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Board Games: Good Clean Fun!

I don’t think its a huge stretch to think most of my readers are unique. Most board gamers aren’t into the same type of “party” that other people are into. Instead of alcohol, our parties usually involve boards, dice, meeples, and what I, and many others, like to call Good Old Fashioned Fun. 

I was always a little awkward growing up. Nerdy. I was part of the high school choir class or “glee club” as it’s more famously known today. My favorite times in high school were not that of going out to parties and getting trashed, but that of midnight Harry Potter book release parties– all novels 4-7. This was back when Borders book sellers were still open and would hold massive Harry Potter release parties. Our group would start reading the second we got our hands on the book at midnight, and would not sleep until it was finished. That should tell you something significant about the way I liked to have fun.

In fact, the very idea that someone would ever invite me to a true high school party both terrified me and exhilarated me at the same time. I guess it was more true of terror.  I didn’t want to be seen as the “stick in the mud” if i didn’t want to drink or participate in other various nefarious activities that would leave my mind or body out of my control. Drinking, drugs . . . That was just something that didn’t appeal to me. You may have been different than me, and that’s okay. This is one of the reasons, I think, that my love for board games only grew.  

 I may be generalizing here, but most of the people who were into the same things as me didn’t like to do those “traditional party” things either. Our minds were, and still are, the most important things we have of value. I already didn’t think I was smart enough, and I didn’t want to lose any sharpness.   Again, maybe its just me, but I don’t meet that many gamers who drank a ton while playing board games. Inherently, I think board games are good clean fun.

We learn these social games as children (candy land, chutes and ladders, pretty pretty princess, sorry, etc) and some people never get out of the mindset that games are for children. Yet, the Board game industry has boomed in the past couple decades and its only getting bigger.  One of the appeals to board games was and is that they are good clean fun. Most children can play the majority of board games adults play without there being too much vulgarity or “look away” moments. Most movies can’t even accomplish that in today’s society yet board games do this with ease.

By no means am I saying that children can learn all board games. I am just saying, overall, board games are made for most children and adults.  Board games bring you out of your comfort zone and push your brain to think in new ways. I’m constantly learning something new when I play a board game.  They also fire up your social skills, give you ways to improve reasoning and math, and are great family actives. Plus they are fun. Board games engage your mind in so many ways who would ever need anything else? I don’t know about you, but I get pure elation and tingly sensations every time we host and/or are invited to a game night. Finally, they relieve stress by giving you a way to put aside your worries for the day and focus on something else.      

Board games bring the young and old together and help generations of people have fun. That is truly special indeed.  Remember, there’s nothing wrong with having good clean fun. I think others in the board game community would agree. Board games are just one of the avenues to get us there in society. If you’re one of the nerds like me, who never really fit in with normal people your own age, you’re not alone. If you were one of the popular kids you can still play board games and have a great time. Board games are not just for kids. They are for the young and old alike.

I know that there are millions out there who love board games and we stand united with board games and all their upstanding virtuous qualities. I want everyone to experience this type of fun. Come and join us and the board game community will embrace you.

Games That Were Not Worth The Money

In today’s article I’m going to discuss some of my least favorite games I’ve ever purchased. Those games which I regret shelling out money for becuase they were so terrible. I can’t cover all the horrible games out there of course, but these are the ones in my stock you can avoid at least.

Before I knew what Board Game Geek was I just purchased games willy-nilly, and these are some of those games . . .

8*28

We’ll start with the least favorite game I’ve ever purchased. I don’t think it cost me a fortune, maybe 9.99, but still. I only played it once, and it was crap. This game is a variation of the card game Blackjack or 21. Instead of playing to to 21 however, you play to 8 and 28. It’s wildly simple and I could have just played this exact same game with a deck of cards not needing to spend the 9.99. However, Blackjack is more fun that 8* 28. Do yourself and favor and save the money you would have spent on this game and invest elsewhere. If you’d like play this game,play it with a deck of cards you already own. Just avoid this game at all costs. It is truly so bad.

#2 POOP

It’s easy to see why POOP made the #2 slot on my list. It is yet another dishonorable mention. Although the title is fairly funny and it is relatively cheap (which is why I purchased the game) this game has little fun inside its cards. In POOP, you’re trying to get rid of your cards while not clogging up the toilet. If you’re into Uno with a #2 component and toilets, sure this game is for you, otherwise, I’d say skip this game as it holds little entertainment. Not to mention it has a dismal score of 5.0 on BGG. Let’s move on and wipe POOP from our memory.

#3 Five Crowns

Yet another card game to make the list I would say Five Crowns definitely deserves to make the list. The rules themselves kind of break the game and I didn’t find it enjoyable at all. Everyone was begging for the game to be over sooner rather than later. Just skip Five Crowns and go with a slightly less dismal card game called Diamonds.

Again, not everybody loves Diamonds, but it’s better than Five Crowns.

#4 Cat Stax

Cat Stax

Okay, this isn’t so much a board game as it is a puzzle game. This game is like 17.99 when I purchased it and it’s just like tangrams with casts, but you can play tangrams on your phone with an app for free. I’d say just play the app and skip the cats. You’ll be happy you saved your money.

#5. Cat Tower

It may seem like i’m bagging on cats here, but truly I just don’t like this Cat Tower game. It has nothing to do with the cat theme and everything to do with it just being a bad game. You can take a deck of cards and fold them and make an at home version of this game very easily. The cats in the game are cute, but it’s totally not worth the money.

It turns out most of the games I regret purchasing are card games. There have got to be others out there though that our readers are shaking their heads for purchasing.

I’m sure there are a ton of other games out there that were not worth the money. Please comment below on a game you regret purchasing. I would love to hear about it so I don’t make the mistake of purchasing it either. As always thank you to whoever reads this article. I find this blog very cathartic and I appreciate my co-hosts giving me the opportunity to write these posts. See you next time.

Games You Can Play Solo

Have you ever really wanted to play games, but, for whatever reason, your friends, spouse, or family don’t feel up for games that night? Today’s article is for you. I’ve been there before. As much as my husband loves board games sometimes, after a long day of work, he is just not up for another mental activity like a game. He’d much rather watch a movie or television show to relax. On days when I still really want to play a game I can always occupy myself playing solo. In today’s article we’ll be discussing some of my favorite games to play solo. So, let’s jump right in . . .

1. Railroad Ink

My first and favorite game to play solo is Railroad Ink. Railroad Ink is a roll and write game. I didn’t know when I bought it just how much fun I could have playing it solo. Since every person in the game writes down the same roadways or railways, it’s easily adaptable to a solo game. It’s highly enjoyable to roll the dice, try to find optimal ways to position your roadways and railways, and then write them down for points. This solo variant allows you to take your time and really think about optimization. There’s no one person pressuring you to roll the dice again. My personal best for the game is 62 points scored (I even took a picture of this which i’ll place below.) It’s now become a competition against myself. I’ve spent many a night playing solo trying to beat my previous high score.

2. Set

Set makes the #2 slot on my list. In this puzzling game you have to find sets of patterns in groups of cards. It’s fun to play this game solo because you can take your time with finding the sets, and it gives you practice for when you play against other people. Since it is not always easy to find the sets it takes a relatively long amount of time to play. Even if you go through the entire deck quickly, you can just reshuffle and start again. It’s true, I’ve spent many times playing set all by my lonesome, but that doesn’t make this game any less fun. I’d suggest this as a great solo game.

3. Ricochet Robots

Ricochet Robots is another game that is extremely fun to play solo. Much like set, it’s just a series of puzzles you’re solving on the board. You can flip the discs up and find where the robots go all on your own. It takes a while to play this game solo so it will take up some time if you’re bored.

Playing Solo Is Still Fun

Another huge advantage to playing solo is that it is calming. I’ve often found that games give me that nostalgic feeling of my childhood. I still get this feeling when I play solo. It doesn’t make these games any less fun to play by yourself. At least that’s my opinion. Please keep in mind that before I was married, I’d go to movies and out to eat by myself. I love my own company haha.

The One Downside To Playing Solo

There is one downside to playing solo and that is that sometimes you get so good at a game that you have an unfair advantage when you play others. Sometimes people don’t want to play some of these games with you anymore after they realize you’ve been playing solo. My husband for instance says that I win Set because I simply practice more than him.

Final Thoughts

So remember, even if you’re solo that doesn’t mean you have to give up games for the night. There are plenty of board games out there you can play all by yourself. It’s not depressing to play solo–it’s actually fun. I encourage everyone to play solo now and again. Again, these are just the games I play solo. If you have any games you love to play all by yourself I’d love to hear about them in the comment section below.

Sleuth Vs. Deduce or Die

When my friend brought over Sleuth for the first time the concept intrigued me. I love a good logical deduction game as much as the next person, and Sleuth just seemed like step up from that. Boy was I wrong.

Sleuth touts itself as a clever deduction game. Ask the right questions and you should get the right answers to solve the mystery behind the missing gems. This game is like Clue on steroids. People say if you like Clue you’ll like Sleuth–this just wasn’t the case for me.

Slueth, published in 1971, came as another game from master designer Sid Sackson. He also designed such games as Acquire, I’m The Boss!, and, one of my all time favorite games, Can’t Stop. So it is not at all surprising that a lot of people do love this game. In fact, it’s gained quite a bit of a cult following over the years. In Sleuth, players use Search Cards to discover and record what their opponents hold in their hands. Play continues this way until one player believes they have solved the mystery. They note their guess and check the missing gem. If correct, the player reveals the card and wins the game. Simple enough, but way more complicated than it sounds.

A lot of people at the table have to be invested in Sleuth to make it work. It’s easy to fall out of its “Magic Circle” quickly when you consider how frustrated people can get by just making one mistake. One mistake in this game can ruin the line of deduction and make it impossible to win. This gets frustrating quickly.

This game can play 3-7 players which is nice. The downside to this, however, is that the more people you have the longer this game takes. The long play time is another reason I wasn’t a huge fan of the game. Those of you who read the blog can deduce I’m more of an hour or less play kind of girl. I do invest time in bigger games If I’ve already set my mind down to committing that kind of time to a game. When I first played Sleuth though, i did realize it would be a minimum of 2 hours. With our game group I think we were there for 3 hours at least. I docked it a point on BGG for this.

Now that we’ve talked about Sleuth a little bit I’m going to tell you a story. With this podcast, I now spend even more time on BGG than I have in the past doing research on board games for the show. I come across new games all the time, and I happened to stumble upon a game called Deduce Or Die. I sent this BGG page to my friend immediately as I know he loves Sleuth, and people say that Deduce or Die is an even better version of Sleuth. The game itself states on BGG, “If you’re a fan of deduction games such as Code 777, Clue, Sleuth or Black Vienna, here’s an original design you may want to check out. I actually find it more challenging than any of the games I’ve listed, a statement that will be greeted with delight by some and with horror by others.” I myself was a bit horrified by this statement. There are some huge differences between Sleuth and Deduce or die, and I found myself liking Deduce Or Die better than Sleuth.

Unlike Sleuth, you can make this game at home with 3 decks of cards and some printed out play sheets. This makes it affordable and easy to play by anyone. I do like games you can make at home without having to spend a lot of money (see last article).

I didn’t expect I’d be playing it anytime soon, but the next game night we had, my friend brought over the printed sheets for Deduce or Die, three decks of cards, and eagerly asked if we’d want to play. I was a little apprehensive to play as I’d already proven my absolute awfulness at Sleuth. But his enthusiasm to play convinced everyone there to sit down and give it a try. I found this game tedious and overwhelming. It was convoluted just as the description above stated. I found myself liking it . . . a lot.

There are several main reasons I liked Deduce or Die over Sleuth.

#1 Deduce or Die gives you a bigger sheet of paper to work with. I’m not sure if you bought the actual game itself what kind of sheet you’d get (again, we don’t own the actual game), but in the printed version I was able to get an entire sheet of paper. This was a lot of space to write detailed notes. In sleuth you’re only allowed like a half sheet of regular paper which just wasn’t enough.

#2 I was able to categorize the symbols better as I was familiar with Spades, Clubs and Hearts. I didn’t have to learn all new symbols from the get go like Sleuth. For some reason, trying to learn the new Symbols in Sleuth, along with trying to deduce what cards people had, was a lot for my brain to wrap around. Deduce or Die simplifies the symbols and I just appreciated that.

#3 Finally, although Deduce or Die did take about 1.5 hours that was about half the time Sleuth took, and I appreciated that.

#4 The line of questioning helped narrow things down more easily. I’m not going to get into the specifics of this, but play both games and you’ll understand.

The good thing about both of these games it hat they are easily available to play. Sleuth was out of print for nearly two decades, but you can now buy new copies on Amazon. They are both intricate, detail oriented deduction games. I like Deduce or Die better, but some might find Sleuth more their speed.

Check out both games and let me know what you of which game wins the logical deduction battle. If you’ve played both, which do you like better? Thanks for reading today’s article. We’ll see you next time.

Recreating Board Games At Home

On the podcast, in real life, and at friends homes I find myself wanting a new game. I don’t think there will ever be a time in my life where I won’t want one new game or another, but with limited space and money this is not always possible. That’s why today’s article will focus on ways to play the games you want to play without having to make more space in your home or spend a ton of money.

Online Gaming

We’ve talked about online gaming on the podcast before. If you opt for spending a mere $20 to get onto steam and play Tabletop Simulator, you can play games with friends without having to purchase the game itself. This means it takes up less space in your home, while you still get to enjoy it anytime you want. Play testing some of the games before you purchase them also makes it possible to get better games that you will enjoy for longer. The one big downside to online gaming is that you miss the tactile experience of the game.

Borrow Games

Very much like Tabletop Simulator, it’s easy to play games you’re interested in if you have a great group of gaming friends who are willing to let you borrow games in their stockpile. Friends purchase different games and they’ve already spent their money to acquire them. This is a cheap way to experience the game firsthand without having to purchase it yourself. You can do the same thing with your group of friends. As a rule, I make a point not to buy a game a friend already owns if I’m able to borrow it and play it anyway. This is just a great way to not spend money.

Use Resorses

Us gamers have a ton of board games. It’s important to utilize the board games you already own. If you want to play a game that simply takes dice or cards, consider using the stockpile of games you already have to recreate that game instead of just going out and purchasing it. If you don’t really care aesthetically about how the game looks, you can put together tons of popular board games with components you already own. For example, a bunch of my friends owned Vegas Dice Game and I loved it. I wanted to purchase the game myself, but online prices were close to $40. I already owned Rajas Of The Ganges (which has a ton of dice) and Cover Your Assets. I used both of these games components to make a homemade version of Vegas Dice Game. I still play it whenever I want, but it just looks a little different than my friends copies. It’s still just as fun and I saved $40!

In a recent episode of the podcast I mentioned how Tumblin Dice is a game that is out of print. The copies of this game online can sell upwards of $80 or more. I made my own version of Tumblin Dice with cardboard boxes from amazon and some tape. These projects are fun, and when you play the game you feel a real sense of accomplishment that you created the game yourself. My sister-in-law made her own copy of Can’t Stop while in quarantine and we played it like 10 times. There’s always way to be innovative and creative.

Final Thoughts

I encourage everyone to utilize the games they already have, borrow games, and play games online before they just go out and spend money on a new and shiny game. Sure, some games you cannot recreate at home with the components you already own, but that’s where online gaming comes in. Play the game before you buy it becuase we all know what it’s like to buy a game, bring it home, then not like it very much. This is not a good feeling at all. Those feelings of guilt can all be avoided if you just play test the games yourself before purchasing them. Thanks for reading. We will see you Wednesday for another podcast, and next Monday for another post.

Thanks

Sarah

7 Wonders

When 7 Wonders came out back in 2010 it was the “it” card drafting game. It stayed that way for quite a few years. People loved 7 Wonders. They wanted to play it again and again. They bought the expansions and into the hype. I couldn’t go to a game night during 2013 without everyone bringing their own copy and wanting to play it. I mean it was was so popular 7 expansions to 7 Wonders have been made for the game. Not only that, but it won multiple awards throughout 2010 and 2011. They even made a 7 Wonder Duel card game and expansions.

So it may come as a shock that I despise this game. This game was so popular how could I hate it so much? It wasn’t just that we played it at every game night for like 2 years straight, but it was also the fact that I truly didn’t like the game at all. Thankfully, people don’t bring it around as often as they used to . . . Today’s article is focusing on 7 Wonders, but as you can see, with a little twist.

Why 7 Wonders Is My Worst Nightmare At Game Night . . .

The game itself is more complex version of Sushi Go! Sushi Go has all the player interaction without the bogged down components of 7 Wonders. So why do people choose to play 7 Wonders when Sushi Go! is out there and cheaper to buy? This, I truly don’t understand.

Icon Complexity

I think the icons in 7 Wonders clutter the cards. It has a similarly frustrating feel as Race for The Galaxy, in that you have to learn what the symbols mean each and every play through. I don’t find this an enjoyable aspect of any game. If I don’t like 7 Wonders to begin with, the prospect of having to learn all the little symbols again is not making me want to sit down at a table (insert exhaustive sigh here).

Little Player Interaction

There doesn’t seem to be a ton of player interaction in the game which is one of my favorite aspects of playing games. Where’s the screwage in 7 Wonders? It’s just not there . . . Sure, you could take a card that somebody else needs, but there are dozens more to choose from when people hand you the next set of cards. No person taking a card you need will make or break your strategy. I gave this same criticism of Taverns of Teifenthal in a previous post. For me to truly like a game, the stakes need to be raised a bit higher. There’s no gut-wrenching feeling in 7 Wonders, there can’t be with how the game is designed.

The #1 Reason I don’t Like 7 Wonders

The theme and the goals of the game contradict each other. It’s for this reason I say 7 Wonders is a pedantic game. The designers were so immersed in the details of play that the overall beauty of the game is lost. Am I trying to build my giant pyramid as one of the 7 Wonders, no. I can’t even build seven wonders. What I’m trying to say is that the game’s “Literacy”is way off the mark. Epic fail in design and concept, again, just my opinion.

Excessive Ways To Score

Finally, there are just too many ways to count points in the game. The score sheet alone has 8 different categories you can score points. That just seems like way too many ways to score, and I can never find the right strategy to win.

Final Thoughts

I guess like the people out there who hate Tichu–and there is plenty out there–there are going to be some people who just don’t like 7 Wonders. I happen to be in that category of people who just don’t like this game. 7 Wonders doesn’t even take that long to play and I still don’t like it, and that’s truly saying something.

I don’t like discriminating against a game. I usually give every game a fair shot, but 7 Wonders is just not for me. What do you think of my points in the article? Do you agree or disagree? I’d love to hear from you. Please comment below with your opinion on 7 Wonders. Thanks for reading, and we hope to have you as a reader on the next article.

Light At The End Of The Quarantine Tunnel

According to hollywoodreporter.com online gaming has increased 75% since social distancing started. Despite the fact that I’ve contributed to this demographic, it just doesn’t feel the same as when I used to invite people over to play games. I’m not afraid to say it outright–I want to play games with people in person. Sure, virtual games have been okay for the past couple of months during quarantine, but I miss interacting with people in person. I’m not the only one who feels this way.

There is something amazing about the anticipation of having people over. I’m not speaking for everyone, but I myself love to host game nights. I love planning the meals which we will eat, which games people will bring to play, and which games I own I think people will play. I never thought I’d miss human touch or interaction in person so much, but I do. Not to mention it gives me an excuse to clean my house. I look forward to these game nights all week. Without this, planning meals for just two is like any other night of the week. The future just seems really dismal without being able to play games in person. I know these social distancing bans will be lifted eventually, and I know we’re helping save lives, but for us gamers who live and breathe board games it’s hard to get through the lull.

As board gamers I feel like we are lucky in the sense that when this whole quarantine hit we had hundreds of games to play right at our fingertips. So my husband and I got straight to playing games with each other for hours and hours. I love playing games with my husband, don’t get me wrong, but even with him here I still miss other people. I’m not even a huggy feely type person. I simply miss seeing people’s smiles.

Again, online board games are great. I’ve got to hang out with more people I haven’t seen in a long time. In a lot of ways it’s brought me closer to people who live out of state. But I do miss the tactile experience of board games. Who wouldn’t? People love the touch and feel of board games. Our podcast covered an entire episode on this topic alone (how people love the feel of certain board games).

Baord games in person aren’t just about the game either, it’s about catching up with the people you know and love. Sure you can do this online too, but I would argue it’s just not the same. There is some tangible thing that is missing, human ques, and facial expressions make for less of a meta game online then you’d get in person.

I guess today’s article is more to encourage all the gamers out there that things will eventually get back to normal. You are not alone if you feel crippled and desperate to play games in person. Our local game stores will eventually open back up. We’ll see our game night friends again soon, and we’ll all get through this together. Hold onto hope that we will play games again in person. Know that I’m with you in spirit everytime you roll a dice, or pick up a deck of cards, or race your robots around the game board. Hang in there board game community, we’re almost there!

Bohnanza: The Bean Farming Game

Bohnanza

Let’s take a minute to revel in this ordinary yet extraordinary game of bean farming for 2-7 players. Although Bohnanza is fairly old, it’s still got quite a bit of a cult following. Unlike other games of the past, I don’t believe it has lost any sparkle or luster over the years.

Bohnanza was first published in English in 1997 by Rio Grande Games. In this game, each player takes a stab at being a bean farmer cultivating colorful bean cards. Plant fields, harvest, win coins, and be the cream of the crop to win the game. This game is fun with groups or with just two.

Game Concepts

The entire concept of “trading beans” for fun sounds a bit ludicrous on the surface, but it’s the theme of this game that makes it magical. The different depicted bean cards have comical colorful animation which adds to the whimsy during play.

Aspects Of Luck

This game has just enough luck to keep you invested in the game. You could pull up cards that will help you, but they could also help you leverage cards to get a fuller bean field in the future.

Screwage Factor Goes Up

This game includes extensive player interaction through trading and deal-making.

A phrase that I often use in Bohnanza is, “Would you remember me in the future if I gave you this bean now?” Although promises can be made in Bohnanza as far as trading beans goes nobody has to adhere to those promises in future trades. This lends itself to betrayal later and a ton of screwage to happen during play. This game brings out the meaning of “hurt feelings.” If someone promised you a Chili Bean for instance, but sees a better deal later down the line and gives that promised Chili Bean to another player, it can cause a lot of tension at the table. It’s this player interaction that I truly love about the game.

Unique Aspects Of Gameplay

There is one unique aspect of gameplay in Bohnanza that I have not seen in other games. This feature of the game includes a rule in which you may not manipulate the order of cards in your hand. You must play cards in the order they are drawn from the deck. This component in the game forces you to either trade more fiercely to get rid of the cards or be stuck harvesting a crop that would have been more lucrative down the line.

This part of the game adds sprinkles of tension which I love.

Debates Emmerge

With so much player interaction going on it’s no surprise that debates can occur at the table. Two–or even three- people can want the same bean at one time. This prompts a bidding war (different people offering you different sets of beans for the card they want). This part of the game can be loud and chaotic, but it’s also super fun at the same time.

Sigh . . . there’s just something about bean farming that is both calming and exciting all at once. So start farming today!

So even if you’re not into beans, I encourage you to try out Bohnanza: the bean farming game. Bohnanza has got all you would want in a game including; player interaction, beans, debates, false promises, colorful cards, and luck. This game is great for any party night and I would encourage everyone to give it a go! Thanks for reading today’s article, and please comment below on whether or not you’ve played Bohnanza in the past and what you like or dislike about the game.

The Taverns Of Tiefenthal

The Taverns of Teifenthal may seem like a strange name for a board game, but considering it is the second game to come out by game designer Wolfgang Warsch it’s not surprising at all. The whimsical names of his board games only add to the intrigue of playing them. The title for his other popular game, The Quacks of Quedlenberg, didn’t have much to do with the game itself. The Taverns of Teifenthal however, does give insights into what kind of fun can be had inside the box.

In this 2-4 player game, players take a stab at running a successful pub. You have patrons, brewers, waitresses, dishwashers, beer, and money. To make your pub stand out above the competitors you’ll need a healthy combination of all these components to win. Beer lures in better patrons who give you more cash flow, while cash flow gives you the ability to upgrade your pub to receive more visits from royals. Royals give you the most victory points in the game, and are essential to getting the best pub in town.

Glorious Aspects Of The Game

This game combines traditional deck building techniques with a unique twist, in which you pass and play dice at the same time. I’ve played quite a few games and this is the first time I’ve seen the pass and play of dice–where what you role could potentially affect other players. It’s this aspect of the game that makes The Taverns Of Teifenthal truly stand out.

The game itself is well balanced. There is a sense that it was extensively play tested. There are multiple ways to victory and nothing can derail you so much that you feel you couldn’t get back on track to still win the game. I think well balanced games are hard to create, and this one was very well designed. There is enough variability in the game to have a different strategy or “Different” game each time, which is a huge plus when you are spending money on a game.

Besides the actual game play itself, The Taverns of Teifenthal has extraordinary artwork. It looks and feels like you are running an 18th century style pub. This makes it easy to slip into the role of “pub owner” and suspend your reality for a while. Who needs to go out and see people during the covid-19 crisis when you have your own pub and patrons who are expecting you to give them the beer they are craving?

Things The Game Is Missing

Although there is the unique aspect of passing and playing dice, The Taverns Of Teifenthal is really a solitaire style game. There is not much player interaction in the rest of the game. As somebody who loves player interaction and have “screwage” factors in gameplay, there is not much of it here. Sure, you could take a dice that your opponent needs and leave them with dice that are less than satisfactory, but they still have plenty of options and it wouldn’t ruin their entire strategy.

The amount of pieces in the box could scare anybody away from wanting to play it. There is just so many moving parts. This is because when you upgrade your pub you have to be able to flip pieces over to reflect that upgrade. Although the actual game play itself is quite easy to understand, I understand that a huge amount of pieces can be overwhelming. In truth, it is hard to put the game away because things need to be sorted back into their respective piles.

Overall I would highly recommend The Taverns of Teifenthal to anybody wanting to experience a new game with a unique twist of gameplay. It’s well worth the cost of the game. I see myself playing this game for years to come. Like Donna and Tom said in Parks and Rec, “Treat Yo Self.” If you treat yourself to this game you won’t be disappointed.