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This month Hannah Blacknell is answering the difficult 'Behind The Bloggers' questions so you can know your Zatu bloggers better. So without further ado let’s get on to the questions.
What Is Your Favourite Board Game?
My favourite game is the Unmatched game system - a light skirmish game. This is a two player heads up duel to the death. You can actually play this up to 4 players, but I think it plays best at two. Unmatched is expandable as new characters are constantly released. This is bad for my bank balance but great for the enjoyment factor. Each character has its own special ability and unique deck of cards. I guess if I had to pick a favourite character, it would be Bigfoot from the Bigfoot and Robin Hood set. He and his sidekick the Jackalope go smashing about the board hitting hard and then running away. There is a nice balance to this character and it is a faithful deck for me.
What Board Game Would You Recommend To Get Someone Into Gaming?
For me, this is an easy pick. There is one game that I have used to make far more gamers than any other and that is King of Tokyo. This is a dice chucking battle royale that plays fast and is pretty easy to pick up. The aim of the game is to be either the last monster standing or the first to get 20 stars (victory points). You roll dice and Yahtzee style can re-roll selected dice up to twice to try and get the best possible outcome. I love this as an entry-level game because although there is a significant amount of strategy, there is always the luck of the dice roll. This levels the playing field and a newbie can best you without you having to throw your game at all. I always find that people enjoy games more when they know they have a significant chance of winning.
You Can Only Pick Three Board Games To Play For The Rest Of Your Life, What Are They?
I’ll of course have to pick my favourite game which is Unmatched. This is an always expanding game system so I am cheating a little. There will always be new characters coming out that I can keep trying. I have played over 100 games of this in the last 15 months, and I am most definitely not bored of it. So I would hope to continue to not-be-bored of it forever.
That was a two player game, so I will pick one that suits more players. So I will pick It’s a Wonderful World. This is a drafting resource management game that can be played from 1-7 players with the Corruption and Ascension expansion. There is also a campaign expansion in War or Peace. This provides a five scenario game that also has some legacy elements with new cards can be added to the main deck. It's a Wonderful World has quite a complex puzzle associated with it. It is, in my opinion, one of the best scaling games in that all player counts are great fun but all feel very different. I enjoy the solo mode as well which is important for me in a game I will play forever. You know, in case I run out of friends!
For the third selection I am very torn between two games. Two games that are my sister’s favourites and also among mine too. Those are Wingspan and Sagrada. She never says no to either of these, and will ask to play them too which is a sign of an excellent game. I think I have to plump onto the side of Sagrada. This is a dice drafting game. You have to fill up your stained glass window and positioning die so that no two colours or numbers are next to each other. I enjoy this game digitally and in real life. I love the solo puzzle that you are completing. There is a little bit of hate drafting possible if you are that way inclined. But I tend to steer away from this as I am pretty anti that kind of play. I have enjoyed what the expansions have brought to it, and I would say that the 5-6 player expansion is for me the best. This adds the extra components for two more players (including the addition of yellow player colour which was very welcome). The 5-6 player expansion also adds personal draft pools. These shake up how you play. You already know 10 of the die you will place in the game which makes the puzzle much harder. Because knowing more means more strategy and possibly more strategy than my tiny brain can often handle! I know that Kirsty is a massive fan of this one too. I have played this and been schooled by her before over an Instagram Live.
So there you have it. Hannah has definitely put Unmatched on my radar. It is not a game I have played before but a two player game with asymmetric player powers is right up my street. I also have to admit I have not played King of Tokyo. But it sounds like a good choice to play with my friend who is getting into games.
Sagrada is a great choice for a game to keep. As Hannah mentions it can also be played over video as well as in person. I have enjoyed playing both ways over the last few years. The different windows plus all the modules mean this game has great variability. Sagrada is one of those games I could play every week and not get bored of!
Next month FavouriteFoe will be in the hotseat to answer my questions, so don’t forget to check back then.