N is for Nemesis

 By Awaken Realms

So we backed this one on Kickstarter in Feb 2018. Before we got it, in December 2018 we backed another project by this publisher-- Tainted Grail and then another in August 2019-- Etherfields. So we were just PRAYING that the publisher would be awesome, because these games are not cheap. Well, fortunately for us, this game is amazing. If you haven't played Nemesis, you should. You should go out and buy it right now or become friends with someone who has it *wink* *wink* (Also, we did just back Nemesis: Lockdown, because who needs $ for food, am I right???)

Players: 1-5

Time: 90-180 minutes

Ages: 12+

Theme: Alien Horror Survival

Mechanics: Co-Op or Semi-Co-Op (with Hidden Agendas & Traitors), Campaign/Battle

Okay, Bonnie, why is this game amazing?

1. It's a game where you and your fellow crew mates wake up from cryo on an alien-infested ship. It's so thematic and soooooooo cool. You know, if you like the Alien franchise or sci-fi or something. Really, the game just does this theme so well. From the intruder bag mechanic to the infection mechanic to the noise mechanic to the corporation goals to scavenging for equipment, everything just builds on the theme so well.
   
2. It has different game play modes. If you're competitive (like my husband), you can play every man for himself and throw in the malicious goals. If direct confrontation with others brings the worst out in you (like me), then full co-op is the way to go. Both are options. There's even a solo mode if you feel so inclined.
   
3. The miniatures and components are AWESOME. There are tons of very detailed miniatures. There are several different sculpts for the adult aliens and the queen is huge.
4. It just plays well. Yes, there are a lot of rules to remember and YES, the rulebook is kind of long and poorly laid out, but once you get the rules down, it flows well. There isn't too much waiting (assuming other players also understand the rules and don't lollygag).
5.  If you lose, you can play the aliens. Cool!
   

We have played this game several times now, twice with 2 players and twice with 3 players. We've won some and lost some. In this last game, I lost, but my crew won, so I'm counting it as a win. Here's my corpse (I left the rest of the group-- Smart, I know-- to go to the surgery to potentially remove my infestation. I was quickly pounced upon by this mean adult alien. Turned out I wasn't actually infected. So bummer. Also, I've seen enough horror sci-fi movies to know that I probably should NOT have left the group to wander on my own).

 

 

We're united in giving this one a 10/10. Because it is that awesome. We have enjoyed every playthrough so far and look forward to more.

M is for Monolith

 By Goblin Army Games

This is another game that has been sitting on the sad/unplayed shelf for ages. We decided to give it one last try to see if we wanted to keep it...

Players: 1-4

Time: 30 minutes

Ages: 8+

Theme:Runes??

Mechanics: Dice Rolling, Worker Placement, Strategy

In Monolith: The Strategy Game, you compete with other players for a finite amount of crystals that can help you pay the tolls as you move along a track to the finish line. There are 5 rounds of play in which you roll and place your dice on the cards (which make up a modular playing field that changes each time you play) and then resolve the text to gain special powers, skills, or crystals, which can either help you advance on the game board or thwart you opponents.

The good: 

• Lots of re-playability with a different game board every time you play. 
• Quick game play
• Nice components
  

The bad:

• The color--the flavor-- is missing from this game. This lack of theme makes it kind of boring. I'm not even 100% certain what the theme is supposed to be. Something about wizards and runes?? Fail.
  
• It can be a bit frustrating if you draw a game board with limited # options like we did this go around. We drew several cards that required ones or sixes, so constantly had a whole lot of 2-5 dice that we couldn't effectively play

The undecided:

• With only two players, we did not have to worry much about slot blocking, but I suppose with more players, this would be more of an issue. I'm not sure how that would affect the game-- more excitement or more frustration?
  

Anyway, we played one game (Dustin won) and then decided this one will not be staying in our collection... We have other worker placement games that fit the niche and we like them better.

We rate it a 4.5/10 since we found it pretty mediocre.

BONUS: L is for Lanterns Dice: Lights in the Sky

 By Renegade Game Studios

Lanterns Dice: Lights in the Sky is the dice-rolling re-implementation of Lanters: Harvest Festival, which we have enjoyed playing in the past with our friends. When Lanterns Dice came out, I rushed to Phoenix Fire to pick it up. I'm a sucker for quick games that can be played on a whim on an afternoon should the mood strike. We had already played our "L" game when we got a very special request to play/review a game from the Lanterns saga. And well, I don't like to disappoint, sooooooo... Without further ado:

 

Players: 2-4

Time: 30-45 minutes

Ages: 10+

Theme: Harvest Festival

Mechanics: Roll & Write

In Lanterns Dice, everyone gets a different lake to decorate for the Harvest Festival, which you do by shading in different colored lanterns that can potentially earn the ability to shade an extra lantern or earn you gifts that can be used to perform more complicated feats (like shading 3 lanterns at a time of specific colors, etc). Then, once enough lanterns are shaded in particular shapes, you can launch fireworks.

 

We like this game because of its simplicity and portability. We also appreciate the simultaneous player actions, which makes it a quick play.

 

We played two rounds. I won one and Dustin won one. While trying to make room on my phone for my iOS update last Friday, I accidentally deleted TWO YEAR'S WORTH of logged play data from my board game stats app, so I can't remember how we scored. I am still irked/sad over my blunder.

Overall, we give it a 7/10. It's a good quick game and we'll play it if the mood strikes.

K is for Karuba

By HABA

My grandmother knows we love board games, so she sent this one to us a couple of years ago. I'm just glad she sent us something we didn't have already!

Players: 2-4

Time: 30-40 minutes

Ages: 8+

Theme: Treasure Island Expedition

Mechanics: Tile Laying, Grid Movement, Race

Each player has arrived on the island of Karuba where they are attempting to lead their expedition team to temples to secure treasure before the other players get there first. Temples have diminishing rewards, so the quicker you get to them the more valuable treasures you'll receive. Instead of one map that everyone shares, everyone has their own grid and places their own pathways for getting to the temples.

The tricky part is that in order to move your explorers, you must sacrifice tiles rather than place them on your grid. It's quite an interesting balancing act. One person calls out the tiles drawn from the stack and everyone plays or sacrifices the same tile as they see fit.

We played this one several times in a row, because it's a nice quick game. We were finishing in 20 minutes and since everyone plays simultaneously, I'm not sure that additional players would add much to the overall time. This is probably a nice gateway game for newbie gamers. Another good one to keep on the shelf for when the girls are older.

We played three games and scored as follows:

D = 22, B = 19 (He beat me)

D = 19, B = 18 (He beat me again)

B = 27, D = 13 (This is the point I was able to stop playing, haha)

Overall, we give this game a 6-7/10. It's a decent game. A bit simple, but good and we'd usually be willing to play.

L is for Legacy: The Testament of Duke de Crecy

By Portal Games

I enjoy historical fiction, so when I saw this at a Phoenix Fire swap meet, I was instantly sold.

Players: 1-4

Time: 60 minutes

Ages: 8+

Theme: 18th Century French Aristocracy Family Planning

Mechanics: Card Drafting, Hand Management, Worker Placement, Set Collection

In this game, you play as a pre-revolution French Noble (Either Patriarch or Matriarch) and compete for the most prestige, honor, and wealth through arranged marriages with your most influential or wealthy friends. By the end of the game, your family tree spans 4 generations.

You gain prestige points based on:

• how many children you were able to produce each generation
• how many influential marriages you were able to arrange
• how many mansions your were able to purchase
• how many titles you were able to acquire
• how many charitable events you were able to host
• whether or not you were able to unlock/complete your major or minor secret goals
  

I don't have a whole lot of bad things to say about this game. I worried at first that it might be too clunky, but once you learn the rules (the rulebook sucks, btw), it plays pretty quickly and smoothly. The player colors could have been rethought so the blue player markers didn't blend in with the blue fertility markers, but it's not that big of a deal. Overall, I enjoyed it. Arranging marriages to a cast of interesting characters was fun.

I didn't think my husband was going to like this game because of the theme, but he actually found it entertaining. In our first game, I played a matriarch and he played a patriarch. This affects starting conditions. Mid-way through the game, I realized that starting out as a male character makes a lot of difference (they start with slightly less wealth, but a disproportionately higher steady income and typically more friends). This means that the patriarch gets extra money throughout the game and wealth is important for wooing good suitors and purchasing dukedoms! I guess it's true to history, but wow, bummer to start with a disadvantage. In our second game we switched genders and I had the advantage. Guess who won each game? Hmm...

Another problem I had in the first game is that I kept having daughters. 80% of my progeny were girls. This sucks because you typically have to pay to get them married (dowry) and I was already low on income. I did manage to find a few men willing to take on my daughter for free, but they were low-born and it ruined my reputation. Dustin, on the other hand, kept having boys and you typically get paid to marry them off (exceptions are if the prospect is an aristocrat). Basically, I found this game hilarious and historically accurate.

We scored as follows:

Dustin - 47, Bonnie - 46 (He won)

Bonnie - 69, Dustin - 53 (I won)

My rating is 8/10 because I would definitely play this again. Not too long and pretty amusing.

J is for Junk Art

By Pretzel Games

Played this ages ago with some friends who received it as a gift. Years later I was still thinking about how much fun it was and since we didn't have a game for "J" -- The ONLY letter we couldn't fulfill with our original stash -- I went ahead and ordered it. I thought it would be a good game for playing with our kiddos when they are a bit more dexterous.

Players: 2-6

Time: 30 minutes

Ages: 8+

Theme: Modern Art

Mechanics: Dexterity (Stacking and Balancing)

This is like a super amped-up version of another well-known "J" game: Jenga. Only this one is way more fun and has more variety with 10 different scenarios to play in the 2-player base game. The premise of the game is that you, an aspiring artist, are traveling cities and making art. Out of junk. Junk art. That's it. Different cities change up the rules slightly:

• Whether you chose your pieces or your opponents choose your pieces
• Whether you each make separate works of art or you collaborate on a single piece
  
• Whether you get extra points for duplicate shapes or colors
• Whether you are eliminated when pieces fall or keep playing

Typically, the winner is the artist with the tallest tower (and they even include a cute little tape measure for close calls), but occasionally the winner is the last artist standing.

Even though the rules suggest you play only 3 scenarios per game, we just played all 10 of the standard scenarios in a row. I won 41 - 20!

We give Junk Art an 8/10. We had fun playing it and would suggest it to the right crowd, especially since we think it would be more fun with more players.