The brain short circuits when faced with two quest cards both promising some number of victory points. One has more raw points on its face value. The other provides intrigue potential, rogue cube and a bit of gold. Which do you take? That’s a typical Lords of Waterdeep trap. You’re chasing high number and wind … Read more
So there’s that moment. You’re in Teotihuacan with some dice in hand, a full board to look at, and nearly nothing but cocoa left over. It’s nerve-wracking. Should I use my resources here and hope I have enough time to get some serious work done? It’s where many player go wrong: they freak out and … Read more
So there you are, sitting down to play Tzolkin. You look around your board, seeing the four workers you have out and active, and seeing pile of corn you just collected at Palenque. And you want to use up that corn! Right now. You spot a building at Uxmal that give you points, or perhaps … Read more
Concordia isn’t often a game where fortune is king. There’s math you begin turning at turn three, math that determines result. Sometimes it feels like you’re playing an area control game, yet what you realy do is manage a set of ways to score. Usually, the reason you win/lose are which personality cards you have … Read more
With the Captain phase, you have to handle five kinds of goods that vary in size and value. You’ve got three public ships, each of which varies in capacity over time. They can be blocked on the lanes you desire by opponents making timing a big part of it. By using the calculator (above), all … Read more
The Sow action in Agricola is a commitment. Once taken, you are locked in for the remainder of the game. This isn’t just about plunking down a seed, but planning forward your resources over multiple round of Harvest. How will you know when your tokens will come back? Will they be there in time? This … Read more
All board games will ultimately hinge on one question: Will your tribe survive? Starve or eat. That tension reaches its peak in the feeding stage of Stone Age. You have spent three rounds hunting mammoths, improving your tech, and having more kids; now, you’re going to pay. Every player consume one food token each turn. … Read more
