Dice Temple

Board Game Review: Terraforming Mars

A couple of weekends ago, I had the pleasure of attending Fortress Ameritrash’s Trashfest East 2016, at an Elk’s Lodge in Vernon, CT. This was my first time attending a small con, and I really wish more of them would pop up. If any of you have the chance to attend a smaller con, I suggest grabbing a ticket, because the lax atmosphere translates to hours of nonstop gaming. Plus the beer on tap was $3.50 a half liter, and not half bad.

Throughout this gaming extravaganza I got the chance to play a lot of hyped titles, one of which was Jacob Fryxelius’ Terraforming Mars. For those of you unfamiliar, the game is a euro-leaning pallet-builder, in which players take the role of mega-corporations that are terraforming mars for human use.

Thematically, the game takes course over generations, represented by rounds. Each round begins with some card drafting, followed by players using those cards in turn, until all players pass on the round. As players play cards, they raise the temperature of mars, irrigate the planet, and build cities and forests on the surface. Successfully terraforming in these ways gains players victory points, which win them the game.

Despite its science fiction theme, Terraforming Mars plays primarily like a euro. Action cards you play are placed into a pallet in front of you, imparting victory points based on card type and the like at game’s end. Many action cards also have a sustained effect, usually increasing resource production, and often including drawbacks to balance a player’s power.

Its these moments where one chooses to hinder themselves in one area, to grow in another, which I found to be the most interesting element of the game. These trade-offs are common enough that they are not just required to play extremely powerful cards. Instead, the decrease in production required to play a card increases with that card’s power level -- Want to increase your steel production by three? Decrease your plant production by 1; Want to increase your energy production by five? Decrease your monetary production by three; Need some titanium fast? Better be willing to sac some energy production.

Constantly players are required to play cards with these production drawbacks, often making the most effective path to victory a focused investment in one field of production. That way you can turn the massive amount of plants (or whatever) you have cultivated, into any other necessary resources.

This may seem like a simple path to victory, but the card drafting mechanic that begins each round of play, adds a healthy dose of chance to the mix, requiring your strategy to be flexible, as well as defined. The four cards you draft from each round define a significant portion of play, and each card you choose to draft costs three gold. This sum is not insignificant, especially when drafting multiple cards. So while you begin to become a titanium powerhouse, you also risk not drawing more titanium production cards, and must weigh whether the titanium cards that do come your way are worth paying for, just to get in you hand. You may even end up paying for cards that you don’t really want, just to have cards to play, a further stretching of precious resources.

Because the drafting portion of the game holds so much weight, it is this portion of gameplay that really defines Terraforming Mars for me. If you’re not skilled at drafting, or just get bad draws, or didn’t change your strategy at a pivotal moment revealed by a good card draw, you won’t fare well, regardless of how well you play otherwise. On the surface, Terraforming Mars appeared to me to be map-focused. But as you can see, the card drafting mechanic is innocuous, a central portion of gameplay. I think anyone thinking about buying Terraforming Mars should consider this, as it really colors how the game feels.

And that was my experience with Terraforming Mars. A game that requires the mind of a euro-player, but constantly provides moments of tension, head scratching, and frustrating hindsight. A design which incorporates the randomness of card drafting into an 80% euro build. Paired with a science fiction theme, I think this is a great euro style game for ameritrash players. And a great ameritrash-flavored game for euro players at that. Its theme is fairly well integrated, not feeling completely pasted on, and although the card art leaves something to be desired, the subject of Terraforming Mars is a refreshing departure from the “cowboys with lasers” feel of many science fiction games.

Now I’ve heard people talking about this being their favorite game of 2016. And while I don’t feel quite that strongly about my experience, this is not one to miss if you get the chance to play it. I don’t think it is a must-buy for everyone, but I do think that for some, this will be a permanent game in their collection. It’s design is on the cusp of greatness, and I’ll certainly have my eyes peeled for new games designed by Jacob Fryxelius, as well as new Stronghold Games productions.

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Designer:  Jacob Fryxelius

Artist:  Isaac Fryxelius

Publisher  Stronghold Games

Card Game Review: San Juan

San Juan is a euro card game which combines action drafting, resource engine construction, and a short time limit, delivering a compact game that requires constant consideration of strategy. A euro game to its core, San Juan utilizes a simple and effective rules set to create game-play which is greater than the sum of its parts. Additionally in euro fashion, the game’s theme is nothing special, a generic historical veneer, but provides the basis for this gameplay. The core mechanic in the game is the “building” of cards which represent new structures in the village of San Juan. Cards which include resource processing plants, cultural buildings, memorials, and everything in between. These structures provide victory points at the end of the game, as well as (in most cases) an effect. Card effects synergize, accelerating resource collection, card draw, and the like, making the player’s goal to build an engine which maximizes victory points by the end of the game.

Now one thing I really like about this game is its short play time. Often I find games which only takes thirty minutes unsatisfying, but San Juan’s built-in timer is a piece of its elegant form. The game immediately ends when any player plays a twelfth card, forcing opponents to keep up with one another in building count as the game progresses. It is not uncommon for one to play a card which seems an inefficient play, in order to make sure to gain at least some victory points for that building slot at game’s end. In this way San Juan circumvents the “multiplayer solitaire” issue which plagues games of the euro genre, and increases the variables players must consider when making decisions: No longer is the question “what is the most efficient play for me to make for my resource engine,” but rather it becomes “what is the most efficient play for me to make considering I will fall behind if I do not build this round.”

Additionally each round of turns is preceded by an action drafting mechanic which allows players to either produce goods, sell goods, build a card, draw two of five cards, or draw a singular card. Barring the latter action, each one of these action choices allows a lesser action to a player’s opponents in addition to providing the player with one. To anyone who has played games which implement action drafting, this aspect of game-play will seem very familiar.

The combination of these three simple facets makes for remarkably heady game-play. After learning the rules in a few short minutes, I was unconvinced San Juan would have much replayability. But the game’s small turn count makes every choice so vital that one is always pressured to consider the entire game state, and I find myself enjoying this competition for efficiency again and again. Card counting, familiarizing oneself with available strategies, and keeping a close eye on which cards/actions your opponents play/choose are all vital to winning San Juan. Often final point spreads are not large, and games can come down to one decision you made, which put you over the top, or didn’t.

I would suggest purchasing San Juan if you are in need of a strategic filler game, a game which travels well, an inexpensive game, or just like light euros. I could see fans of TCGs or deck-builders having fun with it, as well as those firmly rooted in the eurogaming camp. The only real possible issue one might have with San Juan is it's very flat theme - ameritrashers and theme junkies should shy away.

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Designer:  Andreas Seyfarth

Artist:  Franz Vohwinkel

Publisher: alea

Ki Khanga: The Sword and Soul RPG and Fighting Racism in Tabletop Gaming

Today I would like to draw attention to a wonderful Kickstarter RPG, not only because of its refreshing African-inspired fantasy world, but also because it is doing wonders to bring awareness about the need to reflect on prejudices present within the gaming community. This project, titled Ki Khanga: Sword and Soul RPG, is written by Milton Davis and Balogun Ojetade, two men who look to break the traditional fantasy narrative by introducing a tabletop RPG with roots in African culture and myth. Their Kickstarter is active until 10/30/16.

Initially my love affair with fantasy and science fiction was cliche: I was a bored, socially awkward suburban kid, who sought escape to wondrous lands where anyone could become a hero.  As I have grown older, these stories have offered me much more through their ability to reframe relevant social and political issues. Authors like Tolkien and Rowling developed my ability to view my own environment through different perspectives, simply by showing me new worlds through their stories. Orwell and Dick taught me to reflect upon social constructs and question authority. Star Trek taught me the difficulties of cooperation and diplomacy. In their own ways, these narratives made learning and abstract thought accessible to me, and helped shaped my world-view today. An invaluable prize that continues to encourage my consumption of such materials.

Lately however I have become uneasy as I sift through modern fantasy/sci-fi art and media, which are often poisoned by prejudice and stereotype in a way pervasive in older iterations of these genres. It is no surprise to find misogyny and racism in the works of Verne or Lovecraft. But their faults, explained, but not excused, by the standards of their own societies, remain implanted in modern fantasy. This directly opposes the progressive potential of modern speculative fiction, and leaves me pessimistic as to the progressive nature of these genres in the realm of current pop culture.

Particularly I’ve found issue in tabletop gaming trends, as I spend much of my time involved in playing, and reading, about board games and RPGs. In these I see a complete stagnation in attempts for racial inclusion, as well as the use of racist iconography. I understand that much of the thematic content popular in tabletop games is born of the American pulp tradition, but why racism has not completely been eradicated from these aesthetics in 2016 is beyond me.

Take Zimby Mojo for example. This game was designed by Jim Felli, the creator of Shadows of Malice, a spectacular co-op fantasy board game with an unbelievably unique design. I really enjoy Shadows of Malice, and was excited to get my hands on Felli’s next game. But when I saw the game box cover I became immediately apprehensive. I cannot comprehend how no one thought to question how ridiculously offensive it is to use a glistening native with animalistic features standing over a bloodied victim as the main art for this game. Excuses like “it is supposed to be a game of cannibalistic mayhem,” ring hollow. It is inexcusable to perpetuate dangerous and backwards stereotypes by making the cannibals look as if they were plucked out of a colonial narrative at the turn of the 20th century. To me, this use of iconography is reminiscent of a “white man’s burden” mentality, and is not only part of a toxic narrative, but also completely unnecessary for a board game to retain roots in fantasy. I think the gaming community deserves better than this.

One might argue that this is not an actual issue, because Zimby Mojo “is just a board game.” That it is merely meant for amusement, and thus is supposed to be lighthearted and fun. People may even get defensive and say that my opinion is overly sensitive. Yet that is exactly the problem. It is our responsibility, especially if you are a privileged white male like myself, to recognize and stand against the presence of racial stereotypes in all forms, especially in games which are enjoyed under the guise of leisure activities. Art like that on the box of Zimby Mojo subtly reinforces these stereotypes in the minds of younger generations, and indicates a level of internalization among the populace which is honestly disheartening. It is no wonder the hobby has become so racially exclusive in light of this.

As a white American male with disposable income, I am within the majority of those who are seriously involved in the tabletop gaming hobby. Why is this the case? There doesn’t seem anything inherently exclusive about playing games. People have been enjoying them for millennia, with the Egyptian game Senet dating to before 3000 BCE.  We need to ask ourselves why this skewed demographic persists in the present, and what we can do as a community to be more inclusive. Which brings me back to why I think Milton Davis and Balogun Ojetade, creators of the African mythos influenced Ki Khanga: Sword and Soul RPG, can shed some light on the problem we are faced with, and what we can do to support creators who are not afraid to challenge the exclusive narratives seen in the board game community today.

Their insight can be gleaned just by reading about Ki Khanga, which in itself breaks the mold by existing within the genre of sword and soul. Sword and soul is a brand of fantasy reminiscent of sword and sorcery, but has been renamed to reflect its roots in African culture, in addition to its rejection of the racist stereotypes common in its namesake. These authors’ feelings towards racism in classic fantasy/science fiction permeate much of the discussion on their blogs, as well as inspires their efforts to redefine these genres. On Davis' blog, he discusses the Dieselfunk anthology which he helped orchestrate in order to provide a missing black perspective in speculative fiction. Likewise Ojetade writes of his own exclusionary experience with tabletop gaming as a lifelong RPG player. These discussions highlight the attitude each author has taken as a fan of fantasy/scifi. Instead of abandoning these genres and their prejudices, they have reclaimed them and asserted a self-determination within their writing which fuses the black experience and culture with speculative fiction. Now, after experiencing success with their African-inspired stories, Davis and Ojetade seek to impart the world of tabletop RPGs with the same progressive approach.

Their efforts to diversify cultural perspective in RPGs have culminated in the creation of a refreshing world worth experiencing. This is not a Kickstarter to miss. While I avidly follow new projects on the site, I rarely back them. I have a fairly tight gaming budget, and tend to purchase completed games to minimize risk in quality. But Ki Khanga does not only deserve funding for its quality and unique setting. Games of this nature, which break stereotypes long present in pulp/fantasy/science fiction, should be embraced by the community in order to encourage reflection by gamers on the products that they consume. The simple success of Ki Khanga will in small part contribute to the disillusionment of gamers as to the prejudices which are rampant in the games which they love, and simultaneously express a demand from game publishers for more games which reject those prejudices. At the very least you should head over to the Kickstarter page and check the game out. I also recommend reading these authors’ blogs, which do a great job of discussing some of the issues I’ve touched on, and provide a window into the minds of both Davis and Ojetade.

Ki Khanga: Sword and Soul RPG Kickstarter

Milton Davis’ Blog

This Game Could Be Your Life: Kickstarter Update (10/14/16)

Posting a few Kickstarters that are still active and I find really intriguing. Figured some of you might find them intriguing as well, and might help bring these projects to life.

The first image in this post is the board for the Dungeon Degenerates: Hand Of Doom Fantasy Board Game. Basically the idea of this game is to create an accessible board game which provides an old school fantasy rpg feel, fused with outsider/punk/metal art. Lots of bright colors, humorously grotesque drawings, and monsters. Seems like a really fun and DIY take on fantasy/ameritrash. Unfortunately I have had a hard time digging up much discussion about actual mechanics but these guys are long time tabletop gamers so I’m optimistic.

Next up is a reprint of an old Golden Dragon game book, The Temple of Flame. Originally published in 1984, this adventure seems fun and pulpy. Description from the publisher: “Far below the lost temple of the ancient god Katak, you and your evil foe Damontir the Mad act out a deadly game.” What really intrigues me about this game is that the RPG system only requires two d6s and is GM-less. I love GMing, but ultimately I feel a bit left out of the group when I’m always the one in charge.

The final Kickstarter I wanted to bring to attention is another Tabletop RPG module. It is called Crypts of Indormancy and is compatible with Lamentations of the Flame Princess, and other D&D clones. Its flavor is very strange and purposefully so. Very much fantasy fused with Lovecraftian sensibilities (the compelling creepy kind, as opposed to just Cthulu stamped BS). The image above is a cover to an RPing zine whose cover is illustrated by the artist working on this project. As you can see it’s not exactly your average sword and sorcery fair. Excited for this one.

Book Review: Eurogames by Stewart Woods

I recently picked up Eurogames by Stewart Woods due to my burgeoning interest in game design. This text includes discussions pertaining to the history of eurogames, their design, and how they became a vital part of today’s tabletop gaming community. Eurogames is an academic text, and approaches these subjects accordingly, with a thorough and analytic attitude. In this approach readers can find an array of interdisciplinary perspectives applied to gaming. Many of these the average tabletop enthusiasts (including myself) has yet to be exposed to. The disciplines of sociology, psychology, and ludology are drawn upon throughout, in order to inform the reader of nuances in gaming culture, as well as in game play, which they may not have previously considered.

Now because of the academic nature the book, some may find the tone quite dry. I don’t mean this as a criticism, simply a warning to those not accustomed to this type of nonfiction. That being said, parts of the text are both wonderfully informative and enjoyable. I found Woods’ history of the development of German board games particularly delightful, and a helpful supplement in understanding the nature of eurogames. I also appreciated his analysis of game mechanics commonly used in such games. Woods touches upon both mechanics as designers define them, and a layman's conception of mechanics encompassing a more macro perspective of game play. He also includes charts which list these mechanics and their frequency of use in a large pool of eurogames.

Definitely my favorite section of the text can be found in Woods’ analysis of eurogamers themselves. The text culminates in an examination of eurogames’ rise to popularity in circles which identify as ‘hobby board gamers.’ In researching this demographic, Woods uses BoardGameGeek.com (BGG) extensively to communicate directly with the demographic he studies. As someone who has spent extensive time reading and posting on BGG, I felt akin to the individuals which he was researching. Identifying gamer archetypes such as the ‘evangelist’ in particular struck a chord with me, as (like most obsessed with tabletop games) much of my time is spent trying to find people to play games with, and pull them into the hobby. This section of the book also provides an interesting discourse on expectations and attitudes gamers hold towards metagaming, kibitzing, kingmaking, and the like.

Card Game Review: Ferox

Craft Fair Games’ Ferox is first and foremost a labor of love. A game design this efficient takes an immense amount of playtesting to hone. Committing that effort to a card game whose namesake is the italian cannibal exploitation film Cannibal Ferox (1981), requires serious devotion to an esoteric genre of media. This is not a game created for mass consumption folks. It is a love letter to the bloody, exploitative, campiness of the stories it references. And what an incredible love letter it is. Even the game’s box art is reminiscent of Cannibal Holocaust (1980) and like horror gems. Complete with a “Be Kind, Please Rewind” sticker, the box’s main graphic, an advertisement for the game itself reads: “The crew MUST survive! The natives Must retaliate! ALL MUST KILL! SHOCKING! DEPRAVED! THE GAME THEY DIDN”T WANT YOU TO PLAY!”

Mechanically Ferox is a two-player asymmetrical card game in which one player controls a film crew stranded on a remote island. This film crew is made up of various junkies and miscreants brought together in an attempt to document the last remaining cannibalistic tribes on earth. Unfortunately, their helicopter crashes upon arrival at their destination. This leaves them little choice but to brave the wilderness of the island in order to reach a rescue copter some miles away. Making matters worse (much much worse) the island is inhabited by four native tribes which violently reject their presence, and are played by the opposing player.

As the crew attempts escape, they travel along a path which is formed by linking map cards, which lead to their rescue helicopter. Each map card represents both a distance they must travel, and a violent encounter with opposing native tribes. To survive an encounter, the crew must kill a varying number of natives determined by each map card. Surviving six encounters wins the crew the game. Conversely, slaughtering all six crew members grants the native tribes victory.

In each of these encounters players use various action and strategy cards. These actions might include any of the following: the use of a human shield, the consumption of illicit substances, equipping a machete or shotgun, eating corpses for health, raining arrows upon your enemies, or setting a snare. To play these cards, each player must pay the amount of ‘rage’ tokens designated on each card. This may seem simple enough, but there is a caveat. Players pay rage currency to their opponent. So by expending rage to deal a blow to your enemy, you are in fact inciting them to retaliate both thematically and mechanically by handing them the means to attack you.

Rage then becomes a defining part of the flow when playing Ferox. Whenever a player is deciding whether to play any card, they must first consider what their opponent might do in retaliation with their newly begotten resources. Additionally, since there are only ever eleven rage tokens available at most to one player, turns are very quick. There seems to be a very limited amount of things that any given player can do in one turn. Which leads me to my only real gripe about the game. I think that generally the mechanics simulate the narrative of Ferox beautifully. Even the quick turn time seems to, in theory, create a hectic and intense atmosphere which suits the theme of the game. But in practice I found that I wanted a little more out of each turn. Not to say that the game needs a lot of card interaction or comboing common in TCGs or serious deck-builders like Dominion. That's not what this card game is all about. But rather I want the turns where I played one card, or no cards at all, to be fewer. A little too often I felt like the smarter tactical decision was to bide time, or in some cases I was just left waiting to draw an attack card.

The good news is I think the solution to this problem is already built into the game. I haven’t touched upon it yet, but Ferox includes a small deck-building component wherein two new cards are added to each player’s deck at the beginning of each encounter. As is, this mechanic serves the game well as it adds serious variation to gameplay. The deck which is drafted from is large, and the chance of a player pulling the same cards over even a dozen games is quite low. Perhaps this drafting element could be tweaked in order to add a bit more heft to the playable deck and to turn length. In this way the story Ferox so satisfyingly portrays could be uncompromised, as this change would involve only existing design elements.

This is important because ultimately this game is a gem for the modern ameritrash gamer. Defiling it with too much heady deck building would ruin its magic. Its filled to the brim with immersive theme, dice rolling, opportunities for role playing, and requires strategic thought. I don’t wish to dwell on mechanics too much more than I have, but besides what I have mentioned Ferox is beautifully designed, and contains a surprising amount of substance for a small card game. Ferox stands as a testament to how great a time we live in, a time when the tabletop community thrives enough to support low-budget, high-quality games for small demographics. Because while Ferox is not perfect, it is a well designed system in which players can enjoy a festival of hedonistic camp and gore. And what more can you ask for in a game than a cannibalistic fight for survival with b-movie luster?

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Designer: Ryan Sheffield

Artist: Ryan Sheffield

Board Game Review: Terra Mystica

The evening air is still and cool as the last of the sun’s golden rays illuminate the treetops of your forest village. For many years your family has led its people in their struggle to terraform and build a home. Your effort was well worth it. This mystical forest, your domain, stretches for many miles. Your people, the proud Witches of Kroaken’s Glen, have proven themselves the dominant civilization of this age.

Terra Mystica really stands out to me as a rare thematic effort in the genre of eurogames. Being a style of game which prioritizes mechanical design over flavor, playing a euro which captures its theme as well as some ameritrash titles is seriously refreshing. I know that Terra Mystica is not alone in successfully marrying subject with euro design (i.e. Eclipse, Sythe); but I have yet to play a game which is so pure in its adherence to eurogame tropes, while also providing such thematic immersion. This triumph of theme within a game so strategic and devoid of randomness is definitely what makes Terra Mystica so alluring to me.

In the game, players represent fantasy races which are terraforming a continent on which to develop their civilizations. These races include any range of factions, from mermaids to halflings, each with a unique ability which provides asymmetry between players. Throughout the game each faction develops structures which enhance their communities and provide increased resources to their people. Parallel to this growth of infrastructure is religious development, which is represented by a “cult influence” board. As Terra Mystica progresses, players will continually terraform the land (hexes) around them, and watch their cities expand and grow. They will build churches and fortresses, upgrade shipping technology, and send a number of priests to devote their lives to the worship of elemental cults.

These narrative actions generally boil down to typical euro fare: action drafting, resource management, worker placement, and the like. But the board art and components in Terra Mystica really do bring a fantasy narrative to life. The variance in building tokens, and the terraforming component of the gameplay particularly acts as catalysts for this. These details provide an immersive visual story which parallels a player’s actions, and this is where Terra Mystica derives its successful thematic integration.

Mechanically there are a couple things Terra Mystica does particularly well. For one, incentive is built into the game for players to interact, a facet of gameplay often missing in eurogames. It costs significantly fewer resources to build structures adjacent to another faction’s. This prevents the game from becoming a solitary endeavour. Players who choose to isolate their cities will find that this strategy leaves them trailing in victory points. Additionally the game seems extremely well balanced and playtested. The only time my play group has experienced a runaway leader in this game, the reason for that player’s success could easily be attributed to poor decisions on the part of his/her opponents. I have also found the game rarely ever overstays its welcome. Play times of 3 hours or more have never felt tedious, but rather allow the appropriate time for a player’s resource engine to build and peak. My play group and I are always impressed with how much heft this game has in a simple 6 rounds.

Terra Mystica originally caught my attention as a way to explore more complex eurogaming without putting up with the whitewashed historical themes that often accompany the genre. I did not expect this theme to be more than pasted on whatever mechanics this game had in store, but as you can see I was pleasantly surprised. This game is fun, immersive, and challenging, and has been a huge hit with everyone I’ve had the pleasure to play it with. As long as you are the type of gamer that enjoys games with longer play times, I recommend Terra Mystica as a must-buy. What have you got to lose? The building of your own personal fantasy empire awaits.

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Designer: Jens Drögemüller, Helge Ostertag

Artist: Dennis Lohausen

Kickstarter News: Trudvang Chronicles

Trudvang Chronicles is an old Swedish tabletop RPG built with the Basic Role Playing (BRP) System. Now its publisher, RiotMinds, is seeking funding for the publication of an English translation. Set in a high fantasy world based on Celtic and Norse myth, Trudvang Chronicles aims to construct a fantasy environment built on aesthetic cues differing from those common in Dungeons and Dragons, as well as the many RPGs which D&D has inspired. Here is the publisher’s introduction to the product, as well as some defining characteristics of the RPG:

“Trudvang Chronicles is an award-winning fantasy roleplaying game based on the mysterious and dark Nordic and Celtic sagas and myths. Enter a world of enchanted forests, trolls, dragons, spirits of nature, heroes and adventures. Trudvang is both grim and dark, epic and yet down to earth, with a melancholic tone of an ancient age when nature was a living creature and magic was wild and strong. Above all, Trudvang is a saga...

The game is far from dungeon crawl, pink fireballs and endless adventures about glimmering treasures. It’s a game focused on the mysterious and hidden, nature as a spirit and supernatural force.

Apart from the world and it’s design, one of the most unique features of the Trudvang setting is magic and religion, whereas magic is more shaman-like and down-to-earth, and each race, and even region, has it’s own religion and faith. Creation of men, elves dwarves and their myths, gods and beasts play an important layer to the play.”

From exploring the Kickstarter page it seems clear to me that the artistic aesthetic of this game is a cut above. The quality of the visual art, and the source material used to build the Trudvang world has led me to seriously consider backing this Kickstarter. I suggest to anyone interested in fantasy RPGs to spend some time examining the information available about this game. If the quality of the story and world-building in Trudvang lives up to expectations, this RPG will prove an instant classic in the English speaking world.

Trudvang Chronicles Kickstarter Link

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Publisher: RiotMinds

Board Game Review: Pandemic

Its 2AM. A clock glares neon from across the room. – “When will they get here? They should have been here by now. Don’t they know whats at stake?” – You pace anxiously knowing that you, the teams medic, are the last hope to save Japan from the virus. But unless that airlift reaches you in St. Petersburg soon…all will be lost.

Pandemic is a 3-4 player cooperative board game where each player takes the roll of a respective party (scientist, researcher, medic, etc.), and attempts to save the world from the greatest medical crisis the world has ever seen. The object of the game is to stop the spread of four diseases that are very quickly spreading across the globe (or world map in this case) long enough to cure each one through card set collection. Its a fast moving game, very difficult, and no matter how far ahead of the next outbreak you think you are, the game always seems to end in defeat.

Each turn, players are given four actions to use in any way they see fit. You can fly across the globe using city cards in your hand. You can take a train to an adjacent city. You can remove disease cubes from a city you occupy at one action each (unless your the medic in which case you tear through disease like a hot knife through butter). Or you can trade cards with an ally occupying the same city as yourself.

Then things get interesting.

After taking your actions, a number of things can happen depending on what cards you draw at the end of your turn. But always, and I mean always, disease will spread and the human race will come that much closer to annihilation. And that is what makes this game fun, you’re always on the edge of your seat. You and your friends will never have a second to rest, breathe, or even blink before having to scramble to keep yet another disease from infecting whole sections of the globe. And beware, because if any disease gets out of hand, you lose the game (which, as said before, happens all of the time).

It’s obvious from playing Pandemic even once that its designers spent a very long time fine tuning every single piece of this game’s mechanics to perfection. From the simple way disease spreads (each city on the board can only hold three disease cubes of one color, if any more must be placed in a maxed location each surrounding city gains a cube), to the steady timing of epidemics (built-in severe expansion of diseases), every gear fits wonderfully together to make this game a great experience.

If your a fan of co-op games, have friends that don’t like competition, or just need a fun board game to play with non-gamers, this is definitely a great choice. Its fairly simple to learn. The theme is accessible and wonderfully woven with gameplay. And the excitement that can be had when winning must be awesome. (Although I don’t know this through personal experience.) There is quite a bit of strategy to be had for those looking for more depth in a game. And as each class has a different unique ability, player interaction and working together is necessary if you ever hope to win (it is a co-op game after all). Co-op games as a whole tend to pull a lot of skepticism, but this is one game that proves that that skepticism is not always warranted. So don your scrubs my friends. There’s a pandemic on its way.

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Designer: Matt Leacock

Publisher: Z-Man Games

Board Game Review: Last Night On Earth

Last Night On Earth is a zombie apocalypse board game, which these days are as common as rotting appendages in a limbs bin. Lucky for Flying Frog Productions, that’s more or less the aesthetic they were going for. In Last Night On Earth, players will attempt to survive a seemingly never-ending onslaught of zombies, searching abandoned buildings for useful items and traversing dark landscape, hoping not to get owned by a slimy dead guy. Or many slimy dead guys.

Now since so many zombie-themed games are on the market at the moment, and I’m not enough of an undead enthusiast to play them all, I am uncertain as what makes this game different from the rest mechanically. Regardless, there are a few cool aspects this game that I think are worth mentioning, even if they happen to be shared by Last Night’s siblings.

The first thing that comes to mind is that the game revolves around scenarios, which means it’s a completely different kind of game than I am used to playing, and one that I initially thought would stunt replayability. What I found is that this is quite an incomplete understanding of this fact. The positive side of a zombie apocalypse game being based in scenarios is that atmosphere is highly enhanced in a completely different way every time you play a different set up. Players will get to relive trope happenstance from all of their favorite zombie movies and stories; From throwing gasoline on your mindless enemies, to searching desperately for the keys to the last working pickup in town, each scenario really sets the stage in a way that is much more immersive than I expected. And whats more, because the base mechanics are designed at their core to allow for the imprint of a number of different scenarios, it seems to me that the game is just itching for expansions, which may cost more coin, but also balances the possibility of this game becoming stale.

Another thing I liked about this game is that not everyone playing plays as a hero. At least one person always controls the zombies, adding a twist in gameplay, and creating a high amount of direct confrontation between players, which is something I always find enhances a gaming experience. Shotgunning a zombie in the family jewels, or using your teeth to rip the scalp off a terrified human is something that is always made infinitely more enjoyable when you get to throw it in a friend’s face and gloat.

That being said, the main fault I found also revolved around this zombie mechanic. Both heroes’ and zombies’ turns are mainly enhanced beyond basic action by cards that are drawn from a hero and zombie deck respectively. But while heroes get weapons, and other items of static enhancement along with their action cards, zombies do not. I realize that this can mainly be attributed to theme, zombies are not usually depicted as intelligent or even intentional beings. But this makes the zombie player feel, in my own experience, like they are simply controlling zombie spawns that might as well have been built into the game without the touch of player control. As the zombies, I watched on jealously as my friends grew excited over discovering Molotov cocktails, and while I had some cool action cards that provided variance in my turns, the amount of special actions and effects the zombie cards allow appear limited to the many cards in the hero deck.

All in all, this is the only negative thing I have to say about the game, which I think is easily overlooked depending on what you are trying to get out of Last Night On Earth. If its a thematic and amusing gaming session, you and your friends are sure to be pleased. Last Night is a great game to play with light gamers and friends at get-togethers because of this; The theme is accessible, fun, and obviously popular, which motivates those less-than-attentive folks to learn the rules, despite being more complicated than the average party gamer can endure. And if your one of the many fans of zombie board games, movies, etc, than you will undoubtedly enjoy this game time and time again.

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Designer: Jason C. Hill

Publisher: Flying Frog Productions

Board Game Review: Wiz War (Eighth Edition)

Yesterday I cracked open my new copy of Wiz War for the first time. I have the eighth edition Fantasy Flight version of this classic game of lightning fast magic duels, and was not astonished to be immediately stunned by all of the eye candy. Great plastic miniatures, tons of tokens with colorful graphics, a beautiful board, its all there, per usual with Fantasy Flight reissues. But to my surprise, as soon as I had read the rules and got a game underway, I forgot all about the art.

I mean, I could play this game with pieces made from broken tongue depressors and rusted pennies from under the couch. Because in all its elegance Wiz War boils down to one thing. Pure bloodthirsty competition. Which equates to pure bloodthirsty fun.

From your first turn in Wiz War, you’ll be blowing holes in walls, shape-shifting,  throwing acid, creating floods, teleporting, and shooting lightning at everything and anything that moves. Set in an underground labyrinth, a fight to the death doesn't get more claustrophobic than this, and that’s exactly how it should be. When you’re stringing together spells to the detriment of those being mutilated around you, experiencing one single moment of enlightenment, a symphony of destruction, you realize that this deathtrap of a game could be no larger nor more complex without abandoning some aspect of its beauty.

Whats more, its seems to me at least that Wiz War is an obvious precursor to Magic: The Gathering, which is pretty cool, as I spent five years of my adolescence obsessed with the game. The spell system is entirely based in cards, which have many similar designations as are found in MTG, and the game allows spells to be linked and psynergize much in the same way MTG encourages.

So if your ready to add another new game to the game group rotation, consider Wiz War. At 2-4 players, the game is great for those nights when only one other person shows. And no matter how many people your playing with, this fast-paced, cutthroat game will have you scarring your friends in no time.

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Designer: Tom Jolly, Kevin Wilson

Publisher: Fantasy Flight Games

Secret Satan Series Part 2; Robocop VHS Game, Its So Cold In The D

The new year has come, and we are now met with the saddest part of Christmas, the 365 days of the year leading to the next. I know this to be true, because my girlfriend has boxed all of our decorations, and the signs of mundane life have returned, always weighing us down with fatigue from work and muddy snow in the gutter.

But the sparkle of echoing bells is still fleetingly heard here in Hartford, CT. So gather around the fire. It’s time for me to relay to you another warm Christmas tale. And for all of us to forget for a soothing moment that Santa has left us for the time being.

My story begins one cold winter’s eve, in a quaint little cabin far north into lands even the bravest of men will not venture. There in his home, Santa sits on his custom La-Z-Boy, complete with cup holders, back massager and butt warmer. Pondering by the fire, his mind tosses and turns, he takes a sip of Mrs. Clause’s special hot cocao (her secret ingredient is bourbon), and he sighs, “It’s almost Christmas and I’ve yet to come up with the perfect present for my Secret Satan this year, I want it to be special…I am Santa after all…oh whatever will I do!?"

For hours he sits pensively, passing the time by watching his favorite movies, hoping, as most procrastinators do (why else do you think he always has to deliver all those presents in one night?) that inspiration will strike under pressure. After burning through several of his favorite Christmas movies — Die Hard, Home Alone, Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol — Santa decides to watch his favorite movie of all: Robocop.

Sure enough, before Alex Murphy can get his ugly mug mashed and covered in metal, it comes to him. "Aha! There must be a Robocop game I could get my dear friend from Fortress Ameritrash!” he bellows. And as jolly as can be, Santa frolics to his iPad, opens his Ebay ap, finds the game, and soon is cursing as he can’t remember his paypal password. “Why do all of these cockininny sites have different password requirements?!” Santa grumbles, “They’ll surely all get coal this year!” And with that, Santa touched one delicate obese finger to his cute button nose, and with a wink of his eye bought his buddy the greatest gift of all. The Robocop VHS Board Game.

Now I know what you’re wondering. ‘Why haven’t I heard of this obviously incredible board game?’ Well, lucky for you Santa let me borrow it before he sent it out to his Secret Satan, so I can tell you EXACTLY why you’ve never heard of this potentially fantastic game; Because it sucks. Bad. As a Christmas experience it’s maybe better than getting your hair pulled in a retail brawl by a middle aged mother trying to get her kid the last Tickle Me Elmo, of Furby, or Call Of Duty 27. Maybe.

NOOOOOO WHYYYYY?! You ask. Well, to explain, I’d have to give you a brief overview of the game. So here I go.

In Robocop The VHS Board Game, players will each get to control their own Robocop clone. They will roll a die, move their patrol car that many spaces, probably land on an empty space and end their turn, and sometimes land on a space that prompts them to search through the accompanying VHS for a ten second clip that will end in instructions like, “take one damage,” or, “arrest criminal.” When the latter occurs, you might assume it would be exciting and fun, but you’d be wrong. Because just in case you forgot (it is 2013), rifling through back to back video clips on a VHS can be clumsy and annoying. Very very annoying.

That being said there are other things that happen in the game to give it more depth. Some board spaces prompt players to draw a card, which can do a variety of things, like make your fellow police officers strike while you do all their work for them and they eat infinuts (they’re like the Mobius Strips of donuts). In this case you cannot return to the police station space to heal until the strike ends. Great right?

But the existence of these cards is neither here nor there. The fact of the matter is that using the limited technology of a bygone era has limited the fun factor of this game almost entirely. My friends and I were in fact so distraught by having to waste more time on the VHS than playing the game that we made it through one and a half rounds before calling it quits. But frankly that was more than plenty of time to derive a basic understanding of this simple game. Which turned out to be irrelevant anyhow since I’ll almost certainly never play it again.

So why am I reviewing this game if it’s not really worth playing? And why is Santa so excited for his Secret Satan? Find out next time on…..Dice Temple!

Tactical Card Game Review: Summoner Wars

There are few games I’ve played that are simultaneously as stripped down and impressive as Summoner Wars. The rules can be learned in a matter of minutes, and yet the gameplay seems to offer much more than you would expect from such a straightforward production. In fact, unit movement and combat, and the objective of the game (to kill the other player’s summoner) almost seems too simple. But the magic in this game’s design lies in the variety of strategy each faction within the game allows their controller.

In Summoner Wars, players face off on a gridded map (see picture up top). Each space in the grid can be occupied by a unit. You are given the chance to move up to three units a turn a maximum of two spaces, and the chance to attack with three units. Summoning, or playing new units, is payed for by discarding cards out of your ‘magic pile.’ You are given a phase each turn to put cards from your hand into this pile, and any enemy units you destroy go to this pile as well (another clever mechanic). Turns are also augmented with the use of event cards which do a number of things depending on faction, including damaging enemy units, healing your own units, and giving your summoner special abilities temporarily. This is the entire game. That’s it. And yet within Summoner Wars’ simplicity there is a compelling core, all revolving around how well diversified and balanced the factions are.

From the Phoenix Elves, who concentrate on steady damage, to the Fallen Kingdom who balance self-destruction for power, each faction feels a completely different way when played. This is achieved through several points of design. The first, and my favorite, is that every single unit in the game, no matter how weak or powerful, has a special ability. There are no pawns in this game, every card has the potential to be used in a way that your opponent does not have access too. (Unless you were playing the same faction I suppose, but that’s lame.) The second way this is achieved is that no two factions are given the same event cards. Which means that trump card in your hand you’ve been saving for the final blow isn’t going to jump out at you from your opponent’s hand. Although they might have something unbeknownst to you, that will mash your goblins into paste.

One final detail I found interesting about this game is that you almost always burn through your entire deck in any given game. You won’t be sitting around hoping you pull your restricted Arcbound Ravager, or that last City Of Brass to complete your deadly combo, because your going to see every last card in your deck. Every. Single. One. *sigh of satisfaction*

So final thoughts on Summoner Wars: Its an easy to learn game, with high variety in gameplay. Its theme is well developed, and its duration isn’t overwhelming by any means, averaging about a half an hour. If your looking for a game for adolescent gamers to further lure them to the dark side of hobbyist obsession, this is a good pick. If you yourself just need a fast-paced, medium-light game to get a fix in, also a great pick. So check it out, Plaid Hat Games and designer Colby Dauch are to be commended for this one.

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Designer: Colby Dauch

Publisher: Plaid Hat Games

Card Game Review: Legacy Gears Of Time

Tonight my friends I am pleased to announce a special guest writer for this very special Dice Temple post – the acclaimed Dr. Emmett Brown. So please, sit back, relax, and enjoy this one of a chance opportunity. As one of the greatest minds of our time, a specialist in the bending of space and time, analyzes one exciting game: Legacy Gears Of Time. Without further adieu…..Dr. Emmett Brown.

-DiceTemple

p.s. There is a Delorean with its lights on in the parking lot.

Good evening all. Tonight we will be traversing through the malleable dimension known as time. Together, exploring each age, we will marvel as other ‘time-travelers,’ as they are colloquially known, compete to adjust and influence the lineage of technology itself to their own personal gain. These Antiquitects play a dangerous game, but the rewards are great, for an eternal Legacy awaits.

In this competition Antiquitects will use several actions to achieve greatness. The first and foremost strategy to do so involves “establishing” technologies along the timeline (represented by segments on the board in the case of Legacy). This involves traveling to different segments of time, and paying through discards to place a technology from the Antiquitects hand in that segment. The catch however lies in that many technologies have prerequisites that must exist previously on the timeline to gain the Antiquitect legacy (legacy is scored as points at the end of each of the four rounds of play that make up the game). And so these time-travelers will be desperately trying to both establish advanced technologies as well as their basic predecessors.

This goal is complicated by two main factors. The first is fate cards, which are few in number but very powerful. They can undermine opponents, allow for more than the allotted number of technologies to be established in a given time segment, or do any number of other advantageous things. The second complicated factor is the use of player’s influence. As the rounds of Legacy progress, each player will gain more and more influence cubes which they may place on their or opponents technologies to take control of them. When done strategically, this can tip the scales quite heavily.

All in all Legacy: Gears of Time is a fascinated competition, even to myself as one who has time-traveled as much as the next Antiquitect. It is a fun, medium weight way to spend an hour or two, and the thrill of molding time never does lose its luster (and neither will the board or card art in this game). So if you would, join me Emmett – yes please call me Emmett – and we will travel to experiences in realms you have never dreamed. Thank you for sitting through my lecture today. Happy Traveling.

Sincerely,

Dr. Emmett Brown

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Thanks a ton to Floodgate Games for sending me a copy of this great game! 

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Game Designer: Ben Harkins

Artists: Shamas Demoret, Steve Maggart

Publisher: Floodgate Games

Board Game Review: Mage Knight

The cool scent of dusk hovers, the sun will soon retire to silent slumber. The forest grows dark, but you are not fooled – under shadow lies life, and with breathe comes probable danger. You will ascend to the tower in the distance this midnight. Silhouette firm but ever fading, you know not what lies within its walls…it does not matter, it is no match for you, it is no match for a Mage Knight.

One of the most rewarding moments for me as a fairly new board game enthusiast is infecting long time friends with the bug. Nothing quite beats making someone else understand why you love a hobby so much, and considering tabletop gaming requires friends to play with, its all the more satisfying when they too kneel to dice addiction.

Considering this I was quite pleased yesterday evening at my weekly game night in Storrs, CT, when, despite impending snow of apocalyptic proportions (said the weatherman), a core group came out to play a game new to our table which was purchased recently by a friend of mine, The Beard, on our trip to Philly: Mage Knight.

Now Mage Knight isn’t the kind of game you just whip out in shrink wrap and get moving in the matter of thirty to sixty minutes. In fact Mage Knight isn’t the kind of game you get moving in three hours. It took The Beard an hour just to sort all of the components, and myself about four hours to run through enough of the introductory scenario that I could teach the basic mechanics of the game and play this intro scenario with others (which doesn’t even include advanced mechanics such as player verse player combat, elite recruitable units, or interaction with cities).

That being said Mage Knight rewards the patient and the vigilant. Its a game that gives back for all the hard work you put into learning it. Because those first four introductory hours are all worth it when you realize you’re a dragon mage raiding dungeons, fighting orcs, and accruing priceless artifacts, while simultaneously trying to race your rivals to astounding fame and glory.

The detailed premise is this: you are a Mage Knight, a being of incredible power but bound to an entity known as The Council of the Void. You are eternally indebted to The Council as they bestowed on you great physical and magical ability, and so, each scenario is another mission the Mage Knights must accomplish.

But Mage Knights are lone wolves – independent and competitive it will be your job as one of them to balance cooperation and competition with your fellow peers as you all adventure for the bidding of The Council. In a land wrought with bands of warring orcs, mage towers, aggressive draconum, and other turmoil, stories of legend await to unfold, developing with your every move.

You will discover randomized tiles with varying terrain, earn advanced skills, spells, followers, and powerful artifacts with each level you gain, and each dwelling or beast your conquer. In this way Mage Knight is extremely reminiscent of the Avalon Hill classic Magic Realm. Available actions, atmosphere, and use of day/night, tokens, and hex terrain are all comparable. But luckily, unlike the cult classic (which I am still working to fully understand) Mage Knight is introduced with the aforementioned introductory scenario, which leads players step by step through each mechanic in basic gameplay.

This is probably the most impressive part about the game, second only to the genius of interplay between mechanics throughout game design (intertwined leveling, deck building, follower accruement, the list goes on). An immense amount of work was spent simply making this complex masterpiece accessible to anyone let alone light gamers (who should not play it). But I would say even someone accustomed to medium weight games, if they were willing to put in some time, could learn and enjoy this fantastic adventure game.

So if you have some extra time, if you enjoy high fantasy adventure, and if you have the imagination to be whisked to a land of treasures, dark shadows, and glinting blades, pick up a copy of this game. This game straight up blows every other game I’ve played of the same genre out of the water, into orbit around some distant unforeseen star where all rejected games peer back into the darkness from whence they came, and remember in awe the crushing legend that is Mage Knight.

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Designer: Vlaada Chvatil

Artists: J. Lonnee, Chris Raimo, Milan Vavron

Publishers: Lacerta, Pegasus Spiele, REXhry, Wizkids

Card Game Review: Epic Spell Wars Of The Battle Wizards - Duel At Mount Skullzfyre’

I love cartoons. Comics, animation, graphic novels, posters – whatever. If its imaginative and intriguing I want to visually devour it, greedily examining every detail until my hunger for colorful, humorous,and often bizarre ideas is satiated. But until fairly recently I overlooked a prime source for such cool immersive art: games.

Sure, as a kid I spent countless hours organizing my MTG collection, but never did Wizards of the Coast capture my imagination with their illustrations more than Calvin and Hobbes, Far Side, or Marvel Comics.

But now, a decade long renaissance of tabletop games has introduced me to the compelling potential of game art. From FFG’s interpretation of Cosmic Encounter’s alien species, to the Poe-inspired ambiance of Betrayal at the House on the Hill, my love for captivating art has only fueled my inevitable spiral into hobbyist addiction.

This is why I was so very excited when I first laid eyes on Epic Spell Wars. With an aesthetic somewhere between Adventure Time, Superjail, and The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, Epic Spell Wars combines humorous violence with absurd and colorful fantasy. And builds its game mechanics around the idea that each player is involved in a ludicrous mage battle.

The rules are very simple. Every round players simultaneously and secretly choose what spell they will play this turn. Spells are built from three different types of cards – Spell beginnings, middles, and ends. Turn order is then determined when the spells are revealed by numbers on the 'end’ cards, and everything resolves, usually ending in most wizards taking damage and yelling obscenities at their friends amidst fits of laughter.

That’s it. It doesn’t get any more complicated. Winner is essentially last person standing (although you have to be last person standing twice). And so free of schlepping your friends through a slew of new rules, this game is perfectly paired with drinking, or revelry of any kind, and allows for almost instantaneous fun.

That being said there’s one glaring flaw to Epic Spell Wars, and that’s that the game doesn’t really stand up to large groups as advertised, which somewhat limits its seemingly intended use as a party game. The fact of the matter is that games with over four people become very dragged out and bogged down, and I found that people tend to lose interest before someone actually wins and kills everyone else twice. Fortunately, this is easily remedied by playing just one fight to the death.

So if your looking for a good humored party game, with awesome art, and laughs abound, Epic Spell Wars is a good pick. Don’t expect any strategy or depth from this game though. All that’s in that box is a strong dose of smiles and chicken thigh projectiles.

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Game Designer: Rob Heinsoo, Cory Jones

Artist: Nick Edwards