lc4free

We played Apples to Apples at my last corporate team event. It was a great way to get people who are usually all-business to get to know one another in a more social setting.

As the game went on, you could see different personalities popping up (those who played cards completely seriously v. those who played cards to get a laugh out of the group). By the end of the night, we were even taking the time to guess which player laid which card.

This is a good game for a larger group (4+). The rules are simple and the game encourages people to let loose and get to know one another a bit better.

First Impression:
I was extremely skeptical about playing Agricola… especially when I saw that the farm animals (what to me seemed the cutest part of the game) were just square blocks… and there were a million of them. I though “too much imagination and patience required.”

Game Play:
Once the game got started, the rules were fairly simple to understand. The way we played, it was mostly about strategy. I liked the fact that you could play to either help yourself or block your opponents. I did not like how much set-up was required between rounds (ie harvesting, paying food, reloading all the pieces on the board..). It seemed like that took longer than the actual turns in the game.

Overall Impression:
Is it my favorite game? No. But it seems like a good ‘stand-by’ and I’d definitely play it again, especially since the order of cards drawn changes up the game every time. I think it’d be fun with a bigger group (I played with 2 people my first game). It’s a solid 5-6 of 10 for me.