November was much like any other month acquisition-wise: I just got way more games than reasonable, or that I could actually enjoy. But here we are. At least here are some of them, not all: a few got hidden in the nooks and crannies of my overfilled apartment and I wasn't sure where exactly.
Oltréé was a surprise. It's a game I never planned to get. But I stumbled upon a fairly cheap offer on a second-hand website, so I told myself, let's give it a try! I'm not sure when that will happen though. In the meantime, I marvel at the pretty box. The components inside are superb, with lots of gorgeous illustrations, it feels like a very beautiful and traditional French comic. The insert has little trap doors under which everything is properly sorted. It's really delightful to open it. Hopefully, part of that feeling will be translated into the actual play.
20 Strong is my first (and likely my last) acquisition from Chip Theory Games. I like that it's a small box. The rules look a bit complicated though, and I'm not fond of the art. I also did not get the Gamefound extra contents, so I need to write them a ticket, and that's just annoying.
Medieval is not even released, but some copies got sold in Essen and apparently someone parted with their loot. I tried it today, and now I understand why.
Caldera Park... Why I did get this one? It showed up on a second-hand website, new in shrink. I read the rules and it looked like a fun puzzle with a solo game to my liking. I haven't tried it, but I have hopes I won't regret getting it.
Freaky Frogs From Outtaspace. Well, that was an obvious purchase. Even though I don't think I really enjoyed any Friedmann Frise game, they always offer something that I find at least interesting, and they are cheap enough that you can give them a try easily. I also love the theme even though I never played a real pinball (unless the Microsoft 95 one counts).
Reign Absolute is a Kickstarter that just got delivered. It's smaller than I expected but I don't mind at all. I had always wanted a tile-based Fantasy combat game, and this one does exactly that (it also reminds me of Zoon Do which triggers lots of childhood memories). So I backed it. In the course of the campaign, they even added a solo mode, so I may even end up playing it! Amazing!
Cartaventura: Lhassa. I bought the Vinland one two years ago, played it, sold it. I think I am slowly coming to the realization that even though I am deeply convinced I love CYOA books and games, actually I don't. Anyway, Alexandra David-Néel, the figure that inspired the game, is one of my wife's heroes. And the Arthurian-inspired Tintagel promo was included as well, and I love everything related to the Arthurian myths. Anyway, it was super cheap, I included it in a second-hand bundle.
The main item of the bundle was Dungeon Academy. It's a puzzle game where you have a randomized grid of symbols and need to puzzle a way through them to get loot and hopefully don't get hurt by monsters. It's played on a timer and looks fun enough. I'll see if I like it.
In the same vein, I got Deadly Doodles (1 & 2), a silly flip-and-write game from Steve Jackson Games about going through a dungeon, getting loot, and slaying monsters by drawing a path from a weapon to a monster matching that letter. It's simplistic, but I have enjoyed it.
Actually, GeekGroup tells me there were 40 (!!!) new additions to my collection last month, but neither you nor I want to go through the whole of it. So let's leave it at that.
My copy of 20 Strong was really packaged well (or should that be really well packaged? 🤔).