iOS Stone Age Review

On December 7th another iOS board game adaption was born. Campfire Creations created a seamless adaption of Stone Age, originally by Micael Tummelhofer.

Graphics: Awesome. Not too slow. No real glitches.

Sound & Music: I never play with sound or music only because I sometimes play in public and I don't want people on the bus or metro to look at me funny.

Tutorial: I already know how to play Stone Age, but I always play the tutorial just so I learn how to work the App. Overall I think the tutorial is good, but could use some pointers like this is how you see what you have and others have.

Game Play: True to the original game. Dice seem to be fair, unlike in Catan.

AIs: There are 3 AIs, Og, Mogg & Grogg. Grogg is the "hardest" AI, though as an avid Stone Age Player I have managed to defeated him on several occasions. The next App update says it will include more AIs. I hope they have skill levels and maybe a few more lady AIs.

Play Options: Stone Age features Solo, Pass-N-Pay & Online Multi Player via Game Center. Online play has two options Friendly and League. League has a 5 day time-out period. I have yet to play League, but it does intrigue me.

Overall I am very impressed with the first app by Campfire Creations. They have followed The Coding Monkey's Carcassonne Gold Standard of iOS board gaming adaption apps.

Why I hate poker

Many who know me always suggest I try poker. When I finally did, I hated it.

I couldn't get past the fact that a "good" poker player folds at half their hands. Why would I play a game to only really actually play half the time?! I guess those televised World of Poker games make the game seem much more exciting. They at least look like their playing each round.

My second gripe with poker is the strategy seems pretty basic compared to various strategic board games I play. Poker really seems to only have one strategy - only play the hands you can win. This seems so boring.

Myrmes: The Ant Game

Last weekend at €uroQuest I learned how to play the Essen release Myrmes, which revolves around controlling an ant colony.

Overview.
Over the course of three years, each comprised of four seasons. The first three seasons, you lead your ants to explore, harvest food and goods, birth new ants, and fight other bugs like spiders. When winter comes the ants must have enough food to survive, or face harsh penalties.

Mechanics.
Much like Castles of Burgundy, dice determine the event of each season. They can also be modified.

Each player's colony is managed by their individual player boards. In a way it's a modified worker placement. You do not necessarily compete directly with other players for specific actions.

There is also a development track aspect where players can increase their colony's efficiency and effectiveness by spending actions and resources.

Victory.
Like with many games, the player with the most points at the end of the game wins. Players get points by defeating other bugs, completing missions, and laying down special titles and larger sets of pheromones.

Impression.
I enjoyed this game for its complicated and deep aspects. Planning is definitely involved. My first game was very close despite everyone just learning it. In fact all throughout the game it was close.

Play Online.
Want to try out Myrmes? You can play online at www.boiteajeux.net (for those not Francophonely inclined that's box of games!).

Essen: The Gaming Mothership

The Internationale Spieltag SPIEL this year is Oct 18th to 21st. This four day game trade fair is usually just called Essen after it's German host city. This trade show features game designers and publishers and is open to consumers. Nuremberg also holds an International Toy Fair; however, general consumers are not allowed. Essen holds the title of the world's biggest gaming convention, followed by Gen Con and Origins.

Although I have yet to attend Essen, I know from my sister's BF and the Board Game Geek that a big appeal of Essen is not only the new games that are introduced, but also the promo items available. Of course Essen features Euro Games or German-style games. Another highlight are the gaming awards awarded during the trade show.

Someday I will get to Essen. First I have to save up lots money so I can buy all the new games, so I can get them all signed. Surprisingly I have been to Germany before, but failed to go in Oct. Perhaps someday I will be able to go.

A gamer girl can dream!

Learning New Games

How do you learn new games?

Some are better at just reading through rules in order. Unfortunately rules are not always written in the best order to learn the games. If I am reading the rules in my head its fine, but if it's out loud the my brain reads faster than I can talk.

On the flip side, there is listening to someone explaining the rules. For me, the best way to learn a game is to be taught be someone who knows the game well and can "show and tell". If this is not an option then I do better with verbal directions supplemented by visual diagrams from the rules. Is you are listening to someone literally read through the rules, then I have a time limit on what I can absorb before everything starts running together.

What's in a Theme?

How much does the theme really matter in a game? Short answer is it depends on the game.

The theme really matters when the game is built around the game. In this case the game is theme dependent. If the theme is a secondary characteristic that can be swapped out with another and the game still works as is, then the theme does not matter as much.

Examples.
1. Dominion. It's medieval theme is really independent of the game play. In this case the them doesn't matter as much whether it's medieval or pirates.

2. Agricola. It's farming them is so intwined with the game, that if you switched the theme to pirates, it wouldn't work.

3. Vinci/ Small World. As evident by the updated version, Vinci/ Small World can transcend its theme reality/ fantasy war game.

4. TV Wars. Again another game, where if you change the theme to say pirates, the game play would fall apart.

5. St. Petersburg. This game, although theme oriented, is not theme dependent.

6. Vinhos. Wine making just would not work as a pirate game. (What pirates are awesome!) ... Even if it was a pirate rum-making game.

Furthermore, a game that is built around a theme must be more detail-oriented towards the theme. Example: If you're playing a French game, the money should Francs or Euros, not Dollars. The game should also feature uniquely French things like the Eiffel Tower, wine, French phrases, etc.

Uwe Rosenburg's Worker Placement Games

Game designer Uwe Rosenburg continues to revolutionize worker placement games. His Harvest Trilogy (Agricola, Le Havre, & At the Gates of Loyang), as well as his latest game Ora et Labora, all focus on complex economic themes. Although Bohnanza, his first game, was not a worker placement game.

Agricola (2007)

I have mentioned some of my feelings regarding Agricola before. I have played Agricola a few times. My main complaint is not that the game is "too hard", but rather that I feel like I have lost in the first round. Before I had played any of his other games, I had written off Rosenburg's worker placement games as something I just could not do.

It feels as if too much is going on in the game. First you start with a negative score. Not only do you need at least one of each animal, you have to expand your family, feed them, upgrade your house, etc. I get tired just thinking about it. Then throw in occupations, minor and major improvements and fighting over Start Player, it gets even more overwhelming. I'm still willing to attempt to play Agricola again, but it does really frustrate me. And I have found playing with certain people make it even more frustrating.

Most games of Agricola have at least one player who has a much lower score. This is usually due to the fact that that player is getting screwed on expanding your family, upgrading your house and/ or resources. I honestly do not know why so many people enjoy Agricola. Why would you play a game you can get screwed over badly (in the first turn in my case)?

I did manage to successfully not suck at Rosenburg's new 2 player game Agricola: All Creatures Big and Small (ACBS) (2012). This version is a shorter, lighter version of Agricola that focuses on just acquiring animals, not feeding your people, getting more people, upgrading your house, etc. ACBS does not penalize you for empty board spaces, though it does if you have fewer than 3 of each of the types of animals. Overall this is a less frustrating version of Agricola.


Le Havre (2008)

I have only played the board game version of Le Havre once, but have played the iOS version numerous times. Le Havre is a much more relatable game. Feeding your people is easier given the relative ease in stockpiling food, building ships, etc. Although there are a lot of choices to make through out the game, there is a lot less direct competition for resources and buildings. Additionally, buildings can be shared (with entry fee payment), which reduces frustration levels. I would claim that this is my favorite Rosenburg worker placement game, but I think that's based on the fact that I have played it more than Ora et Labora.


At The Gates of Loyang (2009)

I have played At The Gates of Loyang several times. It does not seem to fit well with the other two games of the Harvest Trilogy. It is a much simpler game (but not in a bad way). There is no feeding your people aspect. Furthermore you actual buy your points at the end of your turn, instead of buying buildings and acquiring animals worth points. There is the farmer aspect of planting veggies like Agricola. Aside from Agricola, this is my least favorite Rosenburg game.


Ora et Labora (2011)

I just learned Ora et Labora and I only played Ireland. Ora makes use of double-sided resource tiles (à Le Havre) but introduces a new resource wheel. This resource wheel allows players to more easily keep track of growing available resources each turn. Buildings have resource costs, as well as terrain restrictions. Some buildings each player has in their own deck, while others players compete to build. Players can also make use of other players' buildings, like Le Havre. I would definitely want to play this game again.

Final Thoughts.

One aspect all of Rosenburg's games have in common, is that they all feature a solo game variant. This provides game owners with much more versatility.

Final Scores.

Listing Rosenburg's worker placement games from my favorite to least:

Le Havre
Ora et Labora (though this could surpass Le Havre if I play it more)
Agricola: ACBS
At The Gates of Loyang
Agricola (though this has the potential to surpass and possibly ACBS if I can ever get the game!!)