Spire’s End – Dice Mechanics

So, one area that the two games definitely will be compared is on the use of dice. Spire’s End has two different dice and one of the sets of dice are really normal. And the other is using the dice much more specifically for combat for actions in the game.

And I don’t really have a strong feeling which I like better. Both of them do offer a high amount of randomness. I think that both of them do try and pull back on that randomness in different ways. In Spire’s End, it allows you to pick your attack. Basically a resource to use of health pool, I think of it as energy where you are expending more energy which leaves you closer to being taken out. But those tend to hit easier because they have lower targets for at least doing some damange.

On the flip side, with Spire’s End Hildegard, you aren’t expending your own life. Instead, you need to match symbols. And the dice have more combinations of sides that you can hit with. Now, sometimes it isn’t more because you can’t use certain symbols which makes that process trickier and more random. And in all fairness, I probably shouldn’t have spent all my rerolls or skills on waffles. But the process offers good decisions to determine what you keep.

Both definitely do interesting things. As I write about them, I think I might prefer Spire’s End version of dice combat or challenges. Mainly because I can choose more of what I do, I at least can pick if I do a basic attack or a hard attack. I might find that changes over time, though, as I use more of the skills in Hildegard based off of those cubes.

Upcoming Streams

So, on Wednesday, the link isn’t up yet, it’s more Spire’s End Hildegard at 8 PM Central. And then Monday it’s more Spire’s End at 8:30 PM Central. And as we get closer to the holidays, that’s my plan to keep playing those games. I know I do have another solo game or two showing up, including a small one, so depending on how long these streams take and how long I survive in the stories, I’ll possibly pull some of those new games out as well.

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Spire’s End Hildegard Early Impressions

Obviously I’m not too far into the game at this point. I’ve played a single chapter and experienced only a little bit of what the game has to offer. But it’s time to give a few pieces of early impressions and comparison to Spire’s End.

Firstly, Spire’s End Hildegard is going to be a more family friendly game. Spire’s End leans into horror and while there might be bits of the story that are intense that I’ve heard of from Hildegard, I don’t find it to be nearly at the level of Spire’s End, so it makes it a more friendly game to play.

Also the die combat is a little bit different and I enjoy both types. In Spire’s End you were tracking health and spending that to try and do actions. You were hitting a target number on a roll. Spire’s End Hildegard you are trying to complete targets. And I don’t know that I have a strong preference for either. With Spire’s End Hildegard you have a bit more choice with the rolls, but with Spire’s End you were picking for one roll which was a fun challenge. You could spend more health to have better odds but put you closer to death.

I think that I do like in Spire’s End Hildegard you just play one character. The fact that you play as Hildegard means that you get her story versus a more generic story with characters who are just battling various monsters. You don’t get attached to the character like you do with Hildegard. Now you can play as her sister as well, but that’s only in a two player game, as this is game that is really meant to be played solo.

Upcoming Streams

So for sure next Monday is going to be playing some Spire’s End. Join me at 8:30 PM next Monday and see how that game compares and we might even see Hildegard in that one as well, probably will. It’s a different game but both I find are easy to table and I want to do more comparisons between the two of them.

Then on Wednesday, we’re going to be streaming at 8 PM central time more Spire’s End Hildegard. We’re going to progress into Chapter 2 and find out if we can survive long enough to play another week. If you join in you can help me make some fun choices as we see what new adventures Hildegard is going on.

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The Plot – Solo Leveling

Sung Jinwoo is a hunter. But he isn’t a good hunter, in fact, he is the weakest hunter out there. He needs to do it because he got the power, but also to help support his mother in the hospital and his sister. But, every time he comes back from a hunt, he is always beat up.

This all started when weird portals or gateways started to show up around the world. He and some lucky others were given powers to be hunters. This might mean great at combat or it might mean that they can heal others. Jinwoo just isn’t good at any of them. But when things go wrong in a dungeon, he finds that his life is going to change forever.

What Doesn’t Work?

While this does some different things, I’ll talk about them later, it does feel somewhat derivative of other manga that I’ve read. Technically without it being manga, I believe, since it is South Korean. But the elements there match what I’ve read before. I would say that Lit RPG might even be a better example of what it is doing. And I also compare it to Isekai that I’ve read.

And secondly, what I don’t consider to be a major knock, is that this is violent, at least to more of a level than a lot of manga. Solo Leveling is full color, so blood looks like blood. And there is a lot of violence. More, to me, this is something that if you don’t know it’s going to be there might be a surprise. For the story it is telling it works though.

What Works?

I think that the main character is interesting. His motivations for being in the dungeons, we get to see it in flashbacks, are meaningful. This is the real world, minus the portals and hunters, and he’s doing what he needs to to take care of his family. That feels more real than a lot of characters randomly thrust into another world.

The characters also do real world type things in non-real world type situations. The conversations that they have when they go into the dungeon that kickoff the story aren’t in awe of the dungeon. It is something that is common place in their world. And going on a hunt to clear a dungeon is a job. Conversations around it are normal conversations as people talk about life, love, family, things that normal people talk about.

And I like that it is in color. I’m not sure if this should go here or be in my final thoughts, but it is something that works. The color on the page is nice. It gives it more of that comic feel and I think makes the story that much more immersive. And it isn’t like a page full of color but is used with the blank space on the page, to convey the story really well.

How Does It Compare?

I want to talk about what I compare this to, because it is my normal comic or manga that I read and write about. But it is also different. Thinking about it, I compare it in some ways to something like Blood, Blockade, Battlefront. But the monsters and creatures aren’t coming through. I also compare it to LitRPG’s that I’ve read. There is one where towers appear in the world and now monsters and magic are a thing.

But in terms of manga that I’ve read, I think it does feel different. There is a game like element to it. It does have some of that DNA that you see in things like Sword Art Online. This fantasy element and dungeon clearing element. And there are real life consequences to failure, But they are different. In Sword Art Online, someone dies, and we see them disappear in a game. here, characters address it to the real world immediately. That just adds weight to what the characters are doing.

At the same time, it is about a character leveling up. So while it does feel like there is a bit more weight to it, the basics of it are familiar. Going into a dungeon, fighting, and trying to make a living, survive, and level up, it is what we’ve seen before in a lot of anime or manga. Solo Leveling doesn’t stray too far from the expected tropes.

Final Thoughts on Solo Leveling

Solo Leveling is definitely a comic that I want to keep reading. And it is getting an anime adaptation. I want to read more of the comic and I might even want to read the light novels or LitRPG novels that the comics are based off of.

Like I said in the last section, I think that Solo Leveling, while it is familiar, does feel different. Blood Blockade Battlefront is one that it really does compare to for me. Placing a character into a world where there are real consequences and consequences to the real world feels different.

That does, I do want to see how the main character continues to progress. I think what they’ve done so far makes a lot of sense. I don’t see them leading the character down a dark path, but if they do, it would mess with my enjoyment of the series. The characters reasoning wouldn’t lead that way, but it is hard to tell. And the covers make it feel like it might, at times.

I also hope that it doesn’t just become another, here’s a boss monster, let’s level up this character and make them really powerful. That doesn’t fit with what the story has been thus far either. It should be a struggle for Jinwoo throughout. But because of who he is, and what he needs to do, he can level up and overcome.

Let me know if you’ve read this comic? Is it something that you’re interested in reading or watching the anime of when it comes out? Supposedly coming out in 2023, or is it one you’ll pass on?

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How To Play Meadow?

In Meadow you are playing down tokens to pick specific cards. These cards have symbols that they need to be played, and a symbol that they give you. So you build up from habitats to small creatures or plants, then cover those with the creatures that eat them or use them for shelter and build up upon that. Eventually trying to get landscapes and items to remember the location by.

Each card is going to give you points, minus the terrain cards, and you are trying to get the most points possible. The player with the most points wins the game.

Initial Impressions

Now, that is a very simple overview of the game. There is more going on, mainly the campfire and how you select what specific card you take. Both I want to call out here because they are interesting to talk about as well. And both of them I actually enjoy in the game. There is one part of the game that makes it harder for me to get to a full review though. We’ll get to that soon.

Action Tiles

The action tiles are really interesting in how they are used. I call them tiles, it could be arrows as well, or parts of a picket fence, depends on how you want to talk about them. It uses a mechanic that I enjoy in Quadropolis where it gives you a distance, 1 through 4, can where you place your tile, you count that many in. That card is the one that you are taking.

Now, other players can block where you want to go. And later in the rounds, cards will just become in accessible because of how people play. So you need to prioritize getting what you need. But the action tiles aren’t just for getting cards, they each have powers as well, which leads us into the campfire.

Campfire

There is a campfire in the game, not a literal one, but that is another spot you can use the action tiles. In the game each action tile has a special ability. It might be grabbing a card from a deck or from anywhere in the grid of laid out cards. This is great when the cards don’t work for you or the one you want is blocked off. The downside is that you don’t get to play it immediately. Or you can play two cards, or get two roads, which are used for the landscapes.

But there is even more going on. You have scoring tokens that you can put out. Around the campfire are symbols. If you match a combination of two of them, that hasn’t been filled in, so a bird next to a berry for example, you put down a scoring tile. The more you do that, the higher scoring tile you can place. But it isn’t something that always works to do. So it’s a balance of do you want an ability or not? And all this leads into the final thig.

Game Length and Complexity

The first thing to talk about is game length for Meadow. And with that complexity, they really go hand in hand. Meadow is not a game with a ton of rounds, and because of that, you want to optimize your moves. And because you need to optimize and plan out combinations, it can cause AP.

I tend not to get much AP in a game, but in a two player game, in particular, I slow down in this game. And the person I played with did as well. There is a lot going on in this game, and it makes me think I’d prefer it at four versus two. One thing that adds to the complexity and time needed to figure out is a wild tile. It can be any number in a two or three player game. In a four player game you just have one through four. That wild adds in a lot of options. as you can repeat a number or a power.

Who Is This For?

I think that’s an interesting question as to for it’s for. The game is pretty, which might make some gamers think it’ll be too light. On the flip side, it’s going to draw some people in and they’re going to realize it is too heavy. This is not a light game, it gives you a ton of options and a lot of planning that you can do. So I think this is a pretty game for seasoned gamers.

Now, that isn’t a bad thing. I want my games to be pretty. But Meadow reminds me of Calico in some ways. Calico is a very pretty game, a very cute game, but it is challenging. In Calico you can play with most people because it doesn’t give you complex turns. Meadow can give you complex rounds that you need to plan out more carefully. So I think it’s mainly a thing to be aware of.

Final Thoughts on Meadow

I enjoy Meadow. I think that the game play is interesting, I like how you pick your cards. And I really like the artwork as well. My main concern about Meadow and how long it may or may not stay in my collection is the game length.

Like I said, I enjoy the puzzle a lot of this game. I want to figure out how to optimize my turns, but the question is, who do I play it with. When I played it two player most recently, a few rounds 4 player at Gen Con, it was not a fast game. Like I said, I think I prefer it, maybe, at four players just because it limits your choices a bit more. But even that, with more players is going to take a while.

Meadow might be a game that I just play with same people. Which is not a bad thing for the game. Sometimes you find a more complex game and a group to play it with. I think for me, it’s one where I wish, with the artwork, it was easier for more people to play. But once I play it more, I’ll probably appreciate it more for what it is.

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The question is, what can make a game stand out, and how much does a game need to stand out?

Does Your Board Game Need to Stand Out?

The answer in my opinion is that it does. Though standing out can mean a number of different things. You need a game that immediately catches your eye with the box. This could be bright and flashy, or it could match the type of game that people expect for it. Euro games often don’t have the most striking boxes, but you know what is in them.

But generally, you want something that stands out on a shelf. If you can get someone to pick your game up off the shelf and look at the back, that is step one. And that might be enough to get a number of sales for the game.

The next part of this question is do you need to stand out with game play and components, and what does that even mean? The short answer, as we’ll dive into what it means coming up, is that maybe you need to stand out. Not all games need to stand out, but you need to match the standards expected. Beyond that, you can certainly help your game with both of those.

What Can Make Your Game Stand Out?

Theme

For me the first thing that I think of is theme. If your theme is different, not only will the box probably catch my eye, but also it’ll keep me around to see how that game works. But it isn’t just that, it is also for more standard themes. If you do a fantasy game, how do you not fall into the trope of fighter, rogue, wizard, cleric? Or if you are doing a space game, how is it not Star Wars?

Examples

First Rat

First Rat never would have caught my attention except for the theme. And even then, with the company the game is coming from, I have nothing really against them but their games don’t catch my attention, I wouldn’t have been that interested. But the theme of a rat building a rocket ship to go to the moon meant that I’d be willing to try it.

And I am glad that I did, but that’s not really the point. The point is that you took a game with basically some resource gathering and victory points and put a weird theme on it. And when I got into the mechanics, I realized that I really enjoyed the game. The theme definitely helps. If this were just pushing up a track to get resources to trade at a Medieval market, I would be less interested.

Gloomhaven

Gloomhaven is an example of a theme that is pretty common. It is fantasy. But Isaac Childres built a world that is completely unique to Gloomhaven. The characters are all different and it feels like no fantasy that has been done before.

But it also doesn’t feel like it’s trying to be that. Let me give an example, theoretical, of how this works. It has characters who can heal, but they aren’t the cleric. It has better tanks, but they aren’t a barbarian for a fighter. Each of them does something that feels different than your classic D&D tropes. And it does that without making itself too confusing or convoluted. A lot of fantasy games go with grand fantasy names and a backstory that doesn’t matter that much.

ISS Vanguard

ISS Vanguard is a game that actually isn’t in my hands yet. It will be soon, but it isn’t yet. This does fall into that epic space game. But it isn’t so much the good versus evil that you end up with in Star Wars. It probably is closer to a Star Trek where there is more exploration.

But what feels different about this one is that exploration. You travel throughout this galaxy or area that you’ve decoded a signal to. The call is making you want to know more, but the directions are less clear. ISS Vanguard is all about exploring space and figuring out everything that is going on. Plus maintaining your ship, keeping crew happy, everything like that as well.

Etherfields

Etherfields is very much a world that is completely different than anything out there. A world where you dive into your dreams and nightmares and are exploring. This would again fall under fantasy, but in such a different way than your standard high fantasy settings or epic fantasy settings like Lord of the Rings.

Etherfields pivots a long ways away from the standard which I think is good. It is going to draw people in because it feels completely different. It doesn’t need to walk that line of fantasy that we know and the fantasy that it is. Being it’s own thing so completely means that it doesn’t need to build off of anything that we know.

Components

Components are another way that you can stand out. This could be a mountain of plastic minis, it could be amazing nature artwork, it could be a volcano. Whatever it is, when you flip over to the back of the box and see it, it catches your eyes. Some of these fall into the next category, the Gimmick, so I’ll talk about those then. But there are plenty of games that stand out because of the pieces that they have in the game.

Examples

Wingspan

Wingspan is an easy one to put on the list. Firstly, there is all of the amazing artwork. This is an example of a cover that immediately draws you in. But going along with that, it isn’t just on the cover. All the cards show off Beth Sobel’s artwork. And all of the birds are different, so there is a ton of artwork. Then you add in the eggs and the bird house dice tower. The game gives you great components.

Century: Golem Edition

Century: Golem Edition is another one that gives you amazing components. I wanted to come up with a game that has metal coins in the box, and Century does. And I could talk about the artwork here as well. But the artwork isn’t the other component that immediately draws you in. In Century Golem Edition you are collecting games. And the game pieces are vibrant and fun tactilely to play with. Collecting those and trading them around really makes the game stand out.

Marvel United

Finally, I mentioned minis, so if you want a game with a lot of minis, Marvel United is a way to go, especially if you backed the Kickstarter. Chibi minis might not be everyone’s style, but I enjoy them. And I think for a light, family weight, easily accessible board game, they work great. So if you get everything, you can play as whatever hero you want. And for a fan of the IP, that is easy for me to want them all.

Mechanics

Let’s not overlook mechanics. There are a number of games that come out with a mechanic that just feels different. Some of these again border on gimmick, but they are important to the game, and generally not the only game that uses them. But a slight twist on a mechanic can make a game stand out.

Examples

Cartographers

Cartographers does two things that I think make it unique for a roll and write game. The first is not totally unique to it. But the idea of how it scores. You score two things for spring, then one of those things and a new thing for summer. But when you get back to winter, you score one of your objectives from sprint again. So you kind of plan out your scoring a little bit as you go. And not everything scores every round. But also, you write on your opponents board as well as your own. When a monster comes out, you figure out the bad spot where to place it.

Gloom

Gloom is another example of two things, neither which is highly unique, but still are enjoyable. In Gloom you try for the fewest points possible. That is fairly unique. You want your family to die the worst deaths with the most negative points possible. Gloom also uses transparent cards. So you layer on these negative effects on your own or positive on your opponents. You still see your character through the cards, and the negatives that you’ve played before. Other games do this, but I enjoy it a lot in Gloom.

Gloomhaven

Gloomhaven makes the list in a couple of different categories. But for mechanics, it’s all about that card play that you do. You pick two cards to play. One you will use the top half, generally an attack. The other you will use the bottom half, generally movement. But you want to pick with flexibility. Because the situation at the start of a round, as monsters and other players go, might not be the same at the end of the round. Plus, it is just a dungeon crawl without chucking a handful of dice.

Gimmick

Another way is by a gimmick, and this is kind of the last one. Gimmicks in board games can be great, or they can hide the fact that there might not be much game there. So a gimmick can be a bit of a risk. There are three games I can think of passing on because I wasn’t sure about the gimmick in them. Two haven’t fulfilled yet from crowdfunding. The other one I backed the second time it was on there.

Examples

Canvas

Canvas uses that clear cards, something that I put in as a mechanic. But it is also a gimmick, one that is needed for some games. In Canvas, it is needed for the mechanics of the game as you try and layer symbols to complete pictures and score points. It also creates really wild pieces of artwork which counts for a lot as well. At least in terms of the fun of the game.

Potion Explosion

Position explosion on the other hand is really a toy piece in the game. A little chute that drops marbles down into a tray in different columns or paths. Then you pull out the marbles trying to get like colors to hit and collect those. And you put them on potions to make those positions. The whole thing of the game is there there is toy factor, but the game has a lot of fun game play as you combo potions you’ve made into being able to complete more potions.

Ice Cool

I probably could have put only dexterity based games on the list, but that isn’t fair. By their nature they tend to have more of a gimmick and more of that toy factor to them. Ice Cool, though, really stands out as having a gimmick to it because the boxes are the board. You take off the lid and there are more boxes inside. You put them together in such a way that you have a school. It is unique and fun.

Final Thoughts

Anything you can do to get a game noticed is probably not a bad thing. Though, some companies take it too far. It is important to put out a game first. But there are things that can be done, sometimes that are ignored, to make a game stand out more. And get more people to pick it up off a shelf to try and play it. That is really the most important first step is getting it in front of the people who will be interested.

What are some things that have made a game stand out to you? Any games that had the perfect packaging but then were a dud?

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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?

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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?

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Find the Gamefound campaign here.

Pros

• Proven Game
• Even the standard version is nicer
• Good Price

Cons

• Will Come to Retail with Standard Version

The Page

This is a very nice looking page, and the rules are pretty high on it. Even before you get to the point where you would likely pledge. And because the rules for this game are generally pretty simple, it makes it easier to understand from the page how to play.

I also think that they do a solid job of showing off the differences between the editions or versions of the game. And while I do think that the wooden tokens are nice, I find them to be a little bit more than I’d want. Same with the metal coins, for a person who loves their deluxe editions, it offers nice things. For me, that is not as much of a selling point as it could be. And I find the metal point tokens to just look okay.

The Game

So, this is a game that I’ve actually played before. The original printing of Ra is not easy to find and doesn’t look this good. But still a nice game. I do find it simple, and while it floats around my Top 100 games, on the lower end, it isn’t one that I’ve picked up myself yet.

Auctioning

Ra is an auction and set collection game where the most interesting thing is the auction. You bid, and then the winning tile goes into the middle, and you, who wins, gets the tile that was there. You can’t immediately, then bid with that tile, but with the game played over several rounds, you can then bid with it in a future round. It makes an interesting economy for the game.

For example, it’s a good set-up of tiles to get, but the one is in the middle. So I could bid with the highest number, 16, and for sure I get those tiles. But now I am going to get the one at the cost of my 16. Is the value of those tiles there for me. Maybe it is, maybe it’ll give me a lot of points. Now, though, you win the 16 with a nine the next time, or even a six, let’s say. You’ve gotten a massive improvement for your bidding whereas, my one is likely going to be whatever tiles are left next round.

Set Collection

The set collection element is good, too. Mainly because it causes you to really think about what you want to take. To look at my example, again, it might be that there are tiles that just aren’t worth it for me in the collection for the bid and it might be good for you. I only can win two bids per round, so do I want to spend a decent bid hoping to get you to spend more on it? It’s an interesting decision making space, or do I bid a lot to keep you from getting more points and hoping the next set of tiles isn’t what I want, or still really good for you?

Back or Brick

I am very torn on this one what to do. I enjoy Ra a lot. And this is a great looking version of the game. It is also cheaper than the out of print version. But do I back it now, or later? Right now, I lean towards this being a Brick for me. Not because I don’t want Ra, I do, but because I can get it later at retail.

The downside of waiting is that I might not get a copy in the original print run. In that case, I might wait for a while to get it. If I back it now on Gamefound, then I am going to get the game. It is made trickier because I don’t care of the deluxe edition. I think it offers some nice upgrades, but not ones that I need. A more standard product from 25th Century Games is still very good quality.

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

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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?

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How To Play Canvas

Canvas is a pretty simple game. You collect cards on your turn or you complete a painting. A painting is a collection of three cards, and the most cards you can have in your hand is five. When you take a card, you either take the first card, or you pay a palette per card you want to skip over. You put the palette on the card, so it becomes more attractive to take.

Why would you skip over a card? The game gives you scoring objectives that require certain symbols or colors at the bottom of the card. You might need three of a symbol to get a ribbon or two of two different symbols. And you score multiple of these objectives, ideally, per painting. So some elements, cards, for a painting might work better depending on their scoring options.

At the end of the game, you score for the ribbons that you have. Then the player with the most points is the winner of the game.

What Didn’t Work?

I think that for some people, Canvas is going to be a game that is too simple. The collection of cards and ordering them correctly for a painting is not hard. Generally you have a single option that makes sense. And the fact that you make three paintings with four scoring objectives, means that there isn’t much to think about. Comparing this to something like Calico which is a simple game but has heavy decision making space, Canvas doesn’t offer that same angst while keeping the game play simple.

I also think, for some, that there is a disconnect in the game between the art and the scoring. You might be able to create an amazing painting with the perfect title that will score you no points. Or you create something that looks okay and will score you a lot of points. I can see some people wanting to create those perfect paintings over scoring, but will that lessen the fun in the game, focusing either direction?

What Works?

I like the simplicity of the game. The first time that I played Canvas, I didn’t so much, but with subsequent plays, the simplicity is nice. Canvas is a filler game, two or three player is around 20-30 minutes. And when you play it as a filler game, a lot of the issues with it being so simple alleviate. It is s game that I can pull out, set-up, teach, and be done with while people show up for game night. One one when we want a last game to wrap up the night

I also like that they give scoring objectives for the game. Now, not just the variety in the scoring cards, but they give you different combinations that they recommend. This is something that Sushi Go Party! does as well. So you can make up your own combination but they also have ones with scoring targets to play around with. It adds an additional challenge to the game that will keep it more engaging.

Plus, the artwork is amazing in the game. I talk about games that pop on the table often because of minis or something 3D about it, like Potion Explosion. Canvas doesn’t have anything like that. Though, the deluxe version comes with easels. But it doesn’t need that to make it look amazing. The artwork is phenomenal and will make you want to try it.

Who Is This For?

I think it is for people who like lighter games. It is a filler game for me, but for some people, it is going to be the right amount of strategy. I also think that it will work for people who want something simple for an evening. Want to play a game after kids go to bed but don’t have time for something big, Canvas is good for that. It is engaging, but not too much work.

This is also one that I could see bringing up to my parents for the holidays. As a light game, it is one that they can pick-up. Plus, I can tailor which objectives we use making the game easier or more challenging.

Final Thoughts on Canvas

Canvas is a game that grew on me more as I played it. The first play was slightly disappointing, not because the artwork wasn’t amazing, it is, but because the game is so light. I was thinking that it might be closer to a Calico where balancing the scoring objectives would be trickier.

But the more I played, the more I appreciate it for what it does. It tries to be a game that gives you a little decision but can play so quickly. And I can imagine this one being a success for game nights because of the artwork. And that is why I backed it on Kickstarter in the first place. Plus I still need to try the expansion. I do not expect to make it much harder, but adding in more variety and maybe one thing more, I am definitely curious about that.

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

What do you think of Canvas?

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