Spartacus: A Game of Blood and Treachery

"Guards protect you from schemes launched by rivals. Slaves run your household and earn gold. Gladiators compete to bring glory to themselves and influence to their Dominus."

Introduction/Theme
Based on the famous TV series this boardgames really shines in transferring the excitement and anger to the table. As the dominus of a great house each of the players try to gather as much influence points as possible to win the game. And to reach this target all means are allowed...

Components
The game comes in a box with nice artwork, which is neither too big nor to small for covering all the components involved. You have a thick cardboard map serving as the arena, where your gladiators (pretty nice miniatures) complete their fights. Furthermore cards, tokens, dice and little influence boards for each house are included.

Gameplay
The game is divided into three main phases. First you start with the Intrigue Phase, where you can play your schemes. Negotiations are started, and all possible alliances can occur - whereas no one is bound to his promises, which makes this phase very interesting and entertaining. ;-) Now the Market Phase follows where you can trade slaves, guards, gold, and so on - furthermore you can bid for new cards in the auction part. In the last phase the fight between your gladiators in the arena takes place, and combat is resolved with dice. There are three dice pools (blue dice for movement, red dice for attack and black dice for defense) and with each attack you can reduce the dice pools until one player is beaten.

Conclusion
Despite the fact that boardgames based on TV series are often not the greatest, Spartacus satisfied us all along the line and became one of our most favorite games these days. The rules are not too complex, although delivering deep and exciting gameplay - with lots and lots of interaction. You have to have the "right" crowd on the table, but if they like negotations, bribing, backstabbing, schemes and combat - this is THE game for you!

From the publisher: Spartacus - A Game of Blood & Treachery is an exciting game of twisted schemes and bloody combats inspired by the hit STARZ Original series. Players assume the role of the Dominus of a great house competing for influence in the era of ancient Rome. Players vie for dominance through careful diplomacy, cunning intrigues and the glory of the Arena. Undermine the machinations of rivals, leverage your wealth for advantage at market and pit your gladiators in bloody contest all with the goal of seeing your house rise to supremacy.
Spartacus: A Game of Blood and Treachery combines the excitment of the hit TV show with compelling gameplay appealing to fans and gamers alike.

Plots & Schemes: Mastermind schemes and undermine your rivals with cards from your hand. Betrayal and treachery are the weapons of choice for every Dominus.

Marketplace: Gold greases the wheels of power. Bid against your opponents in the open market; acquire the best new prospects for the Arena!

Blood on the Sand: Pit your champion against your enemy's and wager on the results. The path to victory leads across the sacred sands of the Arena!

Contains:
- 1 game board
- 4 house cards
- 62 market cards
- 104 intrigue cards
- 148 tokens
- 26 dice
- 4 gladiator figures
- 1 rulebook

3-4 players, 150 min
Designer: Aaron Dill, John Kovaleski, Sean Sweigart
Published by: Battlefront Miniatures
Category: Negotiation, Auction, Fighting



Spartacus @ boardgamegeek.com
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MERCS Miniatures

"In MERCS, players must learn to think tactically, overcome and adapt on the fly, and move. Everyone can shoot; survivors know when to shoot and when to grab cover.
Welcome to the cause!"

Introduction/Theme
MERCS is a great skirmish miniatures game set in a science fiction universe. In this distant future Mega Corporations rule the world, and private armies are needed to protect their interests and to achieve their goals. There are four major global players: The CCC (Eastern North America), KemVar (Central South America), FCC (Southwest Eurasia), and the USCR (Northern Eurasia). Each MegaCon has its private military units, and each player controls a squad of the respective faction. Welcome in the World of MERCS = Military Economic Reconnaissance Counter Security!

Components
The game is produced by a company called MegaCon Games, which is a very dedicated group of individuals who publishes also other fine games like Myth or the highly anticipated Merc Recon games. The production value is exceptionally high, as the models are very dynamic and pretty detailed. Also there has been put much effort into creating a tense and exciting world, with a well thought-out background story. The art in general is outstanding and perfectly supports the game.

Gameplay
Each squad consists of five (or six) soldiers with individual skills and weapons. After rolling dice for initiative for each member of your squad you can choose in each turn to either move, attack or hold. Movement is very easy, as you just have to use the included stats cards for measuring the distance and moving. This mechanism works really great. Attacks are resolved as known from similar games with certain modifiers and dice rolls. Also quite simple. Overall the gameplay is very dynamic and fast, and action often takes place simultaneously.

Faction Overiew: CCC (Eastern North America)
great for new players, very flexible, good armor, great all-rounders, package includes sniper, heavy weapon trooper, assault leader, grenades, flamethrower, medic,...

Faction Overview: KemVar (Central South America)
have actice camouflage, they hit relatively light - except the heavy weapon model which has the highest stats all over the game, assassin can move and make a melee attack in one move!

Conclusion
MERCS is a great point to start with miniature gaming. It's very accessible, has quite simple basic rules and can be played in a short amount of time. You can use your 2D or 3D gaming terrain (together with the included terrain cards) and create your own world where the exciting battles of MERCS can take place. At the moment already nine or ten different factions with different strengths and weaknesses are available and make sure that you won't get bored and that you can extend your game of MERCS as you desire.

From the publisher: MERCS is a skirmish game of miniature combat taking place in the future. Games consist of two squads of 5, which have all special equipment and skills. The miniatures act simultanously, using a system of initiative and reaction to determine the exact order of turns.

MERCS uses unique cards as both reference and a means to measure. This streamlined approach means games are faster, with less rule-lawyering, providing a dynamic feel with combat that ebbs and flows.

MERCS tabletop is a fast-moving, high energy miniatures game. It is designed with idea that the game should work in a realistic manner. MERCS isn’t typical. It is not a game players can sit back and shoot each other from across the table. Victory has more to do with the decisions a player makes, then the MegaCon he plays.

In MERCS, players must learn to think tactically, overcome and adapt on the fly, and move. Combat begins and ends with movement. Everyone can shoot; survivors know when to shoot and when to grab cover.

Welcome to the cause!

MERCS Downloads

 

2-10 players, 120 min
Designer: Brian Shotton, Keith Lowe
Published by: MERCS LLC
Category: Miniatures, Wargame, Science Fiction 



MERCS @ boardgamegeek.com
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Inkognito

"A reprint of that old classic deduction game, which still hasn't lost its charme!"

Introduction/Theme
As one of four agents you first of all have to find out who is your ally, and then - together with your partner - you have to complete a secret mission. Very charming family game settled in the beautiful city of Venice.

Components
The reprint of this game is produced by Ares Games and meets high quality standards. The box comes with a nice game board, 16 miniatures (which are assembled in a few minutes), passports, envelopes, cards, tokens and an "Ambassador" figure - who acts as some kind of dice. The rules are straight-forward and easy to understand.

Gameplay
There are four characters in the game, and two of them work in pairs: Lord Fiddlebottom and Colonel Bubble are always "working" against Agent X and Madame Zsa Zsae. Each character is represented by 4 figures (a tall one, a short one, a fat one and a thin one) - although only one figure is the real agent, and the others are trying to confuse the enemies. At each turn you have to shake the Ambassador to see which movements you can make, to reach other figures as fast and possible and gather new information through deduction and logical thinking (out of three cards shown, one has to be the "truth". After you have found your ally your final mission is revealed (two parts mixed together show what you have to do), and the first party achieving this mission wins the game. 

Conclusion
The reprint of this old classic deduction game hasn't lost its charme. It's great fun to find out at the beginning who is your ally and what is your mission, and overall the game is also more challenging than for example Cluedo. It is basically a 4 players game, although this new edition also comes with variants for three and five people - these are also fun! It is a simple, nevertheless exciting game - great for the whole family!

From the publisher: The goal of each agent in Inkognito is to complete a mission, together with his partner. At the beginning of the game, however, players don't know which mission they must fulfill!

In the standard four-player game, each player guides one of four secret agents. The four characters are allied in pairs: Lord Fiddlebottom and Colonel Bubble are always partnered against Agent X and Madame Zsa Zsa. Each of the four agents is represented by one of four different figures, with different builds: tall, short, fat, thin. Only one of them represents the actual character controlled by a player. The other three figures represent spies which are friendly to him and that are trying to confuse the opposition.

There is another character with an important role in the game: the Ambassador. He can be used to get clearer information about the other characters. Everyone wants to meet him because he is well-informed and can be useful to accomplish your purposes, but he can also help your rivals, so do everything you can to keep him far from them.

The 2013 version of Inkognito from Ares Games raises the maximum player count to five by allowing someone to play the Ambassador and move it during his turn. He can still gather clues when the other players question the Ambassador during their turn, and the other players can still gather clues from him. The goal of the Ambassador's player is to know everything about the other characters, guessing their identities and builds. If the Ambassador achieves "perfect knowledge" before a team accomplishes its secret missions, he wins the game.

3-5 players, 90 min
Designer: Leo Colovini, Alex Randolph
Published by: Ares Games
Category: Deduction, Spies, Family Games, Movement



Inkognito @ boardgamegeek.com
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Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game

"A stunning miniatures game - simple, exciting, fun. And... Star Wars!"

Introduction/Theme
The Star Wars X-Wing miniatures game is a fantastic game taking place in our beloved Star Wars universe. YOU take the role of fearless pilots of X-Wings, Y-Wings or even the legendary Millennium Falcon and on Imperial Side, Tie-Fighters, Tie-Bombers, and so on... In tactical and exciting air combats you are responsible for the fate and the future of your whole world…

Components
The game is produced by Fantasy Flight Games and Heidelberger Spieleverlag, and honestly speaking, I haven't seen such awesome and detailed miniatures yet. The core set comes with one X-Wing and two TIE-Fighters, and cards, and tokens, and wheels for maneuvers, and measure equipment - so basically all the stuff you need to play. Lots of further expansions have been released yet, whereas the Y-Wing and the TIE Advanced will be covered in this review. More expansions (A-Wing, Millennium Falcon!,…) will be hopefully introduced later on.

Gameplay
The basic rules are very easy to understand and you can start playing within minutes. With the basic rules you can even play with your kids, ages 6 and up.  After choosing your ships and pilots (different stats & skills) each player secretly chooses the maneuvers for his ships by using the wheels. After moving the ships with the equipment proived (really comfortable and easy!) actions can be taken, and battles are resolved afterwards. Each ship can fire once, after checking whether an opponent is within range and visible. After applying certain multipliers (skills, weapons, actions,...) dice are rolled. These steps will be continued until one side has lost all its ships and looses the battle.

The ships included in the Core Set (one X-Wing, two TIE-Fighters) are quite well balanced and easy to start with, but even in this minimal setup a lot of fun! Of course different pilots and upgrade cards (e.g. weapons) are included as well.

The Y-Wing is a heavy ship, which can take a lot of damage, but is not so maneuverable. It comes with 4 more pilots and nice upgrades like droids or an Ion Cannon. Nice ship, nice expansion, adds lots of variety.

The TIE Advanced Fighter can take more damage than a regular TIE Fighter, and also comes with 4 more pilots - including Darth Vader, the most skilled imperial pilot. Also upgrades like missiles and special actions are included. Must-have!!

Conclusion
The Star Wars X-Wing miniatures game is one of the games we play most lately, even with my kids - sticking to the basic rules with them. It is simple, exciting and has a moderate learning curve. So you can add complexity, tatctics and variety in small steps, just as you desire. It is so much fun to move  the beautiful ships, to work on your strategy and tactics, to try to anticipate your opponents moves and to finally resolve the battles. We love this game!!

From the publisher: X-Wing is a fast-paced game of tactical space combat in the Star Wars universe. Players control starfighters from either the Rebel Alliance or the Galactic Empire, outfit them with a variety of pilots, special weapons and upgrades, and attempt to outmaneuver their opponents.

This box contains everything two players need to get started playing X-Wing, including painted plastic ships, custom dice, cards, tokens, and quick-start rules. Advanced rules and special missions are also included to let players take their game to the next level.

2 players, 30 min (and more, depending on number of ships)
Designer: Jason Little
Published by: Fantasy Flight Games, Heidelberger Spieleverlag
Category: Miniatures, Air Combat, Star Wars, Dice Rolling 



Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game @ boardgamegeek.com
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Agricola: Farmers of the Moor

"A great expansion with many new options for the game we all love!"

Introduction/Theme

In Agricola you are a farmer - and that means that you have to take care of growing food, expanding your pasture, managing your family life and doing a lot of other things a farmer usually has to do. The topic has been adopted in a great way and lead to one of the most popular games of the last years. With this expansion you broaden the experience even further and add lots of new options.

Components
The premium quality of the components is the same as we already know from the base game. The box comes with 150 new cards, beautiful wooden horse-shaped pieces and lots of smaller additional tiles, like Moor tiles or flames.

Gameplay
The known gameplay mechanics are basically the same, but in addition to the need to feed your family, you now also need to heat your home. You also need to manage your farm land, and decide when to cut the forest and when to use your peat. Beside the existing animals now horses are here as well, and special actions are available to choose. Last but not least a load of new major and minor improvements are introduced, which take into account the new options of the game.

Conclusion

If you've played the base game a lot of times and want to experience new options - this is the expansion for you. Although the game gets more complex and you need some more time to play, it adds lots of new possibilities and ways of winning... Again you need to figure out which strategy works out best and this process is a lot of fun. If you love the base game, you will love Farmers of the Moor even more!

 
From the publisher: In Agricola (Latin for "farmer"), you're a farmer in a wooden shack with your spouse and little else. On a turn, you get to take only two actions, one for you and one for the spouse, from all the possibilities you'll find on a farm: collecting clay, wood or stone; building fences; and so on. You might think about having kids in order to get more work accomplished, but first you need to expand your house. And what are you going to feed all the little rugrats?

Agricola: Farmers of the Moor is a full-blown expansion to Agricola - and you need the base game to play it. This expansion replaces the minor improvements and the occupations of the base game with a large set of new improvements, and adds a number of new features. 
It includes 150 cards, horse-shaped wooden pieces, many tiles, and a new scorepad. The mechanics include the need to heat your home during harvest as well as feeding your family; hence, fuel becomes a new resource to collect. Farmers of the Moor includes special actions and lots of new major improvements. It expands the options to your Agricola experience.

1-5 players, 120 min
Author: Uwe Rosenberg
Published by: Lookout Games (german), Z-man Games (english)
Category: Farming, Economic 



Agricola: Farmers of the Moor @ boardgamegeek.com
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REX: Final Days of an Empire

Introduction/Theme

REX: Finaly Days of an Empire is a remake of the legendary boardgame Dune, which is settled now in the Twilight Imperium universe. The basic game mechanisms have been kept, and so the game is again about different races struggling for power, whereas negotiation and alliances play an important role.

Components
The game has been published by Fantasy Flight Games and Heidelberger Spieleverlag, therefore you already know about the premium quality of the components.You get a huge game board, beautiful battle dials, a very nice Dreadnought miniature and lots and lots of markers, tokens and cards. All of this adds to a really exciting atmosphere.

Gameplay

The game is divided into 8 rounds, with seven phases each. The most important resource in the game is influence, which can be used for lots of different actions. In the first phase you gain influence through different events, afterwards an entertaining bidding process for Strategy Cards takes place. In the third phase you recruit troops and leaders, which you deploy and move afterwards. Phase 5 is dedicated to battles, which are resolved quite simple and straight - also including usage of the beautiful battle wheels. The last two phases are reserved for collecting influence from areas which you control, and for finally seeing if the giant bomber fleet destroys some of your troops or not.

Conclusion

What makes the game really shine, is the fact that you can win alone - or together with other players, if your form alliances. If a player manages to control three strongholds in the city, this player wins, or control of 4 strongholds for an alliance of 2 players, or 5 strongholds for an alliance of 3 players. Furthermore different races have also different victory conditions (and also different abilities, which makes the game very diversified). These aspects (which remind me a bit of the old classic Diplomacy, which is good) make it clear that REX is more fun with more players, as there will be more interaction. On the surface it seems to be a rather straight area control and battle game, but there are many aspects and layers to discover - it's worth the time. Anyway you won't be bored, take your chance to explore and get to know this great interpretation of the legendary boardgame Dune.

From the publisher: The final days of the Lazax Empire began in the seventy-third year of the Twilight Wars, when without warning, the Federation of Sol led a deadly assault directly on Mecatol Rex, the capital planet of the empire itself. A climactic struggle for control of the imperial city followed, fought as much with diplomacy and deception as with troops and starships. This is the story of that struggle.

Rex: Final Days of an Empire is a board game of negotiation, betrayal, and warfare in which 3–6 players take control of great interstellar civilizations, competing for dominance of the galaxy’s crumbling imperial city. Set 3,000 years before the events of Twilight Imperium, Rex tells the story of the last days of the Lazax empire, while presenting players with compelling asymmetrical racial abilities and exciting opportunities for diplomacy, deception, and tactical mastery.

Rex includes:

• 1 rulebook and 1 game board

• 6 race sheets

• 2 battle dials

• 1 Dreadnought Fleet Figure

• 233 tokens and markers

• 120 cards

3-6 players, 120 min
Designer: Corey Konieczka
Published by: Heidelberger Spieleverlag, Fantasy Flight Games
Category: Strategic War Game, Negotiation, Area Control



REX: Final Days of Empire @ boardgamegeek.com
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Pathfinder - Beginners Box

Pathfinder is a great d20 adventure roleplaying system based on the famous Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 rules - which have been offered as an open licence. Paizo created a medium complex game, which offers lots of possibilities and is quite easily accessible. Furthermore they support the system with awesome adventure paths (good stories, good atmosphere, different settings, stunning graphics), which are released on a monhly basis. The most famous one is "Rise of the Runelords", which is a remake of an old classic and won several prizes. I plan to write about it sometime soon - either about the Adventure Path, or about the new, innovative and highly praised Adventure Card Game.

The Beginners Box (which also won several prizes) is the perfect entry point for new players. It comes with a book for players and a book for the game master, containing the basic rules and mechanics. The four main classes (fighter, rogue, wizard and cleric) are covered, and also pregenerated characters and empty character sheets are part of the package. Lots of heroes and monsters are included as cardboard miniatures, which is quite nice - although the miniatures which can be bought separately seem to be even nicer... ;-)

I really like the lite rules, which ensure that the game can be played without investing a lot of time for studying the rules and without the need to have a lot of experience with this genre. Also younger audience can therefore be addressed. And all of this by offering a tight, exciting and well-balanced gaming and story-telling experience, with a good introductory adventure. If you liked the game, it is very easy to go on with an Adventure Path in this world of beautiful and atmospheric artwork and great stories. Hopefully I'll write about more of Pathfinder here sometime soon.

From the publisher: Adventure Awaits! Take your first step into an exciting world of fantasy adventure with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Beginner Box! Within you'll find simple rules for creating and customizing your own hero, as well as a robust system for running your character through challenging adventures and deadly battles against villainous monsters like goblins and dragons! Will you master weapons and magic to become a courageous fighter, a wise cleric, a witty rogue, or a brilliant wizard? All the details of your character are yours to control. The only limit it your imagination!

The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Beginner Box is packed with everything you need to get started with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, an imaginative tabletop fantasy adventure game for 2-5 players. Tons of monsters, challenges, and advice give gamers the tools to create their own worlds and adventures, providing countless hours of gaming excitement. With streamlined rules and a focus on action-packed heroic adventure, this deluxe boxed set is the ideal introduction to the world of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, and the best starting point for a lifetime of pulse-pounding adventure!

The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Beginner Box includes:

• A 64-page Hero's Handbook, detailing character creation, spells, equipment, and general rules for playing the game

• A 96-page Game Master's Guide packed with adventure, monsters, magic treasures, and advice on how to create and narrate tales all your own

• A complete set of 7 polyhedral dice

• More than 80 full-color pawns depicting diverse heroes and monsters

• Four pregenerated character sheets to throw you right into the action

• Four blank character sheets to record the abilities of your custom-made hero

• A durable, resuable, double-sided Flip-Mat play surface that works with any kind of marker

2-5 players
Published by Paizo Publishing, Ulisses Spiele
Category: Fantasy Tabletop Adventure Game

Lots of additional material can be downloaded here: Ulisses Spiele - PF Beginners Box

You can buy the game conveniently here: F-Shop

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