This is the last chunk for February. Now it’s a shorter month, so sure, I played fewer new games. But with those new games I did make it all the way to 29 different games for the month. So more than one new game played per day, or at least finished per day. This is the break neck pace I’ve been going at to get to 1000 Games rated on Board Game Geek. The goal is to hit that by the end of the year, but we’ll see how it goes.

February (Part 3)

FLOWERS

Flowers is a group collection game that reminds me in some ways of Qwirkle. And that is kind of tough for it because I like Qwirkle a lot. So, what do I mean by that for Flowers. Flowers is about collecting and creating groups of flowers, but you are limited in your placement based off of numbers and colors. You get points for big groups by color, but you also score for getting groups of a number in the right size, so four fours, for example. That is Qwirkle like and Qwirkle is just a better game for me.

Gizmos

I thought I was going to love Gizmos. And I think that I might, in person. But on BGA it’s a lot to try and really wrap your head around. Especially because a game like that, I do better with the book in front of me in person. It’s just a lot to keep track of and understand how your marbles are going to cascade through into points. So I’d love to play this one again in person.

Mango

Mango is a light filler game of creating groups of fruits that are adjacent to water droplets. If the group size matches that of the water droplet, so the number might be 5 on the droplet, you score points. It’s light and not that interesting.

Dungeon Date

Dungeon Date is one that I picked up for the theme. You basically build up your adventurer and try and score points based off of how you can interact with different monsters. You might kill some, marry others and have some fun with others. It’s a bit take that, and a bit meh when it comes to the overall execution. Fun theme, but I wish there was a more interesting game there.

Super Squad High

Speaking of dating, Super Squad High is a fun game about being a superhero and balancing high school like and grades with that. Plus you are trying to deduce who the bad guy is and then face off against them. It does a ton of things, and sometimes that might be a bit too many things. But I think if I were to play this more often, I’ve only played it once, I could figure it out and teach it a whole lot faster. And then the theme really makes it a fun game.

Stem & Branch

Stem & Branch is a game about playing out cards from the Chinese Zodiac onto a grid to score points. Now that sounds pretty dull and I won’t say that it’s the most exciting of games. But it’s an abstract game that works pretty well. And the game isn’t too long which is nice. The trickiest part is collecting the right cards to play things out. Not one that I like super well, but not a bad play.

Villagers

Villagers is a game that I was hoping to like more. You build out your village by drafting cards and then chaining them off of villagers that are already played. Another one which might be better for me in person. But the game itself is just fine. And sometimes you look at what you can chain and you realize that you are unable to do everything that you want. For me that’s the negative of the game. might be my planning or might be the game.

Miams

Miams is a roll and write game. Now I like a lot of roll and write games. I also find a lot of roll and write games to just be okay. Maims is one of those. You roll dice and decide which spots to fill in based off of the results. Then you can buy cards that let you mitigate things. And the buying cards is big in the game, but also, sometimes you just can’t get a great card, so it feels too lucky there still.

Patchwork

I’ve played Patchwork Doodle and I like that game quite well. Patchwork is the tile laying predecessor to that game and is also quite fun. It’s definitely more challenging as you still try and build out the best area that you can. But you are managing your buttons which are currency to play out things and to move along the track. I don’t feel like I need it, but I wouldn’t say no to playing it.

Top 5 Games from February

So there are 29 games from February over the last few days. Which ones are the ones that look best to you? I’ll let you know my Top 5 from these games.

5. Overboss Duel

This game a good game and a lot of fun. I do think it’s lower than some of the list because there is a bit of a learning curve. And sometimes, just with how the tiles come out, someone might just have better or meaner options to mess around with. But the game gives you really good interactions and makes it feel like it should end up close.

4. Tucano

Tucano is just light fun. It’s one that I think a lot of people will like in terms of more casual games. Now, it’s really simple, so for heavy gamers it won’t be their type of filler. But that’s what my next filler is for.

3. Knarr

Knarr is a blast and I think it works well for people who are more casual when it comes to games and people who like heavier games. Knarr’s engine building is something that it took a bit for me to balance out, and I like that it’s so simple to learn but can develop some good strategies.

2. The Veil of Eternity

Speaking of strategies, The Veil of Eternity is amazing for creating some good depth of game play and making players be reactive. I compared it to Ascension and it is more that than Dominion which both give you that point building feel. This one makes you pivot and develop new strategies in the game, which is great.

1. Movers & Shakers

Finally, my favorite is Movers & Shakers. This is a big game, and I talk about how often times big games are hard to really rock on BGA. But Movers & Shakers is easy to understand and easy to play and just offers great choices throughout the game. The decision point of when do you stop filling trains, or maybe your opponent is moving trains so you can keep at it. Just great strategy in the game.

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