The Boardgame Mechanics

#podcast #boardgamemechanics #news Episode 253: Our Favorite Filler Card Games Introduction: News: Harvest Hoppers - 10 days, $38 Ancient Terrible Things: Reawakened - 11 days, $45 Games played: 13 Clues Gartenbau Valeria Card Kingdoms Our Favorite Filler Card Games: Jason 3 - Sea Salt and Paper Katie 3 - Marvel Remix Jason 2 - PUSH Katie 2 - Kobayakawa Jason 1 - Scout Katie 1 - Hagakure Honorable Mentions: Ohanami, Dark Tales, The Crew, Jaipur, Love Letter, 7 Wonders Duel, Cat Lady, Noir Closing: To check out a little bit of everything that we do visit our website at: https://www.bgmechanics.com Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theboardgamechanics Follow us on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/boardgamemechanics Tweet at us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bgmechs If you would be interested in having us review/preview a game, or just want to chat, shoot us an email at: contact@bgmechanics.com

#JasonReviews #boardgamemechanics #news 0:00 - Intro 0:07 - Title Screen 0:26 - Description of the Game 1:13 - Gameplay Overview 10:25 - Final Thoughts 12:11 - Credits During their turn, you assemble your hand, maybe place cards for their effect, and decide if you want to end the round. But do you think you are the one with the most points in hand? You will have to choose: stop the round immediately or give the others an extra turn to try to extend the gap? Is it worth taking the risk? The game ends when you reach 30/35/40 points (4/3/2 players). The excitement of ending the round to catch your opponents off guard The pleasure of playing your effect cards and making combos Origami created especially for the game! —description from the publisher For more information about Sea Salt & Paper: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/367220/sea-salt-paper To check out a little bit of everything that we do visit our website at: https://www.bgmechanics.com Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theboardgamechanics Follow us on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/boardgamemechanics Tweet at us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bgmechs If you would be interested in having us review/preview a game, or just want to chat, shoot us an email at: contact@bgmechanics.com

Source: https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-njvuw-139f4e7 Episode 252: Our Favorite Non-Card Filler Games Introduction: News: Chomp, Sail, Couture, and Mind Space - 5 days, $19/$76 Mika and the Witch’s Mountain - 6 days, $22 digital Games played: Bad Company Yggdrasil Chronicles Broken & Beautiful Our Favorite Filler Games (Non-Cards): Jason 3 - Silver & Gold Katie 3 - Shipwreck Arcana Jason 2 - Bag of Chips Katie 2 - The Legend of the Cherry Tree Jason 1 - Loco Momo Katie 1 - Walking in Burano Honorable Mentions: Ravenous River, Don’t Go in There, Sentient, PARKS: Memories, Grimm, Draftosaurus, BANG! The Dice Game, Breakdancing Meeples Closing:

#JasonReviews #BoardgameMechanics #Gartenbau 0:00 - Intro 0:07 - Title Screen 0:25 - Description of the Game 1:30 - Gameplay Overview 11:18 - Final Thoughts 14:48 - Credits Gartenbau is a 2-4 player game in which players place and lay tiles in a tableau to meet the growing requirements of drafted flower tiles. A dual track rondel combined with three layers of tile laying are at the core of this beautiful game. Take on the role of a gardener, seeking to wield your green thumb to grow a well-balanced, mature garden before the growing season ends. You will sow seeds and grow a variety of plants to fill out your garden. In addition, if you meet the complex growing condition of your Flowers, you'll earn Prestige Points for your horticultural achievements. The player who earns the most prestige at the end of the game is crowned The Master Gardener. Gartenbau is set in the late 19th century and all of the artwork used in this game is vintage from that era. This game is dedicated to all of the unknown artists who created wonderful works for various seed and flower catalogs during that period, leaving their mark on a beautiful era for garden art. —description from the publisher For more information about Gartenbau: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/268188/gartenbau To check out a little bit of everything that we do visit our website at: https://www.bgmechanics.com Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theboardgamechanics Follow us on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/boardgamemechanics Tweet at us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bgmechs If you would be interested in having us review/preview a game, or just want to chat, shoot us an email at: contact@bgmechanics.com ***Review copy provided by 25th Century Games***

#JasonReviews #BoardgameMechanics #BrokenandBeautiful 0:00 - Intro 0:09 - Title Screen 0:28 - Description of the Game 1:14 - Gameplay Overview 7:39 - Final Thoughts 10:44 - Credits "Kintsugi" is the Japanese art of using golden lacquer to repair broken pottery. In Broken and Beautiful, players draft cards like bowls, cups, and tea jars to create high-scoring sets. As some pieces inevitably break, players must judiciously repair what has been shattered. Whole pottery is valuable. Broken dishes are worthless. That which has broken and been repaired is uniquely precious. —description from the publisher For more information about Broken and Beautiful: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/359974/broken-and-beautiful-game-about-kintsugi To check out a little bit of everything that we do visit our website at: https://www.bgmechanics.com Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theboardgamechanics Follow us on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/boardgamemechanics Tweet at us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bgmechs If you would be interested in having us review/preview a game, or just want to chat, shoot us an email at: contact@bgmechanics.com

#JasonReviews #BoardgameMechanics #OhMyBrain 0:00 - Intro 0:08 - Title Screen 0:26 - Description of the Game 2:02 - Gameplay Overview 11:11 - Final Thoughts 13:56 - Credits Summer nights, the woods, and the campfires where it is good to roast marshmallows — it doesn't get better than this! Well - that is about to change! Suddenly, out of the bushes, hordes of zombie animals are rushing towards you. Do they want to steal your marshmallows? Not at all! It's your brains they want to cube and roast over the campfire. Your goal in Oh My Brain is to rid yourself of these assailants — that is, the cards in your hand — as quickly as possible to avoid gradually losing your mind because losing your brain entirely means being transformed into a zombie...and losing the game! The card deck consists of cards numbered 0-19, and to start a round of play each player takes three cards from the deck and places one in their "cemetery" (a card holder) and the other two in their hand. They then do this twice more to have a hand of six cards and a campfire of three cards. Each player starts with a number of brain tokens. On a turn, you must play to the central pile (campfire), playing a number higher than the current highest number. You can play multiple copies of the same number, and if you do, you place all copies of that number after the first one into the cemetery of one or more opponents. You can always play a 0, which restarts the pile. If you play an 8, the next player must play lower than an 8, then the pile ascends again. If you play an 11, you take another turn. If you play certain high or low cards, you must roll the special die, which may have you play again, steal a brain from another player, swap campfires with an opponent, or take some other action. If you cannot play, you lose a brain token, clear the pile, draw two cards, place one of those cards in your cemetery, then start the pile again by playing from your hand. If you have fewer than three cards in hand at the end of a turn, refill your hand to three from the cards in your campfire. If you have played all of your cards, success! You have fended off the zombie animals, and all opponents lose a brain token for each card in their hand and cemetery. If any player has no brains remaining, the player with the most brain tokens wins; otherwise, shuffle the cards and play another round, starting with the player who has the fewest brains. —description from the publisher For more information about Oh My Brain: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/303676/oh-my-brain To check out a little bit of everything that we do visit our website at: https://www.bgmechanics.com Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theboardgamechanics Follow us on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/boardgamemechanics Tweet at us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bgmechs If you would be interested in having us review/preview a game, or just want to chat, shoot us an email at: contact@bgmechanics.com ***Review Copy Provided by 25th Century Games***

#JasonReviews #BoardgameMechanics #SunnyDaySardines 0:00 - Intro 0:08 - Title Screen 0:56 - Description of the Game 1:50 - Gameplay Overview 4:49 - Final Thoughts 6:34 - Credits Welcome to Sunny Day Sardines cannery! Competition is tough for the coveted Employee of the Month Award. Do you have what it takes to gather fish and pack the most orders? If so, then you’re hired! Sunny Day Sardines is a fun and quick pocket sized game where players take turns gathering sardines and using them to complete orders for points. Whoever has the most points at the end of the game wins and is named the Employee of the Month at the Sunny Day Sardines cannery. This travel size game even comes in a metal tin! Sunny Day Sardines is a family fun game with easy to learn rules suitable for all ages. Game play is quick to explain and get right to playing. Let's find out how: On a player's turn they can do one of two things: collect two fish from the market (two different single fish cards or one double fish card) OR turn in fish they've already collected to complete order cards from the display. Players will take turns until the last order card is placed into the display, then finish the round. Most points from collected order cards wins! —description from the publisher For more information about Sunny Day Sardines: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/335872/sunny-day-sardines To check out a little bit of everything that we do visit our website at: https://www.bgmechanics.com Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theboardgamechanics Follow us on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/boardgamemechanics Tweet at us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bgmechs If you would be interested in having us review/preview a game, or just want to chat, shoot us an email at: contact@bgmechanics.com ***Review copy provided by 25th Century Games***

#JasonReviews #BoardgameMechanics #Gasha 0:00 - Intro 0:07 - Title Screen 0:26 - Description of the Game 1:28 - Gameplay Overview 9:47 - Final Thoughts 12:16 - Credits You put a coin in the machine and crank the handle, but you can't predict which Gasha you will get! These Gashas will be used to collect set rewards for points, and, sometimes, bonus tokens. You win by obtaining the most points! On your turn in Gasha, you either draw two Gasha cards or trade Gasha cards for a set reward card, which counts as points while also being half of a ticket. As soon as you have two ticket halves, you draw a bonus token. When the last bonus token has been taken or when the set reward pile is empty, the game ends and whoever has the most collection, bonus and Gasha points wins. —description from the publisher For more information about Gasha: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/340899/gasha To check out a little bit of everything that we do visit our website at: https://www.bgmechanics.com Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theboardgamechanics Follow us on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/boardgamemechanics Tweet at us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bgmechs If you would be interested in having us review/preview a game, or just want to chat, shoot us an email at: contact@bgmechanics.com ***Review copy provided by 25th Century Games***

Source: https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-cgx3c-137fc03 Episode 250: Our Anticipated Expansions/Reprints of 2023 Introduction: News: Hollywood 1947 - 12 days left, $27 Manhattan Project: War Machine - 10 days, $35 Games played: Crusaders w/ Expansion Tapestry Most Anticipated Expansions/Reprints of 2023: Jason 5 - Lords of Vegas: Americana Katie 5 - Ark Nova: Aquarius Jason 4 - Flick of Faith: Cherry Blossom Katie 4 - ArchRavels: Magic Socks Jason 3 - Lawyer Up: Season 2 Katie 3 - IKI: Akebono Jason 2 - ZhanGuo Expansion Katie 2 - Tang Garden Big Box and expansions Jason 1 - Wonderland’s War: Shards of Madness Katie 1 - Castles of Mad King Ludwig: Renovations Honorable Mentions: Santa’s Workshop: Second Edition, Ancient Terrible Things: Reawakened, Watson & Holmes II, Bang! The Great Train Robbery, Roll Player Adventures: Gulpax’s Secret,Tanto Cuore: Memento Mori, Tekhenu: Obelisk of the Sun Warmth of a Cat mini-expansionClosing:

Source: https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-4x2hb-1375e8b Episode 249: Our Anticipated Games of 2023 Introduction: News: Serge Laget Tribute Hasbro/WotC Controversy Games played: My Lil’ Everdell Viticulture Bitoku Most Anticipated Games of 2023: Jason 5 - Luthier Katie 5 - Maple Valley Jason 4 - Hickory Dickory Katie 4 - Ryozen Jason 3 - Skyrise Katie 3 - Age of Inventors Jason 2 - Septima Katie 2 - The White Castle Jason 1 - Unconscious Mind Katie 1 - Distilled Honorable Mentions: Scarface 1920, The Stuff of Legend, First in Flight, Bark Avenue, Artisans, Sail Arborea, Flowar, Fika, Illiterati, Bamboo, The Potter’s Apprentice, Haunticulture, Books of Time, Jerusalem Anno Domini Closing:

#JasonReviews #BoardgameMechanics #MyLilEverdell 0:00 - Intro 0:10 - Title Screen 0:28 - Description of the Game 1:16 - Gameplay Overview 10:35 - Final Thoughts 14:10 - Credits Introducing the best board game for little fans of Everdell, My Lil Everdell. Join Chip, Sweep, and the other kids of Everdell to build the most spectacular make-believe city anyone has ever built. This easy to learn worker-placement and tableau building game will provide family fun while getting the lil’ ones' brains a buzzin’, improving focus and enhancing young learner skills. Climb across the rope bridge, watch out for the dragon’s den, and join us in the fort for the latest addition to the award-winning Everdell line, My Lil Everdell. —description from the publisher For more information about My Lil' Everdell: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/375852/my-lil-everdell To check out a little bit of everything that we do visit our website at: https://www.bgmechanics.com Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theboardgamechanics Follow us on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/boardgamemechanics Tweet at us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bgmechs If you would be interested in having us review/preview a game, or just want to chat, shoot us an email at: contact@bgmechanics.com ***Review Copy Provided by Starling Games***

#JasonReviews #BoardgameMechanics #MyLilEverdell In case you didn't catch our live play of My Lil' Everdell on Facebook we wanted to post it here for all of you to check out. Jason and Rory play to see who can build the best tableau in Everdell. For more information about My Lil' Everdell: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/375852/my-lil-everdell Follow us on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/boardgamemechanics Tweet at us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bgmechs If you would be interested in having us review/preview a game, or just want to chat, shoot us an email at: contact@bgmechanics.com

#JasonReviews #BoardgameMechanics #Purim 0:00 - Intro 0:07 - Title Screen 0:25 - Description of the Game 1:21 - Gameplay Overview 13:52 - Final Thoughts 17:05 - Credits The Book of Esther describes the harrowing tale of a young girl and the fate of the Jewish people. The villainous Haman has been put to death, but his murderous plan lives on through his ten sons. You are loyal messengers of the King and Queen, tasked with putting a stop to the hatred infecting the empire and securing peace for the children of Israel. Purim is a cooperative card-management and area-control game. You and your fellow messengers must work together to spread the King’s proclamation, represented by gold cubes, to all the far-flung provinces of the empire. At the same time Haman’s ten sons are trying to orchestrate the destruction of the Jewish people by spreading their false messages, represented by black cubes. Every round each player will receive a set number of Action Cards that have a Loyal Action, an Evil Action, and an End Effect. Players simultaneously select one Action Card from their hand and then reveal it. The Action Cards are then processed based each card's number with the card's Loyal Action happening first before the Evil Action. Loyal Actions will generally add gold cubes to the board, move Messengers, or remove Sons of Haman while Evil Actions will generally add black cubes or move the Calendar tile forward. This process of selecting and playing Action Cards repeats until all but one card has been played in each player's hand. When this occurs the last cards are revealed and the cards processed in numerical order with only the End Effect happening. The round then ends and a new round begins. The game end triggers when either the Calendar tile reaches the end of the Calendar, or players run out of gold or black cubes. If each Province has gold cubes equal to or greater than the number of black cubes, the players win the game. If even one Province has more black cubes than gold cubes, the players have failed the King and lose the game. —description from the publisher For more information about Purim: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/373444/purim To check out a little bit of everything that we do visit our website at: https://www.bgmechanics.com Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theboardgamechanics Follow us on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/boardgamemechanics Tweet at us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bgmechs If you would be interested in having us review/preview a game, or just want to chat, shoot us an email at: contact@bgmechanics.com ***Review copy provided by Funhill Games***

#JasonReviews #BoardgameMechanics #TerracottaArmy 0:00 - Intro 0:07 - Title Screen 0:26 - Description of the Game 1:14 - Gameplay Overview 22:45 - Final Thoughts 25:25 - Credits Emperor Qin Shi Huang has passed away. To protect him in the afterlife, a great army in the form of statues of faithful warriors must be assembled to stand guard in the Emperor's tomb. You will be among those tasked with building this magnificent army. In Terracotta Army, you represent talented craftsmen and artists laboring to build the wondrous assembly of statues. During the game, you collect resources, upgrade your workers, and seek favor with the Emperor's advisors. Your goal is to play a crucial role in the process of creating the terracotta army, and your success is measured in victory points (VPs). During the game, you and your fellow players build the army together, but after the fifth round of the game is over, only one of you — the one with the most points — will stand as the winner. During the game, you place warrior miniatures within the mausoleum, forming groups. A group's miniatures may belong to multiple players as denoted by the player bases on those miniatures. Multiple separate groups consisting of the same type of miniature may exist within the mausoleum. You will have many opportunities to score points based on domination and presence. To achieve domination, you must be the only player with the most of the specific resource or type of statue currently being scored. (If you are the only player, you have domination.) To have presence, you must have at least one of the specific resource or type of statue currently being scored. At the end of the fifth round, the player with the most VPs wins. —description from the publisher For more information about Terracotta Army: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/350458/terracotta-army To check out a little bit of everything that we do visit our website at: https://www.bgmechanics.com Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theboardgamechanics Follow us on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/boardgamemechanics Tweet at us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bgmechs If you would be interested in having us review/preview a game, or just want to chat, shoot us an email at: contact@bgmechanics.com ***Review Copy Provided by Board&Dice***

Episode 248: Our Top 100 Games of All Time (10-1) Introduction: News: Dr. Finn’s Games now on Gamefound ArtiSlime, 10 days, $6 Games played: Jaws On Tour: Paris Our Top 100 Games of All Time (10-1): Jason 10 - Viticulture Essential Edition Katie 10 - Council of 4 Jason 9 - Coimbra Katie 9 - The Voyages of Marco Polo Jason 8 - Orleans Katie 8 - Alma Mater Jason 7 - Grand Austria Hotel Katie 7 - Pret-a-Porter Jason 6 - The Quacks of Quedlinburg Katie 6 - Rococo Jason 5 - Vinhos Katie 5 - Belgian Beers Race Jason 4 - Tapestry Katie 4 - Shakespeare Jason 3 - Merlin Katie 3 - Newton Jason 2 - Wonderland’s War Katie 2 - Grand Austria Hotel Jason 1 - The Gallerist Katie 1 - Coimbra Closing:

Source: https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-6by5g-1362812 Episode 247: Our Top 100 Games of All Time (20-11) Introduction: News: Play Rewind Eject - 11 days, $25/$75 Games played: Orichalcum 221B Baker Street: The Master Detective Game Our Top 100 Games of All Time (20-11): Jason 20 - The Voyages of Marco Polo Katie 20 - London Jason 19 - Lisboa Katie 19 - Obsession Jason 18 - Hadara Katie 18 - Lorenzo il Magnifico Jason 17 - Abomination: The Heir of Frankenstein Katie 17 - Merlin Jason 16 - Concordia Katie 16 - Wingspan Jason 15 - London Katie 15 - Genotype Jason 14 - Obsession Katie 14 - Elysium Jason 13 - Bruges Katie 13 - Red Rising Jason 12 - Pret-a-Porter Katie 12 - The Gallerist Jason 11 - Tzolk’in: The Mayan Calendar Katie 11 - Rajas of the Ganges Closing:

#JasonReviews #BoardgameMechanics #Hollywood1947 0:00 - Intro 0:09 - Title Screen 0:26 - Description of the Game 1:58 - Gameplay Overview 12:05 - Final Thoughts 16:24 - Credits The year is 1947 and you are a member of the thriving movie-making industry of Hollywood. However, it is suspected that there are communists hiding among your small production studio slipping “un-Patriotic” messages, themes, props, and lines into your movies! Will you be able to find all the communists before your studio is shut down? Or will you be suspected yourself and banned from the industry? In the game each player will secretly be a Patriot, Communist, or Rising Star. Each round every player will have a unique Job to perform (such as the Screenwriter, Gaffer, Director, Actor, Editor, etc). These jobs will affect what kind of movie is getting made that round, what cards are in players’ hands, and who will receive special information. Players can choose to skip their jobs to instead re-roll any two of the dice in the game. At the end of each round the players with stars showing on their dice will get to add a card into the movie. The added cards will be shuffled, one will be removed, and the rest will be revealed. The team with the majority of revealed symbols (including the symbols on that round’s movie poster) wins the round! Indicate the winning team for the round by placing that team’s matching film-strip over the movie poster. The first team to win 4 rounds wins the game! The Rising Star plays both sides by trying to make the game go to 7 rounds and making the 7th round a tie. Hollywood 1947 is a social deduction game. You must never show your cards or loyalty to anyone, but you may say whatever you’d like about the cards you put into a movie, or about your true allegiance. Open discussion about which cards were added into a movie is encouraged. However, if you are a Communist or the Rising Star, lying will often help you accomplish your goals since the majority of players will be Patriots. That’s a wrap. Most players get the hang of the game after only a few minutes. So let’s go make some movies, but be careful who you trust! Hollywood 1947 is the 5th standalone game in the Dark Cities Series by Facade Games. Previous games in the series include Salem 1692, Tortuga 1667, Deadwood 1876, and Bristol 1350. —description from the publisher You can follow the Kickstarter at this link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/travishancock/hollywood-1947-a-movie-making-game-of-strategy-and-deception For more information about Hollywood 1947: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/370621/hollywood-1947 To check out a little bit of everything that we do visit our website at: https://www.bgmechanics.com Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theboardgamechanics Follow us on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/boardgamemechanics Tweet at us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bgmechs If you would be interested in having us review/preview a game, or just want to chat, shoot us an email at: contact@bgmechanics.com ***Preview copy provided by Facade Games***

Episode 246: Our Top 100 Games of All Time (30-21) Introduction: News: Circus Break - 5 days, $23 Games played: First Rat Witchstone Our Top 100 Games of All Time (30-21): Jason 30 - Bonfire Katie 30 - Tekhenu: Obelisk of the Sun Jason 29 - Dinosaur Island Katie 29 - Orleans Jason 28 - The Prodigals Club Katie 28 - Venice Jason 27 - Rococo Katie 27 - Paris Jason 26 - Terraforming Mars Katie 26 - Nidavellir Jason 25 - Lords of Vegas Katie 25 - Hadara Jason 24 - Euphoria: Build a Better Dystopia Katie 24 - Iki Jason 23 - Council of 4 Katie 23 - Maracaibo Jason 22 - Tekhenu: Obelisk of the Sun Katie 22 - Merchants of the Dark Road Jason 21 - Lorenzo il Magnifico Katie 21 - Wonderland’s War Closing:

#JasonReviews #BoardgameMechanics #CatintheBox 0:00 - Intro 0:08 - Title Screen 0:27 - Description of the Game 1:40 - Gameplay Overview 11:22 - Final Thoughts 16:01 - Credits Cat in the Box: Deluxe Edition is the quintessential quantum trick-taking card game for 2 - 5 cool cats, where your card’s color isn’t defined until you play it! Hypothesize how many tricks you will win, and record your bid. Place tokens on the community research board as you play your hand, and connect large groups of tokens to score even more points. Plan your tricks carefully as you cannot claim the color of a card with the same number that has already been declared. Doing so would be pawsitively catastrophic as you have just created a paradox! New Deluxe Edition features: Supports 2-5 players High quality geekbits-style plastic tokens Recessed player boards Recessed Center Research board Score pad And a custom plastic insert to keep Cat in the Box: Deluxe Edition tidy! —description from the publisher For more information about Cat in the Box: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/345972/cat-box-deluxe-edition To check out a little bit of everything that we do visit our website at: https://www.bgmechanics.com Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theboardgamechanics Follow us on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/boardgamemechanics Tweet at us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bgmechs If you would be interested in having us review/preview a game, or just want to chat, shoot us an email at: contact@bgmechanics.com

#JasonReviews #BoardgameMechanics #Witchstone 0:00 - Intro 0:06 - Title Screen 0:25 - Description of the Game 1:52 - Gameplay Overview 15:55 - Final Thoughts 20:41 - Credits As established representatives of your guild, you gather around an ancient sacred stone, the significance and magical powers of which are known to adepts only. Each player occupies one of the four towers around the Witchstone and starts from there. Create your magic spells with the help of your cauldron, and put a network of magic energy around the stone. Send out your witches, scoop the magic crystals out of the cauldron, make use of the pentagram and the magic wand, and keep an eye on the prophecy scrolls in order to ensure victory. Not all options are always available to you. Only if you cleverly make the most of your opportunities will you have the chance of accumulating the most victory points over the eleven rounds and thereby win Witchstone. Each player in the game has a personal cauldron that bears seven crystals and six pre-printed magic icons, and they share a larger game board that features a crystal ball that shows the entire landscape. Each player has a set of fifteen domino tiles, with each half of the domino being a hexagon; each domino depicts two different magic icons from the six used in the game. On a turn, you place one of the five face-up dominos in your reserve onto your cauldron, then you take the action associated with each icon depicted on that domino; if the icon is adjacent to other dominos showing the same icon (or the matching pre-printed icon), then you can take that action as many times as the number of icons in that cluster. You must complete the first type of action completely before taking the second action. With these actions, you can: Use energy to connect your starting tower to other locations on the game board, scoring 1, 3 or 6 points depending on the length of the connection. Place witches next to your starting tower on the game board or move them across your energy network to other locations. As you do this, you gain points and possibly additional actions to use the same turn. Move your token around a pentagram to collect points and to acquire bonus hex tiles; you can use these tiles immediately for actions or place them in your cauldron to make future tile placement more valuable. Move the crystals in your cauldron, whether to make room for future tile placement or to gain bonus actions by ejecting the crystal completely. Advance on a magic wand to gain points and take additional actions, with the actions being doubled should you currently be the most advanced player on the wand. Claim scroll cards that boost future actions or earn you bonus points at game's end depending on how well you've completed the prophecy depicted. After each player has completed eleven turns — which could equal 40-60 actions depending on how well you've used your cauldron — the game ends and players tally their points from prophecies and other collected scoring markers to see who has the highest score. —description from the publisher For more information about Witchstone: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/318560/witchstone To check out a little bit of everything that we do visit our website at: https://www.bgmechanics.com Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theboardgamechanics Follow us on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/boardgamemechanics Tweet at us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bgmechs If you would be interested in having us review/preview a game, or just want to chat, shoot us an email at: contact@bgmechanics.com

#JasonReviews #BoardgameMechanics #FirstRat 0:00 - Intro 0:07 - Title Screen 0:25 - Description of the Game 2:25 - Gameplay Overview 16:25 - Final Thoughts 19:06 - Credits For generations, the rats in the old junkyard have been telling each other the great legend about a moon made out of cheese and they want nothing more than to reach this inexhaustible treasure. One day, the little rat children discovered a comic in the junkyard that described the first landing on the moon, and thus the plan was born: Build a rocket and take over the cheese moon! Fortunately, the junkyard has everything the rats need to build their rocket, and the other animals are willing to support this daring venture — at least if they're well paid. Of course, all the rats work together to achieve this mighty goal. However, each rat family competes to build the most rocket parts and to train the most rattronauts so they can feast on as much of the lunar cheese as possible. In First Rat, each player starts with two rats and may raise two more. On your turn, you either move one of your rats 1-5 spaces on the path or move 2-4 of your rats 1-3 spaces each as long as they end up on spaces of the same color. Your rats can never share the same space, and if you land in a space with another player's rat, you must pay them one cheese, borrowing cheese from the back as needed. After movement, you collect resources (cheese, tin cans, apple cores, baking soda, etc.) matching the color of the space you occupy or move your lightbulb along the light string, which will boost your income in future turns. (More lights in the junkyard makes it easier for you to find things!) If you end movement near a store, you can spend resources to buy a backpack or bottle top — or you can steal an item instead, with the rat then returning to the start of the movement track. You can also spend resources to build rocket sections (and score points) or spend cheese in bulk as a donation (and score points). When you pick up apple cores, you move around the rat burrow to pick up comics or stored food or raise one of your rats from the nursery. Alternatively, you automatically get a new rat when one of your rats reaches the launch pad and boards the spaceship. When a player places their fourth rat on the spaceship — or places their eighth scoring marker on the board — the game ends, and the player with the most points wins. In the event of a tie, the tied player with the most rattronauts in the rocket wins. First Rat includes a solo mode as well as variable game set-ups described in the rulebook. —description from the publisher For more information about First Rat: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/347703/first-rat To check out a little bit of everything that we do visit our website at: https://www.bgmechanics.com Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theboardgamechanics Follow us on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/boardgamemechanics Tweet at us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bgmechs If you would be interested in having us review/preview a game, or just want to chat, shoot us an email at: contact@bgmechanics.com

Source: https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-b9wfq-1350f3e Episode 245: Our Top 100 Games of All Time (40-31) Introduction: News: Racing Reindeer - 5 days, $29 Games played: Everdell Spirecrest Expansion Woodcraft Our Top 100 Games of All Time (40-31): Jason 40 - Champions of Midgard Katie 40 - Champions of Midgard Jason 39 - Brass Katie 39 - Clank! Jason 38 - Genotype: A Mendelian Genetics Game Katie 38 - Boonlake Jason 37 - Gugong Katie 37 - Clinic Jason 36 - Paris Katie 36 - Castles of Mad King Ludwig Jason 35 - Alma Mater Katie 35 - Quacks of Quedlinburg Jason 34 - De Vulgari Eloquentia Katie 34 - Bitoku Jason 33 - Five Tribes Katie 33 - Creature Comforts Jason 32 - Kanban Katie 32 - Tapestry Jason 31 - Trajan Katie 31 - Concordia Closing:

#JasonReviews #BoardgameMechanics #WhereAmI 0:00 - Intro 0:09 - Title Screen 0:27 - Description of the Game 1:22 - Gameplay Overview 9:29 - Final Thoughts 15:04 - Credits In the game of Where am I ? Alice in a Mad Tea party, you are a character who has strayed into Alice's Wonderland. Being invited, you attend a tea party hiding your identity. You earn points if you make the party gorgeous by collecting cups and pots in front of your pawn. But if someone else correctly figures out your identity, your points are lost to that player. Anyone may place cups and pots on the table, and their pawn on any chair. When you make a move, you should be cautious not to give a hint of your identity to anyone else. At the end of the game, the highest scorer wins. —description from the publisher For more information about Where Am I? Alice in a Mad Tea Party: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/290611/where-am-i-alice-mad-tea-party To check out a little bit of everything that we do visit our website at: https://www.bgmechanics.com Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theboardgamechanics Follow us on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/boardgamemechanics Tweet at us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bgmechs If you would be interested in having us review/preview a game, or just want to chat, shoot us an email at: contact@bgmechanics.com

#100Beyond100 #BoardgameMechanics #Top200 This is a replay of our Facebook Live 100 Beyond the 100 (145-135) from 12.26.2022. Jason's 145-135: 135 In the Year of the Dragon: 10th Anniversary 136 Kraftwagen 137 Black Orchestra 138 Notre Dame: 10th Anniversary 139 Red Rising 140 Ancient Terrible Things 141 Eternal Palace 142 Black Fleet 143 Gem Hens 144 Dark Tales 145 Bermuda Triangle Katie's 145-135: 135 Planted 136 Grimm: A Card GAme 137 Marvel United 138 Moonshine Empire 139 Awkward Guests 140 Abyss 141 Don't Go In There 142 Draftosaurus 143 Marvel Remix 144 Home Stretch 145 Legacy: Testament of Duke De Crecy To check out a little bit of everything that we do visit our website at: https://www.bgmechanics.com Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theboardgamechanics Follow us on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/boardgamemechanics Tweet at us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bgmechs If you would be interested in having us review/preview a game, or just want to chat, shoot us an email at: contact@bgmechanics.com

Source: https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-syhcd-134615f Episode 244: Our Top 100 Games of All Time (50-41): Introduction: Merry Christmas! Katie is alive! News: Dungeons & Co - 5 days, $49 Bah humbug! - 10 days, $29 Games played: Marvel United X-Men Sentinels and Nimrod Pirate 21 Our Top 100 Games of All Time (50-41): Jason 50 - Maracaibo Katie 50 - Covert Jason 49 - Wingspan Katie 49 - The One Hundred Torii Jason 48 - The Godfather: Corleone’s Empire Katie 48 - Taverns of Tiefenthal Jason 47 - Thebes Katie 47 - Thebes Jason 46 - Aquasphere Katie 46 - Ark Nova Jason 45 - Merkator Katie 45 - Dinosaur Island Jason 44 - Merchants of the Dark Road Katie 44 - Tang Garden Jason 43 - Venice Katie 43 - Santa Monica Jason 42 - Newton Katie 42 - Merkator Jason 41 - Wreck Raiders Katie 41 - Everdell Closing: