Category Archives: General

The Purge: February Edition

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Yup, it’s that time again. More games are coming in so I need to make some space for them by getting rid of games that, while they are not horrible or bad, I don’t see myself playing in the future, either short or long. So hence this new installment of my almost monthly game Purge.

Numbers-wise, I’m not that far off from my goal of last year which was to get rid of 100 games by February 2015. So far, including the current batch, I’ve gotten rid of 82 games. I’m still sitting at over 700 games but I figure if I keep on getting rid of stuff that didn’t grab me or stuff that I no longer play, I’ll end up with just the good stuff 🙂

Expect more next month, with probably 20 going on the trade pile that time.

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My (gaming) year in Review

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2014 is behind us and it was a great year of gaming, with many new faces coming to boardgaming or re-discovering a hobby they had left behind. Lots of amazing games were published, along with a bunch of not-so-great one. There seemed to be a lot more Kickstarter campaigns as well, both good and bad with others that we are still waiting for.

So I may be a little late with my gaming year in review, but you know what? Better late than never. So, without more delays, let’s look at how 2014 went.

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The Purge: November edition

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It has been quite a while since I’ve updated this blog with reviews or other articles, but that doesn’t mean that I’ve stopped or slowed down on my game playing or, unfortunately, my game acquisition. What with a new project at work (I’m now working on The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot over at Ubisoft Montreal) and some renovations at home, I’ve fallen off the review wagon and I sure need to get back on it! I’ve got a few things lined up but I need to make a bit of space first.

So, you know how this goes: if there’s something you’d like in the list or are just curious to know what I’m getting rid of and why, the list is right below. See something you like? make me an offer and remember, it doesn’t have to be cash. I’m actually looking for someone to paint some Rivet War minis…

Don’t care about the games I’ve gotten rid of so far and just want to see what’s on the purge list this month? Be my guest!

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Quick Impressions: Post GenCon part 4

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This is the last of my post GenCon acquisition. There was just so many new games that made their way into my collection around that time frame that what started as being just a series of very quick impressions about them turned into a 4 part series. Either I got too many games during that time or I’m just not fast enough…

Keep in mind that this post is just that: quick impressions. This is often after having read the rules and pushed some pieces around, and in some cases getting one play in. I don’t consider that enough to be able to fairly evaluate a game so please keep this in mind. My opinion about these games is likely to change as I get them to the table a few more time.

Enough small talk, let’s talk about new games!

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Quick Impressions: Post GenCon part 3

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I haven’t had a chance to play a lot of new games lately although I’ve been able to get a few solo games to the table since being on vacation. Been playing a lot of RAF: The Battle of Britain, which while it tells an interesting narrative, kind of fails as a game so far. I have only played the Lion set up however, where you take the role of the RAF against the Luftwaffe bombing campaign and it feels very much like a Pachinko machine so far. Once I get a few games of the Eagle scenario (you play as the Luftwaffe this time), I’ll do an in-depth review. I’ll be back doing some reviews soon, with Dead of Winter at the front of the line. In the meantime, enjoy these quick snippets!

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Quick Impressions: Post GenCon part 2

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In the first part of the post-GenCon quick impression, I talked about a bunch of games that I had a chance to play a few times, not quite enough to really do an in-depth review of. This time around, I’ll be looking at some more games that I’ve only played once or twice, along with a bunch of games that I’ve only had the chance to read the rules and push a few pieces around solo. Hopefully I’ll be able to bring them to the table soon and give them the proper time they deserve. Hopefully, none of them will be horrible…

It’s always interesting to see how people feel after even just one play, especially since sometimes it’s the only chance players will give a game. Don’t make the first impression because the players didn’t fully get it or errors were made in the rules explanation and, what would have normally been a great game simply isn’t. On the other hand, some games that are horrible still make a decent enough first impression that they are invited again to the table, only to disappoint. Where will the following games fall? I’ll only be able to tell once I get them to the table a few times. For now, let’s just see what kind of first impression they make.

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Quick Impressions: Post-GenCon

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I know that a lot of board gamers put a lot of stock in Essen as being the great big convention that has all the new releases, but for the last two years it is starting to feel like there is a shift, or at least a change in the board gaming world. To me at least, GenCon seems to be the place where lots of new, interesting games are coming out. Add to this the combined effect of all the KickStarter projects that are trying to come out around the same time and August is feeling more and more like Christmas.

This is my roundabout way of saying that a lot of new games showed up at my house in the last few months and I haven’t had a chance to play them enough times to review properly or simply haven’t had a chance to play some of them yet! So, instead of a review, I offer to you, dear reader, Part One of my 2 (or 3) part series of quick impressions. Strap in, because there’s a lot of games to cover!

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The Purge: August-ish Edition

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August is GenCon month and it’s killing me. Between all the new stuff that’s coming in because I backed it on Kickstarter and the new shiny coming out of the con itself, there’s just so many new games coming in that I thought seriously of dumping 20 games this month instead of 10, but I stuck with 10, which is still a lot of games.

Choices of what to drop is starting to go to games that I’ve own for a while and either I’ve actually never played or that I really don’t think I’ll get around to play. I don’t think I have very many “games that I really don’t like” anymore in my collection, apart maybe from the occasional dud that I’ve just picked up. Rather, I’m starting to cut games that I figure have a very low chance of be brought to the table, which does feel good. Getting rid of games that I kept simply because they were sort of ok and “maybe one day” is a very good feeling. Will I ever reach 600 games? Not this year, unless I decide to do a massive purge. If I manage to bring the collection to under 700 and clear out one or two games for each new game that comes in, I’ll be happy.

Well, let’s see know how the last month fared…

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Time Lapse Replay: Thunder Alley

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I’m not a car guy. It’s not even that I’m not a fan of cars or that I don’t follow car culture, it’s that I don’t enjoy racing video games, boardgames or just watching it on tv. Heck, I don’t even have a driver’s license. Now, I know a little bit about cars (I did work in a gas station, which was odd), but they just don’t interest me.

Thunder Alley coverSo why my interest in Thunder Alley? Well, it is a GMT Games publication and as such, does suggest that there will be a little more tactics, a little more strategy than just a simple racing game. The designer was also familiar to me (he also did Manoeuvre), which had some interesting twists on old mechanics. Also, it promised an interesting experience for 2 to 7 players. I don’t have many games that can handle the higher player count, so if the game promises to be fun and simple, I’ll at least give it a go.

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Let me Teach you How to Play: Thunder Alley

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I’ve been playing around with video for a little bit now, trying different formats and things such as the Time Lapse Replay series and various attempts at reviews (haven’t posted any of them). One area that I wish there were more, shorter videos out there are video tutorials. Now, there are some very nice efforts, but I find most of them to be too long. So, here’s my attempt.

What you have here is a tutorial (or “Sit Down and Let me Teach you How to Play”) of Thunder Alley (GMT Games) by Jeff and Carla Horger. I was very curious when I first read about this game since I am *not* a racing fan and was hoping that this would be more interesting. Well, after one game, I can tell there’s something really interesting here. The game is fairly simple, but there’s a lot of fun to be had. Expect a full review as soon as I can get 2-3 more games in, and believe me, with the kind of impression this game made on first play, it shouldn’t take too long!

I realize that it is a little rough around the edges, but it’s a good first try. It came out a little longer than I wanted and I figure that with time, I’ll get better. I certainly hope that I’ll stop dropping my S’s! Only when you watch/listen to a recording of yourself to you see how many little mistakes you make!

Let me know what you think and Happy Gaming!