Mr.Darcy

My family has owned this Bean Farming game for some time and it seems to be brought out a decent amount. To be frank I liked but didn’t love this game when i first played it. However, the more I play now the more i notice how great it is. It has subtle yet not overbearing strategies. It is easy to learn and great for new gamers or just those who aren’t in the mood for something more serious. I am glad I own this game and am almost always happy to play it.

The Good:
1. Relatively quick
2. Easy to learn, Good introduction game
3. Fairly interactive, even when it is not your turn
4. Has enough strategy for us heavy thinkers
5. Could be played with kids and teenagers
6. Has a unique theme
7. Trades terms can be flexible.
8. Re-playable
9. Is a perfect starter game.
10. Can be played with 7 people.

The Bad:
1. Could drag on with the wrong croud.
2. Fun can be dependent on who you play with.
3. Best with 3-6 people

I think this is a great game for any group.

8/10

Bean on!

This is a review, not a description of play.

I remember when my older brother first brought home Catan and asked us to play. “Of course” i thought, we love boardgames, “I’ve played tons of monopoly and the farming game”. We played, and we LOVED it. My whole family, we played it all the time. We thought we had discovered the greatest game ever. We bought multiple expansions and failed to see how the game would ever be surpassed. However, our affection for the game wavered and soon fell. We hardly play it now. And this is why.

Settler of Catan is a great game for the Era in which it was produced. I would wager at the time most people had only play big commercial board games with set boards and very repetitive play. Settlers of Catan was not the first game of its kind: changing board, more strategy based then luck, but it was the game that I believe introduced ( and still does to this day) the population to meatier, more fulfilling gaming. Where gaming became more than a casual activity and became a lovable hobby beloved by many. I almost never play Settlers. I decide to play better games that i own, games that play well with two, that are co-op, that have more strategy,less luck dependent, better for new gamers, better themes, better components, are more re-playable, and take less time. Now I don’t want people to think that Catan is a bad game, its not. Its just that now there exist many options that most people would find more enjoyable. I fully believe that most of the gaming community would not be here without this game, or for that matter many games that exist today that were inspired by it. Gaming has undergone a revolution and I believe Catan is one of the games at the fore front.

What I like:
1. Changing board
2. Good strategy
3. Multiple Options.
4. Passive Aggressive maneuvers of the robber.
5. Can be quick with the right people.
6. Easy to learn for new people.

What I don’t like.
1. Can be long with the right people.
2. Some games you know you will lose after 20 minutes but must wait another hour to finish.
3. Trading, one of the main mechanics, becomes obsolete once someone is within 2-4 points of winning.
4. Games start to feel the same.
5. Needs expansions to be re-playable.

Fun game that has been out done.

7/10

Fun tidbit. Members of the NFL Greenbay Packers love to play Catan, they take the game to all the cities they visit and play before games. Catan really is bringing people into the hobby as it did to me.

This is a review not a description of play.

I’ll be straight forward and say I have played this game once. I will edit this review if my opinion changes. I did not really love it and neither did my wife. I would play again but only to appease the group I played it with who enjoy it.

The goodish.
1: Game would probably be enjoyed by kids. I think they would enjoy the theme.
2: Games with special characters and abilities can be fun.
3: Was easy to learn.

The not so Good.
1: The game is very gimmicky. The theme is unexciting for likely anyone over the age of 14.
2: This is hard to describe but the game is very childish and random. It is very “HAHA I THREW FOOD ON YOU! OH DANG YOU GOT ME I’M GONNA GET YOU BACK”, and that is really how people play it. If you win or are proactively mean everyone will gang up on you cause it’s “fun”.
3. My wife didn’t even like this game.

I believe part of my issues with this game is that i played with 6 people in their twenties. The theme didn’t fit our capacities. It just seemed odd for us to play a game that my 6 year nephew would like if he could read the cards on his own. No one there really put thought into their actions except me, which is how I won. The issue is unless you plan to play like a child you will blow everyone out of the water by putting a little thought into the game and winning.

4.8/10

This is a review not a description of play.

This is a great game. The play style is very unique. Multiple levels of gamers can play including, kids, new gamers, and those who like to think.

The Good:
1: I can play this game with my 6 your old nephew, he GETs it and we both have fun.
2: I can play this game with my wife (who is newer to non-Monopoly and Uno gaming) she GETs it, and we both have fun.
3: I can play this game with my two competive high-powered attorney strategy-oriented brothers . They Get it we all fun. Is it our go to lets outsmart each other game? No. But it still scratches that itch while involving others.
4: The animal drafting|loading-truck mechanism is really cool. I love that you pull a random animal from a bag and don’t just get to keep it. You place it on a truck so everyone has an opportunity to grab it.
5: Not a very long game.
6: Great theme. Art is great. The game really gives the experience of building a Zoo and your decisions make sense with reality.
7: Has multiple ways to attain points and win.

The bad.
1: Kids really like this game, but they aren’t very good. They won’t really have a chance of winning until they are older or you throw the game.

I haven’t played a round of this I did not enjoy. I also don’t know anyone who doesn’t like it. Great family game.

8/10

This is a review not a description of play.

I would describe this game as OK. I will play it but wouldn’t say I am excited to.

The Good.
1: Variability of role cards.
2: Can play 6 without being to long.
3: My wife liked it.
4: Board changes a little each game.
5: Fun when you figure out who is on your team.
6. New less strategic gamers will probably play.

The Maybe Good?
1: The game adds neutral roles who are neither hunters nor shadows. I love the idea of having more than 2 factions. However, when you are neutral you are alone, the Win Condition for a neutral can be very specific and hard to accomplish.
2. Each role has a special ability, cool right? Well unless someone has played once or twice and by using it you will reveal your identity.

The Not so Good.
1: Only 3 times in 45 minutes did I feel like I made a decision that impacted the game. After 10 minutes I had already correctly deduced everyone’s faction but could not make any real decisions to further my cause.
2. I did not love the artwork.
3. Roles do not seem very balanced.

This game is for people who like games with a lot luck and not to much thought. It plays like a modified version of Mafia. I do not desire to own this game but will play for the enjoyment of my friends and wife who find it fun. The sad thing is with some more thought this game could be really cool. Good idea, poor execution.

6\10

Thanks for reading!

This is a review not a description of play.

This game was NOT on my list of games I wanted to try. Any adventure, RPG,D&Dish, dice determining games just did not appeal to me. The only reason I picked up this game is it had some great reveiws, was Co-op ( I enjoy pandemic), and my wife looked at it and said THIS LOOKS KINDA OF FUN, WANT TO PLAY? I will try any game I can get my wife to play, she is not a heavy gamer but is slowly transforming. So we bought it and wow I was surprised how much I love this game.

What I like.
1: Co-op games are fun and this does not disappoint.
2: Theme can be felt and looks great.
3: Good amount of options, decisions feel impactful but not always devastating.
4: Love games with roles and different role abilites.
5: Lots of diversity between cards, roles, and Ancient ones. Re-playable.
6: Game is a good challenge and keeps us on the edge of our seats.
7: My wife LOVES it. What a bonus. We can play just the 2 of us and she has a blast.
8. Adjusting difficulty level.
9. Did I mention its fun? I really feel like 2-3 hours flew by.
10. You can DIE. and come back as a different investigator. One game I died intentionally and it worked for us!

Quirks and Dislikes:
1: Some mechanics are irrelevant without specific mythos or ancient ones. Not many.
2: I stated above the game is very replayable but I believe without the expansion (which I haven’t played yet) the game WILL (it hasn’t yet) seem Da Ja Vuish as each Ancient One has 4 mysteries and you solve 3. The expansion which adds another ancient and 2 new mysteries for previous ancients seems to be a great solution to this.
3. I do not think this game is hard to learn, BUT it was hard to teach myself since we did not know anyone who played.
4. If you teach yourself you will likely play the first few games incorrectly.

Overview:

I have not played the expansions but I am much for interested in the ones that add variety to the base game instead of adding a separate mechanic on a separate board.

TIPS: Your win by solving mysteries. Don’t get caught up killing monster and closing gates. It is important and will sometimes keep you from losing but not always necessary.

9.5\10

This is a review not a description of play.

I have loved this game since I have played it.
I would not recommend it for those new to gaming.

What I like:

1: I love games where you might have to adjust your strategy depending on what is happening each game.
2: Has multiple methods of winning the game.
3: Game is very interactive heavy throughout all stages of the game.

Complaints:
1: Hard to always know what to do if you are new to the game.
2: Game will be too long with over thinkers.

TIP: Decide what you want to do on your turn before it is your time, and have a couple of back of plans in case those options are not available.

9/10

This is a review not a description of play.

Cities is Great.

I enjoy the leaders expansion but believe Cities to be the best so far. It fits in well with the first game and feels as if it should have been included the first time. It adds another component of strategy without voiding any base game strategies. It compliments. Adds a minor essence of being cut throat and lets you effect all the players at times. Easy to learn for everyone who already knows how to play, yet adds a different feel to the game.

10\10

This is a review not a description of play.

I really enjoy this game and so do MOST of the people I play with.

The game is simple, easy, quick and fun. However, it still offers some good strategy for those who want to put more thought into their moves. A good strength is I can get my parents who are almost 60 to play and they don’t forget rules or get confused as they do with some other games.

What really makes this game is picking the role cards. I love games where everyone has different abilities but I enjoy that no one is locked into one role for the whole game. The game balances well as the more roles you grab the more likely it is you will lose your people.

7.4/10

This is a review not a description of play.

This game is easily played more than any other game I own or game my family owns.

The Good:
1.Plays in 30 minutes when everyone knows how to play.
2.Game does not get longer the more people you have.
3. Can play strategic and un-strategic and have a good time.
4. Good game for gamers and non-gamers.
5. First game my wife loved… and she LOVES it.
6. Between different boards and card drafting every game is different, it never gets old.
7. If you lose you can quickly replay another.
8. No one strategy is dominant.
9. You take turns at the same time! This keeps the game short and keeps you involved the whole time.
10. Each wonder has slightly different abilities/task.

The one Baddish thing.
1: The game is really easy to learn. After 2 cards into the first age everyone gets the game. However, the various symbols (however easy to look up) are daunting to new people. This wouldn’t be my first game to play with a non-gamer friends. I’d get hooked on something a little more simple like Carcassone and then reel them in for life with this game.

10\10