The Dwarves: Big Box - Andy Matthews

Up until 2022, I’d never heard of The Dwarves, a hugely popular German five book fantasy series, which spawned a video game and a board game. And I certainly never expected to play it. But my game group wanted to inject some cooperative action into our game nights and The Dwarves was picked.

The goal of The Dwarves is to work your way through a scenario deck of cards, while protecting your lands from invading orcs, trolls, and elves. Players may also complete side quests which can provide valuable bonuses or cause trouble in Girdlegard (the dwarven homeland). At the beginning of every player’s turn the hero marker advances can trigger new enemies to emerge, cause drama in the dwarven high council, or cause negative effects to the side quest deck. In typical coop game fashion there are multiple ways to lose, but only one way to win.

My group had a good time playing The Dwarves, and even spent some time afterwards talking about different approaches we might take in our next play. While I don’t think The Dwarves is going to win any awards, it’s a solid game and one we’ll be playing again. 

Ease of entry?:
★★★☆☆ - There were…

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Flip 7 - Andy Matthews

I love it when a game "hides" the premise in plain sight, like Flip 7 from The Op. It's a lightweight (and I do mean light) press your luck game that has you flipping over cards from a shared deck and deciding "do I stay or do I go?". Number cards earn you points, action cards do special things, and if you ever "Flip 7" cards you earn a sweet 15 point bonus and end the round. But if you flip over a number card that you already have in front of you, then it's a bust for you.

You'll earn points based on the numbers on the cards; their values ranging from 0-15. With the exception of the 0, each card is worth its face value and there are that many cards in the deck: three 3 cards, ten 10 cards, etc. But there's also a handful of action cards which can be both angel and demon (depending on who's receiving them). The Second Chance card lets you skip a "bust", the "Freeze" card helps you stop a runaway leader, and the "Flip Three" card forces a player to flip over three cards even if they might bust!

I played with 3 players and it hummed along…

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Small World (Collector’s Edition) - K. David Ladage

I love Small World. It is a wonderful game that my friend, Steve, and I played a lot back when new stuff was coming out for it on a regular basis. Steve is the kind of a guy that would give serious consideration to buying the over-the-top, extremely over-engineered, exceedingly expensive, will-not-fit-into-any-game-shelf-you-are-going-to-find Collector’s Edition. And so he did. He bought this thing.

The issue with this is that every single element of this game is some 50% larger than it was in the original and made of either wood or plastic. The giant wooden box needs a sticker warning you that this is a two-man lift! Thus, despite having owned this edition since it first came out years and years ago, he has not had many opportunities to pull it out with someone who would appreciate this product. Well, I was there and he wanted to play Small World. So out it came. We played a two-player game–and despite the small player count, this behemoth still managed to fill his 4-by-8 game table. We still had to keep a few elements (like the race tokens) in their giant trays on chairs just off the playing surface. The game was fun! The game was epic! The…

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Now entering its 10th year, the International Analysis Paralysis Tournament continues to see contestants deep in contemplation over their next moves. This century we’re seeing the best of the best—the indecisivest of the indecisive—vie for the title of the Most Analytically Paralyzed Gamer. 

Dawd Ling, the much-hyped newcomer, impressed the judges early on with her mumbled ramblings regarding which color she would choose to play as. Word from the gaming floor suggested she was contemplating the various advantages/disadvantages of the shading differences between the dark yellow and the light orange pieces. Ling initially lost time by actually making a choice, only to regain her position on the clock by changing her mind (repeatedly) only seconds later. 

Over at a wargaming table, Slugbert McSnail sat, head tilted, cheek resting in his hand. He claimed to be calculating his attack and defense stats for each possible combination of chits, regardless as to their position on the board. 

Lolly Gagg, the most energetic of the contestants, sat at a table with an elaborately carved Chess set. Every few hours, she would move her fingers to another of his pieces on the board and look at her opponent for the slightest reaction. She would then loudly argue aloud with herself regarding the piece in question. Gagg was clearly playing the long game, having touched…

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You and your fellow rabbit friends have all left your warrens to find a new home across the water: a home where carrot gardens flourish and everyone can live together in peace and harmony.

Until it comes to the new carrot patches. Then, even though you’ll share your harvest with me, I’m still going to try to make it mine.

Be the rabbit clan with the most points at the end of the game and you’ll rule the warren.

[caption id="attachment_305357" align="aligncenter" width="841"] Rabbit Island: The Box[/caption]

Fiver’s Founder's Hill

Rabbit Island: Explore, Build, Conquer (known from here simply as Rabbit Island) starts off as a semi-cooperative game. After choosing a color and taking the matching rabbit token, disks, and 100 Carrot tokens, you’ll take turns placing two tiles—either Carrot Patches or various Garden options—onto the board, thus creating your new home. Tiles must flow from the starting Founder's Hill tile, then follow the double arrows on the edges of the tiles already placed. After placing your two tiles, you’ll move your rabbit token to one of those tiles.

If the tile is a Carrot Patch, you’ll claim 50 Carrots and an Action card. (More on this later.) If it’s a garden location, you can choose to pay…

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In Maps of Misterra, you’re playing as explorers, mapping out the island’s landscapes—landscapes that might change from turn to turn, say Mountains become Forests. That’s because there’s a difference between terrain types that are ‘confirmed’ and what your sponsor has said they want to see on your map. Score the most points at the end of the game and you’ll be the winner.

If that sounds a bit confusing, stay with me. The mists will part as we get the game to the table.

[caption id="attachment_305395" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Maps of Misterra: The Box[/caption]

Cartographers At the Ready

You’ll place the large central board in the middle of the table, then hand each player their own smaller version of the map. Depending on the player count, a number of Forests will be placed, full-color side up. (More on this soon.)

[caption id="attachment_305401" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] A 3 or 4 player game ready to be played.[/caption]

Each player will also get a Cartographer of their choice and three Claim tokens in their matching color.

At the top of the board, place the four stacks of terrain tiles full-color side down. Then shuffle the…

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[caption id="attachment_305366" align="aligncenter" width="764"] Umbrella: The Box[/caption]

Umbrella, by Flavien Dauphin and Benoit Turpin, published by Lumberjacks Studio and Pandasaurus Games, is a simple, elegant game that has recently earned a place on my abstract shelf. Let’s see if it lands on yours as well.

The concept is easy enough: you’re trying to rearrange your 4x4 field of colored umbrellas to match the patterns on one of your scoring tiles. Do so, and you’ll place one of the limited number of scoring tokens on your player board. When someone has claimed the last token, the game ends. Whoever has the most points wins.

Of course, the rules make doing so something of a challenge, so let me explain how to play Umbrella.

Falling On My Head Like a Memory

Each player has a board whose center, recessed area, is a 4x4 grid. You’ll place wooden discs with colored umbrellas on the matching, pre-printed spaces on your board. Above this area is a long open space where you’ll place one of the narrow scoring tiles. Players will also receive four square tiles with patterns on a 4x4 grid that matches your umbrella playing area. You’ll place these in two piles, one each on the two leftmost spaces, making sure the…

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[caption id="attachment_305381" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Mythalix: The Box[/caption]

Chaos, the primordial Greek God, has returned to destroy Olympus. However, just before the destruction occurs, a portal opens that allows the Gods to escape—a portal that transports them to a hostile new world, rich with power. By taming that power and collecting four of the planet’s essential Elements, one God can reign supreme!

At least, that’s the story the rule book provides to explain what’s going on in Mythalix. To learn more, let’s get this to the table, shall we?

Preparing the Altars

Give each player a random God card, along with the matching double-sided acrylic avatar, stand, and four clear acrylic hexes, known as Strongholds. Place the God token on one of the four Elemental Altars in the far corners of the board. Then take the matching elemental token for that Altar.

[caption id="attachment_305383" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] God Cards, each with their own standard special power (which isn't all that God-like) and an Ultra Power that…

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Planta Nubo - David McMillan

There were only a handful of titles from Essen last year that I was really excited about, and Planta Nubo was up there towards the top of the list. I mean, a co-design between Michael Keller and  Andreas “ode.” Odendahl (the co-designers of La Granja and El Burro) and the G.O.A.T. himself, Uwe Rosenberg (Agricola, Caverna, Bohnanza): what is there NOT to be excited about? Unfortunately, due to the logistics (and shipping!) involved, I wasn’t able to obtain a copy from Essen Spiel at the time. But, thanks to our friends at Devir Americas, I finally have a copy in hand and was able to play it for the first time recently.

Let me tell you, folks, it was worth the wait.

There’s a lot of things going on and, even after having read the rules and having watched several videos, my wife and I still found ourselves going back to the rule book during our first few turns to figure out the meanings of some of the iconography. By the third round, though, we had a good feel for the game and were able to progress more confidently to the finish line. We had a great deal of fun and I am excited…

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[caption id="attachment_301760" align="aligncenter" width="500"] The right-sized box for a Gentle Rain[/caption]

I Must Have Flowers, Always, and Always

In a Gentle Rain (Incredible Dream Studio, 2021) designer Kevin Wilson has you building out a lake, one tile at a time. As you do so, you’re trying to create openings for lilies to bloom on the surface. If that sounds like a tranquil experience, that’s because it is. 

Sure, there are points to be scored and previous scores to beat, but a Gentle Rain can’t help but be a pleasant, relaxing—and challenging—game that has become my #1 choice for solo games.

I Am Only Good at Two Things, and Those Are: Gardening and Painting

You’ll start by shuffling the square tiles into a single stack. Then take the eight wooden tokens, each with a lily on the face, and set them aside nearby.

It Took Me Time to Understand My Waterlilies. I Had Planted Them for the Pleasure of It; I Grew Them Without Ever Thinking of Painting Them 

Turn the top tile of the stack over and place it in front of you. This is your starting tile.

Each tile has a picture of four different half-lilies, one on each edge, that match the full lilies…

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[caption id="attachment_301571" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Artefacts: The box artwork[/caption]

Three years ago, French game designer Franck Bovet contacted us about reviewing an advance copy of his game Artefacts. The flexibility of the modules and the way they allowed you to customize the game to your liking intrigued me, so I agreed to review it. The game arrived and I had a screen sharing session with Franck to go over the basics of the game. It was clear he had put a lot of thought into the game and was proud of how all the elements worked together.

His initial Kickstarter campaign ended early, so I had to postpone my review…by three years. But now Artefacts is back, with more components added since my review copy was shipped out. Franck recently told me I have the only copy of Artefacts in the US, which is quite an honor.

Please remember that the photos used in our exclusive US review are both from a prototype and are three years old. See the Kickstarter campaign—starting in June 2024— for the updated components.

Game Zero: Overview

At first glance, Artefacts might appear to be just another tank battle game. However, taking a second look shows it is much more than that.

This is…

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I’ve had several opportunities to meet online with Franck Bovet, the designer of Artefacts, to discuss his game. He’s an enthusiastic, energetic designer with a passion for his game. When I learned he was also a talented jazz pianist, I had more than enough questions for this 6 Questions article.

[caption id="attachment_301571" align="alignright" width="300"] Artefacts Box Art[/caption]

What inspired you to create Artefacts and what does the game mean to you?

When I was a kid, my brothers and I used to invent games, and in particular we used to play with flying toys. We'd take a spaceship, for example, and I'd draw a dashboard with lots of buttons and gauges. My brother would pilot the ship from the piece of paper, and I'd move it around. In a way, Artefacts is the culmination of this childish game!

After that, the game never left me. Even during my studies, I was able to write a thesis on “game mechanisms and music”, which enabled me to analyze and study game mechanics in depth. In my day-to-day life, I'm a musician/composer of jazz and contemporary music, and I've already written pieces of music in the form of deckbuilding, for example!

And one day, I said to myself, “Make the game of your dreams!”…

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“And despite being a DM, I have an inherent dislike of six-sided dice.”

As a kid, I played lots of games that were either roll-and-moves or spin-and-moves. As soon as I discovered (what are now called) abstract strategy games, I hardly looked back. I dismissed games involving dice as being solely luck-based: you might as well shorten the entire game to each player rolling a die and the highest number wins. Give me a game that requires thought over random numbers any day.

Notice that “hardly looked back”, in that paragraph? Yeah. Allow me to explain.

In my earliest 20s, board games were typically either kids’ fair or dense, all-day war games. And forget about your Friendly Local Game Stores. The closest one (had I even known about it) was over 500 over miles away.

One evening, a friend introduced a group of us to a ridiculous, push-your-luck dice-chucker called Cosmic Wimpout (KBX Associates 1976). With its hand-written rule book, complete with hippy illustrations...

[caption id="attachment_301282" align="aligncenter" width="500"] The Xeroxed rule book[/caption]

...and six-sided dice with more symbols than numbers and a single Cosmic Sun die face, this was not a game to be taken seriously.

…

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