Last game you bought?

[Whistle_Pig]

I was very tempted to do the same, but alas I have already used this month’s impulse budget on the new wingspan expansion…

[pillbox]

@GeeBizzle

And while I was at it I ordered Iwari .

I was just watching No Pun Included’s “It’s Time to Say Goodbye to Catan” video and once again was tempted by Iwari. But… I own China and haven’t played it yet, so it’s pretty easy to stay my hand on Iwari.

But… Anno 1800… that sort of engine building is exactly my style… It’s a shame it’s not already on shelves, otherwise it would be on the top of my wishlist for when my partner goes shopping for my Christmas present.

[GeeBizzle]

It was the same video that made me get iwari.

[lalunaverde]

Mark Bigney verdict is accurate to me, which leads to: Do you want to pay more for fancy components and art? Some peeps are willing.

[pillbox]

I actually think Iwari looks over-produced. But, it may lure in unsuspecting players that would otherwise look at China and go, “Let’s play a game that doesn’t look like butt, instead?”

Eventually, I would consider upgrading to Han for the benefit of the additional variants and the 2 different maps – I suspect Iwari is due for an expansion or two to bring it in line with Han? (Or maybe it already implements all of the good things in Han? Without having played WoP, China, Han, nor Iwari, it’s hard for me to keep track of what features/variants are implemented in which games)

[lalunaverde]

Best to upgrade to Han if you want to keep it beige. China’s sole mini expansion that isn’t a map (The Embassies) is compatible with Han too.

I’m considering Iwari too, but obviously I’m not in a hurry.

[GeeBizzle]

I wasn’t particularly but saw the Kickstarter edition for the price of the retail on Zatu. I think it comes with 2 extra maps so If I’m right then worth it. Fingers crossed.

[KIR2]

The KSE comes with

• 2 double sided maps with various unique mechanics
• expedition cards mini-expansion
  -some other wooden score multiplier mini-expansions
  -wooden mountains and glaciers instead of tokens (mountains do very little, but they look nice)
• a solo mode
• …and most importantly, a purple player set so you don’t have to play with orangey yellow and yellowy orange in the same game. I usually think those “the colours are too similar!!!” complaints are overblown, but in this case, it’s really really really bad.

The maps look to add the most from a gameplay point of view. The mini expansions are cool, but beyond the expedition cards they appear to be weird ways to manipulate the scoring once you’ve played the game to death. I can’t see getting to the point where they’re needed tbh.

There were add ons for some metal parts (coins for the score zone markers, first player totem pole) with new rules, but these rules can be implemented without that stuff. And some printed bags for the player sets. None of it is essential, but good to know they exist when judging how much you want to pay for a KS edition.

[GeeBizzle]

It’s the “base” version I believe so unfortunately no nifty purple player but does come with some of the Kickstarter perks that won’t make retail.

[KIR2]

Ah that’s a shame. Still, the design of the orange and yellow are different enough to tell apart regardless of colour.

[superjaz]

A picture of the tear, for prosperity~

Really he shoulda made more of a fuss, could gotten it down to $50 (J/k)
I mean look, any fan will give him grief about the condition, look at that!~

[KIR2]

FFG boxes are terrible for wear anyway! That linen finish scuffs up so easily, and they’re so prone to splitting. They did you a favor really.

[pillbox]

Like buying a pair of jeans that already have holes in!

[lalunaverde]

WHAT A RIP OFF!!

[lalunaverde]

Bought Merv after seeing it pop up on some bookshops.

[yashima]

Bought? Meh. My pre-order is nowhere to be seen…
edit: I checked and it went from “available in Nov” to “has been re-ordered” ouch. I am not always sure about the delivery status of those shops… the other one I frequent had it marked as “now available” on their frontpage and it was already marked “cannot be ordered right now” when I clicked on it.

[raged_norm]

That’s on my ‘try before I buy list’. Looks interesting but I found Calimala lost it’s shine pretty quickly for me.

[GeeBizzle]

I had merv (which I now want to call meh) in my basket In one online shop and it sold out. I think you are right that this will sell out fast.

[yashima]

Apparently, despite preordering, I didn’t even make it into the first wave. I feel like this is the PS5 of boardgames

[pillbox]

Quickly catching up on my backlog of new (and new to me) games!

• Xia: Legends of a Drift System w/ Missions & Powers, Embers, and Sellsword v2 –

  I picked this up as a bundle in an auction. I may have overpaid a little, but I rarely see complete bundles and it came with a lovely Folded Space insert in the box which contains everything nicely.

• Warehouse 13: The Board Game –

  Hmm. I guess I’m a sucker. I probably shouldn’t have grabbed this… my partner and I both enjoy the show, though I won’t say we’re huge fans of it – it’s comfortable and campy and the acting is uneven… But this game features a hidden traitor… which should have been a deal breaker. But, I got to share shipping betweent his and Xia, and that’s my weakness.

• Alubari: A Nice Cup of Tea –

  Did I mention before that I may be becoming a Tony Boydell fan? Well, at first, this looked like “just more Snowdonia”, but after watching it for close to a year, I finally saw it pop up at a decent price on a BGG Auction and took a swing at it. I have so much untouched content in the Snowdonia Deluxe Master Set box but this is a truly lovely production and I think it does things significantly different to earn a spot on my shelf.

• Chinatown –

  After letting it languish on my wishlist for years (ever since SU&SD’s review), I finally picked it up on sale at an online game store, where it sat pending a pre-order for several months!

• Bus –

  This, too, was on my cart when I purchased Chinatown, meaning it would also await said pre-order! However, that pre-order was for Van Ryder Games’ Sherlock Holmes: Baker Street Irregulars. Eventually, I received a notification that the order had shipped, only to find the OGS had mistakenly sent Chinatown and Bus along with Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Baker Street Irregulars. I notified them of their mistake and promptly set into motion the necessary tasks to correct the mix-up.

• Sherlock Holmes: Baker Street Irregulars (Van Ryder Games, Graphic Novel Adventures) –

  I’m a sucker for Sherlock Holmes and I have heard great things about the Graphic Novel Adventures games, so given the opportunity, I grabbed a pre-order for it. I’m hesitating to try it at any player count other than 4 players, so this’ll be a good option if we can ever get together with our old neighbors for a game night.

• Friday –

  This iconic Solo game finally found its way to my doorstep by way of BGG auction. Some slight damage to the box and one of the card faces meant that it was practically free!

• 221B Baker Street: The Master Detective Game (1977) –

  This game is old. It has its promoters and its detractors (and a rabid, vocal selection of both camps in various circles). Still, it’s one that I have never ecountered before and was economical enough, especially bundled to share shipping with Friday. Components are about what you’d expect from the 70s but, all things considered, it’s in great shape and likely has been played only once.

• Carcassonne: Hunters and Gatherers –

  In addition to the previously mentioned Carc: Hill & Dale, Hunters & Gatherers is another of the Carc variants that was on my short list to check out. This, too, was via a BGG auction. Sufficiently different from both Carc and Carc:H&D, I think this one may be the Carc I am most excited to check out. I really like the hunting mechanism (farmers, but with animals worth points, but also tigers that get the animals before they count for points), as well as the hut scoring of river systems.

• 18MEX –

  I placed an order directly with All-Aboard Games and they split the shipment between titles available right now and those on pre-order; which makes sense, since each item they sell includes the shipping fee (which I strongly dislike, due to my overwhelming desire to combine shipping on items to make them more economical). This is an 18xx that is widely regarded as being quite good. It’s by Mark Derrick who also designed 18MS, 18AL, and 18GA, all of which are well-regarded (and all of which represent the American south – which seems fraught with potential issues with the touchy subject of slavery) There’s some very interesting track laying decisions in this game that can greatly affect how the game plays.

• 1817 –

  Hmm, I guess I really shouldn’t have let myself buy this one. It is a huge 18xx title that I really don’t know when I’ll ever have a chance to play. At this point, I think I’ll hang on to it and try to use it in a trade for 18OE (which is also huge, but contains smaller scenarios for lower player counts)

• Pulsar 2849 –

  This was part larger BGG auction haul that probably lead me to be a little looser with my wallet than I should have. CGE is a publisher I pay attention to, and Vladimír Suchý is a designer that has captured my interest on a number of occasions. This particular game had the distinct problem of being the “Space game with 4 numbers” alongside Kepler 3042 back in 2017 and I couldn’t keep them apart in my mind. This one seems very "bit"y and I don’t know if it’ll stick.

• Ahead in the Clouds w/ 2 extra player packs –

  This is one of those lovely Button Shy wallet games. I don’t really know much about it but I’ve seen it recommended as a casual game for 2 (that I can play with 4, because it came with the 2 different colors of extra player packs). It wasn’t much and it was basically free to ship with Space #### and…

• Arcane Academy –

  Eric Lang? In my collection? Surely you jest! Well, fortunately, this one doesn’t involve miniatures or area control, so it probably doesn’t even count as a Lang title? I’m not familiar with the reference comic Finding Gossamyr, but I do need to know more about fictional settings where math is the language of magic (seriously, I need a bulletpoint list of all of these fictional settings!). Honestly, this game may have made more sense as a smartphone game, but it doesn’t seem like it’ll be out outlandish wrought from cardboard.

• Big Trouble in Little China: The Board Game –

  Have I mentioned I’m a sucker for games based on IPs that my partner and I enjoy? Well, after originally reading some very disappointing reviews on this game, I stumbled across a few that framed it as an interesting adventure game and I decided to track down a copy before they became entirely impossible to find (I think if I had waited a week, I’d have had to pay even more than I did, which was about MSRP a.k.a. more than ‘retail’). I hope the gameplay is as thematic and evocative as the components and art design is.

• Anomia: Party Edition –

  I blame Quinns.

• Nevsky: Teutons and Rus in Collision 1240-1242 –

  Yet another war game I have no business owning. I’m not a wargamer and the dialect of grognard that this is written in is mostly foreign to me. But I really like the art style and the core conceit (operational medieval warfare), and the designer’s name is certainly worth a drop: Volko Ruhnke. For this, I blame Boydesian (as if I could actually get away with blaming others for buying games)

• Obsession (2nd Edition) w/ Wessex & Upstairs, Downstairs –

  I’ve previously talked about having very few Kickstarters that I regret backing out of my pledge. First, it was Rallyman GT. Then, it was watching BGG (and mostly 1PG) talk about Obsession’s second edition Kickstarter start hitting tables. And then it was our very own yashima who received her Kickstarter pledge. So, when Kayenta games listed the entire product line on Amazon (after fulfillment concluded to all Kickstarter backers), I was quick to jump on it and shortly thereafter had my own copy of this wonderfully produced game. Additionally, after having an issue with the cloth bags fraying at the seems, I contacted the publisher and was sent two replacements and some spare servants and an extra score pad. So far (and I don’t remember if I’ve talked about it already or not) I played once with just the base game (and, well, Wessex, but that’s basically the base game). It’s a lovely production and a very innovative, unique game that needs more love.

• Planet Steam –

  I also have a weak spot for steampunk settings! This game is ranked #947 overall on BGG which, coming from a relatively unknown designer makes it a one-two combo that’s hard to at least check out. Though it’s published by Fantasy Flight… which… I have a healthy aversion to for their tendency to milk games for all they’re worth. I’m not sure who, exactly, will play this game with me… I don’t think my partner will find it appealing… but I’m nothing if not patient. (I actually ended up winning 2 different copies of this almost at the same time, but managed to move the extra copy along and recoup my money)

• Mage Wars Academy –

  Having just picked up a Mage Wars Arena core box, I kept my eyes open for ways of filling out that enormous box on the cheap. Well, this doesn’t do that (you can’t easily combine the two and it all doesn’t fit anyway). But a newbie-friendly Mage Wars package? More “spellbooks”? Yeah, I’m in for a few bucks for that. Honestly, Academy seems so streamlined, I’m not sure Arena will stick around?

• Caverna: The Forgotten Folk –

  I’ve heard good things about Caverna’s Forgotten Folk. My biggest concern about getting Caverna was that, unlike Agricola, it didn’t have any setup variability. Well, that’s solved! Doesn’t hurt that the Forgotten Folk can mix up the solo game significantly (and has been recommended as just that)

• Lord of the Rings: Anniversary Edition –

  Knizia? Theme? Lord of the Rings? Well, two out of the three, at least. Not sure how strongly the theme comes through in this, but it’s one I never thought would come back around in print, so was happy to pick this up on a pre-order (along with and holding up Caverna:FF)

• Snowdonia: Isle of Man w/ Snowdonia Deluxe Master Set fix pack –

  I knew what I was getting into when I bought Snowdonia Deluxe Master Set. I knew the scenario rules were fraught with errors and I knew the cards were due for a some reprints. But I didn’t know at the time was that they would offer a new Snowdonia scenario along side the fix pack as a way to offset their costs (or you could pay shipping for the fix pack alone). Eventually, I’ll take the corrected rulebook PDF and have it professionally printed and spiral bound.

• Viscounts of the West Kingdom w/ Tomesaga, Architects, Artisans, and Paladins of the etc, etc –

  My Kickstarter pledge for Viscounts et al arrived! What a wonderfully run Kickstarter campaign. There were a lot of updates, but I always felt comfortable with the timeline and knowing I would get my pledge in a timely manner. I’ve previously played Architects, so I’m happy to have a copy; I hope Age of Artisans fleshes out some of the game that I felt was a tad flat (which is a minor quibble of Architects, really). I’ve heard a number of places that Paladins is quite good (many say it’s better than Architects). And I have high hopes for Viscounts, but really I didn’t look at it too hard when I pledged nor when it arrived. Good thing they all have solo modes…

• Empyreal: Spells & Steam w/As Above, So Below –

  A Level99 train game? With magic? Well, count me in. I wish the box was smaller (like… I really wish the box was smaller). Even with the expansion I have to use some of the provided filler material to keep everything from coming out of the not GameTrayz, but GameTrayz-like Trayz. (Seriously… the box… it is too big! It better be a hellava game to justify the size of this dang box)

• The King is Dead: Second Edition –

  So much hype! I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited for an area control game as this one. I’m so excited to try it, I’m eyeing the fan-made solo variant. If the game state was a tad easier to render, I’d even consider hosting a Play-by-Post.

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And that takes us through October! (which was a hellava month!)