Arcadia Quest –

Matt

Dan finally got his hands on a copy of Cool Mini’s competitive arena brawler so we went ahead and started the campaign, finishing two of the six scenarios during game night. The game is fairly simple, teams of three heroes gather equipment, roll some dice and beat the heck out of each other and neutral enemies. While a pretty basic “dice and minis” game, it was fun to work out synergies between your team, fling arrows across the table at each other and send minotaurs spiraling into rooms with your opponents, conveniently locking the door behind them. I’ll gladly play through the campaign and enjoy the experience, but overall I’m glad that I didn’t pay upfront for this title on Kickstarter. It’s not one I feel compelled to own.

Steve

When it comes to the vast variety of gaming themes and components, I find myself feeling very indifferent to miniature based games. I think they are really cool to look at and offer a nice component piece to place on the board and move around but it always seems to come off as just “meh” to me. Arcadia Quest however was a pleasant surprise. I really had no idea what we were getting into as the lid came off. I really enjoyed the combat and the various loot that you can grab. The system to me did feel just like any other typical miniatures game I have played in my limited experience but I had a lot of fun playing it with my fellow gamers. I look forward to continuing our campaign. It may just have me change my mind on how I feel about mini games.

Circus Flohcati –

Dan

We did a full review for Circus Flohcati so I won’t go into the great detail on this filler-length set collection game from the master himself, Reiner Knizia. The new version from Grail Games has interesting artwork that places flea heads on the bodies of human circus performers. Slightly creepy but it definitely conveys what little theme there is.  An easy rule set, elegant scoring system and a dash of press-your-luck card draw really endeared this game to me. I highly recommend if you’re into small box games.

Kelly

I really enjoyed this little card game. It was easy to learn and I love the quirky circus flea people on the cards! It’s a totally different game when you play with two players, but it’s still pretty awesome all-around.

Tash-Kalar: Arena of Legends –

Steve

This was only my second play of Tash-Kalar and both experiences were very…meh. In both plays we went with the four player deathmatch variant where you have to score points by killing units of each player. Planning out your attack requires you to move pieces into correct positions to summon special units from your hand. The units offer special powers and are key to moving your unit pieces around and killing your opponents. I do enjoy trying to work out the best move but it can start to creep into prolonged AP territory. I really needed to score some “Smee points” and I spent way too long trying to find a way to kill some of his units. I think we played for close to 2 hours and we called it quits. I would strictly keep this one at a two player game.

Matt

Tash-Kalar continues to be excellent with two and horrible with more. It is simply to crowded and chaotic with three or four players. I’ve been really happy with the variety of play style offered by the expansions. This really is a fantastic two player abstract game.

Kelly

We played this with four people and I can say that, while I love this game immensely, it is not good with four people. Don’t do it: play with three people or play with two people or something.

Porta Nigra –

Steve

I have been very interested in trying this out since seeing images and the Shut Up and Sit Down review. I really enjoyed the action selections and building the towers. The tough part of this game was the balance of scoring points from your towers and collecting the cards you need for end game points. The set collection seemed a little “thrown in” but it added a nice little element to your decision making. I did however lose pretty badly because I neglected to really understand how each of the four quadrant majorities worked and I lost out on a bunch of points. I really want to play this again and I think it may be on my buy list now as well.

Fire and Axe –

Steve

I have been hearing rumors of Fire and Axe. I thought it was just another mini’s game but I was dead wrong. This is a semi straightforward action point move around the board, raid cities and settle…settlements. I’m not sure how I felt about the game in the end. I did like a lot of the options you had on your turn and the wind system that can aid your movement or mess with your opponents. The added gentle whisperings of Dan singing “sail” as I moved my boat around the board was also a plus. The combat rolling was just okay but nothing too exciting. The game reminded me a lot of a more streamlined version of Venetia which is another just, OK game but Venetia relies much less on luck of the roll. I would like another shot at Fire and Axe now that I have my first play notched into my axe handle. I am however not actively seeking out that redemption. LOUSY VIKINGS!

Matt

I was able to get in my second play of Fire and Axe and was happy to still enjoy it. It was nice to have a better understanding of what to do and we managed to hit close to the 90 minute box time. I still have only play at four players and so I’d be interested to give it a whirl with five and see how that impacts the game time and interaction.

Kelly

I like this game a lot. It’s a good decision-making game and it’s not necessarily what I’d normally choose to play but I definitely recommend everyone check it out!

Trambahn –

Steve

This past Sunday was Easter and I hung out with my mom and played about 5 games of Trambahn. I beat her every single game. She really seemed to struggle with the timing and how/when to score. I would giver her some pointers in between games on what she should try doing and would just end up abandoning her plan after two scoring rounds. It does feel like you should be saving up enough cash for a higher scoring train but if you can never score them it become a waste. She kept buying train after train while I was building up one or two hefty piles and scoring them. I think in the end she knew what she was doing wrong but just didn’t have the cards to pull off her strategy. We still a lot of fun and is such a great game.

Check out our Trambahn Review!

Dohdles! –

Steve

I borrowed this from Matt a month ago and the family loved it. So it was a no brainer to grab this for the collection. This is a pretty fun family party game where players use clay to craft objects for people to guess what they are and score points. The trick is to not make it too easy as to where they can be guessed too quickly. The longer it takes the more points the Dohdle maker can score when it is guessed. Players can ask questions about the object or ask for a letter in the name. We ended up playing three games in a row and it really wore out its welcome kinda quickly. I find it to be best with at least four players to keep it interesting. This will also make the plays a little lengthier and it won’t get a chance to wear out its welcome.