Big Game Hunting - Gateway Games: Small World

There are not many board games that I would be willing to buy my own physical copy of after playing just one game. Small World is one of those lucky few that was in my hands and on its way home with me within days of discovering it was within my reach. It borrows from many other games in its genre, with a generous dose of fantasy to pull it all together.

In Small World, players try to gain as many territories as possible. Players first select one of fourteen different races, randomly paired with one of twenty special powers, to get race units. These units allow them to conquer territories on the board. A territory requires two units to conquer, plus one extra unit for every token already present (enemy units, mountain tokens, lost tribe units, and so on), so managing your resources is vital. You may choose to redeploy your units after expanding your empire, making your territories more difficult for others to conquer. Every territory you occupy earns you one point at the end of your turn.

However, losing territories to other players weakens your race by reducing the number of units available to you in the next round. Eventually you will reach the point where your race becomes stretched too thin to maintain control of your territories. This is when you put your race into decline. You are no longer able to attack and conquer other lands with that race – but one declined unit stays in each territory, earning you points until they are conquered. You also then get to pick a new “active” race and special power combination, and start again. The player who has the most points at the end of ten rounds is the winner.

This is a game that has just the right amount of strategy. Winning a game is a challenge, especially if you're playing against a more seasoned player, but not so difficult to be off-putting. The unique bonuses of each race and special power guarantee a different experience every time you play. No single race or ability is singularly better than any other, and there is a large element of luck in getting a good combination. One of the best benefits of this is the multiple ways to win – there is no guaranteed way to beat your opponents.

Even the way the game is put together is incredibly well thought out. There are four different board configurations, and which one you use depends on how many players are in the game. There are individual sized sections in the box designed specifically for all the pieces, making organisation a breeze – an essential for a game with a lot of bits and bobs to keep track of.

In fact, that seems to be one of the game's greatest drawbacks. There are literally hundreds of pieces, many of which may not even be used in a single game. Essential as they are, keeping all those tiny bits together and within easy reach of the board is not an easy task once it's all out on the table.

The only other issue I can see with this game is in the race and power combinations. In most games, the combinations are random enough to make the races relatively equal, giving no player an extreme advantage over the others. Occasionally, though, a combination will pop up that is incredibly powerful, such as the Spirit Ghouls, or pathetically worthless, like the Merchant Dwarves. This could be helped by having more possible races to play, making the likelihood of those particular pairings more rare. The expansions to Small World help with that, adding more races to the pool of possibilities.

If you haven't played Small World, you haven't experienced what I consider to be one of the most finely crafted board games I've played in recent months. If you'd rather give it a go digitally, there is a limited iOS version available for iPad.

For more from guest blogger Rae, please check out her website

Big Game Hunting - Gateway Games: Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico, a board game designed by Andreas Seyfarth, is great for people looking for something that gives more depth than a casual game, but is still easy enough to learn in a single play through. It's a game about economics, strategy, and a little bit of sabotage.

The key to Puerto Rico is resources - corn, indigo, sugar, tobacco, and coffee. To get them, you need two things on your board: the resource tiles and a processing plant for that resource. Plants can be bought with gold, along with many other buildings that will provide extra resources, more gold, and victory points. Once you've managed to collect resources, you can choose to sell them in the market for gold, or send them back to the mother country for victory points.

There are several things that make this simple concept more challenging. You must have colonists employed on (occupying) your resources and your buildings, else they do nothing. The market will only accept one of each type of resource, and does not empty until its four spaces are full. The three ships will only accept one type of resource each, and will not sail and empty its spaces until they are full, also. Finally, the timing of when you get colonists, produce resources, purchase buildings, and ship resources is entirely down to the person playing their turn. In each game round, players select one of seven roles to play, and these roles are what determine when everything takes place. The game ends when any of these occur: a player's board is full, there are no colonists remaining, or there are no victory point chips remaining. Everything the player has is scored into victory points, and the player with the most wins.

This game sounds both simple and complicated. Indeed, the first few rounds of play can feel quite slow and laborious while you try to make sense of what you should do. This isn't helped by the instruction book, which tries to explain everything at once, and makes it hard to play without reading the whole thing in advance. However once the basic ideas are understood, the game goes quickly, and becomes a great deal more fun. The concepts and strategies used to play are also similar to those you will find in more challenging games, such as Agricola, which makes Puerto Rico a great stepping stone toward them.

The best thing about this game is the lack of any one particular winning strategy. There are several ways to win, and sometimes luck plays into it as much as planning. One strategy is to amass the cheaper resources, corn and indigo, in the hopes of overwhelming the ships and preventing others from sending their resources. Another is to produce more expensive resources and sell them for profit, and build as many buildings as you can for extra victory points at the end. You could also focus less on what you produce yourself, and more on choosing roles that prevent others from getting what they need.

The failings in this game seems to be common ones. The original version of the game requires three to five players, meaning those who want to play with only two must purchase a special edition adapted specifically for that purpose. The other problem is a word many board game players will recognise, and some will dread: setup. There are a great deal of small pieces and cards in this game, and organising them for a play session can take awhile and require a great deal of surface space.

Puerto Rico is clearly deserving of the awards it has won since its debut in 2002. It's a classic every board game fan should try. In additional to the physical game, Puerto Rico is now also available for iPad.

For more from guest blogger Rae, please check out her website

Big Game Hunting - Gateway Games: Munchkin

Munchkin is a role-playing card game from Steve Jackson Games that takes a few dozen stabs at just about every RPG known to man. It takes spoof to a whole new level, resulting in a game that can be either hilariously funny or horribly cheesy.

There are two types of cards in a typical Munchkin deck: door cards and treasure cards. Door cards consist of races, classes, monsters, and traps. Treasure cards are items to equip that give you bonuses or extra levels. At the beginning of their turn, players can choose to go looking for trouble (play a monster card from their hand) or kick open a door (reveal the top card of the door deck). If it is a race or a class card, they can play it and become that race or class, or keep it in their hand. If a trap card, they suffer whatever consequences are on it. If it is a monster card, they can either fight, or run away. Defeating a monster wins you stuff, primarily treasure cards and a level up. Losing will see you deal with the "Bad Stuff" - often a loss of bonus items, levels, or even character death. The first player to reach level 10 is the winner.

Fighting monsters is fairly simple: you add up all the bonus points on your equipped items with your level. If that number is larger than the monster's level, you win. If the same or less, you lose. It helps to have as many bonus items as you can carry, though some can only be used by particular races or classes. For example, the Dagger of Treachery, which gives a +3 bonus, is only usable by the "Thief" class.

What makes this game more interesting is how other players can interfere with your turn. If you find yourself too low to defeat a monster, you can ask for another player's help, and their level and bonus points are added to yours - but they can demand something in return for their help. Likewise, they can play cards which make the monster more difficult to defeat, or that force you to run away from a monster rather than fight. Players can also play traps on each other, or trade cards which each other if they wish. The downside to this is when a player reaches level 9, and suddenly finds all the other players joining ranks to prevent him defeating that last monster he needs to win.

The main problem with this game is exactly that. The more players there are, the harder it becomes to actually finish in a timely manner. It can be incredibly frustrating to finally draw the low-level monster that will draw the game to a close, only to find it has suddenly ballooned into a level 40 horror that is going to squish you without a thought.

The other issue people may have with this game is the twisted sense of humour prevalent throughout. Many of the cards prove to be hysterical the first, second, or third time you play, such as "Boots of Butt-Kicking", "Cheese Grater of Peace", and "Cleavage Stun" (Super Munchkin). However, once you've played a particular deck a handful of times, the blatant jokes start to lose their charm and make the game seem even longer.

The only solution to this is, naturally, to get a booster card pack, such as Fairy Dust, Munchkinomicon or the upcoming Munchkin The Guild. Or you could get a whole new deck, such as Star Munchkin, Munchkin Zombies or the forthcoming Munchkin Apocalypse! Many of these unique decks also have their own expansion packs, adding yet more cards to an already sizable deck. And, if choosing from the 15 booster and expansion packs and 14 different decks isn't enough for you, the cards from all the decks can be mixed up in any way you please.

If you're looking for a game to play frequently, this probably isn't the way to go. However, if you want something for a rainy day or a friendly games evening, Munchkin is definitely worth a try.

For more from guest blogger Rae, please check out her website

Big Game Hunting - Gateway Games: Fluxx

I'm a big fan of card games, and have been all my life. There are plenty to choose from, no matter what kind of style you like to play. Looking for a comedic roleplaying, dungeon-crawling style game? Try Munchkin. A more serious, collectable card game? Have a go at Magic: The Gathering. Or, if you're looking for something that is easy to learn and quick to play, look no further than a game of Fluxx. This card game is wonderfully simple and incredibly unique - because everything in the game is constantly changing.

Every game begins with the Basic Rules: draw one card, play one card, until a player meets the Goal. Players achieve that by playing Keepers that match those on the current Goal card, whilst avoiding Creepers, which often prevent winning. Action cards can be used for a variety of things, from trading cards with other players to allowing a second Goal card. However, that all changes as soon as someone plays a New Rule card, which can alter the number of cards that can be drawn, played, or held in your hand, amongst other things. Players can also play new Goal cards during their turn, completely changing the cards needed to win!

What makes this game so brilliant is the fact that it is constantly changing, and no two games can ever possibly be the same. Fluxx turns every rule on its head and creates a great challenge, but without being so confusing as to turn off players. One game is more than enough to grasp the concept and play confidently.

One of the things I find the most appealing is how even winning the game is flipped around. Most of the Goals require you to have played particular Keeper cards, as well as having no Creeper cards. However, a handful of Goal cards can only be met by having a certain Creeper card! This means you can be close to losing the game one turn, and winning on the next. Fluxx is the only game I've seen that's able to pull off this kind of turn around.

Better yet, if the original Fluxx isn't quite to your taste, you can take a look at the several other styles it's available in. Other editions of Fluxx include Pirate Fluxx, Star Fluxx, Zombie Fluxx, Monty Python Fluxx, and it's newest release, Oz Fluxx. Each edition is completely unique, and all of them have their own quirks. Some include Surprise cards, which can be played even when it's not your turn, or Metacards, which are New Rule cards that last for the entire game, but must be agreed on by all players.

Sadly, there is no longer a digital version of this game available. On the upside, you can always swing by Proud Lion and pick up a copy of this fantastic card game!

For more from guest blogger Rae, please check out her website

Big Game Hunting - Gateway Games: Carcassonne

Easy to learn, hard to master: this is a goal many games hope to achieve, but few ever do. Carcassonne is one of those few that has succeeded. This tile-based board game, published in 2000, is an addictive experience (as I've discovered, having hardly been able to put it down over the last few weeks).

The game begins with a single face-up tile. Players take turns drawing from a pile of face-down tiles and connecting the tile they've drawn to those already played, forming the board one piece at a time. The edges of the tile must match the edges of those it touches: roads connect to roads, cities to cities, fields to fields. When you play a tile, you may choose to put a meeple on it. A "meeple" is a playing piece that is used to score points, and each player begins with seven. Meeples can be placed on cities, roads, fields, or cloisters - but you must complete it before you score any points and get your meeples back. You also cannot place a meeple on an element that has already been claimed in an adjacent tile. The larger the city, road, or field is, the more points you get. The game ends when the last tile is placed, and everything that was not completed is scored (for less points than if they were completed). The player with the most points wins.

What makes this game so brilliant is the fine balance between chance and skill. A good strategy will serve you well, particularly if you are very careful with your tile and meeple placement. However, the success of that strategy is dependent on the tiles you draw, as well as those drawn by the other players, and your ability to adapt to how the board is built. Being able to shift game elements to your advantage, including unlucky tile draws and your opponents' less than useful tile placements, is key to winning the game.

As one can imagine, this game can become fiercely competitive. Players may often try to "steal" points from another player, by placing tiles in a way that connects an element claimed by two or more meeples. Points from cities, fields, and roads go to the player with the most meeples on it. An equal number of meeples means both players get the points. This can be a way to get yourself out of a sticky situation where you are lacking in points and options, and your opponent has a rather large, uncompleted city or road that can be stolen from another angle.

The only issues to be had with this game are not unexpected. Scoring can be tricky at times, especially when one is trying to count up fields, which are only scored at the end of the game. This is made more difficult when it's discovered there are actually three different methods of scoring (though thankfully the earliest two are no longer used, making current games more consistent). Placing meeples on fields to the best advantage is a technique that seems to require several games of practise to fully understand. Also, the physical game requires a large amount of space, as the board can grow to quite large and unusual shapes.

This is where the digital version of this game comes into its own. This edition solves the main issues with the physical version. Scoring is done for you, so you have more time playing and less time counting. A breakdown of all the tiles remaining in the draw pile can be found, so you can see straight away if the tile you want is still waiting to be played. It also lets you know if there are any tiles that can still be played on a particular space - if no suitable tiles remain, an "X" is marked on that spot of the board. Also notable about this edition is the AI of the computer players. You can play against several styles of computer players - easy, hard, weird, even evil - and they are surprisingly good players. Even playing as many games as I have, I still find it difficult to defeat the AI for this game at times.

Carcassonne and its many expansions are fantastic - true classics of the board game genre - and should be in everyone's game library. The digital version is available for iPhone, Android, and online play.

For more from guest blogger Rae, please check out her website

Big Game Hunting - Gateway Games: Settlers Of Catan

Despite being an award-winning game that has been around for nearly two decades, The Settlers of Catan feels very much like Marmite in the world of board games. Players seem to either love it or avoid it. I suspect the release of the digital version of the game, called just Catan and available on a number of platforms, may convince some of the avoiders to give it another shot.

The rules are quick and simple to learn, even if the game itself takes awhile to play out. The board is made up of randomly numbered resource tiles that make up an island. The numbers represent dice rolls, and determine what resources (wood, ore, grain, sheep, or brick) are collected by the players with adjacent settlements to those tiles. These resources are used to build additional settlements, cities, and the roads necessary to connect them, on the paths made by the six-sided hexagonal tiles. Every settlement and city you build will earn you Victory Points, and the first player to acquire 10 Victory Points wins.

Of course, there are additional factors to make the game more interesting. The Robber, who may be moved to another tile whenever a seven is rolled, enables a player to steal a resource from another, and also blocks resources from being collected. Resources can be used to buy Development Cards, which do a variety of things including allowing the player to build extra roads, move the Robber, or gain instant Victory Points. The ability to trade resource cards is a great game element, as it allows you to exchange resources with other players or the resource "bank" in order to get the resources you need.

What is probably apparent just from the overview is how much the game depends on chance. There is a definite element of strategy, but all the strategy in the world won't help you if you suffer from a series of unlucky dice rolls, or poor placement of either resources or settlements. The digital version offers at least one solution to this: the ability to simply quit the game and start again with a new board (though this could be considered a bit of a cheat to some).

What seems to be the highlight of the game is the trading options. Building settlements on harbours, special locations around the edge of the island, rewards you with the ability to trade resources with the bank at a reduced rate, rather than the standard 4:1. Trading with other players can be either greatly beneficial or a nightmare, particularly if one player has all the brick you need for roads and refuses to give it up! However, it must be noted that in the digital version of the game, computer players will repeatedly offer the same poor trades; what's more, they will often trade with each other as a priority, even if you have accepted a trade, which can be incredibly frustrating.

The real limitation to this game is the required number of players. Catan can only be played with three or four people, making it difficult if there's only two of you. This is less of a problem in the digital version, though you then end up dealing with the often exasperating computer players.

The Settlers of Catan is, overall, a game that one needs to be in the right mood for. While the digital version allows for a faster game, it lacks the entertainment value and competitive edge you get from playing the physical game with a small group of friends. If you want to have a go at the digital release yourself, it is available on PC, Xbox Live, PSN, iOS, Android, and online at The Settlers of Catan website.

For more from guest blogger Rae, please check out her website.

Big Game Hunting - Gateway Games: Ticket To Ride

I was introduced to Ticket to Ride not long ago, but already I've developed an unhealthy addiction to it (apparently). It's a fantastic board game that's easy to learn and great fun to play. It's also the perfect game for those wanting to graduate from the classic family games we've all grown up with like Monopoly.

In Ticket to Ride your goal is to create routes between cities on the board, which is designed as a map of modern day North America. You claim routes by collecting coloured Railway Car cards to match the colour of the route on the board. Every route you claim earns you points, and the longer the route, the better. Each player also gets a selection of Destination Cards, which gives you two cities to connect for extra points – but failing to complete these will take away from your score. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.

The popularity of the game, created by Alan R. Moore, has led to the creation of several expansions and spin-off games, such as Ticket to Ride: Europe. As you can probably guess, the European edition plays very similarly, but with a map of turn-of-the-century Europe. This game also adds extra rules and elements of play, making for a more challenging game. Ferry routes demand a specific number of the rarer Locomotive Railway Car Cards and the ability to build Train Stations allows you to use a route claimed by another player. This resolves a frustration from earlier games, as some cities have only one route they are connected to - which would make it difficult if more than one person needs that route to complete a Destination Card. Of course, some people prefer the ability to block other players and scupper their chances, so it's a matter of taste.

Though this game rapidly became one of my favourites, it is not entirely without its faults, particularly the Tunnels in the European edition. When you try to claim a Tunnel route, a random draw of three Railway Car cards takes place. If the three random cards match the colour of the cards you were using to claim said route, then you must play an extra matching card from your hand to succeed. If not, you have to take your cards back and your turn ends. The random nature of this part is frustrating and can see a player stuck for several goes waiting for a stroke of luck. Of course, this game mechanic represents the escalating costs of building railway tunnels (who can forget the Channel Tunnel fiasco so many years ago?), but it can be a real nightmare when you're desperate to win! There is definitely a feeling that, after playing the more challenging rules of the Europe map, the original USA edition can feel too easy at times.

Other editions that have been produced include Märklin, USA 1910, Europa 1912, and several additional country maps plus Alvin & Dexter - giant monsters to terrorise your cities! You can also get a little expansion that replaces the Railway Car cards with dice, if you value a more random element to your games. There's even a separate card game that is perfect for journeys or smaller homes.

In fact one of the best things I've discovered about Ticket to Ride is how many ways there are to access the game. For those who enjoy taking their games with them and playing on the go, Ticket to Ride is available as an app for iPhone (North American pocket edition), iPad (several editions available), and Android. It can be played online with people around the world at the Ticket to Ride website with a subscription. The game is also available for PC, Mac, and Xbox Live Arcade.

For more from guest blogger Rae, please check out her website.