To Get This Train Rolling We'll Have To Build Some Tracks (A Guide To Network Building)

Now a days whenever you hear the word network you may think more about social networks than railroads and power lines.  But board games tend to be a little bit more old fashion so you're likely to be a rail baron than a blogger when you sit down to the latest hot game (at least I don't think there are any games about social networking yet).  So get your conductor's hat on, or whatever rail barons wear, and get ready to build a network to span the globe.  Oh, we can't build railroads under water yet?  Never mind, let's leave the globe spanning to the social networkers after all.

Spies and Lies (a review of Ace of Spies)

You are a spymaster tasked with completing missions for king and country. You must recruit agents, gather intelligence, provide the proper tools for the job, and set up meetings in the right locations in order to succeed. But watch out! Rival spymasters are out there as well, and they are not above stealing your plans from under your nose. To be a spymaster requires nerves of steel...and perhaps unscrupulous backstabbery.

Do you have what it takes to win the coveted title Ace of Spies?

Flying the Competitive Skies (a review of Airlines: Europe)

The golden age of commercial flying. Ten companies vie for control of the European airways, claiming licenses to fly between the metropolises of the continent. And behind it all is the ubiquitous Air Abacus, a company that flies everywhere and rewards its investors handsomely.

You? It doesn't matter much to you who comes out on top, as long as you have piles of shares in your portfolio.

Enter the world of Airlines: Europe, the tense game of stock manipulation and route building in the skies.

News Bits: 6/10/2013

Here's this week's NEWS:

Donald X. Vaccarino previews Dominion: Guilds [Preview 1, 2, 3, 4, 5] I'm becoming very interested in this set...as I always am when the previews begin.

News Bits: 5/28/2013

The holiday pushed off this week's NEWS:

Spiel des Jahres 2013 nominees announced [Link] Definitely some surprises on the nominee list this year as two games nominated for the award are small-box games. The choices seem a bit eccentric, but not having played many of the nominees, I will allow others to hold forth on their worthiness.

Guide to Gaming: Two's Company, Three's a Crowd--Good Games for Two (and More)

This is a gaming blog. I don't think I need to sell you on the pleasures of gaming. We all know this simple truth: life is hard sometimes, and a good game with good friends is good medicine.

Of course, finding friends to play games isn't always the easiest. There are the occasional (or even weekly) game nights, but the friends most readily at hand are likely found in the home. The friend I play games with the most (and also my favorite gaming partner) is my wife, but finding a good two-player game can be difficult, especially if you want to maximize your gaming dollar. I don't often buy games that don't have a two-player mode (unless they are obvious group games, like The Resistance), and a good two-player mode is often what keeps games hitting the table and off my BGG trade list. Since I've had some false starts and some successes, I thought I'd put together a brief guide for others who might be in the same boat.

What follows is a list (with some commentary) of good multiplayer games that are fun with two to help you get the most out of your gaming dollar. (I've also added a brief list without commentary of some two-player-only games that are worth your time.)

Alpine Excursion (a review of Ticket to Ride: Switzerland)

The Alps! Everyone loves the Alps, especially train enthusiasts. And what better Alpine vista is there than Switzerland's? The chocolate! The cheese! The lederhosen! (Though those are more in Germany. No matter.)

Such good cheer, and so widespread--so why is it so hard to get around? And why is Zurich so mired in bad train traffic? And why are the cards you need so very, very hard to find?

Ticket to Ride: Switzerland captures none of the feelings of Alpine goodwill but all of the excitement of a dangerous mountain train journey.

(Note: Ticket to Ride: Switzerland has been rereleased as part of volume 2 of the Ticket to Ride map collection--India/Switzerland. However, I have the original release, which is the Switzerland map all by itself.)

Guide to Gaming: Which Games Should I Buy First?

When you’re first discovering the world of tabletop gaming, you will likely run into one of two problems: either difficulty in finding these new designer games, or discovering a good place to get them but getting overwhelmed with the number of choices. I remember discovering the board game section at my first real hobby gaming store. “There are so many!” I said at the time, “some of these HAVE to be great. But which ones?” Fortunately for you, I went through that experience and now I can help you skip the confusion.

So which board games should you buy first? Let’s start with what I like to call The Big Three.

The big three are games that almost every gamer will have in their collection–Ticket to Ride, Pandemic, and Dominion. These aren’t necessarily the favorite games of any collector, but they’re excellent starting points for many reasons. They’re easy to teach; almost universally enjoyable; and they introduce new players to many of the gaming world’s staple elements.  These are the first three games I teach to anyone who visits my house; they go over well almost 100% of the time.

Holiday Gift Guide 2012

"It's that time of year, when the world falls in love..." It's also that time of year when gift-giving is not only encouraged but expected. And as expected as giving gifts is, what is even more expected--at least in the world of gaming blogs--is the ubiquitous holiday gift guide. Here's our unique take on it, from the hearths of a theme-loving Wolf, a mechanism-loving Farmer, and an eclectic Kinderspieler. And if after reading this you still don't know what to buy for someone on your list, leave us a comment. We give recommendations to order.

(And if you want to see how the list has changed over time, here is the list for 2011. And check out our guide to stocking stuffers as well.)

News Bits: 10/1/2012

Sorry about the tardiness of this week's news. But here it is--at last!

Deutscher Spiele Preis Winners Announced
It's award season, and the winners of the Deutscher Spiele Preis have been announced. No surprises here: Village by Markus and Inka Brand, which also won the Kennerspiel des Jahres, took top honors, followed by Trajan and Hawaii. Unfortunately I cannot comment on the worthiness of these winners, but a hearty congratulations nonetheless!

News Bits: 9/24/2012

Check out this week's top news stories. Or at least those top news stories as determined by me.

The Fellowship of the Dice
WizKids--maker of dice and wielder of high-powered intellectual properties--announced last week a plan to combine both into the Lord of the Rings dice-building game. The game uses a modified Quarriors engine as players semi/cooperatively battle the hordes of Mordor. I wasn't a huge fan of Quarriors, and the rebranding seems like a money-grab, but I know this game will definitely find its fans. I am just not likely to be among them.

News Bits: 8/6/2012

The Donald Discusses Dark Ages
No, not that Donald. The other Donald. The big name in board games. The one who just won his second Spiel des Jahres. Starting today, he is previewing cards from the new Dominion set, Dark Ages. Here is the first preview. I have to say, I get unnaturally excited at the release of each new Dominion set, and this one is no exception. (Dark Ages will release at GenCon...and I won't be there [that's more incidental and not really news].)

A Weekend to Remember

This past weekend was Memorial Day Weekend, a time for remembering those who fought in our country's wars and did not come home.  Pushing past all the hype, the free day off of work, and the excited commercialism, most of us celebrate the day by spending time with our families.  And spending time with family is a great time to bring out the board games.

Anyways, I had a pretty game-filled weekend, so why not a little recap, starting all the way back last thursday? 

Now You've got a Ticket to Ride!

In lieu of an FDQ today, we've got something a little different going on.  You may notice we've been reviewing Ticket to Ride games this week.  And you may notice something else... a new "GAMES" tab up at the top of the page.

We're happy to announce that we finally completed our own personal TTR custom map design!  We originally started this design for for the Days of Wonder design-your-own-map contest, but clearly, we didn't win that.  Still, we felt like we had a solid idea and our playtests were great fun, so we decided to produce some high-quality Print-and-Play files to share our little expansion with the world.  Hit the jump for more details and a little behind-the-scenes!

European Vacation (a review of Ticket to Ride: Europe)

As I usually play with green, I am the tall man with a top
hat, cane, and monocle. So, basically Mr. Peanut. Just
like in real life...

[Editors note: The following is a Nemesis Review, featuring opinions from our in-house eurogamer, @Farmerlenny, and his deadly enemy the thematic space-loving @Futurewolfie.  Make sure to read both opinions to get a better overall picture of the game!]

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a board game in possession of a large fan base must be in want of a spin-off. Or an expansion. Or something else that allows the company that produced said popular game to capitalize on its good fortune. Such is the case with Ticket to Ride, a game that @Futurewolfie and I uncharacteristically agreed upon and raved about here. But spin-offs and expansions can be of variable quality. For every Prosperity, there's a Catapult. So where does Ticket to Ride: Europe (a standalone game) fall on the spectrum? Find out below!

I've Got a Ticket... (a review of Ticket to Ride)

Ticket to Ride is one of the bestselling "designer" board games of all time. Alan Moon has given us a fairly straightforward set collection game with a light theme ("trains," obviously) that won about a billion awards and a place in the hearts of many gamers. But does it deserve a place on your shelf?

FDQ: What Comes after 7 Wonders?

Here at iSlaytheDragon, we sometimes receive correspondence from our readers (which we love!). Usually we handle these letters on our own and no one's the wiser, but we thought this question would be a good one to bring to our readers. Gawie from South Africa writes:

I'm the only one in my circle of friends and family who REALLY REALLY enjoys board games. I'm always trying to twist their arm to join me for a game. 7 Wonders has really solved a lot of my problems because people actually don't mind playing with me, since it's fun and short. However, I agree with you that some variety is needed - not game after game of 7 wonders all the time. Is there another board game that's as family friendly as 7 wonders that you would recommend?

Help Gawie in the comments!

@FarmerLenny answers:

I'm surprised you say your family and friends don't enjoy games that much, yet you call 7 Wonders "family friendly." Your friends and family must be nearly there!

I don't know how many players you hope to get involved, but the games I've seen have the best success are Settlers of Catan (which I'm bored of, but it's popular for a reason) and Ticket to Ride. Settlers of Catan can play three or four (there's an expansion to accommodate up to six players, but really, I'd start with the three- or four-player game), and Ticket to Ride can play up to five. Personally, Ticket to Ride is my go-to game for nongamers because each turn players only have one choice to make, so the game moves along quickly. Every person can make progress on a turn (unlike Settlers, where bad dice rolls can work against you and bad initial placement can hamper you), and as people get more into the game, they can play more aggressively. These are both for smaller crowds, but they're great.

If you're looking for a game that can accommodate the same crowd as 7 Wonders, some great family games  are For Sale (up to six), Pit (up to eight), Incan Gold (up to eight), and Bohnanza (my family's favorite, and it can fit seven). For Sale, Pit, and Incan Gold are super quick, but everyone I've taught them to loves them. These games are not as deep as 7 Wonders, though, and people will probably tire of them quicker. Bohnanza is a bit longer, but it really is a great game with lots of interaction. And if my family is any indication, they can play this one over and over and not get tired of it.

@Futurewolfie answers:

I've had the most success with Ticket to Ride.  While my family is willing to try games that I bring, TtR is one of the few they've actually ASKED for.  Kill Dr. Lucky was also a success, and that game holds up to 7 players - but it can last 1-1.5 hours.


The Resistance is another game popular with my family.  It takes up to 10 players, plays very short (about 30mins), doesn't have a lot of rules to remember, and is one of the few games that can be played leisurely around a living room instead of at a table.  (Leisurely in the sense that people can sit back in a comfortable chair).  It takes a bit for people to get used to the concept, but once they do it's easy for everyone to stay involved.


Other than that, it's almost more of an art than a science getting your family to play games. Just remember that not everyone has to be a gamer to enjoy games, and not everyone will enjoy your favorite games.  Getting your family to play requires patience.  You've got to regularly bring up the idea of trying new games but not be overly pushy - people are a lot less likely to enjoy a game if they're forced into it.  When introducing a new game, focus more on helping them enjoy the game than trying to win - crushing defeats discourage repeat plays.  Even if you have to sacrifice some of your fun the first few times, in the long run it will work out better for you when your family can enjoy a wider variety of games.

My Year in Games

Apparently I played a lot of 7 Wonders this year...

I'm something of an archivist and always have been. I enjoy documenting and tracking both collections and the things I do. For several years I've kept a logbook of every book I've read throughout the year. Around April 2011, I began tracking my board game plays on Board Game Geek. Since that time, here are my "nickels and dimes," games I've played 5+ and 10+ times:

Christmas Gift Guide 2011

Even dragons love Christmastime.

Christmas is right around the corner, and this means that gift-buying season is in full swing. Rather than giving those special someones on your list another sweater or novelty Monopoly set (Monopoly: The Tacky Christmas Tie Edition!), why not try giving them something they'll really enjoy? Look below as @Futurewolfie and I make gaming suggestions for the people on your Christmas shopping list. If you'd like more details about any of these games, we've linked to our reviews, or you can ask us questions in the comments. If we haven't covered someone on your list, post a comment, and we'll recommend something fresh. It's that simple.

(Oh, and so you know, we're not the only ones doing this. Check out other great lists on Dice Hate Me, Gamer Chris, Games and Grub, The Board Game Family, The Game Aisle, and of course, Board Game Geek. Their lists differ significantly from ours, but they have good suggestions, too.)

Cause for Giving Thanks

This weekend my wife and I traveled all across the state of Indiana to visit our families for Thanksgiving. We caught up with family members, ate great food, and of course, played some games. Here's a recap of the games I played and what I thought about them.