Tom, I love these throwback reviews! Keep it up! Have you considered making a video of your wardrobe? Sounds weird but you have such a varied and eclectic collection of hats, glasses, suspenders, ties, etc. Enquiring gamers want know! Hope you and yours have a wonderful new year!
Its childish to be triggered by a score but 4/10 for FCM is rough 😂 it made me realise what an "interactive euro" truly means. Every single decision made by every other player affects you, which is fascinating and so so fun
My friends and I love the Mayfair crayon games and play them every time we meet. There's just something about drawing lines across a map and making deliveries that's really fun. We have, I think, all the maps including Russian Rails. Somebody bought the rights to the games and will be republishing them this year with streamlined rules and new cards. I attend the Total Confusion convention in Massachusetts each year and there is a whole tournament and room dedicated to train games called Puffing Billy. The Mayfair games are at least half of what is played.
Circadians First Light is easily a 10/10 for me, especially with the expansion. It's in my top 5 games of all time, which is continuously getting more and more competitive. I can't believe it's 5 years old already. It's definitely not a Civ game, but it does have quite a few things going on. Simple rules but high decision space... So good! I have War of the Ring, but haven't played it yet. I've committed to playing it 5 times this year, so we'll see how that goes
I really enjoy Food Chain Magnate, even though I'm still relatively new to it. One my most-played games in 2024. But I wouldn't begrudge anybody scoring it according to their own opinion. I've experienced some noses getting really out of joint when a mistake clearly takes a player out of the running mid-game or earlier. I always try to remain relaxed and magnanimous in defeat, but something like this after, for example, a bad day at the office may be triggering. I try to give fair warning before playing...
Obviously determining what parameters are for rating a game a 9 out of 10 is entirely subjective. For me though, I don't know that the idea that you want to always come back to it again and again regularly is necessary. I don't have a huge pull to find a group for BSG, for example ,particularly frequently, but the experience it provided when it comes out is very memorable and lasting. To me, that makes it a high candidate for a high rank. Not the only reason to rank a game highly of course - Space Base continues to be one of my most beloved games and it has relatively few really memorable experiences attached, it's just fun small decisions - but a strong sense of great experience with a game can be enough for me to warrant a game with a high rating.
War Of The Ring 2nd Ed. I played this game ten times last year, and around the seventh game, when the initial "ameritrash amazement" finally wore off, I started to feel a little disappointed and often frustrated with this game. The game is truly epic and you can faithfully convey iconic moments from Lord of the Rings, but sometimes maybe too faithfully. The game design and mainly the cards will force the player to make the same decisions over and over and after a while it starts to get a little repetitive, stale and tiring. On the contrary, if one of the players decides to go "against the game" and try a different approach, then the game will manage to conjure up incredible moments that you will remember for a long time. Yes, it might not be exactly a winning strategy, but at least you'll get something out of the game.
I think I have lost FCM 950 to 6 ... That in it it self is not the issue. I'm also fine with games where you can shoot yourself in the foot and lose the game early. But in FCM it seems that of all the possible openings, only a few makes any sense... and even if you as the starting player chose one of them, the game can already have made that a suboptimal choice when the turns comes around to you again ... In my case, 2 other players quickly ended up in a price-war and since losing initial tempo for taking part in that, it was technically impossible for me to catch up before the game ran out of "price manager" cards (or whatever they are called) ... so even if I wanted to, it was not technically possible to lower prices enough to enter the game again. For FCM to be a real economical simulation there's just some weird limitations and milestones which I don't think make any sense. I'd much rather play an 18xx game.
Food Chain is my #1 game but I also make sure to teach players common mistakes and the best starts they could make. My games with new players are always very close
Just played War of the Ring yesterday. First time in 12 months. Such an immersive game.
I keep holding out for my pre-ordered coloured base rings to arrive. They're 3 months late. Need to table this again soon, though!
I really want to get one of my copies to the table one of these days, but for now the card game scratches that itch, just in a different way.
Orleans is one of my fav games all time
Tom, I love these throwback reviews! Keep it up!
Have you considered making a video of your wardrobe? Sounds weird but you have such a varied and eclectic collection of hats, glasses, suspenders, ties, etc. Enquiring gamers want know!
Hope you and yours have a wonderful new year!
Its childish to be triggered by a score but 4/10 for FCM is rough 😂 it made me realise what an "interactive euro" truly means. Every single decision made by every other player affects you, which is fascinating and so so fun
Such an unreasonable score tbh :D
Orleans and Roll for the Galaxy are among my top 10 favorite games, it's amusing they were reviewed (and probably released?) around the same time
Yes, same!
Dropping war of the ring a day before tolkiens birthday.
Ah yes. That time of the year where we write the wrong year for the next 2-3 weeks (months). Fantastic Factories is one of my Go-Tos.
Reprint of Surfosaurus Max is Combo and it's about fruit. It is in fact out now.
My friends and I love the Mayfair crayon games and play them every time we meet. There's just something about drawing lines across a map and making deliveries that's really fun. We have, I think, all the maps including Russian Rails. Somebody bought the rights to the games and will be republishing them this year with streamlined rules and new cards.
I attend the Total Confusion convention in Massachusetts each year and there is a whole tournament and room dedicated to train games called Puffing Billy. The Mayfair games are at least half of what is played.
Circadians First Light is easily a 10/10 for me, especially with the expansion. It's in my top 5 games of all time, which is continuously getting more and more competitive. I can't believe it's 5 years old already.
It's definitely not a Civ game, but it does have quite a few things going on. Simple rules but high decision space... So good!
I have War of the Ring, but haven't played it yet. I've committed to playing it 5 times this year, so we'll see how that goes
I love this series!!
Food Chain is a Great Game !
It is, one of my all time faves. But I get why someone might dislike it.
@@charlietwoteas3676 I love it but it's one of those games where it's not for everyone and someone saying they despise it wouldn't even make me blink.
Boardgamebliss!! They the best! ❤
I really enjoy Food Chain Magnate, even though I'm still relatively new to it. One my most-played games in 2024. But I wouldn't begrudge anybody scoring it according to their own opinion. I've experienced some noses getting really out of joint when a mistake clearly takes a player out of the running mid-game or earlier. I always try to remain relaxed and magnanimous in defeat, but something like this after, for example, a bad day at the office may be triggering. I try to give fair warning before playing...
Obviously determining what parameters are for rating a game a 9 out of 10 is entirely subjective. For me though, I don't know that the idea that you want to always come back to it again and again regularly is necessary. I don't have a huge pull to find a group for BSG, for example ,particularly frequently, but the experience it provided when it comes out is very memorable and lasting. To me, that makes it a high candidate for a high rank. Not the only reason to rank a game highly of course - Space Base continues to be one of my most beloved games and it has relatively few really memorable experiences attached, it's just fun small decisions - but a strong sense of great experience with a game can be enough for me to warrant a game with a high rating.
Does the FCM expansion fix the game? I haven’t heard anything about not. Last time I checked no one reviewed it either.
War Of The Ring 2nd Ed.
I played this game ten times last year, and around the seventh game, when the initial "ameritrash amazement" finally wore off, I started to feel a little disappointed and often frustrated with this game. The game is truly epic and you can faithfully convey iconic moments from Lord of the Rings, but sometimes maybe too faithfully. The game design and mainly the cards will force the player to make the same decisions over and over and after a while it starts to get a little repetitive, stale and tiring. On the contrary, if one of the players decides to go "against the game" and try a different approach, then the game will manage to conjure up incredible moments that you will remember for a long time. Yes, it might not be exactly a winning strategy, but at least you'll get something out of the game.
I totally agree with you about FCM. Losing 500 to 20 is not fun and I don't want to play a game 3 times before I start having any fun at all
I think I have lost FCM 950 to 6 ...
That in it it self is not the issue. I'm also fine with games where you can shoot yourself in the foot and lose the game early.
But in FCM it seems that of all the possible openings, only a few makes any sense... and even if you as the starting player chose one of them, the game can already have made that a suboptimal choice when the turns comes around to you again ... In my case, 2 other players quickly ended up in a price-war and since losing initial tempo for taking part in that, it was technically impossible for me to catch up before the game ran out of "price manager" cards (or whatever they are called) ... so even if I wanted to, it was not technically possible to lower prices enough to enter the game again.
For FCM to be a real economical simulation there's just some weird limitations and milestones which I don't think make any sense.
I'd much rather play an 18xx game.
Food Chain is my #1 game but I also make sure to teach players common mistakes and the best starts they could make. My games with new players are always very close