Gaming Report – September 2023

Summer 2023 has officially come to a close. It has some amazing moments. Reunions, concerts, illnesses… highs and lows. It was many things to me, but regarding board games, it could only be classified one way: dry spell. Life happens, things get in the way, and sometimes we have to pause the things that make us happy.

Well, September arrived and the seasons have changed, and it’s raining game nights, baby! But it feels so good to get back into doing more of what I love with the people I love.

New to Me

The Castles of Burgundy: Special Edition

Often regarded as one of Stefan Feld’s greatest games, Castles of Burgundy is a legendary dice rolling, point salad, and Euro game experience. Dice are rolled simultaneously and used to draft and place hex tiles to build out a small princedom. Players can choose to settle castles, mine for silver, establish trade routes overseas, etc. If you are savvy, you can create some powerful combos that can rake in some points!

I’m cheating – The Castles of Burgundy is not only not new to me, it’s one of my favorite games of all time. When the Special Edition arrived at our doorstep we made sure to get it to the table right away. We opted for the acrylic tiles but decided against the miniatures thinking they’d be too much of a hassle to warrant the expense. 

I don’t think every game needs the “deluxification” treatment and I would be lying if I said I didn’t have a bit of an eye roll when I saw the initial announcement. But, this game has a special place in my heart, having been one that Tim and I have been playing together for several years. We still love it as much now as we did back then. The Castles of Burgundy is my “comfort food” game and I am incredibly happy with this purchase. Yes, it is a splurge and a luxury but considering how much this game means to me, I am not apologizing. No regrets.

Obsession

In this hand-management, worker placement game, you’re in charge of an Estate in Victorian England in the 1800s hoping to climb the social ladder. You must figure out how to keep up with the Joneses by adding buildings to your estate, increasing your staff, and inviting prestigious guests to fancy parties. If you’re really lucky maybe you can even marry your kid off to one of the more eligible bachelors or bachelorettes in the high echelons of society?

Can a person who is completely indifferent to Downton Abbey enjoy Obsession? That is what I am aiming to find out. So far I’ve played two short versions of the game. The jury is still out for me because something feels a bit off with the game flow – like my engine is stunted right before it can get humming. I need to try the long game to decide if this is a good fit for me or not. I like it, but am not “obsessed” quite yet.

OT Fantasy Draft

Are you ready for some football? With Old Testament characters? If that sounds weird, trust me, I wasn’t sold right away, either. 

This is a drafting game that was described to me as being very similar to Fantasy Realms. You start with 2 cards, choose one, and keep it hidden. The rest of the game you take turns drafting from a lineup of five cards that work together or against the other cards in the game. You have to be very careful how you construct your team. Adam and Eve get negative points for fruit, David destroys Goliath, etc.

The characters on the cards are linked in clever ways, and the subject matter is handled tastefully so as not to be offensive to players of faith. But those who are coming from an agnostic or atheist background should still be able to enjoy this one – it’s fun, informative, and well done. I honestly was not expecting much when we picked it up, assuming it would be more gimmick than a game, but was pleasantly surprised to find it is a solid, quick drafting game. I’m pleased with this purchase.

Revisiting Old Friends

It takes two…

Tim and I got in some solid two-player action with a few games of Codenames: Duet and Land vs. Sea. The cooperative version of Codenames is a fantastic reminder that Tim and I have completely different thought processes, while Land vs. Sea is a diabolically cutthroat tile-laying duel that kept me on my toes with both offense and defense the entire time.

Although not strictly a two-player game, Tim and I have been enjoying Earth quite a bit and it got a few plays of it in this September. In this tableau-builder players work on their own island, building a symbiotic ecosystem. Part engine builder, part puzzle, this game plays quickly with simultaneous follow actions. Tim and I can knock it out fairly quickly so it’s a solid choice for a weeknight game. It’s incredibly satisfying and I can see myself reaching for this one often – I’m very happy we picked it up.

A group effort…

We also managed to get in a few game nights with friends. We revisited The Red Cathedral for the first time with more than two players which was fantastic. The game utilizes a dice rondel and area control with cathedral and both were more fun with a full table.

We also scheduled a Nemesis night which is always fun, even though luck was not on my side. My husband and a family friend are hoping to team up to add a thematic game such as this or Mansions of Madness to the calendar on a regular basis so I am hoping this trend continues!

The last game we played in September was Moonrakers: Titan Edition. This is a deck-building & negotiation game set in a sci-fi future. You are a member of a loosely connected band of space mercenaries who are working together(ish) to complete missions. Successful missions yield benefits, such as credits that can be spent on upgrades for your ship and additional crew cards for your deck. Having a strong ship and deck makes you a sought-after teammate for missions, and eventually might help you complete them solo and reap all the benefits for yourself. 

Moonrakers is a group favorite and even though I am terrible at negotiation games and tend to lose, I always have fun with this one. The expansions all work together beautifully as well. If you have a group that likes this style of gaming, this is one to check out.

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I am hopeful I won’t experience many dry spells like this summer. Especially none as bad as August where I played only two non-prototype games. It really does feel wrong when you’re unable to squeeze in time for a hobby you truly enjoy so I am so grateful I am making time for my nerdy recreation once again. How do you prioritize yourself when life gets busy?

Take care of yourselves, everybody. And happy gaming to you all!

Notes: most of these games were purchased by us of our own collection however Land vs. Sea was a gift from the publisher for review purposes a while back.