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Couple shots of Empyreal on #TabletopSimulator. I like TTS, but not everything works well there - this was nice though! The tool tips for the specialists in the updated version are particularly helpful. 3p, a smaller game, just 3p, and while I do think this is more interesting with more, it was still quite fun with 3. This came in not too long before the Pandemic so I didn’t get to play it much, so it was cool to discover its got a pretty nice TTS version. #gaminginthetimeofcovid19 #level99games #empyrealspellsandsteam #bgg #boardgamegeek #virtualgamenight #boardgames https://www.instagram.com/p/CAmO8LkgNmU/?igshid=18bcunverxgyz

More Empyreal: Spells & Steam. We played 6p, and didn’t use the Awards. I was actually kind of shocked how well it worked with 6; it plays pretty crisply for the most part, and while there is some downtime, there is stuff to work out when it’s not your turn. Plus the game just isn’t that long; you’re only going through your tableau 4 times most likely in a 5-6p game. Also, I did prefer the game without the awards, at least for games with more players, and players who are not yet intimately familiar with the game. The winning score in our game was 26, and the spread was about 5 points; the Awards are just a ton of points, relatively speaking (6/4/2 for 1st/2nd/3rd) so you have to be competitive for them or you’re not going to win. This feels like it narrows the scope of the game significantly. With fewer players scores will be higher so maybe it’s not that bad, but I think I’d rather use the Metropolis rules from the expansion as something for the players to directly compete for. Anyway, still liking this a lot. It’s not going to be something I play frequently just because I don’t really have the constituency for it (like Edge of Darkness, another game that’s quirky that I’m quite fond of). It would obviously reward really digging into it, there is just so much variety. But unlike Terra Mystica, to which it bears some resemblance, it also seems like it can reward more casual play. #bgg #boardgamegeek #boardgames #level99games #worldofindines #boardgamesofinstagram #boardgamenight #tabletopgames https://www.instagram.com/p/B8DnUJphZuK/?igshid=17o2ivt7dy84m

Argent: The Consortium. It’s been a couple years since I played this bonkers but really great game. We played it a lot in the first year after it came out, but it’s been having a bit of trouble getting back to the table, which is a shame. Usually the worker placement genre is among my least favorite (just above rondels), but Argent is just so dynamic it avoids many of the genre’s major pitfalls. Crazy powers, lots of options, just the right length, plays well at any player count (although it gets a bit long with 5 or 6). Plus the expansion is great too. My only thing is that for the first few games you do want to use the default setups, and after that if you go random, like Thunderstone or Dominion it is good to do a sanity check on the building layout and mix and make sure it makes sense. This was a surprise favorite. When I first played it I had never played a Level 99 game before, and on inspection it looked like it had a ton of red flags for me. But it ended up being a 10-rated game and I’ve gone on to be a big fan of Level 99. Looking forward to Empyreal! #bgg #boardgamegeek #boardgames #level99games #argenttheconsortium #j2s #brettspiele #boardgamesofinstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/B408soDgKh4/?igshid=1cukx7dmhifkj

Temporal Odyssey. Level 99 makes two games I adore (Argent: The Consortium and Millennium Blades) and the rest of their stuff is a bit hit and miss for me; but my love for those two is enough to keep me checking out their new games. And Temporal Odyssey was really cool I thought! It’s basically a Magic: The Gathering dueling-style game, but with a card-drafting element, a lot more interesting tactical nuance, and an action-point constraint rather than a card-draw or power constraint. Plus a bunch of other little things; like a lot of good games Temporal Odyssey is hard to easily pigeonhole. But despite this it plays quite easy with a very short rules set and can generate a lot of tension and drama. Plus it’s got their usual quirky fusion of Japanese and American styles combined with - for me anyway - doing a pretty good job representing women, something most of the hobby is still surprisingly retrograde on and so is refreshing to see when you get it. #bgg #boardgamegeek #boardgames #level99games #temporalodyssey https://www.instagram.com/p/BnVlgk5B-Xx/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=17rl8ljxy2zk7

This girl can’t get her emotions at check, yo.

Getting my Millennium Blades collection organized after the lastest game; with Set Rotation and the 6 small mini-expansions everything *almost* fits back in the box. Almost. This has snuck up to 10 plays for me; I wasn’t sure how much traction it would get given its bonkers, over-the-top style. Needless to say, I enjoy it a ton. But you’ve got to learn the zen of parsing some of the card texts and interactions; it’s not complicated but they need to be read precisely and not intuited or guessed at or just assumed to work the way that’s best for you. With just the core game it’s not a huge deal but once you get into Set Rotation and especially into the promo packs you need to read the more complex cards and combos with care. Anyway, although it’s quirkiness probably means it won’t find a huge audience with my readers, this is a really great game IMO which I’ve always enjoyed. Just the core game is good, but the cards in Set Rotation really open up the game in cool ways. #bgg #boardgames #boardgamegeek #millenniumblades #level99games

Stupid Jeeves Stackson, totally hosed my deck in co-op Millennium Blades. I wasn't sure how well co-op would work for this, but it was fun - you're really forced to interact with the boss deck, which you don't always have to do in the main game (the starter configuration, for example, can often be won with pretty straight-ahead Score effects). The multiplayer competitive version is still clearly the main event, but this has its charms, especially as a way to ease into the full insanity if you have the time. The sets in the Set Rotation expansion are also pretty cool. This game is kind of bonkers, but it's *my* kind of bonkers. I'll be running it at PacifiCon if you're local and want to give it a try 😀. #bgg #boardgames #boardgamegeek #millenniumblades #level99games