Tidal Blades (ft. Jamey Stegmaier)
Today we discuss Tidal Blades designed by the Eisner Brothers and published by Druid City and Skybound Games featuring Jamey Stegmaier from Stonemaier Games! In Tidal Blades 15 years have passed since the Great Battle, a cataclysmic confrontation that spawned a rift into where creatures dwell. Now a tournament is being held to find heroes that can stop the onslaught of monsters that are once again spewing forth! You and up to 2-5 players will compete to become a Tidal Blade, the elite guards of the island realm. To win, you’ll need to succeed at challenges being held throughout multiple arenas and rise above the competition. Each day you’ll send your hero to take actions on the different Locations and to undertake Challenges. Challenges can only be completed in matching locations and will require a push your luck dice system to accomplish. Completing Challenges and fighting monsters will advance your character in four traits further improving your chances on future turns. Each Tidal Blade will be judged at the end of the 5 rounds based on the Challenges they have completed, the level of each of their Traits, their standing on the Champions Board, and the monsters they have fought. The winner will be named “Tidal Blade: Hero of the Reef!”
Great Western Trail (ft. Before You Play)
Today we discuss Great Western Trail designed by Alexander Pfister and published by eggertspiele featuring Monique and Naveen from Before You Play. In GWT you are rival cattlemen in 19th century America, herding cattle from Texas to Kansas city in a circular trail. Through a combination of rondel movement, hand management and tableau building you’ll move your cattleman down the trail. Along the way you will hire new staff, construct buildings and purchase new cattle before reaching your destination, all while avoiding hazards and taxes. Once in Kansas your cattle are then shipped by train, earning you money, opportunities to evolve your player board and victory points. The winner is the player who manages their herd best and exhibits the best timing within the trail.
Bargain Quest (ft. Jeremy Howard from MvM)
Today we discuss Bargain Quest designed by Jonathan Ying and published by Renegade Games with Jeremy Howard from Man Vs. Meeple. In the game players will take the role of shopkeepers in an adventuring town plagued by monsters. Players must draft items and then secretly choose which items to place in their windows to attract wealthy heroes to their shops. Once all heroes have been equipped, they venture out to battle against monstrous threats, earning money and prestige for the shop they represent. Throughout the game players will encounter new heroes and monsters while upgrading their shops and hiring employees. Once the third monster is defeated the player who has earned the most gold and prestige is the winner. (Description provided by the publisher.)
Super Fantasy Brawl (ft. BoardGameCo)
Today we discuss Super Fantasy Brawl by Mythic Games with BoardGameCo. In the game you control a group of warriors plucked from history, brought to the present to compete against each other in the greatest entertainment spectacle ever staged. It’s a fast-paced competitive miniatures board game, where players select a team of three champions and combine their unique action cards to create a synergistic action deck. Each turn, the players use their hand of action cards to maneuver, attack, displace enemies, and claim objectives to score victory points. The first player to reach 5 points, wins!
Obsession (ft. BoardGameCo & Board Games In A Minute)
Today we discuss Obsession by Dan Hallagan with BoardGameCo and Board Games In A Minute. In the game you are the head of a respected but troubled family estate in mid-19th century Victorian England, in which your goal is to improve your estate. During play, will build a deck of Victorian gentry, renovate their estate by acquiring building tiles from a centralized builders' market, and manipulate an extensive service staff through a unique worker placement mechanic. The player who best meets the expectations of the rich, while accumulating victory points and courting the hand of the wealthy will win the game.
Twilight Imperium (ft. Space Cats Peace Turtles)
Today we discuss Twilight Imperium 4th Edition by Fantasy Flight Games with none other than Space Cats Peace Turtles, the authority on everything TI. Twilight Imperium is a war and 3X game of galactic conquest in which three to six players take on the role of one of seventeen factions vying for galactic domination through military might, political maneuvering, and economic bargaining. A round begins with players selecting one of eight strategy cards that both determine player order and give their owner a unique strategic action for that round. After these roles are selected, players take turns moving their fleets from system to system, claiming new planets for their empire, and engaging in warfare and trade with other factions.
Dreamscape (ft. Sarah Shah)
Today we discuss Dreamscape by Sylex Games with our featured guest Sarah Shah from Board Games In A Minute. Dreamscape is an action point, pattern building and thematic puzzle game. The players are tasked with building their perfect dream world by collecting dreamshards from 6 main locations; each with unique powers to take advantage of. The game is split into 5 rounds each comprising of 2 main phases: travel, where players will collect the disks they need based on pattern cards, and creation, where players will be able to place their collected disks. The player with the most beautiful Dreamscape, determined on point values, wins!
Root
Today we discuss Root by Leder Games, a game of woodland might and right, where you’ll command one of multiple asymmetric animal factions vying to take control of the region. It’s no secret that we are big fans of this dynamic war game with a deceptively welcoming exterior. However, in the spirit of Played It Once, we decided to jump back in time and retell our first experience with Root and how the game and our tastes have evolved with it. In addition, we give some advice on how to teach Root to potential new players and what pitfalls to avoid.
Viticulture Essential Edition
Today we discuss Viticulture Essential Edition by Stonemaier Games, a worker placement and hand management game for the wine aficionados. After inheriting a vineyard in pre-modern Tuscany; you take it upon yourself to make into a success. You’ll start the game off with some empty plots of land, an old crushpad, a tiny cellar and three workers. From there you’ll have to plan every season carefully allocating your workers to: harvest grapes, oversee curious tourists, assist talented contractors, train new employees and fulfil the most profitable contracts in order to earn the title of the best winery in Tuscany.
Petrichor
Today we discuss Petrichor by Mighty Boards and APE Games, an area-control, abstract and action selection game. The players create, manipulate and move clouds with water droplets, and then rain those droplets onto a modular board. Each of these areas will require certain conditions to be met before players can score them. Through a player controlled scoring system, the game is tense and dynamic throughout. You’ll need to plan carefully so that your clouds and droplets are in the right place at the right time.
Tang Garden (ft. Natanel Apfel)
Today we discuss Tang Garden by ThunderGryph Games, a tile laying, set collection and vista building game. The Tang dynasty was considered the first golden age of the classical and now iconic Chinese gardens. You will act as an Imperial Garden Designer challenged to build the most incredible garden while balancing the elements of Nature. On your turn you’ll decide to continue expanding the communal garden or add stunning decorations to further enhance the landscape. As you do, you’ll gain familiarity with the elements, allowing you to commune with nature inspiring noblemen to visit your section of the growing garden. At the end of the game, the player with the most prestige wins.
Smartphone Inc.
Ever wondered what it would feel like to be Steve Jobs? Well, here’s your chance! Today we bring you Smartphone Inc. by Cosmodrome and Arcane Wonders. You are a group of starry-eyed tech entrepreneurs ready to take the world by storm with your innovative new phones! Each round players will secretly program their actions through an elegant tile laying mechanic. Each tile contains a different set of icons that will be used in specific phases. Once revealed, your selections are locked and it’s up to you on how you spread and sell your goods. The entrepreneur who sold the most phones by the end of round 5 is the winner! Do you have what it takes to become the next Apple?
Townsfolk Tussle
This week we have a doozy for yah! Jan’s out of commission, but the show must go on! Alex from BoardGameCo joins us to talk about Townsfolk Tussle, a new take on the Kingdom Death formula! Townsfolk Tussle is a co-op boss battler for 2-5 players where you’ll be using your context to your advantage and improvising with the weapons your enemy will drop.
Feudum
Feudum, by Oddbird Games, is an economic sandbox euro of hand and resource management for 2-5 players. Your goal is to take advantage of your position within 5 guilds at the most opportune time to be victorious by game end. Unless, of course, you starve, get sidetracked by sea serpents or develop an unhealthy interest in fermented grapes. Sound familiar?
Project Elite
“We’ve got the buggers coming in all directions. We need support and we need it now! Artemis, you take care of our flank; Bob, you take the lead and Jesse watch my back.” 5 Minutes Later “Where the hell is Jesse, we’re overrun!!?” says the sergeant as he looks back and catches Anderson stuck in place. Jesse screams: “I just couldn’t roll feet, sarge…I just couldn’t roll!” In today’s episode, we talk about Project Elite by CMON and Artipia Games, a real-time Ameritrash dice and miniatures game where the goal is to push the hordes of aliens back long enough to complete your objective before being overrun.
Flick of Faith
In today's episode of Played It Once we discuss mythology, dexterity games and crocodiles. Just not the kind you might be expecting. Flick of Faith, by Awaken Realms Lite, is a crokinole-esque dexterity and area control board game where the goal is to spread your gospel far and wide by flicking prophets into different territories and denying other deities the chance to share theirs. As you can tell, it’s a historically precise recreation of mythological prophesying. Right?
Isle of Cats
Here’s a question: are first impressions still valid after 6 months? Today, we find out! Isle of Cats is a tile laying, card drafting and variable scoring game, where 1-4 players travel to an island being enveloped in darkness. It’s your responsibility to save as many cats as you can before the dreaded Lord Vesh arrives. Collect precious treasures, learn valuable lessons and…JUST LOOK AT THOSE CATS, AREN’T THEY SO GOSH DARN CUTE?
In Too Deep (feat. BoardGameCo)
I don’t know about you, but I’ve always fantasized about living out some type of Hollywood crime (eg. bank robberies, heists, ect.). The level of planning, skill and sheer luck required seems electrifying. In Too Deep by Burnt Island Games let’s you do just that in order to save humanity from the insidious Syndicate. You’ll be hacking into criminals to try and gather enough evidence to bring the Syndicate down. Will you go deep undercover to maintain the peace or will you succumb to the power you’ve managed to acquire?