Tsetzuko

The DC Deck Building Game (DCDBG) is one of my personal favorite deck building games. However, it does have some issues/flaws that would make it a terrible choice for some gamers.

As an introduction to the basic mechanics of a deck building game, DCDBG is fantastic. If you are new to deck building games or want to teach new players the concept of deck building, I would highly recommend DCDBG. There aren’t many extra things going on in DCDBG aside from abilities listed on the cards themselves, and the game only has one type of currency (power). Also, even though everyone plays as a hero with a special ability (Batman, Superman, etc), a player can win without focusing entirely on utilizing that ability.

The game does have a few “flaws” that could ruin the game for some people though. One flaw is the fact that the game is so simple. Without playing a longer game, it’s hard to get a lot of depth into your play strategy before the game is over. The fact that the game is fairly straight-forward means that there aren’t many alternative paths to winning either.

Another huge flaw which may turn people away from DCDBG is the terrible implementation of theme. This has been mentioned in other reviews, but it bears repeating. Your base currency card is a Punch, which provides +1 Power. You use the Power from your Punches to purchase equipment, villains, heroes, and super powers…what? I can understand how that would make sense if you were “capturing villains”, but why would you punch a fellow hero to recruit them to your deck? Also, because the abilities of the heroes you play as are pretty tame and you can, for example, add Heat Vision to your deck as Batman, it doesn’t really feel like you are immersed in the role of your hero.

Personally, I enjoy the simplicity of the game. There are more complicated deck builders out there for when I want to play something complicated. It’s also easy for me to ignore the flaws in theme because I enjoy all the awesome characters and powers that are included. I don’t really care if I’m playing Batman with all Batman stuff or if I’m some weird DC super hero mash-up. The game is a blast to play regardless, and everyone I have played the game with wants to play it again. And again.

My Star Values:
Replay: 3/5 Replay value will varying depending on how much you enjoy all the characters and abilities, and if you like the DC Comics Universe.
Components: 4/5 The artwork is awesome, the cards themselves are good stock quality. That said, the components are all cards, so they lack the “wow” factor of a 5/5.
Easy to Learn: 5/5 The use of a single currency makes the game incredibly easy to teach. You could teach this game in about 5-10 minutes to people who have never even heard of deck building games.

Tokaido is not a sweat on your brow, brain scrambling, meat-and-potatoes kind of game. To the contrary, playing Tokaido feels like taking a walk through a park on a cool autumn day – refreshing.

The premise of the game is simple. Players travel along a path to Edo, stopping at various locations along the way to collect different sets of items in order to score victory points. In addition, each player takes on the role of one of the game’s various characters, which grants them a special ability. The main game feature to keep in mind is that the last player on the path gets to take their turn first, even if that means they take several turns in a row.

Tokaido is one of my most easily and enthusiastically recommended casual games, especially for anyone who loves ancient Japan or East Asian themes. I have played Tokaido several times with many different people and no one comes away from the game without feeling rejuvenated and peaceful.

Does that mean that Tokaido is right for everyone? No. There is a small amount of strategy involved with Tokaido, but even a brilliant strategist will not overwhelmingly win the game. If you are seeking an in-depth game with a clearly defined “right way” to win, Tokaido is not the game for you.

My Star Values:
Replay: 3/5 This is not a game that most will play multiple times during a single gaming session. I do think, however, that it is one that could be played and enjoyed on a regular basis simply for it’s theme and fun but stress-free play style.
Components: 5/5 Tokaido is beautiful. The components are high quality and the artwork is gorgeous. I am always excited to lay this game out on the table and show if off. In fact, it is one of the most visually engaging games I own.
Easy to Learn: 5/5 Gameplay is very straight forward and can be learned and taught in 5-10 minutes with no problems. You simply explain the last goes first mechanic and what each of the stops along the path allow you to do.

*This is a review for the base game and does not take any expansions into account.

Ticket to Ride is a highly acclaimed board game that centers around placing plastic trains along routes in order to score victory points.

The mechanics of the game are incredibly solid, fun, and easy to understand. Ticket to Ride is very easy to teach and for that reason is a great game to use to introduce new people to the realm of board games beyond Monopoly or Scrabble (though Ticket to Ride may have achieved close to the same level of mainstream popularity). For more experienced gamers, Ticket to Ride could fit the bill of a nice filler game, or a game to play when you need to take a mental break.

I would very highly recommend Ticket to Ride to anyone with kids, or to any group looking for a good introductory game to reel in new members. Is it a game I would buy immediately? Probably not. But I would definitely want to have it on hand if say, my parents or grandparents (who only played board games when their kids wanted to) came to visit, or once I have children of my own.

For more advanced gamers, I would recommend that you play Ticket to Ride for the experience, but that you hold off on buying a copy for yourself until you’ve done so. I’m sure that for some gamers, Ticket to Ride is a lot of fun and full of replay value straight out of the box, but I myself found it lacking. I felt like something needed to add more depth to the game in order for me to find it appealing after more than a few replays.

My Star Values:
Replay 3/5: Replay is high for casual/inexperienced gamers, lower for gamers looking for depth.
Components 3/5: A 3/5 for me means that the components are well done, but lack a “wow” factor that makes me excited just to show them to people.
Easy to Learn 5/5: You can teach people this game in 5-10 minutes with no problems. You can learn the rules so that you can teach others in about the same amount of time.