Its been quite a busy last 6 months here at IBGC, loads of game have been added to the library, some you may have seen, some may have passed you by. Here are a few of the highlights you could try next time you come down.
Sushi Go – A wonderful little card drafting game. You take a card from your hand put it in front of you face down, and pass that hand to the left. Everyone else does the same thing at the same time. One you are ready, reveal the card you picked and then pick another one from your new hand. The art is cute as a button and the game play is simple and fun. A classic for years to come I think.
Splendor – nominated for game of the year, it has been a mega hit down at the Cafe. The only problem we have with it is having none to sell when people play it and want to immediately buy it. Simple rules, with great components, but lots of choice make for a great game. You collect gems and then use them buy the cards which give you discounts to buy more expensive cards with more points. First to 15 wins.
Freedom: the Underground Railroad – this is a co-operative game believe it or not. You are trying to help slaves escape from plantations in the South to Canada while progressing the emancipation movement through financial donations. Sounds great? Its really good and bloody hard. I’ve played it a few times and been soundly thrashed every time
Dungeon Fighter – Another co-operative game, but this one is a dexterity, dungeon crawl that can even be played solo. There is a big target laid flat in the centre of the table that you must try and hit. You but you do this by bouncing dice off of the table on to it, tricky? Yes, very! You wander through rooms trying to beat monsters till you get to the big boss, which you must beat to win. You can get power ups to help you, but they will often involve having to toss the dice under your leg first, or rolling it off your nose or perhaps doing a 180 degree turn and then bouncing it all with your eyes closed! The art is awesome as well.
Boss Monster – A card game, that borrows heavily from the classic Nintendo art style. You are a dungeon boss and must create your own dungeon with the intention to both attract and defeat heroes looking for the goodies your rooms hold. Its pretty simple game-play, but both the art and quick play make this one very popular down here.
Istanbul – Winner of this years Kennerspiel des Jahres (complex(ish) game of the year), this is a first to x gems game. The board is a series of tiles that all do different actions and can be configured differently every time you play it. You have a stack of workers that you drop off at the different tiles to do the actions available there, however you will eventually run out of them and need to collect them again, so trying to be as efficient with your movement is the key to the game. Plays in less than an hour and has done well so far in the cafe.
Epic Spell Wars of the Battle Wizards: Dual at Mount Skullzfire – Do you like Munchkin, but find the art a bit tame? Then try this sucka! Make a three part spell such as this one (not for the faint of heart):
and try to knock out the other Battle Wizards to be the last man standing. Its bonkers and comes with a Mount Skullzfire that does nothing except be…well…Mount Skullzfire!
Black Fleet – The second game from Space Cowboys, the makers of Splendor. Its a Pick up and Deliver game, where you take control of a merchant ship trying to collect goods and take them to other ports around the board, while simultaneously controlling a Pirate ship you use to pinch other peoples goods. You use the money you collect to develop fairly bizarre special abilities (such as being able to surf over an island in your Merchant ship…useful indeed). A bit more chaotic than Splendor (OK, a lot more chaotic), but a blast to play…c’mon let out your inner Pirate!
Also recently arrived:
- Five Tribes, the Euro style hotness from GenCon, a worker displacement game that has people drooling enough to put a Wet Floor sign out.
- Dead of Winter: A Crossroads game. This is the one I am most excited about. A semi co-op Zombie game where there MAY be a traitor, and all the good guys share an objective they need to complete to win plus each individual has a secret personal objective they also need to complete to win, leading to some serious conflicts of interests. You can also play as a messed up Mall Santa and get bitten by the Zombies and try to heal yourself, but if you fail you cause other people to become Zombies….so much brilliance in one game I hope. I will let you know when I actually play it 🙂
- Archer the Game
- Walking Dead Board Game
- Machine of Death – Game of Creative Assassination
- Diamonds – an excellent trick taking game
- Munchkin – Adventure Time