Agricola

One of the proud traditions of Eurogames that is not shared by the big corporations like Hasbro or Milton Bradley, aside from innovative game play, is that the pieces, boards, and even boxes are all of immaculate quality. This was never so apparent to me than when I opened Agricola to see numerous boards, each essentially the same but with small details changed so they all had a unique look. They would all function the same way within the game but those small artistic changes paid back immensely by adding something a little extra special to the game. All the pieces are colorful and wooden, and rather numerous.

Agricola has one of those themes that sounds bizarre and unlikely but turns into one of the most enjoyable games you've ever played. And that theme is sixteenth century farming. Each player manages their own farm, trying to plow fields, build a better house, and expand their family, all the while trying to stockpile food each winter or suffer the consequences (starvation). Each game round consists of players taking turns placing their family members on action spaces to take those actions. Only the first player to choose an action can use it that round so you have to decide quickly if you need wood or food, for instance, and then grab it before anyone else does. Otherwise you find yourself regretting grabbing up the wood when everyone else took the food the turn before you have to feed your family.

Additionally, there are role cards to help improve your actions or your farming capabilities and since you use family members to take actions, having more family members means you can take more actions. However, it also means you have more mouths to feed. There is no direct competition and no elimination. And that's good because this game takes a little bit of set up time and likely lasts about an hour to an hour and a half. Improving your farm nets you points at the end of the game, based on everything from the quality of your house to the amount of grain or cattle you have, to the number of fields you plowed and fences you built. Some role cards and improvements also grant additional points. You don't actually starve when you are unable to feed your family but instead collect a Beggar's Card, which subtracts three points from your score at the end. The person with the best farm (highest score) wins.

A great part of the fun is building your farm as you play this. Often times there isn't a clear leader as you play so the winner isn't known until the end, and even when you lose you at least enjoyed managing and building your farm, which will likely look different from every other far. Agricola's downfall is the setup. It requires maintenance at the beginning of each round (replacing used resources) and it's certainly not as bad as some other games. It is, however, enough that there is a little slow down in between each round. We usually assigned each player a resource to restock and it goes quickly, but that's still a small speed bump in your enjoyment. The rules aren't the kindest for casual gamers, but nothing you won't adjust to after the first two plays or so. Running around $60, this isn't a small investment and I believe the most expensive board game featured on Zanmor Gaming so far. Don't let that keep you away from homesteading your own plot of land. Agricola is a true gem and well worth a spot on any board gamer's shelf.

Creationary

It seems like the perfect combination: all the party fun of Pictionary and all the building fun of LEGOs. Creationary's concept is simple enough: draw a card (of different difficulty level, one to three) and build what is pictured. The other players will then try to guess what it is. Unfortunately, in practice it seems like this game is more likely a fun exercise for LEGO's master builders than a good party game.

One small problem is that the cards only show a picture and don't name the object with text. Considering there are various boats, rowboats, ships, barges, and so on pictured, when is it appropriate to accept boat as an answer and when isn't it? This sort of thing is only likely to be a problem for serious gamers and Creationary is not that serious of a game. Letting the builder determine which answers were specific enough usually worked fine. The difficulty level also doesn't make sense all the time. Most of the level one cards were pretty easy, but some threw us for a loop, while some level three cards we found incredibly easy. Overall the difficulty levels worked.

What becomes a true problem is that few people are both quick and clever with their use of LEGO blocks. 338 pieces is a goodly amount (and a tray comes in the box for organization and storage), but often you would find yourself one or two short of creating just the right sort of structure to convey what was on your card. This could be improved by adding pieces from your personal collection, but that's a double-edged sword: more pieces means more complex structures and more build time. This game is meant to be fast and having fewer pieces you have to be more creative with helps keep the pace quick.

But ultimately it can be very difficult to build very organic shapes like animals with the blocks. The worst case I can think of is when someone actually laid blocks on the table like a mosaic, not actually connecting them, to form a picture of a rose. It worked, but didn't quite seem proper for the game. Perhaps this all comes down to personal experience with LEGOs and playing more, practicing more, is bound to improve that.

It's the best concept showcased in LEGO's recent batch of boardgames and can be played by three to eight people (recommended age seven plus), making it a unique and different party game. But it leaves me wondering if anyone other than LEGO Maniacs will truly enjoy it. If you love LEGOs and have about $30 then definitely check this out. If you love boardgames first and foremost, then this probably shouldn't be at the top of your wish list.

Cash 'n Guns

I'll make you an offer you can't refuse: Play Cash 'n Guns and have a lot of fun doing it. This wonderfully straight forward game allows you to embrace your inner gangster as you try to accumulate as much cash as possible. So that's half of the title, but it wouldn't be Cash 'n Guns without the guns. This game delivers with six foam pistols you wield against the other players.

Game play is quite simple, easy to follow, yet tense and fun. Each turn a haul of cash is laid out. Based on this, players decide if they are going to try to shoot another player, eliminating them before the loot is split, or simply point an empty barrel at the other criminal, hoping they back out for fear of being wasted. Players make this choice by picking a card that says whether they shoot or not and placing it face down in front of them. A player then counts to three and everyone points their gun at someone. After another three count anyone who wishes to back out can do so. After that, shots are revealed and damage is taken. Finally, the loot is split between the gangsters left standing.

Cash 'n Guns is a great party game that's quick to learn and fun to play for even those people who might not normally enjoy a “board” game. The cash and other pieces are made of thick and durable cardboard, the guns of sturdy orange foam. The art makes the theme, as each player is represented by a different gangster, from Iggy the leather back to Black Lotus, an apparent Yakuza princess. These avatars literally fall over (you knock them over) if a player is shot or backs down from a standoff.

Personal feuds are quick to develop as players seek revenge for earlier attacks or try to scare someone away from a large haul of loot, all the while trying to avoid collecting three wounds, which mean permanent death and removal from the game. Elimination in this game isn't all that bad, however. It's rare in all but five or six player games and even when a player is eliminated, you'll probably start a the next game in five or ten minutes.

The theme of shooting others for money isn't the most kid friendly and some more mature players may find the game play wears thin and repetitive after a few plays (though there are some optional rules to help with that). But Cash 'n Guns is an unmistakably enjoyable experience and great warm up before other games or activities. Unfortunately, at just over $30 the price tag may turn away some of those who would truly enjoy a game that isn't as rule heavy as a lot of other more intense and pricy board games. But don't let it dissuade you: Cash 'n Guns is the offer, you know what you have to do.

Settlers of Catan

If board games have taught me anything, it's that you can't judge them by their theme. They're a lot like books and covers in that respect. Some of the best board games focus on the management of farms or power plants or the planning of a city—themes that usually disappointed me in video games and which had me skeptical of such board games. The Settlers of Catan epitomizes what makes games like this awesome and incredibly fun.

Despite Catan's award as Speil des Jahres (Game of the Year), I wasn't expecting much of it. Three to four players (up to six with the 5-6 Player Expansion, which is well worth it) take turns building towns and roads, trading and collecting resources, and the player who can do this the best wins. Nobody gets eliminated. You don't fight to conquer land and cities. And yet Catan turns voluntary trading into one of the most enjoyable and competitive experiences a board game has ever offered. How?

Players start by claiming two starting towns. The island that acts as the board is random each time so the initial placement is important for maximizing potential resource gain while blocking opponents from doing the same. From here, players take turns rolling a die each turn to determine what resources all players will collect, and then trade amongst themselves. The goal is to spend these resources building more towns and roads or buying special cards, all of which contribute toward victory points. Get ten of those points and you win. There are some more details than that, but overall the rules made sense and were easy to follow. I wouldn't suggest playing with kids younger than ten or so, and beyond that you should be fine.

The beauty of Catan is that you can never be certain of exactly which resources your opponents are saving or what they plan to do with them. You can do a lot of guessing, but a lot of games I've played have ended just a turn earlier than I expected with a player everyone had assumed was doing poorly laying down a handful of carefully saved resources to take the victory. And nothing feels better than when you are that player. “I was about to win on my turn,” is often exclaimed. Which is another great part of this Eurogame—everyone stays in until the end. Players with bad starts can try to fight their way back and nobody is stuck in the corner, eliminated thirty minutes or an hour before the game ends. Additionally, the games aren't all that long, so you can play two or three in a few hours. And I'm sure you'll want to. Once you get the hang of things, expect a game to go for about an hour, give or take.

Catan's only downside is that you need at least three to play it and it seems to play best with five. It's not a solo or two player game and if you can't get your group together then it gets left in the closet. The cost is reasonable (around $40) especially with the quality of the components. The box is sturdy, the pieces made of wood, and the cards printed beautifully.

The Settlers of Catan brings all of its elements together beautifully and puts emphasis, not on understanding and manipulating the rules better than your opponents, but on wheeling and dealing your way to the top in spite of the efforts of your opponents. If you don't think an ancient trading simulation is a recipe for fun, just spend a night with your friends on the island of Catan.