 Recently I have seen a larger-than-usual number of tweets and blog posts about ethics in board game reviews. (And it's not like this topic doesn't come up all the time anyway.) Meeple Like Us published a particularly good post on the ethical problems with paid reviews in October, and that post also links to a Thoughtful Gamer podcast that I thought covered the topic very well.
I have started to think about ethics a lot as I begin to publish more board game reviews on this site and to add videos to my YouTube channel. I do this as a hobby, and for now I review games that I have either bought or borrowed. But if I could do it full time, I would—and that would mean somehow getting paid for the work. I already know that all I will ever accept from a publisher is a free review copy. Once actual money has changed hands, everything is different, no matter how objective you think you are. There will always be that urge to be polite, to pull punches, especially if you want to get paid again down the line. I am also not sold on the concept of paid Kickstarter previews. Even if you clearly label what you're doing, the line between "preview" and "review" is very thin. You are being paid to create marketing materials that may not look all that different from your normal board game videos. Plus, you have less control of your content if it's commissioned by someone else. I frequently see paid Kickstarter previews (according to the videos themselves) listed as "reviews" on campaign pages. That honestly makes my skin crawl. Of course, I may never be in a position to make tough choices. My blog is small. And as many of us have noticed and discussed lately, board game coverage is overwhelmingly positive. While I would consider the written reviews I have published so far on this site to be pretty positive, I have also given most games three stars (out of a possible five). Granted, I use the Goodreads rating scale—a 3/5 means "I like it." That's good, right? You cannot possibly be head over heels for every game you play. But we also live in a world where gamers get upset if a highly anticipated video game title gets a 7/10 on IGN. I'm also always going to be honest when a game is just okay. In fact, I did this with the only review copy I have ever received—a copy of Quest: Awakening of Melior. It was just okay, and I said so. But when I chose to film my opinion and put it on YouTube, part of me thought, "Well, that was probably the last review copy I'll ever get." Ultimately, I am focused on what matters the most to me as a board game blogger: I want Beyond Solitaire to cater to the people I write content for—and that means people who want to play and discuss good games. If you're my reader and you spend your precious free time on my blog, know this: My loyalty is to you, and I won't forget it.
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 As usual, Kickstarter continues to feature interesting new games to play. Here are a few of the possibilities that caught my eye this week: 1. Direwild Direwild is a deck builder that is combined with combat on a tactical map. You are an Animist able to summon and combine various adorable yet deadly creatures. The object of the game is to defeat Karn, a corrupted Animist who controls distorted creatures of his own. I am a sucker for deck builders, and Direwild looks like it deploys a lot of interesting mechanics. Whether they all fit together seamlessly, and whether the theme of the came comes through clearly, I do not know. But I'm definitely curious.  2. Heroes of Darkwell Again, I am a total sucker for deck builders, and Heroes of Darkwell looks like it's trying to do interesting things by combining an old school RPG feel with deck building mechanics. The main problem is, I can't find much about this game at all outside of one set of videos featured on the Kickstarter page. I'd really like to read some more buzz about this one before taking the plunge. Funding has been sluggish on this campaign so far, so I have a feeling that other gamers are watching and waiting like I am.  3. Sorcerer I know, I know. Sorcerer, a new release by White Wizard Games, is listed as a game for 2–4 players. But my Star Realms is one of the only games my boyfriend will play with me, which guarantees that I will give Sorcerer a serious look. Also, there have been indications on BGG that there will be a solo expansion in the future. Consider my interest piqued. As usual, there is plenty of interesting stuff to look at on Kickstarter this week. Maybe too much interesting stuff! How do you choose which projects to back when there is just so much out there?
 Your workers/currency will make you crave Altoids. To see a full playthrough of Mint Works, click here. What is this game about? Mint Works, designed by Justin Blaske, started out as a challenge to design a game that fits in a mint tin. Blaske was successful: Mint Works is a surprisingly meaty worker placement game that does in fact fit into a mint tin. In keeping with the theme, your "workers" are small, round "mints" that serve as both your workers and your money supply. Your goal in Mint Works is to be the first to gain seven victory points. Victory points are gained by purchasing building plans and then constructing them in your neighborhood (i.e. player area). To take actions, you place mints from your mint supply on various location cards, but be careful—as with any worker placement game, there are only so many actions available, and everyone wants to take them. Plan ahead! Mint Works has six main location cards, but each game varies depending on which neighborhood plans come from the draw deck. There are also a handful of "advanced locations" to give added strategic challenge to the game. How does it play solo?
Mint Works comes with four AI players, each with a different set of rules and preferred building strategies. All of them present a challenge and can be infuriating in some way. Rachel causes mints to leave the game when she purchases plans for her neighborhood, and you lose the game if you run out of mints. Sonic takes two turns in a row, so you have to very aggressively go for the spaces you want in the game before he grabs them. Mort has endless money, so you can never starve him of mints to prevent his progress. And Justin, named after the game designer, blocks off entire locations when he uses them. Each of these AI players represents an interesting puzzle to solve: What is the best way to play to give yourself the best chance of winning? Solo play in Mint Works is, however, a little bit swingy. To be sure of a win, you need to draw the right cards at the right time. Something may come out of that deck that totally messes you up, or you may not get cards that provide you with the advantages you need to win. Overall Thoughts Mint Works is an impressive game in that it packs a big punch for its size. It is not the deepest or most complicated game in the world, but it's engaging, portable, and quick to play. I can't think of another worker placement game that offers all of those things. Mint Works may become a go-to game for me when I teach the concept of worker placement to newer gamers. Thematically, Mint Works is aesthetically on point, but let's get real. This is a stripped-down worker placement game and it feels like one. There is no reason why mints should be connected to building a neighborhood, etc. etc. But that's not really the point—the point is that this is a fun little puzzle of a game that can come with you anywhere. For solo play, the game is okay—there are more engaging solo experiences, although not with such a small footprint. I found the AI players to be interesting and challenging in the short term, but they aren't going to hold me for the long term. Do I recommend it? If you are looking for a quick, portable game and you like worker placement, then yes. Mint Works is a totally decent solo game for a more than decent price. The game is not currently in print. But according to the Kickstarter for Mint Works's successor, Mint Delivery, there will be a reprint soon and Mint Works will sell for about $13. Overall Rating: 3 stars Rating Scale: 5 - I love it! 4 - I really like it. 3 - I like it. 2 - It's okay. 1 - Meh.  The box is gorgeous. To see a full playthrough of Onirim, click here. What is this game about? Onirim is a card game designed by Shadi Torbey and set in the "Oniverse." There are several games in this series, but Onirim is probably the best known. In this game, you are asleep and lost in a labyrinth of dreams. Your goal is to find all eight doors (two of each color) that will enable you to escape the labyrinth and return to wakefulness. However, as you draw cards from the deck, you will encounter nightmare cards that work to trap you forever by forcing you to get rid of your cards or your hard-earned doors. If you run out of cards in the draw pile before you discover all of the doors, you lose the game.  Unlocking some doors. How does it play solo? Onirim, like all games in the Oniverse series, is designed for solo play. There is a co-op variant as well, but Shadi Torbey definitely caters to solo players. Overall Thoughts Onirim is a compact, quick-to-play game that nevertheless offers interesting choices. To win—and you will not always win this game—you need to pay attention to whether the draw deck is getting low and whether you are sacrificing cards of a color that you need to win. As you play, you will encounter versatile cards with a key symbol that be played normally, but that can also be used to defuse a nightmare card or to trigger a "prophecy" that lets you manipulate the draw deck. How you choose to play your cards can make a big difference to how the game progresses. The joy of playing Onirim is not its complexity, but its meditativeness. The card art truly is dreamlike, and there is just enough decision making involved to keep you focused on the game. Onirim is ideal for travel or for busy nights when you want to unwind with a quick card game. If you need a further challenge, the current printing of Onirim includes several expansions in the box, some of which are very challenging. There is also a delightful app version of Onirim available for Android and iOS, which is great for people who don't like to repeatedly shuffle cards. (Onirim involves a lot of shuffling.)  Nightmares. Do I recommend this game?
If you like short, quick card games that require a combination of luck and strategic decision making, then yes. Onirim is definitely a good choice for you. Overall Rating: 4 stars Rating Scale: 5 - I love it! 4- I really like it. 3 - I like it. 2 - It's okay. 1 - Meh.  Although my wallet is tapped out for now, I still enjoy contemplating upcoming games, and there are a couple of interesting Kickstarter campaigns on my radar. 1. Root I initially didn't consider Root at all because there were no solo or co-op variants for the game. It is essentially a war game in which animal factions with asymmetric powers vie for control of a forest. This past week, solo and co-op modes were added as the result of a stretch goal, but I'm not entirely sold. I can't reliably get specific games to my table unless I intend to play them on my own. And I don't want to buy a game for its solo variant if it's just an afterthought. It's clear, however, that Root is really well put together. The art alone is tremendously compelling, and it's clear that a lot of thought has gone into making the mechanics both fun and accessible. I'll keep watching this one for sure.  2. Dawn of Peacemakers
So many of our games involve violent conflict and aggression. I'm very interested to see what Dawn of Peacemakers will add to the mix. Your goal in this cooperative game is to convince two warring factions to stop fighting each other, even if you have to be a bit manipulative to make it happen. I think that's a great concept for a game. Dawn of Peacemakers can be played as a campaign, which means that you will experience an overarching storyline. The designer has also emphasized, however, that this is not a legacy game. The game scenarios will be replayable, so you can try out different strategies. I would really like to see this one make it, even though I'm not likely to have the funds to contribute myself. So far, though, the funding for this campaign has been a bit sluggish—I suspect because of the $89 + shipping price point. Last thought: Is the theme of this week actually Kickstarters with cute animal art?  An array of options are available on your player board in Orléans. To see a video playthrough of Orléans, click here.
What is this game about? Orléans is a bag-building game set in medieval France. Bag building is an interesting variant on deck building, in which you acquire pieces with different uses that you draw from a bag. You may not draw what you want every turn, which makes it important to optimize and to plan. Essentially, you acquire specific combinations of workers, then deploy them on your player board to take actions. You have several options when it comes to which actions to take: You can use your current workers to get new ones, to travel to different locations on a map, to collect goods, to build trading posts, or to move along the development track. Victory points are calculated at the end of the game, and you can try several different strategies to acquire them. This might sound very boring, but I love it. As you play, you will focus on ways to maximize your actions and to become as efficient as possible—and you will have to adjust with every game you play, because you will draw different events, buildings, and configurations of resources every time. There are a lot of strategies to try in Orléans, which means it will keep me entertained for quite some time. How does it play solo? To play Orléans solo, you also need to pick up the big-box expansion, called Orléans: Invasion. This expansion contains three solo scenarios, as well as a tantalizingly difficult and interesting cooperative one. The solo scenarios are essentially interesting puzzles that require you to make good use of the game mechanics. The first scenario, The Dignitary, pushes you to acquire supporters by traveling around the map and performing various actions. The next, Capital Vierzon, gives you a set of specific objectives, then challenges you to complete them in a fairly short period of time. The third, Traveling Salesman, requires you to deliver goods to different cities while also coping with interference from unpleasant events. All of these scenarios can be scaled to increase or decrease difficulty, though The Dignitary is definitely the easiest. There is also the cooperative scenario, Invasion. This scenario is for 2–5 players, but if you are comfortable with managing two characters, you can just play two-handed to enjoy it on your own. This scenario is very challenging and asks you to perform a seemingly impossible number of tasks to prepare for an impending invasion. You can make this scenario more or less difficult depending on how you set it up, but no matter how you play, it's no cakewalk. Overall Thoughts Orléans is an extremely fun brain teaser. The theme is pasted on to the point where it barely matters—this is a game of calculation and optimization, not storytelling or adventure. However, it is extremely addictive if you enjoy that sort of thing. I find myself bringing this one to the table pretty often to see how I fare with different strategies or building combinations. That said, I may eventually tire of Orléans. The solo scenarios have set events that occur in a specific order, which means that you can plan for them pretty effectively once you have more experience with the game. There are only so many truly viable strategies in Orléans, and while you can challenge yourself to try new things, there are only so many new things to try. For now, though, there is plenty of gameplay left in Orléans for me, and I am enjoying every moment I spend playing it. I usually prefer more thematic games, but thinking through the possibilities in Orléans is something I truly enjoy. Part of it is that I love deckbuilders already, so bag building was an enticing variation on a theme I already like. Part of it is that I love games that start out simple, but quickly branch out and force you to make difficult choices with limited resources. (I also find Splendor highly addictive. Orléans is more complicated, but it gives me that same meditative feeling.) Do I recommend it? If you like puzzles, deck/bag building, or thinking through a game until you come up with the very best set of strategies to deploy, then yes! You will enjoy this game. If you prefer more thematic or story-driven games, then Orléans is probably not your cup of tea. Overall Rating: 3.5 stars Rating Scale: 5 - I love it! 4- I really like it. 3 - I like it. 2 - It's okay. 1 - Meh.  What is this game about?
Dungeons & Dragons: Castle Ravenloft is a board game based on the Ravenloft module from D&D. Your ultimate goal is to destroy Count Strahd, a nasty vampire who is terrorizing the area. Castle Ravenloft basically uses simplified D&D rules, but the game runs the dungeon and you (plus up to four friends) work together to defeat the game itself. The game comes with a booklet that gives you several different scenarios. Individual scenarios add up together to create a campaign that culminates in a showdown with Strahd. While each scenario will have some specific setup requirements, most of your room explorations, monsters, and encounters are randomized. All of the dungeon tiles can be fitted together in any configuration, so a room that is important in one scenario serves as a normal tile in another. Characters and monsters are represented by some pretty fun miniatures that will run amok over the dungeon areas you've explored. (The dracolich is particularly awesome—you'll figure that out the moment you open the game box!) Turn structure is very simple. Each turn is divided into three phases: The player turn, when a character gets to move and/or attack; the exploration turn, when new exploration tiles may be drawn if a player is standing on the edge of the current map; and the enemy turn, when monsters (even newly generated ones) get to attack you. In this game, you will essentially never get the jump on a monster, and they can outnumber you very quickly, so.... be ready. If you are already used to Dungeons & Dragons, your player's combat abilities will be second nature to you. If not, worry not—each of your characters will have a set of ability cards that clearly explain what each ability does and how it works. Monsters work similarly, in that their attack and movement conditions are clearly explained on individual monster cards. All successes and failures are determined by the roll of a single d20. While it seems like this game has a ton of monsters and many confusing ability choices, most combat scenarios are just variations on the same theme. You will get the hang of combat in no time, especially if you start with one of the first two scenarios to get your feet wet. How does it play solo? Castle Ravenloft is definitely a solo-friendly game. Two out of the thirteen scenarios that come with the game are explicitly for solo play, while the rest are cooperative adventures for 2–5 players. As with most cooperative games, Castle Ravenloft can be enjoyed solo as long as the player is comfortable with playing as multiple characters. Controlling several characters is not too difficult in Castle Ravenloft because the turn structure is so straightforward. This game also scales reasonably well, in the sense that fewer characters means fewer monsters coming off of the monster deck. If you don't want to deal with the maximum number of miniatures on the board, just play with 2–3 characters. Playing with fewer characters can also save you both brain and table space, as each character has a set of ability cards to use during the game. While no ability is complicated on its own, it can get frustrating for one player to deal with all of them at once, especially if that player is new to the game. Overall Thoughts For what it is, Castle Ravenloft is a very enjoyable experience. This game is best for people who just want to beat up monsters. The onslaught of monsters and encounters is relentless, and it can feel like the game is more about survival than about tactical brilliance. Since success and failure are determined by d20 rolls, there is a lot of randomness in the game, and you can definitely lose because you have a run of bad luck. If none of that bothers you, you are going to have a good time—the combat system makes sense, the minis are pretty nice, and you'll get to experience some D&D goodness without needing to get a full tabletop campaign underway. That said, Castle Ravenloft is not without its flaws. Its streamlined system can get fairly repetitive, especially during "intense" parts of a scenario where you are dealing with crazy numbers of monsters. I think this repetitiveness is exacerbated during solo play, because there is no one to banter or argue with while you brawl it out. The adventure book does its very best to switch things up for you from scenario to scenario, but the story is just a little too thin to carry the game over an extended period of time, at least for me. I also think that the advent of more complicated, story-driven board game RPGs (think Gloomhaven) are making Castle Ravenloft show its age. It's fun, but it's not cutting edge anymore. I am personally okay with that, but it's something to know going in. Do I recommend it? If you like dungeon crawls and occasionally need to scratch that D&D itch without long-term commitment, then yes, I recommend this game. It's a good option if you want to beat up some monsters, cast some spells, and call it a night. It's also great if you want to introduce other gamers to a lighter version of D&D. For me, Castle Ravenloft is fun, but not compelling enough for me to want more D&D board games in my collection. There are actually several entries in the D&D board game series, including The Legend of Drizzt, Wrath of Ashardalon, and Temple of Elemental Evil. While others would probably disagree, I personally do not recommend keeping more than one of these on hand. Each one will run you roughly $50, the game boxes are enormous, and all of the games are based on essentially the same repetitive turn and combat sequences. Pick the one that appeals to you most and stick with it. Overall Rating: 3 stars Rating Scale: 5 - I love it! 4- I really like it. 3 - I like it. 2 - It's okay. 1 - Meh.  I was a kid in the '90s, but I never played Atmosfear or any of the "video" board games that were trendy at the time. So while I knew they existed, I was never nostalgic for them and never had any inclination to seek them out. That general feeling hasn't changed... but I feel so lucky that I got to try out Atmosfear: The Harbingers at a game night last night! Atmosfear is a roll and move game in which you attempt to pick up different-colored keys, get back to your starting space, and escape from the "other side" in which you and your fellow players are trapped. In addition to competing with other players, who might challenge you for your hard-earned loot, you are routinely interrupted by "the Gatekeeper." The game itself is boring as hell, but the Gatekeeper? He's gold. I have never enjoyed being called a maggot so much in my life. And if I had been a little kid the first time I played this game, it would have totally enchanted me. See him in this clip: The whole thing makes me wonder whether more purist gamers complained about games with video elements the same way they now complain about games with app integration. It also makes me think about how much external media can potentially add to a game. The video element of Atmosfear is the best thing about it. It would not be even remotely fun with no video. But the Gatekeeper's hammy delivery and hilarious nastiness imbue the whole experience with personality that doesn't come from the mechanics. I have zero desire to play Atmosfear again anytime soon—as a game, it sucks. But I'm definitely going to peruse YouTube this afternoon in search of more of those hilarious videos. What would this game have been like if there were a perfect marriage of great mechanics with integrated video? Although I did not experience Atmosfear as a kid, and wasn't swept up by nostalgia, I'm so grateful that I got to experience a part of board gaming history. Also, as far as I can tell, the actor who plays the Gatekeeper, Wenanty Nosul, is still alive, well, and calling people maggots.  What is this game about?
When someone described Sagrada as "dice sudoku," my curiosity was piqued. And the description turned out to be relatively accurate: Sagrada is a game about building stained glass windows through dice drafting and placement. Whoever scores the most points from his or her window is the winner of the game. The rules are simple: You can't place dice of the same color or "shade" (pip number) orthagonally adjacent to each other. Specific window patterns chosen at the beginning of the game offer further restrictions that can make building your window more or less challenging, and you can use randomly drawn tools to help mitigate your luck throughout. Points are earned for meeting public and private objectives that might encourage you to focus on collecting dice of a specific color or to prioritize certain color and number patterns. Points are lost at the end of the game for each unfilled space in your window. The entire game plays out in ten rounds, and can be finished by experienced players in 15 minutes or less. How does it play solo? The solo rules for Sagrada involve playing against a "target score" that is formed by the dice you do not draft in a given round. Each round, you draw four dice from the dice bag and roll them. You will get to choose and place two dice, while the other two go to the score track. The number of pips on the dice on the score track determine your target score. The points you accumulate from your objectives determine your player score. If there are tools available, you can use a third die from the pool to pay to use one—a strategic choice that simultaneously benefits your gameplay and steals an extra die from the target score. You can make the solo version of Sagrada more or less difficult by allowing yourself access to more or fewer tools. Overall Thoughts Sagrada is a quick, light solo game that is simple to play, but not so simple to win. You feel like you're making progress every round, but in reality it is tough to beat that target score because you have to give up a lot of high-value dice in order to meet objectives and score your own points. You will lose a lot, but you'll also be itching to set the game back up and try again because it plays so quickly and you feel like you were so close this time. I will say that sometimes beating Sagrada solo can seem like an impossible challenge, especially if you're not getting advantageous die rolls. That can detract slightly from the fun. Thematically, Sagrada does not actually make you feel like you are creating a beautiful stained glass window, but it's definitely engrossing if you like puzzles. Before long you'll find yourself fixated on ideal color and pip number placement. If you don't like to roll dice and fret over where to put them, or if you prefer your games to be played on a grander scale, Sagrada might be less appealing to you. Do I recommend it? If you like rolling pretty dice and figuring out how best to arrange them, then yes. Sagrada is worth your time. It's particularly appealing as a quick game to play solo on a work night, or as a simple game to introduce as filler in a gaming group. Overall Rating: 3 stars Rating Scale: 5 - I love it! 4- I really like it. 3 - I like it. 2 - It's okay. 1 - Meh. |
AuthorMy name is Liz Davidson, and I play solo board games. A lot of solo board games... Archives
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