Entry 57: Week 12- Merlin (Big Box)

        From the time my wife really got us interested in Queen Games, I have had my eye on the game Merlin and the expansions. From one of our Kickstarter of theirs we backed I was able to add the Big Box version of Merlin to our order which we got in time for Christmas of last year (so it went under the tree).

        At one of the locations in our home where games are kept I put a few of the bigger box games on top of the display cubes. A few months ago we made friends with someone from a FB group we follow who lives one town over so each Saturday that we all are free we get together and play a game or two. It just happens that most of the time we a playing a game that is new to either us or him. Well, he noticed Merlin sitting there and expressed interest in playing so this past week we thought it would be a good game choice. 

        My wife, sister, and I decided not to waste anytime learning the game so we would be ready for our Saturday game day. Needless to say the game was a hit for all parties. Since we do have the big box and we only played the base game to learn it I will just review the base game but provide information for the base and big box editions. 

MERLIN (2017)

BGG Description 

King Arthur is searching for a worthy heir. Together with Merlin, he tries to find the best candidate among the Knights of the Round Table. 

In Merlin, players move their knights or Merlin with the help of dice around the action ring to get the most desired actions. While the knights are only moved by the corresponding player, Merlin can be moved by all players, which makes integrating Merlin in one's plan a tricky endeavor. 

There are multiple ways to score victory points such as defeating barbarians, building manors in the surrounding area and increasing one's influence in the six counties. Additionally, players can fulfill task cards during their turn to get more victory points. The player who plans his actions most efficiently will ultimately have the most points and thus will be the royal successor of King Arthur. 

Weight 3.11/5 

MERLIN: ARTHUR (2018) 

BGG Description 

King Arthur has decided to join in the search to find a worthy successor to his throne. King Arthur will use his tactics to help knights gain more points and rewards throughout the game. 

The Arthur expansion adds a brand new rondell that fits over the top of the Merlin base game rondell. King Arthur now has his very own internal track that only he can move round either clockwise or anti-clockwise. 

This new expansion to the base game of Merlin opens up more action spaces and rewards as well as King Arthur himself. The expansion also adds new elements including the Picts and King Arthur's ring. 

-description from publisher's Kickstarter campaign 

Weight 3.36/5 

MERLIN: BIG BOX (2020) 

BGG Description 

The Merlin Big Box contains a new expansion, Morgana, as well as the Arthur and Knights of the Round Table Expansions, as well as the two Queenies. It also features some upgraded components. 

Morgana adds three new expansion modules which may be played in any combination with the base game of Merlin or the other expansions: 

• Morgana: Players draft a purple dice from a common pool to gain special abilities. 

• Market: On turns that you are not able to complete a mission card, players are allowed to take one time bonuses from the market board. 

• Caerleon: New locations replace the principalities of the base game. In each location, which are randomly placed, players gain a specific resource or take a specific action, receiving a bonus if they use a specific henchmen. 

—description from the publisher 

Weight 3.40/5 

What we like about the game 

        So to make sure everyone understands this, our judgment is based on the Big Box version of the game. 

        The Big Box comes with the GameTrayz organizers which keeps everything nice and clean and makes setup of the game pretty quick. Each player has their own tray for the individual player components and each expansion/module is well organized in groups for easy setup. 

        The next thing that caught all of our attention is how beautiful the overall artwork is in the game. Going from the center (the Round Table) and moving outward, the flow of the art feels “just right.” 

Picture by John M. (our friend Mentioned Above)

        The instruction book is well organized so it is easy to understand all the symbols on the rondel and components. It also has a table of contents so you can find the expansion and module rules quickly. 

        The gameplay is extremely easy. Beginning of the round you roll your dice which each die tells you how many spaces your knight moves and how many spaces Merlin (shared by all players) can move. Your knights move clockwise around the table and Merlin can move either direction. Game turn is consists of selecting a die, moving the character, and taking the action. You can also turn in a mission card during your turn if you have one completed. After you used your four dice, the round ends. The game is only six rounds with scoring after every two and a final scoring. 

Picture by John M.

        Knowing what the numbers you rolled on the colored player dice, you can plan ahead what moves you want to make. However, there are a few actions you can perform that can change the number on the die. So that means this game is heavy in analysis paralysis but it does not hinder the game time at all since there is no action blocking. Other players moving Merlin is probably the biggest reason the game might slow down if you haven’t planned ahead at the possible locations Merlin could be in. 

What we don’t like about the game 

        There are only a couple of things that we noticed so far that we think could be better. 

        The first is in the rulebook under set-up of the environs for the 2-3 player game. The wording regarding removing the tiles before mixing was confusing. Even after a few plays, we still struggle with setting it up via the wording in the rule book. 

        The second issue is that the only space to get apples used for changing a die is on the Holy Grail spot. There is only one spot and the one way to earn apples. Which means the chance to get more apples is really pretty slim. One might say the same thing about the Excalibur space used to remove a traitor (only one space) but to remove traitors during the scoring phase all you need is a shield of the same color in your castle. 

FINAL THOUGHTS 

        The gameplay goes with the theme. Again, Queen Games has published a solid game. So if you love the whole Arthurian legend, this game is a must play. Also, it is a Stefan Feld (pictured below) game who has many great hits.

     

Entry 56: Week 11- Rajas of the Ganges

India in the era of the aspiring Mogul empire. New lands are being gained along with great prosperity attained through the trading of silk, tea, and spices. Imposing structures such as the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort are built, and gorgeous gardens are created alongside new buildings and parks that will impress generations to come even centuries later. 

At a time when the empire has almost reached its greatest dimensions and is in a phase of relative stability, players, representing rajas and ranis, are called upon to live up to the requirements of their role as venerable sovereigns. They must improve their estates into magnificent and wealthy provinces. Keeping in mind the important role of karma, players balance their growth in a demanding interplay of prestige and prosperity. The one with the most successful outcome will truly become one of the nation’s legendary leaders (from the game manual) 

        For my birthday a few weeks ago (this year marked big Double 4’s) my wife spoiled me by allowing me to get a few games that has been on my radar for a bit. A few weeks before my actual birthday we traveled down to our favorite FLGS (Friendly Local Game Store) to pick up the last copy of the Lost Ruins of Arnak expansion which they were holding for me and while we were there she let me pick up Rajas of the Ganges with the Goodie Box 1 & Goodie Box 2. 

        It was the same trip where my mother picked up a few editions of Spot It! that she didn’t have and my daughter did NOT pick out a game (instead she got a Beauty and the Beast display figurine). I knew that I wanted to table the game soon after getting it because of the popularity of it from people in the Facebook gaming groups I belong to. It looked beautiful but how does it play? 

BGG Description 

Through tactics and karma to wealth and fame... 

In 16th century India, the powerful empire of the Great Moguls rises between the Indus and the Ganges rivers. Taking on the role of rajas and ranis – the country's influential nobles – players in Rajas of the Ganges race against each other in support of the empire by developing their estates into wealthy and magnificent provinces. Players must use their dice wisely and carefully plot where to place their workers, while never underestimating the benefits of good karma. Success will bring them great riches and fame in their quest to become legendary rulers.

 

Weight 2.89/5 

A Little More Info 

        Everyone starts of a equals with one die of each color, nothing in the provinces, the ships all in the same spot on the river, the same number of workers except the person who rolled the lowest total of the four dice goes first and starts with the lowest amount of coins.There is four areas in which you can place your workers. The quarry, marketplace, harbor and palace. 

        The quarry is where you spend dice of a color to build up your province by placing tiles connected to your residence. You earn money and/or fame based on what bonuses are on the tile as well as bonuses for connecting path to various locations on the edges of your providence. 

        The marketplace is where you can earn money for the different markets on the tiles in your providence. 

        The harbor is where you can spend a 1, 2, or 3, die to move your ship up the river up to the number of spaces of the value of the die. There are over a dozen different river spaces that can give you a boost including but not limited to money, fame, karma, and dice. 

        The palace is a major area where you give up a die, a number or a color (if required), based on what action you want to take. If you give up a number, there are six different actions you can take. If you give up a certain color die you get two dice of another specific color. There are also spots where you don’t have to give anything up to earn a new die. 

        A few more things to note is that the karma you have can be used to flip a die to the other side (a six to a one, a five to a two, a four to a three, and vice versa) and does not count as your action because you don’t need to place a worker in the spot. 

        You also can earn up to two more workers (out of three) by reaching certain benchmarks on the money and fame tracks and by passing a bridge the crosses the river. The fame and money tracks also provide a few bonuses by reaching various spots on them. 

        And to win the game, you want your fame and money levels to pass each other on the tracks around the board. 

What we like about the game 

        We like that there isn’t much of the “take that” or “action blocking” in the game since you will always have at least one move that you can do, even if it just collecting a die in the palace. 

        Though the game looks busy, we like how simple it is to play. The worker placements are easy to understand, the iconography is not difficult at all (though we did have to refer to the instructions a few times when we first used certain spots in the river), and the overall beauty of the game is one that draws you in. For myself, I do like the win condition of the game (see below) because not many games do that and the final scoring is one of the easiest I have seen in an elaborate game of this caliber. 

What we don’t like about the game 

        I am fine with how well the game is, I do not feel that there is anything lacking or bad about it. My wife and sister both feel that the end game condition and final scoring is awful. 

        Having to increase both tracks to pass each other to score points is something new. I enjoy it because you need to figure out what moves will help you to do that better, however, my wife and sister have struggled with it so far. Maybe after a few more plays it will grow on them. 

FINAL THOUGHTS 

        This is a game that I could table with beginner gamers and the most advanced players. The additional modules to the game allow it to stay new and fresh. I am looking forward to trying each one with continued plays. 

        Will you rise to the top and become the best Raja of the Ganges?

Entry 55: Week 10- Fluxx (Math & Star)

               Once a month, on a Sunday evening, we meet with some friends who are members of our religion but belong to a different congregation and during the holiday season we do a “Secret Santa” gift exchange with a set dollar limit. Everyone knows the safe bet is to get me some games. This last gift exchange I received two versions of the game called Fluxx.

            Now I have seen the game and the different versions of it but had never played them. This past week my wife and I wanted to just find something nice and easy to play since we had a very stressful week. I decided that we should play our Fluxx games because the box said the play times of each are fast and people have stated that they are easy to play. I can agree with that based on the two versions we have and played.

            Let’s get look at the original description of the game first so there is a basic understanding before we look at our two versions. 

FLUXX (1997) 

BGG Description

Fluxx is a card game in which the cards themselves determine the current rules of the game. By playing cards, you change numerous aspects of the game: how to draw cards, how to play cards, and even how to win. 

At the start of the game, each player holds three cards and on a turn a player draws one card, then plays one card. By playing cards, you can put new rules into play that change numerous aspects of the game: how many cards to draw or play, how many cards you can hold in hand or keep on the table in front of you, and (most importantly) how to win the game. There are many editions, themed siblings, and promo cards available. 

Weight 1.39/5 

A Little More Info 

            The basic structure of the game includes a basic rules card (Draw 1 / Play 1) and additional rule cards that manipulate what you can do (New Rules) such as drawing and playing more cards, having a set hand limits or other actions that could help and/or hurt your game plan. 

            There are also Action cards that give you an instant reward. From our experience, they may hurt another player while giving you a satisfying boost. To win the game you need to fulfill the current Goal card requirements. 

            What makes this game more challenging is that the current goal card can change quickly by someone else playing a different goal card. Again from our experience, all the goal cards have to deal with the Keeper cards which are cards that you play in front of you in hopes that what you have will meet the current goal. 

MATH FLUXX (2017) 

BGG Description 

Math Fluxx is all about the numbers. Players use positive integers (whole numbers) in their quest to achieve a very mathematical goal — but it's not just putting 4 and 2 together to achieve the 42 goal (for example) as Math Fluxx also features the Plan B Meta Rule. Plan B puts special victory rules into play which give you a second way to win and require even more arithmetical acumen (e.g., "Plus Victory" lets you win if your keepers add up to the current goal). With Math Fluxx, the fun is exponential! 

Weight 1.5/5 

What we like about the game 

            We like that the Fluxx games are fast. We completed 3 games of Math Fluxx in about 20 minutes. You are not doing algebra or trigonometry but using simple numbers to meet the different goal cards. 

What we don’t like about the game 

             My wife and I agree on this one, the game is too basic to us. The theme is okay but doesn’t make us say “WOW.” We feel that it is not as engaging as the other Fluxx game we own. 

 STAR FLUXX (2011) 

BGG Description 

Fluxx gets the Science Fiction treatment. From the publisher: "Just when you thought that Fluxx had gone as far as it could go - it blasts off for the Stars! Explore the vastness of space-themed humor with your valiant Captain, Engineer, and, of course, your Expendable Crewman. Go check out that Small Moon – or is it really a Space Station? You may be swayed by Unseen Forces, held hostage by Evil Computers, or find your ship infested with Cute Fuzzy Aliens." 

Like its brethren, Star Fluxx is the game of ever changing rules. It starts out as Draw 1, Play 1, but even that can change. When a Goal card is played, you can win by meeting the Goal, usually by having the correct Keeper cards in front of you. Action and Surprise cards help you to meet the Goal, or stop your opponent. Creeper cards usually prevent you from winning, but are sometimes necessary to meet the Goal. 

Weight 1.43/5 

A Little More Info 

         This game adds two more types of cards to the game play. Creeper cards attach themselves to Keeper cards and prevent you from winning the game unless the goal card requires it. The other type of card is the Surprise card. This card you can play on your turn or an opponent’s turn and have different effects for each. 

What we like about the game 

            Again, it is a fast game. The theme is great because it takes elements of the classic sci-fi movies and shows. Whether you win or lose the game, it does leave with a feeling of “let’s play it again.” We love that it is more engaging and that the various cards in the deck actually can do stuff (thinking more of the Keeper cards). The artwork on the cards also make you want to examine them more closely and also talk about them too. 

What we don’t like about the game 

            For me, nothing really is negative about the game. For my wife, she doesn’t like that this version is easier to mess with your opponents in such a way you can really screw up their game play instantly. 

FINAL THOUGHTS 

            With over 35 different Fluxx games (and a handful of expansion packs), you can play for hours on end with the different themes. I know that we will be adding more Fluxx games to our collection real soon because there are a handful of “must have” editions that I like, and a handful of “must have” editions my wife wants… a few of them are on both our lists. 

            The games are small and compact as well. In a small bag (or even the Tiny Epic Games carrier) you can fit almost all of the Fluxx games already made. From my initial search, each edition retails for $20 or less.

Entry 54: Week 9- Rise to Nobility

            We are big fans of Final Frontier games. A Fistful of Meeples and Drawn to Adventure are great “sub games” that go along with the larger published games Coloma and Merchants Cove respectively.

            However, before those four games came to be there was the first game in The Five Realms series which was Cavern Tavern (a favorite of my wife’s) an easier dice worker placement game. 

            Next in the series is Rise to Nobility that is, in a sense, a true style Euro dice/worker placement game that steps up the story from Cavern Tavern to the next level. 

            Merchants Cove is the third game in the series which is saved for a future writeup because we haven’t tabled it yet and it is also on our 10x10 for this year. And the fourth full game in the series is being made as we speak and that one is Bardwood Grove. 

            Anyways, let get back to the game at hand….Rise to Nobility. 

BGG Description 

Five years after the events of Cavern Tavern, where a fragile peace was brokered between The Five Realms, the High Queen Tabita Orestes has ordered a new city to be built. The city of Caveborn will be the capital of the Five Realms, a place where all the races will learn to live together in harmony, with the main purpose being to bring them closer and prevent another war. 

The Queen needs to keep the alliance between the races and ensure that Caveborn is peaceful and prosperous. To that end, a Settlers Council has been formed with Berk the Town Clerk as its chairman — but Berk is getting old and needs a successor. Are you that person? 

Rise to Nobility is a worker (dice) placement game set in the same fantasy world as Cavern Tavern. You each own a small piece of land in the newly built city, and your job is to rise from anonymity, make your way to the title of lord, and take over the head seat at the Stone Council. 

You can achieve this by upgrading your land and increasing its value, satisfying the demands of the settlers' council, attracting and housing as many settlers as you can, accommodating their needs, finding them jobs, and helping them develop from apprentices to guild masters, thus insuring you have people in high places all around the city of Caveborn. 

Weight 3.28/5 

A Little More Info 

             I need to tell you right away that we have the collector’s box that was available with the expansion which we love. In that box we have the rules from the 1st printing and the 2nd one along with the main expansion, Beyond. There are differences between the two core rule books such as the number of resources you start with, number of rounds you play, the amount of reputation you begin with, and a few other variances. 

            The few games we already have is based on the rules in which you play ten rounds instead of seven, start with less reputation and resources. We have also played both a 3 player and 4 players games as well which does help with forming our opinion of the game. 

What we like about the game 

            The first thing to note, like most worker placement games, we like that each turn you have choices to make about where to place your dice. In this case the most common options are: do you want to raise your reputation level, go to a guild and use a workshop, go to Cavern Tavern to get a new settler, or build a new home. 

            Next thing we like is that everyone gets to roll all of their dice and based on your reputation level and the numbers rolled on the dice is how many workers you can place. If you raise your reputation level and have can manage to place the leftover dice, you can in that round. 

            What we also like is that action blocking is a minimum because of the number of places you can go to. Yes, sometimes people will stop you from getting what you may need for the immediate time but that just means you could be delayed a turn or two. There is no reason why you should be holding onto dice at the end of each round. 

            The last thing I want to mention is that we love that the same artist is doing the artwork for each game in the series. This keeps a very nice aesthetic and continuity. We love all the different races of creatures in the game. Plus, you can choose the day or night side of the board to use (no difference in gameplay).

What we don’t like about the game 

            For me, I feel it is a solid game as is (based on the original rules). The only thing I don’t like is the Stone Council spot on the board doesn’t seem to be a good value for what you can get. There are other ways to gain victory points which are not as costly. Losing two reputation points though, isn’t really a problem. 

            What my wife doesn’t like is that you cannot stack the dice on a spot like you could in Cavern Tavern. In this game, each guild spot has three available workshop spots to place your dice (1-2, 3-4, 5-6) and based on the spot you can gain X amount of that specific resource. 

FINAL THOUGHTS 

        Cavern Tavern use to be my wife’s favorite game, that is until we played Rise to Nobility. For those who do like dice/worker placement games, I would say this is a keeper. Some other well known reviewers are “meh” about the game but as for us, this game will certainly hit the table more often than not. 

        One last thing, this coming week The Family Gamer Facebook Group turns two years old. I just want to thank everyone who have joined us in the group and keep us going. We are a small but mighty group.