Well, I’m getting ready to head out for the Gathering again
this year – a thankfully much shorter interval – and that got me
thinking about some games that I’d played for the first time a year ago…
and wondering how much my opinion on them had changed. So, what follows
are three mini-reviews of games that I left the Gathering feeling quite
positive about…
Abaddon
review copy provided by the publisher
Extremely Short Summary:
What we have here is your standard “giant robot armies
skirmishing on the surface of a valuable but forbidding planet” scenario
– filtered through a fog-of-war command system designed by Richard Borg
that is a cousin to the Command & Colors system.
Thumbs Up:
- very nice minis
- options for play with 2, 3 or 4 players – all of which work well
- variety of scenarios (with different objectives)
Thumbs Down:
-
the rules could use a polish (though I appreciate the willingness of Toy Vault to include an errata page when the game was published)
-
as in almost all multi-scenario battle games, the introductory/teaching scenarios do a lousy job of showing off how the good the system can be when it’s firing on all cylinders
The Verdict (2012):
When I played Abaddon on a pre-production
copy last year (4 times in a week!), I was delighted by the awesome
miniatures and the fast & furious game play. I understood why some
gamers didn’t like it – it is more chaotic due to the use of both dice
& cards for command than any of Richard Borg’s C&C games. At the
same time, I could see it really appealing to my elementary age boys.
Two other observations from a year ago:
-
Mike Gray (from Hasbro) passed by the table while we were playing & remarked that Richard had shown him this game as a prototype a number of years ago.
-
I was given the opportunity to play one of the first “web” scenarios – and both the reorientation of the board & the interesting choices that both players are forced to make from the beginning gave me great hope for Abaddon.
The Verdict (2013):
With 15 plays under my belt now, I continue to enjoy Abaddon. My gut feeling that it would be enjoyed by my 11 year old & 7 year old was spot on.
We’ve reached a point in playing where we feel
(particularly with two players) that the game tends to run a bit short…
and we’re toying with adding 5-10 points to the victory point total
required to win those scenarios. (There are two extra official
scenarios, btw – available at http://toyvault.com/abaddon/index.html.)
I’ve come to believe that some of the lackluster reviews of
the game were due to gamers wanting Richard Borg to create “C&C:
Robots” rather than enjoying the game that was in the box. In fact,
combined with Mike Gray’s comment, I see some commonalities with another
classic “old school” Borg game – the excellent (if dated) Mutant Chronicles: Siege of the Citadel.
Escape: The Curse of the Temple
Extremely Short Summary:
A cooperative real-time dice-rolling expedition into a cursed temple… with a soundtrack!
Thumbs Up:
-
extremely involving game (it’s the real-time adrenaline rush)
-
seems to scale well with varying numbers of players
-
the first expansion (Curses) is already in the box
-
beautiful components
Thumbs Down:
-
the game must be played somewhere with a decent sound system (due to the cues you need to hear from the CD)
-
as with all real-time dice rolling games, there is great potential for inadvertent cheating
The Verdict (2012):
My two plays of Escape at the Gathering
(also on a pre-production copy) were a lot of fun… and I watched a
couple of other games. I spent half of one of my games with my hand
glued to my head and my mouth shut (due to a pair of curses) – which
actually made the game all the more exciting!
Interestingly, though, I walked away from the experience
with some really big question marks about replay value. It was a
frenetic & fun 10 minute experience – but how many times would I
find myself willing to play?
The Verdict (2013):
Well, the answer is pretty straightforward – I’ve only played Escape one more time in the year since.
That doesn’t make it a bad game – everything certainly
“works” in game terms & it gives a consistent adrenaline-fueled
& noisy experience. The components are quite nice and the
iconography is clear & useful.
But I do think that Escape will quickly
become a “once a year” staple… or a game that’s simply brought out with a
new group of friends. (Though there may be some limits on that – the
speed dice rolling/recognition thing is not for everyone.) That makes it
a game I’m perfectly willing to play but not willing to plop down my
limited game-buying cash to own
Africana
Extremely Short Summary:
Michael Schacht re-purposes the “book” mechanic from his game Valdora for use in a clever pick-up-and-deliver game about exploring Africa.
Thumbs Up:
-
the “book” mechanic both looks cool and adds a slight but important memory element to the game
-
like many Michael Schacht designs, there are opportunities to cascade actions into each other that give you a feeling of accomplishment – even if you don’t win the game
-
the production & components are lovely
Thumbs Down:
-
there’s a sameness that develops from game to game – similar tactical & strategic choices
The Verdict (2012):
I played Africana (with a freshly released
copy) three times at the Gathering. My first play was your classic
“enjoying the discovery of the first time” experience – which led to the
equally enjoyable “now that I know what I am doing” second play.
But the third play began to feel an awfully lot like the
first two plays… and I walked away questioning if it would hold my
interest.
The Verdict (2013):
Subsequently, Michael Schacht put a PBEM version of it
online – and I played exactly one more time. Sadly, my Gathering
impression was correct – while I like the game and enjoy the chances to
make crafty moves & combinations of actions, it doesn’t feel like
there is a great variety of storylines from play to play.
This article originally appeared on the Opinionated Gamers blog.
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