Larry Levy:  Gathering Memories—The Games (Part 2)

Here are my quick summaries of the rest of the new games I played at the Gathering.

Pandemic - I forgot to mention this one in my list of 7+ rated games I covered in my first report.  This was a fun challenge and has good potential, but I’ll probably need to play a few more times before I finalize my rating.  We played with our cards face up and advice was given freely; consequently, as a first-time player, it was pretty hard not to get drowned out by the more experienced players.  I think some contests with other newbies are called for, but I liked what I saw.  Rating: 7.

Keltis - This is essentially a multiplayer version of Lost Cities.  I think Knizia has implemented it well.  Some have complained about the loss of tension because you can choose to play your cards in a color in either order, but I’ll usually exchange tension for a little more control.  Besides, that only affects the beginning of the game.  I think I liked it about as much as the original, but then again, I’ve never been Lost Cities’ biggest fan.  I should say that most of the other players in the game had lower opinions than I did, so perhaps I got better cards than they did and felt less frustration.  Could this be the game that leads Reiner to the SdJ promised land?  Who the heck knows!  Rating: 6.5.

Metropolys - This game contains an innovative auction mechanic and it’ll take a few tries to investigate its subtleties.  However, that’s just about all it has, as it’s nothing but auctions, auctions, auctions.  That usually doesn’t bother me and the mechanic might prove to be strong enough to carry the game, but I wasn’t hugely impressed with my first exposure.  In the early turns, it’s hard to figure what good moves are and even by midgame, it can feel a touch arbitrary.  It starts becoming clearer as the game moves on, but is it enough and will players begin to push the “control period” further back with more experience?  I want to keep an open mind, as there’s more to explore, but this might be the first Ystari game that doesn’t turn out to be a keeper for me.  Rating: 6.5.

Six - (2 times) Simple real-time dice filler that has only a bit of strategy, but is still a blast to play.  You want to get rid of your cards by matching them to the dice thrown by an opponent.  There’s a hidden egg timer and when you’re passed the dice, you can challenge the guy who gave them to you, Liar’s Dice-style, based on whether you think the time has run out or not.  That’s all it is, but the fun comes from cursing the die roller when your numbers refuse to come up or cheering when they do.  Just some quick, boisterous fun, but the game does exactly what you want it to do.  Rating: 6.5.

Wie Verhext! - Alea’s latest midsize design is an unusual card game themed around making witch’s potions.  Each player has the same 12 cards and they choose five of them to begin each round.  Card powers include buying different kinds of spell ingredients, trading with the bank, stealing ingredients or money from other players, and using your ingredients to create potions (which yield VPs).  Each card also has a related, but weaker secondary power.  On every turn, one player leads a card from his hand in a bid to win its main power.  In clockwise order, each player with a matching card must play it and decide either to go for its main power (which eliminates the previous card holder) or choose to take its secondary power (which keeps the previous card holder in the running for the main power).  It’s essentially a psychological game in which you’re gambling whether the players after you have that card and whether they have the cohones to go for the big prize.  An interesting idea, well executed as you’d expect, but not really my kind of game.  Those who like psych games should check it out, though.  Rating: 6.5.

Jamaica - Family game with some clever mechanics and terrific graphics.  But it’s still a family game and the luck factor is quite high.  I did have some fun with this, despite some frustrating turns where none of the cards in my hand could help me.  Were the publisher not so small and so specialized, I’d be giving this a reasonable shot at the SdJ—it fits the mold beautifully.  Rating: 6.

Big Points - (2 times) Pure abstract with some similarities to Knizia’s Tutankhamen that got quite a bit of play.  It seemed mostly like an exercise in hoping the player on your right will set you up and I have to say, they were quite accommodating in my two games.  As a result, this probably plays better with two, but this just isn’t the sort of game I’d play with that number.  So a nice little game, but not one I’m likely to pick up.  Rating: 6.

Ubongo Extrem - If you’re one of those folks who finds Ubongo just so much child’s play, this is the game for you.  I do reasonably well in Ubongo, but extremly poorly in Extrem.  In fact, I was just about holding my own against the other players when they let me play on the “baby” side.  I can only deal with so much spatial reasoning and the original game is apparently my limit.  But those looking for a greater challenge should love this.  Rating: 6.

Monopoly Express - Lacks the skill, interactivity, and raucous fun of Risk Express, but this is still a decent dice-roller for Monopoly fans.  Luck really does rule supreme here, but the familiar Monopoly properties and the chance to make at least a few decisions makes this a tolerable time filler.  For such a simple game, the rules are awfully vague in spots.  Rating: 6.

Code Omega - The designer of Ubongo brings us a similar, supposedly simpler game.  In place of the shapes are strips that you need to line up so that symbols on them match up.  The whole thing is mathematical, so I tried to work it out in my head while my opponents manipulated the strips the way you’re supposed to do it.  Guess what—math is hard!  I was soundly trounced and didn’t do much better when I tried arranging them visually myself.  I’m not sure who the audience for this is, but it’s certainly not me—I’ll stick to the original when I feel like challenging my meager spatial reasoning skills.  Rating: 5.

Palastgeflüster - This was probably my biggest disappointment from the Gathering.  It’s gotten some very nice reviews and Dave Vander Ark, who taught it to us, was singing its praises.  But I didn’t find the card play too enjoyable and since you often have a hand of cards that will only serve to hurt you, it felt more frustrating than fun.  Most hands seem to end when one player can’t make a play, rather than when someone goes out, adding even more of a negative feel to the design.  The early rounds dragged, but then it ended quite quickly; sadly, despite Dave’s enthusiasm, I was quite happy when it did.  Rating: 5.

Die Reise zum Mittelpunkt der Erde - This is the latest in the series of Kosmos’ literary inspired games; in this case, it’s a Rüdiger Dorn design based on Verne’s classic Journey to the Center of the Earth.  Even though this is clearly intended for families, there are some interesting sounding mechanics and it seemed well worth a try.  Alas, the game doesn’t deliver on its promise, as it’s too repetitive and luck-driven for gamers, but seemingly too rules-heavy for families.  Anyone who picked this up because of the theme or the designer may want to make a journey to the center of the Geek Marketplace and try to arrange a trade.  Rating: 5.

Well, those are all the new games I tried at the Gathering, at least the ones I can talk about.  With any luck, I’ll soon be able to give you details on some of the many prototypes I got to play.  Until then, I guess it’s back to regular gaming for me!

© 2008 Larry Levy

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I and the people I played with (both times) liked Keltis quite a bit, and I’ll buy it when the Rio Grande version comes out. I think there’s more going on in Big Points than hoping to get set up, at least until near the end of the game - before that the values are all speculative, so knowing whether you are set up or not would require working through a fairly long chain of possible moves. I thought it was good even with five players, although it’s probably better with three or four. Posted by Dan Blum on Apr 26, 2008 at 09:09 AM | #

Great posts… One rec:  you definitively need to play Pandemic with hidden cards.  You don’t need to be as restrictive as in Shadows over Camelot when sharing info about your cards, but you need to keep them hidden.  This in a way I consider to be a minor flaw of other coop games like Arkham Horror where nothing is really hidden, and therefore it’s easier for experienced players to ‘take over the game’. Posted by Robert Ramirez on Apr 26, 2008 at 09:45 AM | #

Interesting remarks, Larry. I’m saddened to read your views on Wie Verhext! and Metropolys as I have had no misses from Ystari thus far and very few from alea and our tastes seem to be pretty similar. I may have to pend picking them up until I get a chance to try them - probably at BGG.Con this fall (since I doubt that anyone else local would pick them up - I wonder if the FLGS will even get them without me prompting them). Pandemic has been a hit for me thus far, even with open cards. But, then, truly cooperative games usually work well here (with a couple of noted exceptions). Posted by David Reed on Apr 26, 2008 at 11:19 AM | #

I’m glad to hear you liked Keltis, Dan.  I hadn’t heard too many other complimentary things from others at the con.  I honestly thought it was pretty good, but the others in the game (Mik, Stefan, and Paul Jeffries) weren’t nearly as enthused. Robert, you’re probably right about the hidden cards in Pandemic.  The restrictions about the information you are allowed to reveal in coop games seem so bizarre--if you can say anything you want, why not just show your hand and save some time.  But in both LotR and, I suspect, Pandemic, it’s a necessary step that keeps the game multiplayer.  Just the process of querying and answering ("Do you have anything that can help?” “Yes, I have a Cairo card.") keeps more players in the game.  We’ll see how this plays with our group (we usually enjoy coop games, but they have a very finite lifespan for some reason), but we’ll probably keep our hands closed. David, I only got to play Metropolys once, and that with a group that was both tired and didn’t enjoy the play that much, so keep that in mind.  There is one notable difference between this game and the other Ystari designs.  The earlier games from Ystari have a lot of interconnected parts, where each part of the game affects several other aspects of play.  Metropolys isn’t like that at all--it’s the simplest and most straightforward of their games to date, even with the Advanced rules (and I definitely recommend starting out with these).  This can easily be a feature and not a bug, but in this case, I wonder if what’s provided is enough.  But I obviously have to play this some more before coming up with any hard opinions of what I think.  So for now, at least, Ystari’s winning streak is still alive. As for Wie Verhext!, I adore most of Alea’s games, but my success rate is far lower with their lighter designs.  San Juan is an obvious exception, but I dislike games like Royal Turf, Rum and Pirates, and Die Sieben Weisen, which are more like the weight of Wie Verhext! than the rest of the Alea line.  So if your tastes are broader than mine with respect to their designs, you shouldn’t give up hope.  As I said, I think it’s a clever, well designed game; but I’m not a fan of psychological/guessing games, and while there’s information to go on here, I’m not sure it’s enough for me.  I’ll have no problems with playing this again, but it’s not a title I’ll be seeking out.  However, that’s no reason why it shouldn’t do well for Alea, so definitely give it a try. Posted by Larry Levy on Apr 26, 2008 at 12:44 PM | #

Larry, that LOTR example is spot on.  I’ve probably played it 7 times and only beat it 3… so there’s another reason to WANT to go back to it… besides replayability, excellent combination of mechanics with the theme, and short playing time. Posted by Robert Ramirez on Apr 26, 2008 at 01:49 PM | #

re: Keltis—put me down in the ‘ugh’ column.  I don’t know what it was about it, but I could hardly wait for it to end, right from the start of it.  It seemed too random, somehow, though I can’t think of anything more random about it than Lost Cities.  Maybe it’s just that you’re fighting more people for the cards you need.  Whatever, it’s over and I’ll never have to play it again, for which I’m quite thankful. Posted by Joe Casadonte on Apr 26, 2008 at 03:48 PM | #

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