What come to ur mind when u think of the word 'cards/board game'?
The classic names are such as monopoly, uno, cluedo, pictionary etc
It wasn't until last yr that my eyes were opened to the endless possibilty of mind games
So here r the games I've come across
Bang!!!
By far the most addictive game my frens and I played last yr
A western cowboy theme role-playing cards game for 5 to 7 players
The Sheriff is out to capture outlaws. The outlaws wanna kill the sheriff but also wouldnt hesitate to kill each other for rewards while the Renegade stirs his own plot
A very friendly and fast game. Doesnt require heavy thinking but still hav that strategic element in it
Much more fun with expansion pack: High Noon, Fistful of Cards and Dodge City
The collector set is a rip-off but I got it anyway
Kil Doctor Lucky
This is the game we got for our frens Bday last yr
Its the murder-in-the-dark board game where everyones trying to kill Doctor Lucky and also prevent others from killing him first
u cant attempt murder while someones watching u
ull kill with just about anything u can find...rat poison, monkey hand, bad cream...killing joke
But Dr Lucky isnt called Dr lucky for nothing
Loose ceiling tiles falls down...the door frame hits u in the face....chattering mice distracts u....u forget!!!...ur thoughts turn to a misspent youth
Not a bad game but can take a long time depending on the number of players
On most occasions the games r won by luck and planning often go to waste
Usually I feel pretty crappy after the game... someone always get blamed
The game still hav multiple flaws with the rules and the design in general
Should play with 4 players
Carcassonne
I just got this game recently
A tile-laying game where players keep adding the roads, cities, fields and cloisters
Followers are deployed as thieves, knights, monks and farmers on each terrain to earn points
Its not too heavy and quite easy to learn, yet it still allow some strategic plannings
The game time isnt too long which is good (limited by the number of tiles)
Some games arent fun to play when there r less players even though the box says u can play it
but this one, the essence of the game can still be enjoyed even by 2 players
The thing is...if there are more players, its best that u get expansions cos there prob wont be enough tiles going around
The good expansions I've looked up online are prob Inns&Cathedrals, Traders&Builders and Abbey&Mayor
Problems: The paper tiles r prob not very durable
Still need to review further once I get more gaming hrs
Family Business
A short and simple cards game
u own a mob and ur trying to put the other mobs on the hitting list
The last mob with members still alive wins
Fast...simple...basic...with some tricks here and there
but dun plan... cos it doesnt work...its really just what ur being dealt with
The golden rule that ppl should remember: no one is invincible
If u have enough ppl ganging up on u, u'll die... sooner or later
No need to think too much...just enjoy it
This is what my fren consider an appertizer
Munchkin
Enter-the-Dungeon cards game
u fight monsters behind the door and u level up...
u may flee but if ur caught then theres a price to be paid
Collecting items along the way, u fight from evil-looking Pot Plant to Plutonium Dragon
ur frens may help u but often backstabbing is what happened
The rules may seem complex at the start and there re still balancing issues
Interesting game to play but I wont buy one for myself
Prob for 4 to 6 players
Settlers of Catan
u build settlements to harvest surrounding natural resourses... brick...woods...sheep...rock
u trade...u find ports and expand ur settlements
A HALLMARK GAME
very challenging for those who enjoy strategies but not too much
More thinking to do than ...bang or family business
An average boardgame player would want to hav one in their home
Not difficult to learn... will take about an hour and a half to play
A bit of luck...a bit of skills... it encourages interaction between players which is really good
My bro reckons that most of the thinking comes right at the beginning of the game when picking the right tile for ur settlements...the rest is has to do with luck a lot (i.e whatever the dice roll)
Best to play with 4 players
I played it once and really liked it
Definitely would want to get one for myself when I hav money
Ticket to Ride: Europe
This one was the game my fren owns
We are building railroads from city to city. missions to complete
Short routes...long routes...intercepting someone elses line
Simply an awesome game... my intro really downplays the fun and joy we get
A neat strategic game... not many issues like some others
Really easy to learn
Can be played from 2 to 5 players but i enjoy it when there r more player i.e. 4-5
The series come with the original game, Ticket to ride
The later editions of the game are Ticket to Ride: Europe and Ticket to Ride: Marklin which is all independent of each other
Apparently the latest one got the best review with more balance and it forces more competition between players ie. more challenging
However, some reviews also suggest that the addition of 'passenger' component makes things stupid and unnecessary too
I was quite happy with the Europe edition I've been playing but I find that ppl with the longest route usually win so that makes the game a bit boring as ppl tend to go for that simple strategy.
At times, we did use a house rule which also gives a player with the most missions completed 10 extra points but my fren usually don't enforce this
There can be some variations on how you want to play the game as well because it will get boring with normal rules after a while
None the less, I feel like I have had my share of European edition and that Marklin version would be something I look forward to
Ticket of Ride: Marklin is another game I really like to collect... would be a good addition
Shadows over Camelot
My fren also owns this game
Interestingly, This game is different to every other games cos with this one, everybody is fighting against the board, not with each other
Mind u the board isnt a piece of cake that will let u chew on so easily
We are knights of the round table and we win by completing quests
Each turn everyone get to do something evil and something noble so if overall, u dun plan ur moves carefully, evils that have been revealed will just overruns u
Hearing what I had to say probably didnt give u the picture how much the boardgame screws with us
Sometimes so much has been sacrificed for so little in return
And if that wasn't enough, there is also a 'possibility' that there may be a traitor among us
I noted the word 'possibility' because its worse than knowing that theres definitely a traitor among us
It put doubt in ppls minds and everything they do
My golden rule is: If ur sincerely trying to be helpful, u shouldnt have too many cards left in ur hand
Its those ones who say they can't do anything but are holding 10+ cards that r dodgey
The first time we played this game, we played for 10 hrs or so straight
and we lost 5-6 games straight too until the last game which we managed to win
Even though now my fren reckons that if each of us does the right thing, the board should be easy to kill and its really just a battle between us all and the traitor
I disagree bcos like what some reviews say, the game has about 50% chance of winning without a traitor and with a good traitor, u just have to be prepared for disappointments.
I'd seen some games with screwed up luck and some luckier ones which resulted in us winning (usually not the case either)
Seeing that: 1) we didnt win a lot of the times even when we were lucky 2) the traitors havnt been very effective just yet 3) none of us has managed to accuse someone correctly 4) There is so much table-talking (which means cheating...)
, I dun see how he can comment that this game is "too easy"
I'm pretty much over 'Shadows over Camelot' now but I dun mind playing it every now and then
This game is suitable for 4-7 players
Puerto Rico
Recently I had a chance to try this game out
This game involves us running a business in a town and we have to grow crops, build factories, manage our employees, trade our products and also ship our products back to our country
Again, sounds simple but if u actually get to see the game for urself, ull realise that the whole mechanism of the game is very complex and the possibility is endless
I heard a fair amount about the game before I tried it out and most of it turns out to be true
First of all, its the number 1 ranked boardgame which is recommended to players who are more competitive
The game has very little luck component and that good end result depends on ur effective judgement throughout the game
With so many variables, its very hard to keep track of things
New players will experience the state of "analysis paralysis" or simply "brain-fried"
Its funny how I used to play bang!!! and I was fine.
I started playing Shadows over Camelot and Ticket to Ride...then my head was a bit numbed after a couple of game. But with this, my brain switched off before the game ended
Being a new player in this game, I felt like I was blind the whole game
There is no direct conflict in this game so ull find that manipulations are quite subtle
To me, its like being stabbed in the dark. It stings a bit here and there but u really have no idea until u walk out into the light (end game) and find out there are 13 knives on ur body (and drop dead of course)
Prob best for 3-4 players
Even though its prob a bit more complex than my level of experience
I do think this is an art of all boardgames. The designer of this game has my respect
The problem with this game is that it will be hard to find frens on the advance level to play with u
but hey... if i hav it (and i want it), I dun mind playing it every now and then (kinda like a chess board)
I'll develope skills slowly over time and this way I won't get bored of it so easily like other games
So there u go...
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