For Christmas and my birthday, I received a few new board games, some of which I asked for, and some of which I had never heard of. By and large, these games were amazing, and have really brought on a renaissance of game playing in our house. So, in no particular order (other than the order I received them in):
This is probably the most universally liked of the new games. Basically, you draw destination cards, and you must build trains linking those destinations (although obviously it’s a little more complicated than that). Although you play with several people, you’re not competing directly with them per say, although sometimes people build on a route you’d like to build on. It makes you think, but just enough; it’s not nearly as thinking-intensive as, say, Acquire. This also works really well as a 2 person game, which is something Sara and I are always looking for. I don’t think anybody who has played this one doesn’t like it. The downside is that games can be long, especially with a lot of people.
In this game, each player tries to build the biggest, most beautiful Italian palace. What makes this game interesting is that the bricks for the buildings are usually auctioned off to the highest bidder. So you are directly competing with the other players, free market style. This game has been pretty popular as well. I personally prefer Ticket to Ride, but I think at least 2 people prefer Palazzo. The other nice thing is that games are always pretty short. Sometimes you just have time for a quick game, and if so, this one’s for you.
Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot
Okay, I loved this game, but some people have expressed a strong dislike for it (although, I should point out that those people did not actually play the game). Basically, the point of the game is to try to keep your bunnies alive, while killing all of your opponents bunnies with things like flame throwers, black holes, and flying razor spatulas. I once killed two bunnies by having a clumsy bunny of mine open a pack of razor sharp melba toast, sending them flying. Oh yeah, and don’t forget to purchase your magic carrots. This game is hilarious and silly and a lot of fun, though maybe confusing on the surface. This game is also better with more people playing. I’ll be looking for people to play this with.
This is the only game I haven’t had a chance to play yet, but it is the game I am most excited about. Unfortunately you cannot play it with only 2 players. I found some various rules online that can allow you to play with only 2, but we figured we shouldn’t do that for the first time we play. So I’m still waiting. I have, however, read through the rules, so I think I have an understanding of things. Basically you build towns in strategic areas to collect resources to build more things. That probably doesn’t make sense, but suffice it to say, it is a strategy game that I think will require a lot of thinking. I wanted to hold off on this blog post until I could play this one, but it doesn’t look like it is happening any time soon.
One side story, my mom saw this box and mistakenly thought it said, “Settlers of Satan”, which I think sounds like a WAAAAY more awesome game that I should totally make. The box cover could look almost the same, with a few subtle modifications (that scythe could look a little more grim-reaper-y, maybe give the guy with the ax some glowing red eyes…). So anyway, look for the Settlers of Satan, coming soon to a gaming store near you!
Shane Halbach 