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This Week’s Explorable Games
This round of Explorable Favorites includes:
These games will be explorable until next Monday, December 9th.
After you’ve explored these games, let us know what you think about them in the comments below!
Le Havre had like mobile game did not?
I think the problem for me with Le Havre is that it was compared to Agricola. I believe it was the next one published after Agricola was such a hit. Agricola has “pain” in that you need to feed your family but the pain in Le Havre just seemed to be more oppressive. In addition, people are used to having more workers rather than less. So going up to 5 in Agricola vs. only one (ever) in Le Havre also made people feel like their choices were too limited. The wacky way the turns ended (so that first player could change) would also potentially catch you off guard, one round giving you more turns than the next.
Ora et Labora took what was interesting in Le Havre and removed what wasn’t. It splits the worker force by giving you 3 where one of them is special. The pain is a lot less and handled differently. And they finally figured out how best to handle the plethora of resources with the wheel.
Le Havre is an okay game just my least favorite of Uwe Harvest Trilogy, in particular, and possibly least favorite overall (jury is still out on Merkator).
I’ve been looking at both of these games so it was fun to explore them. Got my Old Bones and Explorer Level 4 as a reward!
It’s easy to forget that a game that is widely popular might not be a great game for individuals, and vice versa. I enjoyed playing Le Havre at GENCON, but our setting was a demo with friends, not competitive at all. There were moments in the game when people said, “Oh, I don’t know, how about selling some fish?” as if figuring out the best ultimate move for that turn wasn’t even an option.
I get that way with El Grande, for example. I prefer games where all the information is present and staring me in the face. I don’t want to have to remember how many cubes are in the Castile, because it’s just not fun for me. My fun is making the decisions, not remembering the options, so whenever I play El Grande I focus more on having fun than winning.
So, in the case of Le Havre, I suggest playing it while suppressing the min/maxer gamer side of the equation. Our group had much more fun than I think we would have if we’d been playing Le Havre in a tournament setting.
I keep looking at Seasons. Maybe I need to add it to ye olde Christmas list.
coltsfan76> Yeah, ‘suffocating’ is the right word. I ended my last (and only) play with a severe head-ache. Everyone playing was exhausted. Funny to see that most people don’t share this sentiment. I would recommend Agricola instead (haven’t played Ora et Labora yet.
Le Havre digital and physical play now.
I’m more physical play.
Ah Seasons, one of my top favorite. Never thought of investing in the expansion, is it worth it?
Two good games, cant wait to really dig into them!
@Jim,
When I get enough time to fully play it, I’ll post a review of the iOS version of Le Havre.
I like Le Havre but I think Ora et Labora replaces it for me. More interesting choices and it doesn’t feel so suffocating.
Two excellent games, good choices!
Since reviews for the digital version of Le Havre were so hard to come by, I thought we’d make the physical version available to explore. And Seasons is a personal favorite of mine 🙂