Cargo Empire – Andy Matthews
Back in 2017, I came across a light train game called Mini Rails, from a then-new publisher called Moaideas. I’ve followed their progress ever since, and they continue to release exciting and interesting titles (Mini Express and Tulip Bubble among them). Even though Mini Rails is the only game of theirs I own, I was captivated by the Kickstarter campaign for their most recent title, Cargo Empire. Billed as a lightweight “pick up and deliver” game, it really drew me in with the simple gameplay, and reasonable play time. So when I finally received my copy, I got it to the table almost immediately.
In Cargo Empire players build up their presence in cities across Europe (or on the flip side of the board in a fantasy world). Then they move goods from cities where they have trading posts, to other cities on the map. The goal being twofold: extend the number of cities in which they occupy, and specifically cities which help them achieve both private and public goals.
While we had a few issues with understanding the rules—they were both very detailed but also a bit hard to understand—the game went fairly smoothly. In addition to the pick and deliver aspect, players also have to monitor their progress on a vehicle track. This track not only provides valuable bonuses, if you make it far enough, you begin to earn points as well. If you enjoy map based gateway level games, then Cargo Empire might be an excellent addition to your collection.
Ease of entry?
★★★★☆ – The odd bump or two
Would I play it again?
★★★★★ – Will definitely play it again
Read more articles from Andy Matthews.
Sinoda – Tom Franklin
Sinoda is an abstract strategy game played on a flowery mandala-esque board. Your pieces are standard four-sided dice (d4) that start the game in a cluster with the number 1 showing at the top. On a turn, you either move one of your d4s from the section of the flower cluster you’re in to another ‘petal’—or, you can choose to increase/decrease the number on the top of your d4 by one. Doing so alters the number of how many petal sections the d4 must move (1 = one ‘petal’; 2 = two ‘petals’, etc.) if it moves. Moving into a ‘petal’ with an opponent’s piece captures their piece. When the sixth piece is captured, players score the top number of each d4 they’ve captured to create their final score.
I played Sinoda as a two, three, and six player game. Each game played out much the same. There is no incentive to move into the board to risk a piece being captured, and those that were captured were done as even trades. My weekly gaming group of over 15 years indulged my curiosity about Sinoda, but we all agreed there just isn’t much game here.
Ease of entry?
★★★★★ – No sweat
Would I play it again?
☆☆☆☆☆ – No chance
Read more articles from Tom Franklin.
Vadoran Gardens – K. David Ladage
When I supported the Kickstarter for the expansions to Isle of Cats, there was an option to also get some related games. One was an Isle of Cats-themed roll-and-write called Explore & Draw (for which I am working on a review), and the other was a game not necessarily in the same world: Vadoran Gardens. I have played several games where you play square tiles or cards with grids of terrain, arranging them to form patterns. I had played this mechanic with and without overlap of these cards. As a result, I thought I knew what I was getting into. I did not. I was unaware of the fact that designer Frank West had taken this concept and moved it several rungs up the ladder of greatness.
The puzzle of playing your cards goes beyond how to overlap them to include such restrictions as always moving to the right (overlap happens over the far-right column of the last card you played), a limitation of five rows of terrain for your entire garden path, lessons that you must learn and adhere to, and so on. Those lessons, by the way, throw wrenches into the works; they are amazing. So yea, if you want a beautiful game that does not take too long to play and will stress your brain in all the right ways… this is it.
Ease of entry?
★★★★☆ – The odd bump or two
Would I play it again?
★★★★★ – Will definitely play it again
Read more articles from K. David Ladage.
Attika – Justin Bell
Attika, a tile-laying game from the very distant past (2003, published by Hans im Glück), puts players in the shoes of Greek city-state builders trying to build a chain of locations bridging two of the three shrines at opposing ends of an initially triangular peninsula. The game is one of those “easy to learn, difficult to master” mind games where players can win by building a straight line of their own tiles connecting two shrines, or build all 30 tiles they have across four face-down piles near their player board.
From the first turn, I enjoyed Attika’s puzzle. Blocking opponents is the name of the game, but creative players are going to find a way around you no matter what you have in mind. The peninsula has pre-printed resources on many of the hexes on each large tri-hex tile, and the way new tiles get added means that the shape of the peninsula slowly changes shape during the course of play. The abstracted nature of the building puzzle changes in a way that gives all players the chance to affect it, and even in defeat, I found that all three players were in it until the very end of our 25-minute play.
Attika is lurking just outside the BGG top 1000 games, and I can see why players gravitate towards it as a thinky filler. By my fourth turn, I had the rules down in a way that allowed me to focus on meaningful decisions, while more experienced players can approach the design with a strategy that allows for some intentional misdirection to try and throw opponents off the scent. This one was fun, and if players want to discover it nowadays, a 2018 reprint (known as US Telegraph and published by Super Meeple) can be found by resourceful shoppers.
Ease of entry?
★★★★☆ – The odd bump or two
Would I play it again?
★★★★☆ – Would like to play it again
Read more articles from Justin Bell.
Smug Owls – Kevin Brantley
When I walked by Runaway Parade’s booth at PAX, someone called out, “Hey, I bet you I can teach you a game in ten seconds.” I took him up on his offer, and he nailed it in nine (someone else timed it). How on-brand that his smug confidence led to Smug Owls.
This simple party game has players answering riddles formed through a draw deck. With 89 cards and eight conjunctions, this small box can generate over 130,000 unique riddles. Example: “What is catastrophic and makes music?”
Players raise their hands as the full riddle is revealed. Once they have an answer, they must act fast, placing their hand on the table to indicate they’ve got one “loaded in the chamber.” The last player to do so becomes the “smug owl,” taking the smuggy standee and judging the answers of others. Up to three points are awarded (split at the judge’s discretion), and the player with the most points after eight rounds wins.
For an extremely simple game, it’s a lot of fun. Many “judge answers” party games reward the dirtiest response or the one that gets the biggest laugh. Smug Owls, however, rewards quick wit and profound thinking, leading to satisfying “oohs” and “ahhs” during the judgment phase. As corny as it sounds, I love a game that makes me feel smart when I come up with deep answers—and dumb when I draw a blank.
The game even won a Mensa award for Recommended Mind Games.
Ease of entry?
★★★★★ – Teach in ten seconds or less!!
Would I play it again?
★★★★☆ – I’ll always bring this to a party. See how witty your friends actually are.
Read more articles from Kevin Brantley.
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