July was a month full of exciting board game adventures! We played a fantastic selection of games, each offering unique experiences and unforgettable moments. Here’s a look back at the games we enjoyed the most this month.
Honeybuzz
Type: Worker Placement, Economic
Players: 1-4
How to Play: In Honeybuzz, players take on the role of bee colony managers, strategically placing worker bees to build their hives and collect resources. Players gather nectar and pollen, convert these resources into honey and wax, and sell them in the bear market to fulfill orders and earn money. The game mechanics involve:
- Worker Placement: Players place bees on various actions to build hive tiles, collect nectar, produce honey, and fulfill market orders.
- Hive Building: Hive tiles have different shapes and abilities. Players must strategically connect tiles to optimize their hive’s efficiency.
- Resource Management: Collecting the right types of nectar and pollen is crucial. These resources are turned into honey and wax, which can then be sold or used to complete orders.
- Market Orders: Players complete orders for different types of honey and wax to earn money. Orders vary in value, requiring players to decide which ones to prioritize.
Thoughts: We played Honeybuzz with both 2 and 4 players, and it was a hit! Although the rules seemed complex at first, they became clear and manageable after a few rounds. The game offered numerous interesting decisions, from optimizing hive layouts to timing market sales perfectly. In both games, the outcome was uncertain until the final scores were tallied, keeping everyone engaged until the end. While some players found it a bit heavier than their usual preference, the thematic immersion and strategic depth made it a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Plus, who doesn’t love the adorable bee theme?
Pros:
- Strategic Depth: Offers a variety of strategic choices without being overwhelming once you understand the rules.
- Replayability: Different hive layouts and market conditions ensure no two games are the same.
- Theme: The bee colony management theme is unique and well-executed, adding to the game’s charm.
Cons:
- Learning Curve: The initial setup and rules can be daunting for new players.
- Heaviness: It might be a bit heavier than what some casual gamers prefer.
Overall, Honeybuzz provided a delightful and engaging experience with its clever mechanics and charming theme. It’s a great choice for players who enjoy strategic worker placement games with a unique twist.
Legendary: Marvel
Type: Deckbuilding
Players: 1-5
How to Play: Players team up as Marvel superheroes to defeat the Mastermind villain and thwart their evil schemes. The game can be played cooperatively, competitively, or solo. Players recruit heroes, build their decks, and use their abilities to fight villains and prevent the Mastermind’s plans from succeeding.
Thoughts: I played Legendary: Marvel solo with randomized heroes, villains, and schemes. Both sessions were chaotic yet balanced. The game presented a satisfying level of challenge—neither too easy nor oppressively difficult. This balance made the solo experience engaging and rewarding. The random setup each time adds replayability, as the combinations of heroes and villains create unique scenarios and strategies.
Pros:
- Replayability: With numerous heroes, villains, and schemes, every game feels fresh and unique.
- Flexibility: Can be played solo, cooperatively, or competitively, catering to different player preferences.
- Thematic Immersion: The game captures the essence of Marvel comics, bringing heroes and villains to life through strategic gameplay.
Cons:
Learning Curve: New players might find the rules complex, but they become manageable with practice.
Complex Setup: Initial setup can be time-consuming with many components to organize.
Dominion
Type: Deckbuilding
Players: 2-4
How to Play: In Dominion, players start with a small deck of cards and use resources to acquire new cards, aiming to build the most efficient deck and earn victory points. The game ends when a set number of victory point cards or three supply piles are depleted. Players take turns to:
- Play Action Cards: Use cards to draw more cards, take additional actions, or gain resources.
- Buy Cards: Spend treasure to buy new cards from the supply and add them to their discard pile.
- Clean Up: Discard all cards played and draw a new hand of five cards.
The game requires strategic planning and adaptability as players must decide which cards to add to their deck to maximize their efficiency and points.
Thoughts: Dominion is always a fun choice. This month, we played with cards from the Hinterlands expansion in one game and the Empires expansion in the next. Both sessions were engaging and provided fresh strategic challenges.
- Hinterlands Expansion: Introduces cards that have immediate effects when gained or bought. This expansion added a layer of strategic depth, as we had to consider the timing of acquiring specific cards to leverage their instant benefits. The new cards encouraged dynamic and tactical play, making each decision feel impactful.
- Empires Expansion: Adds new mechanics such as Debt tokens and the Landmark cards, which alter the scoring and gameplay strategies. This expansion brought in a more complex economic system and varied scoring opportunities, requiring us to rethink our usual strategies and adapt to the changing game state.
Pros:
- Variety: Each expansion brings unique cards and mechanics, ensuring no two games are the same.
- Strategic Depth: Offers numerous strategies depending on the available cards, keeping the game engaging.
- Replayability: High replay value due to the vast combinations of base and expansion cards.
Cons:
- Setup Time: Organizing the numerous cards and choosing which ones to play with can take time.
- Complexity for New Players: The variety of expansions and mechanics can be overwhelming for beginners.
Overall, Dominion provided an enjoyable and strategic experience, with the expansions adding exciting new layers to the gameplay. Whether you’re building an empire or managing resources from the hinterlands, each game offers a fresh and engaging challenge.
Ticket to Ride
Type: Route Building
Players: 2-5
How to Play: In Ticket to Ride, players collect train cards of various colors, which they use to claim railway routes on a map of North America. The goal is to complete destination tickets that connect specific cities and to create the longest continuous route. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the gameplay:
- Setup: Each player receives a set of train pieces, three destination tickets, and a starting hand of train cards. Players must keep at least two destination tickets but can choose to keep all three if they wish.
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Turn Actions: On their turn, players can perform one of the following actions:
- Draw Train Cards: Draw two train cards from the deck or the face-up display.
- Claim a Route: Spend train cards that match the color and length of a route on the board to place their trains on that route.
- Draw Destination Tickets: Draw three new destination tickets and keep at least one.
- Scoring: Points are earned by claiming routes, completing destination tickets, and having the longest continuous route. Uncompleted destination tickets result in point deductions at the end of the game.
- End Game: The game ends when a player has two or fewer trains left. Each player then takes one final turn, and the scores are tallied to determine the winner.
Thoughts: We played the Japan expansion of Ticket to Ride. The bullet train mechanic took a little while to get used to, but ultimately it was a game-changer that decided the victor. This expansion adds a shared bullet train route that all players can contribute to and use, introducing a cooperative element within the competitive gameplay. It added an exciting twist to the classic gameplay, requiring players to strategically decide when to contribute to the bullet train and when to focus on their personal routes.
Pros:
- Accessibility: Easy to learn and quick to set up, making it great for both new and experienced players.
- Strategic Depth: Balancing between completing destination tickets and creating long routes adds strategic depth.
- Variety: Numerous expansions and maps keep the game fresh and exciting.
Cons:
- Luck Factor: Drawing the right train cards can sometimes be luck-dependent.
- Player Interaction: While there is some competition for routes, direct interaction is limited.
Overall, Ticket to Ride with the Japan expansion provided a refreshing take on the beloved classic. The added mechanics and strategic layers made for a thrilling and memorable gaming session.
Fit to Print
Type: Real-time, Puzzle
Players: 1-6
How to Play: In Fit to Print, players act as editors of a small-town newspaper, competing in real-time to gather stories, ads, and photos to create the highest-scoring front page layout. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the gameplay:
- Setup: Each player receives a blank front page template and a set of double-sided tiles representing stories, ads, and photos. The game is played over three rounds, each representing a day in the life of the newspaper.
- Real-time Phase: During each round, players simultaneously draw tiles from a central pool and place them on their front page. The challenge is to fit as many valuable pieces as possible while maintaining a balanced layout.
- Balancing Layout: Players must ensure their layouts follow certain rules, such as not placing too many ads next to each other and balancing stories with photos. Each tile has a different point value, and players must strategically decide which tiles to prioritize.
- Time Pressure: A timer is set for each round, adding an element of urgency. Players must make quick decisions to maximize their layout’s point potential before time runs out.
- Scoring: At the end of each round, players score their layouts based on the point values of their tiles and any additional bonuses for balanced layouts. The player with the highest total score after three rounds wins.
Thoughts: We had a great time with the real-time puzzler Fit to Print. The timer, even on easy mode, was more chaotic than expected. This added a layer of excitement and urgency to the game, making each round a thrilling race against the clock. The real-time element kept everyone on their toes, and the strategic decision-making involved in balancing the layout made for engaging gameplay. We’re looking forward to playing it more and mastering the art of newspaper editing under pressure.
Pros:
- Exciting Gameplay: The real-time element adds urgency and excitement.
- Strategic Depth: Balancing tile placement for maximum points requires thoughtful planning.
- Replayability: Different tile combinations and the time pressure make each game unique.
Cons:
- Stressful for Some Players: The real-time aspect might be too chaotic for those who prefer a more relaxed pace.
- Learning Curve: New players might need a few rounds to get used to the time pressure and layout rules.
Overall, Fit to Print provided a unique and thrilling puzzle experience that kept everyone engaged and eager for more. It’s a great choice for players who enjoy real-time challenges and strategic planning.
Dice Throne
Type: Dice Rolling, Combat
Players: 2-6
How to Play: In Dice Throne, players choose from a roster of unique heroes, each with distinct abilities and dice combinations. Players roll dice Yahtzee-style to create combinations that activate attacks, defenses, or special abilities. Each hero’s card details the possible dice combinations and their effects, adding layers of strategy to the game. The goal is to reduce opponents’ health points to zero through a series of strategic dice rolls and ability uses. The game supports various formats, including one-on-one duels, team battles, and chaotic free-for-alls.
Thoughts: We played a 5-player free-for-all of Dice Throne with my son and his friends. Beginner’s luck seemed to be real as the new player emerged victorious. However, it might also be due to playing as the Barbarian, known for its straightforward and powerful abilities, making it a favorite for new players. The game’s mix of strategy, luck, and unique character abilities kept everyone engaged and made for an exciting session. Each character’s distinct playstyle offers great replayability, ensuring that no two games feel the same.
Pros:
- Diverse Heroes: Each character has unique abilities, offering varied gameplay experiences.
- Engaging Mechanics: The dice-rolling and strategic planning create an exciting, unpredictable game.
- Replayability: Different heroes and game formats keep the game fresh and fun.
Cons:
Luck Factor: Dice rolls can heavily influence outcomes, which might frustrate strategic players.
Everdell
Type: Worker Placement, Engine Building
Players: 1-4
How to Play: In Everdell, players take on the roles of woodland critters developing their own bustling city within the charming, vibrant world of the Everdell Valley. The game blends worker placement and tableau-building mechanics, set against a backdrop of beautiful artwork and intricate gameplay. Here’s a deeper dive into how it works:
- Setup: Each player begins with a set of worker meeples and a personal player board. The central game board is set up with various forest locations, events, and a river containing resource tokens (twigs, resin, pebbles, and berries).
- Worker Placement: Players take turns placing their workers in different locations on the board to gather resources, draw cards, or take special actions. Locations include the forest, which offers variable benefits each game, and the meadow, where players can draw and play cards.
- Tableau Building: As players gather resources, they play cards from their hand to build their city. Cards represent critters and constructions, each providing unique abilities, points, or bonuses. The combination of cards creates an interconnected city that can yield strategic advantages.
- Seasons: The game progresses through the seasons, from winter to autumn. Players retrieve their workers and gain new ones at the end of each season, preparing for the next round of actions.
- End Game: The game ends when all players have passed in autumn. Points are tallied based on the cards in their city, events achieved, and other bonuses. The player with the most points wins.
Thoughts: I played a few solo games of Everdell, which introduced me to the Rugwort character. Surprisingly, solo mode was fun and engaging. I initially thought it might lack in decision space, but I was mistaken. The theme is amazing here too! The woodland setting, complete with beautifully illustrated critters and constructions, brings a delightful charm to the game. Every aspect, from the resource tokens to the card art, immerses players in the whimsical world of Everdell.
Pros:
- Beautiful Artwork: The detailed and charming illustrations enhance the thematic experience.
- Engaging Gameplay: Worker placement and tableau building mechanics provide depth and strategic choices.
- Replayability: Different setups and card combinations ensure a unique experience every game.
Cons:
Space Requirement: The game requires a fair amount of table space for the board and players’ cities.
Initial Complexity: The game’s various mechanics and components may be overwhelming for new players.
July was an incredible month of gaming, filled with diverse and engaging board games. From strategic deckbuilding to real-time puzzles and epic battles, there was something for everyone to enjoy. Whether you’re a seasoned gamer or new to the hobby, these games offer endless fun and excitement.
What games did you get to the table this month? Any fun stories to share? Let us know here in the comments!
