Tabletop

Added XCOM: The Board Game to the List of Awesome Board Games You Should Play

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As a huge fan of XCOM and of board games, picking this one up was a no-brainer. But would it be good? After playing it a bunch over the past week or so, I’m happy to say, “Yes!” XCOM: The Board Game does a great job of providing players with an all-around essence of the video game in a format that’s better suited for the tabletop.

Some traditionalists may have grave concerns over the game requiring a digital app to play it, though the app really adds to the experience. You get a great tutorial, variable set-ups and a dynamic turn structure that would be a nightmare to recreate with physical components. The app really takes the game to the next level and wouldn’t be nearly as cohesive without it. Glad to add this one to the list!

Check out the full list of Awesome Board Games You Should Play!


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Sushi Go! Review

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I’ll be the first to admit that seafood isn’t my cup of tea. Aside from certain kinds of white fish, I’m either not a fan of the taste or allergic. In Sushi Go! from Phil Walker-Harding and Gamewright, you don’t have to eat anything, though you are tasked with creating the most delectable sets of sushi around. Is this food-inspired card game worthy of a spot at your dinner table or wherever you happen to play tabletop games?

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Sushi Go and Being a Board Game DJ

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The thing that separates great DJs from the pack is their ability to play the music that people want to hear, when they want to hear it. Those DJs can keep a party rocking all night long, while most others will struggle to keep a crowd engaged for an extended period of time. I never chased my DJ dreams with any real vigor, though they ultimately died on the vine when I realized that making a living as one would basically mean that I would have to put the musical tastes of others before my own. Sorry, but your music sucks and I’d rather play Taylor Swift and Wu-Tang all the time. 😛

Ever since I got serious about collecting board games, I’ve unintentionally become the go-to guy that my family and friends look to in order to bring out games that they’d find fun to play. Much like a DJ, it’s become very important for me to gauge the group and pick out the right titles that will work for that group.

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XCOM: The Board Game Review

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Aliens are hell bent on taking over our planet, but to quote Will Smith from Independence Day, “Welcome to Earth!” In XCOM: The Board Game, you and your fellow teammates will square off against the extraterrestrial threats on multiple fronts. This particular conflict may not be completely new to you, as this is a licensed board game based on the hit video game XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Nonetheless, it brings something very alien to the table for gamers of all sorts (pun intended), as it’s one of the first board games that needs to be played alongside of a digital app. Should you suit up for what might be Earth’s last stand?

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Board Game Workshop Sessions

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One of the best reasons to play board games at Snakes and Lattes is that you’ll always have access to a board game guru. With their vast knowledge in games and experience in teaching games to others, they always seem to teach me a new game in a matter of minutes, versus the hours it usually takes me to fumble through manuals and online tutorial videos. If it were possible, I would want to have access to one of their board game gurus at all times so that they can teach me a new game anywhere.

The harsh reality is that this will never happen. Most of the time, I’m going to have to figure things out on my own or with Steff. In order to avoid placing the burden of learning games the hard way on others, I usually take the time to workshop a game alone or with Steff so that we can make the learning experience better for others.

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Board Game Night Playlist: Medieval Times

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Ever since the advent of Dungeons & Dragons (and probably even before that if you look hard enough), the Medieval era of history has been mined by board games countless times. Even though I’m generally not a fan of medieval fantasy in any medium, I’ve played and enjoyed enough board games set in this era to fill out this playlist. Heck, I even included one extra because I couldn’t make it fit within the main list. If you’re in the mood for some medieval action, try these ones out!

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Camel Up Added to the List of Awesome Board Games You Should Play

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Despite being the winner of the 2014 Speil des Jahres – the most prestigious award in board games – the thought of betting on racing camels didn’t sound all that riveting to me. On a lark, I tried it out with some friends at Snakes and Lattes and it really caught us off guard with how fun it is. Camel Up mixes together a unique take on the roll-and-move mechanic along with different ways of betting on the race that make every race exciting and silly. It does scale well, as the game claims to support from 2-8 players, though I think it works best with 3-5. I’m not qualified enough to say whether Camel Up deserves to be a game of the year champion, but it’s certainly earned a spot on my list of Awesome Board Games You Should Play.

Now check out the full list!

Camel Up Review

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Unbeknownst to me, camel racing is actually a thing. Ignorant me thought that it was simply a goofy theme to justify the mechanisms that drive Camel Up. The more you know, I guess! In any case, Camel Up takes you to the race track, where five camels are racing each other around a pyramid. You’re not in control of the camels per se, but you are making bets on the race in hopes of making the most money by the time the first camel crosses the finish line. Is this a camel racing board game worth backing?

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Marvel Dice Masters: Uncanny X-Men Starter Set Review

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Making its debut in 2014, the Dice Masters series of games won me over in a huge way with Marvel Dice Masters: Avengers vs. X-Men. Once I got a hang of it, I found the game to be fast and entertaining while keeping the spirit of the characters intact through their card abilities and generally-excellent dice designs. It also didn’t hurt that the game is generally sold at a very attractive price point. That said, I also had a few problems with the terrible paper bags that are used to contain dice and the fact that only one playmat came with the game as a centrefold in the manual.

Next in the lineup is Marvel Dice Masters: Uncanny X-Men. Fully compatible with all Dice Masters games, this starter set has the same general pros and cons of the original, including those crappy bags and only one playmat in the middle of the manual. The key difference is that the game comes with a new set of basic action cards, character cards and character dice.

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The Yomi Business Model

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Yomi Full SetGiven the chance, I will sing the praises of the Yomi series every chance I get. Compared to anything else on the marketplace that is trying to replicate the Street Fighter experience in tabletop form, Yomi crushes them all. I love the core concept of Rock Paper Scissors combat, which is an accurate analogy for how fighting game combat works. I love being able to manage all of the different maneuvers that each character has and the nuances that make them different. For the hardest of hardcore fighting game fans, there are so many nods to how a real fighting game plays that it scratches the exact same itch for me.

Despite that, this marquee title from Sirlin Games suffers from a steep pricing challenge. The complete first edition, packed with 10 characters and two playmats, will set you back about $100 if you’re lucky enough to find it nowadays. I’m certainly glad to have it, but it’s a very difficult proposition for even the most enthusiastic customers. Instead of anchoring the series down with a complete big box – and potentially an even bigger box with the additional 10 expansion characters on the way – Sirlin Games is moving in a different direction.

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