Hypermind Boardgamers - November 2008
Chris Ingersoll
United States
North Carolina
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As summer finally cedes its reign over the land to the chilling grip of autumn, there is a Gathering Storm...
Under the greying skies of November, powerful forces meet to exert their influence across time and space, strategically manipulating their minions while catering to the cruel and unpredictable whims of Fate.
Their interests reache from as far back in time to the very birth of life on Earth in the Primordial Soup through the early development of Man in the Stone Age all the way up to the futuristic settlements of Andromeda and beyond. They are known by the citizens of a rebuilt Blue Moon City, have both overcome and been overwhelmed by fierce Pandemics, and are not cowed even by the Fury of Dracula. They have farmed the fields of Carcassone, solved the Mystery in the Abbey, and enjoyed drinks and gambling in the Red Dragon Inn following a hectic Descent in the Darkness. Even if it were their Last Night on Earth, they would still be found trekking Through the Desert while Kung-Fu Fighting and uttering Unspeakable Words.
Truly, they are as Gods, and (at least) once every seven days, they assemble...
...and mostly play a ton of Race for the Galaxy and Agricola.
This month, however, truly is the Age of Gods for the Hypermind Boardgamers, as they will vie for control of two dozen fantasy races from their divine perches in Burlington, North Carolina. Come, join them on their continuing adventures...
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Chris Ingersoll
United States
North Carolina
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For the month of November, after tackling BGG darling Agricola under September's Harvest Moon and fending off all manner of Zombies (but not Zombies!!!) during the month of October (the chronicles of which are currently lost to the mists of Time), the Hypermind Boardgamers have selected a little-played favorite, Age of Gods, as their Game of the Month! While a lot of the game hinges on rolls of a single die, there is still a good deal of strategy and planning involved -- plus a bunch of silly fun as we arbitrarily decide which races will attack... and which ones will be attacked. We have our personal favorites and biases, of course... (Those poor, poor Gnomes... as if Wizards of the Coast haven't harmed them enough with D&D's 4th edition.)
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Chris Ingersoll
United States
North Carolina
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Of course, the other guarantee with our group is that there will be at least one game of Race for the Galaxy played each week. With the Gathering Storm expansion finally released, now we'll be able to tackle 5-player games as well. Once again, the only factor keeping RftG from being our official GotM is the redundant fact that we already play it constantly.
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Chris Ingersoll
United States
North Carolina
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Gateway of gateways!
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Chris Ingersoll
United States
North Carolina
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My tungh ith thuck to th fluh!
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Chris Ingersoll
United States
North Carolina
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Well, after racing throughout the galaxy we have to wind up somewhere...
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Chris Ingersoll
United States
North Carolina
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So be it...
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Chris Ingersoll
United States
North Carolina
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The real "fantasy football".
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Chris Ingersoll
United States
North Carolina
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Fun little card game that is occasionally marred by a few powerful effects. I haven't picked up the expansion for this yet, but that's more due to a lack of funds than to a lack of interest.
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Chris Ingersoll
United States
North Carolina
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A memory game with several twists, this game has two noticeable failings:
1) The "close the flap" mechanic is unwieldy since at least one player is always going to have to reach across the table
2) The strategy of hanging back behind the "cursed" leader and collecting cards with perfect black recipes is almost unbeatable
Other than that, WWW is a fun little themed game with a unique feel.
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Chris Ingersoll
United States
North Carolina
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Worker placement is all the rage these days, and Stone Age follows on the heels of The Pillars of the Earth and Agricola, falling somewhere in the middle of the two. Several unique mechanics are in play, including dice-rolling and set collection on top of the usual resource acquisition and consumption. This game has instantly won fans among the group and is a leading contender to be December's Game of the Month!
It does typically end in some ridiculously high scores, however. That's not a bad thing... just incredibly odd.
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Chris Ingersoll
United States
North Carolina
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Quirky little area-control game. Seems to be rather lacking with only two players, however.
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Chris Ingersoll
United States
North Carolina
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The biggest box of cards you'll probably ever purchase, Dominion is a deck-building game with very a Fluxx-like feel to it. Considering our infatuation with Race for the Galaxy, it wouldn't surprise me to see this game making the rounds on a more regular basis. Gameplay is surprisingly fast, and there's just a hint of player interaction that Race (currently) lacks.
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Chris Ingersoll
United States
North Carolina
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More worker-placement, but Tribune's varied win conditions are what sets this game apart from the rest of its bretheren. There's a lot going on in this game, but variable win conditions and divergent strategies offer much deeper replay value than normal.
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Chris Ingersoll
United States
North Carolina
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Building a 3x3 array of tiles has never been so frustratingly entertaining!
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Chris Ingersoll
United States
North Carolina
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A Pirate-themed race game with striking similarities to Wicked Witches Way. There's a lot of randomness involved, which can suck away some of the fun, but a solid title with simple rules -- and no required reading, which is a plus for younger players.
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Chris Ingersoll
United States
North Carolina
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Sister-game of Last Night on Earth: The Zombie Game, presumably using most of the same mechanics. Not dividing the players into opposing teams seems like a good move, as it increases cooperation, but I haven't actually played this yet to be able to say for certain.
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18.
Board Game: Agricola
[Average Rating:8.25 Overall Rank:2]
Chris Ingersoll
United States
North Carolina
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This year's 900-pound gorilla, the game that will probably top (or at least Top Three) everyone's Best Of list, and a game where the only obstacle to playing is the set-up time. "Sim Farm" took a brief but well-earned vacation after its time in the
sun harvest moon as September's GotM, but I'm sure it will see a lot of play in 2009.
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Chris Ingersoll
United States
North Carolina
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Like this game needs a description.
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Chris Ingersoll
United States
North Carolina
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Barnyard wackiness, I presume?
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Chris Ingersoll
United States
North Carolina
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D&D-spinoff card game. Personally, having to ante up dragons seems like a steep buy-in.
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Chris Ingersoll
United States
North Carolina
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Loyalty, courage, wisdom, strength... and traitorous betrayal. A perennial favorite among the group, and in fact one of the first games (along with The Settlers of Catan) ever played at Hypermind's Board Game Night, nearly two years ago now.
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Chris Ingersoll
United States
North Carolina
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Mix the time-keeping element of Thebes with the masochistic difficulty of Pandemic, add a generous helping of grog, and then shrink it down to gnomish proportions. You have one hour to survive the clearly doomed submarine before being rescued; along the way you have to make sure the reactor doesn't overheat, that the depth pressure doesn't crush you like a rusty beer can, and that there's enough oxygen to breathe. Fires, flooding, missile malfunctions, and even a kraken all stand (swim?) between you and living to tell the tale.
You will in all likelihood not succeed, but you should have fun trying.
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Posted Tue Nov 4, 2008 1:49 pm
