you discounts to help you get better cards which are worth more points or nobles, which are worth points. First to 15 wins.
That all sounds simple and even a little boring. However, Splendor is a game near the top of its weight class. The mechanisms that drive the game are smooth, and there is enough variability with end-game point scoring between the nobles and the large point cards to make the game exciting to the very end.
The components are also really good. Obviously, the tactile nature and weight of the poker chips means that they have immediate appeal. The insert is also great to help organise the box, although they could have easily halved the box size if they compacted it a bit more. The only downside is I wish more cards had unique artwork.
It says something for a game when people are still trying to claim it has been killed 4 years later. Splendor is still going strong, with enough variability and excitement in the base game alone to still make it hit the gaming table often. It just works as a gateway game and a deeper game that plays quickly.
5 out of 5 splendid waffles.
That all sounds simple and even a little boring. However, Splendor is a game near the top of its weight class. The mechanisms that drive the game are smooth, and there is enough variability with end-game point scoring between the nobles and the large point cards to make the game exciting to the very end.
The components are also really good. Obviously, the tactile nature and weight of the poker chips means that they have immediate appeal. The insert is also great to help organise the box, although they could have easily halved the box size if they compacted it a bit more. The only downside is I wish more cards had unique artwork.
It says something for a game when people are still trying to claim it has been killed 4 years later. Splendor is still going strong, with enough variability and excitement in the base game alone to still make it hit the gaming table often. It just works as a gateway game and a deeper game that plays quickly.
5 out of 5 splendid waffles.
Monday, 16 April 2018
BOARD GAME REVIEW: MAJESTY- FOR THE REALM
Majesty: For the Realm (hereafter referred to as Majesty) is the latest game from the designer of Splendor (I believe). After the disappointment of Cities of Splendor, does Majesty recapture the magic. The short answer is: yes. The longer answer: it is perhaps one of my games of the year.
Majesty is a simple game. You have a set of locations in your empire. Everyturn, there is an offer where you choose a card. You have to pay to skip the cards at the beginning of the row and get other stuff (sometimes better, sometimes worse).
In addition, there is some attacking. Attacking is very non-personal and the game is so short that, even if you get caught out by attacks, it never feels too personal. Also, there are multiple ways to mitigate against attacks, so it doesn't feel overly important.
As you draft cards, you activate various combo's and effects in your tableau. At the end of the game, your non-injured cards score for majorities and variety. Every card you draft gives you something, and although it is a short game, the decisions feel pretty meaningful.
The only criticism is that perhaps by the end of the games, it might feel a bit samey. That is where alternate locations come in. This keeps the game feeling fresh. In addition, you can come up with your own combinations of location cards to explore different set-ups (although the balance might not be there).
This is another great game in the same style as Splendor. Simple rules, quick playing, but engaging decisions. This has slightly more interaction than Splendor due to attacking, but doesn't overdo it. A great game that entertains a wide variety of people.
5 out of 5 Majestic Waffles.
Majesty is a simple game. You have a set of locations in your empire. Everyturn, there is an offer where you choose a card. You have to pay to skip the cards at the beginning of the row and get other stuff (sometimes better, sometimes worse).
In addition, there is some attacking. Attacking is very non-personal and the game is so short that, even if you get caught out by attacks, it never feels too personal. Also, there are multiple ways to mitigate against attacks, so it doesn't feel overly important.
As you draft cards, you activate various combo's and effects in your tableau. At the end of the game, your non-injured cards score for majorities and variety. Every card you draft gives you something, and although it is a short game, the decisions feel pretty meaningful.
The only criticism is that perhaps by the end of the games, it might feel a bit samey. That is where alternate locations come in. This keeps the game feeling fresh. In addition, you can come up with your own combinations of location cards to explore different set-ups (although the balance might not be there).
This is another great game in the same style as Splendor. Simple rules, quick playing, but engaging decisions. This has slightly more interaction than Splendor due to attacking, but doesn't overdo it. A great game that entertains a wide variety of people.
5 out of 5 Majestic Waffles.
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