New Board Game Storify Published August 18, 2013 at 06:35PM

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Game Review: iOS Agricola

| Introduction |

Twenty-one days ago Playdek's iOS Agricola was released to the world!  This universal app made its debut at the low price of $6.99 (compared to the +$40 price of the actual board game). 

As I stated with my previous post about the Uwe Rosenberg games, Agricola was not my favorite game (http://bit.ly/1cVAteX). Now that I have had twenty-one days of practice, I can now officially say I don't complete hate Agricola!  I even beat my BF once in an Online game! Woot!

| Graphics |

iOS Agricola's graphics are amazing. There are a lot of moving parts going on in the background. Examples include: The Start Player rooster moves; wood chopping on the Build a Room Square; when you pick up an animal, its legs move about, etc. All of these little touches really enhance the game play. 

| Sound & Music |

I use to not play with sound or music only because I sometimes play in public. When I got my iPad that all changed. I have played with the music and sound many times, and neither is too overpowering. 

| Tutorials |

iOS Agricola features 7 tutorials: Intro: New Players; Animals; Cooking; Renovation; Scoring; Basic Game; and, Intro: Advanced Players. Being a poor Agricola player, I complete all of these tutorials twice (once on my iPhone and once on my iPad).  While all of these tutorials were helpful, an additional strategy one would have also been useful, especially for people like me. 

| Game Play |

True to the original game. I have yet to notice any cheating on the part of the game and/or AIs. 

| AIs |

There are 3 AIs levels: Apprentice; Journeyman; and, Master. When I first started playing (mostly to not suck so badly) I would play 2 player games against the Apprentice AI, which I easily beat. I have since moved on to playing against the Journeyman regularly, and against the Master occasionally. I am still not confidante enough to play more than two player games at this point. 

| Play Options | 

iOS Agricola features several options. Offline play can be against AIs and/or Pass-N-Play. Online play though a Playdek system is also available, as oppose to Game Center.  Both Offline and Online play features a choice of a Family Game or the Basic Game (E-Deck). Solo Series play is also an game option. 

One major compliant is that the original game comes with the E-Deck, I-Deck, and K-Deck, yet the iOS game only comes with the E-Deck. I understand making the other decks in-app purchases will make money, but it does seem really greedy, given what decks were originally included in the board games.  

| Bottom Line |

Agricola lovers and board game enthusiasts both love and rave about the Playdek's iOS Agricola. If you have never played the board game, you should still check out the iOS version since it's a great game. Plus it might even convert you too into a board game enthusiast! 

| Stats | 

36-7 Offline; 1-0 Online.*

* I didn't release online profile could transfer to offline play at first, so I had to do some math. 

Game Review: Eight-Minute Empire

| Introduction | 

Want to take over the world, but only have eight-minutes*? Eight-Minute Empire (8ME) is the perfect game for those power-hungry individuals short on time. 

| Overview |

8ME is a delightfully light, yet deceptive area control game by Ryan Laukat, produced by Red Raven Games (http://bit.ly/ZKSE6r). A Kickstarter alumni, 8ME is short and sweet, with its claim it can be played in around eight minutes*.

| Components |

Keeping with the high standards of Euro Games, 8ME has nice wooden pieces. It also features high quality cards, coins and good tokens. The artwork also varies from the vibrant wild cards, to the duller good/ action cards and boards. The art work is good and does fit the theme, though. 8ME features two double-sided game boards (four boards total), including the Kickstarter backer Europe board expansion.  Each board features continents, each with regions ripe for conquering. Additionally, there is a key at the top of each board with six cards and their associated cost. 

| Rules |

| Setup |

Setup is super easy. Pick a board. Prepare the cards by removing any, if required, and then shuffle and lay out them out.  Players claim their preferred colored armies and cities, as well as the prescribed number of coins per the rules. 

| Play |

Players bid for First (Start) Player. Youngest player wins in ties. Then place three of each players' armies start in the same Start Region. No one starts with a city. 

One at a time, starting with the First Player, players take a card either for free or pay the cost based on the card's position. First card is free; Second and Third cards each cost one coin; Fourth and Fifth cards each cost two coins; and, the Sixth card costs three coins.   

Cards give players both actions and goods. Actions allow players to place new armies; move armies over land or sea; build a city (allowing a new entry point for armies); and, destroy armies. Players may choose to ignore their card's action(s), if they wish.  Sets of goods are worth victory points at the end of the game. 

Once a card is bought the remaining cards shift down position to make room for new cards.

|Game End| 

Based on the number of players, the game ends anywhere from thirteen rounds for two players to seven rounds for five players. 

| Scoring |

The following are ways to score points at the end of the game. As usual, the player with the most points wins. Several tie breakers are included in the rules to help alleviate sharedvictories.

Regions. Players score one point per region they control with the most armies. (Cities count as one army for scoring purposes). If players have the same number of armies in a region, then no one scores points. 

Continents. Players score one point per continent in which they control the most regions.  If players control the same number regions in a continent, then no one scores points. 

Goods. Players score victory points based on sets of goods. Cards outline how many victory points a set is worth. Wild cards can be assigned to any good a player already owns. 

| Variants Included | 

8ME includes three variants: full (extended) game; goods available to player who controls certain regions; and, alternative bidding tie breaker. I have yet to play with any of these variants. 

| Review |

First off, the question everyone asks is can this game really be played in 8 minutes*?! 

*Real time for at least my first plays were was eight to twenty minutes, but you get the idea. I think in my first plays everyone playing tried to over think the game too much.  Plus it took some extra time to learn how to play (about fifteen minutes).  The rules are only four half pages, but are clearly written. 

One concept that puzzles me is the bidding for First Player.  Since there is no way to get more money during the game, bidding too much for First Player is too limiting during the game.  

Strategically, there is more than meets the eye going on in 8ME. The game is short, which means you need to manage your time (rounds level) and balance that with your army movement/ area control, and your good set collection. While there is an element of luck either the cards, undesirable cards become cheaper and more desirable if not used. 

I found myself focusing on more on area control than on goods. One specific stragety that worked well was getting a city early and vacating the Start Region. Getting a city early allows armies to enter the board from a point other than the Start Region. Vacating the Start Region means you can conquer more region, since you aren't focusing your time on gaining control of the start region.  While I did focus more on area control, if multiple cards with the same action were available, I would always pick the one with good I already had started collecting. I never really had a money managent issue, but my sister and/ or my boyfriend - can't remember who - at one point did. 

There also seems to be an advantage to going last, especially since the order of the players each round does not change. Going last, rather than first, allows a player to react to moves rather than to take actions that later will be mitigated. 

| My (Untested) Variants |

Coins. Perhaps there should be an action card that gets you more money, but isn't a wild or a goods card. A tax card could be added too, though I'm not sure if that would work as well. Would it be from one player, or from all? 

Cities. Cities could count as 3 armies, rather than one at the beginning of the game, with the stipulation that one real army must always occupy a region with a city in order to get thisbonus. That way it's more like the cities have defenses, rather than automatically comes with 'free' armies. 

| 8ME: Legends Kickstarter | 

Eight-Minute Empire: Legends (8ME: L) is currently on Kickstarter (ten days left!) as the stand alone sequel to 8ME. According to its page, there are new boards; new cards with special abilities; and, new variants. It is also is probably the only way to get a copy of 8ME & 8ME: L at this point. 

| Thank You | 

A special thanks to my Uncle Eric, who bought me my copy of Eight-Minute Empire.

| Administrative | 

I was not paid to write a favorable review, nor did I receive a free game in exchange for a favorable review. I was also not paid to endorse the current Kickstarter campaign. If you would like me to review your game, please contact me at ladyofcarcassonne@gmail.com. I will either accept a loaner copy that I must return, or a free game with the stipulation that giving me a free game does not mean I will give you a favorable review. 

Kickstarter's Impact on Board Gaming

As with other industries, Kickstarter has left it's mark on the gaming community. Through Kickstarter, emerging game designers and games are given a chance to be published and circulated among a wide audience.

What impresses me the most about these Kickstarter games is the quality and professionalism of the product. I would have never known games like D Day Dice and Carnival were Kickstarter games by looking at them. These are real professional games, not some half-assed attempt. The rules are well thought out and thoroughly play-tested. The pieces, cards, boards, etc. are made out of quality materials and feature great artwork.

Thanks to Kickstarter, anyone with a good game idea can fund its publishing.

First Ever International TableTop Day

Saturday March 30th, 2013 was the first ever International TableTop Day. Brain child of the one, the only, Wil Wheaton of Geek and Sundry's Table Top, this day was to celebrate board gaming.

This new gaming holiday is needed. Actually playing board games in person, rather than than video games, computer games, or iOS games is important. Gaming the slow way promotes critical thinking and problem solving. No machine to assist in calculating strategies or the most points. 100% human brain power at work!

TableTop Day also spreads board gaming awareness. I have been gaming since I was born... Ok 5, but still. My first games were not the traditional Monopoly (barf!) I love sharing my gaming hobby in the hopes that new players will love it as much as I do!

Hope you had a great TableTop Day! Perhaps we should invent some lore to go along with this day, like Santa Claus or the Easter bunny?! I'm thinking the dice fairy or game gnome or something. Any thoughts?!

Could President Obama Become a Gamer?

My BF and I talk about how we think President Obama could become a gamer. Politics aside (not that I'm against talking about it, but because this is a gaming blog and a celebration of nerdom we'll avoid it), President Obama does represent nerdom well being that he is an intellectual president. He's interest in Harry Potter and other nerdy things does make me want to launch a campaign to teach him a board game or two (Then the question is which one? Small World? Carcassonne? Ticket to Ride?).

Of course there are some logistical issues behind trying to get the President into to gaming. For one how would you get him a game or two? If you send it to the White House, I doubt he'll get it. (DC Area people know these things; he wouldn't get it). Maybe the best way is to get a Senator involved in gaming first and then have them teach the President? Maybe Wil Wheaton needs to meet the President! Who knows?! Clearly we haven't figured out all the details yet.

If anyone has any ideas on how to introduce the President into gaming, let me know! I am certain once we taught him a game or two, he would be hooked!

Not Playing By The Rules

Have you ever modified the rules, or made up new ones for a game? I am not talking minor modified rules, or House Rules, but significantly changed or brand new ones.

I just created a new solo version of Agricola: All Creatures Big & Small (ACBS) & it's expansion All Buildings Big & Small (ABBS). Why make up a solo version when Agricola has a solo version? Per my previous post I have, let's call them issues with regular Agricola. Plus I don't own regular Agricola.

Any ways as you can see below I assigned each spot on the board a number based on the roll of three six-sided dice, since I don't have have a D20 (I know I'm a bad gamer!). I decided it would be most annoying if the easiest rolls to make (9-12) should be on the animals. Animals are the point (and worth the most points) of ACBS, so it makes sense.

Each round the player with the start goes first. Yes the "other player" (aka Dirk) can go first. On my turn I take it as normal; pick a space and take the stuff/ do the action. On Dirk's turn I roll the dice and take the stuff/ do the action unless the action has already been taken. Then I re-roll. Refill & Repeat for the usual 8 rounds, with 3 actions per round.

The solo version is better than the first that I first created. That one is play the 8 round game with 3 actions each round. Because there was no competition the resources and animals would easily build up, making the game easier. But that first solo version was a great introduction to how to play Agricola (all flavors) well by conserving actions.

The addition of ABBS did not really change either solo version that much, since there are still only 4 special buildings still available (2 from ACBS & 2 ABBS; all randomly chosen).