The Agents: Unboxing

Forewarning: The photos were taken by a potatoe, with a potatoe. Forgive the quality.

My copy of The Agents came in the mail the other day, and I couldn't have been happier to see it. The Agents is a cardgame created by Saar Shai, and illustrated by Danny Morison. It started out as a Kickstarter project, and was funded in late August. Typically, I prefer to see a little pedigree when it comes to funding Kickstarter projects as risk with boardgames is especially high. That said, Danny Morison's vivid art style (I'm no expert, but Peter Chung meets Mike Mignola is what I got) grabbed me right away. If I'm  totally honest, the price was also right, and the stretch goals were pretty enticing. Some playtest rules were published at some point after the funding, but I did not take advantage. Saar Shai's ruleset was going to be a total surprise for me. The concept was neat though, and it seemed to promise a great deal of player interaction, so I was onboard. More on the rules as I get some playtesting done (initial feelings are super optimistic, it seems to fall somewhere between Dominion and Innovation in terms of card interaction and complexity).

Three and a half months (surprisingly quick, I felt) and a string of encouraging Kickstarter updates later, The Agents showed up at my house. The future is here, amirite? Digging it out, the promise of Danny Morison's art style was totally fullfilled, and all the extra art bits included (custom safehouse art, supplemental art cards, etc...) are super impressive and individualized. On the whole, every card is full of character, and based on card descriptions, the art really jives with the card descriptions. The cards are printed on a plastic material that is super rugged, and shuffles surprisingly well. After seeing the Kickstarter update video where they raced to punch the card orders, I was wincing the whole time, but after feeling the cards, I can tell it wasn't a problem (forgive me my lack of faith, I'm sure it was disturbing).

The nifty black box it comes in (I didn't spring for the fancy box add-on) was a stretch goal, and is super pretty to look at. In terms of portability, I do have a gripe. I normally love super compact boardgame boxes, as I'm never at home when I'm gaming. The Agents does this in spades. The only problem is that there was absolutely no give for the expansion packs. I know, I know, first world problems (*waah, my free expansions don't fit in the box*), and I could've sprung for the fancy box, but now I've got loose expansion envelopes. Sigh. So yeah, sweet box, great cover art, and nice matte material.

The box itself has three packs of cards on the inside: one containing the agent cards, one containing the points cards, and the last one containing the missions, commanders, safehouses, and a couple of bonus agent cards for Saar and Danny. Again, pretty slick, and it all fits perfectly in the box. The card packs themselves have more of the same art on them. Once you crack them open, the cards themselves are great. Printed full-bleed on the aforementioned plastic material that somehow makes both preservation a non-issue, and shuffling a dream. Saar, you magic man, how do you put the caramilk in the caramilk bar?

They look great, they feel great, they've got a satisfying weight to them, and I find myself taking a minute with every draw to appreciate what I'm looking at (this will hopefully not slow down gameplay to a significant degree). These are going to be cards I like to break out again and again.

The rulebook is just as pretty as everything else. The art is great, it's printed fullbleed on a glossy cardstock, and the design/fonts are visually interesting. I do have a slight issue with the formatting of the rules, which may clear itself up with more games (I only have one under my belt at the moment). The book leads with some cool art, the fluff and goal. This is great. It then, however, lost me entirely as it broke down the cardtypes rather than going into setup/gameplay. I might be spoiled, I might like to have things a little more visual, but I like to be able to setup the game as I read. I find it allows me to do a testrun as I read the rules. When the setup/gameplay are put at the end, it forces the gamer to read the whole book first (which I am usually too excited to do). The rules themselves are probably just this side of intuitive. The terms are clear and uncomplicated, but how they interact is not always evident, and I usually prefer to save my listed exceptions for the end. On the whole though, them seem relatively clear, and I'd be lying if I said it took me any more than a few minutes to get setup and playing. This was no Powergrid, to be sure.

Put in with the box was a cute little note from Saar thanking his kickstarters. The dude clearly has a sense of humour about things too.

So that's it for the main box. I'll get in to the expansion card sets and some gameplay once I've had the chance to digest it a little more. On the whole? This is a premium cardgame, and I will not be surprised to see it do well once it hits shelves. I think Saar has crafted himself a tight little game that's going to have some great player interaction and fast gameplay. I think he also found himself a gem in Danny, as the art is something to drool over. This is probably the most fun I've ever had just looking and touching game components. If the rules give us a game that's half as balanced and fun, it was well worth the cash. Saar had my curiosity, now he's got my attention.

Settlers of Catan: First Thoughts

I'm really glad to finally be doing this one, as this game really is one of those touchstone modern games. Settlers of Catan is probably the first euro game I picked up, and it really has an incredible amount of replay value. I've played a whole bunch, but I wanted to get another whole game under my belt before I reviewed it.

Settlers is probably one of the first euro games in the wave that hit North America. At it's core, it's a relatively simple game that utilizes a variable economy mechanic as a baseline for a competitive trading game.   Though it can be done, anyone who tries to win the game without trading is going to have a bad time of it. Players (3-4 with the base game, 5-6 with expansions) attempt to gather a mix of five different resources as a means of constructing settlements, cities, roads and technological development cards. These are the tools the players use to gain the ten victory points needed to win the game.

Settlements and cities (the latter of which is built on top of the former) each provide players with an additional victory point. Development cards can play a number of useful roles, including facilitating road building, the gathering of resources, some instant victory points, and robber manipulation through knight cards (more on this after). A two point card is also given to the player that has built the longest continuous road of more than five sections, or played the most knight cards beyond a baseline of three (known as the longest road, and largest army cards respectively). It is important to note that these can change possession any number of times during a game.

The board is made up of a large hexagonal map broken down into a series of smaller hexagonal resource tiles. Each tile is coloured to represent one of five different resources: brick, wood, wheat, sheep and stone. During board setup, the order of these tiles is randomized, a number token is assigned to each of them, and  port tokens are placed around the outside of the island (all with different trading benefits).

Players start the game by determining a play order, then placing a pair of starter settlements on the intersection points of whichever tiles they choose. This gives the player access to all the resources tiles that touch that intersection point. A pair of starter roads are also built off the settlements in any direction the players choose, and starting resources are distributed based on the players' second settlement. The game begins after this.

Each player takes it in turn to roll the two dice. The number that comes up dictates which tiles on the island of Catan produce resources that turn. Anyone with a settlement that touches a tile with the number rolled receives a resource of that number. This is doubled for cities.

• ie. The red player has a settlement on the intersection of a brick tile (6), a wood tile (11), and a sheep tile (9). A 6 is rolled. The red player receives one brick card.

Once the resources have been generated, the player that rolled then has the option to trade. They may make offers for resources to any other player. These players may respond to the player's offers, but not to each other. If the player who rolled does not find the resource they need, they may trade with the bank at a 4:1 standard (four of any one resource for one of another). If the player builds a settlement on a port, they may then use that port's trading standard as well (ie, 2:1 wheat trades, or 3:1 any trades). This, combined with development cards, will enable a player to get the resources they need.

Once the player has finished trading, they may purchase items. Roads, settlements, cities and development cards are all purchases in this phase. Any development cards that are purchased cannot be played on the turn they are bought, and a player can never play more than one in a given turn. The player is then done their turn, and it is the next player's turn to roll.

One exceptional tile exists on every Catan setup. The desert tile produces no resources, and is the starting point for the robber. When a 7 is rolled, all players with more than seven cards must discard half (rounding down). The rolling player then places the robber piece on any tile other than the one it started on. While the robber piece is on a tile, it generates no resources. The rolling player may also steal a random resource card from any player who owns a settlement/city on that tile. Play then continues as normal. The robber may only be moved by means of rolling a 7, or playing a knight card during their turn (which carries all the benefits of having rolled a 7, but without forcing players to throw out half their cards).

Development cards, as a rule, can be played at any point during a player's own turn. Knight cards may also be played prior to rolling the dice. Victory point cards may be revealed at any point, but it is in the player's interest to keep this hidden until they are in a position to win the game. Development cards may not be traded, stolen or exchanged in any way. Once a development card is used, the player should keep it face up on the table in front of them (so as to facilitate the calculation of the largest army).

While this game may take a little more explaining on the front end than most people are used to, this is a style issue that clears up quite quickly during actual play. In my experience, new players really start to hit their stride after only a few turns. Once the resources start to accumulate, they really start to become invested in the game.

In terms of strategy, initial placement of settlements dictates to a degree the way in which each player will play the game. Given standard probability on two dice, tiles numbered 6 or 8 are a good deal more likely to generate resources than tiles marked 2 or 12. This, combined with the random setup of tiles, versus a fixed number token distribution, will dictate which resources are plentiful in any given game. High amounts of brick and wood will prompt a faster early game, with a great deal of road building. High amounts of wheat and stone will prompt a slower build, with an emphasis on cities and development cards. Players will need to decide what strategy and placement to adopt based on what is more available to them. A player with an undesirable resource can still achieve success if they have access to the right port. A player with all high numbered tiles can still lose if they provoke a team response from the other players.

While there are any number of strategies, players should generally look to get a mix of several different resources and victory point sources in order to win the game. A player who does nothing but build roads is unlikely to win. A player who goes after only one resource is unlikely to win. Players must trade enough to build up their own infrastructure, but also know when it is time to block other players from winning. Individual player personalities can help other players predict their strategies. This adds another layer to the strategy of the game. The player who can juggle all these problems at the same time successfully stands a greater chance of winning the game.

This game is a fantastic jumping-off point for anybody looking to get into boardgaming. Beyond an initial rules explanation, the game is quite accessible. A high replay value also means that both beginners and veterans alike can enjoy it. Players seeking an added challenge can buy one of the many expansions for the game. Seafarers adds an element of exploration to the game, with the addition of boats and islands. Cities and Knights adds a more strategic overtone, allowing for the building of armies, and the creation of a more structured technology tree. Traders and Barbarians adds a series of optional rules than can be added to any game of Catan, like the introduction of a fish resource, or for the playing of specific scenarios, like the creation of a camel route through the desert. 5-6 player expansions exist for all of these as well. This game is already a classic, and can offer a lifetime of play options.

This is probably a sufficient first post for Catan, but I will most certainly be covering the changed game dynamics for 5-6 player games, as well as the individual expansions. I've also played a first game of Dixit, and will be doing up a post for that at some point soon too. As always, questions and comments are always welcome!

Cards Against Humanity: First Thoughts

As a brief mention beforehand, there's a great mini-documentary that's trending on /r/boardgames right now. Anyone who's looking to start planting roots for a gaming group, this is a very interesting take on why some people like to boardgame. Just send your buddies here, and chances are good you may be able to change some minds. Personally, I think it picks up on some very important ideas. Some of my best memories are of hanging out in a group of four, playing team slayer on Halo. With the gradual shift towards internet-based gaming, however, I found myself moving towards boardgames. It's not that I don't see the value in a web community (obviously), but there's something about having people physically in the room that adds a dimension to the games we play. Granted, it's a five minute video, so they can't get into the myriad other reasons we play, but I think it's a good first grab for the spirit of boardgaming.

I got in my first game of Cards Against Humanity the other night, and it seemed to go over pretty well with the rest of the group. I had been planning to bust out Catan, but given the fact that we were having such a good time, and the size of the group, we kept right on playing. The game plays like a very offensive (read: hysterical) version of Apples to Apples. It's a more "traditional" type of boardgame, and is quite accessible in terms of mechanics. Every player gets a hand of ten white cards from a pile, each with a word or phrase on it. The players then take it in turn to pick up a black card, which is some sort of prompt for the other players' white cards. For example, Julie picks up a black card with the phrase "In M. Night Shyamalan's new movie, it turned out the ________ was ________ all along.". Every other player puts a white card facedown in front of Julie, who mixes them up, and picks the most appropriate card. The best response (as judged by Julie) is rewarded with a point (as represented by the now discarded black card). The white cards are where  the real humour of the game lays, with prompts that range from zany ("a micropig in a tiny raincoat and rubber booties"), to political ("Rush Limbaugh"), to offensive ("coat hanger abortions").

There is very little in the way of a competitive element to this game. To the extent that it is there, it encourages knowing a good deal about your fellow players, and giving them the white cards they would find most entertaining. Some of the white cards may be very entertaining to the person who plays them, but it will fail to earn them any points if they are given to the wrong person.

That is the extent of the formal rules, but there are a host of recommended house rules included with the game. This adds a replay value to Cards, which could admittedly get a little monotonous over extended play. The entire game can be downloaded for free off their website. For those who want a higher quality set of cards, or to support the creators, an option is given to buy a commercial version of the game. They also provide the option to buy expansions to the game. Given the degree to which my gaming group enjoyed themselves, I think I'll be adding Cards to my shortlist of games to be purchased. It's simple, it's fun, and it's a great way to game with people who may not like more involved boardgames. Everyone should at least download it, and people that enjoy it should strongly consider buying it.

Ticket to Ride (Europe): First Thoughts

I picked up Ticket to Ride with the idea that I needed a simple game that could act as a gateway for more complex eurogames. This, combined with Settlers of Catan, will make a great foundation for Powergrid, which I am very much looking forward to.

Ticket to Ride is a simple game that plays in a way that is almost immediately intuitive. Players have a finite number of train pieces, and attempt to build routes between major cities on a map (in the vanilla version, the United States/Canada, in mine, Europe). Coloured train cards are collected and used to build the specifically coloured routes. This means that short routes tend to be quite easy to build, and long ones can be quite difficult. This difficulty is mitigated somewhat by the resource gathering mechanic, where a player is given the choice to draw from either a known bank of cards, or an unknown pile of cards. Once a player has enough train cards of the required colour to build the complete route, they can do so and score points. After a player has built enough routes to have 2 or fewer trains left, everyone gets one more turn. The player with the most points wins.

Complexity and a level of strategy are added to the game by giving each player a number of destination tickets they have to complete. Completion of a ticket by the end of the game awards the player bonus points, but a failure to do so subtracts points. Players have to gauge whether or not they can complete these specific routes, and gamble on their ability to do so. The player who manages to string the most routes together in a single line is given the express route bonus of ten points. Successful players will strike a balance between short tickets, long tickets, and the express route.

Ticket to Ride: Europe offers some changes to the original version of the game. For instance, players are given separate destination tickets for short routes (a small route worth fewer points) and a single long route (a more ambitious route worth more points). Given this added challenge, players are also given train station pieces. This is a mechanic that acts as a means of using an opponent's route as part of your own for the purposes of completing your destination tickets. This will, however, cost the player an increasing number of train cards. The players who don't use them will get bonus points at the end of the game. Finally, Europe introduces different types of route. In addition to the standard routes, there are now ferries (as represented by a mandatory minimum wildcard expenditure), and tunnels (which have a variable number of cars). These add an element of risk and planning to laying down routes.

On the whole, the game is brilliant in that it allows for a very customizable degree of strategy, while stripping away a good deal of the complexity. Short downtime between turns keeps players invested and concentrating, but still allows for planning and forethought. The central bank mechanic, in addition to the map-spanning routes prepare players for more complex eurogames (ie Powergrid). This game comes strongly recommended in most  gaming circles, and I firmly agree with them. Ticket to Ride is an incredible  gateway game that retains a great deal of replay value, and offers a very player-specific level of difficulty. It takes no more than 5 minutes to learn, and can be fun for just about anyone. This one is a must-buy for any would-be boardgamer.

Warmachine: First Thoughts

So somehow the week I had said the next post would take, turned into a month. I've got a lot of life stuff on the boil right now, so these are certainly exciting times. Things should hopefully even out soon, and we can start seeing some regular postings here.

A few weeks ago, I played a couple of small games of Warmachine, and I feel like I'm starting to get a bit of a handle on how the game works. First though, a bit of a disclaimer. As with every game I take a look at, there are more in depth resources to be found elsewhere. I'll start collecting resource pages as time goes by, but the purview of this blog is a brief look at many different games. Comments are of course always welcome, but just keep in mind that the odds are good I won't go into enough depth on any given topic.

My buddy and I got together at our friendly local gaming store (FLGS) for a couple of quick, 15 point matches (35 and 50 being generally considered the "standard" tournament sizes). This would give us the chance to keep the number of combos in play at a manageable level, and ensure that it played relatively quickly (as there would be many rulebook checks). We played a simple mission, the 'caster kill (I'll get into this after). We each chose simple 15 point lists, with no solos. I played my Retribution of Scyrah list, with prime Vyross as my warcaster, a full unit of Dawnguard Sentinels with command, and a Phoenix Heavy Myrmidon. To the best of my recollection, my opponent brought his Protectorate of Menoth list with prime Kreoss, a 5 man Choir, 2 light warjacks (a Repentor and a Redeemer, I believe), and a heavy warjack (a Vanquisher?). Both games we played, I won the first turn. I was going to need it, as a complete lack of shooting on my part meant I was going to move my models across the board quickly.

The 'caster kill mission is a simple one that also just sits over the top of any other mission. Kill the enemy warcaster, and win the game. In many basic ways, Warmachine plays like Chess. In this, a 'caster kill is simply capturing your opponent's King. Threat lines and ranges are some of the most important aspects of Warmachine, and this is true of Chess also. Force your enemy to move his pieces into your threat bubble so that you get the first shot, and not the other way around. It's important to establish that despite this, the pace of Warmachine is also much faster than many other games I've played. One cannot play the game in a Mexican standoff, and all the more common scenarios enforce this (for example, "Killing Field",where objectives must be captured in the middle of the board, or "Mosh Pit", a king-of-the-hill type scenario).

We set up a simple, symmetrical  board. A building in the middle of the board to obstruct fire lanes, a patch of trees on each side, and a wall on each side. This would allow us to play with the cover rules. I deployed as far forward as I could, with my Phoenix in the middle, and three groups of Sentinels bunched around it. Vyross sat in the back, with one of the Sentinel groups. My buddy deployed his Menoth in a firing line, fairly far back. Given that his list was almost all shooting warjacks, there was a good deal of sense in that. He put Kreoss behind the Vanquisher, and the Choir was conga-lined across the whole firing line.

My strategy was to have Vyross cast inviolable resolve on the Sentinels, bringing them up to ARM 19 with their unit buffs. They would run beside and behind the Phoenix, who would have hallowed avenger cast on it. Between that, and the Sentinels' vengeance, I was hoping this would get me up the board much quicker than their stats would indicate. Hopefully there would be enough units left over that I could chew him up with much stronger melee once I hit his line.

He did not make it easy for me. I took a great deal of hits before I got up to his gunline, and even then it was only on a fluke roll that I managed to live through an assassination attempt. That attempt left his 'caster exposed, and after dusting themselves off, my Phoenix and 'caster took him out in a single turn. A few learning points. My buddy learned about the importance of managing unit coherence. His Choir was strung out fairly thinly, and this ended with one of the Choir failing command and falling back off the table. This was the Choir that was using his brutal buffs to make the Vanquisher a serious pain in my side. This ended up costing him his Vanquisher. On the flipside of that coin, I learned not to bunch up against Menoth, even for ARM buffs, as their sprays will punish close groups. Secondly, playing that game made me glad about my choice of gaming partner. We had a problem at one point deciding whether leftover focus (the spell currency of the game) could be used to boost warjack attacks on off-activation attacks. We couldn't find it in the rulebook, so we rolled off. We know now that you cannot do that (which proved beneficial for me), but I was glad that it had been resolved so amicably. Thirdly, I learned to play it a little closer when estimating charge distances. I ended up falling short by a half inch for a charge attack with my Phoenix, and this meant he spent a turn doing nothing other than collecting damage. A little more conservative guessing would have meant I never lost that attack. Finally, I learned not to expose my 'caster as badly as I did in that game. I ended up lucking out, but I cannot count on lousy rolls all the time. To quote Eddings, never leave live enemies behind you.

The second game was more of an anomaly, as another player in the FLGS was looking to play his first game, and we made it a multiplayer game. I was caught in the middle of the two on the middle edge, so I decided to charge the Menoth player and kill him outright before then attacking the Cryx player. With the same strategy as before, I charged his gunline as fast as I could. As I was reaching his line, he stepped Kreoss out in front and popped his knockdown feat, hoping to kill Vyross in turn 2. Unluckily for him, I had kept focus on Vyross as an ARM buff, and he lived. This, in addition to some activation order problems, resulted in his army not having much to shoot at (as Kreoss was in the way). A few cooked Sentinels and a slightly singed Vyross were all that ended up happening. On my turn, Vyross and the Phoenix got up, and one-shot Kreoss. Meanwhile, the Cryx player had been making his way across the board with his Deneghra battlebox list. I was out of position from the Menoth attack, and ended up losing the match to especially sneaky attacks from Denghra and the Slayer. This match wasn't as instructive as the first, given that it was a multiplayer match, and my buddy's early fluke got him eliminated quickly. It was, however, a good opportunity to cement some of the things I knew about activation order priority and become familiar with some of my models' statistics. I did a better job of keeping Vyross buttoned up, but Kreoss' brutal knockdown feat is not something against which one can easily prepare.

I was hoping to give some of the warjack power attacks a go in these games, but the opportunity never came up. Also, a strict reliance on melee meant I wasn't using terrain, and I wasn't using any of the fun aiming or combined attacks. Next time I play, I think I'll be putting a little more shooting in my list, and maybe upping the points to 25 to see if I can't squeeze in a couple of those excellent Retribution solos. With Ravyn and some Mage Hunters on order, I think that might be a great way to really give my buddy a run for his money.

Assuming I don't go dark again, next up in the hopper for review will probably end up being either Catan or Power Grid. If there are any suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment.

Cribbage: First Thoughts

I realize cribbage probably isn't exactly one of the more popular boardgames in existence right now, especially given it's age and how far gaming has come in the last twenty years. That said, I think there are some very real benefits to getting to know the strategies involved in this game.

Essentially, cribbage is a boardgame for two or three players. The players attempt to move their pieces from one end of the board to the other, faster than the other players. They do this by scoring points with playing cards. There are two broad means of scoring points after the cards have been dealt, and the hands have been selected. One, players attempt to construct the most points-lucrative four-card hands possible, given the cards they were dealt. A good deal of this is luck, especially given that the communal card is flipped after the hands are selected. Two, players play cards in turn, adding up to piles of thirty-one. The players will attempt to play combos off of each other in an attempt to gain additional points. This phase benefits from a flexibly constructed hand.

Cribbage teaches players the ability to make the best out of a bad hand, something lacking in games where the setup or list-building is crucial to gameplay (original Catan, Warhammer 40k, etc...). One especially good or bad hand can reverse your fortunes entirely. It teaches the player to account for the element of chance, and use it as best they can. When forming your hand at the beginning of a turn, sometimes it is best to give up a point or two in the final count if it means having a more flexible hand during the first phase of play.

It also incentivizes players to create flexible hands, and try to anticipate the other players' play during the first phase of the turn. A player who draws a card popular in the construction of sets of fifteen (say,  a 5), but has no 10s with which to gain points, might still be advised to keep it given that face cards are all valued at 10, and will show up often in play. This may seem confusing, but I'll briefly outline the scoring system, and this should hopefully make what I'm saying somewhat clearer.

Scoring in cribbage is reminiscent of blackjack and poker. Points are counted from your hand in the second phase of a turn's play, and include the communally flipped card. Runs are worth the number of cards in the combo (three cards in a row will buy you 3 points). Four cards of the same suit (a flush) will gain you 4 points. Pairs are worth 2 points, three-of-a-kind will buy you 6 points, and four-of-a-kind will buy you 8 points. If you should have in your hand the jack of the suit that is flipped, or you are the dealer who flips it, you gain a point in your final count. The real bread and butter of the cribbage hand is the set of 15. Any different combination of cards in your hand (including the communally flipped card) that adds up to 15 will net you 2 points.

As an example, say a player is dealt the five of hearts, the five of diamonds, the jack of spades, and the king of spades. The Queen of spades is flipped as the communal card. The player would receive points in this order:

• 5 of hearts + jack of spades = 2 pts
• 5 of hearts + king of spades = 2 pts
• 5 of hearts + queen of spades = 2 pts
• the same three face cards, but with the 5 of diamonds = 2 pts each, total 6 pts
• pair of 5s = 2 pts
• run of jack, queen, king = 3 pts
• jack of the flipped suit = 1 pt

The player's total score on this hand would be 18 points. This would be considered a very strong hand, given it's unlikeliness. Personally, I find my hands tend to sit at about 6 or 7 points. Note that the player received no points for a flush. All four cards in the player's hand must be of the same suit in order to gain those points. The additional benefit to having a hand like this one is that, as I mentioned previously, it would be easy to gain points during the first phase of the turn. Given the higher probability of getting 10 point cards, they are more likely to be played, and the player with a 5 is more likely to gain points for making the count to 15. Of course, the counter-strategy to this is that it is unwise to set up these combos during play, and a 9 is a much safer card to start play on. Additionally, it never hurts to have small value cards like the ace or the two in one's hand. Play on a pile ends once the value of all played cards add up to 31, or no one can play with playing beyond 31. The player that plays a card taking the pile value to 31 gets 2 points. The player who plays last but under 31 gets 1 point.

Cribbage rules have been detailed elsewhere in more depth, and with better clarity. All I am attempting to convey in this post is that cribbage has the necessary complexity to be strategically interesting (as opposed to, say, the cardgame war), but is still contingent on a large element of chance. People who enjoy the strategies of poker or 7 Wonders might well find cribbage interesting. As you play more games with a given player, you begin to learn how their style of play works, and you can be rewarded in cribbage for knowing this. A given player may, for instance, be risk-adverse to the point where they choose not to play runs, and stick to combinations of 15. This is useful to know as that player's opponent, as you will be more likely to score off them in the first phase of play. Additionally, that player will be punished for being strategically inflexible in the second phase of play.

Cribbage is one of those games that have survived the test of time because the replay value is immense. Every opponent brings a fresh set of strategies. The rules are easy enough to learn in one sitting, yet complex enough to take years to master. There is no purchasing barrier for different players. It is a great way to learn how to game on a budget. I would say it is easily one of my favourite games, and I would highly recommend it to any tactically-minded gamers.

Hello Boardgamers!

Given that this is the first post, the blog itself is going to be a little on the ugly side until I settle in. The Catan background, for instance, is something I've borrowed. Once I get a little more gaming in, I'll put something a little better suited together.

The reach on this blog is pretty broad, so don't expect the same depth that you might get from Bols, Boardgamegeek, Kotaku or any of the myriad of gaming subreddits. What I will do, though, is try a bunch of different games. Something in the vein of Watch It Played!, or Tabletop, but a little more budget friendly, and a little more diverse (say, Ticket to Ride one week, and Mordheim or DnD the next).

Where possible, I'll also try to avoid game-specific jargon, or at least explain it, so as to make reading a little easier on first-time players (the intended audience of these posts). Also, just given the sheer variety of games I'm invested in, don't expect any larger games. People looking for Warhammer 40k Apocalypse writeups should probably seek elsewhere.

Having just played a game of cribbage last night, I think I'll start there. Tomorrow, I've lined up a 15 point game of Warmachine with a buddy. I'll do a writeup of that sometime tomorrow evening. If there are any questions or requests, please feel free to let me know.