I’ve been writing these solo gaming reports since March of 2020… but my solo gaming started a lot farther back than that – being a wargamer in the 1970s/80s meant that a lot of your collection only saw table time if … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/01/17/solo-gaming-2024-the-end-of-the-year-edition/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>
<p>by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/1?bloggerid=16217" >Bryan Bornmueller</a></p> <div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8437787"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/uC4N_3kQdoHefNPesAHCzQ__small/img/hLjGKsIwJP43656LEnehjFVRzDE=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8437787.png" border=0></a></div><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/429293/the-fellowship-of-the-ring-trick-taking-game" ><b><i>The Fellowship of the Ring: Trick-Taking Game</i></b></a> is a co-operative trick-taking game based on the first book of <i>The Lord of the Rings</i>. <br/> <br/>Players journey through eighteen chapters covering the characters, events, and places in Middle-earth. Each chapter plays out as a series of tricks that must be won or lost to complete each character's specific goals. <br/> <br/><b>Beginnings</b> <br/> <br/>The game started out small. Two questions swirled together in my head: <br/> <br/>• Can you make a trick-taking game properly thematic? and <br/>• What would a <i>The Lord of the Rings</i> trick-taking game look like? <br/> <br/>Most trick-takers have a theme but often it is just a fun name and artwork with the gameplay more geared toward traditional clubs and diamonds than story and adventure. As a lifelong fan of both trick-taking games and Tolkien, I wanted to make a genuinely fun game in which players feel completely immersed in the epic masterpiece. <br/> <br/>Waiting outside my kid's school one afternoon, I was struck with an idea: If the deck and suits formed the world, players could act as characters in Middle-earth and the gameplay would naturally follow the story structure of the book. <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8550894"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/K3wm5fjnvJxG9LKKeGKwiA__small/img/XzEfTAlDupxotOk4VlVTP_VajpA=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8550894.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> <br/>After building a prototype and testing it, the idea held up! The basic suits (hills, forests, mountains, shadows) lent the card play the texture of Middle-earth and the familiar characters made it easier for players to learn the character goals. The co-operative aspect of the game made thematic sense for the story of <i>The Lord of the Rings</i>. Each character has a goal to achieve in every hand, placing the memorable characters at the core of the game. <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8437895"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/05Z-YpN30SRQtgyS4WDCSg__small/img/sZM7Nbpj0E2Xe_TZ_euHCRzMR34=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8437895.png" border=0></a></div></center> <br/><b>The Ring Sets Out</b> <br/> <br/>After sorting suits and characters, I designed the members of the Fellowship and we were off to Mount Doom...but something was missing. Working in the mechanism of passing cards between players before a hand allowed me to add more authentic detail to the characters. For example, it was obvious that Legolas and Gimli should interact with each other. The character selection process proved to be a fun strategic element, providing an opportunity to give hints about the strength of your hand and other clues to your fellow players. <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8437899"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/O_dlgn3k2SHZEZ8IhnBDvQ__small/img/MfXaF_x7xq0G8PDmV-soc3y_O-0=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8437899.png" border=0></a></div></center> <br/>Another benefit of the character selection and card exchange was that it provided enough information and luck mitigation that players didn't need other mechanisms to communicate. This kept the game flowing smoothly, like some of my favorite trick-takers. <br/> <br/>However, the characters in <i>The Lord of the Rings</i> have anything but a smooth journey. Enter the Rings. If I included a Rings suit, then the 1 of Rings (or the One Ring) would be especially powerful. It was clear that the player who was randomly dealt the One Ring would have to play as Frodo. <br/> <br/>With Frodo's role in the game now firmly in place, the game needed one more core rule to keep his goal challenging. Since he needs to win Rings cards and has the only trump card in the game in that same suit, I needed to slow him down a little bit so that he wouldn't finish his goal first every single time. For this, I was able to borrow a rule from classic trick-taking games (like <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/6887/hearts" >Hearts</a> and <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/592/spades" >Spades</a>) and not allow Rings to be lead until they are broken (played off suit). This created just the right obstacle for Frodo and also made the first appearance by a Rings card each round feel pivotal, further improving the thematic resonance of the Rings. <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8550893"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/CQZiF6-TYALnA75oCr9Maw__small/img/WBQFMPCUrOl0Lmcz38tdD_AaD98=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8550893.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> <br/><b>Many Meetings</b> <br/> <br/>I put together a new prototype and headed off to PAX Unplugged 2022. Two key realizations came out of the show. First, anyone not deep into trick-taking games was overwhelmed by simultaneously learning a new game and the goals of nine characters. Second, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/134528/taylor-reiner" >Taylor Reiner</a> — a game designer you should know from <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/134528/taylor-reiner/linkeditems/boardgamedesigner" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">his amazing games</a> and foundational Youtube channel, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@ClaudeAndTaylor" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">Taylor's Trick-Taking Table</a> — was the perfect developer for <i>The Fellowship of the Ring: Trick-Taking Game</i>. <br/> <br/>The final steps of design and development were dedicated to achieving a delicate balance: the campaign needed to feel as though players were experiencing the full story with all the characters, but couldn't be a legacy-style campaign that simply re-enacted the book. <br/> <br/>Buoyed by Taylor's enthusiasm and diligent testing, we refined the game to eighteen chapters and designed a couple of introductory modules to teach the game step-by-step. With the introduction and gameplay <br/>established, we were able to build in some truly difficult challenges and surprising twists later on in the game. We also built in other modes of gameplay like rules that generate a random selection of characters ("The Road Goes Ever On" mode), rules to play a two-player game, and rules for solo play. <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8550897"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/AuSXdguBCjF3SmVbNW78Mw__small/img/C9mitsiJtWzWhNUYtirI51QG-WE=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8550897.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> <br/><b>The Council</b> <br/> <br/><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/7699657"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/ZpomytZQSPsFWlWPqBvyAA__small/img/EOGhRg4VAaAPcIcl_LxBPThvh18=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic7699657.png" border=0></a></div>It's been an amazing journey to take a story that has been important to me for basically my whole life and combine it with a fascination with trick-taking card games. Even more amazing has been the support of the whole team here at Asmodee (Luke, Bree, Lupe, Jay, Randy, Preston, Kevin, Jorge, Krystal, and Mike) and all of the talented folks who made the game look so great (Elaine, Matt, Blaise, and Sam). <br/> <br/>I am also so grateful to everyone who has played or playtested the game over the years and everyone who is excited to join me on my quest to combine Middle-earth and trick-taking for many years to come. <br/> <br/><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/159764/bryan-bornmueller" >Bryan Bornmueller</a> <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8550895"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/OXHfSQJ2ED-FHxHbbawLvQ__small/img/pofvjjgPGJFJi4hJMlHbUjKXg0w=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8550895.jpg" border=0></a></div></center>
How was the most basic card game on Earth owning my life like this? I think it’s because we don’t understand playing cards. In 1969, as protests raged against the Vietnam War and ...
Most of them were a satisfying detangling of cards that had me immediately pressing that “new game” button once I got the win ...
After everyone has spent all their days, you score each region for the week, with the player who has the most insider tips for that region earning 2-3 points; the player with the secondmost tips earns 1 point, with ties being broken by whoever spent the most days in the region End the round by refreshing festivals and gaining your income in money, energy, excitement, and locals, with you being able to boost these values during play, and with each boost giving you a one-shot bonus item After four
Combo Up Designer: Katja Stremmel Publisher: Amigo Players: 3-5 Age: 10+ Time: 30 minutes Played with review copy provided by publisher Who has the best combo? Outbid each other with your card combos and improve your hand round by round. … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/01/16/dale-yu-review-of-combo-up/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>
▪️ Thames & Kosmos, which releases KOSMOS-brand games in English in the United States and elsewhere, has revealed its 2025 line-up, with the headline title being EXIT: The Game – Adventures on Catan, a new design from Inka and Markus Brand that both extends their wildly successful EXIT game series — with more than 25 million copies sold worldwide across the 30+ titles in the series — and ties into the thirtieth anniversary of Klaus Teuber's CATAN. Here's an overview of this 1-4 player game, whic
Burger Slam Designer: Christoph Behre Publisher: Amigo Players: 2-5 Age: 8+ Time: 20 minutes Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/3Ny7s3K Played with review copy provided by publisher You’re the proud owners of a Sixties diner. Your specialties are the worldrenowned Standard Burgers … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/01/15/dale-yu-review-of-burger-slam/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>
<p>by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/1?bloggerid=17" >W. Eric Martin</a></p> German publisher <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/3490/huch" >HUCH!</a> has unveiled its new releases for 2025, and although the descriptions are brief, we can get an overview of what's coming and add these titles to BGG's <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/geekpreview/71/" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">Q1 2025 Preview</a>, which highlights games being featured at trade shows: <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8643938"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/iD6_j3JHgrFKODCYEsfOyQ__small/img/-Uny3LvbktjKWwx4PM9g8sr946k=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8643938.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> <br/>▪️ <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/437073/rising-cultures" ><b><i>Rising Cultures</i></b></a> is a two-player only game from <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/133041/aske-christiansen" >Aske Christiansen</a> and <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/103305/francesco-testini" >Francesco Testini</a> that features asymmetric factions built from multi-use cards, which is a phrase that I never grow tired of hearing: <br/><font color=#2121A4><div class='quote'><div class='quotebody'><i>In <i>Rising Cultures</i>, you take control of one of four different civilizations — Egypt, Persia, Rome, or the Abbasid Caliphate — each with its own unique deck and abilities. Your goal is to lead your culture to fame and glory through conquered provinces or building cards. Each of the multi-use cards presents you with an important decision: Do you use them for resources, for your military, to build important buildings, or to play unique leaders? The decision is yours!</i></div></div></font> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8643939"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/pRIUG2MA7OwiFpS09il1_Q__small/img/WSSLwnLzQ334fuqsC11yBH-HoLQ=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8643939.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> <br/>▪️ Multi-use cards are also a part of <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/437099/kilia" ><b><i>Kilia</i></b></a>, a 2-4 player game from first-time designer <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/166373/lars-ehresmann" >Lars Ehresmann</a>: <br/><font color=#2121A4><div class='quote'><div class='quotebody'><i>Kiel, Germany — the lively port city on the Baltic Sea — is the starting point for a project of the century: a canal from the Baltic Sea to the North Sea! <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8643966"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/KvQkojq6U1hLqg1m1f7Hww__small/img/IxhR_HUx4u08zWfuTE_IsA6H90g=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8643966.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> <br/>As influential citizens of the city, you participate in the construction of the canal...while trying to make a little more profit than the competition. Improve your ships, accept lucrative contracts, influence the most important people on the city council: there are numerous ways to achieve your goals, but only those who use their influence in several places can ultimately win! <br/> <br/>On each turn, you play only one card, but whether you use it to procure goods, exert influence, or build on the canal is entirely up to you! Every card can be used anywhere, but what will bring you victory this time?</i></div></div></font> <br/>▪️ Both titles above are due out in the second half of 2025, as is <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/437101/the-royal-society-of-archeology" ><b><i>The Royal Society of Archeology</i></b></a>, a 1-4 player game from <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/110082/eric-jumel" >Eric Jumel</a> that's co-published by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/35491/atalia" >Atalia</a>: <br/><font color=#2121A4><div class='quote'><div class='quotebody'><i>Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of early 20th century explorers in The Royal Society of Archeology. <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8644080"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/Wz2XuswlehQudWdECGc-zw__small/img/6mNhO7Qyydosi6jQdR42dmWiCSQ=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8644080.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> <br/>As the leader of a learned society, you lead a team of adventurers on expeditions around the globe in search of relics and knowledge. London serves as your headquarters, where you secure funding, deepen your expertise at the university, and plan your next bold discoveries. <br/> <br/>Your archaeologists gain experience as the game progresses and become more and more efficient at performing actions. A unique mechanism allows you to trigger bonuses: If one of you places a less experienced archaeologist on an action space already occupied by a more experienced archaeologist, both people receive rewards. These strategic interactions add additional depth to your decisions. <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8644081"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/-Hnnadk9hMJ7efXdo7V-uw__small/img/mvOmiY71h4C6pZSHzIONbtGelf4=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8644081.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> <br/>During play, you will send your researchers to legendary archaeological sites, collect relics, gain prestige, and expand your scientific knowledge — but keep in mind that your success depends on the balance between your prestige points and scientific achievements!</i></div></div></font> <br/><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8644362"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/uNIPToSXKFPBuY2objxDaQ__small/img/rR0p6t6ghjRSwmjB3HpUhk2034M=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8644362.jpg" border=0></a></div>▪️ <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/437109/makoto" ><b><i>Makoto</i></b></a> is a card-shedding game from <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/165095/simon-weinberg" >Simon Weinberg</a> for 2-6 people due out in Q2 2025: <br/><font color=#2121A4><div class='quote'><div class='quotebody'><i><i>Makoto</i>, which means "truth" in Japanese, is a climbing card game. Each player starts a round with a hand of cards that range from 1-16, and a number of cards are dealt face up in the center of the table as a "blind". <br/> <br/>The lead player of a round plays a combination — a set of one or more cards of the same value or a run of at least three cards — then players in turn either play the same combination (with at least one higher card) or pass, which does not remove you from the round. A four-of-a-kind — a <i>Houou</i> — can be played over any combination and is beaten only by a higher Houou. When all players pass in turn, the round ends, and whoever played last collects the played cards and leads the next round. <br/> <br/>After playing on your turn, you can discard to the blind one card from your hand that's lower than anything you played, or you can pick up cards from the blind as long as they're the same value, lower than what you played, and at most the same number of cards you played. <br/> <br/>When you've emptied your hand, you receive a bonus, with the bonus diminishing for those who go out later. After all but one person has gone out, players score for the cards they've collected — but only for 2s, 5s, and 10s. After a certain number of rounds, whoever has the highest score wins. <br/> <br/><i>Makoto</i> is all about cleverly improving your hand cards and weighing when to continue playing versus when to pass.</i></div></div></font> <br/><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8644427"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/FgayDk7stAx5iLqVZAlk5Q__small/img/7YAdSgK9-owQqoMtX07wFR6Elhg=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8644427.jpg" border=0></a></div>▪️ <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/437113/aliens-unboxed" ><b><i>Aliens Unboxed</i></b></a> is a Martin Nedergaard Andersen design for 1-4 players: <br/><font color=#2121A4><div class='quote'><div class='quotebody'><i>3, 2, 1 — go! In <i>Aliens Unboxed</i>, everyone competes at the same time, trying to form predetermined combinations of the eight different, brightly colored aliens as quickly as possible. To do this, fold and rotate your UFOs — unknown folding objects — until you can fulfill one of the boarding cards on display. Depending on how difficult it is to put together certain alien crews, you will receive 1-5 points. Whoever has the most points at the end wins the check-in challenge.</i></div></div></font> <br/><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8644522"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/LV4mVM659YwCoWFWc5aTSQ__small/img/Dwkgfl7NCyoIeA1RuQ_vbh7fexU=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8644522.jpg" border=0></a></div>▪️ <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/437115/city-flip-roma" ><b><i>City Flip: Roma</i></b></a> is a co-operative game from <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/607/walter-obert" >Walter Obert</a> for 1-4 players in which you collectively build Rome: <br/><font color=#2121A4><div class='quote'><div class='quotebody'><i>In <i>City Flip: Roma</i>, all roads lead to Rome...and to St. Peter's Basilica, the Roman Forum, and so on! <br/> <br/>As city planners, your job is to lay out the cards in a 7x7 grid so that the ten sights are all connected by their streets. When it's your turn, swap the face-up card in your hand for a face-down card, which then becomes the next swap card. <br/> <br/>In addition to the direction specifications are various building specifications for individual columns and rows, which vary from game to game. This allows you to rebuild Rome again and again and make the game increasingly difficult.</i></div></div></font> <br/><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8644562"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/thnRRWGlFMBkdlI4MzX4vw__small/img/-QRKEDJbMexeYrFoM0RKoLv-ARM=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8644562.jpg" border=0></a></div>▪️ <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/437117/waschsalon" ><b><i>Waschsalon</i></b></a> is a 2-4 player game from <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/94736/hartwig-jakubik" >Hartwig Jakubik</a> that lets you relive your life at the game table: <br/><font color=#2121A4><div class='quote'><div class='quotebody'><i>Things are happening in the laundromat! Who can keep track of everything and say where the right items of clothing are? Are all the T-shirts really in washing machine 3? And where are most of the red items of clothing? <br/> <br/>In <i>Waschsalon</i>, you want to carefully watch what is happening in the washing machine drum, but this would be much easier if the other players didn't want to wash their dirty laundry, too. <br/> <br/>Since everyone has to wash their laundry, the box also contains a simple version for children and a slightly more challenging version for real washing professionals.</i></div></div></font> <br/><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8644238"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/1HvtIZ-QyVTzHyoGB17kFw__small/img/rxzIj7axFJJY6H5lc8flxoEf3Sc=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8644238.jpg" border=0></a></div>▪️ Due out in Q2 2025, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/437106/simsala-spin" ><b><i>Simsala Spin</i></b></a> is a co-operative memory game for 2-4 players from <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/2/reiner-knizia" >Reiner Knizia</a> and <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/76530/martino-chiacchiera" >Martino Chiacchiera</a>, who previously worked together on <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/318560/witchstone" ><i><i>Witchstone</i></i></a>: <br/><font color=#2121A4><div class='quote'><div class='quotebody'><i>In <i>Simsala Spin</i>, little witches and wizards get to work with cauldrons, but before the best potions can be created, the right ingredients are needed! These ingredients are well hidden, though, and must first be found and uncovered in line with the recipe. <br/> <br/>In this co-operative memory game, the position of the potion ingredients you are looking for changes during the game. Anyone who still manages to find all the ingredients for a potion recipe can unlock valuable bonus effects, but you win together only when all the potions have been brewed!</i></div></div></font> <br/><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8644292"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/M0V-ylVaRmVkPe0crA_1hw__small/img/QqIR0lYrRB7gbNWIlKjsVqXoXJs=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8644292.jpg" border=0></a></div>▪️ In <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/88526/janet-kneisel" >Janet Kneisel</a>'s <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/437108/hokus-pictus" ><b><i>Hokus Pictus</i></b></a>, due out in Q3 2025, players are sorcerer's apprentices who are being taught magical painting, specifically painting with colors that they can't even see: <br/><font color=#2121A4><div class='quote'><div class='quotebody'><i>With the help of a magnetic magic wand and a magic ball, you gradually make the outlines of the picture appear on the easel. The first audience member to guess which motif it is from the magic books wins a star. Once everyone has been artist four times, the player with the most stars wins.</i></div></div></font> <br/><div style='display:inline;'><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8028262"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/uVq7iCHH3qRJLA6GtBc9YA__small/img/PxHHr_-GN3IHqoEbMOO6uHjakts=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8028262.jpg" border=0></a></div> <div style='display:inline;'><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8114762"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/4ycInRxiRcIQPfaeUpzLxg__small/img/VQv8Fl0cIuApsmjGobLcb1x0l3g=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8114762.jpg" border=0></a></div>▪️ <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/410628/keyside" ><b><i>Keyside</i></b></a>, a <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/134/richard-breese" >Richard Breese</a> and <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/76227/david-turczi" >Dávid Turczi</a> co-design that's being co-published with <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/83/r-and-d-games" >R&D Games</a> was featured in my <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/1/blogpost/156380/welcome-kids-to-witchstone-construct-campus-galli" >2024 HUCH! round-up</a> as a late-year release, and now here it is again. <br/> <br/>▪️ HUCH! has picked up <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/123526/robert-muller-reinwarth" >Robert Müller-Reinwarth</a>'s <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/298086/the-fog-escape-from-paradise" ><b><i>The Fog: Escape from Paradise</i></b></a> from <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/44526/xollox-games" >XOLLOX Games</a> for distribution in Germany.
Moving Day Designer: Mads Floe Publisher: Piatnik Players: 2-4 Age: 10+ Time: 30 minutes Played with review copy provided by publisher July 1st is “Moving Day” in Québec, Canada. It’s no joke as more than 100,000 people (!) move on … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/01/14/dale-yu-review-of-moving-day/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>
<p>by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/1?bloggerid=16205" >Maxime Morin</a></p> <div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/7570101"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/u1cwi9BWSKsPxSkVO0BzbA__small/img/5G45GN8CE7pq38fJMMocmPtV4_U=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic7570101.png" border=0></a></div><b>First Contact</b> <br/> <br/>In April 2022, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/28651/catch-up-games" >Catch Up Games</a> thought of me to make art for one of their future games, designed by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/113774/johannes-goupy" >Johannes Goupy</a> and <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/60151/corentin-lebrat" >Corentin Lebrat</a>. Of course I knew Catch Up Games by name, and I owned a few good games from them, so I was extremely happy they thought of me! <br/> <br/>Back then, the design was still called "Reverse Adventure", a card game in which each player was a traveler. The game was set in a peaceful, dream-like and timeless universe. The project looked cool, and I was quite intrigued by the idea of the game. It was quite original with its reverse scoring! <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8617016"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/qdAqkvdetMRJ4j9m3Lsxxw__small/img/tQrU8FAxYvqqVuOSpTODClT8GiQ=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8617016.jpg" border=0></a></div></center><center><i>"Reverse Adventure", an early prototype of </i>Faraway</center> <br/>Now, I had to see what kind of art direction they wanted and whether that fit with what I could do. I got acquainted with Clément Milker, who would be a constant contact throughout the project, and Benjamin Treilhou, the art director who would manage the project's art. <br/> <br/>We met, and I discovered the inner workings of the game; we discussed the kind of art that I had already done and what could match the game's tone among those. I like to try different things from one project to the next, if I am able to, but I felt one of my personal projects had drawn their attention. It was a series of two-color mini-frescoes filled with weird characters I drew with pen and ink...and sometimes with a touch of watercolor to give them more volume (<a href="https://nimro.fr/cap-sur-katmandou" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">1</a> - <a href="https://nimro.fr/kassos-aux-galapagos" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">2</a> - <a href="https://nimro.fr/en-route-pour-bhagalpur" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">3</a> - <a href="https://nimro.fr/tombouktou" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">4</a>). <br/> <br/>I also sent them another piece of art, as an example, a thing I had tried a long time ago and that I never finished, but at that point, I wanted to drive them to a vector art rendering style for multiple reasons... <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8617017"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/y3dl-tUlbAam0X0I3oqiHQ__small/img/AjU1o_3cQx3PY4KIomyx3as1myU=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8617017.jpg" border=0></a></div></center><center><i>Vector and hand-drawn inspirations for</i> Faraway <i>artwork</i></center> <br/><b>Using Vectors?</b> <br/> <br/>I started a first wave of graphical research. I initially wanted to provide two different renderings. I sketched a few characters, and for the first rendering, I decided to color using vector colors. (Yes, I was insisting on this...) At that point, I thought this type of rendering could work as the game oozed an old-school RPG vibe (imagine the 1990's <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/videogamefranchise/4859/final-fantasy" ><i>Final Fantasy</i></a> entries) with a lot of characters handing out quests (in speech bubbles) — and I hoped that this approach would be kept as the project seemed quite the challenge! <br/> <br/>In terms of what we had to do: 68 cards (in four families, each tied with a biome), and 15 to 20 characters we would duplicate, changing a few accessories and colors. Then there were "hideaway cards", as they were called back then; these cards would reuse the landscapes of all four biomes with no characters on them. This was a bit strategic, but it would save considerable amounts of time! It would be easier for me to duplicate elements, and most of all to correct mistakes. Here's a good example with that awkward character I could fix when I moved to the coloring stage: <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8617018"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/1uR5BWlfJFXnHQ62iLb_cw__small/img/SnFnw33Btk4m1xB9czx94wbuBSQ=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8617018.jpg" border=0></a></div></center><center><i>Translated annotation: Graphical test in progress... character visible from head to toe?</i></center> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8617020"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/ZSsXNo2iycZQHTpSQTpICw__small/img/w5ZmIVX6WIjgF6LOiL_X_0ZusS4=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8617020.jpg" border=0></a></div></center><center><i>Vector research for</i> Faraway</center> <br/><center><i>Translated annotations: Graphical test in progress... character cropped at the chest?</i></center><center><i>We could almost add the figure of a moving character in the scenery</i></center><center><i>Example of a "City" landscape</i></center> <br/>For all four biomes, I thought about two ways of picturing them. For the first idea, I thought of a kind of decor seen with a front/side view, a landscape you saw and explored from one end to another...and why not an entry and exit point, as in <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/videogamefranchise/4868/mario" ><i>Mario Bros</i></a>. I tried to put a thread through the art, like a beeline that went through the card and touched the resources it gave; we had a big red flower (a Rafflesia) instead of thistles — or pineapples, if you insist on calling them that! The cards were 70x70mm, and I thought the content would be clean, as this square would have to contain a lot of information. <br/> <br/>Long live vectors! Thank you, AI — and by that I mean Adobe Illustrator and not generative artificial intelligence, mind you! <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8617026"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/NuPtRMN1Xl8Urmmq9Qdeeg__small/img/wC1XlN_-47LO-Xr5rViLW3FBHJc=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8617026.png" border=0></a></div></center><center><i>Research for "pathways" across cards (concept)</i></center> <br/><center><i>Translated annotations: Cartography concept, maps with an "entry" and an "exit" on each side in order to form a path, to "connect" areas together and to "picture" the traveled road.</i></center> <br/><center><i>A bit like old-time video games, a concept with "tunnels", to get from one "world" to another like in "Mario".</i></center> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8617022"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/eKE17-k4jlb6O26y8gSj0Q__small/img/A4uYx38pVJ1gn4teVPBL6q5BeAA=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8617022.jpg" border=0></a></div></center><center><i>Hand-drawn research for</i> Faraway</center> <br/><center><i>Translated annotations: Concept of "narrative" graphics: here the visited area is somehow "told" (with images) by a character. It could be "swarming" with intertwined elements.</i></center> <br/><center><i>And emphasize the relevant resource in some way.</i></center> <br/><b>Hand-Drawn</b> <br/> <br/>Of course, for the second approach, I was going to follow their recommendations – I didn't want the project to stop there for me, right! I used the sketch of a second character out of the eight I had already designed. I traced it using a light pad to get a black-and-white version done with my pens. This was more time consuming — and more demanding since it was more difficult to correct mistakes after you've made them. However, the slight imperfections of hand-drawn have their own charm... <br/> <br/>I scanned the drawing and colored it using Photoshop. For the landscape, I created another concept, a kind of map with connecting paths that formed the journey of each player. In my version, I still had "doors", and I should have removed them, but the idea had been brought forth, and that's what mattered. <br/> <br/>I sent my two proposals, my two renderings, with my fingers crossed. We would see... <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8617023"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/Q6pnvCXigWjFII6vEafZpw__small/img/8dqi-njcwzmiOsjuiDaYgywwY9Q=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8617023.jpg" border=0></a></div></center><center><i>Hand-drawn research for</i> Faraway</center> <br/><center><i>Translated annotation: Sketch: example with a "scenery" concept</i></center> <br/>After they had received my initial research, all three of us met and – as I had expected – the hand-drawn version beat the vector approach. Clément preferred the hand-drawn aspect, but also thought the vector version had attractive features, whereas Benjamin performed a clean takedown on the vector version. This verbal German Suplex went like "This looks bland like an insurance company ad!" or some such, and the vector version of the art was never to recover...but we had such a laugh. Thank you, Benjamin! <br/> <br/>I left Adobe Illustrator for a good while, and I must confess that with hindsight, the choice was rather grounded: The art direction would be bolder, warmer, less usual – and all of that was great. The real start of the project was given: We couldn't back down! <br/> <br/><b>Landscape by Fragments...and More Fragments</b> <br/> <br/>First, I designed the look of all four areas. We kept that front/side view, and we set aside the map and its paths. Now we had mountains, mushroom forests, towns, and rice fields. Clément envisioned a wide continuous panorama for each biome, and we would use a cropped version of it for each card. With seventeen cards per area, I was not sold on the idea and thought some parts of this great panorama, when cropped out, would lack detail, depth, or even just character... <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8617024"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/0-_b2Mdo7H0bOFfvf4lF0w__small/img/EzsxSfkh9l5nT3MvMnsKSuTmkYE=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8617024.png" border=0></a></div></center> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8617021"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/0N6daq3XQQHvu0nbhHxKkQ__small/img/ACdi8J2BaLrZHSehpAlLabYdGzY=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8617021.jpg" border=0></a></div></center><center><i>Research for the four regions</i></center> <br/><center><i>Translated annotation: <u>Visual concept of panoramic sceneries (Benjamin's idea)</u> which would be "adapted / cropped" on all cards belonging to the same area.</i></center> <br/>This is why I thought about instead drawing a series of assets I would use to compose each panorama, assets that we could reuse whenever we saw fit. This would allow us to adjust the background more easily as needed, taking into account the size of the foreground character and where it sits in the card. <br/> <br/>I composed a background with only a few cards to see whether my idea of having a threaded journey across all eight cards could work if they were placed side by side. I tried to add rocks and hills as flat panels to create a continuum between cards – that way, they could work as a frieze. I liked the idea, but we wouldn't keep it in the end; managing the landscape was a hassle, and this graphical "trick" was unnecessary. Furthermore, most of the time the cards will be placed in two rows rather than just one! <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8617025"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/1dQXl1R77ZpKF6XJF5kGig__small/img/-Ua8okZV-sj-PqE-FldMceTErXY=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8617025.jpg" border=0></a></div></center><center><i>Assets for the mushroom forest biome</i></center> <br/><b>Documentation and Hidden Resources</b> <br/> <br/>Step by step, I made progress on all decor elements for all biomes, but I was kind of stuck on the rice fields biome. It seemed impossible to have enough varied compositions for seventeen cards. After discussing it, I suggested opting for rivers and forests instead. That was how we solved the landscape diversity problem. <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8617029"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/3cbo5sib76Wp5zPQnSeArg__small/img/EU2o_GhthjtSDFZZ64gNaDbuhV8=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8617029.jpg" border=0></a></div></center><center><i>Research for rice fields/waterfall/rivers biome</i></center> <br/><center><i>Translated annotation: Rivers/Waterfall instead of Rice fields? There's also the "Cities" approach?</i></center> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8617028"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/SD5cBFFK6JPzm763NvywTQ__small/img/4b0b1mykdWE0tKFfSBLNnPWB7e0=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8617028.jpg" border=0></a></div></center><center><i>Research for rock desert and troglodyte cities biomes</i></center> <br/>I had to absorb a lot of documentation to take inspiration from real landscapes. (Mother Nature has already invented everything!) There are incredible rocks in Chile's Atacama desert, and this would be the main inspiration for the "desert mountain biome". I often use <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">Pinterest</a> for this kind of project; I create moodboards with pictures for reference. Vegetation, rocks, mushrooms, rivers, and strange villages from all around the world, I have saved <a href="https://in.pinterest.com/maximeillustration/ref-new-game-cupg-ra/" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">more than six hundred pictures</a> for this project! <br/> <br/>Obviously, I used few of them in the end, but taking in those pictures allowed me to keep a general feel to develop the game's style, and that way I was able to give each area as much quaint character as possible. <br/>The task was quite long, but things took shape, little by little. I assembled my elements to compose the landscapes of each of the 68 cards. We also decided to have the resource(s) of the card in the art as well. They are present as gameplay icons in the top right corner, but can also be found in the landscape. Squint and look for them – some are incredibly well hidden! <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8617030"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/iW9zePnUf3wamI5KDUqVwg__small/img/EzsDAWzVA8EaHwd4HeN1avdrT0Y=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8617030.png" border=0></a></div></center><center><i>Translated annotations: (up arrow) In progress...</i></center> <br/><center><i>(right arrow) It might be redundant to have the resources pictured in the scenery, "right next" to the symbols of these same resources in the final layout? (it also makes the card pretty busy, there's already quite a lot of information on it!?)</i></center> <br/><center><i>(left arrow) Two resources in the scenery, not easy. I should try to "hide" them a bit more if we go with this concept...</i></center> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8617031"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/H3IZqxTnpcDidhhf1Rr_bg__small/img/g1TQfNJBJp83SYi-x6lecoGBMZo=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8617031.jpg" border=0></a></div></center><center><i>Research for hiding resources in artwork...and examples</i></center> <br/><b>Layout and Characters</b> <br/> <br/>At the same time, Benjamin and I tested different ways of laying out the cards. We ended up with a box in the bottom with the color of the biome. It acts as a support for the characters, but also harbors the icons of the quests: goals, fame points, etc. We also have a frieze in the center of the card with a specific pattern. Colorblind people can identify all four families with them, and this will be used for some quests as well. <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8617027"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/tm7q6JeNODncxHV_iJxFvQ__small/img/WW2O3dT_P33vPeZxUX20-8WFVDE=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8617027.png" border=0></a></div></center><center><i>Research for "pathways" across cards</i></center> <br/><center><i>Translated annotation: Unfinished character which probably needs to be redrawn for a cleaner inking.</i></center> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8617034"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/hXCfcEDefTbDhLu0ajVn2w__small/img/984RJtYgEKFYzTIyY8RZ8LgDfUg=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8617034.jpg" border=0></a></div></center><center><i>Research for card layout colors</i></center> <br/><center><i>Translated annotations: 1st version ("Chromatic unity" for each biome)</i></center><center><i>2nd version (Variety between the bottom of the cards and the illustrated upper part)</i></center> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8617039"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/lDtaiocxhUNfWIfDsbXDKQ__small/img/JwLOZXtUVxU043ryhwaqzgbSi8w=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8617039.jpg" border=0></a></div></center><center><i>Research for character placement</i></center> <br/>For the iconography (exploration duration, pictograms, etc.), we tested multiple things, from streamlined glyphs to pictograms that reused part of the art and art style. That choice was the final one. <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8617032"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/PG7Q9r3KkRarqcm409fbxw__small/img/MeqcMtjRzeebkLrZxuoNigoYwU8=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8617032.jpg" border=0></a></div></center><center><i>Translated annotations: A few experiments in vector (which I dropped)</i></center> <br/><center><i>Version of symbols based on a drawing</i></center><center><i>Drawn resource to be added in sceneries</i></center><center><i>Floating Stone (Energy milestone) ("Rune")</i></center><center><i>Flower ("Regent of the vegetal world") (Thistle type)</i></center><center><i>Qilin(s) ("Breath of Oniri") (Purify Air)</i></center> <br/><center><i>Symbol alone</i></center><center><i>Symbol with frame</i></center> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8617033"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/RApht3qcJzuLqSlArdybaA__small/img/Ia-aTk15_1n_wU67Y5Ugm-K45-k=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8617033.jpg" border=0></a></div></center><center><i>Early (top) and continued (bottom) research for icons</i></center> <br/><center><i>Translated annotations: Resource Symbols</i></center><center><i>Biome Symbols</i></center><center><i>Misc. Symbols (Time, Points, etc.)</i></center> <br/><center><i>Resource Symbols as "Glyphs" (last attempt):</i></center><center><i>"Drawn" Resource Symbols (new version):</i></center><center><i>Symbol styles to pick from</i></center> <br/><center><i>Number Frame + Concept of Sun & Moon symbols (Bonus on cards 20-40)</i></center><center><i>Update: Yellow instead of Orange!</i></center><center><i>Font change! (no copyright)</i></center><center><i>Victory Points symbols</i></center><center><i>Update: Yellow, no texture</i></center> <br/><center><i>Compass symbol</i></center><center><i>Symbols for cards "families" (using the pattern from the friezes)</i></center> <br/><b>The Denizens of Alula</b> <br/> <br/>The universe of the game was a bit dreamlike and otherworldly, and I was able to create characters like I wanted! I sketched a lot of things so that we could keep our favorites. We had envisioned drawing fifteen or twenty of them and creating variations around them to reach our total of 61. (Seven cards in the game have no character on them.) <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8617035"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/ooelSMwnu8b9D-cfPsb1Yw__small/img/u963-Wh_c0_J5_BnZ1Z2yAE92SI=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8617035.png" border=0></a></div></center> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8617036"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/pzTukSWchwuZ_wIy2zKUGQ__small/img/AZ4S4YzPkqHtcWyQjgz6yQeCGuA=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8617036.png" border=0></a></div></center><center><i>Research for characters and their colors</i></center> <br/>To be honest, I didn't want to add that extra load of work...but in the end, I figured not having 61 unique characters was a missed opportunity! Instead of spending time drawing headdresses, staves, or other accessories to dress up my characters and have them be present in three or four versions, we decided to work on the existing sketches (whether satisfactory or rougher) to create all of these imaginary people! <br/> <br/>While designing and drawing them, I created a kind of guide for characters, depending on their goals, and I gave each group a little nickname. I designed them so that each category has a recognizable element to it. <br/> <br/>• <b>GUARDIANS</b> (flat points): often with a weapon or a fighting stance <br/>• <b>MERCHANTS</b> (points for a resource) <br/>• <b>FLOATERS/NOCTURNALS</b> (points for nighttime cards): float above the ground <br/>• <b>TRAVELERS</b> (points for sets of four biomes): with a ring floating above their head <br/>• <b>EXILES</b> (points for a single biome): depends on the biome they are from <br/>• <b>TWO-HEADED</b> (points for two biomes): two heads, one for each biome <br/>• <b>FARSEERS</b> (points for clues): all blind <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8617037"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/j1rXQH-l7AkLinfy5xsoyQ__small/img/TwZGIaxsKbGURhJZRnONAqBmrDc=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8617037.jpg" border=0></a></div></center><center><i>Translated annotations: x17 "The Guardians" (Warriors)</i></center><center><i>Note - With or without a prerequisite: fixed VP > This card = X VP</i></center> <br/><center><i>x16 "The Merchants"</i></center><center><i>Note - With or without a prerequisite: X VP bonus for each collected resources of this type</i></center> <br/><center><i>x7 "The Floaters/Nocturnals"</i></center><center><i>Note - With or without a prerequisite: Each collected "Nocturnal" card (20-40) > each = X VP</i></center> <br/><center><i>x4 "The Travellers – Dreamers"</i></center><center><i>Note - For a set of 4 cards of different colors = 10 VP</i></center> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8617038"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/_bgkMONnm4CZ9B-UNK3Onw__small/img/5cySzIYTHknSqSkY-zT37NEHzbc=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8617038.jpg" border=0></a></div></center><center><i>Translated annotations: x3 "The Nostalgic Exiles"</i></center><center><i>Note - Each card of the indicated color = X VP</i></center> <br/><center><i>x9 "The Indecisive Ones (Two-headed)</i></center><center><i>Note - With or without a prerequisite: One chosen color out of two > each card of this color = X VP</i></center> <br/><center><i>x5 "The Farseers"</i></center><center><i>All blind but thanks to their "Staff - Familiar" they can detect Compass symbols to navigate. Collect compasses and you'll be rewarded!)</i></center><center><i>16 Compasses (3 of which on the "Nocturnals" cards (20-40)</i></center><center><i>Note - With or without a prerequisite: For each "collected compass" > X VP</i></center> <br/>Regarding the colors of each of the four families and those of the characters, we tested myriad colors. The project overextended a bit, time-wise, and I had to take care of other projects for a while... <br/> <br/>Fortunately Benjamin took over and covered for me until I was back to wrap up the game! <br/> <br/><b>The Cover...No, Covers!</b> <br/> <br/>The cover also needed a lot of iterations. Benjamin and I had tried overcomplicated things: keeping in mind the inverted scoring, we thought about a logo you could read in two directions, a box with two sides, a day half and a night half, a mirrored logo — we thought really hard about this! <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8617040"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/zLkAp92afLGNPrMx4yScRw__small/img/895_NG0qKpw0dpgPky5onadvTUQ=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8617040.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> <br/>We eventually went for something more straightforward and ended up with the cover you know. We chose our little floating character with a hat, selected their background, Benjamin made the logo, and the project was nearing completion...when, one day, Benjamin said that Clément thought we should have four different covers for the French release of the game. Now that was a cool-as-beans idea! <br/> <br/>This little extra was really worth it. We made four covers, one for each biome, and I must confess this is an amazing showcase for our work! <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8617041"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/qaogT5DGx-sh7-9l2GWH5g__small/img/ZZDYKtVPlYajGCzlVuyVPssiac4=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8617041.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> <br/>Illustrating this superb game was a great project, with a great team. Kudos to Johannes and Corentin for such a great game, and thanks a lot, Clément and Benjamin, for inviting me on this journey! <br/> <br/>I'll stop yapping now as I have a few <a href="https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=faraway" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">games to play on BGA</a>. (Still trying to beat my all-time high score of 106 points!) <br/> <br/><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/128606/maxime-morin" >Maxime Morin</a> <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/7731195"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/jE0XkaZbh8hmwcs7V7nkBA__small/img/-oC1BSmfj84T3AhAFzegqAfVVMk=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic7731195.jpg" border=0></a></div></center>
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Alison Brennan: Game Snapshots – 2025 (Part 1) It’s the first drop for the year so let’s lead off with the 2024 stats. The numbers are generally lower due to the chunk of time I spent getting body and mind … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/01/13/alison-brennan-game-snapshots-2025-part-1/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>
<p>by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/1?bloggerid=17" >W. Eric Martin</a></p> <div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8634817"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/GINqipWTQ4BdR-zC-LLbPg__small/img/nDmHL2bzCA9DVSDzra9_QdpbAL0=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8634817.jpg" border=0></a></div>▪️ To kontinue the <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/1/blogpost/168382/new-year-new-kniziaand-old-whale-riders-trading-ti" >Knizia koverage</a>, in 2025 U.S. publisher <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/53065/allplay" >Allplay</a> plans to release <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/436516/merchants-of-andromeda" ><b><i>Merchants of Andromeda</i></b></a>, a new version of <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/2/reiner-knizia" >Reiner Knizia</a>'s 2000 game <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/531/merchants-of-amsterdam" ><i>Merchants of Amsterdam</i></a> that's been extensively developed by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/414349/bebop" ><i>Bebop</i></a> designer <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/157655/robert-hovakimyan" >Robert Hovakimyan</a>. <br/> <br/>Here's an overview of this 3-5 player game: <br/><font color=#2121A4><div class='quote'><div class='quotebody'><i>In <i>Merchants of Andromeda</i>, you have to play the game of space politics, casting votes in the Senate, bidding on lucrative space goods, or resorting to ship combat! <br/> <br/>At the start of your turn, you draw three cards (one at a time), choosing one each to discard (which grants you a resource), keep (which grants you an action), or auction (which grants the winner both an action and a resource). To perform the Dutch auction in this game, use either a timer or the game's dedicated app — the more the timer ticks down, the less the winner will pay. <br/> <br/>Through these cards, you'll manipulate the market, play intergalactic mini-games, and resolve events. In the end, the player with the most money wins!</i></div></div></font> <br/>▪️ Another Allplay release, this one due out in August 2025, is <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/435423/alibis" ><b><i>Alibis</i></b></a>, a 2-6 player co-operative game from <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/82544/zuo-teng-xiong-jie-yusuke-sato" >Yusuke Sato</a> that's a new version of <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/380005/nigoichi" ><i>Nigoichi</i></a>, which Japanese publisher <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/31120/jelly-jelly-games" >JELLY JELLY GAMES</a> released in 2022. <br/> <br/><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/7332385"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/_bh0pgbhCtWTzMlfOQqixQ__small/img/StdQQdk4ApeVw10VmfLZmOoMK1k=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic7332385.jpg" border=0></a></div>To this release I say, "Hooray!" I played <i>Nigoichi</i> in 2023, loved it, added it to the BGG database, and wrote <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/1/blogpost/142758/game-overview-nigoichi-or-i-dont-know-how-to-say-w" >a loooong overview of the game</a>, simply because I wanted to share the game with others. <i>Nigoichi</i> features my favorite aspect of party games: trying to generate clever clues, while simultaneously figuring out the cleverness of others. (Admittedly I'm not much of a party person, so quietly cerebral parties appeal more to me than loud shouty ones.) <br/> <br/>Here's my overview of the earlier game: <br/><font color=#2121A4><div class='quote'><div class='quotebody'><i>Each round in <i>Nigoichi</i>, your goal is to determine which word was not assigned to any of the players. More importantly, you want to make sure that no one votes for either of the two words assigned to you! <br/> <br/>To set up a round, lay out as many word cards as twice the number of players plus one, so eleven cards in a five-player game. Each word is assigned a number (e.g., 1-11), then each player secretly receives two number cards at random, with the final lone number being placed face down on the table. If you receive, say, 3 and 8, then you need to think of a one-word clue that links word #3 and word #8. Write your clue on your board. <br/> <br/>Everyone reveals their clues at the same time, then everyone tries to figure out which pair of words corresponds to each clue, with the long-term goal of figuring out which single word was not assigned to any player. Once everyone has written their answer, reveal each player's pair of words as well as the lone number. If you guessed the answer correctly, score 20 points. For each player who guessed one of your words, lose 10 points. <br/> <br/>After five rounds, whoever has the most points wins.</i></div></div></font> <br/>It's not clear from the <i>Alibis</i> game page what's different about the gameplay other than the setting, with players each round now looking at a line-up of supervillains. You learn that two of these suspects are innocent, then come up with a one-word clue to give to your fellow law enforcement officials so that together you can identify the lone culprit who lacks an alibi. <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8600231"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/q5-3hPj2OEQhN16hqisoyg__small/img/Jl_vjuGtXqEeWXAmWhrLwvBxJ7c=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8600231.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> <br/>I'm unsure why you wouldn't just share information openly with your colleagues, but perhaps all of the supervillains have super hearing, so you need to speak only in clues instead of giving names. <<Insert hand-wavey game justification stuff here.>> Whatever the case, I'm delighted that I'll be able to play this game again, although sad that the anthropomorphic numbers have been axed. <br/> <br/><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8638673"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/1XZdv7Fop6Py-jDfulAZXg__small/img/OHZ_HKg-y6rOyRVMhwT-RM1a-oQ=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8638673.jpg" border=0></a></div>▪️ Another August 2025 release from Allplay is <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/408280/twinkle-twinkle" ><b><i>Twinkle Twinkle</i></b></a>, a 2-4 player game from <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/127454/ammon-anderson" >Ammon Anderson</a>. <br/> <br/>Here's an overview: <br/><font color=#2121A4><div class='quote'><div class='quotebody'><i>In the tile-laying game <i>Twinkle Twinkle</i>, you'll fill your star chart with clear plastic tiles, trying to connect constellations, build belts of asteroids, collect comets, pick up planets, and study them with satellites. Take care with those pesky black holes...unless you have a perfect spot for them, of course. Whoever finds their highest score in the stars wins. <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8635331"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/z23SgLcdZHnnvyFInHhJAA__small/img/jVGhosb0roKppKrEC9YyowNR5aM=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8635331.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> <br/>The game features a handy scoring app that allows you to point your phone at the board and watch it magically tally up your points!</i></div></div></font> <br/><div style='display:inline;'><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/259380"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/Si_kBW61pAiJJUbcfEl6AQ__small/img/mSCa7_J3NUt57X7JsTHoruAPznA=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic259380.jpg" border=0></a></div> <div style='display:inline;'><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8630505"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/f6MSp6TrZ7HN7THnpLZzFA__small/img/IqeE_C4t5YMs-Uv0vnyBAY7S6hM=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8630505.jpg" border=0></a></div>▪️ In 2025, Allplay will also release is <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/124/corne-van-moorsel" >Corné van Moorsel</a>'s <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/435360/waddle" ><b><i>Waddle</i></b></a>, which is clearly derived from van Moorsel's self-published 2007 release <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/32382/gipsy-king" ><i>Gipsy King</i></a>, a game I loved more than anyone else in my then game group. <br/> <br/>In that earlier game, you set up a playing area at random from the board pieces, then determine the turn order, after which the game has no randomness. On a turn, you either place a caravan next to the lowest-numbered lake or move your turn marker to the start of the line for the next lake. If all but one player passes, the remaining player fills all spots around the current lake. When all the spots at a lake are filled, you move to the next lowest-numbered one. <br/> <br/>Once all the spots are filled, whoever has the most pieces around a lake scores points equal to the number of fish in the lake. Additionally, each player scores points for their caravan groups, with larger groups scoring more points. <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8642648"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/uI4fmYxEIJbmfYYs4RGBkQ__small/img/YbsKH-Ww6c533Fel4SYhnXqO4PE=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8642648.png" border=0></a></div></center> <br/>You then clear the board of caravans and play a second round, now starting with the highest-numbered lake and counting down. Twice during this round, you can place a double caravan on a space. <br/> <br/><i>Waddle</i> seems to retain this gameplay, but with players now placing penguins instead of caravans, which will probably be more appealing to the public at large, especially since I'm sure that Allplay will offer a wooden penguin add-on bonus for those who prefer their birds be three-dimensional. <br/> <br/><div style='display:inline;'><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8598493"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/zxv1E3rN3eEVx3hCX8kgvA__small/img/TsZdnm1OiXqK40dL0kGFnSXfHJQ=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8598493.jpg" border=0></a></div> <div style='display:inline;'><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8598491"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/4wwXbDxANfywPJGRiiylcQ__small/img/kF5z433pByLM_yHyNJGVYPnkxQM=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8598491.jpg" border=0></a></div>▪️ Allplay has two new titles in its tiny card game line, with <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/435357/slambo" ><b><i>Slambo</i></b></a> being a 2-4 player game from <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/86478/ryan-the-boulder-richford" >Ryan Richford</a> in which you're playing cards and trying not to go above or below a certain total at risk of being pushed out of the ring. <br/> <br/><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/435356/for-the-emperor" ><b><i>For The Emperor</i></b></a> is a two-player game from <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/144836/whitney-loraine" >Whitney Loraine</a> in which players compete for control of seven battlefields, with each warrior adding its strength and ability to your side of the battle in a quest to claim more battlefields than your opponent. <br/> <br/>▪️ Finally(?), Allplay <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/boardgametables/four-new-small-games-from-allplay?ref=bggforums" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">crowdfunded</a> a quartet of games in Q4 2024 that will see release in mid-2025: <br/> <br/>• A new edition of Reiner Knizia's classic 1999 card game <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/125/money" ><b><i>Money!</i></b></a> <br/>• <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/75484/peter-c-hayward" >Peter C. Hayward</a>'s <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/428638/vegas-strip" ><b><i>Vegas Strip</i></b></a>, with players bidding in casinos that may (or may not) be corrupt, with you knowing a bit of that info. <br/>• <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/57723/john-d-clair" >John D. Clair</a>'s <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/428635/ruins" ><b><i>Ruins</i></b></a>, which is a new edition of his 2017 game <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/223049/custom-heroes" ><i>Custom Heroes</i></a>. <br/>• <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/164238/dan-schumacher" >Dan Schumacher</a>'s tile-laying game <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/428636/oddland" ><b><i>Oddland</i></b></a>, in which you place flora and fauna tokens to score on the landscape created. <br/>• And as a last-minute addition to that campaign, a new edition of <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/11479/gil-hova" >Gil Hova</a>'s 2017 game <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/208480/wordsy" ><b><i>Wordsy</i></b></a>, which must shamefully be represented in this post with a 3D image instead of the superior 2D covers used for all other games. <br/> <br/><center><div style='display:inline;'><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8469504"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/spgIw75EFPR1TViSoe0Sgg__small/img/u0pi1Re9rklBHIniRSKQ3OpTstg=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8469504.jpg" border=0></a></div> <div style='display:inline;'><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8439856"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/bBhkr53AapZR_gSkt-lf5Q__small/img/E2_eIsJAyhVTVW8OSNzpr4XUodo=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8439856.jpg" border=0></a></div> <div style='display:inline;'><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8426382"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/oBvx0LBSv-_cACGZOK_J9Q__small/img/tbpZRMmh0JlRqyywGFflBCKfgBM=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8426382.jpg" border=0></a></div> <div style='display:inline;'><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8430844"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/ExANT6uZ3Hxuh2-3c9RWvA__small/img/DDJZl_8ZRsfCnEHN8Ng30FkdEMw=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8430844.jpg" border=0></a></div> <div style='display:inline;'><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8510891"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/vrcR-UWwvql54b4ihmChyQ__small/img/z-4r8a82eNB0Kh6xXSqvMCK4zOQ=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8510891.jpg" border=0></a></div></center>
<p>by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/1?bloggerid=2041" >Migvel</a></p> <div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/7927851"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/Rho5EHTE7Srdmtl1GrFqJg__small/img/N3B08AKXlsr8vWjPwaaoNNlv30c=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic7927851.jpg" border=0></a></div><i>At the beginning of the second century BCE, the Republic of Rome has just defeated its greatest nightmare, Hannibal. After annexing the Carthaginian possessions on the Mediterranean coast of Hispania, Rome organizes them into the provinces Ulterior and Citerior, then orders the corresponding praetors to complete the conquest of the whole peninsula, which is inhabited by tribes without cohesion — but these Hispaniards turn out to be a formidable enemy...</i> <br/> <br/>This is the introduction that sets you up for my new challenge: <b><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/398887/hispania" >Hispania</a></b>, a co-operative game in which 1-3 players take the role of all the praetors and consuls that Rome sent to Hispania for almost two hundred years, until the first emperor Caesar Augustus culminated the conquest and incorporated Hispania into his brand new empire. <br/> <br/><b>The Idea</b> <br/> <br/>This game is special to me because it is my first design on request! The idea arose following the great success of my previous game <b><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/183315/tetrarchia" >Tetrarchia</a></b>. Those who don't know it may check my two designer diaries on <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/1/blogpost/51400/designer-diary-tetrarchia-or-the-four-swords-of-ro" >the original nestorgames version</a> and <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/1/blogpost/123900/designer-diary-the-second-tetrarchy-or-a-lot-of-ro" >the reimplementation</a> by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/28788/draco-ideas" >Draco Ideas</a>, a Spanish publisher of light wargames, as well as <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/video/318888" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">the video</a> covering both diaries. In brief, <i>Tetrarchia</i> was first published in 2015 and went out of print in early 2021...but only for a few days! I immediately signed a new contract with Draco Ideas, which has published two editions so far and is presently printing the third one. <br/> <br/><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8590128"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/g5u68wgO0jrMZU9B444oYg__small/img/zwIPLnQo9c_dHPUoN3xwVEoBylo=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8590128.jpg" border=0></a></div>This partnership is working so well that Draco Ideas asked whether I could consider a new game using a similar engine, but set in the history of Spain. <i>Tetrarchia</i> is a simple co-operative wargame in which 1-4 players handle the four Emperors of Diocletian's Tetrarchy that saved the Roman Empire from the third century crisis. This historical event is very specific and leads naturally to a co-operative game against unpredictable threats, but I could not think of a similar event in Spanish history, and thus my first answer was "No"! <br/> <br/>But no one had ever requested a design from me, so I agreed to consider the case. While reading about the history of Spain, I stopped at the Roman conquest...and not just because Romans were involved! I realized that this was a relatively unknown episode, full of exciting events and characters, in which the Roman armies led by the different praetors and consuls suffered unpredictable threats in their advance inland. My answer became "Why not?" — it deserved a try. <br/> <br/>As you may guess, it did work, and in this diary I will go through the main parts of the process. During the final steps of the design, I covered the game's development in design notes on the game's BGG page: <br/> <br/>• <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/3244836/design-notes-1-this-is-not-tetrarchia" ><u>Design notes (1)</u></a>: This is not <i>Tetrarchia</i> <br/>• <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/3260852/design-notes-2-the-map" ><u>Design notes (2)</u></a>: The map <br/>• <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/3268630/design-notes-3-what-have-the-romans-ever-done-for" ><u>Design notes (3)</u></a>: What have the Romans ever done for us? <br/>• <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/3326563/design-notes-4-famous-characters" ><u>Design notes (4)</u></a>: Famous characters <br/> <br/>I am going to summarize these posts below, but if you are curious for more details, you will find them at the links above. <br/> <br/><b>1. This Is Not <i>Tetrarchia</i></b> <br/> <br/><i>Tetrarchia</i>'s success was the reason for this new idea, but it was also a handicap. I didn't want to design "<i>Tetrarchia</i> on another map"; it had to feel unique. I needed to change many things anyway because a defensive engine had to become offensive. Would it work, and if so, would it be challenging and fun on its own? <br/> <br/><i>Tetrarchia</i> has simple rules without values, tables, or cards — only a few wooden meeples and discs, plus two dice. You spend action points on a few basic actions, with all the information needed on the board. However, these actions combine in subtle ways to create a variable and deep challenge. Four parameters can take three values each, leading to 81 difficulty levels! Finally, the game is co-operative with open information, so it can also be played solitaire with exactly the same rules. (The four Emperors are always in play.) <br/> <br/>Starting from those roots, I identified the mechanisms that I could not use, the ones I should modify, and the new ones I would need — and I decided to take advantage of the latter two categories to improve the game system. I removed the (few) exceptions, I simplified the movement and the "bad" pieces (only revolt), and all the rules related to Emperors entering revolt are gone since Roman meeples cannot enter revolt. The result is a game that is (even) easier to learn, with a shorter rulebook. <br/> <br/>Then I replaced the action points with physical coins, which are easy to track and now usable in attacks. This adds tension because you can reinforce a given attack at the price of not being able to do other things. Finally, these coins have entered the difficulty table, so now the combinations are 3 to the power of 5: 243! <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8048796"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/uKkef0HPjy7krb53XUzXwA__small/img/uWkYUcLH2V_0n3lgK3pYlYmNSIA=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8048796.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> <br/>I added Roman roads, which enhanced dynamism when moving through the huge block of land while portraying the progressive Romanization of the peninsula. With only revolts, I needed to find a new dimension of an increasing sense of threat, and I did it literally: height, with you being able to pile up three discs per space! Moreover, revolts are removed by attack, with you needing to roll more than their shield value, so an automatic action in the previous game is now a gamble. Important cities cost more, and you can invest your coins in these sieges, or not. The design has more tension from the decision of effort investment and from the rolls... <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/7596049"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/bmSiPg6viq5DmlIcE4mFEw__small/img/VCXqT3KJti4U6rNyOGkoDUYP0H4=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic7596049.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> <br/>I changed the movement of armies with a more subtle, random mechanism that is better thematically but also mechanically. Then I added mid- and endgame tension by removing a revolt every round, placed the removed revolt on a time scale that added to the historicity, and decided to end the game after the two hundred years that the conquest lasted. Extremely long games are impossible, adding even more tension! Finally, the game is for 1-3 players who always handle the two praetors and the consul. This changes a lot the way in which the Romans co-operate, which they must, even more than in <i>Tetrarchia</i>. You cannot move in couples, so the decisions to see who supports whom represent a real dilemma. <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8026270"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/l0xdsphk7FDHlajw2n3d1A__small/img/GHmyxKXzQ3ZgyOyIPMy8qEeHYZI=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8026270.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> <br/><b>2. The Map</b> <br/> <br/>Map lovers should click on the corresponding design note above for the details! <br/> <br/>As in <i>Tetrarchia</i>, I wanted a simple map, without distractions, that's readable at a glance and evokes the historical period. First, I sketched the playing area (left picture). There were the two Roman coastal provinces, Ulterior (farther from Rome) and Citerior (closer), and due to the two-dice mechanism the rest should be cut in six areas holding six cities each, thus requiring them to be of similar size. I found the envelope of the whole Hispania in a map of the era (center picture), and I started to distort it towards a more rectangular shape, closer to the board proportions and with a more efficient occupation of space (right picture): <br/> <br/><center><div style='display:inline;'><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/7403738"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/1B1psbJPzZm52DD-2PI2Tg__small/img/90m61nZZhOncGisoKrOLca3xf-Y=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic7403738.jpg" border=0></a></div> <div style='display:inline;'><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/7403739"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/Rd5Y1mVaYTuA8RHMMJgiPQ__small/img/71KTAInX4EV9m4Nkq1w86IxU9GE=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic7403739.jpg" border=0></a></div> <div style='display:inline;'><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8467434"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/sr2IpVd2tq57BBNQ82bulA__small/img/zamUIgpZqEKPTtH5PWKhg1RvTqA=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8467434.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> <br/>Now that I had the frame, I "just" needed to find the 6x6 Hispanic cities! I used many sources, but this one-shot picture of a map that had evolved over two hundred years required many (subjective) compromises. Helpfully, once I had placed and named all the board cells, the nature of the links was, as in <i>Tetrarchia</i>, dictated by the geography, an advantage of historical maps — and this is an almost final version that I used for the VASSAL module: <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/7952862"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/YxmtiP1sSN4Acp3weQym_g__small/img/QLyKuJPUydjKuQM0x6UETHrsLfw=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic7952862.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> <br/>By the way, you will see that the board (and game) is language independent, with all of the names in Latin — even the game title! If you can read any of the available rulebooks (<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/282786/final-version-rulebook-searchable" >English</a>, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/282788/version-final-del-reglamento-permite-busquedas" >Spanish</a>, and <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/282787/version-finale-du-reglement-consultable" >French</a>), you can play the game. This is the back cover of the English rulebook, with a reminder of everything you need to know, variants included! <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8291749"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/tkULFAzXR43bEbW2GpxQVA__small/img/SCbJpInw5MrCzSnQfsplVgMkzWw=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8291749.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> <br/><b>3. What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?</b> <br/> <br/><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8470001"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/8lRUNQZTOR4sMVLUYE9SWQ__small/img/dpvjq19GtQlNFWsZE3RrulBW70w=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8470001.jpg" border=0></a></div>At an early stage of the design, I went through some ethical doubts. Those who recognize the quote from <i>Monty Python's Life of Brian</i> may already see what I mean, the others should watch <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qc7HmhrgTuQ" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">this hilarious excerpt</a>! <br/> <br/>Whenever I start designing a wargame, I read books on that war, then try to find links between its global features and game mechanisms. This exploration phase is the part of the design I enjoy the most! In the case of the Roman conquest of Hispania, I had a global knowledge, although somehow indirect and partial due to the few dedicated books. Was this conquest really so uninteresting? <br/> <br/>I started to zoom in. I located the main events in space and time, then searched for details, and finally read Joao Aguiar's novels on Viriatus and Sertorius to infer the feelings that the leading characters might have experienced, something important in my designs. This progressive zoom started to build in me a very cruel picture of the conquest! Of course it was war as conducted two thousand years ago, but the war in Hispania was particularly cruel. Many praetors and consuls came to provoke the local tribes to war for the plunder and the associated triumph — and sometimes war didn't even "officially" start, with the treacherous breaking of treaties leading to the massacre of whole populations. (The corresponding design note above gives examples.) The Romans themselves were horrified and tried some of theirs back in Rome. <br/> <br/>Roman historians estimated the total Hispanic deaths in the millions, and Rome vanquished its greatest enemies, Viriatus and Sertorius, only by bribing officers to assassinate them. At that point, I wasn't willing to design a game in which players would handle those Romans, and being a Spaniard myself did not make things feel any better... <br/> <br/>I explored a radical change, make players handle the Hispaniards, but mechanically it would not work, leading me to consider abandoning the design! But I kept reading and tried to put things into context. In those two hundred years some Romans were capable of terrible things, but most of them were not. In fact, many of them defended the Hispanic tribes and carried their cause to Rome. <br/> <br/>I also learned that extreme cruelty was not only to be found on the Roman side; there were many episodes on the Hispanic side, too. Hispania did not exist as a whole before the Romans came, the peninsula was full of tribes that fought each other in the (cruel) ways of the era, tribes that could hardly unite even to face the Romans. In a sense, the Romans "founded" Hispania, establishing (at a high price) one single first entity on the whole peninsula. For centuries to come, the survivors would stop fighting each other and would live in peace, becoming an important part of the Empire that gave birth to famous Roman characters like Seneca, Trajan, Hadrian, and Theodosius. As Monty Python said: <br/><font color=#2121A4><div class='quote'><div class='quotebody'><i>— All right, but apart from the sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us? <br/>— Brought peace? <br/>— Oh, peace, shut up!</i></div></div></font> <br/><b>4. Famous Characters</b> <br/> <br/><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8470014"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/z-jpZIDCkpctFZLtF8LUSg__small/img/Nb9fjI_fhPto1PRMbu-65U4QbXY=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8470014.jpg" border=0></a></div>The Roman conquest of Hispania is not well-known, but if you enter the game, you will be surprised (as I was) by all the Roman (and Hispanic) strong characters who shaped this piece of history. Many famous Romans, some better known for the things they did elsewhere, spent part of their lives in Hispania. This made me want to include them in the game through variants and historical scenarios. Scipio Africanus himself fought the prelude to the conquest right before his last battle against Hannibal, as depicted in the GameFound bonus scenario. Other famous Roman generals, like Cato the Elder, Scipio Aemilianus or Decimus Junius Brutus, led their main campaigns in Hispania and have their scenario, too. <br/> <br/>On the Hispanic side, Viriatus was "the terror of the Romans", a true nightmare for Rome, and he deserved both a variant (<i>Terror</i>) and a scenario. The <i>Hispano</i> variant that makes the game competitive and opens it up to four players was also inspired by him. Sertorius was half Roman and half Hispano, so I have not included him yet because I want to find a more "sophisticated" (yet not complex) way to reflect this duality. I guess I will write a scenario for him in the future, in a magazine, for example. <br/> <br/>And the two most famous characters are Caesar and Augustus! The former came to Hispania when he was young and yet unknown as a praetor, then he fought some of his civil war battles in Hispania. His impact on the conquest process was thus small, which made me decide to leave him out of a game about the conquest. On the other hand, Augustus concluded the conquest and thus "concludes" the game! His scenario (<i>The new Empire</i>) lets players enjoy the endgame in a shorter way, although still eventful, with special powers and legions. <br/> <br/><b>The Final Game</b> <br/> <br/>Draco Ideas launched <i>Hispania</i> on Gamefound in April 2024, and <a href="https://gamefound.com/en/projects/draco-ideas/hispania" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">the campaign</a> was a great success! The game has now reached most of the backers, is available at <a href="https://dracoideas.com/shop/en/116-hispania" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">Draco Ideas' shop</a>, and soon will be in other shops. <br/> <br/>I am doubly happy because this first edition of Hispania is accompanied by the third edition of <i>Tetrarchia</i>, still popular ten years later. (I was afraid it would become out of print again, possibly for more than a few days.) Draco Ideas has gone over the top, as usual, and for a moderate price they have succeeded in including metal denarii, an A3-sized board that folds twice so that the box is as small as <i>Tetrarchia</i>'s (A5), large discs that pile up very well, beautiful meeples, many variants and scenarios... <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8418925"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/2p4QVKyIynRnjwRQiiqNOQ__small/img/xex16vqcvBwokEKxY9QbJxNtocU=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8418925.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8418926"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/yO8fzYMF47qqiUOmkgkSMA__small/img/yDygwf81HeqHUJHj31JpjnE-0hw=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8418926.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> <br/>The game is being published in both English/Spanish and English/French versions by Draco Ideas, then in German and Italian by two other publishers. (Other versions are being discussed.) As shown above, we also have a VASSAL module that we will make available soon, once the game arrives, and that has been useful for all of the demonstration videos we have recorded. Of course, if you want to get a better idea of the game, go check the rulebooks and other material that we have uploaded to the game page. <br/> <br/>Thanks for reading, and I hope some of you will soon enjoy the game! <br/> <br/><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/51899/miguel-marques" >Miguel Marqués</a> <br/> <br/><i>P.S. Did you know that September, October, November and December are based on the Latin words for seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth, but arrive two months later in the year because of Hispania? The location, that is, not the game.</i> <br/> <br/><i>The calendar year used to start in March with the campaign season, when praetors and consuls were nominated. (There were twelve months already, with the fifth and sixth still named "Quintilis" and "Sextilis", with February being the twelfth month.) But for the first time, war was conducted far from Italy, and armies arrived too late to Hispania. The consuls asked to shift the nominations and thus the start of the year two months earlier — to January — in order to be already operational in Hispania for the war season. Apparently they were not bothered by the resulting incoherence in the names of the newly last months!</i>
We’ve started a tradition of writing a group document with very short takes on the games that we play. Of course, you’ll not get as much info as in a full review, but as our reviews likely won’t start … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/01/11/opinionated-gamers-2024-essen-spiel-quick-takes-part-3/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>
A Chinese man with a unique skill set broke a pair of Guinness World Records by using hand-thrown playing cards to slice cucumbers and light matches.
Look, I play a lot of games. In 2024, that included right around 160 new games… well, new to me games. That’s pretty typical – it was approximately 145 in 2023 and 150 in 2022. (I’m privileged and blessed to … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/01/10/best-new-to-me-games-of-2024/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>
<p>by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/1?bloggerid=16308" >Scott DeMers</a></p> <div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/7763582"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/7xYmck_-GjMs3ySbwk9vLQ__small/img/vqq2bJBzN6sPRatCGlGv7eWygBQ=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic7763582.png" border=0></a></div><b>Inspiration</b> <br/> <br/>When I first set out to design <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/351648/dragons-down" ><b><i>Dragons Down</i></b></a>, I had one burning question: How do you create a game that feels alive? <br/> <br/>Growing up, I had vivid memories of playing <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/22/magic-realm" ><b><i>Magic Realm</i></b></a>, published in 1979. Its thematic immersion and expansive sandbox experience were unmatched, but the game's infamously steep learning curve kept many from truly enjoying it. I wanted to take the magic of that experience — the sense of stepping into a rich, breathing world that told a new story with each gaming session — and bring it to modern gamers in a way that felt both accessible and endlessly engaging. <br/> <br/><b>The Core Idea</b> <br/> <br/>From the start, I knew <i>Dragons Down</i> needed to be a sandbox game, one in which players could tell their own stories, but unlike games driven by pre-written narratives or heavy flavor text, I wanted the gameplay itself to generate the narrative. The choices players make, the encounters they have, and the paths they forge would all come together to craft a unique story in every game session — like a living, interactive book that has not yet been written. <br/> <br/><b>Building Blocks of a Hero</b> <br/> <br/>One of the most important elements of the design was hero creation. I wanted players to feel like they were shaping a character with a real identity and purpose. One aspect of this came in the form of lineage and class cards. By combining these two elements, players could create a hero with unique strengths, weaknesses, and playstyles. A human knight and an elf knight, for example, offer vastly different gameplay experiences. The lineage contributes traits tied to the hero's background, while the class delivers the skills and abilities that determine how they survive and thrive in the world. The combination of the two cards creates your hero. <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8603184"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/jowFv7EcHBjtnZTvjdXEiw__small/img/U4o4mlvxBdacZNETZFPfmBQKW3Y=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8603184.png" border=0></a></div></center> <br/>With 24 classes and six lineages, there are 144 possible hero combinations. This variety ensures that players can experiment with new strategies and approaches every time they play. It's not just about optimizing stats; it's about exploring how different combinations influence the stories that unfold. <br/> <br/>The <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/351648/dragons-down/forums/64" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">numerous session reports</a> shared on BoardGameGeek, often written as detailed narratives complete with character names, backstories, and epic tales of adventure, highlight how deeply players connect with their heroes. These stories demonstrate that <i>Dragons Down</i> is more than a game; it's a springboard for creativity in which a player's journey becomes a legend in its own right. <br/> <br/><b>A Living World</b> <br/> <br/>The map design was another major focus. Inspired by classic sandbox games, I wanted the map to feel organic and dynamic. Players assemble the game board using modular terrain tiles, which allows for a different layout each session. Terrain packs — like the Malevolent Mountains or the Cruel Caves — bring their own unique challenges, treasures, and monsters, ensuring that the environment feels alive and unpredictable. Randomized tokens and treasure sites further add to the sense of discovery, while missions, merchants, and native title cards give players meaningful objectives to pursue. The images below were not created by me. Rather, they are actual maps created by players in their own game sessions — no two are the same. <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8603187"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/JzKAUVkDKYcpVpD64LRRxw__small/img/xA6yRJc_TwSDYp-A3VUGW9Zl9rM=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8603187.png" border=0></a></div></center> <br/>To balance this randomness with strategy, I designed the game's systems to reward shrewd gameplay and adaptability. Players need to think critically about how they allocate their actions, which missions they take on, and how they prepare for battles. Success often comes from clever improvisation as much as from meticulous strategy. <br/> <br/>Magic also plays a role in shaping the game world. Heroes can enchant tiles, flipping them to reveal new layouts, or use spells to influence the environment, combat, and the heroes themselves. These magical elements add another layer of dynamism, allowing players to reshape the realm and adapt it to their evolving strategies. <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8603185"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/kkg9abtpznqL47r-8e9bzg__small/img/Zl_SBzRlCuJksmjGy9eKbztIwJ4=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8603185.png" border=0></a></div></center> <br/><b>Multiplayer and Solo Modes</b> <br/> <br/>One of the challenges I faced was ensuring <i>Dragons Down</i> worked equally well for solo and multiplayer play. For multiplayer, I wanted a game that encouraged interaction but didn't force conflict. Players can compete, collaborate, or simply coexist, depending on their group dynamic, including scenario-based play similar to <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/rpgfamily/25664/dungeons-and-dragons-5th-edition" ><i>D&D</i></a>. Solo play was designed to offer a focused, personal challenge while still delivering the thematic richness of a multiplayer session. In both modes, the emergent narrative remains at the heart of the experience. <br/> <br/><b>Near-Infinite Replayability</b> <br/> <br/>Replayability has always been a key goal. By combining modular components, randomization, and player-driven storytelling, <i>Dragons Down</i> offers a game that tells a new story with every playthrough. In one game, the priests at the sanctuary may be peaceful druids protecting the forests and in the next partners with the evil denizens of the forest seeking to waylay unsuspecting travelers. <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8603186"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/5JIHSvFn1ZyBeisKtHywRw__small/img/yeU3-1sakA97U0vWHUaXc6EW67k=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8603186.png" border=0></a></div></center> <br/>Players can tweak the game's dynamics to suit their preferences (competitive, co-operative, difficulty, creativity, etc.) by leveraging the many included optional rules, and since expansions add new native interactions, native motivations, terrain packs, treasures, and classes, the possibilities only grow. <br/> <br/>To expand on this even further, we launched the <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/412169/dragons-down-natives-and-legends" ><b><i>Dragons Down: Natives & Legends</i></b></a> expansion and reprint campaign <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/467657752/dragons-down-natives?ref=bggforums" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">on Kickstarter</a> on January 7, 2025. This expansion introduces new natives, lineages, classes, missions, and other content that deepens the connection between heroes and the world they explore. With <i>Natives</i>, players have even more tools to craft unique stories and enrich their gaming experience. <br/> <br/><b>Lessons Learned</b> <br/> <br/>Designing <i>Dragons Down</i> taught me a lot about the balance between complexity and accessibility. Early prototypes were dense, and I had to strip down systems to their core essence while retaining the thematic depth I wanted. Playtesting was invaluable in finding that balance. Seeing players' imaginations come alive during testing sessions confirmed that the game was achieving its purpose — not to tell a story to players, but to give them the tools to tell their own. <br/> <br/>One key lesson was the importance of allowing space for player creativity. While I initially worried about players needing more guidance, I discovered that too much direction could stifle the emergent storytelling that makes the game unique. By giving players the tools and freedom to craft their own narratives, rather than live mine, I saw how the game truly came alive in ways I couldn't have scripted. <br/> <br/>Another takeaway was learning to embrace unpredictability. Random elements, like treasure locations and monster appearances, were initially seen as potential challenges for balance. However, through testing, I realized these elements added an organic, ever-changing quality to the game's world, keeping players invested and engaged no matter how many times they played. <br/> <br/>Finally, I learned the value of modularity. By designing components that could mix and match seamlessly — from terrain packs to hero classes — <i>Dragons Down</i> is a system that feels fresh with every playthrough. This approach not only enhances replayability, but also allows players to tailor the game to their preferences and playstyles. The terrain packs, in particular, offer great flexibility, allowing players to set up a quick session using a single terrain or dive into an epic adventure by combining all the terrain packs included in the game. <br/> <br/><b>Looking Ahead</b> <br/> <br/>As <i>Dragons Down</i> makes its way into the hands of more players, I'm excited to see the worlds that their choices create. This game was designed to be a canvas for imagination, a place where adventures come to life not because of the designer's vision, but because of the players' choices. Whether you're a solo adventurer or part of a larger group, I hope <i>Dragons Down</i> becomes a world you can't wait to revisit again and again. <br/> <br/><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/6538/scott-demers" >Scott DeMers</a> <br/> <br/><center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8476502"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/t89IH3Nhd06HX9AJMcQCig__small/img/uNxzmum8i0I-BOh2dr3JVU0dwps=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8476502.jpg" border=0></a></div></center>