Set in The Resistance universe, Coup is a game about rival families fighting their way to political power through mostly dastardly means. What this means for you and up to five of your friends is that you’ll partake in a fast and nasty game where lying is greatly encouraged.
Werewolf and werewolf-style games have their roots tracing all the way back to the 80s. One by one, villagers are killed until the wolf is executed or until the wolf is the last one standing. Due to the nature of its gameplay, it’s been a go-to game for many when playing with a large or very large group. Heck, there are versions of this game that support dozens of different players at once! Having said that, the common knock on this formula is that completing a game can take a really long time, especially with large player counts.
Enter One Night Ultimate Werewolf. This standalone game takes the core concept and condenses all of the action in one night, which translates into about 10 minutes per game. Does it still deliver the thrills in a much shorter time?
Steve Jackson’s dungeon crawler has been a staple in the tabletop gaming space for over a decade. At this point, you can buy Munchkin pretty much anywhere along with a countless number of expansions, spin-offs, booster packs and accessories. When I got into the designer board and card games a few years ago, this was one of the first games I played. Does Munchkin stand the test of time?
Based on the name and its nondescript theme, it’s easy to say, “No thanks,” to No Thanks. Once you open up the box, there isn’t much to look at either besides a handful of numbered cards and a baggie filled with plastic tokens. But once you get it going, it delivers an experience far greater than what you’d expect from its pedestrian components.
Fluxx is a game whose presence is ubiquitous. Practically every board game store I’ve been to carries this as well as the game’s many variants and expansions. Since it’s being widely distributed, it must be good, right? It also doesn’t hurt the game’s cause that I’ve generally read favourable things about the game online. On one fateful date night at Snakes and Lattes, we gave this one a shot.
Playing with your favourite Marvel superheroes and villains is clearly Legendary’s big draw. Having said that, the more I play the game, the more I appreciate the characters I don’t know or actively dislike. For instance, I dislike Hawkeye, but I think he’s great to use in the game thanks to his useful abilities.
I used that logic to justify my purchase of the Legendary: Fantastic 4 expansion. I don’t care much for Mr. Fantastic’s side of the Marvel universe, but the cards bring all-new elements to the experience. Are these gameplay benefits enough to overcome my indifference towards the Fantastic 4? More importantly, is this 100-card “small box” expansion worth it when the 350-card”big box” expansions like Dark City provide a much better cost-per-card value?
It’s always a good idea to have quality party games handy. In the past, classics like Scattegories and Pictionary have dominated the space for ages, but as board games continue to grow in popularity and mature with interesting gameplay mechanics, the party game genre is also growing with it. Anomia is one such title that is very different from anything else I’ve played. But is it good enough to break out when your parents are over?
I really appreciate board games that do a great job of marrying their mechanics and theme together into one cohesive experience. Some of my favourite games that deliver on this include Formula D and Legendary: A Marvel Deck-Building Game. The former provides players with a cool sensation of racing through dice, while the latter creates a dramatic battle of good versus evil through the now-ubiquitous deck building mechanic. Originally designed as an officially licensed Street Fighter card game, Yomi aims to do something similar by translating the fighting game experience through cards. Does it deliver on that promise?
Having played a lot of Dominion and DC Comics Deck-Building Game, my chief complaint between them is that they squander an opportunity to create a story that comes to life as it’s played. I love them both for their wildly addictive gameplay mechanics, but I never feel like I’m doing anything beyond managing the numbers. In particular, DC’s game has the opportunity to leverage its great cast of characters to tell a cool in-game story, but they’re mostly just used as art over top of the standard deck-building formula. Worse yet, its moment-to-moment story beats don’t fully make sense within the overall premise of the game. For instance, why can players use villains to take out super villains? From a strictly mechanical point of view, it doesn’t matter. However, it does break the immersion and take away from what could have been a more authentic DC Comics experience.
With a slew of unique mechanics specifically designed to convey the struggle between good and evil, Legendary: A Marvel Deck-Building Game aims to bring the Marvel universe to life in a way that its deck-building counterparts don’t. This added context however comes at a cost of a steeper learning curve. Is the trade worth it?
For the most part, Steff and I’s foray into the tabletop scene has been through meatier experiences like Dominion and DC Comics Deck-Building Game. Through a recommendation from the fine folks at Snakes and Lattes, we picked up Love Letter, which is a card game that works as a quick fix or as something to play for hours on end. If you have any interest in the tabletop genre of gaming, this is something you should pick up immediately. Or, if you need a bit more assurance, head over to Splitkick for my full review!
Check out the Love Letter review on Splitkick.com!
In Third Person 