But for me the combination of the cover and the designers Hjalmar Hach and Lorenzo Silva and it being a Horrible Guild game put it over the top. In particular, I’ve found that I enjoy most Hjalmar Hach designs. So pair that with an amazing looking cover and a company that I like, I needed to check it out.

How To Play – The Great Split

The Great Split is not that difficult a game to play, though learning it on the fly there are a number of things to think about. It has a particular cadence to the game that you need to teach. But the main premise of the game is that you have a number of tracks that you want to go up on. Depending on the track(s) they score in different ways or give you different bonuses.

So, how do you go up on the tracks, it’s a simple I split, you choose mechanic. By that I mean that I have a had of cards, between five to seven in the game, and I am creating two groups of cards. Then I pass my wallet to you and you pick one of those groups. I get the other one back. At the same time everyone around the table is doing this, so I get a wallet of cards to pick from and pick one of the two groups.

You do that several turns and then at the end of the game you tally up your points. Whomever has the most points is the winner. And I can go into scoring more, but there is some to learn with that, but not too much.

What Am I Worried About?

So a bit of twist on how I normally do it, closer to the review. But I don’t want to fully dive into it, this is more of a first impressions. There are two things that stand out to me that I am curious about with the Great Split though.

Firstly, I wonder about the viability of this game at lower player counts. I enjoyed what the game does a lot, but I played it at 3. I wonder if 4-7 would be better. The game doesn’t really add much time to it the more people you play with. But at 2-3, you won’t see many cards. It adds a different element of strategy to it with how you can play your opponent, but you are going to get more unbalanced scoring.

I also want to know what it’s like to teach the game. I played at the time we were learning the game as well. And looking back on it, I think that I could make it faster and simpler for teaching. But there are a number of things to teach. There are six different sections you need to teach scoring on. At the same time, I think most of the things are pretty simple once you know them. And I don’t think I need to teach some elements of the game as the game suggests that you have someone “run” the game and turns.

What Have I Enjoyed?

I really enjoy the “I split, you choose” mechanic of the game. The game is really just that mechanic which doesn’t worry me too much because you’ll get variety each time you play in the cards you take. But it’s interesting to look at the board of the player you are passing to, the direction doesn’t change, see what they are picking, and try and create a combination where they pick something that gives you what you want plus just a little bit more.

Or it could be that you create a split where either one will work for you, but you’ve split up what they want in order to slow them down. The game seems simple, but you can really give someone what they don’t want to keep some scoring tracks in check if you split stuff up well.

I also enjoy how the scoring works. Now, I won’t go into everything, but some of them are just how far you are up on the track, another has a sliding market, and another is the lowest of two tracks. But I’m more talking about how the game scores each section twice, minus contracts. So the three main tracks twice, once each mid game and once at the end of the game. But mid game you might score books and gems first and then art and nothing, or it might be books and nothing first and then art and gems. So when you score the first time might determine what you push for.

Final Thoughts – The Great Split

This is a very fun experience and I really enjoyed playing it once so far. I wonder how often I will get it played, though, because it is a game that seems to work better with more. And while I do have game nights, I feel like it isn’t one we’ll play all the time. But it fits into the same category, in my opinion as a game like Sushi Go Party or Seven Wonders.

With that, I mean that I can see playing it at higher player counts. And with more players, it is not a game that takes longer to play. I play it with three players, it goes as fast as the slowest player. I play it with 7 players and it still plays as fast as the slowest player. Now, the slowest player might be slower, but that is the restriction. So I really like that about the game. And I like it when I find a big group game that isn’t a party game.

Do you like The Great Split? Is it a game that you want to try? Let me know in the comments below.

Send an Email
Message me on Twitter at @TheScando
Visit us on Facebook here
Support us on Patreon here

What Is A Cozy Board Game?

Now, this is probably where we can get into a debate right away. Some people will have some idea, other people will think it means another thing. But I think cozy can encompass a lot of different things. But for a board game to be cozy, I think it needs a few different things to be true, or at least a combination of some of them.

1. Not Overly Complex
2. Aesthetically Pleasing
3. Short Length
4. Not Too Competitive

Not Overly Complex

This I think is the first point of contention. I think there are games out there that are more activities. Even one I enjoy, A Gentle Rain, is more of an activity because the decision space and rules space is so limited. It doesn’t have to be taken to that level. But it is a game where you can hold all the rules of the game in your head without that much trouble. Even if you don’t learn rules all that well, a time sitting down and playing a round or a hand, you know the game.

Aesthetically Pleasing

I think looks, generally, are a key part to this. A pretty game is easier to sit down and play. And a prettier game feels less mean. It actually surprises me when a pretty game is mean because I don’t expect it to be that. For example would be Calico which is so tight in how it plays and missing out on a tile can cause you to miss out on a lot of points. But a pretty looking game is definitely another element that is important.

Short Length

I also think it’s important that the game isn’t too long. A long game is going to feel like it drags. Especially if it hits on the first part, simple rules. Simple games generally do not provide the depth in strategy that a heavier game does. And because of this play time matters. But less that they are less interesting to play, but more that the longer they go, the less interesting they are. I enjoy a game like Criss Cross, but if that game was twice as long, it loses it’s charm. So short or at least the right amount of time for the amount of rules.

Not Too Competitive

By this, I don’t mean that it shouldn’t be competitive. I think that often times competitive games make better cozy games. Why, because the game trying to beat you generally is done in such a way to give good tension. In a competitive game you can lean towards competitive but solitaire or minimal player interaction. If I can focus on what I am doing and I do not end up in direct conflict with you, I think that makes a good relaxing experience.

5 Cozy Games

5. Ohanami

This is probably the first game that comes to my mind when I think of a cozy game, or at least high on the list. The game is simple, you draft two cards and you put them in three columns. You are picking cards to score points. And scoring is interesting, blues score every round but fewer points. Greys score the last round but more points. There is strategy, but it is all easy to keep in your head. And nothing I take is going to really mess you up too badly. I will leave cards you can use, most likely. Plus the artwork is good and play time is shrot.

4. Kohaku

Kohaku is another very pretty game, probably the prettiest on my list. It is a game about building out a koi pond and scoring points. You pick two tiles and decide where to place them in your pond. One is going to be a fish and one is going to be a scoring tile. Picking and placement rules are very simple but you end up with a very pretty game. Especially with the Kickstarter edition, or first print, where it has double layer acrylic tiles.

3. A Gentle Rain

A Gentle Rain, I already mentioned this one and how it borders on an activity. But in Gentle Rain, you are picking up a tile and placing it into a big pond where it is raining. A pretty look for the game. You are trying to complete groups of four completely getting the four corners to touch. You do that by matching the flowers on the tiles. When you do you put in a disc and the goal is to play as many of those discs as you can. The draw a tile, singular, limits your options, but there is strategy to how you place. And it’s a very fast game.

2. Sagrada

The biggest game on the list and some might disagree with me on this one, is Sagrada. To me, this maybe isn’t the coziest game, no real order to this list. But it is a cozy game. Building out your stained glass window is pretty. The dice, windows, everything about the game is pretty. And the rules are a bit heavier, which is okay the game is a bit longer. But the basics are pretty simple. You draft a die and place it so it isn’t adjacent to the same number of color. At the end it can be tricky to play, but it never feels stressful. Even if someone drafts what you want.

1. Canvas

Finally, we have Canvas. Canvas is a simple game of picking pieces of artwork, overlaying them, and creating the best image to score points. And I know the point scoring is what gets some people and probably takes it off the list. Mainly because Canvas can feel like there is a balance between trying to score points and wanting to make pretty artwork.

It becomes a cozier game when you realize that you can just create the pretty artwork. Sure, points do matter, but it isn’t everything in the game. Even if you just layer the artwork for yourself or to show it off and then go to the good scoring combination, it is fun. And it is fun to see what you create and at the end of the game to judge which is prettiest, even if that isn’t the point of the game.

Final Thoughts

Cozy games are fun. But like anything, a cozy video game or a cozy movie or TV show, I don’t want that all of the time. But I do want to have some games like that in my collection. If it was all I had, I wouldn’t feel challenged and stimulated. If I didn’t have any, I wouldn’t have games to play when I just want to relax and clear my brain.

But, your mileage might vary as to how cozy a game can be for you. I put it this way for myself, I try and win games but I don’t need to win a game. For other people without winning a game or trying so hard to optimize to win a game a game isn’t fun. So if a game is too simple, which a lot of cozy games are simpler, they aren’t as fun for them. So know how competitive you are in a game.

What are some of your favorite cozy games?

Send an Email
Message me on Twitter at @TheScando
Visit us on Facebook here
Support us on Patreon here

How To Play City Chase

City Chase is a pretty simple game in what you do on your turn. Once the buildings are on the board and helicopters have been placed, the player who is the getaway driver places their car and the token, creating their starting location. And each of their following turns they’ll leave the token and move their car to an adjacent building, but not diagonally adjacent.

The other player(s) play as the police trying to track down the getaway driver and car. Each helicopter, there are three, can do one action. They can move or they can search. Helicopters move intersection to intersection along the road. And then they can search the building. There are three things you can find in the building, nothing, the getaway car, or a token from where the car has been.

If the getaway driver can avoid being found, or trapping themselves, they can’t cross a token, they win the game. If the police can find them under a building, the police player(s) win.

What Doesn’t Work?

I don’t have any major complaints with the game but two minor ones. In my game plays it’s much easier for the getaway driver to win. Which, I think is fine. But having a variant and a 4th helicopter for the police in there, I think it wouldn’t be a bad idea. Especially since this is a light game. I could see an 8 year old playing it but they might prefer to have more of a chance to find the getaway driver, or their trail, early in the game and maybe push it too far in the helicopter advantage, but until they are ready for it to be harder.

And not really an issue of the game but something to know about City Chase and as the getaway driver. You can be heard moving stuff around. Probably not a major issue, but we found that chatting while the getaway driver placed covered up the noise plenty well. Is it something you can use for your advantage? Maybe.

What Works?

The hidden movement in this game is good. And it is good for all ages because it is simple. You need to remember where your vehicle is and that is it. And you barely even need to remember that, you can just look to find it again while the other player(s) have their eyes closed. The mechanic is simple of moving the vehicle and hiding it, but also a lot of fun doing that.

And I think that playing the police and figuring out where the criminal might be is fun as well. Which, for a game with two parts, or two distinct roles, is important that both are fun. Once you get that trail, I like the feeling of closing in and trying to find the two tokens, the starting token and round six token, to figure out where they are heading or might be heading.

The toy factor in this game is also amazing. I love the buildings and the helicopters for the game. I like, also, that they didn’t just make one type of building, but there are two different shapes with different heights. What does that add to the game, nothing but some fun difference on the board.

Who Is It For?

This game is one that would qualify as fun for adults, but it’s more for those buddying gamers in your life. Probably that 10-14 age range would be where it is best. But with that said, don’t sleep on it for adults. But more so, don’t sleep on it for adults as a kids game, mainly, that is fun for adults.

And I think so much with kids games that is important. You can even play with younger kids as well, I’d think. Especially if the kid and a parent team up against someone else. So if the kid and the parent or older person play as the police, they can work together in this game.

Final Thoughts on City Chase

This is an interesting game for me. I think that it’s likely going to stick in my collection, though probably not be on the main shelves. Mainly, my kid isn’t old enough to play it yet, but once he is, I can see this one being a fun one to play. Like I said in the who this is for, it is a kids game that adults will like. The game offers enough choices to make it fun.

And I really can’t talk about how much this works from both sides. That was my biggest fear going into the game that one side would be vastly superior to the other, in terms of the fun you are having. But both sides are a lot of fun. And both offer their own challenges. Only being able to move or search means the search is slow. You always want to do more. But with the getaway car, you will eventually reach the point where you need to go past a helicopter. And that is good tension as well.

Overall, a very fun game. Not one that I think is needed by everyone. But if you have a kid or play with kids, in that range, City Chase is a really fun time. And I don’t think between the toy factor and game play you’ll be disappointed in it.

My Grade: B-
Gamer Grade: C
Casual Grade: B
Kids Grade: A

Send an Email
Message me on Twitter at @TheScando
Visit us on Facebook here
Support us on Patreon here

The Plot – Shortcake Cake

Ten is a high school student who takes the bus from a small town into the bigger city every day for school. One of her good friends from the town and going to her school has a boarding house where she lives. A room is open there and after visiting Ten realizes that is probably going to be a better experience for her.

Of course, there are both boys and girls living in the house. And soon Ten has an admirer, but is it someone that she likes back. And how would a romance work in the house or could it even work? Those are the things as well as high school life that Ten needs to navigate.

General Thoughts

This is a different manga that most that I’ve read before. I have read some things and watched some that lean into the romance element as well. But this one lays itself out in an interesting way. Mainly that you don’t always know who is talking. The voice bubbles are not always lined up, and this feels like it is done so that they can create this sense of confusion of flustered feeling that Ten has at times. As the reader it is meant for us to feel as confused as she does in that moment.

I also like to mention fan service here, if there is any. And while there is romance and characters kiss, and that is the whole thing that drives the story. I won’t way who kisses who, there are a lot of characters in the house, but there is not fan service. It is written that so that it’s primary audience is going to be female which means that the standard fan service is not going to increase an audience.

What Doesn’t Work?

The books are not all consistent. By that I mean in the 2nd book, it is almost worth putting down. There is a character introduced that is just not interesting and the story that you care about from the first book does not progress. It nearly killed the series, but we’d enjoyed the first book enough that I had bought more than just the 2nd. If I had only bought one I’m not sure I’d have continued.

I also think that while the voice being confused makes some sense thematically for the story, it is not the most effective story telling element. The issue is that sometimes while reading it you can’t figure it out and it takes a panel or two to put it together. Again, that is thematic in what it is doing, but it’d work better if it was a disconnected voice that as you read it you could connect it.

What Works?

Aesthetically this is one of the better looking manga that I’ve read. It calls back previous panels and conversations in a really nice way. And the character artwork is very well done. The focus is very much on the characters and the background generally falls away. You need the characters to look good in this for the story to work because there are no grand set pieces.

The romance works well, as well. And I won’t go into it too much as to not spoil anything. But it is done pretty simply without many grand gestures or anything like that. There are some moments that happen that stretch out the whole will they won’t they element. And there is a love triangle at one point in time. That is not always handled the best, but I generally think that it works.

Who Is It For?

Like I said, this is written primarily for a female audience. That said, it can stand on it’s own. I would say that there will be an element where you need to push past that 2nd collection but beyond that, it is better. If romance manga interests you at all, I think this is one of the better ones, at least from what I’ve come across. It doesn’t delve into too much drama, and it feels good to read it, so maybe even if it’s out of your normal style, give it a read.

Final Thoughts – Shortcake Cake

This is a lot of fun, and there are a total of 12 so it is not too long. Shortcake Cake doesn’t make me immediately want to go out and seek more romance manga. But it also is not turning me off from it. In fact, if my wife finds more that she wants to checkout, I’ll read them as well.

I am curious as to what others will think of the main characters. I know with the love triangle, I didn’t have as much issue with the third person. Now, it is not who you might think if you read book two. So there is some room for how you enjoy the series. Not saying that there is ever really a wrong way. It is just interesting to see how my wife and I might differ on opinions, somewhat, on the characters.

Have you read Shortcake Cake? What did you think of it, or what are your favorite romance anime or manga?

Send an Email
Message me on Twitter at @TheScando
Visit us on Facebook here
Support us on Patreon here

Pros

• Aesthetic
• Player Count
• Price Point
• Deck Building
• Push Your Luck
• Solo

Cons

• Push Your Luck

The Page

The page is a sharp looking page. Artana is doing a good job of showing off their game. Though, with showing off the art first, I wish it was the rules. I probably will always come back to this, but in this case, they can show off the art and the rules at the same time. Especially since First in Flight isn’t about having a ton of minis.

I will say that the collectors edition, more about the page than the game, looks solid. Do I need metal coins, foiled cards, and to go from wooden meeples to plastic sculpts? I don’t know what I would. But they are nice luxury add-ons without it being more game play. As someone who generally isn’t interested in the collectors edition, I dislike it when I feel I’m missing out game content. Here, I miss out on some fancier pieces.

The historical nature of the game, as well is cool. It allows what looks like a fun game to also be a teaching game. Too many games that are educational or look that way, are just boring. This looks both educational and like a modern board game that will be fun to play. Genius Games also does this, and I’m glad to see more companies leaning into that.

The Game

The game itself looks interesting to me. As it appears to have a fair amount going on. With a rondel for action selection, or so it seems, pushing your forward. Plus then deck building as you try and improve your pilot, plane and hit certain goals.

Push Your Luck is not normally a mechanic that I love. But I think that it seems interesting in this case. But for some, it’ll be a bit more than they are looking for in a game. I like the fact that you mitigate those flaws in your deck through skills.

Back or Brick

Oddly enough, even though I have only good things to say about First in Flight, this is a Brick for me. Not because I don’t want it. I do want the game, but because I don’t feel the need to get it on Kickstarter. They seem to have retail plans and this is one that I’d love to try or get my hands on more before I would back it.

I suspect with the type of game it is. The deck building, the gorgeous look, and even the push your luck, it’ll be a game that I like But I don’t want to assume that is the case. Plus, looking at the number, I likely can get it for the same cost at retail, especially since I am not that interested in the collectors edition.

How about for you, is this a Back or Brick?

Send an Email
Message me on Twitter at @TheScando
Visit us on Facebook here
Support us on Patreon here

Checkout the Sleeping Gods Distant Skies campaign on Gamefound now.

Pros

• Proven Game System
• Proven Company
• Aesthetic
• Story
• Shorter Campaign
• Cooperative and Solo
• Price

Cons

• Price
• All In Cost For Sleeping Gods

The Page

This is a beautiful page, and a lot of that is because of Ryan Laukat’s amazing artwork. Honestly, maybe the best artwork for any game out there. I get some people wanting maybe a more realistic look but I think it’s amazing. And it is so consistent across his projects that you can easily tell when something is a Red Raven Games product.

One thing, not a negative, but to note is that there is little in the way of exclusives for this campaign. As you go through everything, most of it will be available later. And I don’t mind that. But to note, looking at the costs, you can probably get it cheaper at retail, when you can find it at retail. And that’s going to be your driving factor to back it. Of course then the two reveals happening as well. But those will be available, most likely, after the fact.

The Game

The game is going to build off of what was started with Sleeping Gods. But it is taking feedback from what has been developed previously and improving upon that. So if you want to see how the game plays, you can checkout my Sleeping Gods game play over on Malts and Meeples.

So let’s talk about some of the changes that have happened in the game. The big one for me is that the skills you put on the characters they no longer reset each time through the event deck. If you watch my whole play through, you’ll notice that it’s something I missed. It didn’t make sense thematically that you’d lose them. Once you learn a skill why would that then go away, unless it was a one time use thing, so you use it. I’m glad for that rule change.

Combat is also changing up. Now, I didn’t mind the puzzle of combat, for some people, though, the accuracy and the chances to miss based off of a random card draw frustrated them. I could see that being annoying. Probably helps that I didn’t reset those skills for me. It keeps the same, cover things up, but removes accuracy so you always hits and now gives you other things for the puzzle. Instead of equipping weapons, a combat deck.

Finally, storywise, the game has more stories for the characters. So character development that can go on. I happened to find a thread that was pretty character specific, or at least focused on one character, that I played through in Sleeping Gods. But I’m guessing now it’ll be hard to go through a campaign or play without coming across some more character specific story. And I like it when I learn more about the people I’m playing.

Back or Brick

This is a Back for me. In fact, I was backer #31, and I backed it before I even looked at the page. I really loved Sleeping Gods. My only complaint on it is that it was dumb that the abilities you put on characters would go away. And I even broke that rule, granted, that then breaks some of the balance of the game.

So, I really do think that the new version, Sleeping Gods Distant Skies, is going to be a great version of the Sleeping Gods system. And I think it might be one that I like better because of that one frustration of the abilities. And I think it’ll be a great jumping in point for new people. So for me, I am backing it at Everything Pledge as well as adding on the one Sleeping Gods expansion that I haven’t picked up.

Is Sleeping Gods Distant Skies a Back or Brick for you?

Send an Email.
Message me directly on Twitter at @TheScando
Visit us on Facebook here.
Support us on Patreon here.

Pros

• Roll and Write
• Designer Pedigree
• Price Point
• Box Art
• Solo Mode
• Game Weight

Cons

• Component Art
• Game Weight

The Page

This is a solid page. This company has put out other roll and write games, Three Sisters and Fleet: The Dice Game, though not all under their own company name. So they know the industry, so they created a solid page for laying out information about their game.

Much like I knock the art components some, I do think that the page looks a little bit less polished than it could. Now, some of that is that there are a lot of companies out there doing amazing jobs and spending a lot of time and money on the pages. I don’t really need a company to do that, but it is going to make a smaller roll and write game look even smaller with the page that it has.

The Game

Motor City, much like Three Sisters and Fleet: The Dice Game, looks like a game with a ton going on in it. There are multiple sheets, which I’m okay with. I like that the sheets are at least double sided, so I’m not going through my sheets twice as fast as I would normally. Plus, I’d likely laminate some sheets so that I can replay forever.

My concern after seeing reviews for Three Sisters and having played Fleet: The Dice Game is about the weight of this roll and write. Two sheets means a lot to keep track of. At the same time, I keep on considering buying a very heavy roll and write, Hadrian’s Wall. The question I ask around heavier roll and write games is how many do I really need?

Back or Brick

You might be able to guess where I am landing with this one, for me this is a Brick. And some of that was after watching the preview that BoardGameCo did for it. I’m not too concerned about it being too complex for me, but I also don’t think it’s a roll and write I’d teach others. I have a number of roll and write games I generally play solo, so do I want another. I decided on no, because I like Fleet: The Dice Game, but it didn’t blow me away. Maybe it’ll grow with more plays. And I looked at Three Sisters, but I’m glad I didn’t back it.

But let me know your thoughts, is Motor City a Back or Brick?

Send an Email.
Message me directly on Twitter at @TheScando
Visit us on Facebook here.
Support us on Patreon here.

Pros

• Page Is Good
• Epic Adventure Game
• Price Point
• True Solo

Cons

• Price Point
• Aesthetic (possibly)

The Page

This is an interesting page for me. I put in my cons the aesthetic, and I think it might be the aesthetic of the page more so than the aesthetic of the game itself. The game looks different than most fantasy big box games. While it has dragons and monsters, it feels almost more grounded and more medieval in nature.

But on the flip side that same more simplistic aesthetic on the page itself, it seems a bit too much like it was done in paint. Now, they lay out things well on their page. I get an idea of what the game is about immediately, but at the same time, I also feel like if this was a new company, I’d be knocking them on it hard for not being polished enough.

The section that really stands out to me with this is the stretch goals or daily unlocks. Parts of the artwork look great. Other parts look unpolished, I guess that is what it comes down to for me. And like I said, I think it works for the game. It isn’t the flashiest, but it makes the game feel different. For the page, it just lacks the selling itself I’d expect.

The Game

The game itself does a lot of things that I like. Good character progression, from the looks of it. And while it’s not something that I seek out, I really like the idea that a character improves as things get worse. Cthulhu: Death May Die, I believe, does the same thing where you can unlock more abilities as you go more insane. So instead of feeling every hit as much, you fight harder for your life as the hits keep coming.

I also like that you make permanent changes to the world. This is basically a legacy element of the game but it isn’t a true legacy, I’d say. Basic idea is that as you play through the campaign and survive, your knights will influence the world, leave a mark on it. If and when you come back now what you’ve done before will make a difference on what happens next.

Also, for me, true solo is a huge add to the game. Just to clarify what that means, it means as a solo player I don’t need to control multiple characters. The game might be meant for 4 knights to go through it, but I can play it with one. It adds in squires as support, but the overall bookkeeping of all the knights versus some automated squires will make the game simpler to play.

As they say, the true solo helps you focus on the story. And I think that’s what interests me most is the story of the game. You’re going out as a knight, not as wizard, warlock, even a rogue or a fighter. You fight for your kingdom(s) and try and stop the monsters that are coming after you. That is pretty normal dungeon crawler, but it’s less an adventuring party, and more knights sent out on a quest.

Back or Brick

This one is a tough one for me. I definitely want to back it and right now I am for the $12 US no reward but access to pledge manager and early bird, if I decide to go in for more on it. So technically it is a Brick for me right now. I’m trying to convince myself with the pledge with no reward that I might play it later, I have room with the campaign games I own and have coming in, since I’m sure this will take a bit to deliver.

But in reality, I probably have enough to last me another five years or more, plus some on the way. So I likely won’t back this just because I don’t need another campaign game. That doesn’t mean that I don’t want this. And I think with Aeon’s Trespass coming out soon, we’ll get a better idea of what the company does. But I don’t think you’ll be disappointed if you back it.

So is this a Back or Brick for you?

Send an Email.
Message me directly on Twitter at @TheScando
Visit us on Facebook here.
Support us on Patreon here.

How To Play Village Green

In Village Green, you are trying to score in both rows and columns, getting your perfect layout. To set-up the game, you get your village as well as scoring cards for the columns. On your turn you can draft a green card and play one down, if you want. Or you draft a scoring card and play one down. Ideally, you end with a full green, 3×3 grid, and six scoring cards.

When you put down a green card, it needs to be adjacent to another green card. And the flower type or the color of the flower must match. This locks you into what you can play sometimes. There are some plain cards with no flowers, and you can put those down adjacent to anything. That allows you to connect anything to that card.

The scoring cards are basically as easy as well. You either put it on the edge of a row or a column. You can have a max of six, and you cover a previous scoring card. Maybe it is that you need yellow tulips in the column, but you draft a scoring card for red flowers in a row. Now you could cover up either of them later to make them work together better.

The game ends when one person fills their green. Then the round finishes and scores are totaled. The player with the most points wins.

What Doesn’t Work?

The solo mode is just okay. Mainly because the cards don’t swap around as much. I feel like I would want to be able to wipe those cards every round or remove the left most and put a new one down, something like that. Basically, since you see so few cards, that can determine your score. On the upside, the game plays fast.

What Works?

Multiplayer is much better. Even at two there is enough change that can happen throughout the game. If I take a card for my green, you’ll see a new card. If I take a scoring, you see a new card. I can imagine that it’d be even more of that with three or four, actually, it has to be. Though, I wonder with all the turnover in a four player game if it might be more random.

That said, the fact you can’t cover up green cards, but can cover up scoring cards, that is really good. I like that you can adjust your strategy mid game if you wanted by swapping out scoring. So scoring is a little bit more free to pick, but when you play down a card to your green, that one is going to be there. And that decision matters a lot. But you also play nine versus only needing to play three scoring cards.

The game also plays fast, but plays fast while giving you good thinky decisions. You try and figure out ways to optimize your points. But your choices are really simple. You either take a card for your green or a scoring card. And then play a card down. And with most likely 15 cards total played, the decision space is a very good size.

Who Would I Recommend It To?

I would say almost anyone. The game play is simple enough. The thinking of scoring for both rows and columns might fluster some people. But the game play itself is simple. So they can just focus on rows or columns. To optimize what you are doing you’ll need to pay more attention.

So my only time I’d not recommend it to people is if they play with Analysis Paralysis prone people. I think one AP player, if you know they are, it won’t be bad. But two would take a fast game to a much longer game. And I’m not sure that the depth of game play warrants a long play lenght.

Village Green – Final Thoughts

I was hoping that the solo play in this game would be better. It comes in a small box so one that is easier to take places and just play. But while it is a bit more random that way, it isn’t horrible. And the multiplayer is very good. Overall I enjoyed my plays of it a lot thus far, and I want to introduce it to more people.

And I think that’s the charm of this game. Like something like Ohanami or Floriforous, this is a pretty looking game that is going to charm most people. The artwork is nice, and even with it being a thinky game, it feels relaxing to play. And I like it when a game does that. That’s what makes me like Ohanami, A Gentle Rain, and Orchard so much, they are relaxing. And this is the one that makes you think more than any of the others.

Have you played Village Green? Do you like it, do you want to play it?

My Grade: B+
Gamer Grade: B
Casual Grade: B

Send an Email.
Message me directly on Twitter at @TheScando
Visit us on Facebook here.
Support us on Patreon here.

Kohaku Game Play

Like I said in the introduction, Kohaku is very easy to play. You draft tiles, two of them that are adjacent. One is going to be a koi tile and one is going to be a feature tile. The koi don’t give you points themselves, unless they have a coin on them. Instead, as you place them out into a tableau in front of you, you place koi near features to help them score points. For example, a feature might give you two points for each red or yellow koi next to it or three points if they are both red and yellow.

After a number of rounds, I believe 14 in a two player game, you tally up your score. There are six, I think, different scoring features, some just being five point turtles, to more complex ones scoring for all of a color in a row and a column. At the end of the game, the person with the most points is the winner.

What Doesn’t Work?

For what this game is, there are very few things that don’t work. And what I am going to say doesn’t work is kind of a nitpicking. But the game comes with amazing acrylic tiles that have the koi and features, more on them later. But when they are shipped, there is a film on them, this is to protect them when being cut. That hurt, like fingers legitimately hurt after taking all of those off the fronts and backs in probably an hour and a half of time. So it’s trick to get to the table to start.

Then my one real complaint is the scoring track. All the scoring is done at the end, and they give you a little neoprene mat where you draft your koi and features from with a score track at top. The track doesn’t have a zero, it goes 1 through 9 and 10 through 90. If you know that, you can count it correctly. If you don’t, you’ll score it wrong going straight from 1 to 9. This would be better with a 0 on the track. But even then, it’d be much better as a score pad.

You can watch a good playthrough of this game over on GloryHoundd YouTube channel, which I have below.

What Works?

Firstly the aesthetic of the game is amazing. The tiles are beautiful. The neoprene mat, while I have issues with the scoring is very nice. And they made it as pretty as it is without taking away from the functionality of the game. You can easily see how many baby koi or dragonflies are on tiles. The scoring tiles all have their scoring printed on them. You don’t wonder what is going on as you play.

Play is also very fast. Can you spend time figuring out your perfect move, sure, but you are taking two tiles from a total of twelve. And even in that you are limited because you need to select adjacent tiles, and only orthagonally not diagonally. Plus the game is a lighter game, so it’s not one that is meant to be maxed out to the highest point total possible. I’m sure some people will, but it isn’t a game that should be.

Weight wise it reminds me of Calico, a simple game to play with a lot of scoring. The scoring in Calico restricts what you can do or what you need. It does in Kohaku as well, but because you are always drafting a feature, you open up more spots and ways to score. And through three plays, it seems like almost all the scoring tiles are about equally as good. Turtles being the worst, but being a guaranteed five points no matter what.

The game is also fast in play time. Fourteen rounds, two turns per round, took us maybe 20-25 minutes per game. For a game that gives you a good choice each turn, that is really fast. And while I don’t need to be engaged in my opponents turn, I often am. Not because they can mess me up too much, just because I can start to plan while the person before me goes.

What Do I Want To See In More Plays?

Firstly, I want to try this at a higher player count. I played Kohaku three times, but it was all at two players. And it works very well at two players, but I’m curious to see how it plays with more people. I didn’t strategize too much with blocking my opponent at two player. But I think that’d be even less of a thing with more players.

I like that Kohaku seems to let you focus more on building out your own tableau to score points versus stopping your opponent from getting stuff to score points themselves. If you try and block, you likely will tank your points too much. Instead, when you choose between two equally good things, you maybe choose the one that hurts your opponent more.

I also want to see how well this holds up over a lot of plays. I’ve played it three times in a row, and because it is so fast had a great time with it. But after 10 plays will it start to feel the same or not? I think that it could, but also I think that it might not matter as much. For example, Splendor generally seems the same to me and I got tired of it. But Splendor also takes longer. This feels as easy as Splendor but faster, and I think more interesting in the choices I make.

Kohaku Initial Impressions

This is a fun game. It is a simple game. I actually almost brought it up to family Christmas because it is a family weight game. And I could see my family liking this game because it is a pretty game to get to the table. Is this a game that I’m always going to want to play, unlikely. But I think it’ll have a spot on my shelf for a long time.

It really comes down to the scoring. While the koi and features determine some of your direction, you can try lots of different scoring ways. And to me, that experimenting with the game makes it a lot of fun. Like I said, that might end eventually with more plays. But it is a game that fits a nice niche. Games like this stick around longer because they play so well with a wide number of players.

Have you played Kohaku, what are your thoughts on it? Is it one you want to try?

Send an Email.
Message me directly on Twitter at @TheScando
Visit us on Facebook here.
Support us on Patreon here.