New Games (or new to me, at least): Part Five

The penultimate installment in my series on new games... you can also read Part One (A-B), Part Two (C-D), Part Three (E-I) & Part 4 (K-M).

New Games (to me): N-Ta

• Nuns on the Run - My first play of this was delightful... the four of us had a blast. But then the whole "are we doing the noise rules correctly?" debating set in with the next game, as well as the sinking realization that the guard nuns never win and pretty much took all the fun out of it for me.
• Patrician - I only played this online for Jeff's Game of the Month... and it felt like a standard Michael Schacht abstract-y investment game. Nothing here so compelling that I feel a need to try it again.
• Piece o' Cake - The first time was fun, then as players slowed down to think through their moves, the fun evaporated. However, I played the other night with a group who didn't dilly-dally and found myself enjoying it again. Obviously, your mileage may vary.
• Pocket Battles: Celts vs. Romans - The rules in this first release in the series leave something to be desired... thank goodness for BGG and someone who put together a pretty massive FAQ for the game. (I will say that the rules for the new "Elves vs Orcs" box have been cleaned up & clarified - much better.) The game itself is quick - choosing your army is about a third of the game. Once we figured out how to play, we're really enjoying it.
• Prophecy: Dragon Realm - The long-promised expansion to Prophecy (a fantasy adventure game)... I like the stuff it adds to the base game a lot, and the Dragon Realm is fun. Wish it got to the table more.
• Risk: Balance of Power - A two-player Risk game not yet published in the USA. The design uses a neutral nation that both players control plus a Piece'o Cake-ish "one player sets up the game board, the other player chooses his side" mechanic that insures a relatively fair start. The game also uses objectives like Risk: Black Ops/Revised. I want to get more chances to play this!
• Schatz der Mumie - A full review of "Mummy's Treasure" is coming, but this is a very nice cross between Yahtzee & Tetris that works great with kids & gamers. (Review copy provided)
• Scrabble SLAM! - Quick recognition card game - Shari whupped me at it. It'll be a nice edition to the "small games to travel with" box.
• Tannhäuser Revised Edition Rulebook - Tannhauser is a theme-dripped alternative history battle game set in 1949 with the world still in the throes of the First World War. With elements of Hellboy, Indiana Jones & Harry Turtledove in the mix, the Reich (and their Obscura Corps) search objects of power while the Army of the Union seek to stop them before they open portals to unleash infinite evil. It's a pulp-y good time... but until the release of this new rulebook, it was a flawed game system with a great theme. FFG did an amazing job of streamlining & fixing the game without forcing anyone to buy new components. I like the new version enough to acquire the available expansion sets!