Games played in October

First half of the month I visited Spiel, the second half I was down with covid (both are unrelated). With a high professional work load it makes my brain go on minimal effort.

Some thoughts on games I acquired at Spiel:

Stellarion (6 plays): The latest in the Oniverse series and this is a "pile manipulation" game (if that sort of mechanism exists ;-) ). I played the base game and each module (didn't combine modules). My favorite was the Black Hole module. I suspect if you like the Oniverse series, you'll like this one. Has some similarities to Aerion, but the 2 are still very different. It didn't grab me as much as Aerion. I have the impression the luck factor can be a bit high?

Beyond the Rift: A Perdition's Mouth Card Game (3 plays): I bought this based on the good review the boardgame had. I liked the card play and puzzling your turn to get the most out of it.

However, the mini campaign structure was a big let down. If you win a scenario, you get an item which is represented but a mini deck of cards allowing you to replace with other cards already in your deck. In practice, the item upgrade idea is really neat but you only get one item provided the class you play matches the item.

The second problem I have with the game is the aesthetics. I'm not a fan of the illustrations (coming from someone who appreciates the artwork of Dark Venture ;-) ). My biggest problem is that all illustrations have been darkened in a bad way. The cards in Machina Arcana are also dark but the illustrations pop out. Here they have this dark coat over them making them unattractive. Also, printing an icon reference on a very busy background is just a bad idea.

So while the card management gameplay is fine, the game feels like it was released 10 years ago.

Turing Machine (2 plays): This game went bad in my multiplayer group :-( as there was debate on how to interpret certain question cards. So I tried the (solo) daily challenges on the web site and a few custom games you can setup on the accompanying web site. I still bumped into interpretion issues on some question cards especially the more complex ones. I like the design and the aesthetics (I'm a software engineer :-D ) but the frustration on how to read more complex question cards didn't do it for me.

I would definitely recommend to play this game if you have a chance.

Aleph Null (2 plays): The new solo game from Lux Aeterna's designer Tony Boydell. It's a deck deconstruction game that needs to be solved. Need to play this dedicated in order to solve the puzzle.

Dark Venture (2 plays): A lucky cheap purchase from the BGG Essen no shipping auction. I like the game's theme, artwork and general vibe. Mechanics wise I'm not fully convinced. There is a high luck factor (even for me) and feel it's more geared towards competitive play. With the expansion coming up, it's a good time to do more plays and decide if I want to back it.

Games I already owned pre-Essen:

Legendary: A James Bond Deck Building Game – The Spy Who Loved Me (4 play): Played the new "The Spy Who Loved Me" movie several times and had a great time. Both this expansion and the expansions for Legendary Alien seem to turn the difficulty up a notch without going crazy. Solid entry into the Legendary deck builder series.

Paupers' Ladder (1 play): Whenever I play this one I'm having a good time. I like the artwork, the mechanics are simple and you have descent enough decisions for this light game. When the preordered for the new expansion This Cobbled Isle opened a few weeks ago, I immediately gave my money. No questions asked.

Star Trek: Super-Skill Pinball (3 plays): The WizKids's Pinball series is one of the few BYOS games I like to play solo. I'm really not that interested my actual score as I just enjoy the pinball mechanic which is well implemented.

Handy Brawl (2 plays): A play-in-your-hand PnP game and really solid game. I wouldn't be surprised if they made a professional production of this one.

Professional workload remains high so expect a really short list next month.