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August was another busy month for our team of writers. Learn more about which games they picked from their shelves in our month feature: "What We've Been Playing".
Northern Dice - Formula D and Machi Koro
This month we invested in a couple of games that we’ve had our eye on for a while and they have blown our socks off! The first was Formula D by Asmodee and the second was Machi Koro by Pandasaurus Games.
Formula D, in a nutshell, is a game about racing. The aim is, of course, to be the first across the finish line. But that's taking a lot of the game away from itself. There is so much more to it! The game requires lots of forward planning, but also relies on some luck too. Each player controls their own gears, which determine the player's speed. This links to which dice will be rolled with the outcome being the number of spaces the player can progress. Higher gears mean more progression, but less control. While it’s good to get the high speeds, there are lots of other elements that need to be considered too. Corners, collisions, weather conditions, heavy braking, slip streaming and downshifting, just to name a few. These can all affect your car negatively and cause damage. And if any of the car's attributes hit their minimum, the player is eliminated - but not in a blaze of glory!
Formula D is a great game for all abilities, and the element of luck in the game still allows weaker players to have a good go. A solid roll will mean great outcomes, and no amount of forward planning can change a bad roll. The number of laps can be varied, so the length of each game can differ. We found the game offered many situations to deal with when we had more players. This one is definitely a must have for any Formula 1 or racing fan. A solid combination of push your luck and theme!
Machi Koro is a fast-paced game for 2-4 players and takes about 30 minutes to play. Players take on the role of a city’s mayor trying to develop the place. Players compete to develop their city to earn money in order to construct their four landmarks. The first player to have all four landmarks constructed takes the victory. Players earn money by building new buildings on their turn, and earn cash by rolling a corresponding die result. Some buildings benefit on your turn, some on everyone's. You've got to spend money to earn money! Players need to be aware what is going on at all times to ensure they benefit. There is no point in cashing in on buildings that steal money if everyone else has none!
We found the game definitely got more competitive with more players involved. And it's one that will appeal to a wide range of ages and abilities. There is a guaranteed ease of access and your knowledge of statistics and odds may help you here, although you can't guarantee a die result.
The Game Shelf - Game Nights With Friends
Board gaming is 100% a hobby we got into because we wanted to socialise more over a hobby we could enjoy together. Sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of that and stay at home gaming together, just the two of us, because it’s just easier than going out or entertaining after a hard day at work. Fortunately, this month we’ve made a big effort to do some social gaming.
‘Regular Gloomhaven’ is something we’ve agreed to put in place every two weeks with two friends. We’ve allowed visitors into our Gloomhaven campaign previously but these are our two first permanent guests. It’s great to get Gloomhaven to the table more and since they joined we’ve retired two characters, so progress is definitely being made!
‘Work Board Game Night’ was a great success this month. For turnout, it was poor, just me and two colleagues at the pub, but that meant quality games were played. I introduced them to Cottage Garden and to Cryptid, and Cryptid in particular was a big hit. What it manages to achieve with very simple deduction, simply amazes people every time.
‘Game Night at Ours’ has happened multiple times in August. One highlight was opening up the next box of Unlock and doing extremely badly on the ‘easy’ scenario from the box. The other was getting out both Ice Cool and Ice Cool 2 to create a giant map and trying both the race and normal mode.
Nick Toovey – Carcassonne, Kingdomino & Ticket to Ride
I’ve had a few days off with my three sons this month and I have played a number of board games with them. This has been topped up with the usual evenings of gaming too. I have a host of games to choose from so it was interesting that my children and I gravitated towards what I deem to be ‘classics’ and what others would call very good entry level games.
Most played for us was Carcassonne. This is a game that should need no introduction to most. A Spiel des Jahres award winner in 2001; this is a truly brilliant game. When playing with my boys I team up with the youngest and assist the other two with friendly suggestions, but they grasp it and love it and annoyingly can beat me. As the box has made it to the top of the cupboard my wife and I have had a few games using the Inns and Cathedrals expansion pack which I don’t tend to let loose on the kids.
The 2017 Spiel des Jahres award winner, Kingdomino, has also been pulled from the cupboard on a regular basis. The ease of matching the tiles again means that my kids can be competitive in the game. The four player game is different from the two player game, especially as my wife and I have been playing the 7x 7 alternative using all the tiles when the boys are asleep. Either way the gameplay is very well balanced.
Also frequently hitting our table this month (and most month’s this year) was Ticket to Ride with the very worthwhile 1910 USA Expansion which really does improve the original version. I think if I could only have one board game in my life forever more it would be this one.
All three games fall into the ‘classic’ category for a reason, I for one just don’t tire of them. I can now look forward to September, my birthday month, and with it a whole host of new games… you should see my smile right now!
William Moffat - Raiders of the North Sea and Railroad Ink
Bizarrely, just as in April, I enjoyed 31 plays of 17 unique games in August. Winning the play count with five plays was my wife’s favourite, Azul.
I recently ordered the solo mode for Raiders of the North Sea, which is a small deck of cards that allows you to play the game solo. My first attempt was a narrow 99-102 defeat to what has become known as “ShemBot” (in tribute to the game’s creator). But in my second attempt, with the Fields of Fame expansion, I choked ShemBot, raiding all the fortresses, hiring the best crew and ended up thrashing him 129-87!!
My surprise of the month came at my games group, where I played Tremors The Board Game… Err, I mean Terror Below, which is a pick-up-and-deliver game set in the arid American desert where you’re taking on giant worms that emerge from below – this game was engaging and often laugh-out-loud funny, just as the Kevin Bacon film was.
I acquired World’s Fair 1893 in August on the strength of designer J. Alex Kevern’s Sentient, which I rate highly. World’s Fair was a lovely, quick worker placement and hand management game that exuded the designer’s personality and came with a theme unlike any other in my collection… A funfair!
I have been dying to get hold of the roll-and-write game Railroad Ink and due to it being out of stock everywhere I decided to print out the print & play version from BGG, which worked pretty well – I have to say I really liked it – it’s a nice little puzzle that can be played solo and at the end it’s interesting to see the little map you’ve created.
My most memorable gaming experience of the month was a game of Scythe at my Games Group where I drew the Saxony faction for the second game in a row and came fifth (last) again! I suppose I did improve my overall score from 20 to 26, so there was that!
