Author: Luiz Gustavo Mendes

Review

Quick Review: TradeWorlds: Exterra Edition

Luiz Gustavo Mendes

1-4 Players

Designer: Kristopher R. Kycia

Artists: Charles Vinh

Publisher: Outer Limit Games

About the Game

Tradeworlds is a game that has a very complicated Kickstarter history, among mismanagement and personal tragedies, and being delivered 6 years later. However, today I’m going to focus only on the game itself, but the 6 year period will be actually relevant.

Gameplay

The game follows a very simple and easy to remember ABCD structure. First, you select a role and perform its (A)ction, then you (B)uy cards from your own personal market, then you can (C)onfigure a ship using a ship, a crew and a weapon card, and finally you (D)iscard as many cards as you want and draw back up to five. You keep doing that until someone achieves the goal of the scenario, be it a number of credits banked or destroy every other homeworld.

Solo Gameplay

Solo play against AI

The base game comes with a solo scenario where you try to defeat a single menacing ship before it either destroys your home world or hit critical mass. The expansion that comes with the Kickstarter also has a solo AI that simulates the roles and ships the human player has, but in a more condensed form.

Components

Most of the components of the box are fine. The cards have a good finish, not great but feel sturdy and durable. The artwork is generic sci-fi, but it has a cohesive look and the visuals are nice.

Designwise, I do have some issues. First is the fact that flavor text and game text are written with the same font. It makes it harder distinguish at a glance what is relevant for the game and what is not. Also, I don’t see the need for the double sided cards. Almost all of the information on the back is present on the font, and the aspects that do use the back are fairly minor. I feel like this could have been changed and given a better experience without it.

The rulebook is also a problem. It’s vague and not well organized, making some aspects of the game confusing. It also uses a lot of terminology without actually defining it, leaving it to the players to have to understand by context. The good thing is that the designer is active on BGG, so most of these are just a search away.

Conclusion

Homeworld board

This was a messy Kickstarter campaign, with so many falso promises and the unfortunate passing of one of the designers. His father took on the task of getting this game out in memory of his son, and I am glad that it’s being delivered.

But this game was promised for 2018, and I got it five years later. So let’s talk about it. Tradeworlds has elements of many other games, but sadly they are too simplified. There is role selection like Race for the Galaxy, but no actual tension and play / counter-play thinking. It’s just an action you can do that turn, and there are no restrictions around it. There is also upgrading your empire like in Tiny Epic Galaxies. But banking is just a threshold to launch more ships or to achieve a goal in the scenario. The homeworld board goes to the hundreds of banked credits, but there is very little reason to go above 100, ever.

And there is the deck-building aspect. It lacks my favorite aspect of deck-builders, which is creating a refined engine. In the end, Tradeworlds is just a numbers game. There are 4 types of cards, 3 of them used to build ships. While its fun to create ships with different parts, they’re just different configurations of vanilla creatures. You can launch a ship that has 2 attack and 5 resistance, or 3 attack and 1 resistance, and so on. And the fourth type, tactics, are mostly one time modifications of those attributes for combat. It’s all just numbers.

And the reason that I mention that this game was in production for over 5 years is that it could have been given to more people to. Play and refine those issues. TradeWorlds is not a bad or broken game, it’s fine, fun even. But also tame and forgettable. And, because of that, it will not leave the shadow of its campaign.

Score: 4/10

BG Bling Up

BG Bling Up: Lockup – A Roll Player Tale

Luiz Gustavo Mendes
Lockup Upgraded Resources

Even though I am a big fan of Roll Player, Lockup was not a game I was expecting to like. But as I am a completionist, I decided to give it a go to see if that was an universe I wanted to complete. Well, this game is awesome. Simple, tense play and counter play with an AI that mimics that in a very unique way.

But this is not a review, it’s a Bling Up. Lockup is a game based on cubes. Power cubes, suspicion cubes, resources cubes. But this is a game with a great theme, and I wanted to bring that out. Even to the cost of a bit of function.

The symbology is clear and very functional. So even though I wanted custom pieces, it had to work. I found on Game Crafter good premium quality resources that not only matched the objects depicted, but the color on the icons. Iron, gold and Potions was easy, and the two metals specially are wonderful tactile addition. Scraps were harder, and it’s a bit of an abstract concept in a tough color, but I like the gems.

Power and Suspicion

And I was going to stop there until I stumbled upon the red fists. They are perfect to depict power, and in the right color. So I had to get something for suspicion. I found nothing on black, but the grey exclamation marks were close enough and it evoked the classic “!” from Metal Gear Solid.

Cards and tokens

Of course, it also got the old capsule and sleeve treatment. It’s not a rough game on the pieces, but I do prefer to handle protected pieces.

That’s it for today. I would love to hear about your experience with custom pieces for your games.

BG Bling Up

BG Bling Up: Dungeon Pages

Luiz Gustavo Mendes

I love roll and writes, and Dungeon Pages is my most played of them this year. In this project by Jason Greeno, every week there is a new hero and dungeon to explore, but every single hero is compatible with every single dungeon. So I had to make it work.

Laminating

First, my trusty laminator gets to work. This thing was the best gift my wife given me, it works like crazy!!

Guillotine

Now, I wait for every second week so I print two pairs of hero/dungeons back to back. Then, with the guillotine, I split them so I can make them independent.

To the folder

Next, I add the holes and put it on a 3 ring binder I had laying around. Even though they are in order, at any point I can flip the top or bottom portions to have any combination and just play it out.

Dungeon Pages

Yes, sometimes the hero and the dungeon will be in opposite ends of the binder, but I decided that this was worth it to save in pages and laminating. And, honestly, it’s not a big deal.

Uncategorized

First Impressions: Disney Lorcana

Luiz Gustavo Mendes

On Mondays I usually do my quick reviews, but today I want to talk about a TCG, so it’s a totally different beast. Lorcana is Disney’s entrance on the TCG market with a game thwt is a big deal, allied with Ravensburger. As a veteran of TCGs myself, I had to check it out.

Gameplay

Lorcana Gameplay

The goal of the game is to be the first to 20 lore. To do that, first you go through the usual steps of untapping your tapped readying your exerted cards and drawing one from the deck. Then you can play a card that has a spiral in its cost as ink, the game’s currency, then proceed to play your cards.

There are basically 3 types. Actions, that do something and go away, items that have ongoing or activated abilities, and characters. Characters can be exerted to quest for lore, challenge (aka attack) other exerted characters, or activate abilities.

If everything sounds familiar, it’s because it is. Lorcana uses heavily the Magic The Gathering formula, following some clues from newer TCGs as well.

Components

Lorcana Cards

I’m going to disregard the tokens and mats that come with the pre-made decks. Those are flimsy, yes, but nothing unexpected.

It’s a card game, so how are the cards. Well, for a TCG they feel good and durable, the layout is clean, modern and easy to understand, and the art is fantastic. It’s not stock images or movie stills, but custom artwork and it has Disney level quality.

Conclusion

First of all, is this a threat to the big three, Magic The Gathering, Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh? Not by a long shot. Even with the Titans at Disney and industry veterans at Ravensburger, this game is too close to Magic, but without decades of fanbase and growth.

But it’s a good game. Very good. My impression is just from opening the pre-made decks and doing some very light deck building. There is plenty here, and there is a lot of room for growth. Additionally, Disney has an incredibly vast source of movies, shows and whatever else to draw from.

Just talking about it as a game, the influences of Magic are there, but it’s all streamlined. Not oversimplified, mind you, it’s not a silly game. But there is no action on another players turn, no specific resource cards, and the win condition is achieved on your own instead of dealing to another. Very Disney take, by the way. But the elements are all there, just in a child friendly form.

And that’s where I think Lorcana has a niche. Pokemon is proof that a child friendly game can not only achieve success, but have big tournaments and attract all sorts of players. And while I doubt Lorcana will rival it, by the sheer strength of the Disney brand it can sell well. Any store that has a Disney section is a possible outlet.

For now, I will keep watching and playing casually. It works for me and the kids, as both gamers and Disney fans, even better than Pokemon did. Let’s see how the next year will roll out.

Review

Quick Review: Horrified American Monsters

Luiz Gustavo Mendes

1-5 Players

Designer: Michael Mulvhill

Artists: George Doutsiopoulos, Kory Lynn Hubbel, Victor Maristane, Tom Moore, Joshua Newton, Studio HIVE

Publisher: Ravensburger

About the Game

The team at Prospero Hall bring the terror from the successful and super fun Horrified out of the studios and into the American lore, something I could see Winchester Brothers dealing with.

Gameplay

American Monsters

Everything but the details of each monsters is the same as the original, but let’s recap. On your turn, you have a number of actions depending on your character to move, collect items, and use those items in creative ways to defeat the monsters. Each monster have their unique mechanisms. Then the monsters activate, do some effects and try to attack the heroes or the people in the village. You win if you take care of all monsters, and lose if the terror gets high enough or if the event deck runs out.

Solo Gameplay

Exactly the same as the regular game, except the terror begins at 3. However, unlike the first one, the balance seems a little off. Some monster seem not work as well solo, Bigfoot being the most proheminent example.

Components

Horrified Dice

I don’t know what happens with the Prospero Hall / Ravensburger partnership, but all of their games I’ve played share the combination of great component quality and decent price. This is, for the most part, true.

Everything was revamped for the theme. Instead of the cook oldies feel, now you have files and notes and stuff. It’s also quite a bit more colorful and bigger. That second part is a bit of an issue as there can be some warping in the long run. Each creature also have their unique tokens and overlays, but, unlike the first one, the overlays are not really overlays, but little placards.

The bad part is the rules, though. The increase in the complexity of the monsters was not followed by a more thorough description. There are points that are quite vague and require you to take a decision or make a ruling. Also, there is one specific case that the game is actually broken, as there is a deduction where one combination has no answer.

Conclusion

I love the new lore, the new visuals and the new challenges. And, I can really hope they continue the line with new takes on the theme, which can be other folklores, other works of art, or so many more.

However, this feels unpolished. Although I did enjoy all my plays, I also feel like the original beats it in almost every aspect. I also feel like it’s a common issue when Prospero Hall takes on more complexity, so it might just be a need for someone to take a closer second view. With the third one coming up, fingers crossed they will have learned their lesson.

Score: 7/10

Review

Quick Review: Moon

Luiz Gustavo Mendes

1-5 Players

Designer: Haakon Hoel Gaarder

Artist: Haakon Hoel Gaarder

Publisher: Sinister Fish Games

About The Game

Third in a series of games designed and illustrated by Haakon Hoel Gaarder, Moon is maybe the simplest of all three, with very simple drafting and card play. But simple does not mean easy, as it’s a tight race game.

Gameplay

Moon Card Play

Each turn, you will draft and either build a card or discard it for resources, and also possibly use your lunar modules to access other people’s resources, or claim awards. Cards come in 4 types : resources production, flags, once per era abilities and end of game scoring. At the end of each era, each flag is scored for majority, as well as ongoing point earning opportunities.

One thing that I felt it differ from other drafting games is that the costs do not scale too much. So the crux of game is not if you will be able to score, but it’s how tight you can win so you can branch out and win on other areas as well.

Solo Gameplay

Moon AI

Instead of having a way for the AI to draft, it simply plays a card from the top, do some action, and score some points. Meanwhile, you draft once from each of 4 hands. Then the AI takes one away, and you draft a second time from the remaining 3. It’s simple, elegant, and feels like a natural player. On my first games, the scores were usually 10-15 points apart, in a game that scores 100+.

Conclusion

I was surprised on how elegant this how package is. The components, as usual, are top notch. Great art, great tokens, good storage. But Moon takes elements from Villagers with the drafting, and Streets with the color dispute, and ties it into a game that is easy to learn hard to master. Moon presents you with lots of options, and it’s very rare to be stuck. But the almost Feldian way that everything can contribute to scores means that you have to juggle a lot. Also, I really enjoy the tight dispute that forces you to predict your opponents moves so you are not too far ahead, just a bit. Because, here, winning by a little in 2 areas is worth way more than winning by a lot in one.

Score: 9/10

BG Bling Up

BG Bling Up: Pulp Invasion

Luiz Gustavo Mendes

The Pulp series by Todd Sanders is, so far, a duo of 1-2 player game that is pretty tough, uses unique dice and very cool pulp era illustrations.

The second one, Pulp Invasion, brings that to space in a very brutal bag builder where you are trying to survive all sorts of space adventures whole trying to find and understand marvelous weapons.

I’ll leave the actual game review for now, as today I’m talking about little things I did to help the game’s components.

Pulp Invasion Organizer

First, I created a little foam core organizer. It’s not that it needed terribly, but it was an easy one to try my hand on DIY stuff. Hence, the shoddy craftsmanship. But it does the trick, and fits everything sleeved. Hopefully it’ll fit X3 (the last expansion) as well.

Pulp Invasion Bag

Second was replacing the bag. It is a known problem that the first edition bag is faulty, and mine had a hole quite early. Luckily, I did not have to do anything immediately as I had this bag from Tapestry lying around. X3 will come with its own cool and personalized bag, so I’ll replace it then.

Pulp Invasion Cubes

Finally, I replaced the cubes. The original cubes perfectly functional except for one flaw : the orange and yellow cubes. Orange is one of your attributes, and yellow is for the weapons to win the game. The problem is that they are too similar, and I’m not even color blind.

My solution was getting plastic cubes, with the yellow ones replaced by gold. Fits the aesthetic, the golden ones look even more special, and no more confusion. I got them cheap at Game Crafter.

However, there was a snag. I by mistake got the 10mm instead of the 8mm ones. They are much nicer to manipulate, yes, but the space on the insert got TIGHT.

Overall, I’m happy with the improvements. So it all fits, I did remove the 2 player specific one like the traitor on X2, but it should fit everything from X3 when it arrives.

Review

Quick Review: River Wild

Luiz Gustavo Mendes

1 player
Designer: Steve Aramini
Artist: Milan Zivkovic
Publisher: Button Shy Games

About The Game

Steven Aramini has made a name for himself with the ‘Opolis trilogy for Button Shy games, and now he is presenting another tile laying game, this time about a river with inhabited by mystical creatures. Is it unique enough to stand out?

Gameplay

The basis will sound very familiar. You start with a card, which is the top of the river, and you have a hand of 3 cards to chose and place. I promise I will stop making ‘Opolis references, because the similarities end there. Each card has rivers, lands and mountains, and you need to match them (mountains can be matched to and by either). Each card can be placed directly below or half shifted from the card above, and the goal is to created completely enclosed islands along the way.

On each land section, there will be either one of 4 animals, or one scoring condition. When you created an enclosed island, called a protected land, you score that at the end of the game. The lowest amount for the biggest protected land, and the higher for all others.

Components

As usual, Button Shy has great card quality and the snazzy little wallet it comes in. Iconography is pretty clear, and the rules, that are sometimes an issue with the company, are clear enough and I think it leaves little room for questions this time around.

The artwork is something else though. While the theme is not super unique, the decision to go with striking funky palette was absolutely a win here. Milan Zivkovic was able to transform a fairly mundane setting into this cool little world that you look and know it’s River Wild.

Conclusion

It’s hard to review River Wild in isolation, as it carries a lot of DNA from other games from the same publisher and it’s against a line of very good solo games. But, on its own, it’s a super fun and light game. It is a completely tactical one, as you need to be quick to evaluate the opportunities you will be able to actually accomplish. Placement is not trivial, as the positioning and be awkward at times, forcing you into less than optimal plays.

But, inserting it into the line, it does have some issues with replayability. Yes, there is and there will be expansions for it to increase longevity. But, on its own, even though each game will be unique, the overall arc is mostly the same. Luckily, I think this is pretty much the only criticism of the game. It’s cool, beautiful, quick and fun.

Score: 7.5 / 10

BG Bling Up

BG Bling Up: Mageling

Luiz Gustavo Mendes

Today I’m starting a new series here on the site and on the ‘Gram: Board Game Bling Ups. These are little things I do to improve my games in any way.

One thing to consider that, in my case, I am a gamer on a budget. So most of these will not be fancy upgrades from renowned suppliers, but things I find in discounts, dollar stores, and other cheap places.

Mageling

Mageling is a game that I absolutely adore. I love small box big games, and I also love unique and memorable art and components. Even though this is a fantasy game, the art is different, a little abstract and very dream like at times. It’s FANTASTIC!

The components are also great, and very fitting for the small box. Everything fits well and it’s easy to store without too much hassle, which I appreciate. Even sleeved cards fit no problem. Does this game really need sleeves? No. Not that much shuffling, and the quality is great. But I am a serial sleever.

But there is one component I thought could use some upgrades. The little mana marker. Don’t get me wrong, it’s small and does the trick, and even though it covers the number, it works well. And it even flips when you go above 20.

Still, I wanted something cooler, and if you could actually see the number that would be great. Well folks…

I have a box of left over crafts stuff from the kids projects, and I had these glass beads. It was used to convey water drops, and they are very similar to the ones used in Petrichor. That was exactly what I needed. They did the trick, looked great, felt great, and fit the box with absolutely no issue.

Yes, felt great. A HUGE part of my enjoyment of board games is the tactile nature. I guess it tickles my neurodivergent brain in the right spot. So the little clink it does when placed and the nice little swish when you move, it brought so much joy to that part of the game. And yes, it doesn’t mark when you go above 20. So how did I solve that?

I didn’t. BUT, then again, I’m not good enough in the game to hit that 20 consistently. So does it really matter?

I hope you enjoy this series, and I’ll bring something a little bigger next time!

Review

Quick Review: For Northwood!

Luiz Gustavo Mendes

About the Game

1 player
Designer: Wil Su
Artist: Wil Su
Publisher: @sideroomgames

Restrictions breed creativity, and designing a solo trick taking game seems like a challenge.

Gameplay

You play on 8 fiefs, valued 0-7. Each turn you draw 8 cards, and you have to win exactly that amount. The fief always leads, and you have to follow suit as usual. You also have 4 once per fief powers, and you get more as you collect them.

Components

Sideroom has a great production with high quality cards, and a nice small box to store them. The art is absolutely adorable, and it really ties in the theme even though the game is mostly abstract.

Conclusion

I absolutely love small solo games, and this one has it all. Quick, easy to play, lots of replay value, great decision space and small package. Sideroom has tons of amazing solo games, but this one is on the top easily.

Score: 9/10