So each year we at the tiny Meeple Guild like to look back on the games we have reviewed over the past year, and so here goes a look at 2019.
At #5
From Adam Daniels - Outer Earth: While I think there are better games that could go in this spot, Outer Earth gets this spot because upon reading the rules I was confident that this game would be flat out bad. Being the one who must learn all the games we play I have read many rule sets, and after a while you kinda get an idea how much you will enjoy a game. This game blew my expectations out of the water. It’s a fun time bidding on planets and trying to make sure you position to get that planet you need to make your strategy work. Expectations can often ruin a game experience, when set to high most games can’t live up. This game proved the opposite, and when you play a lot of games they stop being memorable like a lot of the other 45 games reviewed. I remember this game and I remember having fun with it.
Calvin Daniels - Cold Water Crown: So, if you are on a break from riding around in a boat tossing spoons into the water in hopes a pike will attack it, or are sitting in the cabin waiting for a rain to pass, well this game might be just the ticket.So what is this game all about?
“You’ve secured your spot as a competitor in the world-renowned Coldwater Crown fishing tournament, and the contest has just begun! Will you be able to cast the right bait at the right time to reel in the biggest fish? Will you be able to strategically balance your efforts at the different fishing locations to win the most trophies? Very little is certain on these frigid waters, but it’s guaranteed the fish will be biting,” details the fluff in the rulebook.
As in fishing, he who catches the most and biggest fish, gets bragging rights for the day. Check it out at www.bellwethergames.com
Trevor Lyons – Villagers; A fun card drafting game. You have to manage your resources to grow your village.
At #4
Adam Daniels - Pandemic Fall of Rome: Pandemic might be my favorite board game off all time. I have played a lot of Pandemic, and Fall of Rome slaps a new coat of paint and some new mechanics different from the base game and it all works. You spend the entire game trying to save Rome from the barbarian horde that never stops coming. You have trained Roman Legions to help you fight the horde, rolling dice to determine who wins the fight. Unlike previous Pandemic games when the enemies spawn they must follow a supply line which makes this version more unique and fresh. Like most Pandemic games you are going to lose a lot more than you win, but you can win. That’s what make this great you never feel bad when lose, you just want to play until you save Rome.
Calvin Daniels -- Wizard’s Garden; As the game website explains the game as; “a classical abstract game of the Reversi family, Wizard’s Garden has its strength in shared pieces and non-intuitive strategical gameplay.”
Players initially take turns placing four pieces on the board. Pieces are double sided but it does not matter which side is showing in set up. They must however not be connected orthogonally.
Game play now proceeds with each player in turn dropping a stone of either colour on an empty cell orthogonally adjacent to at least another stone on the board. All stones orthogonally adjacent to the played pieces then flip colour.
After the flips, any four in-a-row (with stones of the same colour) is removed from board, and that player gets one point. He keeps one of the pieces in his scoring pool, and the remaining three go back to the shared piece pool.
This game is simply fantastic. It’s simple to learn, quick to play, with a lot of replay allure, and it’s highly transportable. This is a game that is not only recommendable, but should be in any collection if someone liking the abstract strategy genre. I may have taken 15 years to finally play it, but it was certainly a game worth discovering.
Trevor Lyons - Call to Adventure; Create a hero and conquer the world! Overcome challenges to gain abilities and use them to gain destiny. It’s a different twist on a D&D themed game.
At #3
Adam Daniels - Photosynthesis: This game was the second best looking game I played this year. The goal of the game is to grow the biggest tree, by planting it so it gets the most sun. The sun moves around the board causing each round to be different with trees getting less sun if they are in the shadow of another tree. The trees themselves are what make this game so enjoyable. They are 3d cardboard trees that stand up on the board, each player as their own set of trees that are colored to match a season making the board colorful and very nice to look during the game. This game is very simple, very nice to look and would recommend for anyone.
Calvin Daniels – Forest Fighters: To start the theme is a fun one, focusing on the critters of the forest fighting to secure acorns. The player with the most acorns at the end of the game wins.
The artwork has a school student artist appeal that might not please all, but if it is the final art I’d be quite satisfied.
This is a game where cards have neat special abilities and so far we haven’t found a broken combination which detracts from the game.
There are always choices for players to make, and there does appear to be different strategies, based on card combos, that can put you seriously in the race for a win.
If you like deck builders at all this is a game that a lot of appeal.
Trevor Lyons – Photosynthesis; Plant trees, collect light from the sun, grow trees. A strategy game of where to plant your trees and grow them so they stop the other players. It’s an easy game to learn and amazingly fun.
At #2
Adam Daniels - Parks: In Parks the whole purpose of the game is to go for a nice leisurely hike, visiting as many US national parks. Along the trail you will pick wooden pieces that allow to visit parks, the park card are the best aspect of the game. Each park card has a piece of hand drawn art, the art on these cards is stunning and make the game absolutely beautiful to play. I think this might be the most aesthetically pleasing game we have in the collection. This game reminds a lot of Takaido which is a great game as well, but I think this game is better.
Calvin Daniels - Merchants of Dale: I had expected Dale of Merchants to be a game I liked, it is after all a deck builder, and I love the genre.
But I had not expected to like it as much as I have. Over at Board Game Geek I keep an evolving list of the deck building games I have played listed from best to worst. The list now included 30 games and when I slotted in Dale of Merchants it soared up to number six, a rather lofty placing for a game that comes in a tiny box with a relatively small number of cards.
The game is quick to set up, learn, and play which again is a nice change in terms of the genre as many require considerable time to do all three.
Overall, this is a definite winner that really is worth having as it uses the deck builder mechanic in a rather refreshing and unique way. Check it out at www.snowdaledesign.fi
Trevor Lyons – Zombicide: A fun cooperative game where you are trying to survive. Search for weapons and supplies and the escape point before the zombies overrun you.
At #1
Adam Daniels - Root: This game is awesome. I love the theme of woodland creatures fighting over supremacy of the forest. This game does have a slight learning curve just because each of the four factions in the game play differently and actually has different goals in order to win the game. While there is learning curve the rules are simple enough that the game never feels confusing our not fun. The little meeple animals on the board look very nice, the rules aren’t confusing overall this game is just a blast to play. We played this game early in the year and there a lot of game after this one, but this one was clearly the best of the bunch.
Calvin Daniels – Root: Rarely do I so fully agree with my son, but on the easy number one game of the year I certainly do.
Trevor Lyons – Parks: A fun, quick resource management game where you are hiker trails, looking to enter National Parks. The player with the most points from visiting the National Parks wins.
Well that’s it for reviewed games. Looking ahead we at the Meeple Guild hope you all have many hours of gaming ahead in 2020.
