My board game addiction shows no sign of abating. I’ve had to do a bit of bookshelf re-arrangement in order to get them in, but it’s worth it and they look great lined up. I’m not just arranging them on shelves though, I’m playing them too, and here’s what’s new in my table’s world.
First up I took a trip to a local (more like thirty miles away) games shop and picked up a couple of things, the main one being Hive. Hive’s a clever little two-player game where each player has a stash of large, hexagonal tiles each with a different insect on top. The tiles are laid next to one another with the objective of completely surrounding the opponent’s queen bee. Different insects have different movement abilities though and it quickly gets very strategic. It’s a bit like a strange, short game of chess, but it’s very addictive and the heavy bakelite tiles are very satisfying to use.
Hive. Lovely chunky pieces
Since Hive I’ve also picked up the venerable Carcassonne, which has turned out to be a surprise hit. The game revolves around drawing tiles which represent parts of roads, fields, cities and monasteries and placing them next to matching parts on the table, choose where to place your meagre allowance of workers (meeples) to best score you points. Simple to learn and quick to play. I’ve had an incarnation of it on the Xbox for ages now, but it’s never really grabbed us. Playing it with the card tiles and wooden meeples is very different though, and it’s very quick to grab you and leave you with that ‘one more go’ feeling. I’m eyeing up the Inns & Cathedrals expansion first, as by all accounts it’s the best one to get at first.
Carcassonne. One of the Meeples claiming a city
Next up I scored a very cheap Forbidden Island from Amazon which turned up in its attractive tin. The game itself Is centred around a group of tiles that represent an exotic island that’s sinking. Before it sinks, you and the other players are trying to pilfer the various treasures by moving around, shoring up sunken areas, and making sure you all escape with the treasures intact. It’s fun, but in truth is a bit simplistic and relatively easy to win at, I can see why it’s recommended as a good gateway game for kids growing up. I might pick up its ‘big brother’ Pandemic at some point which is supposed to use similar mechanics but be a lot more involved.
Forbidden Island. Really nice tin and pieces
I was very excited to see my Valentine’s present turn up last week while I was on holiday. After a lot of agonising and indecision (I very nearly went for Merchants & Marauders) I settled on Arkham Horror, and I’m so glad I did. It’s a bit of an epic with a massive board and a lot of components, and it’s all set in HP Lovecraft’s universe. A team of investigators (the players) move around the city, balancing their skills as they go, trying to fight off the hideous monsters and seal the gates to other worlds that have been appearing. The idea is to try to seal them all quickly enough so that one of the the Great Old Ones appear, they being the likes of Nyarlathotep, Ithaqua, or everyone’s favourite, Cthulhu (no pedants please, I know they might not all be ‘officially’ GOO). It works really, really well and the feeling of everyone fighting together against the game is awesome. It takes a few turns to get your head around what’s happening during each phase, but once you’ve got it it ticks along at a reasonable pace. I love this game and can’t wait to give it a try with lots more players.
Arkham Horror. Awesome game with a lot of pieces!
I wish I could say that’s it, but it’s not. We went to Plymouth for the day last week and I bagged myself a copy of Reiner Knizia’s Lost Cities. It’s a small game for two players, and as much as it tries to be thematic (players are explorers on expeditions around the world) it’s essentially a card game. If you ignore that though, it’s a great game with a good mix of strategy, luck and risk-taking.
Lost Cities. Small, cheap and very addictive
Good times then! And reading it back, it sounds like expensive times too, but actually it’s not too bad at all. Hive, Carcassonne, Forbidden Island and Lost Cities were all less than twenty quid each (lots less in some cases), Arkham Horror has been my most expensive game of all so far at £40. I know Spring’s on its way now, but it’s nice to have something to do in the dark nights that’s not just staring at the TV or going out and spending money. Obviously I’ve still got an ever-growing wishlist, but I’m content with what I’ve got for now.
(Let’s see how long that lasts)