Recent Acquisitions

I recently participated in a local math trade at BGG and got a few new games in return along with picking up some new ones as well. Here's a quick hit of what I got. Don't be surprised if you hear more on these in the near future:

Fire & Axe: A Viking Saga - One of the big games I was hoping to get off of the math trade. The game is gorgeous, I love the map and the components. We got to play a three player game the other night and I like the core of the game but I don't think it works very well with three; four or five should be good. I'm going to wait to talk about this until I can play it more, but I will say that it's not really what I expected; it's an interesting mix of efficiency and push your luck mechanics. Once I get a game or two in with four or more I'll share some thoughts on it.

Battlestations - The other big game I was hoping to get from the trade. Battlestations is very much a board game/RPG hybrid, more so than Descent and its ilk. Players make characters that play out specific roles on their starship and fly around completing missions that generally involve flying the ship around, shooting other ships and boarding them (or being boarded). The components are really simple but the rulebook is very well done and will take some time to get through. I did break down and ordered the minis as I think they will add a lot to the game. Really want to break this out but I need to wrap my head around the rules first... don't expect to hear about this one any time soon.

Drakon - This is the 3rd edition by Fantasy Flight Games. I gave it a quick look and it seems to be fast, fun and fairly mean. It's a pretty simple "screw your neighbor" type game where players build out a dungeon in an attempt to collect a set number of coins. In typical FFG style the components are great and very high quality. Seems like it'll play best with more but we'll see. Shouldn't be too tough to get this on the table; it'll be interesting to see how it goes over.

Vegas Showdown - Great little auction/building game from Avalon Hill. You'd never guess that by looking at the box and components though. Avalon Hill really needs to find new artists. I'll probably write up something on this soon, but needless to say it's quite a bit of fun.

Wings of War - I received the Famous Aces pack as my final game in the trade. I'm a little disappointed as it comes with lots of planes but only one of each main maneuver deck and one type of damage deck. At some point I may have to pick up an expansion or two so there'll be enough variety; still, there's enough in the box to have fun. Played a quick round of deathmatch the other night and we had a good time but I really need to look up some objective-based scenarios soon as I think that's where the game will really shine. I will say that I think I much prefer the damage deck to a hit table as it really speeds up the game.

Through the Ages: A Story of Civilization - Here's my big purchase. The game may not look like much at first - just a bunch of cards, a confusing board and some cubes - but the buzz at BGG is off the charts. Word is that it's the closest thing to Civilization the computer game that has been made in board game form. I've skimmed through the rules and that certainly looks to be true. There's far more to this game than I originally expected and I think it's going to have some serious staying power. Only problem is that the new reprint by FRED Distribution has some printing issues including missing cubes, misprinted cards and even an incorrect score track. Thankfully they seem to be responding quickly and will be getting replacement components out soon.