What was Played?? Week 50

Hi folks!,

Another week with a lot of games and fun around the table, with two games nights .... once again.

The first night the people played two new games:

BRASS: Birmingham (2018) (KS Edition):
Brass: Birmingham is an economic strategy game sequel to Martin Wallace' 2007 masterpiece, Brass. Birmingham tells the story of competing entrepreneurs in Birmingham during the industrial revolution, between the years of 1770-1870.

Players: 2 - 4 

Mechanisms: Hand management, route/network building.

Playing time: 60 - 120 min

Designers: Gavan Brown, Matt Tolman, Martin Wallace
What game!!! I liked a lot, at first it seems to be more difficult than really it is but this economic strategy game is awesome, with so many tough decisions in every turn. Beautiful components in the KS Edition, have a little interaction between players using factories of coal, iron or beer, own or not, to build in the country. In our first game, we only play the Canal Era, and in this game we only did one mistake, we took a beer in the sell action from the wrong space, but this didn't influence the score in the end.

Personal board

At the middle of canal era

Railroad Ink: Deep Blue Edition (2018):

It´s a multiplayer puzzle game, where your goal is to connect as many exits on your board as possible. Each round, a set of dice are rolled in the middle of the table, determining which kind of road and railway routes are available to all players. You have to draw these routes on your erasable boards to create transport lines and connect your exits, trying to optimize the available symbols better than your opponents.
Players: 1 - 6 

Mechanisms: Roll and write, route/network building

Playing time: 20 - 30 min

Designers: Hjalmar Hach, Lorenzo Silva
It´s a good game easy to teach and play, like i said before in other reviews, the roll and write games are on fire, and this one is not a exception. The game have a good components (dices and boards), a good artwork for a little game, have 2 expansions included, and if you combine more boxes you can play with 12 players or more, All good things for lovers of puzzles games.

At the end of the game

In the second night we played:
Arraial (2018)
We've already talked about this game, which simulates Tetris, in which you try to have as many visitors as possible in a summer street party because the winner will be the player with more visitors in her party. Every game is little different, very clever, simple to teach and play, every game is played fast in summary a good and fast family game.

At the end of the 3 player game

Ceylon (2018):
Another excellent strategic game, with hand management and some luck, that already played a couple of times. It´s a light game, where in every turn, always will do something (at least 1 action) no matter who is the active player. Certainly, this game will be in the table more often, because is easy to teach and play, it´s fast and have a lot of interaction between players.

End game scoring

Ilôs (2017):
Ilôs is a card game of hand management, through your cards, you will explore new islands, bring more ships along, gather wealth and raise its price, build fortifications to slow down your opponents, and establish trading posts to improve your production. The goal of the game is to become the richest explorer of Ilôs.

Players: 2 - 5 

Mechanisms: Commodity speculation, hand management, modular board, stock holding, take that.

Playing time: 20 - 40 min

Designers: Frédéric Guérard
This game have a good components, it´s easy to teach and learn, a game is really fast, have a little semi cooperative component (market), in summary a really fun familiar game, with some strategy using the ships and explorers, to produce goods and build in the islands,in the end of the game every player will sell all your collected goods to the actual price of the market, the player with more money win the game.

And that´s all for that week.

See you in the next week, probably after the Christmas, therefore we wish you a Merry Christmas.

What was Played?? Week 45

Hi everyone,

That weekend like we promise we were going to InvictaCon, the board game convention in Porto - Portugal to play and see the latest news from Essen 2018.

That was a space were the Con took place

Salão Multiusos de Gondomar

Our first day was friday night and we played:

1.- Azul - Stained Glass of Sintra (2018):

One of the most wanted games from Essen 2018 after Azul won prizes in everywhere, this second chapter was awesome and beautiful with a new way to score points and a new element; a glazier; that give us one action during the game.

In that game the players must build windows selecting glass panes from the factories to complete the owns patterns being careful not to damage or waste supplies in the process.

Players: 2 - 4 

Mechanisms: tile drafting, tile placement, pattern building.

Playing time: 30-45 min

Designers: Michael Kiesling

2.- Arraial (2018):
Another game with Portuguese theme, we are on fire, introduced in Essen 2018. "Arraial" is the name given to traditional Portuguese summer celebrations during which people take to the streets eating, drinking, and having fun in the old neighborhoods that are bedecked with arches, colorful balloons, popular music, and the aroma of sweet basil.
If you like Tetris, that could be a good option to play, very clever and fast, with good components.

Players: 1 - 4 

Mechanisms: Action point allowance system, tile placement, pattern building.

Playing time: 30 min

Designers: Paulo Soledade e Nuno Bizarro Sentieiro

At the end of the game

The best "Arraial" of the night

3.- Downforce (2017):
It's time to race, first the players must bid for cars and drivers, then they play cards to move the cars (own or not), and when the first car pass the yellow line all players must bet in one car (the car with better option to win), the game ends when the cards in the hand of players are exhausted. At the end the players receive money for your(s) car(s) race position, for your bets and pay the initial cost for car(s) and driver(s), the player with more money win the game.

Players: 2 - 6

Mechanisms: Aution/Biding, Betting/Wagering, hand management.

Playing time: 20 - 40 min

Designers: Rob Daviau, Justin D. Jacobson, Wolfgang Kramer.

At the middle of the race

Saturday, another day to play another couple of games.

1.- Santoniri (2016):
A beautiful puzzle, abstract and simple strategy game, where the players in turns must move one builder and build around him. The game ends immediately if either of your builders reaches the third level.
Players: 2 - 3

Mechanisms: Grid movement, tile placement.

Playing time: 20 min

Designers: Gord!

At the end

 2.- Dragon Castle (2017):
Another beautiful abstract and simple strategy game. Who like "Mahjong" certainly that's a good option to play a hundred of times.
Good components, different scenarios, high replay-ability, 3 different modes of play, all good stuff for a good game.
Players: 2 - 4

Mechanisms: Pattern building, tile placement.

Playing time: 30 - 45 min

Designers: Hjalmar Hach, Luca Ricci, Lorenzo Silva

At the end

3.- Great Western Trail (2016):
I don´t have more adjectives to describe that awesome game, I'm just shame that I do not play that game more often.
Players: 2 - 4

Mechanisms: Deck/pool building, hand management, point to point movement, set collection, tile placement.

Playing time: 75 - 150 min

Designers: Alexander Pfister.

At the beginning

And finally on sunday, we´ve sorry for not publish photos from this day:

1.- Teotiuacán - City of Gods (2018):
One of the most wanted game from Essen 2018, looks like a mix between Tzolkin and The Voyages of Marco Polo, goods elements, very clever, some many paths to win point, i was not disappointed after play that game.
2.- The River (2018):
Another most wanted game from Essen 2018. A good and solid worker placement family game, beautiful pieces like always Days of Wonder does, very simple game, a good choice for families.
3.- Luxor (2018):
If you like simple games with a lot of fun, that could be a good choice,
4.- Sagrada (2017):
The most played games of mine, i don't said anything.
5.- Azul (2017):
Always a good and strategic plays whit this game.

How can you see, that weekend we had a lot of fun, we try so many new games, some of then probably will be in our collections soon.

And that's all folks, we'll see you in the next post.