Product- Numenera RPG

 

Producer- Monte Cook Games

Price- Base book is $40 with a player specific book costing less

TL;DR-GO BUY THIS NOW 100%

 

Basics- WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF TOMORROW!  Numenera takes place 1 BILLION years in the future.  The world has risen and fallen eight times before and you now live in the ninth world.  Previous worlds have been galaxy spanning empires or inter dimensional kingdoms.  Besides the fiction of this world, this RPG also debuts the novel Cypher System.  The Cypher System is an extremely simplified system where only players roll the dice.  This one book represents a completely new paradigm in RPGs.

 

Mechanics- Let’s break the mechanics of the book down into the system, the characters, experience points, ranges, and items.  Read ahead, but know that its 5/5

System- The system is a d20 based system, except it’s not the standard d20 system from 3.x.  In this system, every NPC or task has a level.  When a player character wants to perform a task, the character must roll three times the tasks level to succeed.  When a character fights something/someone, the PC must roll three times the things level to succeeded on an attack or defense.  The same goes for any checks such as climb or seduce.  What makes this interesting, is the game master NEVER rolls dice when it come so the story.  Players have all the controls.  Which leads me to characters…..

 

Characters- Players make characters in less than five minutes. That is a promise.  Every character is an adjective noun who verbs.  Noun is the classes which are fighter, rouge, or wizard/cleric.  The book uses specialized names, but those are the basics.  Each class has several levels with powers that each character can select.  Adjective is a onetime bonus to your character that gives you abilities and describes your character.  The verb is an interesting mix of the noun and adjective.  The verb gives both character options at character creation as well as powers the character will give at each level.  For the characters stats, there are only three numbers that represent a bit of the character.  Character has a speed, might, and intelligence.  Speed represents the dexterity of the character.  Might represents raw physical power.  And, intelligence represents mental abilities.  Now we can put some of the level in perspective.  When a character decides to do something, he/she can tell the GM that they have an appropriate skill.  This lowers the difficulty of the check by one level.  The character may also be specialized in the same skill so the check can go down a second level.  After this, the character can spend points from their pools to further reduce the level of the check.  The system puts limits based on character level on how many points a character can spend for a single check to reduce the difficulty level.  In addition, character’s have a number of “free” points to spend that they get based on their level/class for each check or to activate powers.  When your character takes damage, you lose points from any pool you choice.  As each pool reaches zero, you take penalty levels to all your attempts, and eventually die.  To heal, the character rest and gain points back, but each rest takes longer until you must rest for the night.  All and all this system makes the game EXTREALY fast and user friendly.  Very few debates erupt over tiny rules.  And that right there makes this game phenomenal.  But what about randomness…

 

Experience-Experience in this game is an interesting thing.  Characters get cards for experience (exp).  The cards can be saved or spent as needed.  Characters can spend them to gain levels, skill, focused skills for less experience, or on rerolls.  Rerolls are the by far the cheapest for one exp.  In addition, the game allows other players to spend exp for your character leading to a very team based atmosphere.  Experience is given out rather leanly, but the GM can sweeten the pot by inciting trouble upon the players.  Whenever the GM wants to, he/she can ask a player or all players if X can happen.  This could be a problem in town, rain falling when they are tracking monsters in the hills, or anything else.  If the players are ok with this, they get extra exp card(s).  If not, the players must pay off the experience they would have gained.  These are called intrusion and they make the game very interesting as well as targeting what trouble to PCs get engaged with.  As in any RPG, the GM does have extreme control of the game/story, this part give a bit more to the GM while allowing the players a bit of reward/control of what is happening.  It reminds me a bit of the FATE system.

 

Ranges/Movement- As I get older, I’ve become less enamored with fiddling with the tiny minutia of games.  Don’t get me wrong if YOU started a campaign and asked me to track every arrow and copper piece weight, it might be fun, but lately I like the purity of just theater of the mind and hand waving away smaller details.  Numenera embraces this entirely.  There are three ranges for most things: immediate, short, and long.  Immediate is toe to toe.  Short is less than 15m, and long is up to 30m.  After that, each distance is specified.  You can move immediate distances for free, short on a turn, and long if you make a check.  DONE!

 

Items- This game takes place in the future where a lot has happened.  Thus the items of the world are basically magic.  Some bend reality, some warp time, and some turn funny colors.  Items take four very broad types: mundane, oddities, cyphers, and artifacts.  Mundane items are your basic objects like swords, armor, and spoons.  Oddities are interesting little techno bits.  This can range from a ball that says swear words in a Cthulhu’s language to a flat rectangle that shows a 3D picture of a place from long ago.  They are not game changing, but it’s the dust of eight worlds.  Cyphers are where we get into the real meat and potatoes of the far, flung future.  Cyphers are random objects with levels that provide amazing in game effects.  These range from a bomb that drops other bombs, a bracelet the projects your image and sound, to a box that records your thoughts for others.  Cyphers do NOT play nice together and having too many can be dangerous….  Cyphers also are one time use.  While the future is amazing, they don’t build them like they used to….  Artifacts are the real deal.  Artifacts are the magic items of this setting.  They are permanent objects with immense power that do impressive stuff.

 

Theme– I’ve spend a lot of time on the Cypher system above, but the theme is nothing to sneeze at.  A billion years is a long time, and it’s given Monte Cook and his writers a lot to play with.  Also, it allows ANYTHING to happen.  Since magic and technology are basically the same that far out (get ready for lots of people referencing the sufficient tech = magic quote), anything you can dream up is happening here.  This makes the world very fresh.  I like the standard sci-fi as much as anyone, but this one is every new.  Most modern sci-fi has a dark bend, this one doesn’t.  It’s got more of an exploratory tone, almost like a fantasy game.  Now don’t get me wrong.  Monsters still live in the hills and horrible things happen, but you are an explorer in this game.  You get to see (semi) new sights and experience a world that is literally only limited by your imagination.  I’m looking forward to some Lovecraft in this setting, but for right now, I love what I’ve seen. 5/5

 

Art- The art is this book is amazing.  It doesn’t have a consistent tone, and that’s good.  Since anything goes is the theme, the art is a consistent style (semi-realistic) but anything goes for what is drawn.  However you imagine your fighter looking, it’s something that goes in the theme and in the art.  For a critique of the art, I say it looks like is Apple made fantasy armor.  Things are sleek and well designed.  The horrible looks horrible, the heroic looks heroic, and the layout of it all looks great. 5/5

 

Execution- This book is well done from cover to cover.  There is lots of fluff to describe a part of the world for the GM to use in her/his games.  The chapters are not a pain to read.  The stuff you need up front is up front.  The rule of cool is written throughout this book (rule of cool is if it’s awesome your character can do it).  It displays a bit dark on my iPad, but overall I liked reading this book. 5/5

 

Summary– Numenera is a phenomenal product.  I have to say I am honestly impressed.  Monte Cook hit it out of the park.  I enjoyed running a game for my wife and brothers.  My brothers were amazed by the number of options they had.  I was impressed by how the game gave them these options by basically giving them so little to start with.  My wife loves the idea of the ninth world.  I love this game, but I am sad that there isn’t a living game.  I would love to be part of a living, continuing ninth world.  However, if I am ever somewhere, and a Numenera game is offered, I will happily hope in at a moment’s notice. Heck, it will take me that long to pound out a character and hope right in. 100%

Game-Spyrium

Producer-Asmodee

Price– $35

TL;DR– An amazing game with slight execution problems 85%

 

Basics– It’s time for some steampunk worker placement/terrain control.  A recently discovered element called Spyrium has been found to have amazing properties to power steam machines.  You take the role of a merchant in this steampunk setting vying for control of a Victorian empire.  Each turn you set out building/cards in a 3×3 grid.  Players take turns placing your workers between the available buildings, using that rounds special power, or moving to the second phase where you pick up your workers, use your own buildings, or use that rounds special power.  When you pick up a worker you can either get one money for each worker next to that card or buy that card paying extra money for each other work next to that card.  All cards have a point value for the end game.  The buildings you control allow you to get money, get extra workers, get more money at the start of each round, get Spyrium, change Spyrium to points, or get game changing effects like extra money or ignore a number of workers near a buildings for paying the buildings cost.  The special round powers give you options to get more workers, free money/points/Spyrium, or get an extra worker placement after you enter the worker pick up phase.  The game ends after the sixth round and then points are counted.  Person with the highest points has control of the empire and is the winner.

 

Mechanics-This is an excellent worker placement/terrain control game.  It’s not terrain control as Carcassonne is, but reading other players and the board can really influence if you buy a property, only use it to gain money, or use your workers to bleed your opponents dry!  The choice of when to move from worker placement to worker retrieval is an underused mechanic that really gives more choice to the players.  I really love what I saw when I played this game. 5/5

 

Theme- I wouldn’t say this is the best game for theme, as I didn’t feel like a Spyrium baron in this game.  But, I did feel like I was in this steampunk world.  I love the little components.  The little Spyrium random shapes are awesome.  The cards/boards have consistent art that is great.  A good effort when you look at it all together.  4.5/5

 

Instructions- I liked these instructions.  The mechanics are not simple, but the instructions do an excellent job of explaining the rules.  I did have some questions, but was able to find the rules on Board Game Geek.  Our question focused on if you build over a building that gave an effect like getting more workers, do you still get to keep those workers.  The answer is yes, but I felt the rules should have covered that.  4.5/5

 

Execution- Here is where things fall apart a bit.  I love the components like the rules and the cards, but I found it hard to keep the active workers separate from the inactive workers.  The other workers did too.  I felt these should have been a spot on the placer place cards that was set up to separate active vs. used workers.  Also, the main board has a spot to list the amount of money you get at the start of each round.  I wanted there to be a similar spot to list the number of workers you have at the start of each round.  In general, great parts in this game, but it needed a bit more. 3/5

 

Summary- I loved this game.  It’s a phenomenal game with intricate strategy.  The parts that are in the game are amazing and draw you into the game.  I want a bit more, but the game is playable out of the box.  If you love steampunk and worker placement games, then this buy is a no brainer.  Even if you don’t like steampunk, this game is definitely worth playing if it comes to the table. 85%

Game- Flash Point

Producer-Indie Boards and Cards

Price- $40

TL;DR- An ok co-op game with a fun theme 75%

 

Basics- Time to be a hero!  Take a role of a fire fighter and enter a burning building to save the people inside.  Each turn you spend action points to move, fight fires, chop walls, and move people in the house.  Different role cards give you different powers and extra action points.  After your turn you roll to see where the fire spreads.  Fires do structural damage that eventually cause the house to collapse.  Fires also kill victims in the house.  You must save seven before four die.  Good luck out there!

 

Mechanics- This game is an interesting one.  Everyone works together to fix the problem as any good co-op should be.  For the players the game is surprisingly almost a eurogame.  Few if any of the players actions are random.  For the bad things that happen and victim placement, the game is almost completely random.  However, despite the differences in how these two separate parts of the game work, the two mechanics work well together.  4/5

 

Theme- This game has an interesting theme.  I did feel like I was working with a team fighting to save people in a burning building.  Some parts of the game do brake the theme/4th wall like knowing where the points of interest are without knowing if they are people or when people show up in exactly the same spot, but that’s part of the game that makes this a game. 4/5

 

Instructions- Overall I think this was a well done instruction book.  However, a few events happened that were not covered in the rules.  It made playing the game a bit more difficult.  There is a video that answers some questions, but I want the rules to speak for themselves.  All and not, not the greatest rules I’ve read, but it does a good job. 4/5

 

Execution/Art- The art and components are good.  I liked what I saw.  However, art isn’t very consistent.  The game has some very serious art in some places, but then has very comical art in others.  I do love the components as they are good quality.  But the tone tends to shift quickly for a game where people die in fires! 3/5

 

Summary- This was a pretty fun game.  It’s all co-op which makes it fun for my wife and I to play and a slow night at home.  The game has different levels of difficulty for days when I want to win vs. when I want a challenge.  The tone is a mix, but overall I did have a good time.  It might need a bit more explanation up front, but even with all that, this game is fun if you want a pure co-op. 75%

Item-Gun H(e)aven 3

System-Shadowrun 20th Anniversary edition and 5e

Producer– Catalyst

Price– ~$7

TL;DR- An all around well done supplement for both systems. 93%

Basics-Oi, chummers!  It’s time to log onto the shadownet and read about the latest batch of guns to hit the streets of the sixth world.  Each of the over 30 guns in this book gets a full page treatment with a picture, stats for 4th and 5th edition, and some fluff from some of the more notable members of the Shadownet.

 

Mechanics or “Crunch”- I wouldn’t say this is a revolutionary book for mechanics, but its goal is to show off new guns.  And, at that it succeeds quite well.  The book shows off new guns like cap and ball guns and flamethrowers while giving stats for a lot of weapons.  If you’re looking for a good collection of new guns for your game, this is a great addition for Shadowrun. 5/5

 

Theme/Story or “Fluff”-This part is well done also.  Its pretty easy to lose the story of the world when you make a book primarily for numbers, but this book doesn’t do it.  Each gun gets a picture which helps with your mental picture of the game.  Also, I LOVE the fact that each gun gets a little debate by various players of the shadownet.  It really makes me think like I was playing Shadowrun when I read this book.  5/5

 

Execution/Art- I liked the layout of this book.  That was well done.  I loved the art in this book.  That was AMAZING!  What I didn’t like was the price.  The book is under 50 pages and it costs about ~7 bucks.  I know art is expensive, but this was a bit too much for the book.  4/5

 

Summary- Honestly, this is a well done splat book for both SR4A and SR5.  You might only need one copy per group since you only really need it when you buy your gun.  I might complain about price, but I am glad I bought it.  If you want to play the man with the gun and to know why your guy has that gun besides some metagame numbers, this is the book for you. 93%

Game-Pixel Lincoln

Producer– Game Salute

Price– ~$45

TL;DR- An awesome game that you will either love or hate-87.5%

Basics-John Wilkes Booth has stolen Lincoln hat!  Players quest across different levels trying to face monsters like barfing turtles, midlevel bosses, and bosses like Booth himself.  This game is a semi-deck builder/players scroll across different worlds moving each Lincoln meeple encountering different cards that are either added to their deck or score pile changing the standard mechanics of games like Thunderstone.  The game is played till the players defeat two bosses.

 

Mechanics-This game is a deck builder in the very loosest of terms. You start with a deck of cards that have attack and money/jump cards.  Each card you encounter needs either attack to defeat it, money to buy it, or jump to avoid it.  If you can’t beat a card it might damage you or it might just halt you.  If you defeat a card the card either goes to your score pile or your discard pile.  Since point cards only go to the point pile, you don’t have the difficult choices you normally have in deck builders.  It’s a very light game, but it plays quick and is relatively fun.  4/5

 

Theme-This game oozes theme out of every pore.  In every aspect of the game, you get the feeling of 80’s old school video game nostalgia.  If you want to play a card game of a side scroller clone, this is it! 5/5

 

Instructions-The instructions are not bad. It explains the rules fairly well, but I did have some questions that our group had to make some choices over the game to interoperate the rules.  It’s not bad, but a bit more of the rules would have answered most of my questions.  Also a suggested start deck list would have helped.  3.5/5

 

Components/art-Again this part of the game is a home run.  Everything looks like it should if it’s from my childhood.  The cards, inserts, and instructions all look fun and make me think of the 80’s! 5/5

 

Summary- This is the game you will either love or hate.  If you want a really complex deck building card game with depth strategy, then this is not for you.  If you want some crazy fun with an old school theme, this is for you.  There are really only two camps for this game.  It’s well done for what it is.  Just make sure this is what you want!  87.5%

Book– Ultimate Campaign

Publisher-Paizo

Price – ~$40

TL;DR– Tables and Rules Everywhere!-83%

Basics– Ultimate Campaign focuses on the rules around the rest of the Pathfinder RPG. This book is more “meta” then most books.  The book starts with a chapter on how to make characters; not how to make stats, but how to build a story into your characters.  Next the book gives a chapter on what you can do in your down time with ideas ranging from building businesses to creating organizations.  After that is a chapter on different rules systems covering ideas such as bargaining to taxation in your game.  The final chapter is how to build a kingdom and mass combat.

Mechanics or “Crunch”-This book is crunch-tastic!  If you want rules regarding all the extra stuff in your game, this is it.  Want rules for an honor system? It’s here.  Want to start a kingdom? There is a whole chapter on how to do the rules for it.  It covers a lot of ground.  Some of these rules are kind of reprints as these rules were covered in different adventure paths, but that’s not necessarily bad as the rules have gotten a polish since their last printing. 5/5

Story or “Fluff”-This section might not fit the best here.  This book sets out to be a rules book.  It’s pretty system neutral as you’re just running the Pathfinder/3.5 system somewhere and these rules cover the “in between” stuff.  You don’t need a lot of story.  However chapter one is how to build a character.  It does an excellent job of describing what stuff you could include in your character.  If you’re George R.R. Martin, you don’t need this.  However, I have a friend who loves Pathfinder, but when presented with character generation, he freezes.  This chapter gives some good fluff for your characters and suggests traits for you to take for all the fluff.  Heck, if you want to completely randomize your PCs, this chapter gives tables and tables of random stuff to make your new PC.  Where the fluff is needed, it’s done well, but don’t expect it throughout the book. 4/5

Execution-This book is the standard Paizo quality.  The book is a nice hard cover with well put together pages.  The layout lacks a bit.  There are pages after pages of tables or rules or columns of text.  Nothing brakes up much of what you’re reading, so it gets a little boring.  It’s important rules, if you want them, but they get very dry, very quick.   3.5/5

Final Thoughts-Unlink a base book, this is a one copy at the table max book.  This is something you might want to get, skim through, and then give to your GM while telling him which of these rules you want in the game.  It’s a repeat of many of the rules systems explored in the adventure paths, which isn’t bad because the rules do get a little touch up here and there.  However, if you want a dungeon crawling game where you find some monsters, kill them, and take gear, this isn’t for you.  If you want to do some crazy game where you explore a mist filled continent via random hex crawl where you establish a kingdom while maintaining your family’s honor, waging a war for the throne, marrying into different family lines, and dealing with the crushing shame of your fathers half fiend lineage, then YES you will need this book.-83%

Game-7 Wonders

Producer-Repos

Price– ~$50

Set-up/Play/Pick-up– One hour

TL;DR-Sleek, well-crafted, fun game 90%

 

Basics-In Seven Wonders, you play a different country throughout history.  Each country starts with a different resource and a play mat that shows costs to build wonders.  These wonders give the country either points or abilities.  Each turn, you look at a hand of cards and pick one to play.  The cards are resources, points, military, science, trade, or other options.  You can play the card for its value, use it to build your wonder, or spend it to gain money.  You then hand the remaining cards to your neighbor.  After all players have selected their cards, you reveal and repeat with the new cards you got from your neighbor.  When you have two cards left you select one and throw the other away.  After a round of this, there is a military phase where losers in battles gain negative points while winners gain positive points.  After three total rounds, the points are counted and the winner is determined.

 

Mechanics-This is where the game really shines.  The rounds go fast with some quick, important choices flying bye.  What strategies really emerge is what to play vs. what to keep vs. what to bury for your wonders/money.    In addition, what makes the game quick is that everything is done with icons and few rules.  The cards have a sleek design that reads quickly.  This game has won world wide awards because, honestly, besides the rules no changes have to happen to play this game across the world.  I could easily sit down in China and play a game with some people who didn’t speak English.  If you know the rules and can see the card icons, you can play. 5/5

 

Theme-Here is where the game suffers a little bit.  I don’t really feel like ‘Rhodes’ when I play ‘Rhodes’.  I feel like I’m a guy building a place, but not really ‘Rhodes.’  I honestly don’t know what ‘Rhodes’ feels like, but I don’t feel that.  That said, I do feel like I’m building an empire over time.  The different rounds or ages do make this game have a distinctive feel.  I like that feeling.  Also, when you go one in a major direction for points, you change your whole strategy, so that does change what you do thematically.  I like this despite not having a country specific feel. 3/5

Instruction-The rules are short and well-written.  This game is a eurogame despite the cards.  That’s not something you hear often, but it’s true.  The instructions have a lot of ground to cover and it does it well.  Lots of examples really help explain this game well. 5/5

 

Summary-This is, quite frankly, an amazing game.  It’s fast, fun, and really replayable.  I loved every moment of this game.  I’ve play is several times and even my not so geeky friends love to bust this one out.  Go get this one. 90%

Product: Legacy of the Crystal Shard

Producer: Wizards of the Coast

Price: ~$30

TL;DR-Great Season, but consider your group. 83.3%

Basics-Its the second book in the Sundering encounters series, and this one takes place in the frozen north of Icewind Dale.  The players arrive in town just as an attack of Yetis takes place.  After saving the town the heroes must root out the various problems in town with the biggest problem being the worst winter the dale is seen in a long time? Can they save Icewind dale from the cold?

Theme: I have really been impressed with the latest DnD encounter manuals.  One book is pretty much dedicated to theme.  Here are the peoples and places the players (alliteration!) will see.  Having a one book dedicated to this really helps me get the world across to my players.  The book is full of tons of small details that will really help.  Its worth it! 4/5

Mechanics/Story: Here is where things get a little “dangerous.”  I love this story compared to the other one.  The heroes here get to be heroes!  However, the heroes can’t completely save the day.  I’m tipping my hand as a DM, but the Sundering encounter season is set up so Wizards has something to say about what happened here.  Something big occurs, the PCs fix most of it, but some evil will remain that the PCs can’t fix, at least right now.  If you’re group or you hates this, then this might not be for you.  However, I love what I’ve seen and what I’ve read.  Also, see the summary for a few running concerns. 4/5

Layout/construction: Honestly, I love the latest projects from Wizards.  The paperback books are pretty decent quality.  They tear kind of easily, but for the page count it’s a good deal.  Also, the package comes with a nice DM screen.  The screen is encounters specific and full of stuff you need for the game.  You get over 100 pages of stuff to read, but the layout is well done and a pleasure to read.  I never felt like it was hard to get through.  A fantastic job. 4.5/5

Summary and thoughts: I really like this product.  This is a great product that is full of information on the frozen north and a great story.  Keep in mind, you or your group will fail at least in part.  If you can get past that, you will have a great time.  Also, as a tip:  you might want to tell your players to agree on a course of action.  In the last session, it was pretty fair game for the PCs to just go in any direction.  This session, for the players to get the most out of the random encounters and distances between towns, you want to only have one group of PCs running around the realms.  83.3%

Game-Belfort

Producer-Tasty Minstrel Games

Price-$50

Set-up/Play/Pick-up-Two hours

TL;DR-Not a perfect game, but damn fun and well designed! 82.5%

Basics-Time for some urban planning mixed with worker placement, and area control!  In Belfort, you and your friends all play city planners in a fantasy setting that is more Pratchett then Tolken.  The city has hired way too many planners, and you now have to compete to see who is the best.  Each turn you take turns placing workers on the board.  However, at any point you can say DONE and then place your remaining workers on the resource gathering board.  After placing workers is over, every player can then build buildings and use building powers.  After a few of these rounds, all players count to see who has the most of each worker type (elf, dwarf, gnome) and the most buildings in each city section for points.  Most points at the end of the game wins.

Mechanics: Honestly, this game covers a bunch of game ground (worker placement, terrain control, resource management), but it does it really well.  The different types of workers and the fact that these are also points makes getting the workers that much more important.  That sentence is an understatement to seasoned worker placement fans, but now that they are worth points hammers home that fact much more.  Much like most eurogames, the buildings you build give you extra actions that anyone can use, but where you place them gives you more points.  Thus, in addition to thinking through what building you need to win, you now have to think where the building must go so you can win! The addition of a third worker type that makes building better also makes your choices that much more important in this game. This is a great game that plays fairly quick for a heavy euro. 5/5

Theme: You are an urban planner.  That is about as dry a subject as trains, but the game is pretty fun.  The instruction book is full of theme for this fantasy setting.  I love to read instruction books that are full of great theme.  It makes the game that much more fun to play.  However, the game by itself doesn’t have much theme.  You do feel like you’re building stuff, but not a city planner since what I built was just what I could when I could.  Also, the great fantasy setting was just left to the wayside when you play through.  A little flavor test on the cards might have made a world of difference to drag me back into the funny fantasy Tasty Minstrel created. 3/5

Instructions: This book is very awesome.  Any book that makes me laugh out loud is awesome!  Also, this book had a tough task of teaching me the rules to this complex game, and it’s a pulled it off quite nicely.  I had a few questions that my play ground just decided a way the rules would go and we moved on, but all said and done, this is a well done book.  4/5

Construction: This game has some nice components.  Lots of nice wood pieces are in the box.  This game was kickstarter project and the stretch goals really helped pull this thing off.  The different resources really look like the different resources!  Nice sparkly iron!  I love this.  The box is well put together.  The only problem I had was the stickers!  You will spend at minimum an hour putting stickers on wood.  That’s a pain, but for all the worker types, you need it.  Maybe on the exclusive 10 year edition, use some different meeples?  4.5/5

Summary: This game is awesome.  Its lots of fun and has lots of replay.  Tasty Minstrel Games kind of came out of nowhere for me, and after this game, when I see a kickstarter from these guys I give just to see what going to shake out of it.  Give this game a try.  You may have to find your own theme for the game, but if you love mechanics of a well designed eurogame, there is no question.  You must buy this game. 82.5%

Product-Seasons

Producer– Asmodee

Cost– $50

Set-up/play/clean-up– 1 hour

TL;DR- More depth and fun then you would think 92.5 %

 

Summary– Seasons is a dice/card game where players take the roles of competing sorcerers trying to gain the most power in three years.  The game is an interesting mix of dice and eurogame.  Each turn, a player rolls dice with one extra die then the number of players.  After rolling, the players take turns selecting dice that will give them points, summoning power, extra cards, or energy.  Players then play cards or transmute energy to points(crystals).  The die that is left over will advance the season track a number of spaces.  When the season changes, new dice are used that give relatively similar results except that different energy is available each season.  When the season counter crosses into the fourth year, players count their points/crystals and whoever has the most wins.

 

Theme–  I play a sorcerer in this game.  I’m not sure if I feel like a sorcerer, but I do feel the changes in the seasons.  Later in the game, you have ways to save up power, but early on, you do feel that the time of the year is affecting your magic.  Later in the game, it won’t matter as much except for making points.  Its an interesting mix of theme and mechanic that I like.  The world made by the cards and the dice is an interesting one that I enjoy being part of. 4/5

 

Mechanics–  This is a really interesting approach to a dice game.  I wouldn’t say the game is as deep a thinking experience as chess, but if you go in randomly choosing dice, you will lose badly.  It’s a fun game that is always changing.  It feels like a strange hybrid of Quorriors, Agricola, and Seven Wonders;  Its random dice, action choice, and competition for resources.  Even with all this, the game plays quick and is really fun.  It’s definitely worth a look for that alone. 5 /5

 

Instructions-With all the above going on, the instruction book has a big job ahead of itself.  The book teaches the rules very well.  There is much more going on then what my blub above suggests.  Also, the rules give you different ways to play from an easy variant all the way to hard, complex rules.  There are some corner cases where the rules don’t quite cover, but all and all a well done set of rules. 4.5/5

 

Art/Construction-Giant dice make me happy!  This game comes with four giant sets of six sided dice, and they are fantastic!  I love dice games, but most use such tiny dice.  This one makes excellent use of its parts.  The cards are standard card stock, but their art looks cartoony and nice.  The box comes with lots of stuff, so I felt like I got my money’s worth. 5 /5

 

Summary–  This is a fun game.  It has a surprising number of levels for a game that looks fairly easy.  It gives dice randomness with choices the matter, and that is a hard thing to pull off.  My wife and I will often pull this game off the shelf to play even when we have other, newer games to play.  That alone should speak volumes.  This game is quick, easy, and fun.  Go check this game out. 92.5%