Ocracoke

Nuns on the Run is a hidden-movement game, a light family reverse Scotland Yard game would be the best way to describe it, with rules that aren’t hard but more confusing, little harder to get right right of the bat, for a game of this ilk. Not going into how to play, you can find the rules online and read them. This is one of those games that if someone purchased it for me I would keep, but most likely wouldn’t buy. It is the novice nun player’s requirement that their movement is a paper bookkeeping task rather than playing a board token that turns me off. There is just this feeling there is not enough “stuff” going on on the board, that you have this board but it is underutilized. Check out Clue: The Great Museum Caper, Parker Brothers, which came out in 1991 and still available, if you want a family game that is fun and is of the same ilk. It has a very nice museum building that functions as the board, hidden movement, pretty much the same thing, but you feel you need and use the board.

If racing games is your thing, this is one to pick up.

Not marking it down, but, not my cup of tea, can be long and brutal to win. When you do win, it feels good. That being said, a superb excellent cooperative game for the hardcore and maybe a once in a while play for others. Not sure anyone one would play this back to back. I don’t think young kids would like it, just too tough to win. It you want a much more meaty Forbidden Island this is it and then some.

Not sure I want to play this five times in a row on the same day, a good little short play, beer and pretzel game for adults, you will not mind playing with the kids. No, it ain’t no Pandemic. Pandemic is long, brutal. For the money, it is amazing cheap in price, even comes in a neat metal tin, it is worth getting. Plays very quick, which is good, or it would wear out it’s welcome. One thing, look up on how the diver works. Big debate over how he moves. The designer finally posted the info. This is for a standard move. The diver may for one action move horizontal and vertically over any number of sinking tiles or completely sunken island tiles as far as he wants, even changing directions. He must come to rest on a tile that is sinking or on a solid island title. He can’t travel outside the island original boundaries. Wasn’t how I read it, but, there you have it. It does make the diver much more interesting.

This is a great game, great map, but, it is an expansion that works with either Ticket to Ride or Ticket to Ride: Europe. I own Marklin, so, can’t use it. Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries would be the better game if you just need a standalone. Both are well thought out tight maps, both games, a joy to play with 2-3 players.

A gorgeous board and card set. If 2 to 3 players games are your normal, this is a good standalone version. There is also 2-3 player Ticket to Ride Switzerland but it requires pieces parts from either Ticket to Ride or Ticket to Ride: Europe. Both are hard to find and can be overly expensive in the aftermarket. Both great games if you can find them at a good price. Nordic Countries is great to play around the holidays.

One game I have owned for years, I have a deluxe copy of it. Never play it anymore. It just comes down as too much of a dice slug out fest. Don’t get me wrong, you want deeply to love it, but, you can’t. It suffers from early player elimination to a game that can go on for many, many, long hours. Who hasn’t played this thing growing up? Funny, every time you see that board you want to play. Wished Reiner Knizia could do something with it. Someone else in their review said it best, just too long for the fun that is in it.

I am no fan of the first version, aka Ticket to Ride, mainly because of the US map and the cut throat play, it has a hardcore feel to it. This version feels different, more family friendly perhaps, with the addition of ferries, tunnels and train stations, better map. Still it isn’t my favorite, Ticket to Ride Marklin is and would be my pick. The Marklin map is well laid out and gorgeous. The single addition of the passenger figures that are added to the game, to me, makes Marklin the best one. The passengers are used to pick up merchandise tokens scoring points. This adds a needed sub-strategy element to the game. The long and short routes are well thought out, too. Marlin does suffer more than the Europe version with geography location problems, it is mostly a German cities map. I have to use a player’s aid, a printed map/photo of the board with a grid A-Z down one side, 0-9 on the top with the names of the countries and cities listed by their [A-Z] [0-9] coordinates under the map. Given where you are sitting the problem can be worst. i.e. viewing the map upside down. Still Ticket to Ride: Europe is a pretty game,an excellent game and your kids will learn a little European geography from it. If they hadn’t released the Marklin version, it would be my pick.

Love the card’s artwork, very good 2 player card game, but, prefer, Lost Cities the Board Game over this. Basically the same card play, but, the card play is used for moving meeples providing options for scoring, also expands the game past 2 player, a welcome addition. The card game was also used for Keltis (a Germany release with an abstract theme), Keltis das Oracle (US release with an Irish theme) and a hard to find travel version. It is interesting that Reiner Knizia stated in an interview that Lost Cites the Board Game is the version he first came up with, that each publishers modified it for what their image/market aka Keltis and Keltis das Oracle. The interview was about how game publishing works, it leaves the control of the designer and the publisher dinks with the theme and rules. “The original version that we developed is exactly what Jay [Tummelson, owner of Rio Grande Games] has now published.” -interview-knizia So, Lost Cities the Board Game is what Knizia wanted and is what Rio Grande Games now sells. To me, Lost Cities the Card Game feels like the travel, 2 player version. If you are in need of a good 2 player game, great artwork, better than the board game version, you can’t go wrong.