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Anthony Boydell
United Kingdom
Unspecified
Unspecified
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In an attempt to spread the hobbyist disease and get the family (the 'bigger' extended family, that is) playing more board games, I have made up a 'box of delights' with which to entertain and amaze this holiday Season. I'm hoping that Messrs Cadbury and Nestle will not be the ONLY providers of Easter Eggs this month! The selected morsels of gaming delight (sans glittery wrapping and fun-sized chocolate bars) are, with my obtuse reasonings, the following:
[1] Paperclip Railways - always good to get a non-gamer view of this, but I have settled in to a bit of a tradition of trying out upcoming designs on the extended relatives. Totemo was a massive hit last year (in prototype form), so I've also hoofed in a 'final version' to leave at the ancestorial Manse.
[2] Carcassonne - calling myself a gamer attempting to push gateway games would be a blatant, and severely punishable, crime had I not included this true classic. SdJ 2001 - was it really that long ago? Looking forward, very much, to next years 'Dominion: Carcassonne' expansion!
[3] For Sale - God Bless Mr Dorra and all who sail in him - this stupidly simple, yet subtly devious little auction game is a great intro to bidding without all the peripheral nonsense of building railways, harvesting / shipping spices and all that malarky.
[4] Familienbande - May the Lord Sanctify Mr Colovini and may perpetual light shine upon him (even when he's trying to get some sleep) for this splendid little filler. Make fun out of genetic dead-ends and take your mutation to the top of the scoring track (remember: purple ears are the BLUE score marker). Not much fun if you're actually ginger, have a nose that folks mistake for a conjoined twin OR ears you could glide off a Pier with.
[5] Alhambra - Dirk done good. Best with 3, though, and unplayable with 5 or 6 (four new tiles and four new money cards come your turn). No need to endanger floor structures with the Biblical flood of expansions - the original is still the best.
[6] Giganten Der Lufte - much better name than the English re-print (Airships) - much grander and more noble! Giants of the Air! Wow! A cute and interesting dice-based building game - fits nicely into 45-60 minutes. Extra points for farting during play and claiming you're launching your own 'air ship'...
[7] Dixit - Beautiful art, a minute to explain and a room full of happy people. Sold!
[8] Stone Age - there is no way I could get away with trying Agricola on the tender newbies, but Stone Age is a colourful gaming 'hit': cocaine to Mr Rosenberg's crack, if you will.
[9] Parade / Gargon / Braggart - a triple of tasty, card-only tidbits; easy to explain, fun to play and never out-staying their welcome.
On The Cards / How to Play Cards - no hyperlinks for this little beauty! Surprised Stares 'plan' for Essen Spiel 2011 and grounded in traditional card-play. Sebastian Bleasdale (On the Underground) has laboured tirelessly on this extremely clever design. No more info for you at the moment (such a TEASE!). This one's for W.Eric.M - did he spot this little rumour-y snippet for his weekly 'round up'?
I'll let you know how we get on with this lot.
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