I had to start this post with something football related, since every time I see the game box - I think about Notre Dame football. I'm a Michigan football fan, so having a constant reminder about Notre Dame is tough. It's a great game though, so I let the name slide.
For me, Notre Dame was a hype purchase back in 2007. ND had been reviewed very well on BGG and it felt like the "new Puerto Rico" almost. Notre Dame was part of my first big online order from ThoughtHammer. I had some Christmas money to spend and bought 3 games and 4 Carcassonne expansions. Notre Dame was the first game I picked though, because it was very popular. I think the module on BSW allowed ND to secure some vast popularity. I can see why. The BSW version is great. I've enjoyed several games against my father and others online.
It's really been too long since I've played ND. As it turns out, the time my father and I spend online recently has been developing our own board game, so our online playing has diminished. It's been since October of 2008 that we've played ND on BSW. I guess if I had to re-adjust my top 20, ND would have to move down just because it's been so long since I've really played. But I usually enjoyed playing when I did. I love the mechanic of drafting and sliding cards. 7 Wonders has the same draft and move mechanic. I really think it's a cool way to build your hand of cards. The transparency of knowing that someone else has "that card" or may have "that card" is cool to me.
This is a game that will rarely get played on my kitchen table - mainly because Jen isn't a fan. I may rate it highly, but she gives it a 5 because she hates the rats. I don't like them either, but I take efforts to control my rat population when I play. I guess the last time Jen played, she didn't and got overrun.
Final Thoughts Just writing about Notre Dame makes me want to play it again. I think I'll try to get Jen to think about playing this weekend. I give myself a 20% chance at convincing her. At the very least, I'll re-read the rule and re-acclamate myself to it.
I rated this game a 9/10
Extra Thoughts The Treasure Chest comes with some expansion cards. I own the cards, but have yet to really even look at them due to the fact that I haven't played ND in so long. I've heard good things about the expansion. Hopefully I get to try it out this weekend.
