My goal this year was to order fewer board games. I think that’s had mixed results. However, I am tracking spending on them way more specifically. And in the end, that’s going to be the end goal. If I want to spend the funds now, I can, for the year, but that means I’m not going to be spending it later. But a few board games have been ordered, so let’s see what they are.

All Systems Go

This is the shop where I plan to keep on doing some buying because I get store credit there. So I went in to drop off some games to sell. I also left with some games that I bought.

Jurassic Parts

This was the one that I maybe shouldn’t have grabbed, but it was cheap. Jurassic Parts is kind of an area control set collection game. You use bones, because okay, to cut off sections of the map. As you do that, you get to flip those tiles and see what you get. That’s if I remember correctly. I did watch it a while ago on the GloryHoundd YouTube channel. So it’s one that I thought looked intriguing enough to try when I could find it cheap.

3 Ring Circus

This is one that I almost picked up a few times. But I had held off on until I could use store credit. 3 Ring Circus isn’t my normal type of game. It’s not the most heavily thematic, but it is a thematic worker placement game.

In it you are building up your best circus and performing shows. It’s better to do it in the bigger towns, but beware that might mean you’re up against PT Barnum. So it seems like they worked theme into the game as well, which I appreciate as well as the mechanisms.

Wild Assent

Finally, I grabbed Wild Assent. Wild Assent is one of those crowdfunding board games that I’ve been interested in, but I didn’t back. Even when there was another campaign for it with new stuff, I didn’t back it. Why, because it was expensive, and I wasn’t sure it was a game for me.

Fast forward to now. I like the look of the game, so I was always interested in it. But now, again, buy it with store credit and it makes it easier. This is an adventure, mini campaign style game. Really, I see it more as a boss battling type of game. You go to camp, level up, and then leave and battle a monster. It sounds fun.

GameZenter

Normally when I visit the GameZenter or a local game store, I want to make a purchase. Why, because I like having a lot of game stores near me. So I like to support them. GameZenter is the biggest one, but that is no excuse, if you go there, not to support them.

The Castles of Burgundy

Another game that is outside my normal wheelhouse. But so many people love The Castles of Burgundy, I want to give it a try. It’s a big dice drafting, placement game where everything gives you points. I like the sound of that, assuming that I have it right. But one that I want to try, and I know, one that if I don’t love it, I’ll be able to sell and someone else will.

Pandasaurus

This one I blame on the Dice Tower. But it is a small game, so it won’t add too much to my collection.

Faraway

Faraway is a very small game about collecting resources and scoring points. That is not my normal type of game, though I am dabbling in them way more often. But this one is way smaller and simpler than a lot of them. But the hook of Faraway is amazing.

In the game you play out 8 cards into a row. Those are going to be the cards that generate your resources and score you points. You play them out left to right. Well, resource gathering and scoring wise, you do that right to left. So the last card I play, it’s unlikely that I get points. But the more I go back along the more resources I have. So it’s how do I generate resources to score points.

AEG

Good sales still get me, that is why I bought from AEG.

Thunderstone Quest + Expansions

This one definitely got me because of the price, like I said. AEG is running a massive clearance. And Thunderstone is a game that I’ve always wanted to get and play. It’s a deck building game, and I like those, and I enjoy competitive ones a well. The only downside is you need to get an expansion to make it able to be played solo. Upside, that is on clearance as well. So I bought a chunk and I bought a number of the quests, but it was still cheap overall.

Crowdfunding Board Games

Only one campaign to talk about, though a new one coming soon that I’ll be backing.

Spire’s End: Rangitaki

It’s another Spire’s End game. That should be simple enough. I believe it takes a character or one similar to what we’ve seen in Spire’s End, and now it gives them their own story. This is a different setting from Spire’s End normally. Or at least a different part of the world. Hildegard and base Spire’s End are very much in the same spot. But I expect it’ll continue to build on the lore of the world.

Spire’s End is a series of games that I’m likely to continue buying. They are good solo games, a good amount of story, and easy enough to just sit down and play some. So for me, that’s always an easy type of game to buy and enjoy as it comes up. Plus the small publisher, extremely small, I like to support them.

Final Thoughts on the new Board Games

I’m very much excited to try all of them. I realize there is a chance that some of them won’t stay in the collection that long. I think of Jurassic Parts for that role mainly. But when I can get it partly on store credit, it softens the blow.

The one that I’m most excited to try is Faraway. Though Wild Assent is a close second. Faraway just sounds like such a fun puzzle. It is small, but it offers some thinky game play. And I like that combination. I need to think a lot about a few decisions. And even the decision space itself for the game, as to what I play out, isn’t that large. So I’m excited to get that one in, once the pre-orders fulfill.

Which of these board games would you try first? Do you have experience playing any of these board games?

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