A home-made (3d printed plus colour mats) version is much more reasonable. 
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Have you produced such a thing?
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Yes. I am away at Expo for the weekend but @RossM can comme.t on quality.
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Thank you.
It’s the 2D bits I’m most concerned about - I don’t have a good printer
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Same. I don’t have a good printer. I’ll print them with my shit printer and laminate them. I also pilfer some boats from Serenissima 2e and the galleys have 5 slots for cubes so it’s perfect for Container. So the game will be Italian mercantile city-states theme (hmmm… very beige…) and used Midjourney to produce some art assets - still need to photo edit them to include the factories, prices, and the warehouses. I’m just lazy that’s why I havent done much. Coins - I forgot where I pilfered those.
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I want to see pictures of Frankenstein‘s Container now.
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Has anyone tried deadly dowagers at 6 players? What’s the interaction downtime like?
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Only once, but I enjoyed it. Since the turns are simultaneous it’s just as slow as the slowest player, and that’s not even always the same player. Compared with 2-4p it was less tactical and more grab anything you might use and trim your plan to fit what you’ve got.
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Looks like it replaces Turing Machine and Awkward Guests, with the theme of Cluedo/Clue. Anyone played it?
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Seems that they’re releasing three versions, one each in 2024, 2025, and 2026.
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Molly House, who has played it, what did you think?
I know @felix has, anything more to add from your one play in May?
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Not played Kronologic, but I’ve been tempted by it for a while.
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I think everyone I’ve played it with has really enjoyed it - if you’re interested in the theme and want to explore the weird player dynamics then it’s really interesting. It feels like you’re simulating social dynamics and like there are real arguments the game is making. Also at its best if you have players willing to do some very light roleplay, at least to collectively figure out a “narrative”.
I wouldn’t recommend it for people who are looking for a tight competitive experience or for anyone for whom the theme doesn’t do anything. If that’s the case then you’ll find you’re playing an obtuse card-manipulation game where you have very little agency over most outcomes. It’s another Cole Wehrle player-balanced game where people need to understand that if someone else is in the lead you should be doing your best to not help them, and work with the lower scoring players to find mutual benefit.
It’s definitely my favourite game of the year after 4(?) plays, and I’ve played with people who aren’t hobbyists without too much trouble, although it’s a very tricky teach to get people to vaguely understand the card mechanics. And takes at least 2-3 plays to really internalise how some of the edge mechanics are actually working.
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I haven’t played but added it to my wishlist after Actualol mentioned it a couple of times
I added it to my “games my mum will like” wishlist, she’s very keen on murder mystery stuff, and it’s pretty cheap!
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This is the tightest explanation I’ve seen to cover most every Pax and Wehrle game I’ve encountered.
To greater and lesser degrees for any specific game. And for Pax I know the agency can increase as you learn to read the market and board WAY ahead of anything coming to fruition.
But still, kudos.
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Bucolic (sort of Euro) showdown
Village vs Nusfjord vs err…
Looking for stuff I can play with my youngest, he’s 9 and can play Race for the Galaxy. We’ve almost run out of new stuff we can play 2 player.
So my conditions are
- Plays well at two, can handle five
- Up to an hour for two players
- A modern euro with some interaction between players
- I subjectively like the design/art (difficult, but I actually like the Village Big Box art)
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Lowlands usually goes in there, but it caps at 4 and misses something at 2. Wine Game (WHY CAN"T I REMEMBER IT"S NAME VITALOGY? WHAT?) usually goes in here but I compare it unfavorably to Nusfjord in almost every dimension, with extensive overlap.
Architects of the West Kingdom
Parks
Istanbul
Hallertau (on the long side)
Ginkgopolis
Gugong
New Frontiers
These come up on my filter for supporting 2 and 5 players and having some level of possibility of finishing in an hour. Also in my filter, Viticulture. Sheesh.
Of those:
- Ginkgopolis immediately came to mind for being good from 2 all the way to 5 in a manageable timeframe. A little less Euroy and only vaguely bucolic.
- Hallertau made a strong mental showing as well. I think hitting 60 minutes for 2 will be just about right and it may be longer than you’re looking for with more. And a quick search confirms that supporting five players was a typo. But this is a very satisfying but breezey bucolic euro.
- New Frontiers we know and love. Not bucolic and maybe not best at 2 but still good.
- Nusfjord is a strong contender on all fronts. All I’ll say is it is very cerebral and is balanced within a mm of its life. It is interactive, interesting, satisfying, but it doesn’t create much in the way of tension or payoff. You aren’t going to find that big combo because everything is valued so precisely. But you ARE going to find new ways to use previously overlooked elders or cards. I don’t want to talk it down, it’s really good, just good in a specific way that’s not going to breed any laughter or shouting or groaning. Nods and “hmmmms” and such.
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Agricola and Caverna might be worth a thought, but honestly I think Njusfjord (sic) is better.
Do you both enjoy racing games? Rallyman has some really solid 2 player options, and is pretty good with 5 (gets a little long at larger player counts, but not enormously so). Ditto for the more chaotic and silly Thunder Road Vendetta, which nominally only plays 4 but you can add an additional player with a few of the expansions. Flamme Rouge is extremely good with 2, but I don’t recall if there’s a 5-player option.
Eclipse is a sharp 2 player game, but an hour is unlikely (probably 90min). Catacombs works exceptionally well as a 2 player game and is still surprisingly good with more, and there are variations that are well under an hour.
…
Huh. Read the entire exam before you start, Marc. Okay. Uh.
Hansa Teutonica is ugly as sin but gosh is it ever good.
Terraforming Mars is even uglier, but it’s pretty solid. Better with 2, but still quite good with 5.
Carcassonne, obviously. But I assume you already have that. Everybody probably should.
Istanbul and Parks are both really good, and Parks 1st edition is drop-dead gorgeous. 2nd edition is menh, but the game I suspect is still good.
Probably Concordia, possibly Viticulture, maybe Vinhos. All good suggestions.
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I strongly considered listing this as well.
5 player Flamme Rouge and 2 player Flamme Rouge both require Peloton, the first strictly and the second in my opinion (Peloton has dummy teams)
And Hansa unfortunately starts the bidding at 3p.
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New Frontiers is already a popular choice with us.
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Viticulture I found pretty dull on my one play
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Hans Toots took out the 2 player when it moved to BIG BOX format.
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Terraforming Mars, I had a horrible first play and if I want to dig thorugh a giant stack of cards I have RftG.
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Gingopolis is worth a look (I’ve joined you last spot in the async game @Acacia).
I suspect that Nusfjord is the way to go but by golly Village Big Box is cheap.
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