Dude! Take Your Turn!
A Gaming Life
City of Crowns – Paladins of the West Kingdom Expansion – On Kickstarter in feb 2021
(Edit 2/16/21 – It’s now live! Go here and back it now. )
(Edit 2/3/21 – The Kickstarter launch date has now been confirmed as February 16!)
Two posts in one day is very rare for this blogger, but I had to get this one out there because I’m so excited.
On the heels of mentioning the Works of Wonders expansion for Architects of the West Kingdom, I get the Kickstarter update from Garphill Games that talks about some upcoming stuff.
And there’s news that I love to see in there!
The City of Crowns expansion for Paladins of the West Kingdom is coming to Kickstarter in February 2021!
I knew it was coming (I’ve been subscribed to the BGG page for a little while now) but I think this is the first time an actual date (well, month anyway) has been announced.
Read MoreNew to Me – December 2020
It’s the end of December and 2020 has been a really cruel and wicked year.
However, one benefit of all of this is that I’ve played a lot more games with my wife than I had in the past.
She graciously volunteered to play more with me since I don’t have my usual game days any more. She could see what my lack of game-playing with my friends was doing to me.
While she does enjoy the games we play, she’s not a “gamer” and thus I don’t bring out the heavy hitters (no Food Chain Magnate or anything like that).
While my game-playing has slowed down this year due to my mental state, it’s nice that I’ve still been able to get at least a new to me expansion played each month if not a new game (I did miss a couple of months, but what can you do?).
The Cult of the New to Me has been happy with that, given the circumstances.
No revolts this year, anyway. It’s not like they’ve been getting too many played themselves.
As we say good-bye to an atrocious 2020 and welcome in a more hopeful 2021…
ok, maybe let’s hedge our bets somewhat because I think we all got a bit too cocky in January 2020.
So, without further adieu (all of my adieu was hate-drafted by my opponent anyway), let’s get started!
Read MoreTop 5 Games Played in 2020
Most years, I get to play at least 100 unique games, based on conventions and my Sunday game days.
Sadly, due to COVID, that didn’t happen in 2020. My wife willingly played a bunch of games with me during our lockdown, so the fact that I managed to get at least 60 games played is an accomplishment.
Part of that is because I somehow made it to three conventions in the two months before the lockdowns were put in force. OrcaCon, Cascade Con, and Dice Tower West were highlights of the year!
However, 60 games is not really a good pool of games to make a Top 10 list.
So how about a Top 5?
Yes, this post is going to be about the Top 5 games I played in 2020.
Adaptability! That’s my middle name.
Those who say it’s “Brian” are heathens.
Note that these games weren’t released in 2020 (None of them were, in fact). These were just games I played in 2020. There’s no way I could ever (even in a good year) play enough 2020 games to actually have a Top 10 games of 2020 list.
I know that it may appear that I’m on Renegade Games’ payroll, but I’m really not! It’s just they happen to make (or license, since all of the games below from them are also produced by another company as well) great games.
Looking at last year’s Top 10, it’s sad that the other 5 games on that list I didn’t get to play this year.
Maybe next year!
On that note, let’s get this post started!
Read MoreBoardgame Geek Top 200 – Play or Played – #120-111
‘Twas the day before the day before the night before Christmas, when all through the house,
not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
(Certainly not this blogger.)
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
in hopes that St. Vital would soon be there.
(Hopefully with a game that doesn’t make me catatonic with indecision.)
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
while visions of sugar-meeples danced in their heads.
(That’s not normal, is it? I mean the dancing, as I think sugar-meeples should be a thing)
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
had just settled down for a long Winter’s game of Here I Stand.
(Really, 12 hours sometimes?)
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my chair, accidentally bumping the table, to see what was the matter.
(The British were losing anyway…)
Away to the window, I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
(Then the wind knocked over the rest of the pieces. Mamma was pissed)
Anyway, we’ll leave it there (that’s a long poem!) and instead allow me to welcome you to the next installment of the BGG Top 200!
We’ve reached #120-111, which means we’re just about done.
Maybe by the new year?
Eh, probably not.
Since this is the last post before Christmas, I just wanted to wish all of you who celebrate it a joyous Christmas, and I hope those of you who don’t are enjoying whatever you do celebrate.
Oh, before I forget, this list is taken from the BGG Top 200 as of September 20 the order may have changed since I did this. I’ve made note of the changes.
Let’s get this show on the road so I can start the celebration!
Read MoreWorks of Wonder – Architects of the West Kingdom expansion
This appears to be a “week before Christmas news extravaganza” but I hope to get a review done this week too (or something, at least).
However, I just stumbled across this on Boardgame Geek and I had to shout my “huzzahs!” to all of you.
It’s no secret that Architects of the West Kingdom is one of my favourite games.
Even though I’ve only used it once (damn you, COVID!), I really do like the Age of Artisans expansion for it.
I knew another expansion was coming but hadn’t heard anything about it.
Until now.
I didn’t see an announcement, but I saw a BGG blog post mention this and apparently the next expansion for this awesome game is Work of Wonders.
It’s so new that while there is a BGG page for it, the image is only from a blog post on BGG and it’s not even up on the Garphill Games site!
What’s in this expansion?
Let’s take a look (at the description, since that’s all we have)
Read MoreCastles of Mad King Ludwig Collectors Edition – Coming January 2021
(Edit – 12/23/20 – If you want to see a cool video that actually mentions both new expansions, see Bezier Games’ Instagram post about it.)
We had a feeling it was coming.
When Bezier Games posted on Boardgame Geek asking for suggestions for what to include in a Collector’s edition of Castles of Mad King Ludwig, we really knew that it was just a matter of time.
Surprisingly, it was only a matter of a couple of months!
Bezier Games has announced that a Collector’s Edition of Castles of Mad King Ludwig will be hitting Kickstarter on January 19.
The game, designed by Ted Alspach with art by Keith Curtis, Agnieszka Dabrowiecka, Ollin Timm (though who knows if they’re going to be involved in this edition) is a tile-laying game where each player is designing their own castle to get as many points as possible by laying down room tiles.
There is also one expansion, Secrets, that added moats and a few other things to the game as well. You could play with the expansion but it was simply “ok” (though I did like the moats).
Now, everything’s going to be deluxe.
Including the box (I think we may be talking Suburbia: Collector’s Edition size here, though maybe not).
Read MoreNew Terraforming Mars-esque game from Stronghold Games?
Geoff Engelstein, one of my favourite game designers and people on Twitter (and also host of the Game-Tech segment on the Dice Tower podcast) was being mysterious the other day on Twitter.
“Hate to vague tweet, but got to playtest and see the final art for a top secret project from Stronghold. OMG! Y’all are in for a big treat…”
Then on December 15, he was able to reveal just a little bit more.
Let the speculation begin!!!!
Read MoreApp Review – Terraforming Mars – Prelude Expansion
Long-time readers of this blog know that I’ve had a kind of love-hate relationship with the app version of one of my favourite games.
While Terraforming Mars is still in my Top 10 games played, the digital version had a bumpy ride after its initial release.
In fact, there was a point where I said that, despite me being in the beta, I was not going to buy the game.
Thankfully, Asmodee Digital has been working to make the game at least meet my demanding standards for asynchronous play.
There are a few issues, but overall it has become an enjoyable experience. (I still have to say, is there any reason that you have to choose your cards in turn order? I don’t see it. And it still needs replays for when you log in to take your turn.)
Which is why I was excited to hear that the Prelude expansion was finally going to be coming to the app!
The game desperately needs Prelude as otherwise it becomes a bit boring after multiple plays.
What does Prelude add to the game? And is it worth the in-app purchase?
Let’s take a look.
Read MoreBoardgame Geek Top 200 – Play or Played – #130-121
After three weeks or so, it’s time for another entry in the BGG Top 200!
We’re almost done, which you would think would mean that I could actually get these done in a timely manner.
But, you know, COVID and everything.
Yeah, I do have swings where I feel so energized to write and post one week and then the next week I just want to sit here and play Trials of Fire on my computer (which is so good! You should check it out. Really scratches that Slay the Spire itch.)
Anyway, maybe I’ll do a review of that one day.
In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the latest round of the Top 200 games on BGG!
Oh, before I forget, this list is taken from the BGG Top 200 as of September 20 the order may have changed since I did this. I’ve made note of the changes.
Let’s begin!
Read MoreCaesar: Rome vs Gaul PBEM Report
(Edit: For those of you coming here from the Boardgame Chronicle article about our game, welcome! I hope you check out the rest of the blog. If you’re finding this page some other way, check out that blog for the Roman side of things. It’s also much more detailed.)
It’s great having Internet friends.
Recently, GMT Games charged and shipped a couple of my P500 games that were ready to roll.
Unfortunately, due to COVID and the closure of the US-Canada border, I won’t be able to get my copy of the two games until well into 2021. (The last time GMT Games shipped two games to me up here in Canada, I got charged duty so I decided to have these games shipped to our US mailbox instead).
The two games in question are Apocalypse Road and Caesar: Rome vs Gaul.
However, the Internet is a wonderful place and Internet friends are even better!
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My good friend in Poland, Michal who does the Boardgames Chronicle blog, agreed to play a game of Caesar: Rome vs Gaul on the VASSAL platform as a PBEM (Play-By-Email) game. We used Discord as a way to pass files back and forth and to communicate in real-time when we had to.
The game is designed by Mark Simonitch with art by Dariusz Buraczewski, Chechu Nieto and Paweł Kurowski. It tells the story of Caesar’s invasion of Gaul from 57-52 BC.
I was the Gauls and Michal was Caesar and the Romans (figuring that he knows more about wargames than I do, so would get the need to be aggressive).
How did it go?
It was my first real wargame in 25+ years, so how do you think?
But it was still extremely fun.
Let’s take a look.
Read More
Dude! Take Your Turn! 