I'm turning 37 on February 16th and Jay and Shawn are waiting for me to give them a list of the games that I might like as birthday presents. Now that I've got the basics of the blog running, I can do that while providing my reasons for wanting the games and giving proper links to their Amazon pages. To Jay and Shawn--thank you both for the (upcoming) gifts and for both wanting to get involved in this hobby with me in the first place.
These games are in no particular order, and I'm not counting Ticket To Ride or Sorry! since I'm ordering those myself.
Elder Sign
Players: 1 - 4
Game Mechanics: Dice, cards with actions, tokens, exploration, combat
In Laymen's Terms: Cthulhu Yatzee
Who Could Play: This game could be played with Shawn, Jay and possibly Mikey. It also has a solo mode.
Watch a review by The Dice Tower.
Watch a Let's Play by Rahdo.
Why I Want It: I love the aesthetic and design of this game. I've picked a Lovecraft inspired game that uses dice over cards because I do have trouble shuffling those and it requires a bit less reading which can be tough if the print is tiny. The fact that you only fight to stop one Ancient One at a time, that there are multiple characters to play as, and that different combinations are going to produce different results will give the game replay value. There is also the 2019 Elder Sign Challenge that I want to participate in over on BoardGameGeek.com . (It can either be done via solo or group playthroughs.)
Sagrada
Players: 1 - 4
Game Mechanics: Drafting, matching tiles or objectives, scoring points.
In Laymen's Terms: Stained Glass Bingo.
Who Could Play: I'm pretty sure any of us could. Dad might need a bit of help at first, but the core idea here is pretty simple.
Watch a review by The Dice Tower.
Watch a Let's Play by Rahdo.
Why I Want It: I've always loved stained glass windows and I've always like Bingo, and Sagrada brings the two together beautifully. The game has a bit more depth than playing Bingo--there are a few tokens to manage and some cards you can earn to help you fill some pesky spots--but for the most part it looks fun, relaxing and pretty. Plus, it can be played solo or with a group so even if I want to do something while waiting for a nurse this is an option.
Smash Up
Players: 2 - 4
Game Mechanics: Taking actions based on cards, drawing cards, earning points, meeting a points threshold to win.
In Laymen's Terms: Why place pirates vs. ninjas when you can make them work together?
Who Could Play: Definitely anyone in the gamer group (me, Shawn, Jay, Mikey)... but even those in the family group (mom, dad, grandma, grandpa) could probably pick up on this pretty easy. The concept is simple and the actions on the cards are not extremely complex.
Watch a review from The Dice Tower.
Watch a Let's Play on TableTop.
Why I Want It: This is a game I know I'll be getting at some point, and I definitely want the Pretty and Monster Smash expansions eventually, too. (Kittens, fairies, mythic horses, princesses, giant ants, mad scientists, werewolves and vampires!) . The Big In Japan (Pokemon-ish creatures, magical girls, power ranger type characters, and Godzilla and friends) also looks awesome.
Dixit
Players: 3 - 6
Game Mechanics: Guessing game, creativity, earning points.
In Laymen's Terms: A picture is worth a thousand words. Can you come up with a phrase or idea so that at least one, but not all, of the other players pick your card?
Who Could Play: Any of us. The game's concept is super easy and is all about using your imagination and trying to manipulate how many people will be able to tell which card is yours.
Watch a review from The Dice Tower.
Watch a Let's Play with TableTop.
Why I Want It: Dixit is the kind of game that is different for each group that plays it, since different peoples' brains work differently. It can sustain multiple plays since different people will be getting different cards and need to come up with unique ways to describe them. Plus, if we like it there are expansions with more cards. Plus, the artstyle is totally beautiful.
Arcadia Quest
Players: 2 - 4
Mechanics: Dice, cards, miniatures, character cards / sheets
In Laymen's Terms: Control your three character guild against other peoples' guards, retake Arcadia, and defeat monsters and players in the board game equivalent of PvP.
Who Could Play: Me, Shawn, Jay and possibly Mikey
Watch a review from The Dice Tower.
Watch a Let's Play with Watch It Played.
Why I Want It: The idea that each player is controlling their own little mini guild is cool. The art style is adorable. This will get us use to playing board games that have a campaign setup where things continue from session to session. There are lots of expansions and they are in print. And the minis are paintable, which would be a pretty epic group project to take on to make them our own.
Pandemic: The Cure
Players: 2 - 4 (or can be played solo by 1 player with two characters)
Mechanics: Dice, character specific abilities, card based actions
In Laymen's Terms: It's Plague Inc. in reverse. We need to save the world from four deadly diseases.
Who Could Play: Me, Shawn, Jay, and possibly Mikey. However, as a co-op game we could gently introduce the family group once we understand it better.
Watch a review by The Dice Tower.
Watch a Let's Play with Rahdo.
Why I Want It: First up, I love the premise. The fact that there are different characters you can play as, who have different abilities change how you would tackle the situation you are faced with. I've chosen the dice game over the more card driven game for three reasons: (1) It's a bit less complicated, which is good for now, (2) If I end up playing this solo at any point having things be determined by die over cards works better for me since my hands give me trouble shuffling; (3) The setup and board organization aren't quite as advanced which, again, is likely best for us at this point. I also love the fact that I can improve at playing this on my own or with a group, and that it actually is set up to accommodate several different difficulty settings.
Purchased by: Jay on February 8th, 2019. Thanks, handsome. <3
Monopoly Gamer: Mario Kart
Players: 2 - 4
Mechanics: Move and roll, coin collecting, activating characters special abilities, interacting with abilities on cards.
In Laymen's Terms: Collect coins, win races and watch out for those pesky blue shells! Mario Kart that won't give Mom vertigo. ;)
Who Could Play: Anybody in either group. There are some differences from normal monopoly, but those who catch on quicker could help anyone a bit behind on the changes without disrupting their own fun since we focus on playing games socially.
Watch a review by The Dice Tower.
Watch a Let's Play with Nintendo Everything.
Why I Want It: The Mario / Nintendo theme immediately ups its appeal, especially with the cute kart designs and the fact that characters have unique powers. I like the fact that the game's basis is something we all know, while a few simple changes should keep how it is played fresh. As a bonus, this game is suppose to take 60 - 90 minutes, not the 4+ hours plus that a normal game of Monopoly can devolve into. I'm not thrilled that additional characters are in booster packs, rather than being able to be selected directly, but the four it comes with does make the game totally playable.
***
The goal of my current board game collection is to get a variety of games that can be played by people of different skill levels and interests. Between playing games with my parents and grandparents, playing games with my brother(s) and boyfriend, and being open to trying some solo gaming I should have the opportunity to experience a variety of different games throughout 2019. Thanks for taking the time to have a look at what I put on my birthday wishlist. I hope you'll stick around as my friends' and family's adventures in board gaming get underway. :)
-- Kat
