Merry Christmas!

Just to share this article with you all ...
A lovely note from Berlin. How the real meaning of Christmas transform the way we play ...
A note from Berlin

Head to Head! Goblins at War!

 
So you want to succeed your boss who will soon be retiring? You'll get your chance if you manage to kick everyone else's Robot's rear in the mechanical-robots-of-doom contest. Unfortunately, your colleagues are not going let you get ahead of them without some grease and mud stains on your face.

So you work up the courage to ask one of your so-called Goblin comrade to join you as partner in this contest. Two robots will go head to head. Each team will control a giant robot equipped with wimpy weapons pointing at different directions coz they could not make up their mind as to where they'd like to fire and then they ... fire. The last robot standing has its controllers declared the winners.


How do you play? 
In each round of three, each team builds a robot made up of weapon, armor and decoration tiles on their own construction yard based on the blueprint card that shows the shape of the Robot.

Each player receives 7 hidden agendas, 3 of those are discarded just before the battle, the remaining agendas could potentially score points for specific tiles that fall off their opponents robots (destructive agendas), or score points for tiles that remain on your robot at the end of the combat (defensive agendas),  or score points by accurately predict an outcome of the battle. The interesting part is that your partner might not be working for the same agendas as you, in fact he/she may very well works against you.

The construction begins with one partner in each team picks up and look at 5 tiles from the face-down common pile and swap with each other 2 of those tiles. As they are building the robots with tiles, the other partners pick up  tiles and swap. So the tiles selection and tiles placement actions continue alternately until all the empty spaces on the construction yard are filled up with tiles. After that, each player places 2 goblins in the cockpit. They represent the hit points of the robot.

Three tactics cards with various dice modifying abilities and special abilities are turned up before the combat begins. One player from each team will take the role of tactician by secretly choosing one of these tactics card. The other players become the Pilot who secretly determining the angle the robots rotate and the directions their weapon will face. Each teams gets to roll as many dice as their weapons pointing at the opponent's robot. Each dice roll represent a hit on the correspond rows indicated on the constructions yard. The battle lasts the maximum 4 turns. If both robots are still standing, the robot with the most tiles and goblins on board wins.

If your team won, you score 2 points for each of your goblins and 1 point for each of your partner's goblins. And everyone gets to score their hidden agendas. Yes, you'd heard right, everyone, including the losers.



Introducing U and Meeples Review:
Meeple is a family gamer who loves ... hmmm of all the games who would have thought- Carcassonne, and Ticket to ride. She prefers a lighter rule set and games that last around 30mins to an hour.

U is gamer who likes games with little more "depth", not necessarily heavier rules set. Games that he would break out once in a while to annoy others.
 
How do we feel?
Meeple: Now this is Galaxy Trucker on steroids. You are not struggling against some unknown elements but the robot right in front of you. You are trying to survive against their direct attacks yet at the same time trying to crush them. Yes, this is not a passive aggressive euros but full frontal confrontations. I find myself second guessing where my opponents' robot will turn, and to position our robot to gain the maximum hit on targets that will yield the most points for yours truly only. Even during the robot construction phase, I constantly watch what  the others are building. If they are so strong on the engines and the weapons front, I might consider betraying my mate by giving away the battle but getting away with points scored from my hidden agendas. 

 In sum, it's about managing the hidden mission cards along with watching your opponents robot as they are building, deducing their potential attacking facing, as well as the reaping the points from the destroyed and retained components. Lots of luck but I really like this game. It is fun, fun, fun!

U: I agree with most of Meeple's comments. However, the choices of how one should manipulate the robot is pretty obvious. You would want to have the most guns pointing at your opponent. Well, being a traitor will score you some points but not enough to compensate the points lost. The tiles drawn, the hidden agendas and the tactics cards are all random, not to mention the dice. I feel like there is very little control over what I can accomplish vis a vis my agendas. Having said that, as strange as it may sound, I do enjoy the ride; the immense satisfaction of knocking off those vital tiles that completely decimate the robot and seeing their expressions of ... (evil laughter trailing off)

Is it fun?
Meeple: We've answered that, haven't we? 

U: This is a light filler for me. Can we play Galaxy trucker now?

Meeple: Oh! Hang on! I've got something to add ... those who fear randomness and unable to cope with changing situations ... run for your lives! Avoid this at all cost. Your loss!

The day after heavy snowfall in Vancouver - pictures of Alien Adam enjoyng the snow coming up.

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My 2012 Essen Watchlist

1. Robinson Crusoe - A cooperative game with tight thematic integration. The star of Essen 2012. Will this live up to the buzz?
2. Myrmes - Ant placement game for a change. ; ) It's from Ystari so it should be heavy on the mechanism...
3. Goblins Inc! (got it) - Galaxy Trucker on steroids? We'll see.
4. Archipelago - Having done my fair bit of "lost in space", me (alien) prefer exploration on planet earth anytime over space (= dark and void) exploration.
5. Love Letter - Always looking for quick card games - this was a surprise hit at Essen 2012, I'd just got to try it. 
6. Room 25 - Simulated TV game shows with take that! heh heh.
7. CO2 - The beautiful watercolored board interwoven with layered and unique gameplay.
8. River Dragon - Fantastic Artwork and bits.
9. Copycat - a mixed bag of all the cool mechanics from the top games in BGG. Now that piques my interest.
10. Suburbia - Oh Sim City where art thou?
11. Tzolkin - Trying really hard to ignore this one, but it keeps crawling back onto the list. Round and round it goes. Could it suffer the same fate as the forecasted Mayan Apocalypses...puff....
12. Keyflower - Can one interesting auction mechanism carries the whole game? 
13. Escape the curse of the temple - Can't make a decision ? Roll a dice - that's Ameritrash. Made your decision(s) - roll a dice to restrict your options - that's Eurogame. Now this game embraces both fronts. source: Extracted from the narrow-minded plastic soulless space Merchant guide of buying dice. Not for those with babies at home.
14. Terra Mystica - My head hurts 2 minutes into rule explanation. Could this be a good sign for a game with "depth"? On the race to be the reigning soulless euros king of 2012. I owe my soul to check this one out!
15. Noblemen - It is noble to offer an apology for past mistake. A great title for the right publisher. : )

From Canada to Malaysia ...

Games cafes are sprouting ...

Meeples Cafe in Subang Jaya

Snakes and Latte in Toronto


Tell us about the Board Game cafe in your neighbourhood.

Run for your lives!

In the Beatles' 1965 album "the Revolver" John Lennon wrote and sang: 

You better run for your life if you can, little girl

Hide your head in the sand little girl

Catch you with another man

That's the end'a little girl 

Not the kind of song we'd like to impress our new date, you may argue that he wrote this after some tumultuous events, well, Lennon is known for being more than frank with his feelings. Perhaps Sting did better with his "Every breath you take” a subtler post-divorce look at the love of his life that which many have mistaken a mushy love song.

Many applaud the honesty of these songs, why not, they argue that these thoughts are real, they occurred in our head. Well, the question is how do we respond to these thoughts, do we concur or should we be checked by a higher value yet at the same time acknowledging these feelings.... hmmm food for thought...

Another event that many may consider that which has the least to do with any higher value but rather propelled by their practical needs: the "run for your lives" exercise by the runners or taunters in the friendly neighborhoods of Pamplona every July. The famous Bull Run, where bulls are let loosed after the frenetic runners on a course of a town's streets; damned if you are overtaken by the bulls. The prize of making it to the finishing line is not only saving your butt but also to uphold this tradition that began in 14th century Spain and to some the bragging rights to post their bravado on Facebook.  In case we are confused with whom are having the most fun, the animals rights group has made it very clear.

Pamplona - Viva San Fermi! attempts to capture the euphoria, foolhardiness of this race for those who could not make it to Pamplona or, really! Do we have to make the trip? Now if you are serious in paying a visit, this could be your credential on paper / cardboard... 

How do you play?

In Pamplona, you control an ox, a bull and a foolish runner. The goal is to get your runner across 4 sections of the city streets without being gored by the opponents' bulls. You get a hand of 5 movements cards for each ox and bull you control. Once the bulls and oxen are released i.e. in player order, each player places their ox and bull; the runner is then placed within five rows from the first bull of the herd. Each runner is rewarded with bravery points- the closer a runner is to the first bull the more points they get. 

The race begins with the order of the playing pieces positions, the one ahead moves first. Each runner must move 2 squares straight or diagonally ahead. Likewise, Oxen and bull are governed by the same movement rule except the cards played; the value ranging from 2 to 5, determine the number of movement squares. The runner cannot share places with another playing pieces, or the unfortunate bystander printed on the board, except in situations when an ox tramples a runner or a bull gores the runner. You get 1 point from having your ox tramples your opponents' runners, 2 points goring them with your bull. When a bull gores a runner, he is carried to the hospital; he converts all of his bravery points to stupidity points, which counts for nothing! Heh heh. And he gave his clothes to another friend who would embrace the color of his stupidity and continue on with the next sections.  Oh! You also get special ability cards that are one time use only that can avert one goring, move the runner an extra square, slows down your opponents' runner and etc. (you get the idea) ; ). 
 

Dangers Looming?

How do we feel?

Meeple*: The theme is really cool. I appreciate the bull miniatures and the board's artwork, which bring the players to the space where they can experience the atmosphere of a bull race. This is not quite a race game but rather of maneuvering my ox and bull into defensive positions that "protect" my runner, or attacking other runners. Although I am concerned with the well-being of my runner, I do not feel too worried as the actions by other player are quite predictable since the only exceptions to the rule of the race is the special ability card and that is also public information. I feel like I have full control of the race and I do not feel the movement cards restrict my options yet there is very little I can do in reacting to the others actions apart from crying "I see that coming", when my beloved flattened runner...

I do enjoy Pamplona as a quick filler game, the revised rule set is easy to understand, however, one do need to get over the hurdle of what each special ability cards can do. Publishers, we are looking at you! Do not skimp on player’s aid!

U**:  I appreciate how the initial placement at the beginning of each sections is crucial to the outcome of the race. Taking into the consideration of the special ability card selected at each round, and the positions of the other playing pieces, one can picture the outcome of the whole race. This also has the unfortunate implications that there are very few surprises how the race will finish and the initial placement is the "meat" of the whole race. Not quite what I have expected from a race game. There is a lack of excitement and tensions in the actual race. 

I do see the merit of the theme and I am trying really hard to like the game. I feel the execution could be better. There are too many starting points (or placement rounds) in the race, I wonder if the race is a continuous section with different scoring junctions will the game then lend itself to a more meaningful hand management of the movement cards. Save for the theme and miniatures, I wouldn't have missed the game a bit.

Is it fun? 

Meeple:  I like it. I will play the game once in a while. I'd break it out when my non-gamer friends come around, when we need a change of scenes from the usual likes of Ticket to Ride and Carcassonne.

U: You really want to play this?! Let me search online for a variant.

 
by Aliensean on a surprising sunny day in Vancouver. 

* Meeple is a family gamer who loves ... hmmm of all the games who would have thought- Carcassonne, and Ticket to ride. She prefers a lighter rule set and games that last around 30mins to an hour.

**U is gamer who likes games with little more "depth", not necessarily heavier rules set. Games that he would break out once in a while to annoy others.

Board Games Strike Back?

Check out these articles in the mainstream newspapers.

Guardian UK

LA Times

Washington Post

San Francisco Chronicle

The Atlantic

The Atlantic - the rebuttal 

and Board Games Sites 

Board Games Sales keep going up!

Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans - John Lennon

Hi all!

I'm so sorry this blog had gone off to a "slow" start. Well, life happens. Beginning next week, games reviews will be up...