Libertalia seems like a decent option.
Edit: You could also peruse this:
Edit 2: I’ve just realised that I really want a board game about The Crimson Permanent Assurance.
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Visited some of our gaming friends last night that we had not managed to play with for a while (we have met but not for games). Was asked to please bring Outer Rim because their son loves Star Wars almost as much as we do or maybe more, it is hard to tell when talking about us having watched recent episodes of Bad Batch while he is waiting for bingability once the season is out fully… (we talked the important stuff as you can see). His mom was out for the night and since she is not a huge fan of space games, this was our chance.
We began with a couple of rounds of So Clover because the younger sister was still up and wanted to play something with us 
And I love clue giving games so much. So Clover is explained in no time at all, one cannot fail to teach this. And the best thing about HeroQuest is that with So Clover everyone gets to give clues every round…
Then we set up Outer Rim. I had reservations about playing this with 4 on a week-night. Then a friend of the son arrived and they played 1 character as a team. We couldn‘t very well prevent this but it ended like you can imagine: looonger turns. In any case, because I had not played since late December… my rules retention was so-so and my teach was unprepared but at least these are the friends who don‘t mind terrible teaching… I mean they had asked to play that game 
Still, I feel bad when I am all over the place and studying the rulebook to struggle to remember how certain stuff works and there are a LOT of details to these rules… and they sprang the game on me a bit so I had no time to reread before gamenight.
I should have left out the ambitions and just played to 10 prestige. But ambitions are so much more fun…
Long story short, we began playing around 9pm and played with half past midnight when the son reached 10 prestige we called it.
I would NOT play this again with 4 (or 4.5) unless I knew I had at least 4-5 hours time because I hate if we have to rush these games. I get impatient because I want to play until the end and I can see it won‘t work and I am already at a high base-level of impatience. And I try to stop myself from being impatient, I see myself failing and in the end I feel like I was probably an ass telling people to hurry up. Meh. I really need to find some extra chill…
Overall the game was still a good adventure in a galaxy far far away with beloved characters and fun interactions as it should be. Most of us had a few turns that really sucked though… I tried to go through the core and … died. Another player had his initial headhunter job until the very last turn because he could not find the target. I carried around my initial cargo (a coaxium crystal) for the whole game because… my ambition was to be an explorer and that obviously took precedence. So despite having Hondo as crew (who gives more credits for delivering cargo) I barely got to take advantage of that.
Definitely want to play this more and with the right amount of time and poker chips (we forgot those sadly), I would play again with 4.
Today I played a few games of Turing Machine. The puzzles are so good, the numbered cards that want sorting after every puzzle drive me nuts. I will keeps this as a novelty for a bit but probably sell it on, after playing a few more puzzles and remind myself to beware the next game that sets up deduction through pre-computed clues. (Awkward Guests also didn‘t work for me for the same reason)
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I just finished up Rally 2 from the Rallyman Dirt guide—with my compliments to @RogerBW on the track design. Things really fell apart, and I was definitely thankful for the assistance tile in SS2. Times as follows:
SS1 - 1:45
SS2 - 3:05
SS2 - 2:29
Total time: 7:19 (no SISU used).
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Well, today was not my day games-wise. Oooooooh boy. Couldn’t buy a victory. Where yesterday I at least managed to score a draw in Furnace and lose by only, like, 12 points in Carcassonne, today was BAD.
It started with two games of Everdell, both with Spirecrest and Bellfaire. The first game was wretched and I lost by at least 30. The second was better, I only lost by 12! Progress!
We then moved on to Khôra. I had Thebes, Maryse had Argos. I lost by a whopping 53 points. And yet, that was not the worst defeat of all.
Her parents then joined us for Bärenpark, where I at least didn’t come last. Final scores were 98 (Maryse), 79 (her mom), 73 (me) and 47 (her dad).
Next was a two-player game of Chromino with our scoring system. Maryse won something like 140-119.
Then, we finished with Carcassonne again. You ever lost a game by 70 points? 'Cause I did. It kinda hurts. 
Fun was had by all, and that’s the end of our week away. We’re headed back to the city tomorrow. Of the 15 games we’d brought, only Telestrations, Tzolk’in, 6 Nimmt! (one day we’ll actually try this) and Honey Buzz didn’t get at least one play. Well done, us!
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Just a few games this last week:
Roll Through the Ages:TBA, we had some rather high scores this game - our winner grabbed both empire and architecture developments - so extra points from cities and monuments. I managed to also grab empire but fell just behind the leader with the bonuses. Super interesting game though!
Lords of Vegas, one player nabbed an early lead and luck was on his side the whole way through - lots of reorganises (rerolling dice) in casinos he controlled that went his way against the odds. I did okay and came second but our winner was getting toward the end of the track - the farest I’ve seen in a game.
Dune, this was a big one - one of my friends had a copy unplayed since pre-pandemic and was keen to get it to the table. It was pretty epic. About 6 hours all told, and our final winner was the Spacing Guild via running out the clock. There were definitely points where a win could’ve come earlier but we were all new to the game so no one managed to hold their lead long enough to win. Lots of switching alliances (and probably the second one I entered with the Emperor was unwise - he had a good board state at the time which lured me in, but didn’t manage to hold his territories for long). Not the kind of game you’d play every week, but I enjoyed the experience, lots of shenanigans with treachery cards and traitors. I did poorly in the early game, pretty well in the mid game but by the end game I ran out of steam and had no units on the board at all! It’s a game of big swings was my vibe - hard to plan too far ahead because so much can change in a single turn! Fun though. One of our players mentioned that the original version shared designers with Cosmic Encounter, and I can see the resemblance. I think I like this one more, but it’s length is an issue in a way Cosmic doesn’t tend to have. Still if you’ve got the time and are prepared for a fairly tactical and swinging strategy war game - worth trying at least!
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Holy crap! I think my gaming group would never let me in the door if I brought a game that took that long.
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One day my copy of Dune will get played, too.
With ample warning about the time, I think I will find people willing to experience this game. Congrats on getting it to the table
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We played our first game of Marvel Champions (yay it arrived. But the poor delivery guy looked completely stressed out).
We played the intro game as proposed with Captain Marvel (me) and Spiderman (my partner) vs Rhino. Took a bit of time.
I like the glossary but some of the info is all over the place and the German translation seems to have made it seem a little unintuitive under which keyword of the glossary certain concepts are explained (either it is a translation thing or an FFG thing, you decide). If I didn‘t have a LOT of practice with these kinds of games there are quite a few edge-cases rules wise that we would have struggled longer to solve.
But overall we learned it quickly enough. As usual with combo-and-text-heavy card games my partner had to go slow. But we won the introductory game easily.
Enjoyable. Need more plays for a better take on a rating. But definitely on the high side.
6 Likes
I don’t know if the latest version of the rules are packed in the game now or not, so you might download the latest version of the Rules Reference from FFG’s website. They have added a bunch of entries, made clarifications, and there are some FAQs in the back of it.
Glad you enjoyed it! Overall, there is enough variety in the core box to give you a decent number of plays before you need to think about getting expansion content. Of course, if you are having fun and there is a hero or villain you really like, there’s nothing stopping you from picking up just those packs.
3 Likes
Some 2p gaming today.
Started with another game of Carnegie, where my aim was to reach 100 points. I didn’t quite do that, but scored more than my first game, so that was a plus. Still lost125 to 86, so that wasn’t great. It was a fairly relaxed game, we discussed strategy a bit. My friend pointed out a good move for me. Only the second game, so we’re both still learning. I just didn’t get enough employees out, so I’m not using the departments as well as I could. The blocking of donation and city spaces was a bit annoying, at 2p there are 18 discs used for this. One of the major cities ended up with only one space left to build, so the full points for networking cities was only possible for one of us.
Samurai, not my favourite Knizia, but still a good game, and pretty snappy at 2p. Somehow, I won the tiebreaker.
HEAT: Pedal to the Metal, did 2 laps of the France map. Stayed in second place (that sounds better than last place) the whole race.
An enjoyable day of gaming.
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Along with Marvel Champions my primary objective of that order arrived: Orichalkum, a game Zee has been talking about since late last year and the German edition arrived a few weeks ago and my copy yesterday:
Setup for my 2 handed learning game last night.
And today I managed to convince my partner to try it with me after our Sunday Brunch.
I can report a successful first game. I managed a feat I rarely ever do. The game plays to 5 VP and if the player has also vanquished all monsters from their island the game immediately ends, no more „finish the round“ shenanigans so many other games do. So in that last round I saw a winning move and knowing my partner could also finish the game, I successfully overlooked that move and let him have that sweet feeling of grokking a game on first try
The rest of the game I did my very best to pull ahead… but seeing that last move and not taking it, is somewhat difficult for me. The result is that he will happily play this again and maybe maybe I can remember this in the future!
So this is now my pick for Kennerspiel des Jahres 2023. Just saying. I have played a not small number of Cathala games (notable exception Cyclades) and this is one of the best. If this doesn‘t at least get nominated „I‘ll eat a broom“ (as the German saying goes).
Including the BGG Solo Mode this plays 1-5 with a small rules modification at 2 players (I have not tried the solo yet). The story is that Atlantis is drowning and players are looking for new lands to settle. Everyone gets an island and has to prove that this is most suitable for New Atlantis.
Each turn you pick a card + tile combo from the market board (my partner said it reminded him of Cascadia, except latter tiles cost extra resources) and place the tile on your board. Tiles can have 3 different sizes. On those tiles are landscapes (4 + volcanoes where the monsters live). If you made an area of 3 or more of one type of landscape you gain the attention of the associated titan. Those give you a 1 time bonus and remain with you as a VP until the next person gains their attention. After placing your tile, you execute the action from the card you took:
- produce Orichalcum in your mines,
- recruit Hoplites in your barracks,
- fight a monster with your Hoplites to gain a reward or
- build a building from the building market on the associated landscape, pay 5 Orichalcum for a Medallion (VP) or place a temple on four different landscapes (also gives a VP)
After doing the card action you may spend either 2 hoplites or 2 orichalcum or 2 vanquished monsters to buy a 2nd optional action.
The buildings you build give you various small bonuses and largely direct your strategy.
Our first game including teach took about 90 minutes. The box says 45-60min with some practice I can see us reach the 5 VP faster. The player boards have a second difficulty on the back. Setup is quick, turns are quick. My AP prone partner was able to take his moves without triggering my impatience.
Love it. Would also like to play this at 4 and try the solo mode. Definitely a game I would not hesitate to teach and recently this „not wanting to teach“ has been an issue for me.
PS: The game itself is language independent but the German copy only has German rules and a German player aid… but no language on any of the cards or buildings or player boards.
9 Likes
Airecon games!
Thursday:
- 6 Nimmt
- Frenemy Pastry Party
- The Chameleon
- Mariposas
Friday:
- Cuba Libre
- Ginkgopolis
- The Crew
- Dixit
Saturday:
- Yokohama
- The Search for Planet X
- Iki
- Cat in the Box
Sunday
- Byline
- Startups
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Really enjoyed Yokohama. Great teacher
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You’re welcome! Thanks for the help with the Ginkgopolis rules - our brains were quite melted after Cuba Libre!
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We had a Saturday shorter session in the Library (12 to 4 pm) due to staffing issues (which makes me wonder, maybe I need a job there, less pay, but less pressure too, and a stone throw away from home…)
I joined a heavy games table, and got slaughtered. First played Riverside, where I did terribly, leaving one of the colours empty, not knowing that having such a low score would take away 15 points from my total… I barely scraped 200 points while everybody else got close to 300 (or well above). As a game, like the theme, it left me very cold…
Then we had a big game of 6 playing Hadrian’s Wall. I enjoyed it somehow a bit less than the first time I had played it. This time the amount of symbols and back and forwards trading for resources with the large central hub of multi-coloured meeples made it feel like work, more than a game. In the end I finished with the second lowest score, too many negative points from really unlucky decissions manning the wall cohorts and forgetting about bribing away all that dishonour till round #5 (of 6) didn’t help.
Finally, we had an hour left so we played Masters of the Reinassance - Lorenzo il Magnifico - The Card game, which is a long title for a Splendor length game. And like in that game, there’s a three level/four columns market of cards where you can collect/trade resources, buy new cards, and move up your meeple-cross up the track to get points. I did enjoy it, even if though I got the gist of it when it was too late, the owner of the game got to the end of his track and close out the game when I was about to get my seventh card. At least he told me I have the highest score on his logs for a fourth position. Still felt like I could have done way better on all games, but hey, I can only go onwards and upwards from there, I guess…
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Thinking about some of the Airecon games…
Heat was with six players, and I think we finally decoded the rulebook well enough to play it correctly (with all phases in parallel, which means some strictness about how you move cards, etc.). First time for me with the weather rules, which felt quite fiddly. Given the choice I’d still much rather play Rallyman GT.
Someone came past as we were playing Damask and said something to the effect of “well, it’s OK for a starter Euro, but if you’ve already played Splendor…” Well, I’ve played Splendor, and I still like Damask. Sure, not a heavy game, but I’ve enjoyed it each time I’ve played.
Air Land & Sea Spies Lies & Supplies will take a bit of learning the cards before I get the hang of it I think. For the Epic Team mode (5 theatres, 4 players with I think 5 cards each) they suggest having only one battle, which takes out the when-to-withdraw guesswork that I think is one of the game’s best features. I suspect, if one has four players and a copy of each game, it would be more fun to play a pair of one-on-one games.
Haven’t played Cosmic Encounter for a while, and I sold my copy pre-pandemic. Great fun, but I sold it because I didn’t play it often enough, and that’s still true.
Rallyman Dirt, apologies to @Lordof1 who had to wait through ten turns by other people before he made his first move. And that meant that he got the corners everyone else had mudded up. But it was glorious to get this to the table in a multiplayer game.
(Times in seconds; Andy withdrew after stage 2. Score It app for Android, com.sbgapps.scoreit.)
Lordof1, and fellow 1PGers Gary and Keith, made something of a co-op dream team. Not only did we knock off The Night Cage on the first attempt (Gary had described it as pretty hard and often frustrating), we did a basic-level FUSE with over two minutes left on the clock - something I’ve only managed otherwise in solo,
I still want a t-shirt with the star tile from Xia and the words “Blind Jump!” (Sorry @lalunaverde .)
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What! That was the best part of the game 
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This is a somewhat official solo-mode for Orichalkum as far as I can tell: Orichalque: Règles du jeu solo | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
Why is it not in the box? No idea.
Some printing shenanigans later, I tried it and it’s nice. I made a few mistakes initially some to my advantage, some to my disadvantage. Playing on the easy side of my board it worked well. The bot is not difficult to handle at all. There seems to be no difficulty scaling for the bot. But I am not sure that is needed here. I could always play the board on the more difficult side.
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Kemet 2 - the combo making with the power tiles is still awesome, but I am less tolerant now at late-game deadlocks where you need a clear lead for 1 round to win… Although the experience of this game didn’t helped when you have that one player who always doubles the fking game time. And not because of learning the rules, that is always fine, but he takes his long ass time calculating every single things. The former is something to be expected; the latter is just rude. I’m actively avoiding plays with 2 players who are like this in the club.
This deadlock stands in contrast to Inis where two of the three victory conditions are communal property. Meaning, you are pushing victory (either for you or for someone else) by exploring more tiles and/or placing more sanctuaries. And if you don’t explore? Domination victory becomes imminent.
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AIRECON (I might have missed some items)
Xia - That was a good immersive game. It does give me that “Merchants & Marauders” feel but on space! Crashing into the Xia star is just perfect. Damn you, @RogerBW . I am now asking if I need Xia in my life.
Cosmic Encounter - So great to play this again.
Regicide x2 - we didn’t win, so we don’t get to gloat
Dixit - another game that I’m glad to play again.
The Crew: Deep Sea
Food Chain Magnate - only one player sat down with me for Indonesia. Sad face. So, I switched it to FCM. 2 more players then proceed to join us. I went for the trainer>>guru strategy and was one round away from the CFO milestone. Saaad! I finished at 2nd place. I now have played FCM 5 times this year. It was great fun!
Tiny Epic Kingdoms - I remember this being the second best Epic title, but now, it’s just terrible. A game where you lose your player position by attacking or being attacked. A glaring example of “A attacks B, therefore C is winning”. There is a reason why Scott Almes is one of the two banned designers to me.
Love Letter
Res Arcana - gah! It’s a cube-pusher, but it’s a damn good cube pusher.
Agricola
Hansa Teutonica - blocking become common and so players start to place cubes on some places and then proceed to move them to the intended routes. And so, double guessing is rife. The action upgrade paths are always blocked. Upgrade cities are all owned. I won the game by upgrading my keys and built a sprawling network which net me a lot of points.
Cover Your Kingdom
Raccoon Robbers - this is pretty charming. Way more interaction than I expected, and done in a way that is fun for other players, not just infuriating. Glad to see that it was Carcassonne guy who designed it.
Root - Cats, Mice, Birds, and Beavers! The Alliance and the Marquis were the more straight-forward ones so those newbies manage to get things rolling and went further ahead of the Company and the Eyrie. I didn’t do that much sale of my service so I don’t get my money up and running. Made a mistake as well where I spent on my first round on a trading post, which crippled my funds. The Alliance was the leading player and I am only figuring out how to counter their ridiculous advantages. It was great fun!
What I’ve learnt against the Woodland Alliance: I’ll talk about their bonkers advantages first. Outrage is how they start their snowball. Smashing these will have to give up a card, but 1 VP for a card is not a bad deal. Make sure you don’t give up cards you want to keep or item crafting cards. Their Guerrilla Warfare ability means that it’s preferable to just let them attack unless it’s an undefended symphathy or base. The worst that can happen is a 0 roll and they survive. Letting them attack is fine too if you outnumber them and the mice are often too few against the large armies of the Birds and Cats. This means they often can’t leave their clearing as you rule their place. Attacking bases is the big weakness, as it is the best way to kill supporters - which is written on their board lol. I would have known this if I had played Alliances before, but no. Oh well. Have to learn fighting against them the hard way
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