Eminent Domain
Matt
Behind Core Worlds, Eminent Domain has been one of my favorite deck building games for a long time. It’s easy to play and doesn’t take terribly long, while still providing fun choices in the action selection. We played with 5-players and some expansion components, which were all great additions, but the game was more of a slog than ever before. It didn’t sour me on the game at all, but it definitely highlights a less-preferred player count. In the future, I’m quite interested in purchasing the expansion for the variable setup option; it was a welcome change of pace.
Steve
I played my first game of Eminent Domain and I was sort of just thrown into it after a brief rundown of what the objective was. I am familiar with deckbuilders, so it wasn’t anything too abstract for me to grasp. I think I had the most problem with just the motions of the game. I was playing a card when I wasn’t supposed to or not picking up cards at the right time. We played using scenarios and I randomly chose a very aggressive warfaring race. For most of the game I neglected my special power which allowed me to conquer planets very quickly and rack up the points. About ¾ of the way through it all clicked for me and realized all the mistakes I was making. Either way it was a cool experience and look forward to a do-over.
Sanssouci
Steve
I picked this one up at the year’s past Origins Game Fair. Dan had brought it out and I immediately went on the hunt to purchase it after one play. I absolutely LOVE this game. It is so easy to play and teach but the puzzle aspect can be such a brain burner. I taught Sanssouci to my step-daughter and her boyfriend and they seemed to really enjoy it. It was a kind of quiet game because everyone is so focused on how to optimize their turn with one of the two cards in hand. Getting those nobles down through the garden can get to be really tough. It was cool to see how all 3 of us took a different strategic approach. Roland went at a blistering pace and got almost all of his guys to the bottom, skipping most tiles in between. Krysta went at a very slow pace and filled in as many tiles as possible while taking multiple scoring opportunities. I went somewhere in between and focused on some of the end game tile bonuses. In the end, I won, but we were all only one point apart. A very close game, no matter the strategy!
Lanterns: The Harvest Festival
Steve
My sister was kind enough to scour through my game list, with the help of Alicia, to find a game that I DIDN’T already have to give as a Christmas gift. She picked up Lanterns for me and it was one that has been on my wish list since I missed out on the Kickstarter. I was able to teach my mom and play a couple of two-player games. It was a pretty good and lightweight game for her to pick up on pretty easily. However, the two player game is not as exciting or tricky as a game with 3 or 4 players. I was also able to teach it to my step-daughter and her boyfriend later that night, and they loved it as well. I look forward to playing this title more in the future.
Alchemists
Smee
Tuesday night gaming again, and this time around, it was Matúš Kotry’s Alchemists; a game of logic, deduction, and intensive second-guessing of yourself! I’m far too cautious when pondering my theories, preferring to experiment several times before committing to publishing, which usually leaves me scrambling for actions towards the end of the game. At least all of my conclusions were correct, this time around, leaving me to lose by only a single point!
Castellion
Kelly
The little guys on the tiles are so cute and this game is so puzzly! It would have been better if Matt and I weren’t trying to be overachievers when we tag-teamed it, and didn’t screw up the progress we’d made for earlier rounds just to lose the whole thing with extra connections.
Raptor
Matt
I’m debating going back over my Top 10 of 2015 and adding Raptor, the new title from Bruno and Bruno, to the list. Wow, this is a fantastic 2-player game! Unique opportunities on both sides of the board, simple and engaging simultaneous card play, and a killer theme to boot. Raptor is 100% my kind of game and I cannot wait to play some more.
Timeline Challenge
Kelly
We added Matt’s Timeline: Diversity deck when we played this time and it was cool. I was really bad at it because I continue to be terrible at history, but it was still a lot of fun!
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