Mosaic has been out for a while now, so in a sense I guess I’m kind of late to the party. This is another Kickstarter game where I held out on backing it, despite the gorgeous artwork, that enticing mosaic map and the allure of a civilisation game that wouldn’t take a whole day to …
There are many aspects in modern board gaming that I personally don’t really care for. For example, I like the card-engine-building of Terraforming Mars or Ark Nova just fine, but they don’t get me excited. I can appreciate the maximum-turn-extending of an Imperial Settlers or Everdell mechanically, but they don’t make me seek out similar …
Read more “First Impressions of Lands of Galzyr – How Fun Can a Sandbox Be Without Moulds?”
It only takes a quick look to realise there is something different about Oros: its art style lies between the abstract or painterly detailed art of most games, the box is a bit bigger than usual (approximately 1.5x Ticket-to-Ride-boxes), the mood is unusually cheerful for a game about demigods, reminding me of an animated movie …
Read more “First Impressions of Oros – A Fresh Breeze That Moves Mountains”
Splendor is one of those games that feel like they have been around forever, like Ticket to Ride or Carcassonne. Easy to teach, nice production, great flow, maybe a bit bland after repeated plays but always good to have in a collection. While not the deepest game, there is a nice meta game of seeing …
Read more “First Impressions of Splendor Duel – Smaller Box, Bigger Game?”
We’re approaching the next corner and I’m way too fast. In the front, the leader is trying to pull away from me so I have to keep up. In the back, the rest of the competition is breathing down my neck. There is a discerning amount of stress, heat is starting to build up, and …
Read more “First Impressions of Heat: Pedal to the Metal – Zero to Fun in Sixty Seconds”
Great riches can be found by leaving one’s own comfort zone. Sometimes they come in the form of new discoveries we love, other times in an affirmation that we were already where we wanted to be. John Company: Second Edition is pretty far outside my normal area of interest, in fact it might be in …
Read more “First Impressions of John Company: Second Edition – A Story Worth to Be Told”
The first games of my virtual Essen haul have started arriving. Instead of going to the convention in person, I opted for watching from home and just ordering a couple of games that fancied my interest. It’s kind of a crapshoot to buy those games without any serious reviews already out but fun in its …
Read more “First Impressions of Woodcraft – Who Knew Carpentry Would Be Such a Tight Business?”
One of my favourite experiences in board gaming is being unexpectedly blown away by a game. I realise I’m tipping my hand here as to what direction the conclusion of these first impressions will likely go, but let’s stick with it. I fondly remember the day when I picked up a second hand copy of Dune: …
Read more “First Impressions of Carnegie – A Perfected Euro Experience”
Golem has been one of those games where I have been almost triggering the purchase for months. I had it in my checkout cart multiple times and then removed it. I held it in my hands at my local game store, pondered it for a couple of minutes, and ultimately put it back on the …
Read more “First Impressions of Golem – The Evolution of a Classic”
Alright, let’s get this out of the way. These first impressions will likely be different for two reasons: one, this is the very first Kickstarter that I backed myself and has actually fulfilled. Up to now, I’ve typically just waited for games to actually ship, checked how they turned out and then grabbed a copy …