Got bought these for Xmas:
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I picked up my new glasses today and because I was in the city anyway and had to take a walk to finish the New Yearās Event for Pokemongoā¦ I just could not avoid going to FLGS. I have been mulling over Cryo for the past N weeks and after checking my BGG buddy analsis, re-reading the Spacebiff review and listening to the SVWAG episode on it, I went for it. FLGS was incredibly expensive and I almost picked up Ark Nova instead. But I had promised myself to either buy Cryo or nothing at all. At least I had my previous 5ā¬ coupon and directly picked up a new oneā¦ their way of giving repeat customers their 10% rebate and keep them coming back.
Had a nice long chat with one of the crew. They are opening a new shop in a neighboring town. Good for them. Seems the pandemic didnāt get them.
They also had set up their picks for Spiel des Jahres 2022 (5 Minute Mystery) and Kennerspiel 2022 (Glow) which I find fascinating and Iāll be sure to check back and see if they are right. I have had Glow on my radar and will be checking up reviews for that one for sure.
I was also quite surprised to see how well stocked they were. They had both the Splotter reprints in stock, quite a few of the big Lacerdas, Ankh Gods of Egypt and a bunch of other games one would have trouble finding online right now. Despite all my complaining about their prices, it makes me happy to see them thriving.
At home I opened up Cryoā¦ and I already have a complaint: tons of unnecessary plastic packaging but no baggies for the components (I have those of course and this game needs an insert for sure but stillā¦)
9 Likes
Added Cryo to my interest list. Iāll check it out in 2023/2024 
Ah great. Itās by Z-Man Gamesā¦
8 Likes
Monsdrawsity noice!
Yeah we had a lot of fun with it. Dont know how often it will come out but definitely fun for a few rounds.
Got the kids expansion too. Havent played it with them yet
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Dependent on their age we house ruled it that the youngest (5) could keep looking at the card as they described it.
It removed what we saw as one of the few barriers to entry for kids.
2 Likes
I picked up the Orphan character for Shadows of Brimstone this morning while on the continuing hunt for a baby sled (becoming a bit of a saga, and a tragic one). Thereās a nifty mechanism at play for this character, which Iām interested in playing with, but notably itāll give me an alternative to role playing an āIndian Scoutā and having them pal around with a preacher. 
1 Like
In my āIām buying some dumb gamesā phase Iāve just acquired Martian Dice
6 Likes
Congratulations on taking the critical first step toward true life enrichment! Make sure you check all your dice. I had to get the nail polish out for one of the faces.
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Iāll have to defer to my wife for that, Iām sadly lacking a stash of nail polishes
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Getting a couple of smaller games, Ilium (a Knizia) and Break the Code (deduction)
And I got on my computer last night when I couldnāt sleep, and bought Ark Nova, which I am hearing nothing but good things about.
3 Likes
Between Christmas gifts and money Iāve had a good haul.
Brass: Birmingham
Itās been on my list for a while, time to see what makes it number 3 ever. I hope itās not too too heavy but I guess Iāll see.
Imperium: Legends
Iāve heard good things and Iām hoping this one will be a good solo game.
The Castles of Burgundy
Played it at a boardgame cafe and both my partner and I loved it. Excited to play it more and for the excuse to play more games with her.
Fantasy Realms
A bit of a wildcard but Iāve heard of it so hopefully it turns out.
Eternal: Chronicles of the Throne
Used Christmas money for this one. I originally heard of it on the Boardgame Barrage Podcast where theyāre doing their top games. Not having heard of it at all it piqued my curiosity, the premise sounds fun so hereās hoping I like it too.
8 Likes
My pre-ordered copy of Caper: Europe (Mastermind edition) was ready for pickup from a FLGS yesterday, and I grabbed Paper Dungeons while I was there. Once again Iām blown away by Keymasterās card quality, and the production is gorgeous. Perhaps this will be the little tug-of-war duel that sticks?
Iāve already played Paper Dungeons and Iām about to play again. Itās chunky, without being too crunchy. A nice alternative to Fleet Dice.
3 Likes
I finally found someone to play this with. My friend and I are having a good time with this on BGA 
Before that I only ever played the app or solo!
2 Likes
Let me adjust that to I hope this is the one that sticks. Like most abstract card games, even (or especially!) simple ones, I tend to struggle with how to approach a teach. This is mostly because I have a hard time visualising this type of gameplay by manual alone. This edition is basically a classic 3-zone tug-of-war and it uses drafting as its core mechanism, so it was wildly inappropriate for two-handed solo play, but Iām glad I went through the motions just the same.
The manual is riddled with typos (embarrassingly, āThe Lourveā is a repeat offender) and grammatical inconsistencies, which seems odd for what is essentially a third edition. I have no frame of reference for the original game or the first edition as Caper, but this one is just so nice to play, however. Turns are fast, which is great for the short-term memory element present in all drafting games, and thereās real tension in the draft. There are three (identical) direct take-that cards in every game, and even that aspect feels like it was carefully tuned for maximum tension. The use of it can have a significant impact, but never without your own sacrifice (money spent, tableau space wasted, surely passing on a better personal option), so it wasnāt infrequent to let it exchange hands at my own peril. Even against myself, there was real apprehension there, and in the draft at large.
Iām so eager to teach my partner this one. This type of duel is ideal for us when they hit, but finding one we want to come back to has proven surprisingly difficult. I think the last time we truly got deep into one it was Lost Cities, and we got our fill of that one years ago.
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Awe finding someone to play a game youāve been excited for is the best. How are the digital versions?
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Both app and bga implementation are pretty good. Would recommend 
1 Like