As the weeks have gone by I’ve been playing some pretty strange and fantastic games. Here are the highlights.
Temporum has you and other players time traveling from the ancient past (the top of the board) to the distant future. Only one timeline or set of cards is “real” at any given time as you race to bring your influence from the past to the present, represented by the crowns on the side of the board.
Top Race have players racing around the board using cards that have the order and the number each different car will move that turn. The secret is playing the cards so that it benefits your car the most while other cars are stuck in the traffic of tight turns.
Vroom!
Camel Up the Spiel Des Jahres winner two years ago has players betting on camels as they race around the board. Camels can end up on top of each other, and those on top get a free ride when the ones below them move. Players roll dice out of the pyramid and the colored dice correspond to each colored camel. Naming your camels is highly recommended!
Pantheon has players spreading their foot prints across the world and building temples along the way. Civilizations rise and fall, so its a race to walk to the best places before the end of each round.
The Gallerist has players manage museums, from comissioning works of art, to attracting the right crowd. I clearly should never manage a museum because I was 100 points behind the nearest player…
Castles of Burgundy the Card game has players playing cards as dice in order to build the best estate. The game condenses it’s older sibling The Castles of Burgundy into a portable format. However, it still requires a big table even if it comes in a small box.
Patchwork has players drafting tiles to create a quilt, with buttons functioning as the currency of the game. It is crucial to fill the board as much as possible, as each space un-quilted is negative points at the end of the game.
Stellar Conflict has players placing cards anywhere on the table in real time. After a minute players must stop placing cards, and then evaluate what happened by going through each card in numeric order and seeing where the lasers shot. Chaos ensues, and you’d be surprised how often you accidentally shoot your own ships!
String railway has players placing tiles and connecting them with strings, the tracks in this strange train game. A string mountain and string river provide landscape, and players must navigate the increasingly crowded “board.”
I am always amazed by the variety in this hobby. Here are links to the games pictured for more information.
