On the Table – August 2022
I have fallen so behind with these so it’s time for the big one! August was a bumper month for me due in no small part to Tabletop Scotland. It was great to be back at a convention and you can read all about that trip here. We have some interviews in this piece as well with the folk behind Midhalla and Old King’s Crown. Without further ado, lets look at what graced my table back in August. As always I’ll indicate which games I’ve been playing on platforms like BGA.
Agricola (BGA)
I hated Agricola when I first played it, but I can understand the appeal now. It’s a very tight puzzle with the cards giving room for improvisation and surprises. The BGA implementation is great.
Arkham Horror LCG
Finally back playing Arkham picking up where I left off with a trip to the lovely town of Innsmouth (I do still need to finish Dream Eaters). Enjoyed the first two scenarios and all going well I hope to have a campaign wrapped up by the end of the year.
Between Two Cities
I used to own this and ended up teaching it at Juniper Green just after I sold it. It’s an interesting drafting game where you are collaboratively making two cities with the one with the least points being your score. An odd game, and one that didn’t quite gel with my group.
Beyond the Sun (BGA)
I’d had my eye on this one for a while and got a chance to play some games on Boardgame Arena. I was not disappointed. The BGA adaptation is good but it gave me a taste for the emergent narrative the tech trees of this game provide. The central puzzle of how to manipulate your limited resources is great. I’ve recently picked up a physical copy and I like it even more in person.
Capt’n Clever
The BDSM of boardgames.
Copenhagen (BGA)
A cute polyonimo laying game that sees you assembling the fronts of tall buildings in the city of the title. A twist that gives you powers to manipulate things and you have a fun game. It’s no Patchwork though.
Crash Octopus
A wonderful dexterity game. Criminal that it isn’t more widely available.
Flickfleet
I’ve always been curious about this title. I played it with the base set at Tabletop Scotland. Its a lot of fun with some clever twists. You launch dice off your laser cut vessels in order to score hits on your opponent’s fleet. Different ships have a variety of abilities and strengths. I especially like the way the fighter clouds are represented by ever decreasing circles as they get picked off.
Karuba (BGA)
I am terrible at this game but it is a really smart piece of design. I’ve played it IRL before. You are trying to make paths from the outside of a jungle to the temples within, the twist being that you all get the same tiles in the same order. It’s a fun puzzle, if a little lacking in interaction.
King of Tokyo
Big, bright, always hilarious. Played once IRL and once on BGA for an upcoming project. Ooh, teasers. King of Tokyo cannot be beaten in my mind for pure, push your luck fun.
Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest
I really like this game. It’s easy to teach, a solid puzzle, very replayable, and a fantastic production. It’s becoming a firm favourite.
Midhalla
An interesting combination of tower defence and dungeon crawler that didn’t quite zing for me. It’s a cool idea though, combining tower defence elements, and German style design in a dungeon crawler. We never got around to a full Tabletop Scotland cast so you can hear the interview with the designer below.
Mission: Red Planet
Played at Tabletop Scotland this is a game of area control with a a sort of Citadels esque role choice as part of its mechanisms. I really quite enjoyed it and the production was great.
Netrunner
Ah back running the nets. This time with the Project Nisei cards and I have to say I was impressed. Card quality was good, language clearer and more precise. Most importantly it left me wanting more. Hopefully going to get some games going on our Discord server.
Oath
I reset my copy to play with folks at Tabletop Scotland. I warm to Oath more each time I play it but it sure is a strange beast. Review sometime next year I hope after some more campaign plays.
Old King’s Crown
Jamie and I played this at Tabletop Scotland and we were both pretty impressed. Gorgeous art, intriguing combination of mechanisms, with more to it than at first meets the eye. I conducted an interview with a couple of the team that are attached below.
Watergate
A fabulous 2 player game that would be in my collection if I got the chance to play more 2 player games. First game of Tabletop Scotland and Jamie Adams squeaked out the win as the journos against my tricky dicky.
Wiz War 8th Edition
A Tabletop Scotland game hired from the excellent Shake, Rattle, and Roll. Wiz War is one of those games that just keeps on getting remade. This was the Fantasy Flight Games version and it was a lot of chaotic, perhaps too chaotic, fun. Bash other Wizards and run away with treasure as you improvise your way out of tricky situations.
Come and let us know what you have been playing by joining our Discord. We would love to hear about your experiences!
