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Some games spawn sequels in droves and the '10 Days In …' franchise is one of those.
The latest offering is 10 Days in the Americas, a 2010 release from Out of the Box Publishing, which follows earlier incarnations such as 10 Days in Africa, Asia and Europe.
"Players use country and transportation tiles to chart a course across the America. The first player to complete a 10-day journey, where each day connects to the next day, is the winner," explained the rule sheet.
Now if the started objectives of the game don't excite you, it's with good cause. The game is a tad hoohum folks, which is a bit surprising given how they have re-created the theme repeatedly. You would expect you'd retread a winner, not a sort of middle-of-the-road, play only on occasion type of game.
Components wise 10 Days … is solid. The wooden tile holders are actually more than you would expect of the game, and are the sort of game accessory you will find useful in other games which don't proved a convenient way to hold tiles and/or cards.
Of course if tile holders are a highlight it does say something about the game too.
The rest of the bits, board, tiles are well-made too, so this game should last.
Designed by Alan R. Moon and Aaron Weissblum 10 Days accommodates two-to-four players, and at least plays rather quickly, about half-an-hour.
The game is unusual in that what appears the game board is actually only a geographic guide.
The game actually plays by simply drawing tiles and hoping to make connections for a 10-day trip. It's pretty much the luck of the draw and grows sort of tedious rather quickly if you like to think during a game.
Now if you want to talk the weather, or fate of your favourite sports team as you game then 10 Days … has greater merit.
Past reviews are collected online at calsboardgamemusings.blogspot.com
Not many things speak to the commercialism in North America, at least Canada and.
the United States more than the automobile.
The impact Henry Ford has had on the way we get around, the importance we put in our automobiles, and the impact the sector has on our economy are enough to write books on.
So it's no surprise boardgames have been designed around the idea of cars.
One such game is The Last of the Independents from Numbskull Games.
The game is immediately interesting because it centres around the battle, and it was a cutthroat business battle, which occurred in the United States after World War II among a number of car companies to woe the public and to survive.
We all know Ford did quite well, and Chrysler and Dodge too for that matter.
But what of the once storied Hudson? The now forgotten Studebaker and Packard?
Those behind the now long dead car lines once dreamed of becoming what Ford managed to do.
In Last of the Independents players attempt to carve out better fates for the extinct car brands on the board than they managed in real life.
Created in 2010 by designer Patrick Stevens, the game is one of resource management, where two-to-six players simulate the building, engineering, and promotion of cars by the smaller independent American automobile companies after the great war.
Players face challenges executives would have faced as they competed against other small indie companies and of course the emerging giants such as Ford.
Players must work to design their cars, get them into production, and ultimately attract buyers in order establish a successful company and win the game.
The game has mechanics which allow some different approaches to being successful, and a player will face some crucial decisions through the course of the game.
Given the genre it is a bonus Last of the Independents is a dice less affair.
The components are solid, although the board is a bit distracting with cars oriented so that some upside down, or sideways to every player.
Overall, a solid offering made more interesting by its theme.
You can check it out in more detail at www.numbskullgames.com
Past reviews are collected online at calsboardgamemusings.blogspot.com
-- This review was originally published in Yorkton This Week newspaper in Yorkton, Sask. Canada
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