Watch your Back: Week September 10 to 16
Hello, dear readers. Long time no post from me, I know. A change in my job has left me with almost no spare time at all. Still, I'll try to at least show up for our weekly news rendez-vous. So, let's see what next week holds.
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Flock Together is a 1-5 player cooperative game in which you play as chickens defending their territory from various predators.
Gameplay is asymmetric, and both chickens and enemies level up over the course of the game. In each round, you select two out of eight available actions to perform. You can, for example, attack, forage for food, or produce eggs to revive other players. It is launching on Kickstarter on September 12.
Personal opinion: I like the co-op nature and leveling up, but not sure about the Everdellian aesthetics. I think I would prefer it less cutesy but I'm tempted to back.
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Moving on to farm produce with Fromage: a 1-4 player worker placement game in which you are a cheese manufacturer competing with rivals for the most prestige.
The game comes with a lazy Susan board that you rotate every round. You will be selecting cheese types to make, and placing the cheese and a worker on the piece of the main board that you have in front of you. Cheese needs time to mature, so you will be able to pick up the worker after the necessary time has passed. In the solo mode, you are playing against the Corporation AI. It is launching on Kickstarter on September 12.
Personal opinion: I like the theme of this one, even though I used to hate smelly cheeses as a child. I'm not sure if it's enjoyable solo. Like a cheese platter, it seems more fun to share with other people.
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On the same day, September 12, on Gamefound, we will see the launch of three expansions for Hoplomachus: Victorum and Hoplomachus: Remastered. One expansion is for Victorum, the other is for Remastered, and the third one is for both. The campaign is also for the reprint of both base games.
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And, as far as expansions go, Mythic Mischief - a 1-4 player competitive game about students in an enchanted library - is getting one too, on September 12, on Kickstarter.
The art of Flock Together wasn't necessarily a draw for me, but I also found out it's the "fun wild west" theme. Yeah that's a high noon pass.
Fromage on the other hand, very charming. Great theme, nice mechanisms, looks gorgeous. Though not sure how the board would be in real life since they mentioned it's a "lazy Susan" and rotates each turn. The reason I'm sceptical about this is that the board is 4 "wedges" that get put together each game in any configuration you want, then there are some "inserts" that change the board wedges to reflect player count. Obviously a plate that encompasses everything under it wouldn't be feasible, so I'm wondering how it will work exactly.…
Flock Together appeals to me as well, but as I had made clear multiple times, Andrew Bosley's art is usually a deterrent for me. Add to this a tutorial video by Paula Deming and you get the bingo of modern Euro over-hyped Kickstarter. That said, I like their approach: no KS exclusives, no deluxe vs. retail version, just the game. I would have preferred if they had stick to stretch goals because it's a part of the show I enjoy, even though I take it as just that - marketing show to make the campaign more exciting. It's actually a great way to gradually reveal different features of the game. Daily stretch goals do the same, but the fact that…
On Tuesday we'll also have a new mini expansion for Endangered: the American Red Wolf Scenario. Let's see if I can suppress my completionist urges.
In the same campaign they offer "the 1st 'Endangered Rescue!' 18-card escape room": Galapagos Penguins. I have no idea what this is as I've never visited an escape room. It will make it harder to skip though, because, penguins 🐧