Category: Games

When this post goes up, we will be happily gaming away at Gamicon. If you read this before the 28th, come join us at the Sheraton Hotel in Iowa City!

This year we received a ton of games for our Play-To-Win effort. I would really love to play all of them, but don’t have enough time. We did, however, get to play Gobblestones. Check it out…

GobblestonesGobblestones
R&R Games, 2015

Gobblestones is a simple, abstract tile placing game. You are playing a hungry goblin who is trying to eat up the most gemstones.

The board consists of 9 square double sided tiles. There are 25 small colored, numbered squares on each side of each tile. The board is made by placing the tiles in a 3×3 grid which will make a total playing surface of 225 colored, numbered squares.

The playing pieces consist of 100 colored surface tiles that are placed into a bag and drawn randomly. The object is to play a straight line of tiles and score the values of the squares on which the tiles were played. You can’t make a 2×2 block of tiles, and can’t turn corners, but otherwise can play as many or few tiles as you want as long as they are all on the same straight line. The more tiles you play, the fewer you draw, so you need to balance your play so you can always make some type of play.

Gobblestones is very easy to learn, but isn’t by any means a “simple” game. Trying to achieve the highest score with your tiles, while managing to keep enough to keep constant play can be a delicate balance. Trying to make a good score without leaving great plays for your opponents can also be quite tricky. Because each tile is two sided, and the game board configuration has lots of different play possibilites, giving the game a good amount of replayability. There are several different possible strategies and an intriguing amount of possibilities for each play.

We did have some difficulties because the tiles have a mirror-like surface, and with our lighting and surroundings, sometimes the colors were difficult to differentiate (gold reflecting a red sweater looks remarkably like the red tiles). There wasn’t any consideration to color blindness either. A simple pattern on each color tile would have easily taken care of this. There are also gray squares which aren’t mentioned in the rules. After playing, we figured out online that the gray squares are wild, but are 0 points.

Overall, this is a quick, light, fun strategy game. I very much enjoyed it and recommend it to fans of games like blokus.

PixelTacticsPixel Tactics,
Level 99 Games, 2012

Pixel Tactics is a two-person duel type card game. You and your opponent are fighting to try to defeat each others leader. The game uses cute 8-bit video game type artwork, and has a unique mechanism that allows each card to have multiple functions. I love this because it gives you so much versitality with only the few cards in your hand. I enjoy this game, and like the humerous treatment of card themes. It is set in the World of Indines, but you don’t need to know anything about that to enjoy this game

The game is played in three “waves” with each player taking two actions per wave. First player switches each round. Each player has a field of play that consists of a 3×3 grid with the Vanguard row at the top, the flank in the middle and the rear at the bottom. Each player starts the game by drawing 5 cards and choosing a leader from those. There leader will not change during the game, and a leader’s death ends the game. I’ll explain more about leaders in a minute when I describe the cards themselves. Once each player has chosen a leader, then the waves start. Beginning with the Vanguard wave, the first player may take two actions. Actions may be recruiting a hero, drawing a card, or in the 2nd round on, fighting your opponent. But here’s the kicker. In the Vanguard wave, you may only recruit or move cards to or from the Vanguard rank in the field of play. Then the flank wave and rear wave likewise. Pixel Tactics Deluxe box comes with a paper playmat which helps the newbie visualize, but isn’t necessary. You can also download a printable playmat.

So what I find so cool about this wave mechanic, is that the cards have different powers on them based on which wave you play them in, or if you have used them as your leader. For example, in the card below: If the card were turned upside down, you would be looking at it’s leader power. The leader name is Borneo. It has an attack of 1 and can take 20 points of damage. It’s special power is that it’s opponent’s leader loses it’s special effect. So if your opponent was playing a leader that allowed all it’s ranged attacks to be at +1, for example, that effect couldn’t happen.

But if you don’t use this as your leader, then it remains in your hand, and you can use it then as a hero, in this case, “Mascot”. Mascot has an attack of 1 and can take 4 damage. But it’s special power depends upon where it is in your field of play. On the playmat, the Vanguard rank is red, flank is green and rear is blue. The powers on the card match these colors, and also have a little diagram with the row highlighted, and text saying what the power does. So if you play Mascot into your vanguard, then if you use an action for its power, another vanguard hero can make a melee attack. (Normally a hero would only be able to make one attack). If you used it in your flank wave, then another hero would make a range attack, same if you played it in your rear wave.  I won’t go into more detail here. It’s all pretty self explanitory once you start playing. The rules are well done, and easy to reference as well.

But there is one more thing on the card. Just below the three waves will be another box. In the example it is purple, which means it is an order type card. You can play a card from your hand to use the power in this row. If the color is yellow, then it is a trap that you set for your opponent. If it is gray, then it is an event type card. Sometimes these cards may be played into the field of play (such as a trap). They go in a 4th row below the others, and activate when their conditions are met, if you choose to use them.

 

PixelTacticsCard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, as you can see, there are lots of different options you can use with each card. In a starter deck, you might have 25 cards, and each card would be a type that contains a leader. But as you acquire more cards (they are sold in sets, not like CCG’s) you may find other cards that are just heroes with no leader section, or other types of cards. Level 99 Games also offers league and other competitive play options.

Overall I very much enjoy this game and recommend it.

I just realized that I haven’t posted a review since September! Where does the time go? Conventions and holidays got me all in a kerfluffle. But I’m back now. For sanity’s sake, I’m going to go to a every-other-week reveiw schedule. Hopefully this will be a bit more managable for me, and more anticipated for you.

I’m not going to talk about a specific game this week though. This time, I’d like to talk a little bit about Gamicon.

Gamicon is a game convention that has been running in the Iowa City, Iowa area for 25 years. Crazy people that we are, we hold our convention in the depths of Iowa Winter, usually in Mid to Late February. In 2016, the convention will be held on February 26-28 at the Sheraton Hotel in Downtown Iowa City. As I type this we have almost 300 unique events scheduled. With our auction, computer game room, video game room and room parties in the evenings, I’m positive that we will offer over 300 “things to do” at Gamicon this year. About 90 percent of these games are offered at novice level, which means you don’t need to know a single thing about any of the games to sit down at the table and play. Rules will be taught.

Wow. This just blows me away. Just a couple of years ago we had about 300 attendees and ran about 150 events. Now we are planning on over 500 attendees and have 300+ events.

We also have super awesome guests this year. I’m so excited to get to meet Mr. Curt Covert of Smirk and Dagger Games. I’ve enjoyed his games for many years. I hope you’ll get a chance to sit down and play some with him this year.  We also have a great artist guest, Ms. Tina Bongorno. You can check out her work at https://tinabongorno.carbonmade.com.

Just in case you still think you might not be able to find something to do, we have a library of over 300 games that you can check out and play with your friends. We have games for all ages and all types of board games. Eurogames, party games, kids games. There really is something for everyone here. If you are looking to build a collection, you won’t want to miss our auction and vendor area. Hundreds of games and accessories will be available. The auction usually runs for about 5 hours. You can find some great games, including out of print and hard to find games as well.

But cons like this don’t run themselves. We have a great staff who give hundreds, if not thousands of volunteer hours to stage this event. Yeah, that’s right, if you didn’t think we were already nuts for having a con in February in Iowa, then knowing that we do it all on volunteer time should clinch the crazy. Not one individual gets so much as a penny for working on the convention, and most of us even pay our way in, many at the sponsor level. YES! We PAY to do all this work. YES, we love this con. Please take some time at the convention to stop at the volunteer table and see what you can do to help out. If everyone gave one hour of their time to the convention, we could do so many more things. We could offer more games, we could offer more prizes, we could let the staff take a potty break or eat a meal. (not kidding)

I also have to give a HUGE shout out to the over 50 individuals that volunteer to run scheduled games at Gamicon. Those over 300 events at Gamicon that I mentioned above. These folks bring in games that they love and share them with anyone who is interested. They are the heart and soul of our little con. Thank them. I know we can’t thank them enough for the stuff they do.

So I’d like to take this opportunity to invite you to join us. Come play games with us! Can’t wait to see you at Gamicon.

 

UbiUbi
Selchow & Righter, 1986

Now for a blast from the past. Ubi came out in 1986 during the trivia craze from Selchow & Righter, makers of Trivial Pursuit. Today, trivia games are pretty “so-last-year”. They are the kitchy game that gets put out periodically for whatever hot tv/movie commodity is “in” at the time.

Reticle
Reticle

But Ubi was a little different. I picked it up at a second hand store and fell in love with it. I am a history buff, and am not too bad with my geography, and for Ubi, you need both. You are asked a trivia question, usually historically based. Then, using a “Reticle” (see picture), you must locate to a degree of precision, where that answer occurred. Get it correct, and you get a section of your Ubi Pyramid. First person to complete their pyramid wins the game. It comes with a cool map with no names, although it does have city/town/landmark denoations like you would find on any normal map.

I’ll admit, it’s from 1986, so questions may be a bit dated, but since most of them are historical in nature anyway, to me it isn’t a problem. My biggest problem with the game is that no one will play it with me. Like history and geography and have a talent for triva? Give Ubi a whirl. If you can find it.