Abracadabra review by Tom Vasel

I like Puerto Rico and Tigris & Euphrates quite a bit and I'm champing at the bit to try out Caylus at Essen next month, but I think the simplicity and ability to play a game so quickly would have to make Samurai my favorite game. While this is a pure numbers game, it never feels like an exercise in mathematics. It is certainly not a game that lends itself to a single path to victory and its unique endgame reckoning is brilliant. The fact that the bits are so well prodcued certainly adds to the allure.
- Richard Bethany

My favorite game is Ra. Why do I love it? Let me count the ways: it is certainly the most elegant game design I have ever played. The way the sun tiles become part of the next auction lot, the progression of value and nicely varied types of tiles, the organic method of ending a round, the simplicity of the once around bid combined with the single-number bidding chips, and the clean lines of the art - wow! Add that to the fact that Ra plays pretty quickly, is done in about thirty minutes and is just a lot of fun - and all that with lots of interesting choices to be made throughout the game. How can you top that?
Keep up the great work - the show's a blast

My favorite game is... wait, this is a hard question!
OK, I'm gonna go with Warhammer Quest. I haven't played in a while, but it's a lot of fun and it's a
great cooperative exploration game.
Other recent favorite games are:

Having just recently found German style games I would have to say that my favorite game is Carcassonne. I picked this up a few weeks ago and my wife and I have been playing it pretty much every day. We just picked up the Inns & Cathedrals expansion which has added to the enjoyment. We also got the Count expansion but have not had a chance to try it out.

My favorite game (at the moment) is War of the Ring. Actually, I don’t really have ONE favorite game, since it highly depends on who I’m playing with and how I’m feeling, and how much time is available, etc., etc. But War of the Ring is recently the first game that comes to mind when someone asks what my favorite game is. The theme is well integrated, the weight is just right for me, and it looks fantastic.

Favorite Game -- War of the Ring (SPI version!!!) -- I think my brother and I first got this game around 1978. He was about twice my age, but I could also beat him as the Fellowship. He could never roll a one to spot the Fellowship. It and "The Hobbit" were essentially my introductions to "The Lord of the Rings." I think the game is better than the book (as you can have multiple endings) and some say that the book was the best book of the century. I've even had dreams about the game. My first copy got toasted when our house caught on fire, so my brother luckily found an out-of-print copy of it pre-ebay days. - Chris Reuber

Chris is one of the few people I've seen who actually like this game, let alone it be their # 1! - Tom

This is a tough question as there are several games that I enjoy much more than others. Unfortunately these games have little in common with each other. We discussed this question this past week after gaming and decided that a better way to phrase this is the standard desert island question: if you could only take one game with you, what would it be? Eventually I had it down to two games (Through the Desert and Bridges of Shangri-la). Of the two I believe that Through the Desert is the closest to a perfect game design that I have ever encountered (certainly Knizia's best design) and that is the game I would choose.

Also- I haven't listened to the entire show (yet) so I don't know (yet) what your top ten 3-player games are, therefore this may be premature. Tower of Babel is an excellent 3-player game (and awful with 4 or 5). I am convinced that the game was designed for 3 players as it falls apart with more.

Favorite Game:Believe it or not but I am having a hard time deciding on one favorite game because I love so many! But if I had to choose right now, it would be MAG BLAST because so many newbies love it and it is a great game to introduce to people and it is a game that is fun to play over and over again!

My favorite game(right now), is Shadows over Camelot. It's my favorite game because i think it's the most fun game that we have. The appeal for me is that you interact with your fellow players and you are into the game even when it's not your turn. It's not the 'best' game, but it's currently my favorite based on the fun factor.

My top game has to be Ticket to Ride.

This game is my number 1 because it's the only game that I own (While my collection is very limited) that my girl friend likes to play, and will actually request that we play on random nights. I'm really excited about trying to convert non-gamers onto games witht his game, as you said it's a good first game to teach.

Favorite game: De Bellis Antiquitatis (DBA)

Reason: Miniature wargaming without the need for a lot of space, money, miniatures or time. Perfect for someone lime me who has a short attention span, an interest in ancient war, a low budget, a desire to build too many armies and a modest size apartment. I love the problem solving feel while playing. Its like a more complex version of chess with some chance added. DBAOnline is also a great resource.

Keep up the good work guys the show is excellent, very entertaining & it has got me interested in boardgames where I was only interested in miniature gaming before. I have even bought a few to play with my girlfriend .

My favorite game is Shipwrecked.

Why?
-Inexpensive
-Scales from 2 to 4 nicely
-Great artwork on the cards
-Cool gems as money
-Fairly easy to explain
-Can play fast and can play longer depending on the winning conditions set
-Most games I have played are close matches
-Creates an unexplainable intensity at many points of the game
-Made by a great company (OOTB)

My current favorite game is Stalingrad Pocket II from The Gamers. However I must add some comments. The reason I picked this game is that I got to play it last weekend with real players at HomerCon. I was given the German troops in and around Staligrad, which where quickly surrounded under my newbie leadership. I did learn a great deal about the game system while I played with John Buse (from Consimworld) and Lance F, who lives around here so I may have a real live face to face opponent sometime here. I also got to play Naval Battles with Mike Reed (consimworld) and his son Travis, this was a fun little card game of WWII naval warfare. Once my forces were surrounded in Stalingrad, Travis Reed was looking for someone to play LnL Band of Heroes with him so I gave my forces back to the other German player in SPII. Travis knew what he was doing in BoH, and was teaching me how much that game is not like ASL. There is no final protective fire in defensive fire once your units fire they are done. As I learned as an American hero with a satchel charge strapped to his back walked into my stone building with three German squads and a leader. In melee, the lone hero killed all the Germans except the leader, but I was able to eliminate the hero as well. The game is hard for someone who is used to playing ASL, but quick and fun. I was able to secure a victory at the very end of the game when a leader carrying an MG34 charged into three American squads with a leader that we shaken, thus sealing Travis fate. But it was a close game, and fun. Travis will be a great gamer as he gets older. I hope I get a chance to play against him again. Whoops I am rambling.

All that said my all time favorite wargame would still have to be ASL, for the simple fact that I have had more history with it.

My favorite boardgame would have to be Carrcassone, I like the building aspect to it. I enjoy seeing the cities forming, and planning how I would invade my wife's territories and reduce her cities to rubble, if the game allowed me to do that.

Some comments on the show, it's great. I enjoy the dynamic that you two have with each other. I use your reviews of games to make lists of games I would like to try or buy. That said I would like to hear more about what each of you think about the games you play and review, you already do this now, but maybe a section where each of you talk about one game and discuss why you liked or didn't like it and then you could give it a rating like thumbs up or down, but you would need a more gamer rating like 1 pip to 6 pips on a six sider or Tom could give it some Euro phrase for good or bad, and Joe give it a rating of buttoned up or crew exposed, or DM'ed and Berserked. Not sure on that but i am sure you two could come up with something good for it. I enjoy getting both or your perspectives on games, I also enjoy when you give each other a hard time, as I can tell it is friendly.

Joe, from the last two shows I think you have recommended solo games for wargamers. I just wanted to let you know about a couple more that are good for solo play. SASL, I can not believe that you did not mention Solitaire ASL, this a great way to play ASL, and you can make it a campaign and follow you units progress through the war. Also The Gamers Napoleonic and ACW games are very good for solo play if you use the command system, it is like you are watching the battle unfold in front of you, I think that the TCS might work well too.

#1 game: Magic: the Gathering. Why?
-flexible
-fast
-fun
-strategic
-enjoyable deck-building
-multiple formats
-card interactions are pretty cool, too.

Now, if I could only PLAY the game once in a while! I don't like the gazillion expansions constantly coming out, and that many people who used to play have now quit.

My favorite game is The Princes of Florence.
I like the theme, the auctions (which are always tense), and having to change strategies on the fly based on what you win in the auction or what's left in the actions. Laying buildings down Tetris-style is cool. Getting a Jester for $200 is fun. And a 5-player game of PoF is probably the most tense game I've played...and even sweeter when I win!

Thanks!

Scott Firestone IV
(You could give me an extra vote since my name is Scott and the designer is Scottish...)

I would say that my favorite game is Settlers. It was the game that started it all for me and I still enjoy playing today. I have played this game at least once a week at school. Maybe I like it so much because I can win about 50 percent of the time (trust me I don't win too many games) but I still love playing it even when I don't. I love managing my resources and picking the best spots at the start is just great fun.

One day, some designer (probably Knizia) will come up with the absolute perfect game design and the heavens will open and angels will sing and all will be right with the world. Until then, we have Samurai. It's short. It has very little luck. The components look fantastic. It scales well from 2-4 players. It's very tense, but it's not hard at all to learn. Absolutely fantastic.

Favorite Game: Chess

Reason: There is no luck in chess, not counting your opponent, making it the best wargame of all time. Some may disagree, but it is the most fair one out there. There is also so much thinking and strategy involved, making it a game that people can study their whole lives and not master. And unlike some other games, no one has been able to figure out a "perfect" strategy, and I bet no one will for many years to come.

And let me say that your show is by far the best one in all of the board gaming hobby (not that there's much competition :P), and I look foreword to listening to it for many weeks (it'd better be more than that!) to come.

Your #1 fan,

Philip Yaure

My favorite game is "Vortex" from Fantasy Flight. Originally it was sold as a collectable tile game, but has been repackaged as the game "Maelstrom" and is sold in a basic set and a expansion set. What I love about the game is that the base mechanics for the game are simple to teach but have a lot of depth for strategy and tactics. The tiles alter minor forms of the rules to add diversity and variety, making a game that is repayable and different every game. Now that it is not collectable it's inexpensive to purchase and plays in about 30 mins for 2 and under an our for 3-4 players. I prefer it 2 player but it play fine with more. You can even play partners.

Although my ratings on BGG would not indicate I think I would say might current favorite is WizKids Heroclix. Sure it is a collectible game with all the problems that come with them, i.e. it’s a money pit, people who can buy the best figures have an advantage over those who cannot, and you run into cheese-gimmick teams that are annoying. However, the reasons I am really enjoying Heroclix at the moment are as much to do with the people I play with as much as the game mechanics. First, as the father of two teenagers, I’ve always looked to hobbies to keep a link between myself and the rest of the family. Several hobbies have come and gone, but gaming has been a constant with my son and I. And presently he is really into Heroclix. We have played it for 2-3 years, although we took off some time for Mechwarrior as well. We also done historical miniatures for several years, but Heroclix is the one game where we can not only put together a quick game, but we can get together with other friends to play sanctioned tournaments every week. We’ve made some good friends that way. While helping me spend time with my teenage son is at the top of the benefit list, I do enjoy the mechanics of the game as well, and I’m not really much of a comic book fan. Te varying character attributes provide a lot of variety to the came with the almost infinite combinations add a lot to replayability. It can really be fun to work out interesting combinations of characters that interact in powerful or intriguing ways. Eurogames don’t interest my son much, and he flat out refuses to play anything with trains in it. Shadows of Camelot was a winner, and I still hold out hope for Hammer of the Scots, Crusader Rex, and Struggles of Empires, but for now, Heroclix is guaranteed to buy us some father-son time each week.

And that's it for this time. Thanks to all for entering! Remember, email us comments and questions at thedicetower@gmail.com