Brrrrr! It’s FREEZING out, so I’m VERY happy that I’m hosting this month’s game day. I’m also excited because we’re going to play Dixit which has been waiting in the game cabinet since Christmas.
Guests:
Sam “Is that schweaty gnocchi?” (@normallywho)
Derek “Derek Wiki = Diki?”
Paul “The blog will show I don’t always win!” (@zandergil)
Bjorn “Sweet potato chips are healthy” (@jabbernews)
ITGirl “mmmmmm…cats” (@itgirlnet)
First Up: Forbidden Island
Description (from BoardGameGeek.com) – From the publisher: “Dare to discover Forbidden Island! Join a team of fearless adventurers on a do-or-die mission to capture four sacred treasures from the ruins of this perilous paradise. Your team will have to work together and make some pulse-pounding maneuvers, as the island will sink beneath every step! Race to collect the treasures and make a triumphant escape before you are swallowed into the watery abyss!”
Winner: This is one of our go to games when we need to kill a little time waiting for people to arrive. Sam (engineer), Paul (navigator), and myself (pilot) won, successfully staving off the sea until we could make off with the island’s treasures. Having the right mix of roles really makes a difference.
Second: Dixit
Description (from BoardGameGeek.com): “One player is the storyteller for the turn and looks at the images on the 6 cards in her hand. From one of these, she makes up a sentence and says it out loud (without showing the card to the other players). Each other player selects the card in their hands which best matches the sentence and gives the selected card to the storyteller, without showing it to the others. The storyteller shuffles her card with all the received cards. All pictures are shown face up and every player has to bet upon which picture was the storyteller’s. If nobody or everybody finds the correct card, the storyteller scores 0, and each of the other players scores 2. Otherwise the storyteller and whoever found the correct answer score 3. Players score 1 point for every vote for their own card. The game ends when the deck is empty or if a player scores 30 points. In either case, the player with the most points wins the game.
Winner: Unfortunately, no cute bunny player pieces in this newly released version that I picked up over the holidays. Somehow, Sam overcame his disappointment and managed to win the game.
See Dixit in action on Geek & Sundry’s Tabletop: Dixit: Leo Chu, Casey McKinnon and Beth Riesgraf join Wil on TableTop, episode 12
Third Up: Alien Frontiers
Description (from BoardGameGeek.com): “Do you have what it takes to be a deep space colonist? An alien frontier awaits the brave and daring! This new planet will be harsh, but if you have the skills to manage your resources, build a fleet, research alien life, and settle colonies, the world can be yours.
Alien Frontiers is a game of resource management and planetary development for two to four players. During the game you will utilize orbital facilities and alien technology to build colony domes in strategic locations to control the newly discovered world. The game board shows the planet, its moon, the stations in orbit around the planet, and the solar system’s star. The dice you are given at the start of the game represent the space ships in your fleet. You will assign these ships to the orbital facilities in order to earn resources, expand your fleet, and colonize the planet. As the game progresses, you will place your colony tokens on the planet to represent the amount of control you have over each territory. Those territories exert influence over specific orbital facilities and, if you control a territory, you are able to utilize that sway to your advantage. The planet was once the home of an alien race and they left behind a wondrous artifact in orbit. Using your fleet to explore the artifact, you will discover amazing alien technologies that you can use to advance your cause. Winning the game will require careful consideration as you assign your fleet, integrate the alien technology and territory influences into your expansion plans, and block your opponents from building colonies of their own. Do you have what it takes to conquer an alien frontier? Roll and place your dice to gain advantages over your opponent and block them out of useful areas of the board. Use Alien Tech cards to manipulate your dice rolls and territory bonuses to break the rules. Steal resources, overtake territories, and do whatever it takes to get your colonies on the map first! Don’t dream it’ll be easy, though, because the other players will be trying to do the same thing.”
Winner: Apparently, I have what it takes to be a deep space colonist, who knew?? It seems that the “nesting” tendency can really help with colonizing a planet.
Lastly: Zombie Dice
Description (from BoardGameGeek.com): “Eat brains. Don’t get shotgunned. You are a zombie. You want braaains. More brains than any of your zombie buddies. Zombie Dice is fast and easy for any zombie fan to learn, even non-gamers. The 13 custom dice are your victims. Push your luck to eat their brains, but stop rolling before the shotgun blasts end your turn! Two or more can play. Each game takes 10 to 20 minutes, and can be taught in a single round.”
Winner: This is another one of our quick, time-filler games that we pull out of the closet. Paul proved that he does love Braaaaaaaaainsss by eating the most. I came in second, Derek third, and Sam last.
See Zombie Dice in action on Geek & Sundry’s Tabletop: Zombie Dice, Get Bit! & Tsuro: Ryan Higa, Freddie Wong, Rod Roddenberry. TableTop Episode 3