Welcome to my Unboxings and Reviews Page. Here you will find the latest unboxings of games that make it into my collection from time to time. The latest entry will always be at the very top. Enjoy!!
In my opinion for a modern board game to have far-reaching appeal, it needs to have great table presence as well as a simple set of rules that can be easily taught to beginners. In this sense, while I am no stranger to more complex game offerings, I fully understand the appeal of games that have a reduced, more streamlined, turn structure but that, at the same time, can still offer sufficient strategic depth to make each play memorable.
The player board is a visually stunning component, featuring three distinct biomes, namely Forestland, Prairie, and Wetland, arranged in a vertical sequence from top to bottom. Each biome is directly correlated to specific actions that players can execute, which are, in order, gathering food, laying eggs, and drafting new bird cards. Furthermore, each biome is composed of five progressively enhanced action slots, with the leftmost exposed action being the one currently in effect. As players place birds in a biome, they will cover the leftmost exposed action slot, thereby activating the next available action slot to the right.
Over and above all this, there are other card actions like tucking birds behind a played bird, laying eggs, or placing food on specific bird cards which will also result in more points at the end of the game.
As a board game title which is doing very well commercially and sought out by people wishing to share the joys of board gaming the world over, Wingspan can still be considered an open project. This does not mean that the core rules need any more tweaking, just that the designer has some more tricks up her sleeve in the form of expansions. To date, Wingspan has enjoyed three expansions each covering a specific region of the globe. The first expansion was the modest “Wingspan Europe”.
The European expansion did not add any significant rule changes although it did introduce several Bird cards which did not have any associated actions and some additional bonus cards aimed at bolstering this new cohort of cards. The next expansion however was more interesting and featured birds from Oceania.
What is truly remarkable about Wingspan is that its designer has created a game that not only stands out for its distinctiveness and memorability but also has a profound impact on the industry, inspiring other game designers. While it is true that innovative games like Wingspan are essential for maintaining the relevance of the hobby, it is also possible that the elevated quality standards it has set may deter new entrants from introducing their own creations.
Shem Philips, designer of the acclaimed North Sea trilogy, delivers another exciting adventure with Explorers of the North Sea. Having previously set sail with Raiders of the North Sea, I eagerly cracked open the box to discover a distinct experience within the familiar thematic universe.
This core mechanic is further enriched by additional elements. Tile placement allows players to shape the ever-evolving landscape, while resource collection adds another layer of strategic depth. The looming threat of seabound enemy raiders adds a touch of tension, forcing players to adapt their plans on the fly.
- Delivered Livestock
- Constructed Outposts
- Destroyed Enemy Ships
- Raided Settlements
- Viking Deaths
- Controlled Islands
- Captain Cards
Ultimately, Explorers of the North Sea offers an intriguing insight into Viking lore and could prove the be an ideal platform for further discovery and reading into the history, mythology, and lore of those hardy people.
Final Verdict:
- Artwork: (Great, in line with the other two games in this trilogy)
- Gameplay: (Strategic but not overly complex)
- Replayability: (High)
- Accessibility: (Fairly easy to Learn)
- Overall: (Recommended)
I am looking at a roughly A5-sized box, mostly white, depicting a mounted knight in full armour. At the top, the title, “Battleline - Medieval”, is a game published by GMT Games. The card game mechanism inside is not new to me, for I have played the previous iteration of this game simply called “Battleline”. This 2019 version looks sharper and more polished. I carefully lift the lid, inside lays a mini world of sorts, dripping with cunning manoeuvres and fierce battles that will be decided one card at a time. Yet, before I can even think of drawing my first cards in an actual game, I unpack the components, exploring the history behind this engaging game, while mentally delving into the evolution of Battleline itself.
Just underneath the lid, I find a slim rulebook. Its brevity
hints at the streamlined nature of the game. While the core mechanics remain
unchanged including the ten “Tactics” cards introduced in the 2000 edition of
the game, Battleline: Medieval does away with the flag markers and instead
comes with 9 land types. For those who might have played “Schotten Totten”
(more on that later) these land cards herald back to that original design
choice. On these cards, I see forest lands, castles, and fortifications which
players will contend for. On the reverse side each card then also comes with
additional “effects”. Their addition is clearly meant to target game veterans
who might want something more out of this new edition. Yet weirdly enough, the
rules hold no mention of the land effects, it feels as though they were just
left out for some reason. Still, I think it should not be difficult to
incorporate them into regular play for a more advanced experience.
Handling the cards themselves, I note that they have a
satisfying weight and a smooth texture. The card stock feels durable, yet we
are not talking linen finish here. While it might make storage a bit
problematic, I think I might sleeve these cards at some point. As I expected,
the cards are divided into six suits each representing different troop types
(Infantry, Cavalry, etc.), each card displays a number ranging from 1 to 10,
indicating its strength. Rather than relying exclusively on colour for distinction,
each suit is adorned with a different flag displaying a distinct pattern and
colour scheme. Yet I must add here that the troop types are the same across the
nine suits so you will always have the same mounted Knight called a “King’s
Guard” on the 10-pip troop card. I
personally believe this to have been a good design choice given that players
will need to learn to quickly identify both the troop and suit to play
correctly.
The original Battleline, the underlying gaming engine that is, was designed by Dr Reiner Knizia, a prolific German game designer known for his elegant yet challenging creations. First released in 1999 under the name “Schotten Totten” (Scots vs. Teutons), the game quickly gained popularity for its simple rules and strategic depth. This early iteration presented a historical clash between the Scots and Teutonic Knights.
That original 1999 version adopted a more cartoony theme,
using simple coloured suits each bearing pips from 1 to 9 and depicting
comic-like characters. Players duelled on a neutral battlefield, focusing
solely on the tactical element. This design choice, while functional, left some
players yearning for a more immersive experience.
I would like to add here that Schotten Totten did not simply vanish from the scene. You can still buy It
from Amazon as well as its successor Schotten Totten 2 which includes some tweaks over the original such as suits from 1 to 11
and 5 suits instead of 6. Most other game elements remain fairly the same.
In 2000, another iteration entered the fray: Battle Line: The
Greek-Persian Wars. This version retained the core gameplay but introduced a
historical theme focused on the ancient rivalry between these two empires. It
also came with 6 suits distinguished one from the other by colour with pips
ranging from 1 to 10 in each of the 6 suits. The artwork shifted to reflect
this new theme, depicting hoplites, Persian archers, and other iconic units
like elephant shock troops used by the armies of the era. This version also saw
the introduction of the ten Tactics cards, adding a new layer of strategic
intrigue for veterans of the game.
Battle Line: Medieval was released in 2019. This iteration addressed the thematic desire of fans, with vibrant artwork aimed at breathing new life into the game. The tactics in the game also received an expansion, with additional options included beyond the ten introduced in the Greek-Persian Wars version.
Yet the overall card design introduced with Medieval was not
without its critics. Medieval introduced the idea of different flags to
distinguish one suit from another. Admittedly, each flag is unique in terms of
the pattern or overall shape which heralds back to the type of pennants used in
medieval warfare to distinguish between the various ranks or troops on a
battlefield. Yet the colour palette adopted was criticised as being too
restrictive, for some veterans of the 2000 editions, who tended to visually rely
on the colour as opposed to the symbology depicted on the flag, they found
these colours to be too close to each other and outright confusing in some
instances.
As a personal note, while I do concede that the colour palette
chosen was a bit tight, perhaps lacking a better contrast between flags, I
still managed to play several games without feeling that this distorted my
enjoyment of the game or led me to make mistakes linked to this matter.
Battle Line: Medieval, and its predecessors, prove that classic game design can be revitalized with fresh thematic elements and strategic tweaks. The evolution of Battle Line, from its historical roots to its various thematic iterations, showcases Knizia's ability to adapt a core concept for different audiences. Easy to learn yet challenging to master.
Final Verdict:
- Artwork: (Exceptional)
- Gameplay: (Engaging and Strategic)
- Replayability: (High)
- Accessibility: (Easy to Learn, Challenging to Master)
- Overall: (Highly Recommended)
16 Mar 2024 Battle Line - The Most Fun You'll Have with Just a Deck of Cards
I consider Battle Line a delightful and somewhat unique game, originally
crafted by the esteemed modern board game designer, Prof. Reiner Knizia. The game
boasts simplicity, with rules that can comfortably fit on two A4-sized sheets
of paper. Setting up and explaining the game is easy.
Despite its minimal components, Battle Line manages to captivate
players, through its simplicity and engaging gameplay. As a two-player game, I
am particularly fond of its core mechanics in addition to being among my top
five favourites.
Set-up is quick, you shuffle the 60 troop cards, deal 7 to each player, and then place the rest on the left of the dealer. Next, you shuffle the 10 tactics
cards and place them to the right-hand side of the dealer. In between you will
place the nine flags in a neat row, spaced out sufficiently to allow cards to
be played on either side of each flag without disrupting adjacent flags and
their respective cards.
Once you have set things up properly, you’re ready to start playing.
In Battle line, your aim is to capture either three adjacent flags or
else 5 flags from among the nine available. The first player to achieve this
goal wins. You get there by playing cards on your side of the line of flags or
“battle line”, one per turn, remembering to replenish the card just played from
either the Troop deck or the Tactics deck. Now let’s have a look at the
formations, or rather the groups of cards you want to put together to win flags
and ultimately the game.
As you play, you'll create formations on your side of the battlefield,
beneath the flags. These formations are made up of three cards each, and as the
game unfolds, you'll build more and more, potentially filling all nine slots
available. But what exactly do these formations look like?
Earlier, I mentioned the six colour suits, each containing ten cards.
These cards are the building blocks for your formations, which are like poker
hands in both structure and strength. To help you understand them better,
here's a breakdown of the five possible formations, listed from strongest to
weakest:
The “Phalanx” is the second strongest formation. It is what in poker is called “trips” or “three-of-a-kind”. So, in this instance, you will group three cards
of equal pip value (e.g., 8-8-8).
One step down from the Phalanx is the “Battalion Order” or what is called
a “flush” in poker. Three cards in one colour but not in sequence.
The last two formations are the weakest, the first is the “Skirmish Line”
or what we would call a “straight” in poker. Three cards in sequence but they
can be any colour. This isn’t a formation you should be relying on to win,
though there are tactic cards out there that could help you win if your “Skirmish
Line” is made up of all high cards like 8-9-10.
The final formation is no formation at all in my opinion, but it is given
the name “Host”. Here, you would just dump three inconsequential cards together
because you have no other options. You don’t normally expect to win a flag with
a “Host”, but tactic cards could change that if you are lucky enough.
Formations stand at the core of Battle Line gameplay, but there is more to this game then just building formations, you also have access to 10 unique tactics cards. This small deck is a powerful aid when you are duelling for control over flags.
Thematically Battle Line harkens to the classical period of history proposing
a fictitious confrontation between The Persians led by King Darius and the
Macedonians led by the legendary Alexander the Great. The troop cards are full
of references to troops employed by either of these factions and likewise, the
tactics cards further reinforce this motif with two cards specifically mentioning
Alexander and Darius as leaders of their respective factions.
The “Leader” cards are the wild cards of the tactics deck. You can play
a leader to any formation you would be building on your side of the line, as a
stand-in for a required card. Once played, however, the player needs to state
exactly what the Leader will be representing and once played the card is locked
in place till the game ends. Also, a player cannot play two leaders on his or
her side of the battle line so if you are unlucky enough to draw both from the
Tactics deck, you are essentially stuck with the second leader till the game
ends.
The next two tactic cards I would like to bring to your attention are
the “companion cavalry” and the “shield bearer” cards. The former is a “wild-8”
which you can use as that pip value in any formation requiring this number. The
“shield-bearer” on the other hand can be used as any card with a value of one,
two or three. As is the case for the Leader cards, players need to state the card these
tactic cards will stand in for and once set they are essentially locked in till
the end of the game.
The next few cards are all about
messing about with your opponent’s formations, all are used once and then
discarded. Let’s say your opponent has formed a challenging Wedge formation in
his or her side of a given flag. You are forming a strong 8-9-10 skirmish line
but there is no way you can beat his 5-6-7 all green! In comes the “Fog” card,
when played to a specific flag, “Fog” disables all formations and forces
players to rely solely on the total pip score instead. In this case you will
see that a 5-6-7 Wedge will now fall victim to an 8-9-10 Skirmish line.
Another card which manipulates formations is the “Mud” tactic card. This
card has the effect of making the Wedge and Phalanx formations harder to form by
forcing players to play 4 cards on either side of the affected flag. I consider
this card best played towards the end of the game. In such a circumstance a strong
Skirmish Line or Host could effectively beat both Wedge or Phalanx formations
The “Scout” Card is more about giving your hand of cards a breather.
Let’s say you are behind, and you are desperate to draw some good cards to catch
up, this card can really help you here. On your turn you play the Scout card and
then draw three cards from whichever deck (troop or tactic) you want. You then
take two cards from your hand and place them face down on the appropriate deck.
Basically, what this tactic card does is offer you a one-time “draw 3” action
that could really sway the game in your favour. However, it also negates a play
to any of the available slots. Having said that, if you play the Scout you will
most likely have few or no solid plays to make anyway.
The” redeploy” tactic card is what I call the “second chance” card. Let’s
say you play a card to a particular flag but then on a subsequent turn you
realise that you could have used it elsewhere, “redeploy” comes in handy here.
This card allows you to move a card from one of your formations and redeploy to
another flag, so long as the card moved comes from a formation with at least
one adjacent unclaimed flag.
The remaining tactic cards are more about guile and subterfuge. I like
to consider them the villains of the tactics deck. The first card is aptly
called “Deserter”, here a player chooses a troop or tactic card from the
opponent’ side and forcibly discards the card on that player’s side but
adjacent to the tactics deck. The rules say that this card needs to be set
“apart” and not cover any other discards. A player might have a strong wedge
which is yet to be declared the victor and this card could literally dismantle
that effort. However, it is important to note that once a flag is claimed, this
card cannot dismantle that completed formation. It only applies to incomplete
formations or those which are yet to be declared the winner.
The final villainous card is the aptly called “Traitor”. Here a player
can choose a card from the opponent’s side and bring it open to a vacant
location on his side of the board. The same conditions here apply as for the
“Deserter” card mentioned above.
With that out of the way, I must say that this game is as rich as it is
compact. Admittedly it would be so much better if it came with a pre-printed
playmat to properly organise the cards on the table, as it can be tricky to
organise the played cards once they start to increase during the game. Still,
that aside, the game is a delight to play and even if you are vanquished by a
combination of unlucky draws and witty opponent countermoves, you still get the
itch to re-set the board and go for another round.
Make no mistake this is a tactical game, and it could take some learning
and several plays before you start to play competently. I also managed to set up
and play the game with my son Neil and I have to say, even for his first time,
he was completely immersed! He stayed focused throughout, carefully planning
his moves, and weighing his options.
The best part? He mentioned he would not mind playing again! I'm
personally very proud of his effort, especially considering the tactical and
strategic thinking involved in this game. Seeing him approach the game with
such focus and interest gives me high hopes for his growth and development as
he continues to learn and challenge himself.
There is also another more modern variation of this exceptional gamed
called “Battle Line: Medieval”. It came out in 2017 and it embraces most of the
core mechanics of its older sibling. It also has a few twists when it comes to
card play and strategies. At the time of writing I have a copy which should be
arriving shortly in the post so I have yet to try this variant, but I think
that you would be able to apply most of what works in the original version.
Now I would like to offer a word of caution. While AliExpress might
offer Battle Line at a tempting price compared to other retailers, you risk
receiving a low-quality imitation that falls short of the genuine experience. I
speak from personal experience.
The copy I received from AliExpress included all the components, but the
card stock, although thick, lacks flexibility, making shuffling difficult. To
minimize damage, I resorted to a simple "card wash" shuffle.
Additionally, the instructions and tactic card descriptions were solely
in Chinese. This I must admit was an oversight on my part but fortunately, the troop names and titles are in English, allowing me
to still be able to use the deck. With a quick online search, I found a reliable ruleset and
descriptions for all ten tactic cards. This is a potential drawback to consider
when buying on this platform.
So, is Battle Line the perfect card game for you? If you enjoy strategic
thinking, quick rounds, and a healthy dose of bluffing, then absolutely! The easy-to-learn rules and tense
head-to-head battles make it a great choice for gamers of all experience
levels. Whether you're looking for a quick game night filler or a strategic
challenge, Battle Line delivers.
Final Verdict:
- Artwork: (Good)
- Gameplay: (Engaging and Strategic)
- Replayability: (High)
- Accessibility: (Easy to Learn, Challenging to Master)
- Overall: (Highly Recommended)
For any two-player game enthusiast seeking a cunning challenge adorned with whimsical charm, look no further than "The Fox in the Forest." This delightful trick-taking card game offers an intimate yet strategic battle of wits, all wrapped up in some of the most captivating artwork I've encountered in a board game.
But "The Fox in the Forest" isn't just a pretty face. Beneath its charming exterior lies a deceptively deep and engaging trick-taking game. With only two players, the focus shifts from forming alliances to outsmarting your opponent. Each hand presents a unique puzzle, as you strategize which tricks to win and which to lose, utilizing special cards like the Fox and the Goose to manipulate the trump suit and gain an edge. The simple rules belie a surprising amount of depth, making each victory feel truly earned.
Whether you're a seasoned trick-taking veteran or a curious newcomer seeking a charming two-player experience, "The Fox in the Forest" is a game that deserves a place on your shelf. Its exceptional artwork, engaging gameplay, and strategic depth make it a truly unique and rewarding experience. And if you're looking for a beautifully crafted edition that won't break the bank, don't be afraid to explore alternative avenues like AliExpress – you might just find yourself pleasantly surprised, just like I did!
Final Verdict:
- Artwork: (Exceptional)
- Gameplay: (Engaging and Strategic)
- Replayability: (Average)
- Accessibility: (Easy to Learn, Challenging to Master)
- Overall: (Highly Recommended)
Final Verdict:
- Artwork: (Great)
- Gameplay: (Bluffing is part of the game)
- Replayability: (Depends on the crowd)
- Accessibility: (Easy to Learn)
- Overall: (A good game if you are fine with the "bluffing" aspect of the game)
01 Oct 2023 - Dragonrealm - A Game of Goblins and Gold -
This little game was first launched in 2019 by Gamewright Games. it was presented as a sequel of sorts to the entertaining Dragonwood. As with Dragonwood, Dragonrealm is a family-friendly, set-collection and territory control game, where players explore magical locations earning gold for their efforts...but mind those pesky goblins ever ready to pop up and snatch your spoils from under your nose! This is indeed a simple and easy-flowing game with some delightful artwork and great production values. I got mine through AliExpress and I think that the game does live up to my expectations. Other than that this game comes with nifty flash cards so player can tell what they can or cannot do on their turn. The concise and well-illustrated rulebook is also equally honed towards quickly getting all players up to speed and ready to go. The game is for 2 to 4 players with an estimated play time of a measly 30 minutes. Make that 45 minutes if you have never played the game before. Also, the box says the game is good for Ages 10 and up but I figure with some help kids as young as 8 can have a blast playing this game. Recommended for any family/friend get-togethers.
Final Verdict:
- Artwork: (Exceptional)
- Gameplay: (simple and family-friendly)
- Replayability: (Will have replay value in a family setting)
- Accessibility: (Easy to Learn)
- Overall: (Great game for a family board gaming night with older kids)
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