Reviews – Page 12 – Meople's Magazine

Valley of the Kings

5 September, 2015 Kai Reviews

Death is when your life really starts. That, at least, was the belief of the ancient Egyptians, and they prepared for the afterlife by taking everything with them, plus the kitchen sink. If you thought the way your mother packed for a three week vacation was over the top, then you haven’t seen an Egyptian burial chamber. In Valley of the Kings, your goal is to stuff your tomb with more things than the other players, meaning that you’ll be richer than they are in the afterlife. And that’s all that counts, isn’t it?

Onitama

2 September, 2015 Kai Reviews

There once was an onmyo master, a teller of fortune and summoner of spirits. This onmyo master had two children, both thinking only they deserve to inherit his title. And so the two children fight, with the spirits they summon, over who is the greater summoner and thus deserving of the title. That’s the short story behind the Onitama, an abstract game that barely takes longer than telling its story.

Eldritch Horror

21 August, 2015 Kai Reviews

The stars have aligned again to allow the Great Old Ones, beings of such immense power that we are like insects to them, to stir in their slumber. Their cultists, madmen who would do anything for power, may be able to awaken them. Only a few people, those who stumbled upon their conspiracy by accident, may still be able to stop them. With no help from the rest of the world, for who would believe their tales, they must try to prevent the end of the world.

Illegal

14 August, 2015 Kai Reviews

Games let you play different roles and do things that you wouldn’t do in real life. At least I assume most people playing necromancers in a fantasy RPG, for instance, don’t mess around with the dead in real life. I’ll also assume that most people playing Christope Boelinger’s Illegal don’t really deal with drugs or weapons. That’s the role you take in this adults only party game: that of a distasteful criminal trading his illegal goods for other goods.

Machi Koro

22 July, 2015 Kai Reviews

City building games don’t have to be big and complex, Machi Koro proves that. All you need to build your city are two dice, some cards and about half an hour of time. You couldn’t take anything away from this game and still call what is left a game. But even being that light, Machi Koro is published and popular in more countries than most games ever see.

Orleans

5 July, 2015 Kai Reviews

Thing-building games are still going strong. Deck-building games are the most popular of the bunch, but dice-building games and bag-building games have lots of fans, too. With Orleans one bag-building game has made the Kennerspiel des Jahres nominations this year and it really represents the cream of the genre. To become the most successful leader in medieval France, you need tight management of the followers in your bag.

Broom Service

29 June, 2015 Kai Reviews

Potion delivery is big business. A bit like pizza delivery, only with more magic, and on broomsticks. That is your business in Broom Service, but the competition is tough and you won’t have time to let your brooms cool down before the day is over. So keep a close eye on what your opponents are doing and use your witches and druids to deliver the most potions before the game is over.

Elysium

21 June, 2015 Kai Reviews

Usually, when a game tells you to create your own legend, it doesn’t mean you should kill the people participating in it. But when the game is named after the Greek underworld for heroes and demigods it was predictable that they would have to get there somehow, and the usual way is dying. But at least they will contribute to your legend and maybe help secure your place on Olympus.

Viticulture

13 June, 2015 Kai Reviews

Move to Italy, by a vineyard, grow wine, that’s not a plan that appeals to me. But put the same thing in a boardgame and suddenly I’m interested. Viticulture is a classic worker placement game about running a vineyard, from growing to selling wine, while giving tours and entertaining visitors on the side.

Five Tribes

27 May, 2015 Kai Reviews

Bruno Cathala and Days of Wonder take us to Naqala, a magical kingdom straight out of Arabian Nights if Arabian Nights had included meeples. Which it should have. Five Tribes is one of the most talked about games of the last year, and after testing it extensively we understand why.