More Heroes of the World and Thunderstone

I managed try Heroes of the World out on some gamers last night and it got a universal thumbs up. It was also the first board game i have won in January (or at least it feels like it). Now i must not let my enthusiasm for the game be lifted by a very occassional triumph. As an aside the name of the shop 'Boardgameguru' came about as an ironic reference to my performance over a weekend of gaming were i managed to come last in all seven games played. Back to the game - it is a light and tactical game and to be successfull your main prority is to set your self up to take advantage of what the player to your right does whilst not leaving anything for the player(s) to your left. I think an early wonder is quite good as well even if only to scare the other players.

I have now played Thunderstone multiplayer a few times and all i played with preferred it to Dominion. It could just be the 'cult of the new' but the theme seems to help the game rattle along and despite the low (overt) interaction we all enjoyed the game - especially when the 'Noxious Slag' reared her head in the dungeon. My only concern is that it's going to see a lot of table time and the variety in the game might wear thin before the expansion comes out in the spring.

Thunderstone - Dominion killer?

I played a couple of solo games yesterday and was very impressed. The 'build a deck' mechanic of Dominion is, probably, the most interesting game mechanic of the last few years, and imitations were never going to take long to appear. Thunderstone borrows (steals?) the mechanic and uses it to make a fun dungeon crawl game. Like Dominion the main interaction between players is the race to the finish though there are interesting timing questions as you take the limited saupply of heroes. Thuderstone is a little rough around the edges and there are a few rules that are not clear without a reference to the Geek. However, it is a fine game and already has a first expansion scheduled for release in the Spring. I suspect that, like Dominion, the game will be even better with expansions

It does not have the finesse of Dominion, but Dominion does not have the fun of Thunderstone.

New Releases : 19th January 2010

We can call of the search as the last (and great) Essen releases are arriving in the UK next week

The first is Dungeon Lords from Czech Games Edition and Zman. It’s original, entertaining, and moderately complex – moreover, it's the most fun you will ever have playing a Euro. Vlaada's best since Through the Ages and one of the picks' of Essen 2009

‘Thunderstone’ is an adventure game that borrows heavily from the ‘build a deck’ mechanic of Dominion. Where Thunderstone differs from Dominion is that it adds some theme and narrative to the mechanic and I can’t wait to play this. Tom Vassels’ excellent video review can be viewed here

‘Infinite City’ is a tile laying game in which players try to control districts and buildings in the city,one commentator has described as ‘a cross between Carcassonne and Tigris and Euphrates’.

The last of the Essen releases is Cyclades, a strategy game that plays in an hour with gorgeous components. I drooled over this at Essen but as it comes in a rather large box i could not bring one home. This review is worth reading.

Panzer General : Allied Assault is a quick playing game of WWII using a unique blend of cards and a board game. It’s based on the Xbox live game from ubisoft. A review of the game can be found here

I have two new sets of expansions for Steam and Age of Steam from Bezier games. Both products contain three expansions, the first is ‘Alabama Railways, Antebellum Louisiana & Four Corner’ and the second ‘1867 Georgia Reconstruction, South Carolina & Oklahoma Land Rush’

For fans of Cash n Guns i have imported 'The Uzi expansion', originally a give away at Essen 2008 this was reprinted in a small edition. I also have a few German expansion cards (The Golden Eagle, the Saboteur, the Manipulator) for Planet Steam - if you like a set then please email me. They are £10 each inc. P&P.