This game was my re-introduction to abstract gaming, and, I'll admit, the component design is of superior quality. Pushing the marbles can be quite a lot of fun. However, it can be far too easy to turtle in the game, which hurts it. I have seen alternate starting positions which alleviate this problem, so it may not be an insurmountable issue. In any case, this game has largely been replaced by the GIPF series in my affections.

Only have one play in (with three players), so my thoughts will need more time to develop. However, I rather enjoyed my one play of this game. The reset halfway through the game adds an interesting twist, as one player can inherit the results of all the hard work of another player. Plus, it has the Best Session Report Evar. ( http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geekforum.php3?action=viewthrea...)
UPDATE: I have several more plays under my belt now, and I agree with those who say that this game is better with more players. Ideally, you want the full complement of five players. But, when you do, it's a fine building game. Of course, now my wife is schooling us regularly when we play....

So, yeah, it's an epic game that probably won't hit the table much around here, just because of time. And yet, when it does hit the table, you can guarantee that I'll want to be playing. This game hovers in between my "boardgaming" space and my "roleplaying" space in a really pleasant way. Plus, I'm a fan of Bladerunner, detective noir, and cyberpunk, so I'm constitutionally required to like this game.

And I do. I really, really do. Weird, huh?

For straight-up co-op play, there's Pandemic and Lord of the Rings. Honestly, I don't think any game will replace Lord of the Rings in my affections.

But Battlestar Galactica isn't straight-up co-op play. And I *love* it. Paranoia, tension, treachery, massive dogfights against insurmountable odds...it's wonderful!

My only concern is that BSG can take too long, which makes it more of an "event" game and less of a "hey, wanna play BSG?"

Having played Taj Mahal (which seems like a related game), I think that I can say that Taj is the deeper game...but I enjoy Beowulf more. In particular, I really enjoy the Risk rules, which add a visceral thrill to the game as well as a risk management dimension to the gameplay.

I can't support some of the artwork (too much nudity), which means that I've already censored several of the cards, particularly the Mimix.

That being said, gameplay is tense and enjoyable. Most German games don't have a lot of direct confrontation, which this game has in spades. It also gives me the Magic buzz without the high price of buy-in.

While I currently have all the card sets, I'd like to assemble a second set, so I'm open to trades for any of the sets.

UPDATE: Bumped this to a 10. I'm teaching my daughter to play, and she's loving it. So, that clinches it.

Having now played this game a few times, I think that I can now comment on it. This game is *tight*. It requires a good tactical mind to read all the possible combos of the cards in hand, *plus* time management, *plus* hand management, *plus* some strategic look-ahead. At the same time, it doesn't feel like too much of a brain burner. This game is in no way mechanically connected to the Blue Moon card game, yet it still manages to evoke the same great theme.

A light trading game with just enough pressure to make it all work.

Bridges of Shangri-la is almost the big box version of Clans. If you liked Clans, then this is worth checking out. Of course, around here, I have a hard time getting either to the table.... UPDATE: Oddly enough, I'm finding that my children (ages 8, 7, 5) get this game pretty well.

A light dice game with a surprising amount of strategy.

Change the feel of Carcassonne radically, making it much more cutthroat. I happen to like the change, but I can see why others might not.

This is the game that my wife and I play while drinking tea and chatting. I prefer it to two-player Carcassonne, and I find it quite relaxing to play.

It's a full-contact economic game. I've compared it to Roborally, in that you're trying to "program" your turn. But, of course, other people can block you out, leaving you high and dry. Lots of fun!

A short yet subtle game that produces satisfying play.

I'm still tossing around ideas for house rules to adjust movement (maybe a player can move 1d4 rooms, or something like that), because, aside from the silly movement rules, this is a fine deduction game.

Surprisingly thematic in feel. The blackjack mechanic lends itself to the brinksmanship feel of the period, where two superpowers stared at each other across the Iron Curtain.

At the same time, it can be a little disturbing. I have a co-worker who emigrated from Angola because of the revolutions that were being fought there, supported by these two superpowers. A sobering thought when I draw another group from the deck.

A fun filler that fits into the "conversational game" category around these parts. (In other words, you can play it while talking about something else.)

I play this with my children, but I still enjoy it enough to play against adults. It's not as deep as (say) Gipf or Go, but there's more going on than initially meets the eye.

I'm starting to see why this is considered a classic. Plus, I can play it with my kids, and we all have fun together!

More cards=more better. More mean cards=more better in my opinion.

Duration cards are teh awesome. That is all.

Sometimes, late at night, when the children have gone to bed, I play this with my wife and my sister. It's an almost guilty pleasure.

For all that this is a brain-burner, it still feels friendly to me. I enjoy the network aspects of the game, by which I mean that every piece really does affect every other piece. As the board shrinks and legal moves become fewer, then the tension *really* starts to rise.... A modern classic.

Although one must be awake to play this game, I have found it to be an excellent party game, enjoyed by many.

Not a deep game, but still enjoyed when it hits the table. The skill of the game is in the cardplay. My children enjoy it as well, which I like. Besides, any game that lets you knock over pieces with marbles should be played at least once.

So it's chaotic. Your point? This game is a great way to end an evening. I think of it as "UNO on meth" and laugh.

This requires a couple of plays to begin to understand, but I'm finding that it is worth the effort. The "economy" of the game is somewhat complex, which supports complex negotiations, but this also means that the learning curve is a bit steeper.

A quality game, if sometimes a bit opaque. I recommending downloading GIPF for One and letting the computer kick you around for a bit. That's how I started figuring out how to play this one.

That being said, once you begin to grasp good gameplay, the possibilities become amazing. And then there are the potentials....

Expands the gameplay of GIPF nicely. In some ways, the TAMSK potential disturbs the basic GIPF movement rules the least, which can make this a good opening venture into the GIPF potentials.

I'm really glad that I got my hands on this game. Heavy enough to be a good centerpiece for an evening, but still light enough to be a social experience. Plays best with five, but still good with three and four.

Not particularly intellectually stimulating, but it scratched my miniatures wargaming itch. Pretty good figs and nifty 3-D terrain.

Someone described this game as having multiple paths to defeat. That seems about right. A mean little game, full of delicious tension.

A filler abstract! I love it! There's just enough going on to have the depth that I want in an abstract, but it's not so brain-burny that I have to be in full-on "think mode". Plus it comes with a travel bag. I anticipate playing this one for some time.

Was just introduced to this game on BSW (6/29/2005). I rather enjoyed it. Enough strategy to keep you busy, but still light enough that I could see myself playing it as a conversational game. UPDATE: Well, I bought the game, so I guess I really was impressed. :-) UPDATE: I'm not sure about the three-player version, since you lose more control of the game state. However, the two-player game is wonderful.

Probably my favorite of the Mask trilogy. Don't let the rulebook fool you. All those rules about tile-placement aren't just logistical concerns; that's the heart of the game. Lots of subtle blocking and spatial manipulation make this a tricky game, but enjoyable when it hits the table.

This is gaming crack in a bag. No. Really. There is only one game, and it is Jungle Speed. UPDATE: Bumped this to a 10. With 50 plays in 2006, the time has come.

A simple miniatures wargame masquerading as a card game. Plays out in about 10 minutes, and a great deal of fun.

What an intense game! I actually play this vanilla with my children. Generally speaking, when we're playing games, I have to ask "What cards are you holding?". In this game, that's actually how the game is played. Very tense, but when you get the Ring into Mount Doom, it is a serious rush.

Adds a couple of new dimensions to this excellent game. I've found that the use of this expansion adds a bit of "choice" to the game. I'm not completely sure how much of the choice is real (versus illusory), but anything that breaks up the linear nature of the game is good by me. Plus, my boys (currently ages 6 and 4) prefer playing with the Foes (or "Monsters"), and that's a good thing.

I have no problems playing against the game, but I find that overcoming a Sauron player is even more satisfying. I highly recommend this expansion.

After one play: well, I was not disappointed by the play of this game. A bit of Stratego, a bit of Raj card-counting, and some nifty special abilities work together to form an enjoyable game. UPDATE--Bought my own copy and played through several times with my sister. As a result, I'm bumping to a 9. What with all the German games that I have, I have felt the lack of a direct, in-your-face sort of game, and I find that this fills that niche well.

When you read the rules to this game, you ask, "What's the big deal? Play a card, draw a card. So?" Then you start playing it and realize that this is one of the most aggravating games ever made. Player interaction is subtle, but it does exist. Recommended.

I used to like this game more, but now the randomness and disturbing art is too much for me.

Once upon a time, I was really into this game. Now, I'm back.

While the gameplay isn't quite as tense as (say) Blue Moon, the fun of this game for me is in the open design structure. I'm really looking forward to getting back into the world of deck design.

I didn't realize that this was on the Geek! Haven't played in a bit, but much fun!

The easiest of the Mask Trilogy, mostly because you only have to keep track of one playing piece. That doesn't make this a light game, though; the balance between placing lots of small buildings to fill a district versus placing large buildings to get numeric advantage is pretty cool. Plus, I just like the aesthetics of the board, as the city of Tenochtitlan slowly grows into full bloom.

A game that I bought specifically because of its high level of metagame interaction. A great game for both gamers and non-gamers.

One of my favorite two-player games, and IMHO, the best two-player CCG out there. A great combination of resource management and bluffing.

Oh...my... It's a dexterity game with the thoughtfulness of a good abstract. Area control is a big deal, but so is a steady hand. Plus, it has magnets. What's there not to like?

What a tense game! Tricky to get into, because of its unforgiving nature, but a tight design. Seven auctions, fourteen actions, and you're done. Every move that you make *has* to count. I love it.

Yes, yes, I know that everyone else rates this a 10. But still, I find that Puerto Rico is such a satisfying experience. Not a simple game, but still all the parts interact so well... UPDATE: I cranked this down to an 8, mostly because I've found that I don't always enjoy this. Nonetheless, a good game.

A fine ending to the GIPF Project. I find that I enjoy it because of the ability of a single move to be profound. In other words, the movement of a single piece causes the entire situation to shift.

This was my first real introduction to Eurogames and to Reiner Knizia's games. I love everything about this game: the tight decision set, the variable valuation, the big Ra pawn, the chanting of "Ra, Ra" as the last player plays chicken against the game.... A great game.

I used to own this game when I was a kid. So, it seems appropriate that I bought it for one of my sons (age 4). The fact that he can whip his old man while playing is just gravy.

Once this was a major staple of my gaming diet. Now, though, it's a little long and a little too frustrating for regular play. That being said, I've had my copy since 1994, and I'm not parting with it. And, honestly, it can still be fun to burn my brain with this game from time to time. UPDATE: Played with the 30-second timer rule from the new edition. I like it! Bumping to a 7. A four-checkpoint game played out in 40 minutes.

I find it interesting that such a quiet game produces such cutthroat play. Recommended.

Definitely best with three, but a two-player game of this ends up feeling like Puerto Rico: the Gathering, so that's fun, too.

I prefer this best two-player, actually. I don't find the interaction between detective players to be particularly compelling.

I should like this game. I have an above-average vocabulary, and so I do rather well at this game. But, it just doesn't do it for me. Lots of downtime and analysis paralysis, I guess, but that doesn't bother me in other games. I guess that Scrabble just lacks the spark that I'm looking for in a game.

Not as good as I remember from when I was younger (surprise surprise).

This is a game of insanity. Imagine that the Founding Fathers were all Mortal Kombat characters...yeah, it's like that.

You have to have the right group to play this, simply because gameplay is so fast-paced that some people won't be able to keep up. But, with that group, this can be the loudest, rowdiest, funniest RPG you've ever played.

Yes, I paid $100 for this game.

I've then proceeded to play it a bunch of times and enjoyed each one. Even including setup and teardown it's a 60-75 minute game, full of tension. And once I commit to figuring out a better storage solution, I'll probably shave time off setup, too.

Really, what's not to like?

Almost like Blue Moon Light. Simpler gameplay, but still quite good.

A clever game that is not nearly as frenzied as it might appear....

I like Civilization IV. This game encapsulates nearly all the joy of playing Civ IV, plus I can play with others! I like it!

Simple to learn yet profound in play. This game is purely about choices. Everyone has the same resources; nothing is random. Just choices. I can place two camels...where will I put them?

Besides, pastel camels are cool!

This is probably my favorite multi-player game. I enjoy the agonizing decisions, the balancing act of earning four different types of VPs, the positioning issues.... All of it. A modern classic.

I enjoy playing Tikal, even though I usually lose. I like the feel of gradually clearing the jungle and seeing what lies beneath.

I don't like games with lots of variants. I just want to play with a single ruleset, without having to decide which "version" I'm going to use.

I make an exception for Torres.

Plus, the Bugs Bunny "run in one door and out another" mechanic is both clever and amusing.

Upon first glance, the various mechanics in this game don't feel like they should mesh. Once you get into it, though, you quickly find that this is a tense game, filled with opportunities to stick it to your opponent with your *generosity*. How many games feature competitive assistance? Not many.

A solid game, though apparently fairly unforgiving to mistakes. This doesn't bother me, although I'm guessing that I won't be able to sell opponents on it around here. A pity.

Disclosure: I know one of the authors of this game. But, that being said, I think that this is one of the niftiest storytelling games on the market.

Quite possibly the easiest of the GIPF series to teach to neophytes, yet still deep enough to intrigue an expert.

Perhaps the most unforgiving game that I own, but I still love it. I particularly enjoy the aesthetics of the components, which stand out, even in the excellent company of the other GIPF games.