Two weeks flies by so quickly.
But here we are once again at another Friday evening Fenland Gamers club night.
We weren’t up to the heady club record breaking attendance numbers of the previous club night. But we were at a very respectable eleven. Which is about our average these days.
This weeks game night was a rarity indeed because for the second session in a row I got to play with Jonathan once again.
Our first game of the evening was a new addition to my collection, the roll and write Riverside.
On the roll/flip and write spectrum of complexity Riverside is most certainly on the lighter side. Which isn’t a negative. I enjoy lighter roll/flip and writes as well as the much more complex ones. The important thing is whether they are fun to play. And Riverside most definitely is.
Despite its simplicity compared to some in my collection, there are some nice mechanics in this roll and write.
I love the modular board set up that means no two games will be exactly the same.
The use of the median die to move the cruise ship standee around the board is cool.
This median die also determines the rounds temperature and whether dice are in the heated area or not. The importantance of this is that to use a die in the heated area requires you to cross out fire symbols. If you run out of fire symbols or don’t have enough left you can’t use a die in the heated area.
This gives some interesting choices to make such as when and if to use dice in the heated area. Running out of fire symbols means you can no longer use the green die (which is always in the heated area, and can be added to the other dice) or use one of the base dice in the heated area.
I also like the restriction on scoring trips that each time you score a trip it has to be a higher score than the previous trip of that type.
Add in the captains boat and the points switch that adds at the end of the game. There are some lovely little touches that makes this a fun game to play.
Next up was a new game to Jonathan and myself Colorful.
This game had a Codenames vibe to it. But we loved it.
The game plays very quickly. Is quick to teach. We learnt and played two games in less than fifteen minutes. A perfect little filler game.
I loved that the game starts out as a co-operative game as long as everyone is giving the same answer to the clue. But as soon as there is a difference in an answer then it switches to a competitive game with a single winner. A very nice twist.
Our third and final game of the evening was another new arrival of mine and current hotness Brazil Imperium.
In the run up to playing this I had seen Brazil Imperium being mentioned in the same breath as Scythe. Many comparing it with my favourite game of all time.
Having played it I can see there are some similarities but there are enough differences that Brazil Imperium is it’s own game with room for both in a collection.
I like the modular board setup with the rulebook having several layouts to choose from based on player count and if you want an aggressive game or not. There are additional official maps that can be downloaded off the bgg game page.
However there does seem a basic rule for designing your own maps that the number of “big” tile pieces to use is dependent on the player count. Then the use of the smaller tile sections, positioning of capitals is all then dependent on how confrontational you want your game. So it is possible to randomly generate a board.
The first similarity with Scythe is the action selection for a turn, and not being able to repeat the same action on the next turn. Add in the ability to upgrade those actions by placing an appropriately shaped product on the action using the manufacture action. You can’t escape that Scythe comparison.
You could argue the player boards and the variable powers of the unique leaders are also Scythe like. But with Brazil Imperium you decide which side of the leader board you use for the game. Plus leaders are linked to a board by colour. So only the blue leaders can be used with the blue player board. I’d like to see more leader options in the future.
When you build a building the resources it generates remain on the tile until used. However if an opposing army occupies that space they get to use any resources there. Also very Scythe like.
Having the combat cards and gold cards have not only a gold or combat use, but an alternative ability such as end game scoring or some other in game power, is a really nice touch.
The use of era cards that set an objective for you to achieve gives you a focus during the game. Getting era cards that compliment each other and your leader is key. Although you start with an era card for each of the three eras, it is possible to get additional era cards. Completing an era then gives you a choice of which palace to build, opens up more buildings to build, and gives another upgrade for one action spot.
The paintings cards add a great power up mechanic. And another thing to look think about. Some improve production, others break rules, some give combat bonuses. You get the idea.
The exploration tiles are a nice touch, giving some sort of bonus. Along with a feeling of exploring the unknown.
Combat is quick and simple. Which is a plus.
This is a great engine builder that does give a great feeling you are building an empire. I almost want to say this is a civilisation type game. In some ways it does feel like one. Thinking about it it doesn’t feel too dissimilar to Civilization A New Dawn.
Yeah I really like this game.
It was about 9:40pm when I and Jonathan left. The others were still playing games like Gaslands. But I had a 5:30am shift start the next morning. Which means the alarm going off at 4:10am. I needed some sleep before work. Granted not much. But some!
