Naturally instead of playing the apps I already have. I’ve bought one or two new apps to play during this period of lockdown.

A couple I’ve already mentioned in the post about my online id’s being updated. However I’ve added a couple more since then. One because a friend reminded me it was a thing and had been for a while (Smash Up!) and the other was a brand new release (Charterstone).

Although for the later I’ve not been successful in getting an online game with any of my friends so far. A combination of no Android version yet and the PC price on Steam putting them off.

One of the new apps I bought to play was Through the Ages. A game I’ve always wanted to try. For whatever reason I’ve not done. But this lockdown has given me the excuse to try the game.

I really did like the tutorial for Through the Ages. It was about the right length, had a little humour mixed in. And after completing it left me with a basic understanding of how to play the game. So a success.

I’ve not played the game against a real life opponent yet. I rarely play against random players online. I much prefer to play against friends. Which my current crop of online games for Star Realms and Epic Card Game will back up. Although I will sometimes pop into the Arena in a Star Realms to try and earn a foil version of a card.

So all my games so far have been solo against the AI. Which for the record I’ve not beaten yet. I’d like to say they were close. But I’d be lying. I think I have done respectfully by scoring over 100 points most times.

I actually like Through the Ages a lot. Which I thought I would. Naturally I can’t compare how accurately the conversion is between it and the physical. But I like the implementation, the interface and the look.

The game ticks a lot of boxes for me. I certainly feel like I’m building a civilisation, but I think the graphics certainly help on that front. It’s an engine builder. A mechanic I like a lot. I have one or two in my collection. The variable powers for each player achieved through leaders and government cards helps make your civilisation feel unique, and helps shape your plans.

One of the advantages of an app version of a game is that it does all the heavy lifting of doing upkeep such as generating resources, handling triggers, and any calculations. But the one I’m glad for and it would be such a chore and time consuming I’d imagine in the physical game is the constantly shifting market. Each turn three cards drop off the market and are replaced with new ones at the other end.

The other app I’ve played but also only against the AI is Smash Up!

I knew I liked this game, having played it in it’s physical form with Gavin a while back now (probably last year).

Once again I like the interface but I did struggle initially with the in game one. I loved the deck selection interface and it’s carousel, it felt very natural. Which isn’t surprising because it reminded me of when you used to select tunes on an iPod with the click wheel.

At its heart Smash Up! is an area control game. Another mechanic I like. What I like about Smash Up! is the choosing two themed decks and shuffling them together to get your final deck to play with. It’s a clever way to remove deck building from the game. Which can be a lengthy process and require knowing about all the cards and how they interact to do it really well. Which would favour the experienced player. This way is a great leveller, and reduces that advantage to a degree. It’s also a fun way to do things.

Again the tutorial is good. And does its job.

I can’t wait to play this game against friends. Despite not beating the AI, I like the game. I’m seeing a trend here with these two games. All hail our AI overlords.

Two great board game apps worth considering getting.