Marvel Champions: The Card Game |
Technical note 9.5 / 10 The material is very good except the individual trays (even if finally it is used very little). The rules are clear and the game is very fluid. The rules are very readable and everything works fine. My score BGG 10/10 (Exceptional - will always enjoy playing) More than a racing game, a fun nugget. Fun, catchy, fluid, surprising, tense, original, thematic ... A game that you should not miss, especially if you like racing games. Combined score of 9.75 / 10 And now, it's up to you to play ... |
Newton (2018) review
For the love of discovery
A plateau to discover
A platform to search
A plateau to read
And cards too!
Finally, the last action, with the icon of a students hat, allows to recover new cards to diversify the way of playing. There are three card powers, which can be recovered according to the number of symbols visible on its line of action. The cards are all the more interesting than the starting ones. Their choice is therefore essential because they will quickly replace your initial cards that you will sacrifice step by step at the end of each round.
And then crush their scores
One of the strategies is the total exploitation of your library. You must then create a Victory Point Revenue Engine. The start is sluggish, but the end-game count is really important, and usually allows you to go to the target tiles.
The second axis passes through a maximum of movement on the plateau of Europe, and the purchase of cards whose actions generate victory points. This starts fast, it's a strategy that creates a big difference in score, but that pays almost no points at the end of the game.
Newton was my best surprise at the Essen 2018 show. It has some negative point, the illustrations are far from original, they are ultra classic and unglamorous. The game boards are not good (no flap on the side, just the cardboard) and some players had some that were very curled. When the theme, as most often, is completely absent from the game.
But the game is excellent. It is one of those games that may seem dense, but it has a simplicity and a rare fluidity. Simply five game actions, without micro rules that come to complicate things. A quarter of an hour of explanations, a little round of gameplay, and the players are conquered.
A game that I almost missed on the show in Essen. The game was pre-booked until Friday 1pm. Something I had forgotten. My wife kept telling me "We have to get Newton! ". And I answer her nonchalantly "We have time! ". Then I look at my sheet, which tells me that I only have five minutes left to get it. Then follows a frantic race in which I pass in front of the queue of the players who waited for the fateful hour. Buy the game, there remained only 74. The 75th purchaser of the tail had to curse me. I just remember that I did well to hurry, this game is a pearl.
Newton is remarkable for its simplicity. Few actions, all operating on a similar principle. The rounds are fast and you do not see the time pass. A beautiful mechanism for a great success.Congratulations to Cranio, a publisher who, during the last shows in Essen, published some very good games. I unfortunately withdraw 2 points for the quality of the material and the lack of graphic modernity.
My BGG Score 8/10
(very good - enjoy playing and would suggest)
A game that does not disappoint me. It rubs for me pearls like Puerto Rico, Terra Mystica or Great Western Trail. It deserves my Cup of Tea, it was the game that excited me the most parts for more than 6 months.
Combined Score 8/10
Amateurs of games a little capillotracted, go for it!
Gentes (2017) Review
Gentes is the new sensation for optimization. This is a game from author Stefan Risthaus, known for his highly calculating Arkwright. Gentes was born in 2016 at Spielworxx but has recently benefited from an update and a small tidying up by Tasty Minstrel Games and Game Brewer. There are two versions of the game: a normal one (which I'll talk about here) and a Deluxe.
Gentes is a game sold as a civilization game. Immersed 1000 years before Jesus Christ, near the Mediterranean, you will take in hand the destiny of a population and advance them in History through three eras. The goal is to leave a trace and prosper for future generations. Well, that's on paper. Concretely, we quickly realize that the theme is only there to justify the game or to sell. Yes, civilization games are very popular. And it is not the presence of an aged map of the Mediterranean on the board, that will save the situation. You are not in front of a game of civilization. Gentes could very well have talked about something else, it would have worked just as well. This is purely a German style game. This fact, you will be able to immerse yourselves in what makes the real interest of the game: its mechanisms.
Gentes shares a very simple mechanism. At first glance, this is a worker game. With the difference that to perform an action, the players do not place pawns but take pawns off the board. Each action corresponds to a specific area of the board. Each zone contains associated pions that will specify the action allowed and especially the cost to achieve it. In Gentes, there are two indispensable resources: money and time.
Money is indispensable for a large number of actions. In the majority of cases, the more one pays dearly, the more one has choices and especially the less time to spend. But finding money is not necessarily easy. You will have to develop accordingly and find a good income driver if you want to escape unscathed.
Time is the main mechanism of the game and especially what makes it original. Each action is linked to a cost in time. It is represented by small hourglass tokens. Each player has an individual board. On this plateau, there is a track on the top. This track is going to be used to put the hourglass tokens when taken. This temporal space is not trivial. Each player can continue to play as long as they have room available. If they can not add an hourglass then their turn is over.
You start to see the subtlety? It will be necessary to choose to optimize your actions in order to gain the right number of hourglass and not to be trapped in the fact of not having enough time to continue to develop. Fortunately, the author thought of us poor players. In order to torture us a little more, it gives us the opportunity to gain some time. How? When an action asks you to take and therefore to put two hourglasses, you have the choice to do it on two boxes or to put both on one box. Which means that, yes, you may be able to glean some future actions as well. Sorry ? Where is the trap ? At the end of a turn, players remove from their track all the unique hourglasses. In other words, if there are two hourglasses in one box, only one is removed. So there is still one left. And since it is only possible to add an hourglass to an empty box ... Yes, putting two hourglasses on a box will benefit you on the current round, but you will feel it in the next. Not that easy. You will have to choose between playing more now and then depriving yourself or playing less to play normally after. Knowing that there are very few turns ... Yes it will be hard to choose. The hourglass system is really cunning but at the same time very ingenious and gives a real interest to the game.
The game also has another originality: the citizens. What would a civilization be without its inhabitants? Or rather, its citizens. Your population is divided into six occupational categories (a healthy population must be occupied): religious, noble, blacksmith, trader, warrior and scholar. Your population is represented on your individual board. Each trade is grouped in pairs. In this blossoming society, you can only have up to seven members for each pair. In other words, if you have three of one type, you can only have four of the other. But if you want more? You will simply have to decrease the other side. Citizen markers will often have to move from left to right on your track according to your desires and your needs. Each decision is quite tense and if you get lost in too frequent changes, it can cost you time and therefore valuable actions. It is advisable to stick to a strategy even if sometimes changing it can save you the game. The management of the type of its population is a thing very well found and quite devious at times. It will be necessary to think beyond the current turn. Of course, fluctuating population is not free and each place is limited. You will have to be careful and act quickly.
The game is also based on a third mechanism directly nested within the citizens. During the game, you will need to recover civilization cards. These cards change according to the current era. They will be more and more powerful and you will offer bonus games or victory points. To recover a card, you must not only do the action (pay attention to your money and your time) but also have the prerequisites of each card. These prerequisites depend very much on a specific type and number of citizens. But what are they for? Each card can give you a bonus of victory points as well as a bonus for specific actions. Although you can choose to play without them during the game, they are essential for better optimization and better chances for victory.
Of course, that's not all. The map of the Mediterranean is not just there to make it "pretty". It also has a mechanical interest. You can build cities and gain specific resources from each. Or position these cities a space "foyer" which allows to benefit from permanent effects or a possible action in addition. Again, each action of this type is limited in spaces but also in number the number of cities available. And they can be expensive ...
The vast majority of actions are limited in their availability. So there is a kind of race between the players if you really have the optics to achieve the same. This offers a bit of interaction in a game that ultimately just a little. Many may blame Gentes cold side, calculating and where players plays in their own corner. Because the interaction is only indirect, it can, depending on the game, go from a little to zero. It is still rare that players do not bother for a position or for taking an action. But unlike the announced theme, no war, no interference in the others. You’ll stay at home.
To support a certain race aspect, there is also the presence of objectives which will bring back more important points to the first who realize them. These goals are based on three things: to have eight civilization cards in play, to have eight cities in play, to have eighteen artisans. The first to fulfill each of these goals will gain eight points and the other players four. There are thus twenty four possible points to win ... Even if it is not negligible, it is rare that it is the ultimate goal of a player.
The game is played in six rounds, divided into three eras. Each turn is divided into two phases: the climax and the decline. The climax is the phase where you will realize your actions. Decline is a faster phase. This is close to a maintenance phase. You’ll clean your individual trays, gain resources according to your cities and cards, and change the cards (in the case of a change in era). At the end of the sixth round, the points are counted. Whoever has the most wins the game. Be careful though, some things can be penalizing, like having still unplayed civilization cards.
Gentes has a solo mode too. There is not really any difference with a two-player mode for example. Here, no bot to beat, you just have to play to beat your scores from one game to another. An interesting way to learn to play, this mode is quickly anecdotal.
Gentes is a pure representative of german games. A theme quickly forgotten, absent of luck, a very strong dose of optimization, errors that cost dearly, and relatively absent interaction. So yes, you’ll watch each other, sometimes have to change focus, but it's still rather superficial. Some will also blame it for it’s third era is very focused on the points of victory. Indeed, it is essential to prepare for this phase. Not only can the points gained be huge, but not being prepared can cost you a lot. In terms of components, the rendering has a little old air that is nice, but the bits in general, with the simple version, is not a dream.
Still, the game offers interesting mechanisms. Time management and the citizen system are things that work very well. Having to take tiles to do the actions instead of pawns also changes a bit of what is traditionally done. With two players the game remains pleasant even if it really takes off at the three or four player count.
What marks especially at the end of Gentes, is its ease of access. The rules are clear and in the game, apart from some icons, the actions are fluid and easy to handle. There are no complicated things to understand or convoluted actions. It can serve as an entry point for players unaccustomed to the expert game. But be careful, behind an accessible aspect hides a game devious enough and having a certain depth.
Gentes is not the game of the century. However, it can largely satisfy players eager for optimization. The playing times are more than correct for this type of game. In terms of replayability, unless you are a fan of optimization and absolutely want to search for the perfect score, the game may suffer from some repetitiveness and run out of steam with time.
Gentes is a good German (or Euro) style game. Not without defects, it will still warm up your brain and offer you good moments of optimization. However, if you were looking for a civilization game, walkaway. The game offers pure mechanics without unnecessary complexity, uncomplicatedly mixing time management with the action race and card management. Mistakes can be expensive. Gentes can serve as a springboard for novice players who want to discover the expert german game. Without being complicated in its rules, the game holds in reserve a lot of surprises and reflection.
Technical Score 7/10
We feel that there has been a de facto effort in dusting the game to make it more attractive. The material has been reviewed and it is not unpleasant. But against a Deluxe version, expensive but beautiful, the normal version is pale in comparison. Visually, this is still close to the games of the 80s. In terms of iconography, it will take at least a game or two to understand.
My BGG Score 6/10
(Ok game, like to play from time to time)
Even if it has ingenious and well adapted mechanisms, Gentes suffer from an absent theme and a lack of real interaction. Because of the absence of luck and a relatively fixed board, in time, the game may also run out of steam against players looking for a bit of new challenge between games.
Combined Score 6.5 / 10
Now, it's your turn to play …
Gentes is a fake civilization game. It is cataloged as such, but it is simply a management game. You do not see your civilization evolve, just your population is growing. But it is still an excellent game I did not play it until after the second Kickstarter. I expected a lot and I was not disappointed. The Deluxe version saving grace has a “Folded Space” insert and upgraded component.
The game itself can be defined as a reverse worker placement game. Action tokens are chosen on the main board until each player's line of action is full. Actions that usually waste time depending on the power or choice remaining. The objectives are many, but go through the construction of buildings that are a big vector of victory points.
Gentes offers original, unusual rules that give a fresh twist in this type of game. Served by illustrations that are simple but stick perfectly to the antiquity theme of the game, it is one of my most beautiful discoveries of early 2019. Adepts management games, this one is a very good choice!
Coimbra (2018) review
Eggertspiele was one of the editors to watch at the last Essen show. Shortly after, the German publisher, freshly absorbed by Asmodée, released two games that aroused the curiosity of the players: Blackout Hong Kong (soon on our shelves) and Coimbra. The latter has been available since the end of 2018 and it is only recently that I found myself on the ramparts of the old Portuguese city, transforming myself into a patron wanting to give the town all the splendor it deserves.
Coimbra is a typical German management game. It stands out for its own, very colorful graphic style, which contrasts with the usual brown productions. Its authors are not the first ones since they collaborated for one to Lorenzo Il Magnifico and for the second to Grand Austria Hotel. With Coimbra, they’ve signed here, one of the best management games of the year.
The principle of the game will be to score the most victory points after 4 rounds. The player boards are remarkably well done since they allow to follow the order of the different phases of the round. They also manage the different elements of the game: the resource tokens (gold and guards), the dice bases and the citizen cards recovered during the game.
The main board is composed on its left side of 4 dice positioning zones. There are 4 colors of dice in Coimbra, corresponding to the 4 influence tracks in the game. After having rolled all the dice, in turn order, the players will choose a dice of color that they wish, placing into one of their 3 bases, to then place it in an area of the city.
The upper part represents the Citadelle, an area where the dice are placed in the order of arrival and increasing value. The other 3 zones represent the districts of the city, the dice are placed there also in the order of arrival, but decreasing values this time.
After placing them on the board, each player will pick them up, in the order they are positioned. For the Citadel, each player will collect one of the bonus tiles and earn the bonus listed on it. For the rest of the city, this is where the value of the dice becomes important. Because it represents the cost to recruit a citizen. Each is endowed with a gold symbol or guards. These are the two commercial representations of the game (wealth and influence) and the salt of Coimbra itself is there: to best place your dice, giving you the power to buy citizens without it costing too much. And the other players will not be happy with that!
And would it be a surprise to say that citizens strengthen your power over the city? At the acquisition, each citizen earns you a few points on one of the four influence tracks of the game. They also allow you to trigger immediate gains to earn extra points at the end of the game or use their special action during income.
This is one of the last actions of the turn, by returning the dice, it activates the tracks of influence to earn income: gold, guards, and victory points. The fourth influence is more specific. It earns travel points for your pilgrim, traveling from monastery to monastery on the map of Portugal. By reaching the places of pilgrimage, discs of your color are placed on the monasteries, to signify your passage. The majority makes immediate point, while the others earn permanent bonuses.
After 4 rounds, the game is over and the final count is done.
And that's all?
Not really, you must add the basic game elements such as, points on the tracks of influence, points based navigation maps, monasteries triggering phases of counting. Classic elements for a management game.
Coimbra is absolutely a game to test. Because for a game of this type, it brings really new and interesting mechanisms to your table.
The use of the dice is really important since they will be played for their value, then for their color. The roll at the beginning of turn is essential since it will guide the choice of the players. Is it better to take a color before there is no more, knowing that its value is not interesting? Choose another color? Each choice is essential because in all and for all, each player will choose only 12 dice throughout the game!
Coimbra brings a real freshness in the style. Already a graphically colorful game and with well thought out materials. The bases are in a soft plastic that fits perfectly dice. The game board is divided into 4 distinct areas with excellent readability. The illustrations are successful and stick perfectly to the colorful side of the rest of the game.
The game is really different from one game to another and offers crazy replayability. The setting up makes that the area of pilgrimage completely different from one part to the other. Even if all the citizen cards will be played, their positioning will also be totally different from one game to the other. And most importantly, the turns of play vary completely because even if it is always the same colors of dice which are launched with each turn, their values will greatly influence the choices at each turn.
Coimbra is one of those games that you dread to present too much, as it can seem complicated. And finally at the end of the first round, everything seems so fluid, clear and logical. You must not lock yourselves into a single strategy, but scrounge all the possible points according to the possibilities that are always open. The final count is really crazy because it allows great returns, thanks to majorities on the tracks of influences and the points on the travel cards. Go on this adventure, you will not regret it!
Quality material, a very successful thermoforming and a good homogeneity to the graphics. The rules are easy to read and understand. Unfortunately once again, the storage is not suitable for card protectors and the same illustrations are used for different cards.
My BGG Score 8/10
(to be reserved for expert gaming players)
One of the best management game of 2018. By creating a clever use of dice, Coimbra offers a new and refreshing gaming experience. The game is tense until the final count that can reserve a turnaround.
Combined score 8.25 / 10
Expert players, to test eyes closed, except for the reading of the rules.

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