Thursday, January 12, 2017

Obligatory “What I Played In…” Post Part XVIII: December 2016

Alright, let’s do a “What I Played In…” post! This one will focus on the games that we played in December. We got over 40 plays in this past month and a bunch of new plays! On top of the plays we got we obtained a bunch of new stuff for Christmas so there are a bunch of new things to play! Alright, on to the statistics!

Statistics:
Total plays in December 2016 – 45
Total unique games played in December 2016 – 26
New games played in December 2016 – 11
New games acquired in December 2016 – 12
New expansions acquired in December 2016 – 3
Most plays of a single game in December 2016 – 5

Fabled Fruit


Designer – Friedemann Friese
Publisher – Stronghold Games
New to me
First play – 12/26/16
Total plays in December 2016 – 5

This is one of the new games we got for Christmas and we love it! This game starts with six action spaces (cards) that are very simple interactions and starts adding in and subtracting out different cards/actions with every card scored. The game really changes and feels completely different now than it felt on the first play. This is also super simple so would be great to bring in new gamers!

Cottage Garden


Designer – Uwe Rosenberg
Publisher – Edition Spielwiese
New to me
First play – 12/23/16
Total plays in December 2016 – 4

This is another new game that we obtained this past month and was another hit! This takes a similar pattern building mechanism from Patchwork and A Feast for Odin and makes it a very simple, very fun 1-4 player game where you are building a garden using tile drafting. I’d highly recommend this as another game to really show new players that there are some awesome, simple, fun games out there!

The Ravens of Thri Sahashri


Designer – Kuro
Publisher – Osprey Games
Last play before December 2016 – 9/14/16
Total plays in December 2016 – 4

Em and I were really on a roll this past month pulling out this wonderful, two-player, asymmetrical card game. We had passed the beginning level of the game and are really trying to burst our way through the first envelope. We will eventually beat the level we’re on and we love it every time we try!

Five Tribes


Designer – Bruno Cathala
Publisher – Days of Wonder
New to me
First play – 12/25/16
Total plays in December 2016 – 3

This was a huge hit and another of our new games for the month! This reminds me of the fun that we had when we played Ticket to Ride for the first time! I think that this is going to be a contender for our top 10 list when we roll it back around next year. It is a great Mancala-style game that we had a ton of fun with and were able to teach Molly and Dustin on New Year’s Eve.

SeaFall


Designer – Rob Daviau
Publisher – Plaid Hat Games
Last play before December 2016 – 11/24/16
Total plays in December 2016 – 3

Another month down and another few plays of SeaFall in the books! Em, Josh and I are really cruising through the campaign and really enjoying every minute of it. I can understand that some people don’t love this game but we really do! We are looking forward to our next plays of this game to see what stuff we’ll unlock and come across!

Bear Valley


Designer – Carl Chudyk
Publisher – Stronghold Games
Last play before December 2016 – 9/18/16
Total plays in December 2016 – 2

Em and I pulled out Bear Valley and got a couple of quick, fun plays in. This push-your-luck game by the card master, Carl Chudyk, is just a fun time every time we pull it out and I really want to teach this to other people to see what they think.

Beyond Baker Street


Designer – Robin Lees/Steve Mackenzie
Publisher – Z-Man Games
Last play before December 2016 – 9/5/16
Total plays in December 2016 – 2

Em suggested that we pull this one off the shelf and get a couple of plays in. I forgot how much I enjoyed this game until we played a couple of rounds of it. If you are a fan of Hanabi, this is a really good next step as it has a similar mechanism but adds some variability. It doesn’t replace Hanabi but is a really good addition with a better theme!

Mysterium


Designer – Oleksandr Nevskiy/Oleg Sidorenko
Publisher – Libellud/Asmodee
Last play before December 2016 – 7/10/16
Total plays in December 2016 – 2

We pulled out Mysterium twice this past month and were able to teach it to Molly and Dustin earlier in the month and our family later in the month. This game is always a great time and I’m glad that everyone really liked it!

Star Realms


Designer – Robert Dougherty/Darwin Kastle
Publisher – White Wizard Games
New to me
First play – 12/9/16
Total plays in December 2016 – 2

Josh and I pulled this out after a game night this past month and played a couple of rounds. This deck-building is fun but I would never crave to play it. That being said, I had ton of fun even though I lost badly both times!

Würfel Bohnanza


Designer – Uwe Rosenberg
Publisher – Amigo Spiele
Last play before December 2016 – 10/27/16
Total plays in December 2016 – 2

Oh yeah, another month in the books and another game of rolling dice and selling beans! This is still one of our favorite dice-chuckers and is just always a good time. I really hope that an American publisher eventually picks this one up so others can enjoy the game as well!

Arkham Horror: The Card Game


Designer – Nate French/Matthew Newman
Publisher – Fantasy Flight Games
New to me
First play – 12/17/16
Total plays in December 2016 – 1

Oh wow. We finally picked this game up this past month and played the first scenario and it was incredible! I’m not sure that my wife is sold on the game yet but I hope that more plays of this amazing card game really gets her into the mechanisms and the campaigns!

Bohnanza


Designer – Uwe Rosenberg
Publisher – Rio Grande Games/Amigo Spiele
New to me
First play – 12/30/16
Total plays in December 2016 – 1

Finally! This game has been on our radar for a long time and Em got it for me for Christmas! We pulled it out and played it with Molly and Dustin and we all really enjoyed it. I love the trading and bartering that can be done during this game, it really makes the game stand out.

Diamonds


Designer – Mike Fitzgerald
Publisher – Stronghold Games
Last play before December 2016 – 12/25/15
Total plays in December 2016 – 1

This is a game that tends to be a mainstay during any family get-together as it is super easy to teach and play. Fitzgerald certainly earns his respect as an amazing card game designer and I can’t wait to see what he has in store for us next!

FUSE


Designer – Kane Klenko
Publisher – Renegade Game Studios
Last play before December 2016 – 9/21/16
Total plays in December 2016 – 1

Em and I finally taught this game to Josh and we all had a good time playing this amazing dice-drafting, cooperative game. While we had a great time, we got our butts handed to us as we weren’t able to save the ship from destruction!

Hanabi


Designer – Antoine Bauza
Publisher – R&R Games
Last play before December 2016 – 6/30/16
Total plays in December 2016 – 1

This is another game that we taught Josh this past month and he really loved it! Every time I play this game and another of Bauza’s game, it reminds me how clever of a designer he is and why he is always one to look at when a new release hits the shelves.

Holmes: Sherlock & Mycroft


Designer – Diego Ibañez
Publisher – Devir
Last play before December 2016 – 8/5/16
Total plays in December 2016 – 1

Em and I pulled out this fun hand-management, card-drafting, worker-placement game one night before Josh got over for a game. We really enjoy this small, but very fun, worker-placement game. Also, I really enjoy the Sherlock theme that they’ve added to the experience.

La Granja: No Siesta


Designer – Andreas Odendahl
Publisher – Stronghold Games
New to me
First play – 12/22/16
Total plays in December 2016 – 1

I pulled this game out just to try it as a solitaire play and it was really fun! I knew that I’d like the roll-and-write game from the run-throughs that I’d seen in the last couple of months leading up to its distribution into retail channels.

Oh My Goods!


Designer – Alexander Pfister
Publisher – Lookout Games
Last play before December 2016 – 9/7/16
Total plays in December 2016 – 1

Em and I pulled out this great card game during a breakfast date this past month. This is another fantastic Pfister game and we absolutely love it. This was actually a win for me even though Em tends to win it more often than not!

Pittsburgh 68


Designer – Larry Wickman
Publisher – GameWick Games
New to me
First play – 12/9/16
Total plays in December 2016 – 1

Josh pulled this game out at a game night and taught three of us how to play as he took on the role of the game master. It is a pretty fun all-versus-one game where we were facing off against Josh. It was an interesting game which I’d play again if asked but wouldn’t seek out.

Potion Explosion


Designer – Stefano Castelli/Andrea Crespi/Lorenzo Silva
Publisher – Cool Mini or Not/Horrible Games
Last play before December 2016 – 9/11/16
Total plays in December 2016 – 1

This is another game we pulled out while playing with Molly and Dustin. They really enjoyed this game and I don’t blame them! This super fun game of pattern building is very easy to teach and goes over well with everyone who plays!

Quadropolis


Designer – François Gandon
Publisher – Days of Wonder
Last plays before December 2016 – 7/17/16
Total plays in December 2016 – 1

We realized that we hadn’t played this one in a little while so decided to give it a go this past month. I tried too hard to get a really good amount of office buildings and failed at getting some other good scoring tiles which caused Em to win the game. We love this quick, fun, city-building game.

Sons of Anarchy: Men of Mayhem


Designer – Aaron Dill/John Kovaleski/Sean Sweigart
Publisher – Gale Force Nine, LLC
New to me
First play – 12/9/16
Total plays in December 2016 – 1

This game was another that Josh taught us during a game night. It is a simple but somewhat fun worker placement game that finds each player taking on the role of a member of warring bike clubs. You are using fairly standard worker placement moves but they come together in a fairly thematic way. It is a pretty good game although far from my favorite usage of worker placement.

Star Wars: Armada


Designer – James Kniffen/Christian T. Petersen
Publisher – Fantasy Flight Games
New to me
First play – 12/2/16
Total plays in December 2016 – 1

A buddy, Tim, let us borrow this game and we tried it out this past month. It is a pretty fun game though it was easily one of the fiddliest games I’ve ever played. While we enjoyed the play, I don’t think we’ll be playing it again anytime soon.

Tokaido (w/ Crossroads & Matsuri)


Designer – Antoine Bauza
Publisher – Funforge
Last play before December 2016 – 1/16/16
Total plays in December 2016 – 1

We just got the deluxe version of this game and haven’t looked back. It is an absolutely stunning production and I’m glad we were able to pick it up at such a good price. We were able to teach Molly and Dustin the game and they really enjoyed the play. I’m looking forward to more plays on our beautiful new board!

Villages of Valeria


Designer – Isaias Vallejo/Rick Holzgrafe
Publisher – Daily Magic Games
New to me
First play – 12/31/16
Total plays in December 2016 – 1

This was a Kickstarter that was shipped out just before Christmas and it is definitely a winner! I only got a chance to play a single solo round in December but I loved it. This game is somewhat similar to Race for the Galaxy with some absolutely amazing fantasy art set in the Valeria world. I loved my play and look forward to teaching Em as I think she’ll really like it!

Wizards of the Wild


Designer – Adam West/Dan Schnake/Abe Schnake
Publisher – CrossCut Games
Last play before December 2016 – 6/28/16
Total plays in December 2016 – 1

We finished up a SeaFall game early one night so we decided to pull this out and teach it to our buddy Josh. He really liked it which made us happy as we really like this card and dice game. This is a game that didn’t have a ton of hype around it and thus I don’t hear much about it but if you’re a fan of card combos and dice rolling then this is a game to check out.

New game acquisitions in December 2016:
Arkham Horror: The Card Game
Bios: Genesis
Bohnanza
Cottage Garden
Fabled Fruit
A Feast for Odin
Five Tribes
Games of Trains
Great Western Trail
La Granja: No Siesta
Tokaido Deluxe Edition
Villages of Valeria

New expansion acquisitions in December 2016:
Arkham Horror: The Card Game: Curse of the Rougarou
Tokaido: Crossroads
Tokaido: Matsuri

Well, there we have it, another month of gaming and another post of statistics! Keep an eye out as I'm starting to compile my "End of 2016" posts and should be starting them up pretty soon. Thanks so much for reading! Until next time, game on!

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