Watch your Back: Week March 19 to 25
A bunch of games have been scheduled to launch this coming week, so let's roll our sleeves and get going.
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First off, we have Forge: a 1-4 player worker placement game in which you are a blacksmith running a forge in the Middle Ages.
You will be sending your assistants and the master blacksmith in various locations to gain resources in order to upgrade your forge and complete contracts. In the solo mode, your are playing against an automated opponent with its own action cards. It is launching on Kickstarter on March 21.
Personal opinion: I am generally a fan of worker placement games but the theme in this one doesn't grab me.
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Moving on to Dreams of Yesterday: this is a 1-3 player set collection game in which you are a curator trying to obtain the most interesting artifacts to exhibit in your museum.
You will be selecting and adding cards from the central market into your tableau, provided you can pay the cards' cost with cards you already have. Your aim is to score the most points. There is no info on the solo mode yet. It is launching on Kickstarter on March 21.
Personal opinion: It seems to be an okay puzzly game. Its main advantage is that it's just a deck of 27 cards.
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Then we have Let's Go! To Japan: a 1-4 player card drafting and set collection game in which you are planning a trip to Tokyo and Kyoto.
You will be picking up sight-seeing cards from the two cities, and deciding which day is best to add the card to. Cards and transport by train are going to give you happiness or stress. In the solo mode, you are playing against the Travel Agent AI. It is launching on Kickstarter on March 21.
Personal opinion: Ah, Japan! I've always wanted to visit this country but I don't know if I will ever manage. In the meantime, do I want to play a game that simulates the preparation of the trip? Maybe, if it had a scoring goal and not an AI.
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On the same day (March 21) on Kickstarter, we have another Japan-inspired game: Nekojima. This is a 1-5 player dexterity game in which you are building a power pole network on the Island of Cats.
On your turn, you will be rolling two dice that determine the colour of the districts you will place your poles at. Then, you pull out a cube from a bag that shows the colour of the cord you have to use, or whether you have to hang a cat on your cord. Your goal is to not knock the structure down.
Personal opinion: It looks like a tangled mess. Probably more fun to play against others.
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Wild Gardens is a 1-4 player set collection game in which you forage in various locations for ingredients in order to complete recipes and serve guests. There is no other information on this, unfortunately. It is launching on Backerkit on March 22.
Personal opinion: The theme reminds me a bit of PARKS but we don't know anything about the gameplay at this point.
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Ju 87 Stuka Ace is a solitaire wargame in which you are the pilot of a German Stuka aircraft in WWII.
The game simulates the details and actions of a mission, from loading the plane with bombs to hitting the target, to returning safely back to base. It comes with several missions to play, and it is launching on Gamefound on March 22.
Personal opinion: I have played a game of this type (Zeppelin Raider), and hated it. I couldn't stand the absolute randomness throughout the whole session, and having to check so many charts for dice results. I believe Ju 87 has reduced the fiddliness by using cards instead of dice but still, it follows the same system.
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On March 23 on Kickstarter, and solely for US customers, we have Unmatched Adventures: Tales to Amaze. This is a 1-4 player cooperative card game in which heroes fight against either the Mothman or the Martian Invader.
The game is based on the card dueling system of previous Unmatched games, with cards you can play from your hand as attack or defense. If you already have any other Unmatched games in your collection, you may use those heroes as well.
Personal opinion: I haven't played Unmatched, so I don't know how good it is, but I may check this one out when it hits retail.
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And the last game for today is Fall of the Ancients. This is a 1-6 player Choose-Your-Own-Adventure game set in the Hexplore It universe in which heroes are trying to stop the goddess Adrimon from destroying their land.
It is a 500-page hardcover book which works as a story-driven expansion for HexploreIt: Forests of Adrimon, and launching on Gamefound on March 24.
Personal opinion: This may be good for people who have played HexploreIt and would like some lore to go with it.
I'm the opposite of Athena; I love the them of Forge. Did you notice the BGG forum shows it as a 2-4 player game though?? 🤔
I would have backed Unmatched, but now I'll wait for the European release. I absolutely don't mind the wait.
I may or may not back the book for Hexplore It. I wish I had had the time to try the previous one to see if I like the CYOA system of scenarios, or to at least play Forests of Adrimon at least once. Extra content right now really feels unnecessary for me. But I still may get it - it will mostly depend on my finances.
What a long list of games, I was comfortable with the few releases already! Though in terms of my interests, the list is still remaining very small.
Wild Gardens is on my watchlist, but it remains there in kind of a limbo, cause as Athena pointed out, we know pretty much nothing about the game so far. Might be tempting, might be a big pass. Remains to be seen.
In terms of randomly excited for a theme and not really for the game, Let's Go! To Japan takes the cake this time! I was always charmed by the asian cultures (well some parts of them anyway), but the games usually either don't capture what I'm looking for, or fall flat…