Now You've got a Ticket to Ride!

In lieu of an FDQ today, we've got something a little different going on.  You may notice we've been reviewing Ticket to Ride games this week.  And you may notice something else... a new "GAMES" tab up at the top of the page.

We're happy to announce that we finally completed our own personal TTR custom map design!  We originally started this design for for the Days of Wonder design-your-own-map contest, but clearly, we didn't win that.  Still, we felt like we had a solid idea and our playtests were great fun, so we decided to produce some high-quality Print-and-Play files to share our little expansion with the world.  Hit the jump for more details and a little behind-the-scenes!

FTW? (a preview of For the Win)

wonderful P&P happening right here

Tasty Minstrel Games has solidified their position as one of the big publishers on Kickstarter through successful campaigns of Eminent Domain and Kings of Air and Steam. Their newest project is a two-player abstract called For the Win, and this time around they're trying something a little different: three levels of limited "pay-what-you-want" pledges. But there's no need to rush off; those pledge levels sold out almost as soon as they were listed. You still have an opportunity to chip in at a reasonable price (and potentially justify a third- and fourth-player expansion through stretch funding).

We received a print-and-play prototype of For the Win from Tasty Minstrel. What did we think of it? Find out below!

[ Ed. Note: All pictures are of the print-and-play prototype of For the Win. Components will not be the same in the finished product, and art may not be the same. Keep checking the For the Win Kickstarter page for updates on this.  Note that this is a preview, not a review, and our opinions reflect the status of the game in its pre-production state]

European Vacation (a review of Ticket to Ride: Europe)

As I usually play with green, I am the tall man with a top
hat, cane, and monocle. So, basically Mr. Peanut. Just
like in real life...

[Editors note: The following is a Nemesis Review, featuring opinions from our in-house eurogamer, @Farmerlenny, and his deadly enemy the thematic space-loving @Futurewolfie.  Make sure to read both opinions to get a better overall picture of the game!]

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a board game in possession of a large fan base must be in want of a spin-off. Or an expansion. Or something else that allows the company that produced said popular game to capitalize on its good fortune. Such is the case with Ticket to Ride, a game that @Futurewolfie and I uncharacteristically agreed upon and raved about here. But spin-offs and expansions can be of variable quality. For every Prosperity, there's a Catapult. So where does Ticket to Ride: Europe (a standalone game) fall on the spectrum? Find out below!

I've Got a Ticket... (a review of Ticket to Ride)

Ticket to Ride is one of the bestselling "designer" board games of all time. Alan Moon has given us a fairly straightforward set collection game with a light theme ("trains," obviously) that won about a billion awards and a place in the hearts of many gamers. But does it deserve a place on your shelf?

FDQ: Do You Have a Gaming Quirk?

Some have to sit always facing a door. For others, it's a monkey in their pocket or a security blanket dragged around. We all have idiosyncrasies that charm our friends and puzzle outsiders. Which brings us to today's question: do you have any quirks specifically related to gaming? Answer in the comments!

@FarmerLenny answers:
To get a full reading on my quirks, you'd probably have to ask @Futurewolfie. The one that stands out the most to me is that if green is an option for playing pieces, I will probably choose it. And if someone else chooses it, I will passive aggressively make them regret choosing it. (Okay, not really; I'm just green so often that when I'm not green, I have a tendency to move the green player's pieces...)

As an editor and lover of words, I also occasionally get caught up in a funny idea or way of saying something. Note: this may be funny to me, but not to others. A case in point is the game of Small World I played on Monday. There was a race called the White Ladies, and for whatever reason, when they came on the board or were talked about, I had to say their name in a sing-songy voice. I had a friend who whenever we'd play Acquire and America was talked about would say, "America's strong" in his best G-dub voice. Now I have a tendency to do the same thing.

So, thanks to all who play games with me on a regular basis. I'd like to think these quirks are charming...but I know the truth.

@Futurewolfie answers:
Quirks? Me? That's quite the accusation.  Is it quirky to intentionally mispronounce key terms in a game so they sound like different words?  Is it quirky to come up with my own silly-sounding terms for items and tokens in a game?  Is it quirky to force mini-figures, meeples, and sometimes even cubies to act out the action they're supposed to be taking in the game, usually complete with "pkow! Pshaaa! Booosh!" sound effects?  Is it quirky to immediately sit inside the boxtop of a game as soon as I set aside?  Yes?  Well, for that last one at least, my cat must be the quirky one.

Oh, and for the record, the monkey's name is Vincent.  And he lives in my pocket all the time, since high school, and it has nothing to do with games.  He's awesome:

Flip That House! (a review of For Sale)

[Editors note: The following is a Nemesis Review, featuring opinions from our in-house eurogamer, @Farmerlenny, and his deadly enemy the thematic space-loving @Futurewolfie. Make sure to read both opinions to get a better overall picture of the game!]

When I lived with my sister, she used to love watching shows that involved house flipping, the practice of buying low and selling high. She liked the home upgrade part. Ho-hum. I was interested in the business side—how much did the person get for fixing up that house? Was it a wash, or did they make some fat cash?

With the recent recession, house flipping is on a bit of a hiatus as a boom industry. But it's possible to relive the glory days through a little card game called For Sale.

(Ed. Note: The pictures in this review are from @FarmerLenny's copy of the game, the old Uberplay edition. It has since been released as part of the Gryphon Bookshelf Series with much the same components.)

Hot Basket! (a review of Canasta Caliente)

One of the best purchases I've made—at least, if we define best as "gotten the most use out of for the price"—only cost me $5.99, and it can fit in my pocket. It's a little card game called Canasta Caliente.

I know, I know—isn't that a game for old people? That's what I thought, too. I thought it belonged to the category of old-people card games, along with Bridge and Pinochle. And perhaps it does. But I do love Pinochle...

FDQ: What Comes after 7 Wonders?

Here at iSlaytheDragon, we sometimes receive correspondence from our readers (which we love!). Usually we handle these letters on our own and no one's the wiser, but we thought this question would be a good one to bring to our readers. Gawie from South Africa writes:

I'm the only one in my circle of friends and family who REALLY REALLY enjoys board games. I'm always trying to twist their arm to join me for a game. 7 Wonders has really solved a lot of my problems because people actually don't mind playing with me, since it's fun and short. However, I agree with you that some variety is needed - not game after game of 7 wonders all the time. Is there another board game that's as family friendly as 7 wonders that you would recommend?

Help Gawie in the comments!

@FarmerLenny answers:

I'm surprised you say your family and friends don't enjoy games that much, yet you call 7 Wonders "family friendly." Your friends and family must be nearly there!

I don't know how many players you hope to get involved, but the games I've seen have the best success are Settlers of Catan (which I'm bored of, but it's popular for a reason) and Ticket to Ride. Settlers of Catan can play three or four (there's an expansion to accommodate up to six players, but really, I'd start with the three- or four-player game), and Ticket to Ride can play up to five. Personally, Ticket to Ride is my go-to game for nongamers because each turn players only have one choice to make, so the game moves along quickly. Every person can make progress on a turn (unlike Settlers, where bad dice rolls can work against you and bad initial placement can hamper you), and as people get more into the game, they can play more aggressively. These are both for smaller crowds, but they're great.

If you're looking for a game that can accommodate the same crowd as 7 Wonders, some great family games  are For Sale (up to six), Pit (up to eight), Incan Gold (up to eight), and Bohnanza (my family's favorite, and it can fit seven). For Sale, Pit, and Incan Gold are super quick, but everyone I've taught them to loves them. These games are not as deep as 7 Wonders, though, and people will probably tire of them quicker. Bohnanza is a bit longer, but it really is a great game with lots of interaction. And if my family is any indication, they can play this one over and over and not get tired of it.

@Futurewolfie answers:

I've had the most success with Ticket to Ride.  While my family is willing to try games that I bring, TtR is one of the few they've actually ASKED for.  Kill Dr. Lucky was also a success, and that game holds up to 7 players - but it can last 1-1.5 hours.


The Resistance is another game popular with my family.  It takes up to 10 players, plays very short (about 30mins), doesn't have a lot of rules to remember, and is one of the few games that can be played leisurely around a living room instead of at a table.  (Leisurely in the sense that people can sit back in a comfortable chair).  It takes a bit for people to get used to the concept, but once they do it's easy for everyone to stay involved.


Other than that, it's almost more of an art than a science getting your family to play games. Just remember that not everyone has to be a gamer to enjoy games, and not everyone will enjoy your favorite games.  Getting your family to play requires patience.  You've got to regularly bring up the idea of trying new games but not be overly pushy - people are a lot less likely to enjoy a game if they're forced into it.  When introducing a new game, focus more on helping them enjoy the game than trying to win - crushing defeats discourage repeat plays.  Even if you have to sacrifice some of your fun the first few times, in the long run it will work out better for you when your family can enjoy a wider variety of games.

On the Horizon: 2012

New years are great. New Year's Day may be a seemingly arbitrary holiday to some, but I think it marks a great time to look back and reflect on the past year, and at the same time look forward to new and excellent things on the horizon.

The same is true for games. It's a good time to be a board gamer. The hobby is growing and getting noticed, and a lot of high-quality, excellent games are being produced. Kickstarter has become a major launching pad for independent and small-time game publishers to find an audience and succeed. And there's no shortage of awesomeness coming in 2012 (especially as Essen 2011 releases s-l-o-w-l-y make their way to the States). Here are some of the games we're excited to see.

My Year in Games

Apparently I played a lot of 7 Wonders this year...

I'm something of an archivist and always have been. I enjoy documenting and tracking both collections and the things I do. For several years I've kept a logbook of every book I've read throughout the year. Around April 2011, I began tracking my board game plays on Board Game Geek. Since that time, here are my "nickels and dimes," games I've played 5+ and 10+ times:

iSlaytheDragon's GAME OF THE YEAR

Now that 2011 has come to a close, we can safely look back at all the games we played and loved. We love to hand out kudos to those who deserve it, and the new year is our chance to point out the games that stood above the crowd, at least to us. We're only picking games that we played, and games that released in or around 2011, so if you think a different game deserves the top spot... well, go ahead and let us know in the comments. Now, without further ado...

There and Back Again: A Farmer's Tale

This is my first post in a while. Sorry about the silence from my end; I've been traveling all over creation to celebrate Christmas with family. And I've come back with a tale or two about what I played...

My bags were packed with fun games—both for under the tree and for general consumption. I brought some old favorites and some new, and here were the results.