 Full disclosure: I received a review copy of Days of Ire from Mighty Boards.
What is this game about? Days of Ire is a board game set during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. It specifically focuses on the week when the Hungarians successfully, if temporarily, managed to push the Soviet armies out of Budapest. This is an asymmetrical game in which one side represents the Soviets—who attempt to overrun the revolutionaries and throw challenges at them in the form of event cards—and the other side represents the Hungarian revolutionaries, who attempt to hold the Soviets back and resolve event cards at various locations. If enough units are taken out, the game can end in a decisive victory for either side. But the game more frequently ends after a certain number of turns (reflecting the actual number of days this conflict historically took). If the Soviets have managed to keep enough event cards on the board, they win. If the Hungarians have managed to clean up enough event cards and clear the board, then they are the victorious side. Mechanically, Days of Ire is like a mashup between Twilight Struggle and Pandemic. To advance their ultimate goals, the Soviet side must play cards—based on real historical events—that sometimes benefit the Hungarians. Meanwhile, the fight to either put events on the board or to clear them up creates a Pandemic-like rush for the revolutionaries as they race to extinguish fires the Soviets have started. To resolve events, the Hungarians must gather cards with enough required resource symbols, which can be a challenge. Throughout the game, both sides are also battling for public support, resulting in constant tension beyond just combat. How does it play solo? Days of Ire can be played as a one-vs.-many game, where up to three players can challenge another human player who controls the Soviet forces. However, there is also a solo-specific deck that allows a single player to battle the Soviets alone. The Zhukov deck, named for a Russian general, puts cards out on the board that affect support levels and morale. It also causes events to be added to various locations on the board. Additionally, there are rules that cover the actions of the SPA, which will send militia units and especially-dangerous snipers against the revolutionaries. Overall Thoughts Days of Ire is a good game, but I admit I was hoping for it to be great. The theme is extremely compelling—the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 is a tragic and tragically understudied event, and that historical backdrop is woven into every aspect of the game. The locations on the board, illustrated with authentic photographs from the time, are actual key locations. The event cards, also featuring contemporary photographs, are actual events that I found myself looking up and learning more about. When it comes to historical games, you can't ask for much more from a theme. Gameplay wise, Days of Ire is perfectly good, but not as high-octane as I might have liked. So many of the game's mechanisms feel very familiar, without adding enough that felt new and fresh in terms of gameplay. The solo deck largely worked well, but sometimes the Soviet cards were swingy enough to cause drastic changes in board state, which was frustrating at times. During the Soviet turn, you resolve four event cards, which means things can change a lot between Revolutionary turns and there is very little you can do about it. Also, the need to constantly put out fires all around the city of Budapest created a challenge, but not as much tension as I wanted from a game about such an intense few days. Overall, Days of Ire is a good game, but I am a lot more in love with the theme than I am with the actual gameplay. Do I recommend it? If you are particularly interested in this period in history, or if you love Pandemic but want to try it with a more historical twist, then Days of Ire might be a match. But I don't consider it a must-buy. Overall Rating: 3.5 stars 5 stars — I love it! 4 stars — I really like it. 3 stars — I like it. 2 stars — It's okay. 1 star — Meh.
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 Full Disclosure: I was sent a review copy of the Stronghold edition of Coffee Roaster, but I had already owned the original Japanese edition for several years.
What is this game about? Coffee Roaster is exactly what it sounds like—a game about trying to roast coffee beans and brew that perfect cup of coffee. This is a bag builder in which you pull out coffee beans, try to get their roast values to the right level, remove bad beans whenever possible, and use flavor tokens to manipulate the contents of your bag and to get special powers. You're allowed to take the number of turns you think you need, but be careful. Your beans roast more with each turn, and it's your judgment that will prevent you from overdoing it and spoiling the roast! At the end of the game, you'll perform a "cup test," where you pull tokens from your bag and use them to calculate your score. Because there are several different types of bean in the game, you will have new and challenging parameters to work with every time you play. How does it play solo? Coffee Roaster is for solo players only. Woohoo! Overall Thoughts Coffee Roaster is a game that I've had a lot of fun with over the years. It's quick and easy to play multiple times in a row, which makes it a perfect light work night or chill afternoon sort of game. The variety among the beans gives you a good range of different experiences, and the challenge of keeping mental notes about what is still in your bag is a satisfying one. However, Coffee Roaster is not perfect. On some turns, if you pull all beans and no flavor tokens, all you do is change the value of the beans and put them back in the bag—no decisions involved. Or, if you pull a flavor token you don't need or can't use, it feels like a wasted pull. While staying aware of what's in your bag overall can be great fun, Coffee Roaster also has a lot of turns that feel repetitive or like you didn't get to do enough. Fortunately, the game is lightning fast and still a ton of fun. I'd just enjoy the chance to make a few more decisions turn to turn. I also think the newly reprinted edition of Coffee Roaster, while gorgeous, is a little overpriced at $44.99. I personally feel that Coffee Roaster is more of a $25-30 game. Do I recommend it? Yes, Coffee Roaster is a fun game. Just don't pay full price for it. Overall rating: 3.5 stars Rating scale: 5 stars — I love it! 4 stars .— I really like it. 3 stars — I like it. 2 stars — It's okay. 1 star — Meh.  Full disclosure: The Dice Tower passed a review copy of this game on for me to review.
What is this game about? Mini DiverCity is a small-box, cooperative card game about attempting to save the oceans from evil corporations. On each turn, corporations will build hotels on your beautiful beach and/or send animals closer to extinction. On your own turn, you'll be shutting those hotels down and working to save those animals. If you can save enough species, you win the game. If all hotels are built or if too many creatures go extinct, then you lose. There is a catch, however—you can't actually see the cards in your hand, and you are often playing your cards blind. The cards each depict a species of animal, and there is a limited number of cards for each species. In a lot of cases, you'll need to burn a card you can't see to shut down a hotel, or you'll play a card to help save an animal species without knowing who you're about to help. Your fellow players can see your hand, but to tell you what you have, they'll have to use a "Walkie Talkie" action to share the intel. This results in some tension and often some laughs, since sometimes you just have to play a card and hope for the best. How does it play solo? Although it is a cooperative game where only the other players can see your cards, Mini DiverCity does have an official solo mode. A solo player will control two divers and keep their cards facedown, but can use the Walkie Talkie action to reveal a diver's hand, just as in the cooperative game. Overall Thoughts Overall, Mini DiverCity is an okay game. It's probably best as an introductory game, or one to enjoy with younger players. I think students in my game club would probably get a kick out of it, and it's a quick game to set up and play if you're just looking to pass time between other, larger games. I would probably not say no to it on game night, but Mini DiverCity also a game I would never request myself. As a solo game, I honestly don't see the point of Mini DiverCity. Its Hanabi-like mechanism in which you can't see your own hand is obviously going to be more entertaining in a group setting, which makes the solo variant more hollow in comparison right out of the gate. On top of that, Mini DiverCity is an extremely light game, so much so that I wouldn't choose it for solo play because there isn't enough meat on its bones without the social experience of playing it with a group. This is especially true because there are already so many great small-box solo games out there. I would go for any of the Oniverse Games, for Mr. Cabbagehead's Garden, for Sprawlopolis, or for any number of other small, quick solo games before I'd go for this one. Do I recommend it? Nah. Maybe if you have newer or younger gamers to play with, and you love the eco-conscious theme. But for solo, there are way better choices out there. Overall Rating: 2 stars Rating Scale: 5 stars — I love it! 4 stars — I really like it. 3 stars — I like it. 2 stars — It's okay. 1 star — Meh.  Full disclosure: Chip Theory Games sent me a review copy of Cloudspire. What is this game about? Cloudspire, the latest release from Chip Theory Games, is one of the more unique games in my collection. It is a tower defense/MOBA mashup brought to the tabletop, and I've never played anything else quite like it. As is typical for a Chip Theory release, Cloudspire is all about neoprene and hefty poker chips. But this time, we aren't just talking a nice neoprene playmat. Cloudspire's board is a bit different every time, can be adjusted mid-game, and is entirely made out of neoprene pieces that can be fit together in various ways. At each end of the play area is a player's fortress, and the object of the game is to either destroy the enemy fortress or, if more than one player is in fighting shape at the end of the game, to have the strongest fortress still standing. Play takes place in a series of waves, so Cloudspire does have a built-in timer. You'll also be able to choose one of four (five with an expansion) factions that have different strengths and that play quite differently from each other. Each player's army is made up of multiple fighters and structures that can be deployed. All of them will require "source," a precious in-game currency that you can earn as you play, so you'll need to budget carefully. "Spires," after which Cloudspire is named, are defense towers that automatically attack enemy units that come into range. "Minions" are soldiers from your chosen faction that move automatically towards the enemy tower. Once they are sent out into the world, they cannot be called back, and you can only hinder their movement by cleverly blocking them. Finally, you'll have heroes, your most powerful fighters whose movements and attacks you directly control. By strategically choosing the right minions at the right time, choosing good spots for spires, and using the powers and limitations of each type of unit, you can give yourself the best possible chance at success. You'll also be able to purchase upgrades for your fortress and your forces over time, which gives you an extra layer of strategic decisions. How does it play solo? Cloudspire is generally meant to be a competitive game for 2–4 players, but it does come with a solo mode. In fact, it comes with an entire book of solo scenarios that are meant to be played in order and that are designed to help you master the play style of each faction in the game. There is also an endless mode for solo if you just want to fight wave after wave of enemies. And if you'd rather work in tandem with another player (or play two-handed), there is a book of cooperative scenarios—although I won't be commenting on those, because I have not played them yet.  Look at all that sprawling neoprene... Overall Thoughts
I mostly adore Cloudspire, but I also have some issues with it that leave me frustrated. I will start by saying that I love the choices involved—I have spent many happy hours deciding how to spend my source, what to buy from the market, what upgrades to add to my spires, and what units to deploy. On top of that, you get to choose how to deploy units. Do you send your minions out separately so they can unleash more attacks? Or do you send them out "stacked," so that one minion acts as a meat shield for others and helps you advance further up the path to an enemy fortress? The array of options is impressive, and I love trying them in different combinations and feeling like I am slowly mastering each faction in the game. There's something very satisfying about being able to consider several options and make what you think are clever decisions about what to do. It is not, however, easy to get to that point in Cloudspire--this game has a serious learning curve. The overall concept of Cloudspire is simple—get strong, pick soldiers, destroy the enemy fortress, protect your fortress. But there is so much going on within that premise that the game loses a lot of accessibility. I would not, under any circumstances, bring Cloudspire to game night and expect to easily teach it and get it running. Cloudspire is very much about "the little things," and there are tons of abilities to keep track of, rules about which structures can be built when, and other little limitations you need to keep in mind as you play. On top of that, because each faction is so different, each player will have a unique experience of the game that is awesome for me as a solo player, but not something I ever want to deal with as a game teacher. When it comes to solo (I have up to this point neglected the co-op scenarios), I am grateful for the book of solo scenarios and pleased with the puzzles on offer. But I also feel a bit limited by the campaign format. Each scenario within the solo campaign has a specific setup, and there are only so many scenarios for each faction. Unlike Hoplomachus, one of my all-time favorites, you cannot expect to just pick a faction, pick an enemy, and go to town. Solo in Cloudspire is much more on the rails, and I like that less. That said, the decisions that Cloudspire offers you are incredibly addictive, and this is a game I can't stop thinking about. Despite its frustrations, Cloudspire is brushing up against greatness. Solving the puzzle of each solo scenario is good fun—and you will probably get a ton of replay value out of the campaign if you are a perfectionist who wants to hit every objective. It will take a while to get through the solo campaign. I have spent hours playing Cloudspire and I am not done yet. Do I recommend it? Maybe. Cloudspire is a very good game, and it's unlike any gaming experience I have had to date. It rewards multiple plays and it is satisfying to build mastery. At the same time, Cloudspire is very expensive—the base price is $129.95, before shipping. If you are content to pay that price for a solo campaign, it might be good for you. If you have a game group that will be super dedicated to playing this game and learning its intricacies, it might be good for you. This one has its imperfections, but it really is something special. Overall Rating: 4 stars Rating Scale: 5 stars — I love it! 4 stars — I really like it. 3 stars — I like it. 2 stars — It's okay. 1 star — Meh.  Full disclosure: I did a Kickstarter Preview of Unbroken back when the campaign was live. I backed it with my own money. What is this game about? Unbroken is a game about what happens after a dungeon crawl gone wrong. You wake up in the dungeon, alone, and all of your friends are dead. Your stuff has been looted. You have nothing, and you must escape—and hopefully take revenge on the boss monster who wrecked your party. You will face four monsters in a game of Unbroken, and you will have a limited amount of time to spend before each encounter. During that time, you'll explore, gather resources, build weapons, and potentially scout ahead to see what monster you will face (something I highly recommend). How will you budget your time? Many of your actions are paid for with effort—so how much effort are you willing to expend? Should you grab another resource, or should you choose to rest? There is also a bit of push-your-luck involved in the lead up to a monster fight. If you choose to confront the monster before you run out of time, then you are the one who has a slight tempo advantage in the ensuing battle. If you dawdle for too long, the monster will ambush you instead, which may make it a bit more challenging to beat it. Except for the fourth and final monster, the bosses can also be avoided—but if you choose to sneak on by without defeating them, you also give up rewards that could be tremendously useful down the line. Not only are your in-game choices interesting as you scavenge for resources, but there are several monsters you could encounter at each stage, as well as several different characters to choose from. Every character has unique special abilities, you can pick up different skills, and you will roll for different combinations of boss monsters every time you play, which means the game will have quite a bit of variety. How does it play solo? Unbroken is specifically designed for solo play. A true solitaire! Overall Thoughts Let's get the tough part of this conversation out of the way first: Unbroken is a very good game. It is also a highly problematic game, specifically because of the way the publisher handled (and is continuing to handle) fulfillment of the Kickstarter campaign. I'm not going to detail the situation here, but it is very bad—bad enough that I will probably not back another Golden Bell game, and I don't feel comfortable encouraging anyone else to do so. Artem Safarov, the designer, is a great guy, but I don't know if he has control over what happens to his game anymore. That said, I did receive my copy of Unbroken, and I really like it. The most natural game to compare it to is One Deck Dungeon, and I like Unbroken better. I like the agency of the choices I have. I enjoy scouting and preparing for encounters with boss monsters. It's satisfying to choose between encounter cards, to decide what resources to trade, to decide what time to spend. I feel like the choices I make have a big impact on the outcome of my game, and there is enough variety among the choices that I can make different ones every time. I also love choosing and trying out different skills for my characters, and the strategies that those skills subtly push me towards. Unbroken is also the perfect length for a small box game. It's quick enough to play more than once in a single sitting, or to take out if I want to get a quick game in but don't have much time. Setup is speedy, takedown is easy, and the game between is brisk and never seems to wear out its welcome. Unbroken is definitely going to enter my regular rotation of work night games. My one real complaint about Unbroken is that the game can be very swingy. Monsters attack differently depending on the dice you roll for them, but it runs a bit deeper than that. Because each monster is chosen randomly when it's time to encounter them, you can spend a lot of time arming yourself to confront one monster... only to find that the next one has a different fighting style and very different weaknesses. It's definitely possible to overcommit in the wrong direction and get smashed later in the game, depending on which monsters you encounter. That said, it is still possible to scout and to mitigate bad circumstances to an extent. Do I recommend it? Yes—if this game had a different publisher. Overall Rating: 4 stars 5 stars — I love it! 4 stars — I really like it. 3 stars — I like it. 2 stars — It's okay. 1 star — Meh.  What is this game about?
Fantastic Factories is an entry-level engine building/dice placement game in which players build buildings for their factories and race to produce goods. The winner is determined by who has the most victory points, and both goods and the prestige values on buildings are worth VP. The end of the game is triggered when someone has either built 10 buildings or produced 12 goods. On a given turn, each player has a chance to draft from two market rows. You can either take a blueprint card for free, giving yourself a chance to build it later, or you can sacrifice a card with a matching symbol to hire a contractor and gain an immediate one-time bonus. After the market phase, players can perform their turns simultaneously. During play, everyone rolls four dice and then assigns those dice as "workers" based on their value. Dice can be used to draw more blueprints, gain resources, or power cards that have already been built. Ideally, you will be able to build up a nice tableau that allows you to fire off pretty impressive combos on your turn. To place new building cards in your tableau, you will need to pay the resource cost for that building, which will be one card from your hand with a matching symbol (yes, you pay for cards with other cards!) plus some combination of resources. Once everyone has done all that they can do, it's back to the market phase! How does it play solo? Fantastic Factories does come with a relatively simple solo variant. While your own turn will basically proceed as normal, the AI acts as a timer and has a very streamlined turn. As a solo player, you will roll four white dice included in the game. On the AI turn, you roll five colored dice—one for each type of building, plus a green die that determines the AI's build action. Based on the result of the green die, the AI will either add a building card to its tableau, or add a building and then clear one of the market rows. Each die color determines whether the AI will produce a good—and the more buildings of a given color the AI has, the more goods it is likely to produce for that building type. You can adjust the difficulty of the AI by starting the game with more or fewer buildings already in its tableau. Overall Thoughts There is no question that Fantastic Factories is very well put-together. The components are quality. The rulebook is clear and nicely laid out. It's possible to set off some pretty cool chain reactions and feel clever, especially if the dice are in your favor. For me, the dice in this game are a mixed bag. Fantastic Factories is partially about buying and building the right cards, but it's also a game about handling your die rolls, however they turn out. One thing I appreciate about the game is that there is always something to do with your dice, even if it's just gain another resource or blueprint card. Later on, when you've built your engine a bit, you will be better able to mitigate an unlucky roll by using cards or contractors. Still, I had a few too many turns that were boring because my dice didn't give me much to do, especially in the early game when I was trying to rev up. My main issue with Fantastic Factories, however, is that is well-constructed, but ultimately forgettable. I felt some satisfaction in getting good combos going, but rarely full-on excitement. In an engine-building game like Splendor, which I love to teach my students, or in Gizmos, which I have played a few times and would readily play again, I find myself watching the market like a hawk, just dying to get my hands on the next perfect card for my tableau. But I didn't get that thrill from Fantastic Factories, even though the game is slick and there is nothing mechanically wrong with it. It just doesn't offer enough that is fresh and new. Do I recommend it? While it isn't for me, I do think this game has an audience. If you love engine builders or are absolutely dying for one that can be played solo, then Fantastic Factories might be a great match for you. Overall Rating: 3 stars 5 stars — I love it! 4 stars — I really like it. 3 stars — I like it. 2 stars — It's okay. 1 star — Meh.  Full Disclosure: A prototype copy of Warp's Edge was provided to me so that I could produce this preview. I have since returned the prototype to Renegade Games. What is Warp's Edge about? Warp's Edge is designed by Scott Almes and is the latest entry in the Solo Heroes series from Renegade Games. It's a bag-building game in which you are a lone pilot fighting against a horde of enemies in space. Each time you go through the entire contents of your bag, you complete a "Warp" and are transported back to the beginning of the battle, having gotten stronger and learned some new tricks. You win the game if you defeat a big boss before the end of your warp. You lose the game if you either lose all of your ship's health or fail to win within a limited number of warps. What I like about Warp's Edge Warp's Edge is a quality solo game and I'm looking forward to more time with it. The decisions you make in the game truly matter, and they are interesting--even the way in which you kill an enemy minion affects the reward you get, and thus the contents of your bag. While you can't control what comes out of the back in a random draw, you can do a lot to influence the bag's contents. When you are scrambling for every resource in an attempt to beat the big boss, you'll be second guessing a few choices you made in earlier rounds! Variability in this game is also tremendous, as it should be in a solo game. Every ship is different and will lend itself to different strategies, and the same can be said for the bosses. Your token pool will also differ slightly from game to game. Each ship has a special configuration of special action tokens, including one that is entirely unique to that ship. Possible Concerns about Warp's Edge I do not have any serious concerns about Warp's Edge, but I might have a few quibbles. Some of the power tokens seemed more awesome than others, and I also felt that way about the skill cards. Also, while there was already a lot of variety in the game box, I hope this is a game that will see continued support, because I'll want more! Should I back it? I really like this game and immediately requested a copy for full review once the game is published. If you like bag building, making the most use of special abilities, and getting into Playthrough Video:  Full Disclosure: A preview copy of the Fair Youth expansion was provided to me by Sideroom Games so that I could produce this preview. What is Black Sonata: The Fair Youth about? I previewed the base game for Black Sonata in Summer 2018, and I have been a fan ever since. Black Sonata is a solo hidden movement and deduction game in which you pursue the Dark Lady, a mysterious woman mentioned in several of Shakespeare's sonnets. The original game is excellent, and I am delighted to see it get an expansion: The Fair Youth. It's actually a collection of mini-expansions, which can be enjoyed individually or all tossed together into a single game. One of the expansions offers you a set of more challenging Dark Ladies, but you can also hunt down the Fair Youth (another mysterious person from Shakespeare's work), try to catch the Dark Lady at a rendezvous point that was meaningful to the two of you, or compete with rival poets even as you continue your search. There are also new ways to track the Dark Lady's movement for players who would like to leave themselves some hints. What I like about The Fair Youth The Fair Youth does exactly what a good expansion should do--it adds variety and challenge in a way that perfectly complements a game that is already great. Each of the expansion modules adds something challenging and interesting to gameplay. I particularly like having more challenging Dark Ladies, but searching for the Fair Youth or trying to cut the Dark Lady off at a rendezvous point can be thrilling. I am truly impressed at the way John Keane has managed to create a game system that does solo hidden movement and deduction so well... and then adds even more layers. Possible Concerns about The Fair Youth Although all of the mini expansions are technically mix and match, I prefer not to play with more than one or two at a time. This is not really a problem, in my opinion, and may change when I play the final copy enough times for a formal review. Should I back it? I certainly intend to. At $12 plus shipping, the price is right. This campaign will also give you a chance to pick up the base game, which I absolutely recommend. Preview Video  What is this game about? Thunderbolt-Apache Leader from Dan Verssen Games is all about close air support in various U.S. military campaigns from the 1980s to the 2000s. You'll be sending your pilots to locations like Iraq, Libya, and North Korea, or even watching them fly into more fantastical conflicts such as "WWIII North Atlantic." Each game is actually a campaign, the length of which is determined by the number of days in the conflict you choose to simulate. Your degree of success is determined by the number of victory points you can earn before the end of the campaign—as long as enemy battalions don't advance towards your base and ultimately destroy you. Play of Thunderbolt-Apache Leader (TAL) is split between two phases—one is actual gameplay, where you are flying over enemy terrain and fighting it out. But the other, and maybe more important, part of play is all about planning. Before you ever fire your first missile, you will choose aircraft and pick the right pilots to fly them! Each campaign you attempt will give you a starting number of "Special Options" (SO) points, which you will need to budget carefully to increase your odds of success. The bulk of your points will be spent purchasing aircraft, and there are a variety of helicopters and planes to choose from. Once you've chosen those, you will be able to assign pilots, which is also a fun process. There are three cards for each pilot in the game, because they each have several different potential skill levels. It's possible to demote some pilots in order to promote others, or to spend some of those precious SO points on making your pilots better. Pilots can also "level up" as they gain experience, so you will get to watch them develop over the course of longer campaigns. When it's time to go into battle, you will choose an enemy battalion to attack, outfit your planes with various weapons (which also cost SO points), and take flight! While flying a mission, you will have to think about your planes' altitudes, movement ranges, and weapon supplies. While missiles hit based on how well you roll a d10, you can do a lot to modify your rolls by choosing the right missiles and sending in pilots who roll with bonuses to certain attack types (this is why you want more skilled pilots). You also have a limited number of loiter turns to work with, which means you need to attack as efficiently as possible and then get back home before you run out of fuel. However, combat is not all about your pilots gaining glory—enemies fire back, your aircraft take damage, and your pilots take stress. If your aircraft get too damaged to fly, they can crash and force you to perform a search and rescue mission in hopes of finding your lost pilot. Stressed out pilots can become shaken, and eventually unfit to fly. When you finish your battles and come back to the planning phase, you'll have to figure out how to deal with all of that stress and damage. Will you spend precious SO points to repair aircraft? Which pilots are most in need of a no-fly day to reduce stress levels? Every decision matters in TAL, and every decision is fun to make! How does it play solo? TAL is solo only. Enjoy being catered to, fellow solitaire gamers!  Overall Thoughts
I never thought I needed a game about war helicopters until I played TAL. I am so taken with this game, and I can absolutely see why it is a solo classic. It's a fascinating mash-up of a war game and a DnD campaign, and I love getting attached to my pilots, helping them grow, trying to manage their stress, etc. The campaign aspect of the game is a major selling point for me, and it makes TAL something more than just flying a bunch of missions and hoping to get lucky. The choices I make about leveling up my pilots, repairing my aircraft, and dealing with both human and mechanical wear and tear make me feel more emotionally engaged and more challenged. I also very much enjoy flying the missions themselves. Every last choice you make is dramatic, and every die roll is exciting. Will your missile hit the target? If it doesn't, how will you adjust your plans? Choosing when to change altitude, how to move efficiently, and which missiles to deploy at a given time is so much fun, and even when you get extra loiter turns, your missions end all too soon. Of course, then you can get back to planning the next one! While I love the campaign aspect of TAL, I can see it being a drawback for some gamers. If you don't like the idea of taking notes or doing some serious housekeeping between missions, then this game may not appeal to you. I can also see luck feeling like an issue for some, although I felt that it added drama and surprise. While you can do a lot to modify your pilots' die rolls, sometimes you just get unlucky—either because you fire and miss, or because you end up drawing a pop-up enemy that does the most possible damage and ends up in the worst possible location. If you are considering TAL for your collection, you should be sure it's the right kind of game for you. But TAL is definitely the right kind of game for me. I still know very little about close air support, probably don't pronounce the missile names correctly, and still occasionally refer to all the different aircraft as "airplanes." All the same, TAL is a fantastic game where I can experience the satisfaction of formulating a solid plan, as well as the thrill of battle. At this point I'm even curious to know more about military aircraft! As far as I'm concerned, TAL is an absolute keeper. Do I recommend it? YES. I recommend TAL so much. However, you might think twice about it if you hate campaigns/log sheets or if you prefer minimal randomness in your games. Overall Rating: 5 stars Rating scale: 5 stars — I love it! 4 stars — I really it. 3 stars — I like it. 2 stars — It's okay. 1 star — Meh.  Full disclosure: I previewed Maquis for Side Room Games during the initial Kickstarter campaign, and received a review copy of the game after it was published. What is this game about? Maquis is a small-box solitaire worker placement game in which you control multiple members of the French Resistance during WWII. Although this game was originally a PnP as well as an app, there is now a very nice published edition available from Side Room Games. In a game of Maquis, you will draw two random missions that you will have a limited number of days to complete. You will complete those missions by sending your workers out to various locations in your town, where you can either collect resources, exchange resources, or call for more resources to be dropped on an air field. It is also possible to build special rooms at various points in the game, which is good fun because it allows you to customize the board to suit your needs in a particular game. Getting to each location is relatively easy—you just put your worker out and hope for the best. The real trick is in helping that worker get home. While you are working to resist Nazi occupation, complicit police officers in your town are trying to stop you, and they go on patrol every night. If a police officer blocks your way home, your run-in with the law can end in only one of two ways. Either your worker will be arrested and disappear from the game entirely, or you will have a weapon that you can use to kill the police officer and escape. Weapons in this game are hard to acquire, so using one up is a big sacrifice. On top of that, the police officer will be replaced by an actual soldier, who is impossible to kill if he traps you and who causes morale in the town to fall. Low morale means bigger enemy patrols, even if your own force of resistance fighters is dwindling. How does it play solo? Maquis is a one-player game. Solo players, rejoice! Overall Thoughts I hadn't played Maquis between filming the Kickstarter preview and receiving a review copy, but once I got it back out, I quickly remembered why I like it so much. This game has a lot going on for such a small game with such a quick playtime. The main tension in Maquis is between planning your moves carefully and getting everything done in time. Generally, a patrol officer won't move to a location where you have a worker, meaning you can "chain" your workers in an attempt to keep them safe. Doing this, however, takes up a lot of time and can stop you from multitasking within the game. It can also backfire badly—if an officer cannot be placed on an empty location, he will instead run into one of your workers and try to make an arrest! I also like that it is just challenging enough to get the resources you need in Maquis. You will really have to work for a victory, and you'll also have some options, including extra locations you can add to your map. If you need an extra safe house, you can build one, but choose wisely—there are also other uses for that particular space on the board. As you play more, you'll become more aware of how different locations relate to each other, where the bottlenecks are, and how to plan more efficiently. But nothing is guaranteed, and that is part of the thrill! I can see some gamers finding this game frustrating because to some extent, you are depending on the luck of the draw when it comes to patrol cards. The only real drawback of Maquis, at least for me, is that while its quick playtime invites you to play multiple games in a single session, it is also possible to burn out a little bit. There are only 14 missions, which is a lot of missions if you spread out your plays, but not quite enough if you find yourself playing a bunch of times in succession. You'll also develop some go-to strategies as you learn the game and the map, and plays will begin to feel more repetitive. If you go on a Maquis spree, you might need a bit of a break afterwards. That's a common issue for me with small games, though, and Maquis is going to be a great addition to my small box solo rotation. Do I recommend it? Definitely. Maquis is a delightful solitaire game that is snappy, has a great theme with just enough tension, and is a great pick for anyone who wants a quick but satisfying solo game. Overall Rating: 4 stars Rating scale: 5 stars — I love it! 4 stars — I really like it. 3 stars — I like it. 2 stars — It's okay. 1 star — Meh. If you'd like to see my original playthrough from when Maquis was on Kickstarter, check the link below! |
AuthorMy name is Liz Davidson, and I play solo board games. A lot of solo board games... Archives
October 2020
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