EvanGMan

First, let me say I love Dominion. It was the first “designer” board game I played, it was the first deck builder I played and it was the game that essentially got me into the hobby.

Dominion is fast, it’s accessible, and it’s easy for anyone to jump in and start playing. I’ve never taught Dominion to someone and have them say, “I can’t get my head around the strategy,” or “This game isn’t for me.” It’s a game you’ll have no trouble whatsoever getting to the table. So in that regard, I highly recommend it.

But how does it show its age? Why am I giving it a 7? First, the expansions. There are some expansions out there that I like better than the original 2008 Dominion. Second, the growth of the genre. There are so many good deck builders out there now, that you’d be doing yourself a disservice to play Dominion exclusively.

Is giving a game a 7 because I like some expansions or some other entries in the genre fair? Perhaps not — the two points above would lead me to give Dominion an 8. But the last point I took off was for the (disputable) aspect of the game I like least – the solitary feel. Yes, there is *some* interaction in Dominion, but there isn’t a lot. As I’ve grown as a board gamer, I’ve come to appreciate player interaction, and I wish Dominion had more. (That’s what the expansions are for!)

Don’t get me wrong, I still recommend Dominion to every type of gamer. But keeping all those points in mind, I think 7 is a fair grade.

Pros:
– Easy to teach, easy to learn
– Accessible to all types of gamers
– Never hard to get to the table

Cons:
– (Slight) lack of player interaction
– Set up and break down take time
– Lots of shuffling

Quarriors! was my first purchase outside the “tried and true” elite set of games (Dominion, Carcassonne, etc.) I bought it when it was still relatively new to the hobby, and wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into. It was my first “impulse” board game purchase. You’ll be happy to hear I don’t regret my purchase. At all.

One of the major drawbacks of deck builders is the constant shuffling. Quarriors! replaces shuffling with the shaking a dice bag – it’s really a clever idea; one that makes you say, “Why didn’t I think of that?”

Simply put, I can’t get enough of this game. If you’re a casual gamer who likes deck builders like Dominion and doesn’t mind a fantasy theme, you can’t go wrong. Hardcore gamers may be turned off by the luck involved. If you’re on the fence, check out Tom Vasel’s review: http://youtu.be/TVxM42TVsRY.

Pros:
– Easy to teach, easy to learn
– Plays quick
– High replay value
– Expansions!

Cons:
– Small dice, small dice bags
– Set up can be time consuming
– Lots of luck involved

After seeing this episode of Wil Wheaton’s TableTop, I had to get a copy of Tsuro for myself. I drove down to my FLGS, picked up a copy and immediately got it to the table.

First thing I noticed was that the components are beautiful. You are definitely getting your money’s worth out of this game. Next, the rules were only a single page — that’s a welcomed sight for the casual gamer. Finally, this thing scales exceptionally well. It can accomodate 2-8 players, and it really just works all around. (Yes, the strategy changes when only 2-4 people are playing versus 5-8, but it’s still fun either way.)

One more thing — this thing is light. If boardgames were food, Tsuro is kale chips or seaweed in broth. I can’t emphasize how light and easy this game is to play or set up.

If you’re a casual gamer looking for a quick filler game, you can’t go wrong. If you’re on the fence I highly recommend checking out Episode 3 of TableTop to see the game in action. If you’re more into the heavier stuff, and are not interested in a lighter than light boardgame, I’d say pass.

This summer, after being dragged back into Magic: The Gathering, I was searching the iPad app store for some games to quench my thirst for CCG fun. That’s how I discovered Ascension, and got back into board games.

Simply put, Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer is an excellent deckbuilding game. The battle component adds a layer of strategy not seen in some other games, and the center row is a really cool tweak on an already established subgenre of our favorite hobby.

I love the artwork. I love the flavor. I love the replayability. Seriously, I love this game. I haven’t, however, bought the expansion. Why? Because as many other reviewers have noted, the cards are printed on different card stock. Blasphemy!

While this isn’t a game I’d show my parents to get them into deckbuilding, it is one I’d show to my Magic friends that are (so far) unwilling to jump into board gaming. It has a very similar allure, the one that makes you say, “Just one more game.”

All of that said, this definitely deserves a space on your game shelf. It’s a great value, and really fun and good looking. Highly recommended.

Love zombies? Love The Walking Dead? Love George A. Romero? Love World War Z? Well, you’ve found the perfect filler game.

Your Turn: Roll three zombie dice. Land on a brain, add it to your brain pile. Land on a shotgun, add it to your shotgun pile. Land on a flee, reroll on your next turn (if you take one.) Three shotguns and you lose all your brains — er, braaaaaains. After you roll, you can keep the brains you got, or press your luck. You roll three die every time you press your luck — so brains or shotguns need to be replaced from dice in the cup. It’s that simple.

How to Win: Get 13+ brains before your opponent(s). (Protip: Your opponent(s) get one more turn to try and beat you before the game ends, so don’t opt to stop automatically once you’ve reached 13.)

My Thoughts: Honestly, the theme makes the game. Without the flavor, this wouldn’t be worth writing about. But the zombie element is the hook. If you’re a fan of zombies, this is a great, great filler game. If you’re not a fan of zombies, I’d say pass.

Not sure? There’s an iOS app that lets you try it out against an AI opponent. (Playing with more than one human costs .99 cents, and it’s not as fun as actually rolling dice.)

Still not sure? Drink more heavily. The purchase will seem like a good idea eventually.

EDIT: 0 out of 3 gamers thought this review was helpful. Ouch! Let me try this again:

I was introduced to Carcassonne waaaay back in 2007 via the 2007 Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) game. Although I had played Magic: The Gathering previously, I consider that download my introduction to board games.

(The XBLA version of Carcassonne is great, and it now has an excellent iOS version as well, but I digress.)

I finally caved and bought the analog version of Carcassonne, and I must say I was not disappointed. Here are my thoughts:

A lot of people don’t like Carcassonne, and I think I know why. People consider it an “entry” game, but many gamers despise that moniker because it isn’t a “good” entry game. People who say it’s not a good “entry” game sometimes argue: There’s a substantial amount of down time during other players turns (admittedly, that’s true). It’s easy to learn, but difficult to master (debatable). It’s boring (also debatable). Et cetera.

So maybe it’s not a good “entry” game. But can we agree that it’s just plain fun?

I think people love this game because it’s easy to teach, and it is really casual. Not to mention setup is a breeze. Honestly, I can’t recommend it highly enough.

p.s.: This game got my girlfriend semi-interested in gaming, so I owe it a debt of gratitude.

Original Review that people didn’t think was very helpful

I just really enjoy Carcassonne, and think a lot of non/casual gamers would enjoy it too. Is it for everyone? Not really. But in my view, it’s one of the all-time greats.

Carcassonne is great because excellent iOS, XLBA, *and* analog versions exist for it. I was introduced to it via the XBLA version of it back in 2007, and finally caved and bought the analog version a few months ago.

The components are very high quality. The instruction booklet is nice and easy to follow. Honestly, for $20 bucks, it’s worth adding to your game shelf, just to show other people how easy/fun board gaming can be.

Highly recommended. Two thumbs up. (But meeple don’t have thumbs!)