Aside from the theme and some movement conventions, this "sequel" has very little in common with Tikal. People looking for another heavy, action point, brain-burner will be very disappointed. Those looking for a fun exploring adventure with a feel similar to Tobago will be delighted.
Gorgeous artwork is unfortunately not a good substitute for thorough play-testing. We had several problems understanding the game, even though there really isn't that much to it.
My surprise hit of the show, mainly because I had never heard of it before. A deduction game that is actually fun, and provides many "false positives" throughout the game to keep everyone a little off-balance.
This one gets an asterisk because I taught the game incorrectly, missing a crucial rule. However, I enjoyed it enough to want to play it again properly. A game of area control and backstabbing.
This one was originally a full five stars, but the more I think about the length, the more it bothers me. Still, a very good game, and much more a "Euro" style game than you might expect from GMT.
A great, light, quick, deck-building, economic engine game. It's hard to believe all of those things could work well together, but here I really think they do.
Played once, liked the deckbuilding, but not the economics or the fiddly components. I think we did advanced right away (build in order). Still, I imagine this improves when you come up the learning curve. I just wasn't inspired enough to try again. (and that might be one star too generous)
A very dry but interesting economic game. I think reviews from BGG.Con suffered from having a very poor rules translation. Now that there is a better one (and more people who have played it correctly), I think ratings will improve. Of course, that's only if people don't mind the lack of a theme.
Played a few times online, and I bet it would be better played (quickly) in person. Feels like something real-ish is going on economically (i.e. this is at least a model of something, if not a simulation), which adds to the appeal. To me, anyway. But I've got "Economics for Dummies" on my nightstand. (with potential!)
A good game combining tile placement a la Carcassonne and several different auctions, including an "anti-auction" for pollution that I forgot to mention on the podcast.
A multitude of games that are lots of fun if you can meet any or all of the following conditions: -- It's late at night. -- Players are in the right mood. -- Players don't mind being silly. -- There is alcohol involved.
Played once, and had a great time, with a really great finish (I pulled the game-winning gem despite having the fewest pulls) where we all cheered/groaned. A bit more party-game-ish than I really like (the fortune-telling game), and probably not a lot of repeat value, but fun in the right setting (like a con).
At the risk of alienating myself from the BGG norm (not the first time), I'll say this game wasn't that great. The artwork is fantastic, the play is simple and compelling, but in the end I just didn't find enough game there.
However, I would still be happy to play it if someone offers.
Another asterisk rating for the simple fact that I didn't actually play a full game. I played enough to get a feel for the workings, though, and I can definitely see the appeal. Sadly, I'm pretty sure that my next opportunity to actually play it will be at BGG.Con 2011.
I like party games, so I'm not going to rate one lowly just because it isn't my cup of tea. I thought this one had a pretty neat idea, and it has the potential to create lots of laughs. However, I found it much more of a social activity than an actual game. If you're just sitting around with friends killing time and having fun, then it's perfect.
Re-reading my comments above, I sound too negative about the game. I actually like it quite a bit, and it's fun with a wide range of people. But I stick with the rating because the "game" aspect is still very low.
Woo hoo! I'd been wanting to play this one for a long time, for no justifiable reason. Awesome plastic molded mountain! Fearsome idol Vul-Kar! Terrifying fireballs of doom! Roll and move plus attack your opponent plus sneaky card play. What's not to love?
Edit: Well, there is something not to love, which keeps it down from the full five stars: the length. The game itself isn't inherently long, but when you get a bunch of cutthroat gamers together, you can bet there will be a lot of people stopping you from reaching the boat!
Sorry about that. As I told Mark, I saw this geeklist last night and thought about adding my comments then, but I didn't. I hope this four hour delay didn't ruin your day, DaveBo!
hey guys, this is great! Thanks for revisiting it...too easy on the geek to constantly keep moving on to the new stuff so I really appreciate your comments a year later.
Especially since you got me to buy i9n...and I've been considering black friday, almost certainly going to buy it now with your year-later recommendation.
I've had two plays of i9n and I enjoyed them both to a point. The first was with the rolling the die in a 2P game, the second with cards in a 5P game.
Like Greg says, its a unique interesting design but its not "all there". I certainly could have used a little extra development at the hands of some "pros", which I think is one of the major game-quality risks that come with self publishing....
It's late at night.
Players are in the right mood.
Players don't mind being silly.
There is alcohol involved.
Moorpark
California
Santa Clarita
California
But ok, I've asked Greg for his star ratings and we'll get them in here.
Houston
Texas
Houston
Texas
Especially since you got me to buy i9n...and I've been considering black friday, almost certainly going to buy it now with your year-later recommendation.
Santa Clarita
California
Houston
Texas
Like Greg says, its a unique interesting design but its not "all there". I certainly could have used a little extra development at the hands of some "pros", which I think is one of the major game-quality risks that come with self publishing....