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Trianor

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5
Go to the Shadows over Camelot page
“A nice introductory semi co-op game.”
51 out of 77 gamers thought this was helpful
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I won’t delve into the rules, Dolus did a great job, already! 🙂 However I want to mention a few things..:
This is a fine introductory semi co-op/traitor-involved game and it would appeal to non-gamers or new ones. The gameplay is light, the Arthurian theme is beautiful, the quality of components is excellent (rarely have I seen a game’s plastic insert to take into account the size of [u]sleeved[/u] cards).

In my opinion, the game has a medium replay value (rather simple for my taste). There are some options, though:
a) You could pump it up with the new ‘Days of Wonder’ expansion ‘Merlin’s Company’ which adds new Knights, Merlin himself, new bad guys, and Travel (event) cards.
b) You could consider it as a necessary (learning) step, and get Battlestar Galactica which is a more complicated and heavy semi co-op game.
Personally, I would go straight to Battlestar Galactica 🙂

5
Go to the Mr. Jack page

Mr. Jack

24-Aug-11
“A great 2player easy game, for your gf to like (assuming she's playing the detective).”
26 out of 42 gamers thought this was helpful
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This game would be great, IF there were better chances for the ‘Jack’-player to win. 🙁
After half-a-dozen games, I’d say that chances in favor of the ‘detective’ player is around 70%-30% (that’s why this is a great introductory game for your gf 😉 )
On the bright side, the game is quick and easy. The expansion offers some additional characters and an option for players to select their 8 characters (4 for each player), which makes the game a little more balanced.
If you like a light, quick, easy, deduction game you should have a look into ‘Mr.Jack in New York’, which is said to have sorted out the balance issues (haven’t played it myself, tbh).

8
Go to the Hive page

Hive

24-Aug-11
“One of the best 2-player abstract games.”
78 out of 87 gamers thought this was helpful
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What’s not to like about this clever, 2p game?
Mechanics? Good!
Components? Good!
Duration? Good!
Re-playability? Good!

Mechanics
=========
All in all, the game is a tile (‘bug’) laying/moving one; the goal is to ‘capture’ the enemy bee-queen. Each bug has specific rules for moving, and each bug moves around (or over) the main bug/tile structure (hive).

Components
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The hex-tiles are of fine plastic material (feels like ivory tbh), highly resistant to any usual board-game dangers (stains, gravity, etc). Perfect for a quick play on the beach!

Duration
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Five to twenty minutes (at most). Just enough to tease you and get you to play 2-3 games more, in a row.

Re-playability
==============
With numerous different hive formations (that can be generated), different tactic approaches, and 2 expansion bugs, the game packs enough punch to get you hooked. By the time you get bored of it, you’ll have already gotten your money’s worth. 🙂

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