Get a taste of GA REPORT and experience tasty reviews from past issues!
2021
Spring 2021
(Volume 2, Number 78)
3-D BOARDGAME DESIGN by James Davis Back in the before-days, when I was attending actual game conventions in person, I liked to walk around the tables and see what games ...
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BREXIT AND BOARDGAMES by Selwyn Ward After much huffing and puffing, January 2021 finally saw the end of the ‘transition period’ of Brexit – Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy DUNE: IMPERIUM (Dire Wolf/Legendary, 1 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 60-120 minutes; $50) One of the classic novels of science fiction is Frank Herbert's ...
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HARE AND TORTOISE One of the most recognizable of Aesop's fables is "The Hare and the Tortoise". Everyone knows about the supremely overconfident hare challenging the slow (and probably, we ...
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[In this issue, we have featured Monster Expedition set in the world of Carnival of Monsters, a game reviewed in the Summer 2020 issue of Gamers Alliance Report. For "frame ...
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[High Frontier 4 All, the fourth edition of this title, gets the feature treatment in this issue of GA Report. But this game is not a stranger to long time ...
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Reviewed by Andrea "Liga" Ligabue HIGH FRONTIER 4 ALL (Ion Game Design/Sierra Madre Games, 1 to 5 players, ages 14 and up, 30-240 minutes; $69) Since childhood, space travels and ...
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Reviewed by Greg J. Schloesser NOTE: This review is based on several plays with two players, as I have not been meeting with others to play games during the COVID ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy MONSTER EXPEDITION (Amigo, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 30 minutes; $19.99) Monsters are roaming the land - but we're not talking terror here ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy PARIS (Game Brewer, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 90 minutes; $49.99) Unquestionably, one of the great cities of the world is Paris. Known ...
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[The following is a review of the card management game Res Arcana based on the digital implementation of the game located on the Boardgame Arena website. The photos in ...
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Reviewed by Chris Wray TAWANTINSUYU: THE INCA EMPIRE (Board and Dice, 1 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 60-120 minutes; $50) Tawantinsuyu: The Incan Empire, designed by Dávid Turczi ...
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Reviewed by Kevin Whitmore THE GREAT RACE (Platypus Games, 2 to 4 players [5 with the expansion], ages 10 and up, 60 minutes; £50) The Great Race, authored by Maxence Vaché, ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy THE RED CATHEDRAL (Devir, 1 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 80 minutes; $34.99) It's good to be King. Or, in this case, Tsar! For ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy THE ROAD TO CANTERBURY (Eagle-Gryphon Games, 2-3 players, ages 14 and up, 45-60 minutes; $79.99) Greed, Pride, Gluttony, Lust, Sloth, Wrath and Envy. If those Seven ...
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Winter 2021 GA Report
(Volume 2, Number 77)
Reviewed by Joe Huber 18EU (DEEP THOUGHT GAMES, 3 to 6 players, ages 14 and up, 4 to 6 hours, Free) 18xx games, for anyone not familiar, are complex economic ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy BEYOND THE SUN (Rio Grande Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 90-120 minutes; $74.95) The next two hundred years have not been kind ...
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Reviewed by Eric Brosius BLUE SKIES (Rio Grande Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 14 and up, 30-60 minutes; $39.95) Commercial aviation is an intriguing subject - and it’s a ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy DROP SQUAD: THE ESCAPE! (Bush League Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 5 and up, 15-30 minutes; $49.99) One of the most successful game shows on ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy DWELLINGS OF ELDERVALE (Breaking Games, 1 to 5 players, ages 14 and up, 60-150 minutes; Standard edition $99.99, Deluxe edition $149.99, Legendary edition $199.99) While the ...
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LIGHT AT THE END OF THE... Did someone say tunnel? ...
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Reviewed by Pevans FORGOTTEN WATERS (Plaid Hat Games, 3 to 7 players, ages 14 and up, 2 to 4 hours; $59.95) I do like games that are experiences, where things ...
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GAME CLASSICS: KRETA [Europe and America are separated by thousands of miles. When it comes to gaming, however, that distance often melts away. Throughout the years, many games first published ...
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THE GAMER'S BOOKSHELF: HOW TO HOST A GAME NIGHT by Erik Arneson (Tiller Press, softcover, 171 pages, $15.99) Games are an interactive medium. Most of the time, to get those ...
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GOING RETRO: ESCAPE & SURVIVE: A LOOK AT A CLASSIC: SURVIVE & ESCAPE FROM ATLANTIS by Chris Kovac Survive!, also known as Escape from Atlantis, is a 2-4 player family ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy LOST RUINS OF ARNAK (Czech Games Edition, 1 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 30 minutes per player; $59.95) Ever since Indiana Jones hit the ...
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[During this pandemic, many of us have found the time to renew our acquaintance with games from the recent past that, for one reason or another, did not appear in ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy ROME & ROLL (PSC Games, 1 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 60 minutes; £35) Roll and Writes are a relatively recent entry into the ...
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Reviewed by Selwyn Ward VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE - HERITAGE (Nice Game Publishing, 2 to 4 players, ages 18 and up, 45-90 minutes; $139.95) Vampire: The Masquerade began its undead life ...
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Reviewed by James Davis VERSAILLES 1919 (GMT Games, 1 to 4 players, ages 13 and up, 60-120 minutes; $89) On June 28th, 1914, the Austro-Hungarian heir, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, was ...
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2020
Fall 2020 GA Report
(Volume 2, Number 76)
Reviewed by Chris Kovac 1972: THE LOST PHANTOM (1 player, 30-90 minutes; www.juegosrollandwrite.com; Free) In these days of Covid lockdowns and social distancing, solitaire games have become more popular. Once ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy AQUALIN (Kosmos, 2 players, ages 8 and up, 20 minutes; $19.95) The sea is a wonderful place filled with all sorts of creatures. In Aqualin, a ...
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SPIRIT OF '76 In the United States, when we speak of the "Spirit of '76", we generally refer to the birth of our nation which dates back to 1776. We ...
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GAMING WHILE QUARANTINED by Eric Brosius Normally my gaming attention focuses on new games I’ve played, new games I want to try, and favorites I want to play more often. ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy GLEN MORE II: CHRONICLES (Funtails, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 90-120 minutes; $79.99) Sometimes, if you are lucky, a long out of print ...
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[A decade ago, we travelled to Scotland (figuratively) and basked in the glory that was Glen More. With this issue, featuring Glen More II based on the original, here is ...
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Reviewed by Joe Huber GOODS MAKER (Studio GG, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 20-40 minutes; 2420¥ [about $23)] While there are a number of very interesting games ...
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Reviewed by Chris Wray IWARI (Thundergryph Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 14 and up, 45 minutes; $59.99) Few games deserve the title “modern classic” as much as Michael ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy PAN AM (Funko Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 60 minutes; $34.99) Ever since the Wright Brothers took to the skies in 1903, ...
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Reviewed by James Davis SILENT VICTORY: U.S. SUBMARINES IN THE PACIFIC 1941-1945 (Consim Press/GMT Games, 1-2 players, ages 12 and up, 120-180 minutes; $55) Of all the branches of men ...
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[Back in 2018, we reviewed an excellent 2 player game that had eluded American shores for years: Targi. With the release of an expansion for the base game (featured ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy TARGI: THE EXPANSION (Kosmos, 2 players, ages 12 and up, 60 minutes; $19.95) Several years ago, a brilliant 2 player Euro game called Targi finally appeared ...
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Reviewed by Kevin Whitmore THE GRAND TRUNK JOURNEY (Spielworxx, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 60-120 minutes; $80) The Grand Trunk Journey is the first published game by ...
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Reviewed by Pevans THE MING VOYAGES (Surprised Stare Games, 1-2 players, ages 12 and up, 30-45 minutes; $22) Back in the early 1400s, during the Ming Empire, China’s great fleet ...
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Reviewed by Greg J. Schloesser TRUFFLE SHUFFLE (AEG, 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 30 minutes; $19.99) NOTE: Thanks to the social distancing caused by COVID-19, this review ...
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Summer 2020 GA Report
(Volume 2, Number 75)
A GLOOMHAVEN SAGA by Selwyn Ward Since its first emergence back in 2017, Gloomhaven hasn’t been so much a game as a phenomenon. Published by Cephalofair and launched on Kickstarter, ...
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Reviewed by Andrea "Liga" Ligabue BARRAGE (Cranio Creations, 1 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 120 minutes; $89.99) Published by Cranio Creations in 2019 (thanks to a kickstarter campaign ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy CARNIVAL OF MONSTERS (Amigo Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 12 and up, 45 minutes; $34.99) In a different world, the Royal Monstrological Society holds an ...
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WHAC-A-MOLE Whac-a-Mole. You ever play that game? Years ago, when I was just a kid, I would go to Coney Island, hit the arcade and pump lots of coins into pinball ...
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Reviewed by Joe Huber ESSEN: THE GAME SPIEL '13 (Geek Attitude Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 10 and up, 75 minutes; out of print) Actually, while I’ll get to ...
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Reviewed by Kevin Whitmore FIRE! (Stronghold Games/2F-Spiele, 1-2 players, ages 10 and up, 25 minutes; $19.95) Fire! by Friedemann Friese is a one or two-player game, released in 2019 from ...
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[Back in the Summer 2015 issue of Gamers Alliance Report, we ran a review of a different kind of baseball game: Baseball Highlights 2045. With its designer, Mike Fitzgerald, returning ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy FOOTBALL HIGHLIGHTS 2052 (Eagle-Gryphon Games, 1 to 4 players, ages 9 and up, 45-60 minutes; $44.95) We can expect lots of changes as the 21st century ...
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GAMES ON THE TABLETOP (SIMULATOR) by Chris Kovac Tabletop Simulator is a computer game system designed to bring the tabletop boardgame experience into the online world. In these ...
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Reviewed by Pevans GENTES (Spielworxx/Tasty Minstrel Games, 1 to 4 players ages 12 and up, 90 minutes; $59.95) I do like a civilisation-development game and Gentes designed by Stefan Risthaus ...
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Reviewed by Greg J. Schloesser IT'S A WONDERFUL WORLD (La Boite de Jeu/Lucky Duck Games/Ori Games, 1 to 5 players, ages 14 and up, 45 minutes; $44.99) The world has ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy MANIACAL (Eagle-Gryphon Games, 1 to 5 players, ages 8 and up, 60-120 minutes; $74.99) Life is not just about heroes; it's also about super VILLAINS! And ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy NEVADA CITY (Rio Grande Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 90-120 minutes; $69.95) It's 1849 and the western part of the United States ...
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Reviewed by James Davis ON MARS (Eagle-Gryphon Games, 1 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 60-120 minutes; $119.99) Wasn’t the launch of the SpaceX crewed Falcon 9 rocket on ...
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Reviewed by Chris Wray PICTURES (PD-Verlag/Rio Grande Games, 3 to 5 players, ages 8 and up, 30 minutes; $44.95) Pictures by designers Christian and Daniela Stöhr was released at Spiel ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy REAVERS OF MIDGARD (Grey Fox Games, 2-4 players, ages 14 and up, 90 minutes; $69.99) The life of a Viking is not easy. You have to ...
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Spring 2020 GA Report
(Volume 2, Number 74)
Reviewed by Greg J. Schloesser CAT LADY (AEG, 2 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 15-30 minutes; $24.99) Full confession: I am not a big cat fan. I am ...
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Reviewed by James Davis D-DAY DICE: 2ND EDITION (Word Forge Games, 1-4 players, ages 14 and up, 45 minutes; £45/$60) D-Day, the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany’s ...
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GOING VIRAL There's nothing like a worldwide pandemic to get your attention. The Coronavirus, aka Covid-19, has, as I am writing this, hit at least 177 countries (at last count) ...
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[In this issue, we feature Humboldt's Great Voyage which uses the gameplay of Mancala as its primary moving force. But this is not the only game to successfully appropriate that ...
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[Taverns, beer and good times often serve as the inspiration for games, particularly those from designers steeped in the European way of life. Although the emphasis in this issue is ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy HEROPATH: DRAGON'S ROAR (Unique Games, 1 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 60-120 minutes; about $49) A Dragons is terrorizing the land. But a bunch ...
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[Dungeons & Dragons opened the floodgates of fantasy gaming to the world at large through the medium of roleplaying in the 1970s. It took over a decade though, for Milton ...
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[By 2004 Hasbro had already acquired Milton Bradley. At a showcase for new games soon to be released in their upcoming line, Hasbro unveiled a new game, certainly reminiscent of ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy HUMBOLDT'S GREAT VOYAGE (R & R Games/Huch!, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 45-60 minutes; $39.99) Human beings share at least one trait: they ...
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Reviewed by Pevans TAPESTRY (Stonemaier Games, 1 to 5 players, ages 12 and up, 90-120 minutes; $99) The most striking thing about Tapestry when you open the box is the ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy THE TAVERNS OF TIEFENTHAL (North Star Games, 2 to 4 players ages 12 and up, 60 minutes; $49.99) In the thriving German town of Tiefenthal, the ...
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[In this issue, we feature Humboldt's Great Voyage which uses the gameplay of Mancala as its primary moving force. But this is not the only game to successfully appropriate that ...
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Reviewed by Peter Sbirakos UNDER FALLING SKIES (Tomas Uhlir/Web published, 1 player, ages 8 and up, 20-40 minutes; Free ) For some reason, playing Under Falling Skies evoked Cavafy’s famous ...
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Reviewed by Chris Kovac VAST: THE MYSTERIOUS MANOR (Leder Games, 1-5 players, ages 13 and up, 60-120 minutes; $75) Vast: The Mysterious Manor is the second game in the Vast ...
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Winter 2020 (GA Report)
(Volume 2, Number 73)
Reviewed by Greg J. Schloesser AZUL: SUMMER PAVILION (Next Move Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 45-60 minutes; $39.99) King Manuel I of Portugal is continuing his ...
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Reviewed by Pevans BLITZKRIEG! (PSC Games, 1-2 players, ages 14 and up, 20 minutes; $49.99) The sub-heading on the Blitzkrieg! box is "World War Two in 20 Minutes" and it pretty ...
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[In this issue, we are pleased to welcome a new voice to our pages: Sarah Pruzansky. In describing herself, Sarah says: "Sarah Pruzansky has always loved the art of storytelling ...
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2020 VISION A new year, a new decade. It's times like these that get people excited. Why? Because it seems we have a clean slate where the possibilities are endless! ...
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Reviewed by Andrea "Liga" Ligabue EVERDELL (Starling Games, 1 to 4 players, ages 13 and up, 40-80 minutes; $60) I’m always impressed by how many good games can rise from ...
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FRANCIS TRESHAM: A GAMING LIFE by Kevin Whitmore On October 23, 2019 Francis Tresham passed. While many others had a personal relationship with this famed designer, I merely knew his ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy GATES OF DELIRIUM (Renegade Game Studios, 2 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 45 minutes; $45) In a world caught between the natural and supernatural, ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy HADARA (Z-Man Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 10 and up, 45-60 minutes; $49.99) Building a civilization has long been one of the more popular themes ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy KINGDOMINO DUEL (Blue Orange Games, 2 players, ages 8 and up, 20 minutes; $14.99) In this day and age, when you have a game that has ...
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Reviewed by Joe Huber LOVELACE & BABBAGE (Artana Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 15-30 minutes; $20) Long ago, I realized that just because I loved one ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy PLANET (Blue Orange Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 30 minutes; $34.99) One of the effects of many of the games we play ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy SPACE EXPLORERS (25th Century Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 20-40 minutes; $30) In 1957, in the middle of the Cold War, the ...
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Reviewed by Chris Wray THE CREW: THE QUEST FOR PLANET 9 [DIE CREW: REIST GEMEINSAM ZUM 9. PLANETEN] (Kosmos/999 Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 10 and up, 20 minutes; ...
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Reviewed by Chris Kovac TICKET TO RIDE: NEW YORK (Days of Wonder, 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 30-60 minutes; $19.99) Ticket to Ride: New York is one ...
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2019
Fall 2019
(Volume 2, Number 72)
18XX and the 1822 Family of Games by Eric Brosius In 2016, designer Simon Cutforth’s game 1822 was released. 1822 belongs to the “18XX family” of railroad games, which began ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy CARAVAN (Rio Grande Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 13 and up, 45 minutes; $49.95) Trade is the lifeblood of civilization and that was certainly true ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy CENTURY: A NEW WORLD (Plan B Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 30-45 minutes; $39.99) Not that long ago, Emerson Matsuuchi came up ...
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[Not only is Joe Huber a frequent contributor to the pages of Gamers Alliance Report, he is also a noted game designer. His latest, Caravan, is, in fact, featured this ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy ECOS: FIRST CONTINENT (Alderac Entertainment Group [AEG], 2 to 6 players, ages 14 and up, 45-75 minutes; $59.99) The familiar formations of planet Earth had to ...
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M-ESSEN AROUND As game players and devotees of the art of game design, many of us post about these passions, talk about them and, if we're lucky enough to have ...
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THE GAMER'S BOOKSHELF: TORTURED CARDBOARD by Philip E. Orbanes (Permuted Press, softcover, 294 pages, $16.99) Tortured cardboard? That's the term used by Philip E. Orbanes that refers to the process ...
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[With this issue looking ahead towards the upcoming Essen Game Fair in Germany, Gamers Alliance contributor Chris Wray looks back, now that the dust has settled, and offers his views ...
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Reviewed by Kevin Whitmore GLORANTHA: THE GODS WAR (Petersen Games, 3 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 90-120 minutes; $129) Glorantha: The Gods War was launched on Kickstarter in ...
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[Ragnar Brothers consists of three friends who share a passion for board games and board game designs: Steve and Phil Kendall and Gary Dicken. Starting in the 1980s by recreating ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy IMHOTEP: THE DUEL (Kosmos, 2 players, ages 10 and up, 30 minutes; $19.95) Back in 2016, Phil Walker-Harding designed Imhotep: Builder of Egypt, a game set ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy LETTER JAM (Czech Games Edition, 2 to 6 players, ages 10 and up, 45 minutes; $19.95) In the world of word games, you have Scrabble, you ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy PARKS (Keymaster Games, 1 to 5 players, ages 10 and up, 30-60 minutes; $60) One of our national treasures is also our natural treasures: the national ...
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Reviewed by Andrea "Liga" Ligabue RED ALERT: SPACE FLEET WARFARE (PSC Games, 2 to 6 players, ages 14 and up, 60-90 minutes; £99.95) Since the publishing of Battle Cry back ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy SAILING TOWARD OSIRIS (Daily Magic Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 12 and up, 60 minutes; $50) The Pharaoh has died. Now, his funeral barge will ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy SIERRA WEST (Board & Dice, 1 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 40-60 minutes; $50) In the 1840s, the American West had a certain cachet: ...
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Reviewed by Chris Kovac STAR WARS: OUTER RIM (Fantasy Flight Games, 1 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 2 to 3 hours; $64.95) In this game, designed by Corey ...
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Reviewed by Pevans THE ROMANS (Ragnar Brothers, 1 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 90-150 minutes; £50) The title of this game designed by the Ragnar Brothers (Gary Dicken ...
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Reviewed by Greg J. Schloesser TINY TOWNS (Alderac Entertainment Group [AEG], 1- 6 players, ages 14 and up, 45-60 minutes; $39.99) Darwin was right: the world really is a ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy VILLAGERS (Sinister Fish Games, 1 to 5 players, ages 10 and up, 30-60 minutes; £20) Life could be hard for folks living in the Middle Ages ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy WATERGATE (Capstone Games/Frosted Games, 2 players, ages 12 and up, 30-60 minutes; $35) In the June heat of 1972, in the midst of a presidential election ...
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[For gamers like us, Essen, Germany is one of the vibrant hubs of the gaming world - and it's been that way for years! As this issue is a special ...
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Summer 2019
(Volume 2, Number 71)
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Reviewed by Herb Levy AZUL: STAINED GLASS OF SINTRA (Next Move Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 30-45 minutes; $39.99) What do you do when you manage ...
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SO WHAT IS A GAME NIGHT REALLY LIKE? One of the great joys of gaming (of the many, many great joys of gaming) is the chance to sit down with ...
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[It has been awhile since we reached back and showcased a game classic that has, sadly, gone out of print. But with Karl-Heinz Schmiel's classic game about German politics, Die ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy GIZMOS (CMON, 2 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 40-50 minutes; $34.99) The current focus of our educational system is STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and ...
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Reviewed by Chris Kovac KEY FLOW (R&D Games/Huch!, 2 to 6 players, ages 14 and up, 75 minutes; $60) Key Flow is a 2-6 player card management/point engine building game, ...
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Reviewed by Selwyn Ward LORD OF THE RINGS: JOURNEY IN MIDDLE-EARTH (Fantasy Flight Games, 1 to 5 players, ages 14 and up, 60+ minutes; $99.95) It’s gotten so that nowadays ...
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[One of the irregularly appearing features in Gamers Alliance Report are revisits to great games that are no longer in print. Sometimes, those out of print gems get a second ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy MASTER THIEF (Breaking Games, 2 to 6 players, ages 10 and up, 15-20 minutes; $25) There is a lot of valuable stuff in the museum and ...
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Reviewed by Pevans MUSEUM (Holy Grail Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 30-60 minutes; $59.99) How to be a curator I got to play Museum at this ...
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Reviewed by Greg J. Schloesser PANDORIA (Irongames, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 90-120 minutes; $64.99) I guess lessons are not learned very easily. The five peoples occupying ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy SPACE BASE (Alderac Entertainment Group [AEG], 2 to 5 players, ages 14 and up, 60 minutes; $39.99) In the future when space travel becomes a recognized ...
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Reviewed by James Davis U-BOOT: THE BOARD GAME (Ares Games, 1 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 30-120 minutes; $99.95) Willkommen an Bord, Herr Kaleun! Have you ever wondered ...
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Reviewed by Andrea "Liga" Ligabue UNDERWATER CITIES (Rio Grande Games, 1 to 4 players, ages 13 and up, 90-120 minutes; $69.95) The earth is overpopulated. The colonization of Mars is ...
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Spring 2019
(Volume 2, Number 70)
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Reviewed by Joe Huber 5X5 CITY (OKAZU Brand, 1 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 30 minutes; 3000 ¥ [about $27]) Hisashi Hayashi is among the most prolific Japanese game designers, releasing four or five games a year through his OKAZU Brand label. These releases are roughly evenly split ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy THE ARRIVAL (Cryptozoic, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 75-90 minutes; $40) In a time long forgotten, the sinister King Balor of the Evil Eye rules the luscious emerald isle of Erin aided and abetted by the Formori, a supernatural face of fierce monstrous ...
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Reviewed by Greg J. Schloesser COIMBRA (eggerstpiele, 2 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 60 to 90+ minutes; $69.99) I must admit that with my decades of involvement in the hobby, I find my tolerance for “heavy” games decreasing. Perhaps it is that I find it increasingly difficult to ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy CROWN OF EMARA (Pegasus Spiele, 1 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 45-75 minutes; $49.99) The kingdom of Emara is prosperous and at peace - but good times do not last forever. Wise King Theodorius, needing to prepare for a successor, has come up with ...
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You are an enemy of the Daleks! Pevans avoids extermination to review DR. WHO: TIME OF THE DALEKS (Gale Force 9, 2 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 120+ minutes; $50) If you look on YouTube you’ll find every version of the Doctor Who theme music. I play the original ...
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SIZE 10 FOOT IN A SIZE 7 SHOE Not to belabor the obvious but... the internet is a vast place and you will encounter people of all types in cyberspace. In the corners of that world that I haunt, I often come across folks who have just discovered this joy ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy EXPANCITY (Breaking Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 60-90 minutes; $60) Urban development is a theme explored more than once in the World of Games. The latest game to tackle this subject comes from designer Alex Cutler as players combine a bit of ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy GUGONG (Tasty Minstrel Games, 1 to 5 players, ages 12 and up, 60-90 minutes; $59.95) Few cities conjure up such visions of awe and mystery as the Forbidden City of ancient China. This city, known as Gùgōng, was also riddled with corruption! To correct that blight, ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy ILLUSION (Pandasaurus Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 8 and up, 15-20 minutes; $14.95) Color - and perception - is key in the new game from award-winning designer Wolfgang Warsch that challenges your sense of color AND your senses: Illusion ...
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Reviewed by Chris Kovac QUARTERMASTER GENERAL: 1914 (PSC Games/Griggling Games, 3 to 5 players, ages 12 and up, 180+ minutes; $59.95) Quartermaster General 1914 is the third game in the card driven light strategic Quartermaster General series by Ian Brody after Quartermaster General (featured in the Summer 2015 issue of ...
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An iron curtain has descended. Pevans reviews... QUARTERMASTER GENERAL: THE COLD WAR (PSC Games/Griggling Games, 3 to 6 players, ages 14 and up, 120 minutes; $65.80) The idea behind all the Quartermaster General games is Napoleon’s maxim that “an army marches on its stomach”. Supply lines are key and players ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy RACCOON TYCOON (Forbidden Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 8 and up, 90 minutes; $49.99) Astoria is a prosperous place where towns, factories and railroads are appearing on the landscape, the harbinger of even greater economic times ahead - and we don't want to be left ...
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Reviewed by Chris Wray RAILROAD INK (Horrible Games/CMON, 1 to 6 players, ages 8 and up, 20-30 minutes; $17.99) The “roll and write” genre is having a moment, with dozens of titles releasing in recent months. One of the bigger splashes has been Railroad Ink designed by Hjalmar Hach & Lorenzo ...
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Reviewed by Kevin Whitmore ROOT (Leder Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 14 and up, 90-120 minutes; $60) Root is an impressive game designed by Cole Wehrle whose John Company (featured in the Summer 2018 GA Report) was released by Leder Games in 2018. Readers might recall that Leder Games ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy TIME BREAKER (Looney Labs, 2 to 5 players, ages 8 and up. 10-40 minutes; $25) Something we seem to never have enough of is time, so when someone is messing around with it, you can easily understand the need to set things right. In this new ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy VICTORIAN MASTERMINDS (CMON, 2 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 60 minutes; $49.99) Many games entice players to connect with their "inner child". This time, designers Antoine Bauza and Eric M. Lang entice gamers to connect with their "inner evil" as players assume the roles ...
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Winter 2019
(Volume 2, Number 69)
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Reviewed by Herb Levy ALTIPLANO: THE TRAVELER (Renegade Games/dlp, 2 to 5 players, ages 12 and up, 60-120 minutes; $30) One of the best games released in 2017 was Altiplano designed by Reiner Stockhausen, a game set in the high mountains of the Andes as players traveled to different locations, ...
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Reviewed by Chris Kovac AUZTRALIA (Stronghold Games, 1 to 4 players, ages 13 and up, 30-120 minutes; $69.95) Auztralia is an action planning game with some light wargame and resource management elements designed by Martin Wallace and the first release in Stronghold Games' "The Great Designer Series". The theme of ...
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CHEF'S SURPRISE Eating is one of those things all of us do. Some of us eat to live; others live to eat. And sometimes the activity of eating can be elevated into art! There are a lot of cooking shows on television today, even a few entire networks, devoted to ...
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EYES ON ESSEN: A LOOK AT GERMANY'S GIANT GAME CONVENTION by Selwyn Ward “Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space.” ...
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[Altiplano: The Traveler, an expansion for Altiplano, is featured in this issue. For those not familiar with Altiplano itself, we "flashback" to how we saw it in the Spring 2018 issue of Gamers Alliance Report.] Reviewed by Herb Levy FLASHBACK: ALTIPLANO (dlp Games/Renegade Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 12 and ...
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Reviewed by Greg J. Schloesser HALLOWEEN (Quined Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 60-90 minutes; $69.95) I have always been a fan of horror stories, novels and films. For some reason, I enjoy the tense, impending doom atmosphere that they usually evoke, including the nervous "butterflies" in ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy HOLDING ON: THE TROUBLED LIFE OF BILLY KERR (Hub Games/Asmodee, 2 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 45-60 minutes; $39.99) Just when you think you've seen every theme that could possibly serve as the basis for a game, along comes something that proves you wrong ...
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Reviewed by Chris Wray JUST ONE (Repos Production, 3 to 7 players, ages 8 and up, 20 minutes; about $20) Just One is a cooperative party game by Ludovic Roudy and Bruno Sautter for 3-7 players. Released at Essen 2018, the game seemed to immediately catch fire among word game ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy KOI (Smirk & Dagger Games, 1 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 40-60 minutes; $39.95) To relax, to feel tranquility wash over you like a wave over sand, what a wonderful feeling! Wonderful except when you are a koi fish seeking a delicious meal of ...
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Reviewed by Joe Huber LIFT OFF (Hans im Gluck/Z-Man Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 60-90 minutes; $59.99) For me, one of the joys of the board game hobby is looking through the new releases for Essen. It’s really a unique pleasure – the only other convention ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy LINCOLN (PSC Games/Worthington Games, 2 players, ages 14 and up, 60-120 minutes; $45) One of the most popular historical themes for games is the American Civil War. This conflict split the United States of America in two with the Union forces of the North thrust into ...
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Reviewed by Kevin Whitmore OBSESSION (Kayenta Games, 1 to 4 players, ages 13 and up, 30-90 minutes; $54) Obsession is an enjoyable new game released in 2018 by first-time author Dan Hallagan and published by his own Kayenta Publishing company. Obsession is a large boxed game, similar in size to ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy RAILROAD RIVALS (Forbidden Games, 1 to 5 players, ages 8 and up, 45-60 minutes; $49.99) One of the factors accounting for the tremendous growth of the United States during the 19th century was the rise of railroads. This method of transportation was crucial in developing the ...
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Reviewed by Pevans ROSENBERG TRILOGY: COTTAGE GARDEN, INDIAN SUMMER, SPRING MEADOW (Edition Spielwiese/Stronghold Games, 1 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 60 or less minutes; $59.95 each) Somewhere along the way, I completely missed Uwe Rosenberg’s Patchwork. Probably because it’s a two-player game. I first became aware of it ...
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Reviewed by Andrea "Liga" Ligabue SCORPIUS FREIGHTER (Alderac Entertainment Group [AEG], 2 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 45-75 minutes; $59.99) It’s been almost 100 years since the Scorpius system was settled. Sentients came from everywhere to start a new life, following their dreams of prosperity and adventure. The ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy SPEAKEASY BLUES (Artana Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 45-60 minutes; $60) The "Roaring Twenties" wasn't called that for nothing! In the 1920s when Prohibition was the law and folks were prevented from easily getting their favorite alcoholic beverages, many rebelled against this ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy VALPARAISO (dlp Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 12 and up, 45-90 minutes; € 49.95) The lifeblood of all countries is trade. So it was with Chile when, in 1811, the Chilean Congress voted for free trade and, soon after, independence. As Chilean citizens of influence, ...
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2018
Fall 2018
(Volume 2, Number 68)
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Reviewed by James Davis BIOS MEGAFAUNA: 2ND EDITION (Sierra Madre Games, 1 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 90-180 minutes; $69.99) Phil Eklund is a rocket scientist. He’s also a game designer. And so yes, he has created a game about rocket science. It’s called High Frontier (and featured in ...
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Reviewed by Chris Wray BLUE LAGOON (Blue Orange Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 30-45 minutes; $29.99) Blue Orange is becoming a darling of Gen Con, developing a reputation for well-produced, family-friendly games. This year they released Blue Lagoon, a game from Reiner Knizia that harkens back ...
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Reviewed by Chris Kovac CHAMPIONSHIP FORMULA RACING (Ultra Pro, 1 to 12 players, ages 13 and up, 45-60 minutes; $60) Back in the 1980’s when I first started gaming and Avalon Hill was king, one of the most popular racing games was Speed Circuit. However, many years passed and the ...
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DOLLARS AND SENSE This issue of Gamers Alliance Report is being published just as the Holiday Season buying rush is getting into gear. Pretty soon, families will be spending time around the Thanksgiving table, gifts will be bought for the Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa celebrations and, of course, if you ...
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Reviewed by Kevin Whitmore EPOCH: EARLY INVENTORS (Rio Grande Games, 1 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 45-90 minutes; $59.95) Epoch is a 2018 release from Rio Grande Games, designed by the slightly cryptic Martyn F. I say cryptic, as Martiy does not disclose his last name. Adding to ...
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Games at the Alexandria Palace by Selwyn Ward Despite its regal sounding name, Alexandra Palace was never a royal residence. Located in North London, England, it was originally conceived and built around the time the Civil War was raging between the United States and the Confederacy. It was named after ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy LOST CITIES: RIVALS (Kosmos, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 40 minutes; $14.95) Very often, a well received game will inspire its designer to "revisit" that creation and come up with a new spin on it. No one is more adept at this than ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy MERCADO (Kosmos, 2 to 4 players. ages 10 and up, 30-40 minutes; $39.95) Mercado means "market" in Spanish and, true to its name, players will find themselves in a market where they will use their wealth to buy expensive treasures and rare perfumes and, with the ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy ORBIS (Space Cowboys, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 45 minutes; $39.99) Games cover a whole range of subjects, from the sublime to the ridiculous. touching upon almost everything imaginable in the world. But what about creating your own world? That is this challenge ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy PIONEER DAYS (Tasty Minstrel Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 45-60 minutes; $59.95) In the early days of western settlement of the United States, it took hardy folk to undertake - and survive - the dangers that awaited them as they trekked from ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy RHINO HERO: SUPER BATTLE (HABA, 2 to 4 players, ages 5 and up, 10-20 minutes; $29.99) Super heroes, super hero battles, building things up and crashing them down, what more can someone ask for in a game designed for kids? At least, that seems to be ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy RISE OF TRIBES (Breaking Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 30-60 minutes; $50) We've come a long way since early man first appeared on this planet but questions still remain. Just how did early man survive? Just how did civilization grow and develop? ...
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Reviewed by Greg J. Schloesser SANTA MARIA (Aporta Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 45-90 minutes; $54.99) Every now and then I am surprised by a game, finding myself really enjoying it after initially low expectations. A few folks in our game group played Santa Maria shortly after ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy SHIFTING REALMS (Soaring Rhino Inc., 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 60 minutes; $75) Lots of games create a world for players in which to immerse themselves. For brothers Craig van Ness and Jeff van Ness, however, one world is not enough! In their ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy TARGI (Kosmos, 2 players, ages 12 and up, 60 minutes; $19.95) Back in 2012, the German game company Kosmos released a two player game of tribal competition in the desert. This game received critical acclaim including receiving a Kennerspiel des Jahres nomination as well as a ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy THE RIVER (Days of Wonder, 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 30-45 minutes; $39.99) The quest for land and the growth of settlements have been influences on human behavior for centuries and, in many cases, rivers running through them have been an essential component ...
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Reviewed by Andrea "Liga" Ligabue UNLOCK! (Asmodee, 1 to 6 players, ages 10 and up, 45-75 minutes; $14.99 each) Since its first appearance back in 2008 and more from 2010, the Escape Room has become a real cult favorite with, nowadays, hundreds rooms all around the world. It was just ...
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Summer 2018
(Volume 2, Number 67)
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Reviewed by Herb Levy AGRA (Quined Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 120 minutes; $79.95) Birthdays are generally cause for celebration. This is true even in 1572 India as the Emperor Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad, popularly known as Akbar the Great, ruler of India's Mughal dynasty, is marking ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy ANCESTREE (Calliope Games, 2 to 6 players, ages 8 and up, 20-40 minutes; $30) One of the recent developments in modern life is the desire to know your background. Today, there are a host of services available where you can submit your DNA or go online ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy BROADHORNS: EARLY TRADE ON THE MISSISSIPPI (Rio Grande Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 60-90 minutes; $59.95) In the early 1800s, the lifeblood of trade in the middle of the growing United States was the Mississippi River connecting northern and southern towns, bringing ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy THE CASTLES OF BURGUNDY: THE DICE GAME (Ravensburger/ALEA, 1 to 5 players, ages 10 and up, 15-30 minutes; $14.99) Stefan Feld is one of the top tier designers in the World of Games. Among his very successful designs is Castles of Burgundy (featured in the Summer ...
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Reviewed by Chris Wray DIE QUACKSALBER VON QUEDLINBURG (Schmidt Spiele, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 45 minutes; $54.95) Die Quacksalber von Quedlinburg, a bag-building game from designer Wolfgang Warsch, immediately gathered an enthusiastic following in German-speaking countries after its March debut. Nonetheless, the game didn’t garner ...
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A MAJOR MINI PROBLEM Things are always "trending" in the World of Games. One of the most popular of these current trends is that, more and more, lots and lots of miniatures are being included as part of the package. The inclusion of miniatures can be found in games that ...
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Reviewed by Joe Huber GANZ SCHON CLEVER (Schmidt Spiele, 1 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 30 minutes; $24.95) One of the biggest trends in boardgames in the last few years has been the rise of "roll-and-write" games and their various relatives. Exactly where the history of such games ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy INTELLE: HACK OR BE HACKED (Fisher-Heaton Games, 2 players, ages 10 and up, 15 minutes; $23.95) In these days, computers are an essential part of our lives. Not only is this true on a personal level but it is certainly true for corporations. What is also ...
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Reviewed by Pevans JOHN COMPANY (Sierra Madre Games, 1-6 players, aged 12+, 3 hours; $54) A game about the British East India Company sounded fascinating, so I jumped at the chance to try John Company when Ralph Anderson suggested it at the Gathering. With Ralph leading the way, all four ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy KASHGAR: MERCHANTS OF THE SILK ROAD (Grail Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 60 minutes; $39.99) Several years back, at the gaming convention known as The Gathering of Friends, I had the pleasure of playing a game about merchants leading caravans, travelling and ...
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Reviewed by Pevans KEYPER (R&D Games/HUCH!, for 2-4 players, ages 14+, 90-120 minutes; $82.50) Keyper, as the name suggests, this is the latest in the Key… series of games from Richard Breese, published by his imprint, R&D Games (and Huch! in Germany). It’s a typically complex game, so I will ...
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Reviewed by Chris Kovac PANDEMIC LEGACY: SEASON 2 (Z-Man Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 60 minutes; $79.99) Pandemic Legacy: Season Two is a four-player cooperative legacy game, designed by Matt Leacock and Rob Daviau, and the second game in the Pandemic Legacy series. Legacy games are ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy ROLL PLAYER (Thunderworks Games, 1 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 90 minutes; $59.95) Ever since Dungeons & Dragons exploded onto the scene, roleplaying games have captivated a large segment of the gaming population. A large part of the appeal is the adventuring aspect of play: ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy ROLL PLAYER: MONSTERS & MINIONS (Thunderworks Games, 1 to 5 players, ages 10 and up, 60-120 minutes; $50) Roleplaying games involve creating characters to take on adventures and Roll Player (featured this issue) is all about that character creation! But there is another element central to ...
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Reviewed by Andrea "Liga" Ligabue STAR WARS: LEGION (Fantasy Flight Games, 2 players, ages 14 and up, 120 minutes; Core Set $89.95) The Star Wars Universe has been the ideal place for a lot of good boardgames starting from the all galaxy strategic scale, like in Star Wars: Rebellion, (featured ...
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Reviewed by Greg J. Schloesser THUNDERSTONE QUEST (Alderac Entertainment Group, 2 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 60-90 minutes; Base Set $69.99) If Dominion and Dungeons & Dragons had a fling, the result would undoubtedly be Thunderstone Quest. The massive game from designer Mike Elliott and AEG combines the ...
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Spring 2018
(Volume 2, Number 66)
Reviewed by Herb Levy ALTIPLANO (dlp Games/Renegade Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 12 and up, 60-120 minutes; $65) The highlands of the Andes between Bolivia and Peru and the goods to be grown, harvested ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy CHARIOTS OF ROME (Victory Point Games, 2 to 8 players, ages 14 and up, 60-120 minutes; $45) One of the great segments in movie history is the chariot racing scene from ...
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Reviewed by Selwyn Ward CIVILIZATION (Gibsons Games, 2 to 7, ages 12 and up, 4 to 8 hours; about £46) If you mention the game Civilization to most people, they immediately think of Sid Meier ...
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Reviewed by Chris Wray DECRYPTO (Iello Games, 3 to 8 players, ages 12 and up, 15-45 minutes; $19.99) Decrypto made a prototype debut at the Gathering of Friends 2017, where it quickly became popular, earning ...
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THE THRILL OF VICTORY AND THE JOY OF DEFEAT Decades ago, the ABC television network had a sports show called The Wide World of Sports. Each week, the highs and lows of sports teams and ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy IQUAZU (HABA, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 50 minutes; $49.99) Peace and prosperity are things that people the world over have wanted. So it is with the Inox ...
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Reviewed by James Davis LISBOA (Eagle-Gryphon Games, 1 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 120 minutes; $99.99) The great Lisbon earthquake occurred on Saturday, the 1st of November at approximately 9:40 AM in the ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy MICHAEL STROGOFF (Devir, 1 to 5 players, ages 12 and up, 60 minutes; $34.99) Jules Verne is one of the authors who lives on in his work. Nearly everyone has heard ...
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Reviewed by Joe Huber NUSFJORD (Lookout Games/Mayfair Games, 1 to 5 players, ages 12 and up, 20-100 minutes, $70) Once upon a time, Uwe Rosenberg was known as one of the greatest card game game ...
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Reviewed by Kevin Whitmore POWERSHIPS (Cwali Games, 2 to 7 players, ages 10 and up, 30 minutes; 32€ plus shipping) Powerships is a 2018 release from Cwali Games, the private label of game designer Corné ...
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Reviewed by Greg J. Schloesser PULSAR 2849 (Czech Games Edition, 2 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 120 minutes; $59.95) Set in the future at the advent of an energy boom, Pulsar 2849 casts ...
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Reviewed by Chris Kovac THIS WAR OF MINE (Awaken Realms, 1 to 6 players, ages 18 and up, 45-120 minutes; $69.99) This War of Mine is a one to six player cooperative game of survival ...
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Reviewed by Pevans TULIP BUBBLE (Moaideas Game Design, 3 to 5 players, ages 12 and up, 45-60 minutes; $40) I understand that there is some debate whether the early 17th-century tulip mania in the Dutch ...
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Reviewed by Selwyn Ward WILDCATTERS (Capstone Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 12 and up, 120 minutes; $69.99) Designed by Rolf Sagel and André Spil and published by Capstone Games, Wildcatters is a recent second ...
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Winter 2018
(Volume 2, Number 65)
Reviewed by Eric Brosius 18CZ (Fox in the Box, 2 to 6 players, ages 12 and up, 250 minutes; about 78€) Lonny Orgler’s 18CZ is a new member of the so-called “18XX” branch of the ...
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Reviewed by Frank Hamrick AZUL (Plan B Games/Next Move, 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 30-45 minutes; $39.99) Azul is a "small footprint game" designed by Michael Kiesling with a surprisingly "simple-to-subtle" play ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy BUNNY KINGDOM (Iello, 2 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 45 minutes; $49.99) Richard Garfield has carved out an enviable reputation for game design. From Magic, the Gathering to RoboRally, ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy CURSED COURT (Atlas Games, 2 to 6 players, ages 14 and up, 30-45 minutes; $49.95) It's good to be king! But what about those nobles lower down in the food chain? ...
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Reviewed by Chris Kovac DAYS OF IRE: BUDAPEST 1956 (Cloud Island Games/Mr. B Games, 1 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 60-90 minutes; $64.95) Days of Ire: Budapest 1956 is a semi abstract simulation ...
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A SHILLING FOR YOUR THOUGHTS "A penny for your thoughts" is a phrase that may be familiar to you. You might have heard it, you might have said it. Basically, it's a friendly way of ...
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Reviewed by Joe Huber EMPEROR'S CHOICE (Okazu Brand, 3 to 5 players, ages 12 and up, 120 minutes, about $60) I’ve always been a bit amused by the notion of an “automatic buy” designer; while there ...
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Reviewed by Andrea "Liga" Ligabue GAIA PROJECT (Z-Man Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 12 and up, 60-150 minutes; $99.99) For centuries, your civilization has yearned to take to the stars and explore unknown worlds ...
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Reviewed by Greg J. Schloesser HEAVEN & ALE (eggertspiele, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 90-120 minutes; $69.99) Monks brewing ale, a theme that is sure to craft beer lovers everywhere to salivate ...
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Reviewed by Chris Wray MAJESTY: FOR THE REALM (Z-Man Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 7 and up, 30-45 minutes; $39.99) One of the hottest games of Essen 2017 was Majesty: For the Realm. Designed ...
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Reviewed by Pevans THE PALACE OF MAD KING LUDWIG (Bezier Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 13 and up, 75 minutes; $59.95) As the title gives away, this is a thematic sequel to designer Ted ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy PLANET OF THE APES (IDW, 1 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 60-90 minutes; $59.99) In today's world, science fiction has a tremendous impact in entertainment but science fiction has ...
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Reviewed by Kevin Whitmore THE QUEST FOR EL DORADO (Ravensburger, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 30-60 minutes; $32.99) The Quest for El Dorado, is a new release from Ravensburger (2017), and well-loved ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy RAJAS OF THE GANGES (RnR Games/HUCH!, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 60 minutes; $49.99) Games will often whisk us to exotic locales. In this new design from Inka ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy TRANSATLANTIC (Rio Grande Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 13 and up, 60-90 minutes; $64.95) The Industrial Revolution started shrinking the world. With industry came power, power to drive engines and ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy TRENCH (Outer Limits Games, 2 players, ages 10 and up, 45-60 minutes; $50) World War I was a war of tremendous destruction. Opposing armies faced each other, emerging from the cover ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy YUMMY WORLD: PARTY AT PICNIC PALACE (WizKids, 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 20-30 minutes; $14.99) People who like to read have favorite authors so, when a new book ...
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2017
Fall 2017
(Volume 2, Number 64)
Reviewed by Herb Levy 1960: THE MAKING OF THE PRESIDENT (GMT Games, 2 players, ages 14 and up, 90 minutes; $85) Conventional "wisdom" among game companies is that presidential election games are only worth publishing ...
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Reviewed by Pevans A HANDFUL OF STARS (Treefrog Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 13 and up, 120 minutes; about $80) As you can may suspect from the title, A Handful of Stars has a science ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy CAVERNA: CAVE VS. CAVE (Mayfair Games, 1-2 players, ages 12 and up, 20-40 minutes; $28) Several years ago, Uwe Rosenberg designed a well received game (reviewed in our Spring 2014 issue) ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy CENTURY SPICE ROAD (Plan B Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 45 minutes; $39.99) In times long past, the legendary Spice Road was the trading route that merchants ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy CODENAMES DUET (Czech Games Edition, 2 or more players, ages 11 and up, 15-30 minutes; $19.95) The way the gaming industry works these days is that when a game has been ...
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GAME, SET, MATCH - AND LOVE At this time of year, with Holiday gift-giving just around the corner, the thoughts of many folks drift to the challenge of finding the right gift for friends and ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy FANTASY REALMS (WizKids, 3 to 6 players, ages 14 and up, 20 minutes; $19.99) Lands of magic and monsters, of heroes and armies, of wizards and artifacts, have long populated books, ...
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Reviewed by Greg J. Schloesser FROGRIDERS (eggertspiele/Pegasus Spiele/Stronghold Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 30 minutes; $49.99) Themes can be a tricky thing. I am sure designers and publishers often struggle over ...
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Reviewed by Chris Kovac KRAFTWAGEN: V6 EDITION (Stronghold Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 75-90 minutes; $59.95) Kraftwagen (the V6 edition comes with the first expansion) is a 2-4 player action management ...
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[In this issue, we are pleased to welcome Christopher Wray to the pages of Gamers Alliance Report. As Chris says: "Chris Wray is a frequent reviewer of board and card games, writing dozens of reviews ...
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Reviewed by Pevans SHIPS (Treefrog Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 13 and up, 120 minutes or more; $39.99) Ships is Martin Wallace’s third transport-themed game (after Automobile and Aeroplanes) and was launched by his ...
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Reviewed by Andrea "Liga" Ligabue STAR WARS: REBELLION (Fantasy Flight Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 14 and up; 180-240 minutes; $99.95) It is a period of civil war. The last remnants of the Old ...
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Reviewed by Frank Hamrick WHISTLE STOP (Bezier Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 13 and up 75-90 minutes; $59.95) Yes, Whistle Stop is yet another train game! And yes, there are a lot of train ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy WITCHES OF THE REVOLUTION (Atlas Games, 1 to 4 players, ages 13 and up, 30-60 minutes; $39.95) History has always been a fertile field for game ideas. An offshoot of that ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy WORDSPIEL (Set Enterprises, 2 to 6 players, ages 8 to adult, 45 minutes, $12.99) As a kid, I remember playing a game we called Geography. The premise was simple: state a geographical ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy WORDSY (Formal Ferret Games, 1 to 6 players, ages 10 and up, 20 minutes; $20) There is a whole corner in the World of Games reserved exclusively for word games. Of ...
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[We are pleased to welcome Selwyn Ward to the pages of Gamers Alliance Report. As he says: "Selwyn Ward has been playing, collecting and writing about board games for more years than he readily admits ...
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Summer 2017
Volume 2, Number 63)
Reviewed by Herb Levy AURA (Breaking Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 20-40 minutes; $25) Card games are a revered staple in the world of games. Generally, ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy BÄRENPARK (Mayfair Games/Lookout Spiele, 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 30-45 minutes; $42) Who doesn't love a zoo? I, for one, do and one ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy BIBLIOS (Iello Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 30 minutes; $24.99) In today's world where video has made a formidable assault on the ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy CLANK!: A DECK-BUILDING ADVENTURE (Renegade Game Studios, 2 to 4 players, ages 13 and up, 60 minutes, $60) "I think it's time we stop, children, what's ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy DEADLINE (WizKids, 2 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 60+ minutes; $44.99) With the creation of the mystery story featuring the all knowing detective (credited ...
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PIECES AND PEACE My first mistake is following the news. I watch it, I read it and, man, it can be awfully depressing. And scary. And so so sad. Sometimes, ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy KANAGAWA (Iello Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 45 minutes; $29.99) One of the beauties of Asian culture is the art. Classic Asian ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy KINGDOMINO (Blue Orange Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 15 minutes; $19.99) Throughout history, kings have often sought to expand their holdings, growing ...
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Reviewed by Chris Kovac MOONGHA INVADERS (Treefrog Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 120 minutes; about $90 for the Kickstarter edition) Moongha Invaders (subtitled "Mad Scientists and ...
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Reviewed by Joe Huber NMBR9 (Abacusspiele, 1 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 15-20 minutes; about €20) A lot of games are called multiplayer solitaire, particularly by those who prefer ...
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Reviewed by Pevans PAPA PAOLO (Quined Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 20-30 minutes per player; $50) Double pepperoni, hold the anchovies! Pevans reviews Papà Paolo When ...
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Reviewed by Frank Hamrick PORT ROYAL (Steve Jackson Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 8 and up, 50 minutes; $19.95) Of the nearly 400 game library of Tar River Gamers, ...
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Reviewed by Kevin Whitmore SAGRADA (Floodgate Games, 1 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 40 minutes, $39.99) Sagrada is a new game designed by Adrian Adamescu and Daryl Andrews. ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy SHEEP & THIEF (Pegasus Spiele, 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 20-40 minutes; € 24.95) The countryside seems idyllic: lush greenery, flowing waters, frolicking sheep ...
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Reviewed by Andrea "Liga" Ligabue TERRAFORMING MARS (Stronghold Games/Ghenos Games, 1 to 5 players, ages 12 and up, 120 minutes; $69.99) When I first saw Terraforming Mars, designed by Jacob ...
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Reviewed by Eric Brosius WAR OF THE RING: SECOND EDITION (Ares Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 180 minutes; $89.99) As a boardgame fan, I am especially ...
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Spring 2017
(Volume 2, Number 62)
Revised by Andrea "Liga" Ligabue ADRENALINE (Czech Games Edition, 3 to 5 players, ages 10 and up, 30-60 minutes; $69.99) Year after year, video games and boardgames are coming closer ...
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Asymmetrical Games: A Contest with Uneven Forces by Bruce Whitehill Think of the last board game you played. And the many before that. You and the other players were probably ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy BARCELONA: THE ROSE OF FIRE (Devir, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 90 minutes; $59.99) History is great source material for movies, television and ...
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Reviewed by Pevans COLONY (Beziar Games, 1 to 4 players, ages 13 and up, about 60 minutes; $59.95) After the apocalypse: dice! My introduction to Colony came at the Bézier ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy DRACONIS INVASION (Keji Games, 1 to 6 players, ages 14 and up, 30-90 minutes; $40) It is a bad time for the kingdom. It seems the ...
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WATCH THE GAP I live on Long Island in the great state of New York, just east of the magnificent metropolis that is New York City. Now traffic can be ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy FANTASY FANTASY BASEBALL (CSE Games, 1-5 players, ages 10 and up, 20-50 minutes; $29.99) It's spring and, to paraphrase the famous adage, a young man's fancy ...
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Reviewed by Chantal Noordeloos GLOOMHAVEN (Cephalofair Games, 1 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 120 minutes; $119.99) Most of the time I know how much I like a game ...
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Reviewd by Herb Levy HOLMES: SHERLOCK vs. MYCROFT (Devir, 2 players, ages 10 and up, 30 minutes; $24.99) At the stroke of midnight, on February 24, 1895, a bomb explodes ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy ICE COOL (Brain Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 6 and up, 3o minutes; $39.99) As a kid growing up in Brooklyn, in those pre-internet, pre-video ...
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Reviewed by Joe Huber JUMP DRIVE (Rio Grande Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 30 minutes; $24.95) One of the luckiest chances I’ve had in my life ...
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Reviewed by Greg J. Schloesser KEY TO THE CITY: LONDON (R&D Games/Huch & Co./Game Salute, 2 to 6 players, ages 14 and up, 90-120 minutes; about $60) While he has ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy MEDURIS (HABA, 2- 4 players, ages 10 and up, 75 minutes; $49.99) The Celtic gods demand their due. Players, as settlers of the fertile land at ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy PORTAL OF HEROES (Mayfair Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 10 and up, 45 minutes; $18) The kingdom of Molthar has fallen prey to black magic ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy RAILROAD REVOLUTION (What's Your Game?/Pegasus Spiele, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 45-95 minutes; $60) There is something about railroads. Somehow, they seem to ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy TAK: A BEAUTIFUL GAME (James Ernest Games, 2 players, ages 12 and up, 10-30 minutes; $55) Game designers are often asked "Where do you get the ...
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[In this issue, we are pleased to welcome Angus McCallum to our pages. Angus writes: Born in 1976, I am a gamer from the Midwest. My first board games were ...
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Revised by Herb Levy THE GALLERIST (Eagle-Gryphon Games, 1 to 4 players, ages 13 and up, 120 minutes; $79.99) The art world is a vibrant world of artists and their ...
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Winter 2017
(Volume 2, Number 61)
Reviewed by Herb Levy ACQUIRE (Avalon Hill/Wizards of the Coast/Hasbro Gaming , 2 to 6 players, ages 12 and up, about 60 minutes; $39.99) Have you ever wondered where and ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy BLACK ORCHESTRA (Game Salute, 1 to 5 players, ages 13 and up, 75-125 minutes; $60) If the title of this game make you think of music, ...
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Reviewed by James Davis COMANCHERIA: THE RISE AND FALL OF THE COMANCHE EMPIRE (GMT Games, 1 player, ages 14 and up, 60-360 minutes; $60) Games that simulate an event or ...
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THE TIPPING POINT Sometimes in life, there comes a time when a certain balance is reached. It's almost like being suspended in space for, at that moment, you are poised ...
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[Many people present themselves as "game experts" but far too many don't live up to the title. This time, however, game expert is a title richly deserved. In this issue, ...
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Reviewed by Eric Brosius FABLED FRUIT (Stronghold Games, 2-5 players, ages 8 and up, 20-30 minutes; $44.95) Fabled Fruit, as described on the back of the box, “is a Fable ...
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.Reviewed by Herb Levy FLAMME ROUGE (lautapelit.fi, 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 30-45 minutes; 37€) It seems like the majority of racing games that make it to ...
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Reviewed by Kevin Whitmore FORGED IN STEEL (Knight Works, LLC, 2 to 4 players, ages 13 and up, 75-120 minutes; $60) Forged in Steel is a remarkable new game released ...
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Reviewed by Chris Kovac GRAND PRIX (GMT Games, 2 to 11 players, ages 14 and up, 90 minutes; $69) Grand Prix is a 2-11 person Formula 1 card driven racing ...
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Reviewed by Frank Hamrick GREAT WESTERN TRAIL (Stronghold Games/eggertspiele, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 75-150 minutes; $69.95) Great Western Trail is the latest game from Alexander Pfister, ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy HIGH TREASON! THE TRIAL OF LOUIS RIEL JULY 1885 (Victory Point Games, 2 players, ages 13 and up, 40 minutes; $20.79) Westward expansion in Canada was ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy IMHOTEP: BUILDER OF EGYPT (Kosmos, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 40 minutes; $39.95) Ancient Egypt is well known for its amazing pyramids and ...
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Reviewed by Andrea "Liga" Ligabue KEPLER-3042 (Placentia Games, 1-4 players, ages 14 and up, 60-120 minutes; $89.99) Kepler-3042 is a Kickstarter project that has, as most successful Kickstarter games do, ...
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Reviewed by Joe Huber LÄNDER TOPPEN! (Drei Hasen in der Abendsonne, 2 to 6 players, ages 8 and up, 30-45 minutes; 14.90€) One of the pleasures of my lone trip ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy PLANET RUSH (Victory Point Games, 3 to 5 players, ages 13 and up, 30 minutes; $32.99) Few game designers are as adept at reinventing their games ...
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Reviewed by Pevans RHODES (The Game Master, 2 to 5 players, ages 10 and up, 90-120 minutes; about $45) I was pleased to see a new strategy game from Dutch ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy ROYALS (Arcane Wonders, 2 to 5 players, ages 14 and up, 60 minutes; $49.99) The more things change the more they stay the same. Even back ...
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2016
Fall 2016
(Volume 2, Number 60)
SEALING THE DEAL Back at the turn of the 20th century, slick magazines ruled the news stands. One of the ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy FIGHT FOR OLYMPUS (Mayfair Games/Lookout Games, 2 players, ages, 12 and up, about 30 minutes; $28) ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy IMAGINE (Gamewright, 3 to 8 players ages 12 and up, about 20 minutes; $14.99) Over recent ...
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Reviewed by Chantal Noordeloos MANSIONS OF MADNESS: 2ND EDITION (Fantasy Flight Games, 1 to 5 players, ages 13 and up, 120-180 ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy MEDICI (Grail Games, 2 to 6 players, ages 10 and up, 60 minutes; $39.95) Way back, ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy MOROCCO (Eagle/Gryphon Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 12 and up, 45 minutes; $49.99) The ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy THE NETWORKS (Formal Ferret Games, 1 to 5 players, ages 13 and up, 60-90 minutes; $50) ...
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Reviewed by Andrea "Liga" Ligabue THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS (Artipia Games/Stronghold Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, ...
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Reviewed by Chris Kovac QUARTERMASTER GENERAL: VICTORY OR DEATH: THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR (Plastic Soldier Company/Griggling Games, 2 to 4 players, ...
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Reviewed by Kevin Whitmore SCYTHE (Stonemaier Games, 1 to 5 players, ages 14 and up, 90-150 minutes; from $80 on ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy STAR TREK: ASCENDANCY (Gale Force 9, 3 players, ages 14 and up, 180 minutes; $100) The ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy STAR TREK PANIC (USAopoly/Fireside Games, 1 -6 players,. ages 13 and up, 120 minutes; $39.95) USAopoly, ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy TYRANTS OF THE UNDERDARK (Gale Force Nine, 2 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 60-75 ...
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Reviewed by Greg J. Schloesser XENON PROFITEER (Eagle-Gryphon Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 13 and up, 30-45 minutes; $29.99) ...
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Summer 2016
(Volume 2, Number 59)
Reviewed by Herb Levy BETWEEN TWO CITIES (Stonemaier Games, 3 to 7 with 1 and 2 player variants], ages 8 and up, about 25 minutes; $35) Ever since Antoine Bauza rediscovered and re-implemented the game mechanism of card drafting (and made a monster hit by using it in his game 7 Wonders), card drafting has become more and more popular in recent game designs. But ...
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Reviewed by Andrea "Liga" Ligabue BLOOD RAGE (Cool Mini or Not, 2 to 4 players, ages 13 and up, 60-90 minutes; $79.99) I really like most of Eric M. Lang's designs and of those Blood Rage is the game I prefer. Tense, deep, with different paths to victory in an outstanding presentation. It is a typical "American" game, with intense interaction but a really low ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy CASTLES OF BURGUNDY: THE CARD GAME (Ravensburger/Alea, 1 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 30-60 minutes; $13.50) If you've been paying attention to a lot of the successful board games published over recent years, you might have noticed a trend. It seems that profitable board games will give rise to card game versions of themselves. Castles of Burgundy is such a ...
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Reviewed by Pevans CVLizations (Granna, 2 to 5 players, ages 10 and up, 45 minutes; $35) The title of the latest game from Granna is a play on their earlier game, CV, from a couple of years ago. CVLizations, designed by Jan Zalewski, comes in the same size box as the earlier game and has similar artwork and design. There the similarities cease. The game’s ...
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Reviewed by Greg J. Schloesser DOMUS DOMINI (Franjos, 2 to 6 players, ages 12 and up, 90-120 minutes; $54.99) In Domus Domini, designed by Heinz-Georg Tiemann, the monastery in Cluny is in trouble. It has been neglected for decades and is currently in dire straits. The new abbot has called upon surrounding monasteries to come to the aid of this venerable institution. Failing to heed ...
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(UN) CONVENTION (AL) I don't know about you but, for me, United States presidential elections are fascinating. This year, the race to capture the highest office in the land has taken on some strange and bizarre twists and turns. All of it coalesces at the Republican and Democratic conventions held in the summer to anoint each party's standard bearer for the election this November. We've ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy ESCAPE THE ROOM: MYSTERY AT STARGAZER'S MANOR (ThinkFun, 3 to 8 players, ages 10 and up, 90-120 minutes; $21.99) Suppose you found yourself trapped in a room with no apparent way out, armed only with your intellect? This is the situation that has become something of a phenomenon in the "real world" as these sorts of situations have evolved from digital ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy KILL DOCTOR LUCKY: DELUXE 19.5tH ANNIVERSARY EDITION (Cheapass Games, 2 to 8 players, ages 12 and up, 20-40 minutes; $40) In the world we live in, the craving for something new is a powerful and often irresistible force. This applies to games as well as many gamers virtually salivate over the promise of the next new game to appear on the ...
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[Note: Nick Sauer, designer of Looting Atlantis, has been a contributor to Gamers Alliance Report, including content for our Sid Sackson Tribute issue as well as reviews, the last appearing in the Fall 2010 issue.] Reviewed by Herb Levy LOOTING ATLANTIS (Shoot Again Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 13 and up, 30 minutes; $40) The legendary land of Atlantis has been the subject of ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy MYSTIC VALE (Alderac Entertainment Group, 2 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 45 minutes; $44.95) Over 20 years ago, a game called Magic, the Gathering appeared (Winter 1994 Gamers Alliance Report) which introduced the idea of "trading and collectible card games". Years later, that basic idea was taken to a new place with a game called Dominion (featured in the Winter ...
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Reviewed by Chris Kovac NIPPON (What's Your Game?, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 120 minutes; $60) Nippon is a two to four player point engine building game with worker placement and tile laying elements designed by Nuno Sentiero and Paulo Soledado. The game has a very light them of industrialization in Japan during the early 1900’s ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy OH MY GOODS! (Mayfair Games/Lookout Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 30 minutes; $15) Originally published as Royal Goods, the game has hit American shores with all of the 110 cards intact but the name changed to othe more whimsical Oh My Goods!. In addition, the original rules for the game have been revised by the designer, Alexander ...
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Reviewed by Pevans PELOPENNES CARD GAME (Irongames, 2 to 5 players, ages 10 and up, 45-60 minutes; €17.99) I really enjoyed Bernd Eisenstein’s Peloponnes (Winter 2010 Gamers Alliance Report) when it first appeared from his imprint, Irongames, in 2009. It’s a clever, entertaining game of developing an Ancient Greek city-state. I was thus intrigued by the arrival of his Peloponnes Card Game last year, essentially a card ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy SUSHI-GO PARTY! (Gamewright, 2 to 8 players, ages 8 and up, about 30 minutes; $21.99) It seems like only yesterday (actually it was last year in the Spring 2015 issue of Gamers Alliance Report) that we reviewed a very cute card drafting game designed by Phil Walker-Harding called Sushi-Go!. But nothing makes for good times like getting more and more people ...
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Reviewed by Kevin Whitmore TIN GOOSE (Rio Grande Games, 3 to 5 players, ages 10 and up, 120 minutes; $59.99) Tin Goose, designed by Matt Calkins (Sekigahara: The Unification of Japan) is about building an airline business at the dawn of commercial aviation in the USA. It is a handsome game, coming in a large square box. Opening the box, you will find a ...
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Reviewed by Joe Huber WINGS FOR THE BARON (Victory Point Games, 3 to 5 players [with a solitaire variant], ages 13 and up, 45 minutes; $49.99) As with many gamers, I very much enjoy attending game conventions. But my criteria for attending conventions isn’t based upon locality, or cost but on who I’ll get to see there. This might naturally push me towards large conventions ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy WORLD'S FAIR 1893 (Renegade Games/Foxtrot, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 40 minutes; $40) As the Industrial Revolution began to change life on this planet, science and its promise of wondrous things to come captured the imagination of the world. That excitement encouraged people around the globe to exhibit tomorrow's wonders. These conclaves of future possibilities were known as ...
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Spring 2016
(Volume 2, Number 58)
Reviewed by Eric Brosius ABRACA.....what?? (Korea Boardgames Co., Ltd./Z-Man Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 8 and up, 20-30 minutes; $34.99) In Abraca…what? (or, in some editions, “Abracada…what?”,) players are ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy ADVENTURE LAND (HABA, 2 to 4 players, age 10 and up, 45 minutes; $39.99) The kingdom of King Agamis is the setting for this game of ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy BROOM SERVICE (Ravensburger/Alea, 2 to 5 players, ages 9 and up; 45-60 minutes; $45) Back in 2008, Andreas Pelikan designed a game called Witch's Brew in ...
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Reviewed by Andrea "Liga" Ligabue DOJO KUN (Yemaia, 1 to 4 players, ages 13 and up, 60-90 minutes; about 50€) There are still two main universes in the gaming scene: ...
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THE BOX There is something almost magical about a simple thing like a box. For birthdays, people can get really excited when a box is wrapped in special paper, topped ...
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THE GRIZZLED (Cool Mini or Not, 2 to 5 players, ages 14 and up, 30 minutes; $19.99) General William T. Sherman is famously quoted as saying "War is Hell!". He ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy KARUBA (HABA, 2 to 4 players, ages 8 to 99, 40 minutes; $34.99) Few themes excite game players as much as exploring the unknown. In this ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy THE KING'S ABBEY (Breaking Games/Brown-Eyed Games, 1 to 5 players, ages 14 and up, 90-180 minutes; $59.99) For most inhabitants of a town in the Middle ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy ROLLING AMERICA (Gamewright, 1 or more player, ages 10 and up, 15 minutes; $10.99) In the Winter 2015 issue of Gamers Alliance Report, contributor Joe Huber ...
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Reviewed by Joe Huber Scratch House (Manifest Destiny, 3 to 4 players [solitaire rules provided], ages 10 and up, 60 minutes; 4000¥ [about $35]) One of the most appealing ...
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Reviewed by Pevans SHIPS (Treefrog Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 13 and up, 120 minutes or more; $39.99) Ships is Martin Wallace’s third transport-themed game (after Automobile and Aeroplanes) ...
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[Chantal Noordeloos is an author of speculative fiction (Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy), who lives in the Netherlands, where she spends her time with her wacky, supportive husband, and outrageously ...
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Reviewed by Greg J. Schloesser TUMULT ROYALE (Kosmos, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 45-60 minutes; $39.95) You are nobility, darn it! You deserve the best in life, ...
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Reviewed by Chris Kovac WARFIGHTER: THE TACTICAL SPECIAL FORCES CARD GAME (Dan Verssen Games, 1 to 6 players, ages 12 and up, 30-45 minutes; $59.99) Warfighter (The Tactical Special Forces ...
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Winter 2016
(Volume 2, Number 57)
reviewed by Herb Levy Stronghold Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 30-120 minutes; $99.95 The art of designing games has been transformed into a science in this new release by Friedemann Friese. Scientists in the future, Friese postulates, have managed to construct alternate Earths, programming each of these worlds with their own specific sets of laws and rules. The essence of these ...
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NEW YEAR, NEW LOOK It is a time honored and well respected tradition that, with the dawning of a new year, people think long and hard and come up with New Year's Resolutions. Maybe it's time to quit smoking, maybe you'll take that leap into a new job or a new relationship, maybe you will just go on a diet and lose those unwanted pounds once and ...
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reviewed by Joe Huber Splotter Spellen, 2 to 5 players, ages 14 and up, 120-240 minutes; 75€/$124.99 I have been fortunate enough to meet, and become friends with, many game designers over the years. In general this is a great thing from my point of view, as it’s given me the opportunity to playtest hundreds of unpublished games, sometimes in the early stages of development where ...
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reviewed by Herb Levy Mayfair Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 90 minutes; $60 There is a certain undeniable mystique surrounding upper scale hotels. Sometimes it is captured in the movies (vintage film buffs will recall the great classic film Grand Hotel charting the lives of guests portrayed by Greta Garbo, John and Lionel Barrymore, Joan Crawford and more in a lush Berlin ...
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reviewed by Kevin Whitmore Quined Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 60-90 minutes; $79.99 Haspelknecht is the third release from author Thomas Spitzer, and his third game in a trilogy of games about coal production in the Ruhr region of Germany. His prior two games, Ruhrschifffahrt and Kohle & Kolonie, have both received some acclaim, so I was eager to try ...
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reviewed by Pevans eggertspiele (in Germany) and R&R Games (in the US). 2-4 players, aged 12+, 2-3 hours to play (officially 75-150 minutes); $49.99 Mombasa caught my eye twice at Spiel ’15: at eggertspiele’s stand, they being the German publisher, and again with R&R Games, who are publishing it in the US. It was Frank DiLorenzo, main man at R&R, who persuaded me (it didn’t ...
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reviewed by Herb Levy Tasty Minstrel Games/dlp Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 12 and up, 90 minutes; $59.95 Last year, Orleans hit the gaming tables to considerable acclaim. This year, a new Deluxe Edition of the game has made it to market and not a moment too soon ...
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reviewed by Greg J. Schloesser Z-Man Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 13 and up, 45 minutes; $69.99 NOTE: A familiarity with Pandemic is assumed in this review. The threat of horrifying diseases for which we have no known treatment ravaging the Earth remains an all-too-real possibility. Indeed, the recent outbreak of Ebola raised public consciousness of this possibility. ...
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reviewed by Herb Levy Kosmos, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 90 minutes; $59.95 Rudiger Dorn is back with a new game - and it's about time!
Actually, I mean that literally. In this game postulating an alternate history, the year is 1899 and reports of unexplained time bending phenomena at ancient sites such as Stonehenge and the Pyramids have resulted in the ...
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Actually, I mean that literally. In this game postulating an alternate history, the year is 1899 and reports of unexplained time bending phenomena at ancient sites such as Stonehenge and the Pyramids have resulted in the ...
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reviewed by Herb Levy Edited and with an Introduction by Otto Penzler (A Vintage Crime/Black Lizard Original, 816 pages, ISBN: 978-1-101-97281-1), Hardcover $40, Softcover $25) Where do game designers get their inspirations? For many over the last 100 or so years, the inspiration came from the adventures of the world's first consulting detective and arguably, the most famous and successful detective of all time: Sherlock Holmes ...
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reviewed by Chris Kovac GMT Games, 2-3 players, ages 12 and up, 4-6 hours; $89 Triumph and Tragedy, as designed by Craig Besinque, is a three player strategic war game of World War II in the Western theater using card management and block wargaming elements. In the game, you will play one of three factions ...
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reviewed by Herb Levy Mayday Games/Hobby World, 1 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 45-60 minutes; $34.99 In the fantasy Berserk universe, power is paramount and in Viceroy, designed by Yuri Zhuravlev, up to four players, immersed in that universe, compete by constructing a "power pyramid", ...
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And earlier issues too!
2015: Winter / Spring / Summer / Fall
2014: Winter / Spring / Summer / Fall
2013: Winter / Spring / Summer / Fall
2012: Winter / Spring / Summer / Fall
2011: Winter / Spring / Summer / Fall
2010: Winter / Spring / Summer / Fall
2009: Winter / Spring / Summer / Fall
2008: Winter / Spring / Summer / Fall
2007: Winter / Spring / Summer / Fall
2006: Winter / Spring / Summer / Fall
2005: Winter / Spring / Summer / Fall
2004: Winter / Spring / Summer / Fall
2003: Winter / Spring / Summer / Fall
2002: Winter / Spring / Summer / Fall
2001: Winter / Spring / Summer
2000: Winter / Spring / Summer / Fall
1999: Winter / Spring / Summer / Fall
1998: Winter / Spring / Summer / Fall
2015
Fall 2015
(Volume 2, Number 56)
Reviewed by: Kevin Whitmore (Numbskull Games, 3 to 5 players, ages 10 and up, 120 minutes; $49.99) California Gold is a 2015 release from author Patrick Stevens and published by his company, Numbskull Games. But don’t let the title fool you; California Gold is about “Orange Ranching, the second gold rush” as the slogan on the top of the box clarifies. The game supports 3 ...
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Reviewed by: Larry Levy (Czech Games Edition, 2 to 12 players, ages 14 and up, 15 minutes; $20) Many of us may tend to think of game designers as having specialties—things like card games, children's games, and the like. But while that's occasionally true, most designers are pretty versatile. Obviously, it's to their benefit to have more than one arrow in their quiver. That's certainly true ...
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Reviewed by: Pevans (Ragnar Brothers, 1 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 120 minutes; about $70) That’s “Democratic Republic of…” The first thing to get straight about this game is its title. It is not, as many people think (all right, I thought) on first sight, Doctor Congo… It is the latest heavyweight strategy game from the Ragnar Brothers. It is definitely a complex game ...
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Quick Quiz For gamers around the world, playing games is a learning experience. First, you need to learn the rules to play the game correctly. Sometimes, this means poring over the rulebook. Sometimes, it means absorbing the rules from someone who has played the game before. Once the game is in action, you learn something about your opponents in how they handle the challenges inherent ...
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Reviewed by: Frank Branham [Back in 2004, Hasbro released a spectacular new game with a fantasy theme, wonderful graphic design and lots of beautiful miniatures. The game was Heroscape. The game caught on with critics and players alike and became a success spawning lots of expansions for players to add to that gaming universe. But nothing lasts forever so, after a rather long run, Heroscape was ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Lookout Games/Mayfair Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 10 and up, 30-60 minutes; $37) The isle of Skye is a small island located in the English Channel. Isle of Skye: From Chieftain to King, as designed by Andreas Pelikan and Alexander Pfister, uses that setting to challenge players to develop their own "clan territory" in such a way as to achieve ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Wizards of the Coast/Hasbro Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 10 and up, 60 minutes; $29.99) Over 20 years ago, Magic, the Gathering burst onto the scene and the reaction was, to put it mildly, PHENOMENAL! The game flew off the shelves! More importantly, that Richard Garfield design put a small company, Wizards of the Coast, on the map and created ...
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Reviewed by: Greg J. Schloesser (Blue Orange Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 45-60 minutes; $49.99) Blue Orange has been publishing games for over a dozen years. They predominately produce lighter family and party games, although there have been a few that require a bit more strategy (Gobblet comes to mind). Perhaps their most popular game is Spot It!, a fast-paced party ...
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Reviewed by: Andrea "Liga" Ligabue (Fantasy Flight Games, 2 players, ages 14 and up, 120 minutes; $99.95) I've always been fascinated by the Star Wars universe and related games. I played a lot with the old West End Games RPG and I really love Star Wars: X-Wings. When FFG announced the release of Star Wars: Armada, I was thrilled. Someone could think Armada is the ...
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[With our 30th year celebration launched, we have to admit that we wouldn't be here if there was nothing to discuss! For that, we have to be thankful for the talented game designers that have managed to create so many thought provoking, challenging and entertaining games over the last three decades. So, as with our Top 30 Games poll, we contacted everybody we could find ...
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[In celebrating our 30th year, we thought about the thousands (tens of thousands? hundreds of thousands?) of games that have appeared on the scene over the last three decades. So we contacted everybody we could find who had ever contributed to Gamers Alliance Report since our beginning as well as our worldwide membership and asked them: In YOUR opinion, what are the BEST games published, ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Lookout Games/Mayfair Games, 2 players, ages 8 and up, 30-40 minutes; $21) Some topics command more than their fair share of attention when it comes to trains. One of those topics is, without question, trains. Russian Railroads (featured in the Spring 2014 Gamers Alliance Report), for example, used trains as a springboard for an excellent worker placement game. Now, Helmut Ohley, ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Stonemaier Games, 2 to 6 players, ages 13 and up, 45-90 minutes; $60) Wine is often thought of as "the nectar of the gods" being a source of inspiration for centuries, its virtues extolled through literature of all sorts (even poetry). So it is no surprise that this inspiration has spilled over into games. Wine making, its pleasures and perils, have ...
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Summer 2015
(Volume 2, Number 55)
Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Eagle/Gryphon Games, 1-4 players, ages 8 and up, 45-60 minutes; $39.99; Deluxe Edition $64.99) Let's start this review by being perfectly frank. I'm a baseball purist. I like the game the way it is played; I still can't get used to the Designated Hitter. So you can imagine my reaction when I heard about a baseball game set in the future with ...
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Reviewed by: Greg J. Schloesser (Tasty Minstrel Games, 3 to 5 players, ages 13 and up, 120-150 minutes; $69.95) Generally, I am not fond of economic games, tending to find them fairly dry and business-like. I am a businessman by profession, so playing a game that is about a business strays a bit too close to what I do for a living. I want my gaming ...
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Reviewed by Andrea "Liga" Ligabue (Asmodee/Ludonaute, 2 to 6 players, ages 10 and up, less than 60 minutes; $39.99) The Old West is always fascinating, at least for us Europeans looking at the wide spaces of the US with a mix of awe and astonishment. Gunslingers, Indians, coaches, saloons and shoot-outs are powerful tools in the hands of expert designers. Bang!, Carson City, Dice Town, ...
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Imitation is... "...the sincerest form of flattery", at least according to Oscar Wilde. But you know what else imitation is? BORING! When your "lofty goal" is to copy, as closely as possible, something successful (we're talking about games here but this applies to almost everything), you are doomed to fail. When your new version of something is just about the same as the old version, ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Space Cowboys/Asmodee, 2 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 60 minutes; $59.99) Ambition is a powerful force. When you are a human being, it can be the drive that moves you up the corporate ladder or shoots you to the top in political circles. But when you are a demigod with designs on claiming a spot on Mount Olympus, you ...
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Reviewed by: Chris Kovac (Z-Man Games,1-2 players, ages 14 and up, 120 minutes; $79.99) Fields of Arle is a two player game of resource collecting and management by Uwe Rosenberg following his games like Agricola, Le Harve and Caverna in scope and style. The object of the game is to have the most points after nine turns ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Renegade Game Studios/Foxtrot Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 30 minutes; $34.99) Just when you think you've seen all the possible permutations of tile laying games, you discover something new. In Lanterns: The Harvest Festival, designed by Christopher Chung, tile laying is deftly combined with card play in a game where the setting is China and players are ...
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[In our issues, we generally focus on the newest and best games on the market today (when we're not highlighting some great classic game no longer in print). This piece, however, is an exception. James Davis is a big fan of Memoir 44, a well received game of World War II action originally featured in the Summer 2004 issue of GA Report. With over a ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Queen Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 45 minutes; $49.99) The smell of success is in the air for the player who can concoct the more desirable perfumes and sell them to the illustrious clientele who desire them in the latest game from the design team of Marco Ruskowski and Marcel Sobelbeck: Parfum ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Asmadi Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 14 and up, 45-60 minutes; $59.99) In the late 19th-early 20th century, the glue that held the masses together, keeping them in touch with the events of the day and each other, were the newspapers. These publications ran the gamut from high toned conveyers of the news to flamboyant and sensational journalism, commonly known ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Griggling Games Inc., 2 to 6 players, ages 13 and up, 90 minutes; $49.95) For the longest time, there has been a disconnect between wargames and Euro strategy games. Whether the trauma of World War II was simply too much to allow Europeans to revisit such a destructive conflict or differing cultural influences are to account for this, I'll leave to ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (R & R Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 25 minutes; $19.95) Did you ever wonder how rival Mages settle their disputes? Well, it's not by sharing their feelings. In Spellcaster, a new game designed by Aaron Weissblum and Norman Woods, we discover that such disagreements are settled the only way they could be: through magical combat ...
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Reviewed by: Pevans (Quined Games, 2-4 players, ages 12 and up, 60-90 minutes; $59.99) It’s Earth, Jim, but not as we know it. I first played The Golden Ages, designed by Luigi Ferrini, at Dutch publisher Quined’s stand at Spiel ‘14 and was immediately taken with it. It’s a civilisation development game that takes familiar features and puts them together in a different way – ...
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Reviewed by: Joe Huber (Z-Man Games/Hans im Glűck, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 40-100 minutes; $59.99) For me, the question of the most consistent publisher is a fairly easy one. Other than the single designer publishers, I’ve found no publisher who finds as consistently interesting designs as Hans im Glück. Whether classic games such as El Grande, Euphrat & Tigris, and Goa, ...
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Reviewed by: Joe Huber (Asmodee Editions/Ystari, 4 players, ages 13 and up, 10 minutes; $39.99) Every year, after Essen, I participate in a few gatherings to play through the new games. Over the course of a few weekends, I’ll typically end up playing 30 or more new games – most of which I’ll never come back to again. I really enjoy playing new (and new-to-me) ...
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Spring 2015
(Volume 2, Number 54)
Everyone who has ever seen a magician perform has more than likely seen a disappearing act. In a blink of an eye, a coin, a bird, a beautiful assistant vanishes before your eyes. This is a magical staple that has thrilled audiences for decades. But, as we gamers know, sometimes disappearances fail to garner applause when it's a quality game that has vanished from the ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Bezier Games, 1 to 4 players, ages 13 and up, 90 minutes; $59.99) Back in 1864, King Ludwig ascended to the throne of Bavaria. Rather than concerning himself with affairs of state as might reasonably be expected, Ludwig became fascinated with medieval castles and commissioned the construction of no less than three, spending his considerable fortune of over 30 million marks ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Pearl Games/Asmodee, 2 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 60-90 minutes; $59.99) Ever since the aptly named Civilization was released by Hartland Trefoil (and later published by Avalon Hill) to critical acclaim, the rise and development of civilizations has been a frequent topic explored at the gaming table. Different approaches have been tried, some more successful than others but game ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (North Star Games, 2 to 6 players, ages 10 and up, 60 minutes; $54.99) Man was not the first animal to inhabit Earth. Long before man appeared, dinosaurs were the dominant species on this planet. Those days return as dinosaurs try to adapt to a changing environment and survive hostile creatures as they travel the road of Evolution ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (US Games Systems, 2-4 players, ages 10 and up, 30 minutes; $19.95) Sometimes, if you're very fortunate, you get hold of a winning formula and it pays dividends. For Mike Fitzgerald, that formula is the Mystery Rummy franchise. For over a decade, starting with Mystery Rummy: Jack the Ripper (featured in the Fall 1998 Gamers Alliance Report and written up by ...
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Reviewed by: Pevans (Treefrog Games/Asmodee, 2 to 4 players, ages 13 and up, 60 minutes; $49.99) Back in 2011, Martin Wallace and Treefrog Games published a very clever wargame, A Few Acres of Snow (featured in the Fall 2011 issue of Gamers Alliance Report). This is a two-player game of British and French conflict in North America through the first half of the eighteenth century ...
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Reviewed by: Chris Kovac (Treefrog/Asmodee, 2 to 5 players, ages 13 and up, 90-120 minutes; $49.99) Onward to Venus (the full name being Dr. Grordbort's Onward to Venus) is a two to five player light area control gamers' game designed by veteran game designer Martin Wallace and put out by Treefrog Games. The game has a steam punk fantasy theme based on Greg Broadmores fantasy ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Alderac Entertainment Group/Pegasus Spiele, 2 players, ages 10 and up, 30-45 minutes; $29.99) Ancient China has proven to be a fertile ground for game themes. But rather than farming or raising livestock or ancient warfare, the theme this time around is construction as two people compete to win the Emperor's favor in the game that bears the name of the structures ...
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Reviewed by: Eric Brosius (Rio Grande Games, 2-5 players, ages 10 and up, 45 minutes; $59.95) Roll for the Galaxy is a game about space exploration, expansion and economic activity and is designed by Wei-Hwa Huang and Tom Lehmann. This game clearly draws its inspiration, and even some of its artwork, from Tom’s earlier game Race for the Galaxy (featured in the Winter 2008 Gamers ...
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Sally Field and Me Back in 1985, Sally Field, an actress best known for her light TV work (after all, she was "The Flying Nun" early in her career), won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in 1984's Places of the Heart. In accepting her Oscar, Sally said, "I haven't had an orthodox career, and I've wanted more than anything to have ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Gamewright, 2 to 5 players, ages 8 and up, 15 minutes; $11.99) 7 Wonders is a game that appeared several years ago (and featured in the Winter 2011 issue of Gamers Alliance Report) to garner rave reviews and a slew of awards. Justifiably so. At the core of its design was the game mechanism of card drafting, i.e. having a bunch ...
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Reviewed by: Andrea "Liga" Ligabue (Gamelyn Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 13 and up, 30 minutes; $26.99) One of the things gamers are looking for is a great, perfect and engaging epic fantasy game. From the time of Battlemist (and the renewed edition of Rune Quest), several titles have tried and failed to hit the heart of epic fantasy lovers. Another dream of most ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Alderac Entertainment Group, 2-4 players, ages 14 and up, 45 minutes; $19.99) When archeologists searched the sands of Egypt, they uncovered, in the Valley of the Kings, the site where the pharaohs of that ancient civilization built pyramids that would become their tombs. Now contemporary players assume the role of pharaohs and plan for their eventual demise by entombing into their ...
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Winter 2015
(Volume 2, Number 53)
Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Space Cowboys/Asmodee, 3 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 60 minutes, $59.99) The governor's daughter has been captured! Rescuing her requires skill, courage - and lots of doubloons to pay her ransom! It's off to the sea to gather the necessary funds through trade - and pirating - as players command their fleet of ships to victory in the latest ...
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Come One Come All: A Comparative Review of Three Multiplayer-Solitaire Games: Neos, Doodle City and Rolling Japan by Joe Huber Oftentimes, games are described as multiplayer-solitaire – sometimes derisively, sometimes with praise – when players take their actions completely or nearly completely independent of other players. But most of the time, the tag is, if not misguided, at least overly aggressive. Race for the Galaxy, ...
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Reviewed by: Eric Brosius (I Was Game, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 30 minutes; 500¥) Dungeon of Mandom is a game that casts the players as heroes who plan to enter a nearby dungeon and fight whatever assortment of monsters lurk inside. In many monster-fighting games, the heroes work together as a team—or at least pretend to—but such a cooperative attitude will ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Mucke Spiele, 2 to 6 players, ages 8 and up, 15 minutes, €14.90) There is a segment of the gaming world consisting of games requiring you to think fast because time is running out. It's almost as if there was a bomb in the room and you need to get things done before the bomb explodes! In Fuse (aka Lunte in ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Yemaia/Asterion Press/Asmodee, 2 to 6 players, ages 14 and up, about 20 minutes per player, $99.99) Mythic realms offer myriad possibilities and, as such, often act as the springboard for games of depth. Such is the case with the new game from Andrea Chiarvesio and Pierluca Zizzi: Hyperborea. According to the game's mythology, Hyperborea was a realm once ruled by an ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Alea/Ravensburger, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 60 minutes, $39.99) Exploring the unknown has always been a crowd pleaser for gamers whether it's a dungeon crawling roleplaying experience or a science fiction odyssey to the furthest reaches of outer space. In La Isla, the latest offering from Stefan Feld (and number 10 in Ravensburger's line of Alea small box ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Alderac Entertainment Group, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 20 minutes, $11.95) Winning the love of a beautiful princess is the stuff that fairy tales are made of. It is also the theme for a very clever game, part of a series of games set in the fantasy world of Tempest published by the Alderac Entertainment Group: Love Letter ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Mayfair Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 60-75 minutes; $60) Murano is a series of islands linked by bridges in the Venetian lagoon of northern Italy. This is where players will find themselves, paving roads, placing shops, palaces, special buildings and glass factories, all with an eye towards gathering prestige - and the resulting Victory Points, in this ...
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Reviewed by: Greg J. Schloesser (Z-Man Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 8 and up, 30-45 minutes, $49.99) Pandemic by designer Matt Leacock was first published back in 2007 and it was a huge hit. The cooperative game challenged players to find cures for four deadly diseases that were threatening humanity. Pandemic eventually made its way to the shelves of such mainstream stores as Target ...
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Reviewed by: Chris Kovac (Deinko Games, 2-4 players, ages 12 and up, 120 minutes, $60) Patchistory is a 2-4 player tile laying civilization building game played over three eras. The object is to have the most culture points by the end of the game. The game is designed by two new Korean game designers: Jun Hyap Kim and Yeon-Min Jung. My review covers the second ...
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Reviewed by: Andrea "Liga" Ligabue (District Games, 3 to 8 players, ages 12 and up, 60 minutes, about €30) 2014 was a “golden year” for designer Andrea Chiarvesio with 4 games released: Hyperborea, Kingsport Festival, Drizzit and Richard I. The clamour around Hyperborea (published by Asmodee/Asterion/Yemaia and featured this issue) and Kingsport Festival (Giochi Uniti/Kosmos) was great. Drizzit found a huge fan base as well ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Pegasus Spiele/eggertspiele, 2 to 5 players, ages 12 and up, 90 minutes; about $55) The court of Louis XV of France was one of opulence. Royalty knew how to live and, judging from this gaming experience, certainly how to dress. Players, as the heads of fashion designer concerns, compete to create the most alluring dresses (and men's outfits too) as well ...
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Reviewed by: Derek Croxton (Alderac Entertainment Group, 3-4 players, ages 12 and up, 60 minutes, $19.99) Sail to India, designed by Hisashi Hayashi, is what you would probably call a micro-game: it is inexpensive, has few components, and is playable in under an hour. Some people like micro-games, some don't. I will admit up front that I have always liked them and I find them ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Ravensburger, 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 45 minutes, $39.99) The palace at Sanssouci is simply stunning and one of its stunning qualities is the beautiful gardens that frame the impressive edifice. In the new game from Michael Kiesling, players are the powers behind the gardens as they individually create them along with constructing the various accessories that appear ...
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Reviewed by: Peter Sbirakos (Steve Hawkins, 1 player, ages 14 and up, 300 minutes, Print & Play, http://bit.ly/10MOOal) I am drawn to military science fiction/horror novels and very much enjoy themes of destruction, bleak and desperate situations, and thrilling accounts of protagonists doing their utmost to survive in dire circumstances. But can these plot lines and themes be designed into solitaire style board games when ...
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GAMES GONE WRONG We are living in a Golden Age of Gaming. There is just no debating this. Never has there been so many high quality, beautifully produced and satisfying games to play as we are seeing right now. We can discuss the reasons for this and that, in and of itself, is something worth doing. But, just as you rarely see good news headlines ...
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2014
Fall 2014
(Volume 2, Number 52)
Reviewed by: Kevin Whitmore (Numbskull Games, 3 to 6 players, ages 8 and up, 1-2 hours; $59.99) Numbskull Games latest offering is C.C. Higgins Rail Pass. This is a game for railroad fans. The show piece of the game is the large and detailed railroad map of North America. As a railroading game fan, I have seen a lot of railroad maps. But this map ...
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Reviewed by: Marty Goldberger (Rio Grande Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 12 and up, 100+ minutes; $64.95) It is said that "All roads lead to Rome". In Concordia, the latest design from Mac Gerdts (creator of such gems as Imperial and Navegedor), the roads lead FROM Rome. In this game, an excellent melding of deck-building and production/territory acquisition, players are vying to score the ...
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Reviewed by: Chris Kovac (The Game Master, 1 to 6 players, ages 12 and up, 30 minutes; $39.99) Countdown: Special Ops is a 1-6 player co-operative game designed by Dutch game designers, Hans Van Tol and Gertjan Oomis, where players are members of a counter terrorist team performing various missions which need to be accomplished before time runs out. To set up the game, you ...
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Reviewed by: Greg J. Schloesser (Noris Spiele, 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 20 minutes; €22.99) I've always wanted to write a short, concise review that encapsulates a game in just one short sentence. With Cuatro, I think I can do just that: Connect 4 meets Yahtzee. There you have it. OK. You know I cannot stop there; I am far too verbose ...
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Face (book) Forward Face it. The world is getting smaller. You can credit (or blame, depending on your point of view) technology for that. Scientific advances used to create the internet, smart phones, Skype, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook have made it happen. While technology may not always be our friend, there's no denying its impact. So, Gamers Alliance is once again facing forward - and ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Days of Wonder, 2 to 4 players, ages 13 and up, 40-80 minutes; $60) There is something rather romantic - and exciting - about the lands and times of the Arabian Nights. Game designers have been well aware of that as many games have that time and locale as their setting. The latest game to make use of that venue comes from ...
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Reviewed by: Al Newman (Czech Games Edition, 1-4 players, ages 8 to adult, about 30 minutes; $4.99) They say in space, no one can hear you scream. But they may hear you laugh. A lot. Particularly if you're playing Czech Games brand new iPad app Galaxy Trucker ($4.99 for a limited time). This is a faithful representation of the board game with one wonderful exception ...
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Reviewed by: Andrea "Liga" Ligabue (Portal Publishing, 1 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 20 minutes per player; $55.99) There is no doubt I'm a fan of Ignacy Trzewiczek productions: Stronghold, Pret-a-Porter, Robinson Crusoe and the 51st State series. So, I was really intrigued reading about Imperial Settlers, an empire building card game that inherits some core mechanics from 51st State. What I really like ...
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Reviewed by: Peter Sbirakos [In this issue, we say "G'day" to Australian Peter Sbirakos as we welcome him to our pages. Like many of us, Peter started his gaming early. He says: "I purchased my first game in 1979 at the tender age of 12 from the supermarket which was Attack Force by the TSR company. Over the next few years in the early 1980s ...
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Reviewed by: Pevans (Asmadi Games, 2 to 6 players, ages 13 and up, 15-20 minutes per player; $30) “The impulse is an only child, he’s waiting in the park…” I don’t know what it is, but the title of this game starts Duran Duran’s “The Reflex” running through my head… just me, then. I’d better tell you about the game. Impulse is designed by Carl ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Mayfair Games/Lookout Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 60-90 minutes; $35) The exotic city of Johari nestled in Jaipur is the hub for gems, jewelry and jewel sales. Players, as gem merchants in that far off locale, compete in selling valuable gems (as well as fakes) in order to gain the most prestige in this new game by ...
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Reviewed by: Frank Hamrick (IDW Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 30 minutes; about $24) Machi Koro was one of the real hits at Essen 2013. This Japanese game designed by Masao Suganuma was in great demand, in part because there were relatively few copies available in English (a few more in Japanese). In addition, the beautiful artwork and simple, yet engaging game ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Hurrican Games/Asmodee, 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 30-45 minutes; $39.99) The 19th century was a time when pirates sailed the seas and, during that turbulent time, Madame Ching was one of the fiercest. As one of the few female pirates, Madame Ching roamed the China Sea commanding at the height of her career about 2000 ships and 50,000 ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy ( R&R Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 60 minutes; $39.99) It's exciting to explore unknown lands and claim them for king and country. It's quite another thing to solidify that hold on the land by colonizing it! This was not an easy task for those brave souls in the New World but that is the challenge players must face in ...
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Reviewed by: James Davis The themes of these games of ours are as varied as we are. We have games about virtually every war and event in history. There are games about space travel, science, fantasy, trains and even theme-less abstracts. And we have at least a couple hundred games just about trading during the Italian Renaissance. That is one of the things I like ...
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Reviewed by: Joe Huber (Taikikennai Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 10 minutes; about $24 plus shipping) Back in 2000, Stephan Riedel created a new genre of game. Old Town is often classified as a deduction game, but it’s not – players have no information to deduce. Instead, they make plays in order to try to prove information, scoring for doing so ...
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Summer 2014
(Volume 2, Number 51)
Reviewed by: Greg J. Schloesser (Z-Man Games/Pearl Games, 2-5 players, ages 13 and up; 90-120 minutes; $64.99) Brussels in the late 19th century was an exciting place, as the city was a hub for an artistic and architectural revolution. The "Art Nouveau" style was born here, and many outstanding buildings were constructed and are still a marvel today. It was apparently quite the scene and ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (R & R Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 60-75 minutes, $44.95) For admirers of the Euro/German style of gaming, the German city of Essen is the epicenter of the universe for its gaming convention held there annually. But Essen has more to its history than games. It is also the site of coal mines that powered industrialization ...
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Reviewed by: Chris Kovac (Stronghold Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 10 and up, 90 minutes; $44.95) Core Worlds is a two to five player deck building game by Andrew Parks. I played the second edition by Stronghold games. The theme of the game is that players are space barbarians conquering a dying galactic empire from its fringes to its “core” worlds (hence the title) ...
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[Sherlock Holmes is no stranger to readers of literature, film fans and TV viewers nor is he unknown to gamers around the world. For over a hundred years, Holmes has been the cornerstone of gaming adventures. In this issue, we feature I Say, Holmes!, a new card game that has been inspired by an older one, the one published by Gibsons Games in 1991. For ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Eagle Games/Kayal Games, 3 to 5 players, ages 14 and up, 120 minutes; $79.99) Sailing the Spanish Main, trading for goods but also trolling for treasure while attacking forts, raiding towns and grappling with Spanish Galleons is the stuff that movies and historical novels are made of. And also, it seems games. For, in the new game from Peter Hawes, sea ...
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Reviewed by: Andrea "Liga" Ligabue (Ares Games, 1 to 5 players, ages 14 and up, 120 minutes; $89.99) Welcome soldier! If you are reading this review, it means that your physical or mental capabilities are excellent and our planet needs you! You are joining a secret agency responsible for detecting and stopping alien activity on Earth... keep reading, if you dare, but keep in ...
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Reviewed by: Pevans (Z-Man Games/Hans im Glück, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 60 minutes; $64.99) Helios, designed by Martin Kallenborn and Matthias Smith, is the latest from Hans im Glück (Z-Man is doing the English language edition) and stood out for me at the Gathering because of its bright cover – with lots of yellow to match its sunny theme. Let’s take ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Victory Point Games, 3 to 8 players, ages 13 and up, 30 minutes per player; $35) Sherlock Holmes lives! Could there be any doubt? Not only are the Sherlock Holmes stories still in print (have they ever gone out?), the Great Detective can also be found in other media, most notably in the current television series that place the master sleuth ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Pegasus Spiele, 2 to 5 players, ages 10 and up, 40-60 minutes; $49.99) Buying and selling, wheeling and dealing, have often been the basis for games. Rűdiger Dorn must agree as he takes those basics and transports game players into an exotic locale, the exciting Middle Eastern city that gives the game its name: Istanbul. Although categorized as a board game, ...
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Reviewed by: Joe Huber (Asmodee/Ludonaute, 1 to 5 players, ages 14 and up, 120 minutes; $49.99) I’ve always been interested in history, particularly United States history, but it’s only more recently that I’ve had the opportunity to really explore it. The Lewis and Clark expedition has always been of interest but I’ve only started to learn about it. My first real introduction started in Idaho ...
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Reviewed by: Derek Croxton I like the problem-solving aspect of games but I have to admit that my patience is limited and I sometimes wish other players would not take so long. Perhaps this is because I don't have the patience to take 5 minutes figuring out the best move, or perhaps it's because I don't think it's worth investing that much time in a ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Space Cowboys/Asmodee, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 30 minutes; $39.99) A beautiful woman and medieval merchant lurk in the background but your eyes remained transfixed on the shimmering stone you hold in your hands. You are hypnotized by the splendor of the stone - and you will have to be - for Splendor, the new game designed by ...
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Don't Throw Dirt on My Grave Just Yet Although a dyed in the wool city person, I do have a fondness for good country music. Over the last two television seasons, I have also developed a fondness for Nashville, the series that centers on life in the Country Music Capital of the World. Without going into too many details, one of the storylines is about ...
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Spring 2014
(Volume 2, Number 50)
Reviewed by: Eric Brosius (LMN+B, Ltd., 2-8 players, ages 12 and up, 4 to 6 hours; £75.00) East Anglia is a region that is a bit of a backwater, known more for farms and fishing villages than for industry. As a result, the history of railway companies in the region is marked with turbulence and distress. Many small companies jostled for advantage with more or ...
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Reviewed by: Pevans (Treefrog Games, 2-5 players, ages 13 and up, 90-120 minutes; about $79.99) I guess I should start this review by explaining the title. It is, of course, a play on the first Sherlock Holmes novel, A Study in Scarlet – the BBC’s Sherlock had “A Study in Pink” as its first episode. The original A Study in Emerald is a short story ...
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Reviewed by: Chris Kovac (GMT Games, 1-4 players, ages 12 and up, 3 to 5 hours; $75) Andean Abyss, designed by Volko Ruhnke, is a strongly thematic, action planning gamers game, the first of three of GMT’s COIN games. COIN stands for Counter Insurgency and in this game, the theme is about the fighting in Columbia in the 1990’s and 2000’s between the government, FARC ...
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[Back in the Fall 2010 issue of Gamers Alliance Report, frequent contributor K-ban, both a serious game player and baseball fan, launched a series of articles on the evolution of baseball simulations. With his fifth article finished, he figured he was done. He figured wrong! Once more, a few new simulations have emerged and, once more, K-ban offers his thoughts and insights, just in time ...
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Reviewed by: Greg J. Schloesser (Lookout Games/Mayfair Games, 1-7 players, ages 12 and up, 30 minutes per player; $89.99) Have you played Agricola, the game many consider to be designer Uwe Rosenberg's masterpiece? If you have, then Caverna will seem very familiar. There are mouths to feed, crops to grow, animals to raise and structures to build. All of this must be done with limited ...
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Reviewed by: Andrea "Liga" Ligabue (Stonemaier Games, 2-6 players, ages 13 and up, 60 minutes; $70) Are more than 4500 backers and more than $300,000 pledged enough to say that Euphoria: Build a Better Dystopia, designed by Jamey Stegmaier and Alan Stone, a good game? I got Jamey Stegmaier's Viticulture and I was well impressed by its core mechanics but not satisfied about balancing so ...
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Reviewed: Herb Levy (Academy Games, 1-4 players, ages 10 and up, 90 minutes; $69.99) Of all the topics serving as the basis for a game, the American Civil War has to rank near the top. Countless games have dealt with the conflict that, for awhile, split the United States in half. But most of those titles, understandably, have focused on the military aspects. Many games ...
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Reviewed by: Derek Croxton (Tasty Minstrel Games, 2 players, ages 10 and up, 15 minutes; $19.95) The attractive cover of Jab: Realtime Boxing proclaims its contents "a revolution in real-time card games." This pulled me immediately in two different directions. Any game that claims to be revolutionary sets off my skeptical sensors; yet I am intrigued by novel systems, especially for so challenging a problem ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Lautapelit.fi/Asmodee, 1 to 5 players, ages 14 and up, 40 minutes per player, $99.99) The story of humanity's growth and development is, in a word, fascinating. From our species' earliest beginnings, the cultural, scientific and political advancements over hundreds of years make for a compelling story. This story has attracted many game designers, drawn to the challenge of recreating and simulating ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Paizo Publishing, 1-4 players, age 13 and up, 90 minutes; $59.99) Roleplaying was put on the map decades ago with the incredible success of Dungeons & Dragons. Using pen and paper, some polyhedral dice and lots of imagination made for a new genre of game play. From that moment on, there have been attempts to translate that experience into a board ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Ystari Games/Asmodee, 2-4 players, age 13 and up, 60 minutes; $49.99) The struggle to balance a safe and healthy environment while meeting increasing demands for polluting power sources is one that all of us living in the 21st Century face. That struggle translates into challenging game play as players seek to deal with it - and come out on top - ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Z-Man Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 13 and up, 120 minutes; $59.99 ) There is something that quickens the pulse among gamers when it comes to games about trains. There is just something in that theme undeniably appealing - and that's not a new thing. Avalon Hill, in its early years, put out Dispatcher in 1958. More recently, Ticket to ...
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Following the Golden Rule As people, our lives are shaped by rules, customs, laws. As our civilizations have developed, so, too, have our codes of conduct. One of the basic rules in the whole process is commonly referred to as the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. As simple as it is, it's a good rule and, as ...
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Winter 2014
(Volume 2, Number 49)
Reviewed by: Chris Kovac (What's Your Game?, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 60-120 minutes, $50) Asgard is a four player worker placement game designed by Pierluca Zizzi with a theme of Nordic gods battling it out for control of the seven worlds. The goal of the game is to have the most points (by building temples, winning battles during normal rounds of ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (USAopoly, 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 15-30 minutes, $24.95) With the success of Telestrations (featured in the Spring 2011 issue of Gamers Alliance Report), it seems that USAopoly has decided that the mass market for games is a market worth exploring. And so they have with two new releases (both featured this issue). This review focuses on one ...
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[With Jeff Feuer casting an eye on Star Realms and drawing some comparisons between it and Ascention: Chronicle of the Godslayer as both was done by the same designer, we thought it would be a good idea and useful to our readers to "flashback" to Jeff's initial look at Ascension in his review as it first appeared in the Fall 2010 issue of GA Report.] ...
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[One of our popular semi-regular features has been Game Classics, a look back at some great games that, for various reasons, no longer populate the shelves of game stores or online retailers. We haven't done one of these since 2010 when we featured Star Reporter by Parker Brothers. Now, several years later, in this, our latest installment, we take a look at another Parker game ...
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Reviewed by: Pevans (Feuerland/Z-Man Games, 1 to 4 players, ages 13 and up, 80 minutes, $64.99) After making a big impact with their first game, Terra Mystica, in 2012, I was intrigued to see what Feuerland Spiele would come up with for 2013. The answer is a new game from Uwe Rosenberg, Die Glasstrasse. Z-Man Games publishes the English language edition, Glass Road, and I ...
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Reviewed by: Kevin Whitmore (Fantasy Flight Games, 1 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 120-240 minutes, $79.99) Merchant of Venus was originally released in 1988 by Avalon Hill. Designed by Richard Hamblen, players explore a forgotten wing of deep space. With the demise of Monarch/Avalon Hill in 1998, copies of this game gradually disappeared, eventually turning this game into a "grail" game. For awhile, ...
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Reviewed by: Joe Huber (Kosmos, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 90+ minutes, $69.99) Wolfgang Kramer is one of the most notable game designers around, nearly four decades after his first published design and three decades after his first Spiel des Jahres award. It’s interesting to note how his career shifted, over time, from designing almost exclusively on his own to designing most ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Victory Point Games, 2-4 players, ages 13 and up, 20-30 minutes; $21.99) Hundreds of years ago, when explorers from Europe set out to explore the New World of the Americas, little did they realize that their adventures would become the sources of inspiration for game designers everywhere. But exploration is the theme in Old World, New World, the new game designed ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Days of Wonder, 2 to 5 players, ages 10 and up, 40-80 minutes, $60) Intrepid explorers, delving into the mysteries of ancient ruins and temples to recover valuable artifacts, are the roles facing players in Relic Runers, the latest release from Days of Wonder, designed by Matthew Dunstan. Relic Runners comes in the typical Days of Wonder big square box which, ...
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Reviewed by: Greg J. Schloesser (Ludonaute, 1 to 5 players, ages 8 and up, 30 minutes, about $29) Solitaire (also known as Patience and Klondike, which has some minor variations) must be one of the most universally played card games. Its origin is not known with exact certainty, but is widely attributed to Lady Adelaide Cadogan, whose book Games of Patience contained the solitaire card ...
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Reviewed by: Jeff Feuer (White Wizard Games, 2 to 6 players, ages 12 and up, 20 minutes, $14.95) Star Realms is a deck-building card game for any number of players (each copy of the game lets you add up to 2 more players) by designers Robert Doughtery (co-designer of Ascension and it’s expansions) and Darwin Kastle (co-designer with Doughtery on Battleground: Fantasy Warfare). The designers ...
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Reviewed by: Andrea "Liga" Ligabue (Cranio Creations, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 60 minutes; $34.99) What really makes the difference between a success and an average game is sometimes something not really well defined that deals with the great mystery of what is fun. To me, what really makes a game fun is a mix of good rules, entertainment, challenges, theme, graphics ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (USAopoly, 2 to 8 players, ages 8 and up, 10-20 minutes, $19.95) Another one in the recent spate of mass market offerings from USAopoly is a word game category game twist which is described as a Touch Activate Press & Play Letter Eliminator or, for short, Tapple. As a category game, Tapple derives its inspiration from the original German word game ...
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A Piece of the Antidote Sometimes listening to the news can be demoralizing and just plain sad. As I'm writing this, we have marked the one year anniversary of the tragedy at Newtown Connecticut when one truly disturbed gunman took the lives of 26 people including 20 children in a burst of gunfire. At the same time, another troubled teen entered a school with weapons ...
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2013
Fall 2013
(Volume 2, Number 48)
Reviewed by: Eric Brosius (Academy Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 1 to 2 hours, $65) In 1775, tensions that had been simmering between Great Britain and its North American colonies for years finally came to a head. A British force left Boston with orders to seize munitions from the Massachusetts militia —a mission they could not complete after they encountered opposition ...
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Reviewed by: Chris Kovac (Zoch Verlag, 3-5 players, ages 12 and up, about 90 minutes, $54.99) Aquileia is a five player worker placement with a light ancient Rome theme designed by Cielo D’Oro and produced by Zoch. The object of the game is to have the most victory points after six rounds of play. To start, each player gets in his/her color five worker markers, ...
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Reviewed by: Derek Croxton (Tasty Minstrel Games, 1 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 15-30 minutes, $19.95) Dungeon Roll is my first Kickstarter game. I seem to have a weakness for dice games, so I pledged this one with little more to go on than the subject. It turned out to be a heavily-promoted game that was at the top of BoardGameGeek's "Hotness" list ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Red Raven Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 13 and up, 8+ minutes; $25) Packing a lot into a small box is something usually reserved for diamonds or other expensive bits of jewelry. In games, it's not quite so easy. So it is a pleasant surprise to discover Eight-Minute Empire, a new game designed by Ryan Laukat, which packs quite a ...
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Getting a Kick out of Kickstarter When it comes to getting games to market, one of the recent intriguing developments is the emergence of Kickstarter. Now Kickstarter is not limited to games (it has been used to fund a whole variety of items) but, as it pertains to games, it basically involves pledging money for a proposed game that appeals to you. For your advanced ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Looney Labs, 2-4 players, ages 8 and up, 15-30 minutes, $30) It seems the trend in gaming is to come up with a successful boardgame, let's say Game X (easier said than done, of course), and, building upon that success, spin off Game X into Game X: The Dice Game and Game X: The Card Game. But when has designer Andrew ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Hurrican Games, 3 to 5 players, ages 8 and up, about 30 minutes, $42.99) The time is Victorian England and noted explorer Henry Morton Stanley (of Stanley and Livingstone fame), who has sailed into London on his ship Lady Alice, has suddenly disappeared. In circumstances such as these, it is only natural to call upon the finest analytical mind to solve ...
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[In this issue, we welcome James Davis to our pages. As James says about James: "James is of “that age” where he was a gamer before gaming became cool and hip. (Do they say “hip” anymore? Probably not.) Being a colossal nerd, he played many of the old Avalon Hill wargames and the original D & D before it got weird(er). He still likes many ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Schmidt Spiele, 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, about 30 minutes, $42.95) Reiner Knizia has earned himself an enviable reputation for quality game design. Over the last several years, the trend in his design preferences has been to move away from the heavy, gamers' games style with the shift being towards quality games conceived to appeal to more general ...
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Reviewed by: Joe Huber (Ystari/Asmodee, 2 to 5 players, ages 13 and up, 60 minutes, $34.99) For me, one of the unexpected aspects of becoming more heavily involved in the boardgaming hobby has been the opportunity to spend time with and become friends with a lot of game designers. But, as enjoyable as that has been particularly in discussing game design with them, there's another ...
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Reviewed by: Pevans (Beziar Games, 2-4 players, ages 8 and up, about 90 minutes, $59.99) It’s taken me a while to get to Suburbia as Bezier Games sold out at Spiel ’12 – good news for designer and publisher Ted Alspach, but bad news for me. Mind you, it was my own fault as it wasn’t until the Sunday that I got to Bezier’s stand ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy (Victory Point Games, 1 player, ages 12 and up, about 40 minutes; $29.95) It seems that every four years, timed to coincide with the real life election for President of the United States, election games miraculously appear, some good, some bad, some too horrible to be named. This election year runs true to form. Most election games (and I am tempted ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Mayfair Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 45-90 minutes, $35) Klaus-Jürgen Wrede is probably best known for Carcasonne, the wildly popular tile laying game (featured in the Summer 2001 GA Report) that has gone on to spawn a host of spin-offs. But this designer's portfolio is more than a single game. Nearly a decade ago, Wrede found his ...
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Reviewed by: Andrea "Liga" Ligabue (FunForge, 2 to 5 players, ages 8 and up, 45 minutes, $39.99) Antoine Bauza shines like a new star in the Olympus of game designers. In just 3 years, he has been able to win Spiel des Jahres, Kennerspiel des Jahres, DSP, International Gamers Award and an endless amount of other awards. Of course most of his fame is due ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Kayal/Eagle Games, 2 to 6 players, ages 8 and up, 90-120 minutes, $74.99) Dinosaurs live! At least they reappear here as players seek to grow their single herd of dinos into the dominant force on prehistoric Earth in Peter Hawes' new game: Triassic Terror. Triassic Terror is played on a large board depicting four environments: Swamp, Desert, Forest and Mountains. Each of ...
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Summer 2013
(Volume 2, Number 47)
Reviewed by: Kevin Whitmore (Rio Grande Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 8 and up, 30 minutes, $34.99) The year is 2097, the world is swathed in ice. Civilization has been swept aside, leaving few survivors who must band together for mutual defense and the quest for food. Tribes compete for limited resources, and only the biggest tribe will reign… It’s a bleak future that ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Hurrican, 2 to 6 players, ages 8 and up; about 30 minutes; $39.99) With the death of Julius Caesar, Octavius, his adopted son, rose to power. In 27 BC, Octavius was awarded the title of Augustus and soon became the first Roman Emperor: Augustus Caesar. Players, in the role of representatives of the Emperor, compete to gather Senators to their side, ...
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Reviewed by: Greg J. Schloesser (Alea/Ravensburger, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 90+ minutes; $59.99) Stefan Feld has developed quite the reputation for designing highly intricate games that contain a multitude of mechanisms, many of which are original and very clever. His designs are typically aimed at the strategy gamer rather than the family market. As such, dedicated gamers usually eagerly anticipate his ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Ravensburger, 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 30-45 minutes; $39.99) Subtitled "a Strategic Construction Game", Casa Grande lives up to its name as players compete to build as many structures as they can in a relatively small area where the sky is the limit! Casa Grande, a Günter Burkhardt design, comes with building blocks, building platforms and player markers ...
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Reviewed by: Chris Kovac (Rio Grande Games, 2-5 players, ages 13 and up, 60 minutes; $54.95) Cinque Terre is a "pick up and deliver" game, designed by Chris Handy, challenging players to pick up and deliver produce to five scenic villages on the Italian Coast. The person who has generated the most points by the end of the game wins. Each player starts with a ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Mayfair Games, 3-5 players, ages 12 and up, 75-100 minutes; $35) In the mid 19th Century era of power politics in New York City, the Five Points area of Manhattan was known for crime, gangs and political corruption. Against this background, Andreas Steding has designed a game placing players into the heart of the struggle, competing to control neighborhoods and install ...
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[This issue features an analytic look at Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar by Joe Huber. To better understand Joe's "balancing act", it might be a good idea to refresh your memory of how the game works. Towards that end, we've "flashbacked" to the review of the game as it appeared in the Winter 2013 issue of Gamers Alliance Report.] Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Czech Games Edition/Rio ...
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[In this issue, we welcome Derek Croxton. Derek remembers when putting "dice" in a game title was only done sarcastically, as when referring to Avalon Hill's War at Sea game as "Dice at Sea". He got into the hobby via Dungeons & Dragons but quickly moved on to Titan and wargames. Like many gamers of a certain age, he has found his time too limited ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (R&R Games, 2 to 6 players, ages 14 and up, 60 minutes; $29.99) It's back to the track with the latest entry in the stable of horse racing games: Homestretch, designed by Frank DiLorenzo. This game allows players to enjoy two sides of horseracing: ownership and betting. Each player begins with his own set of Bet tokens and a player token ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Nürnberger-Spielkarten-Verlag, 2 to 5 players, ages 8 and up, about 15 minutes; about $10) Dice are one of those game components that are game constants; you see them almost everywhere. But after years and years of taking them for granted, the attraction that gamers have for dice can wane until dice can often be, well, boring. And that's why, when a game ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Pegasus Spiele, 2 to 5 players, ages 10 and up, 45-60 minutes; $49.95) The beautiful city of Venice provides the setting as players, in the role of Venetian nobles, compete to exert influence while constructing bridges and gondolas to become the "eminence grise" of Venice in the new Stefan Feld design, Rialto. Rialto comes with player boards for each participant, councilmen ...
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Reviewed by: Andrea "Liga" Ligabue (Matagot/Asmodee, 1-6 players, ages 13 and up, 30-45 minutes; $34.99) As probably you already know from reading my reviews, I'm not a great fan of collaborative games. What is collaborative in the intent often degrades into a solo experience where one player drives the game for all. Throughout the years, designers have cleverly opted for different tricks to avoid this ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Out of the Box Games, 3 to 10 players, ages 10 and up, 20-30 minutes; $19.99) In the Old West, travelling salesmen often attempted to convince the local populace of the benefits of whatever elixir they had with them. The elixir, of dubious quality at best, was commonly and contemptuously called "snake oil". But whether that concoction had any value was ...
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The 3 R's Meet the 3 E's Growing up and going to school, all of us were inculcated with the three Rs - reading, writing and 'rithmatic. And those 3 Rs have served us well. Not only in our regular everyday lives but in our lives when it comes to gaming. Reading has been put to good use in pouring over hundreds (thousands) of rules ...
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Reviewed by: Pevans (Feuerland Spiele/Z-Man Games, 2-5 players, ages 12 and up, 90+ minutes; $79.99) I came to Terra Mystica late. I missed it at Spiel ’12, but noticed when several people mentioned it as one of their favourite games of last year. I somehow got the impression it was a card game, a notion that was rapidly dispelled when I saw the deep box ...
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[Throughout the years, Gamers Alliance has been fortunate in attracting to our pages some of the finest talent in the World of Games. One of those talents is Joe Huber. Not only is Joe knowledgeable about games from a design standpoint (after all, he is the author of several successful published games - with his Starship Merchants - co-designed with Tom Lehmann - recently featured ...
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Spring 2013
(Volume 2, Number 46)
Reviewed by: Andrea "Liga" Ligabue (Yemaia, 2 to 5 players, ages 13 and up, about 100 minutes; 65€) Sometimes it looks like we have reached the limit of new companies/designers and it is always great to see someone still interested in trying to make a mark in the boardgames market. Yemaia's target is clear from their web site - “We decided to produce the games ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (AEG, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 60 minutes; $34.99) The City-State of Tempest is the place for adventure in a roleplaying world created by the folks at Alderac Entertainment Group. And it is Tempest that will serve as the setting for a whole series of boardgames from AEG. With Courtier from designer Phillip duBarry, the first entry in ...
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(In this issue, we review I'm the Boss!: The Card Game, a card game based on the Sid Sackson boardgame with the title Kohle, Kie$ & Knete that later appeared, in an English language edition, as I'm the Boss!. So, we thought it might be interesting to "FLASHBACK" to the feature treatment Steve Kurzban gave to the English language edition when it first appeared, back ...
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(In this issue, we review I'm the Boss!: The Card Game, a card game linked to the Sid Sackson design that first appeared in the marketplace as a boardgame with the title Kohle, Kie$ & Knete. So, we thought it might be interesting to "FLASHBACK" to the feature treatment Steve Kurzban gave to the original game way back when in the Summer 1997 issue of ...
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Reviewed by: Greg J. Schloesser (Tasty Minstrel Games, 2 to 6 players, ages 12 and up, 2-3 hours; $59.95) Some subjects are just too boring for board games. While there might be lots of intricacies and fascinating options in real life, the subject matter just seems bland or boring. For me, business is one such topic. I have been a businessman for nearly twenty-nine years, ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (AEG, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 30 minutes; $29.95) During the so-called Dark Ages, unless of noble birth or mired in serfdom, much of the population worked in groups known as guilds. In the game created by designer Hope S. Hwang, the society of this time is shaped by six professions. Using the members of these professions to ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy I'M THE BOSS!: THE CARD GAME (Gryphon Games, 3 to 6 players, ages 9 and up, 30-60 minutes; $25.99) & PIECE OF THE ACTION (Expansion Set, Gryphon Games) Once upon a time, Sid Sackson created a game that went on to be published in Germany as Kohle, Kne$, Knete (reviewed in the Summer 1997 GA REPORT) and later, in English, as ...
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Reviewed by: Pevans (Mind the Move, 1 to 4 players, age 10 and up, about 90 minutes; $69.99) A new game from Emanuele Ornella and Mind the Move is something of an event. I still have fond memories of discovering Oltre Mare (Winter 2005 GA Report) over pizza in central Essen a few Octobers ago. I was thus pleased to find Mind the Move back ...
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Reviewed by: Chris Kovac (Flying Frog Productions, 2 to 6 players, age 12 and up, 60-90 minutes; $49.99) If you like to watch The Walking Dead or like zombie horror as a whole, this zombie themed cooperative game for up to six people is for you. This game is by Jason C. Hill and produced by the quirky game company Flying Frog Productions. This game ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Upper Deck Entertainment, 1 to 5 players, ages 14 and up, 30-60 minutes; $59.99) Like many great games, Dominion (featured in the Winter 2009 Gamers Alliance Report) has sparked a slew of successors using its core mechanism: deck building. While Dominion had only the slightest hint of theme, many games that followed added real flavor to the game mechanic. Think of ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (R&R Games/Eggertspiele, 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 20-30 minutes; $39.95) In QIN, a new Reiner Knizia design, players colonize the outreaches of China, founding provinces and absorbing remote villages into their growing empires, building pagodas to mark their claims. But not everything is as peaceful as this sounds because other players can conquer your provinces and villages, replacing ...
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Reviewed by: Herb Levy (Ravensburger, 2 to 5 players, ages 10 and up, 30-75 minutes; $34.99) Inka and Marcus Brand have carved out an enviable reputation as game designers, most recently capturing the Spiel des Jahres - Kennerspiel award with their game, Village (featured in the Summer 2012 GA Report). Village was a rather involved representation of life in a small medieval village; in Saint ...
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Not Just Something to Chew On I've always been told that gaming is a niche - and a slim one at that, a small narrow "slice of life" that will never become "mainstream". While I can see why people think that, I have seen signs throughout the years that make me think differently. We've seen boardgames situated in the background of TV shows and, more ...
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Winter 2013
(Volume 2, Number 45)
Reviewed by Kevin Whitmore (Stronghold Games, 2-4 players, ages 13 and up, 90 minutes; $69.95) I have enjoyed playing the game, McMulti a number of times. So it caught my attention when Stronghold Games announced that they had tracked down the long lost author of McMulti and obtained his permission to release an authorized 3rd edition of his game. For you see, there is a ...
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The Search for Intelligent Life As a kid, I was fascinated by the stars. Back in those days (when dinosaurs roamed the earth!), a city kid could actually see the stars in the sky before pollution made that impossible. And the stars held such possibilities. More planets for sure and possibly different forms of life. Hopefully, life from an advanced civilization could bring great hope ...
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[In our Spring 2012 issue, we featured a cool game set in the wastelands of Siberia. With this issue featuring the card game spin off to that boardgame, we thought it might be useful to "flashback" to the original review of the game that sparked the new addition: Siberia.] (dlp Games, 2-4 players, ages 10 and up, 60 minutes minutes; $70) When Cole Porter was writing ...
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[This issue features Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar. In that review, comparisons were made between it and Stefan Feld's award winning game, Trajan. To provide a better picture to our readers, we've flashbacked to the review of Trajan contributed by Joe Huber as it appeared in the Spring 2012 issue of Gamers Alliance Report.] Reviewed by Joe Huber (Ammonit Spiele, 2-4 players, ages 12 and up, 90-120 minutes; about ...
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Reviewed by Pevans (R&D Games, 2 to 6 players, ages 12 and up, 90 minutes; $59.99) This was one of my must-buys at Spiel ’12. I’ve been a fan of Richard Breese’s games – and the Key… series in particular – since he launched the magnificent Keywood and his imprint, R&D Games, back in 1995. Keyflower is a bit different, though, as it is co-designed ...
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(Asmodee, 2 to 6 players, ages 14 and up, 30-60 minutes; $49.99) Pirates and treasure - what could be more exciting? Well, how about divvying up the treasure? Now that's where interesting things happen. And that is the setting - and the challenge - of Libertalia, the new game by Paolo Maori, as players command equal bands of pirates while trying to be a little ...
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Reviewed by Greg J. Schloesser (White Goblin, 2 – 5 Players, 2 – 2 ½ hours; $59.99) It is sometimes difficult to believe that what is now the exceedingly crowded and congested island of Manhattan was once a virtually uninhabited wilderness. In the early 17th century, this wilderness was deemed by the Dutch as an ideal area for settlement, as it offered easy access to ...
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Reviewed by Andrea "Liga" Ligabue (Asmodee, 2 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, 60 minutes; $49.99) It is unusual nowadays to read game rules and say “Wow! This is really new! I have to check to see if it really works!” But this happened to me reading the rules to Seasons. The designer, Régis Bonessée, is already known for at least two games: Himalaya, ...
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(dlp Games, 2-4 players, ages 9 and up, 20 minutes; 14,90 €) You know how hit movies often spin off sequels (or prequels or "behind the scenes" documentaries)? And you know how often those sequels (or prequels or "behind the scenes" documentaries) are simply awful? Well, generally speaking, the same holds true for games. So it is a very pleasant surprise to find a welcome ...
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Reviewed by Frank Hamrick (Surprised Stare Games, 1 to 5 players, ages 10 and up, 30-90 minutes; $59.99) Snowdonia is a 2012 release from Surprised Stare games. Designed by Tony Boydell, this game flew under my radar entering Essen 2012. However, several good reviews and ratings by attendees caught my attention in the days following Essen. In Snowdonia, players are building a railroad track from ...
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Reviewed by Chris Kovac (Gale Force 9, 3 to 4 players, ages 17 and up, 150 minutes; $39.99) Living in ancient Rome meant living in a time when death, danger and intrigue was a way of life. The Starz TV series Spartacus brought this world back to life and, in turn, Sean Sweigart and Aaron Dill have brought that life to the gaming table with ...
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Reviewed by Ted Cheatham (Clever Mojo Games , 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 60 minutes, $49.99) It all started in a one room town hall. How could the city founders foster and grow a thriving metropolis and what would they call it? As the coldness of night approached the warmth of morning and the sun rose in the east, the city ...
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Reviewed by Joe Huber (Japon Brand / OKAZU Brand, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 45 minutes; $49.99) What is it about trains which make them the most popular means of transportation to use as a game theme? Oh, there are plenty of games about other means of transportation. There are lots of games focusing on cars, though most of them are focused ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy (Czech Games Edition/Rio Grande Games, 2-4 players, ages 13 and up, 90 minutes; $59.95) If you're reading this, then the Mayan prophecy of the end of the world back in December has failed to pass. Fortunately. For now you can sit back and delve into the workings of Mayan civilization at your leisure as the ruler of a Mayan tribe and ...
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2012
Fall 2012
(Volume 2, Number 44)
Reviewed by Herb Levy (Academy Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 10 and up, 1-2 hours; $69.99) In the early 19th Century, powerful nations in Europe were competing for dominance and that competition led to war. With war in Europe raging between England and its allies and the French forces led by Napoleon, the United States felt the squeeze between these two powerful European juggernauts, ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy (Mayfair Games, 3 to 5 players, ages 14 and up, 120+ minutes; $50) Martin Wallace has a thing for travel. It's not so much that HE is infected with a severs case of wanderlust but more that he's apparently fascinated by the intricacies of the means of getting from one place to another. Already established as a premier designer of rail ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy (INI, LLC, www.DabbleGame.com, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 30-60 minutes; $24.95) Word games are one of the staples of gaming. There is, of course, Scrabble which leads the way in this category but there has always been a contest to create the next big word game. Along the way, there has been the ever popular Boggle and Sid ...
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Reviewed by Andrea "Liga" Ligabue (Czech Board Games/Z-Man Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 13 and up, 90-120 minutes; $64.99) After the great success of Dungeon Lords, it would have been a real shame not to exploit the atmosphere of the dungeons and the neighboring village. It has taken two years to prepare the Dungeon Lords expansion (to be released this year in Essen) but ...
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The Greatest Game Throughout my years with Gamers Alliance and through my interactions with people in all walks of life who know of my love of games, I have always been asked lots of questions. But the one question that seems to appear most is this one: "What do you think is the GREATEST game?" When I first heard this question, I would be (and ...
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Reviewed by Greg. J. Schloesser EMPIRE EXPRESS (Mayfair Games, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 60-90 minutes; $30) [Reviewing a crayon rail game is a bit of a challenge, as all of the games in the series use very similar mechanisms. Usually, there are only minor rules changes, with the major difference being the geographical setting. As such, most of the description of ...
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Reviewed by Chris Kovac (Andre Bonnet, 2 to 6 players, ages 13 and up, 90 minutes; 65€ in the EU, 77€ outside the EU) Grand Prix Expert is a detailed five player resource management/racing game with the theme of managing and developing a Formula 1 Racing team for 1-3 seasons of racing. The game is self published by Andre Bonnet of France. The game comes with ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy INFILTRATION (Fantasy Flight Games, 2 to 6 players, ages 14 and up, 30-45 minutes; $34.95) The time is the future and this future world is a very dangerous place. It is the Android Universe (a dystopian future world postulated by Android, a previous release by Fantasy Flight), a world run by immense corporations involved in android technology. CyberSolutions Inc., one such corporation, ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy (Mayfair Games, 3 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, about 75-90 minutes; $55) Very often in games we see style over substance, particularly when it comes to licensed properties. Generally, the belief is that the license will sell the merchandise no matter what so what you usually get is a picture slapped on a box containing assorted cardboard with very ...
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[In this issue, we welcome Eric Brosius to our pages. Eric Brosius has been a gamer as long as he can remember. When his sister asked him to play Chutes and Ladders, he resisted because there were no meaningful decisions. At the age of 6, he received a copy of Avalon Hill's D-Day from a neighbor family who bought a copy at a local department ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy (Huch! & Friends, 2 to 3 players, ages 8 and up, 30+ minutes; about $25) Talat is the Arabic word for "Three" and three is the core of the game play here in this abstract game designed by Bruce Whitehill. There are three boards, three sets of game pieces and, while rules are provided for two, Talat is at its best ...
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Reviewed by Pevans (Krok nik Douil/Huch! & Friends, 3 to 5 players, ages 12 and up, 1½ to 2 hours, $59.99) Vanuatu rather snuck up on me – I missed it at Spiel last year, so I was pleased to make its acquaintance when it arrived on the table. The title is, of course, the name of an island nation in the Pacific. Vanuatu, designed ...
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Summer 2012
(Volume 2, Number 43)
Reviewed by Andrea "Liga" Ligaue (Asmodee, 2 to 6 players, ages 12 and up, 120+ minutes; $99.99) “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away …”, gamers were looking for a perfect science fiction 4X game (that is, a game of "eXplore, eXpand, eXploit and eXterminate". It was a time when Avalon Hill releases were eagerly awaited, Stellar Conquest by Metagaming was a ...
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BANDWAGON One of the most pleasurable things I do concerning my involvement with Gamers Alliance is to play games. Love it! Love it! Love it! But with so many games to play, there is the dark side to that pleasure: going through the miles and miles of rules to games so as to learn and lead them correctly. If only there was a way to ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy (Takamagahara, for 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 90 minutes; about $40) When we are immersed in our game time, enjoying old favorites or new offerings, we sometimes forget that games are also designed outside the borders of America and Europe. As if to remind us of this fact comes Guild, a rather unique card game from Japan by ...
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Reviewed by Joe Huber (Rio Grande Games, 2-5 players, ages 13 and up, 75+ minutes; $39.95 ) One of my favorite activities is playtesting. There are many reasons for this. First and foremost, it’s an opportunity to play games, and usually new-to-me games at that, an experience I really enjoy. But unlike playing a published game, there’s often an opportunity to influence the game design, ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy (Queen Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 10 and up, 45-60 minutes; $64.95) King Henry V, the new ruler of England in 1413, was determined to unite England and defeat France. Players, as leaders of their own noble family, compete to gain the most favor with the King. While the growth of power is not a unique goal in gaming, the ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy LORDS OF WATERDEEP (Wizards of the Coast, 2 to 5 players, ages 12 and up, 60 minutes; $49.99) For decades, Dungeons & Dragons has been synonymous with fantasy roleplaying. So it is all the more interesting when the RPG world of D&D enters the genre of Euro style strategy - and it does in Lords of Waterdeep by the design team ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy (Ascora Games, 2-6 players, ages 13 and up, 30 minutes; $35) In the genre of science fiction, one of the personalities we love to hate is the "mad scientist". Many of us tend to be fascinated by the visions of the insane inventions such a creative madman strives to bring to life. In recognition of these volatile visionaries, Donald X ...
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WINNING AT WATERLOO - A BATTLE OF TWO HALVES The fifteenth and final scenario in Commands & Colors: Napoleonics is the battle of Waterloo. Or at least the early part of it (11 am - 3 pm), well before the arrival of the Prussians. In this scenario, the brown blocks represent Dutch-Belgian troops rather than Portuguese. A lot of the different types of unit are ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy (Portal, 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, 90 minutes; $64.99) This game has an interesting back story. Good games are always fun to play but the best of them always have the serendipitous effect of educating the participants in some way. Apparently, this quality was recognized by the people who run the National Bank of Poland. It seems that ...
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Reviewed by Chris Kovac (Scorpion Masque/Asmodee, 2 to 5 players, ages 13 and up, 90-120 minutes; $59.99) Québec is a five player worker placement medium gamers game with a very light theme of building Quebec City from its founding in 1608 to its 400th anniversary in 2008. The game is designed by the French Canadian game designers Philippe Beaudoir and Pierre Puissant-Marquis. The goal to ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy (Indie Boards and Cards, 5 to 10 players, ages 13 and up, 30 minutes; $19.99) In a future world, life, as we know it today, has radically changed. It seems that the government in this future is both powerful and corrupt and the people have decided to fight against it by launching a series of missions designed to bring the government ...
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Reviewed by Greg J. Schloesser (Eggertspiele/Pegasus Spiele, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 90-120 minutes; $54.90) It takes a village … or does it? Well, let's not discuss the merits of American politician Hillary Clinton's book or theories. Instead, let's discuss the board game Village: As Life Plays Out by designers Inka & Markus Brand. Published by Eggertspiel and Pegasus, Village is another ...
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Spring 2012
(Volume 2, Number 42)
[In this issue we welcome Kevin Whitmore, a long time gamer from New Mexico. Kevin has hosted a game night that meets every week since 1999. Kevin plays many different styles of games, including wargames, card games, word games, abstracts, Euros and train games. Kevin admits he isn't the sharpest 18xx player in his local games community, but this just keeps him coming back for ...
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Reviewed by Andrea "Liga" Ligabue (Z-Man Games, 2-4 players, ages 12 and up, 47-120 minutes; $54.95) Sci-fi is one of the great gold veins where designers and publishers dig out endless games. In the last years I was impressed by many good titles. Eclipse, Race for the Galaxy, Battlestar Galactica, Earth Reborn, Claustrophobia, Galaxy Trucker, Alien Frontiers are all in the BGG top 100 joined ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy (Tasty Minstrel Games, 2-5 players, ages 13 to adult, 90-120 minutes; $59.95) It seems that even fantasy lands have to deal with the bungling of bureaucracies. In this particular kingdom, it turns out there has been an "error" by the powers that be in doling out the job of constructing the castle of Belfort, the veritable jewel in the crown of ...
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Reviewed by Chris Kovac (Sierra Madre Games, 1-4 players, ages 12 and up, 180+ minutes; $72) Bios Megafauna is a fairly complex gamer's game with a strong theme of evolution designed by Phil Eklund. This is an updated and streamlined version of Mr. Eklund’s earlier game called American Megafauna with better pieces and faster game play. The object of the game is to have the ...
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Right Jobs Steve Jobs, the guy who put the "i" in genius and then applied it to us (in the form of such well received items as the iPhone, iPad, iPod, iTouch etc.) said: "People don't know what they want until you show it to them." That was his job and he did it well, getting those ideas from the mind onto the drawing board ...
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Reviewed by Jeff Feuer (Tasty Minstrel Games, 2-4 players, ages 12 and up, 45-60 minutes; $39.95) Eminent Domain is a deck-building card game by designer Seth Jaffee but, while a deck-building game like Dominion (Winter 2009 Gamers Alliance Report) which pioneered the genre, it has little in common with it. You do start with a set of 10 cards, which are shuffled and then you ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy (Indie Boards & Cards, 2-6 players, ages 10 and up, 45 minutes; $39.99) Even as a child, I always had respect for those among us who had the incredible courage to not only face danger but put themselves in harm's way to save others. Firefighters are part of that select group. Instead of running from a burning building, they run towards ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy (Minion Games, 2-4 players, ages 12 and up, 60-90 minutes; $49.99) In the annals of Biblical history, King Solomon occupies a special place. As a king fabled for his wisdom, he ruled over the land known as Israel and presided over a time of peace and prosperity. Players, as governors serving the king, compete to increase that prosperity by constructing buildings, ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy (Educational Insights, 2 players, ages 8 to adult, 10 minutes; $19.99) There are a lot of games out there competing for your attention and leisure spending dollars so it helps if you can make your game stand out. Nowhere to Go, a Hank Atkins design, certainly achieves that goal with its eye-catching hexagonal box and its striking orange and black motif ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy (Mayfair Games/FunFair, 2-4 players, ages 10 and up, 30-60 minutes; $15) Pick up and deliver games are a well received genre in gaming. Basically, they are what they sound like. You pick up a cargo in one place (whatever it may be from wherever it may be) and deliver it someplace else. Usually, the idea is to get the stuff to ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy (Columbia Games, 2 players, ages 12 and up, 2 to 3 hours; $59.99) With the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War upon us, it is no surprise that there has been an uptick in the number of games exploring this already popular subject. Shenandoah: Jackson's Valley Campaign is one of these with the game centering on the campaign waged between ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy (dlp Games, 2-4 players, ages 10 and up, 60 minutes minutes; $70) When Cole Porter was writing the score for Silk Stockings, the musical that centered on a beautiful Russian commissar (played by the stunning Cyd Charisse in the film) being wooed by a charismatic Westerner (none other than the incomparable Fred Astaire in the movie) who seduces her to the ...
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Reviewed by Greg J. Schloesser (Pearl Games/Z-Man Games, 2-4 players, ages 12 and up, 60-90 minutes; $44.99) In baseball terms, designer Xavier Georges is batting around five hundred for me. In baseball, that is a terrific average that has never been obtained over the course of a career, let alone a season. As a game designer, that average is, well, average. His first breakout design ...
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Reviewed by Joe Huber (Ammonit Spiele, 2-4 players, ages 12 and up, 90-120 minutes; about $70) Over the past few years, Stefan Feld has firmly established his reputation as a designer of gamer's games and, as the most published designer in Alea's noteworthy catalog. His string of successes - from Notre Dame to In the Year of the Dragon (featured in the Spring 2008 Gamers ...
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Reviewed by Pevans (Giochix, 2-4 players, ages 13 and up, 120+ minutes; $49.95) I was intrigued by Upon a Salty Ocean when I first saw it at Spiel ’11. The initial attraction was the good-looking artwork depicting the principal buildings of the French city of Rouen, on the banks of the river Seine, in the 16th century. When I was told it was about developing ...
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Winter 2012
(Volume 2, Number 41)
Reviewed by Herb Levy (Living Worlds Games, LLC, 2 players, ages 14 and up, about 30 minutes; $24.99) In 1955, the world was a very different place. In the fifties, two major superpowers were locked in a Cold War. Now, two players can relive those days of political struggle in a tug of war, competing to exert influence against each other in a quest for ...
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A CORNUCOPIA OF CARD GAMES: PEVANS LOOKS AT NEW CARD GAMES I seem to have picked up quite a few card games while I was in Essen last October. Well, they’re so much easier to carry when you’re flying. And easier on the budget, too. This article is thus a brief review of each of them. They’re in alphabetical order of title, as I can’t think ...
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What's New at the OLD Ballgame? Reviewed by by K-ban The two most successful table-top baseball games, APBA and Strat-O-Matic have already celebrated their 50th anniversaries. Those who embraced this hobby in their youth are now mostly in their 60’s and 70’s and either nearing or in retirement. Today’s youth are enamored with computers, 3D graphics and stats being accumulated for them. Since the demand ...
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Reviewed by Greg J. Schloesser (Z-Man Games, 3-5 players, ages 10 and up, 45-60 minutes; $39.99) The darkness has been evident on the horizon for many months. Evil was stirring and growing, and it was only a matter of time before the dark minions poured forth, threatening every town and village in the realm. Nay, "threatening" does not begin to describe the horrors in store ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy (Treefrog/Mayfair Games, 2-4 players, ages 11 and up, about 60 minutes; $49) Judging from its title, you might think this game has something to do with an Egyptian pig farm but you would be wrong. It is the fantasy world found in the novels of Terry Pratchett that serve as the background and inspiration here. It seems that Ankh-Morpork, a major ...
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Watching I was watching a commercial on TV promoting a cable service. The pitch? That here was a service offering television viewing with a better picture and lots and lots of channels. To convince you just how wonderful this deal was, a family was shown enjoying the services provided, sitting together on the coach, laughing uproariously at whatever they were (supposedly) watching. An idyllic picture ...
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Reviewed by Frank Hamrick (Queen Games, 2-4 players, ages 10 and up, 45-60 minutes; $59.95) Kingdom Builder grabbed my attention in the pre-Essen reports I read. I’ve always been enchanted with castles, kingdoms, and knights. Add to this exciting prospect that name of designer Donald X. Vaccarino of Dominion fame and I could hardly wait! Then I heard it was barely more than a filler ...
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Reviewed by Andrea "Liga" Ligabue (Czech Games Edition/Rio Grande Games, 2-5 players, ages 11 and up, 60-90 minutes; $49.95) I'm becoming a real fan of Czech designers. In the beginning it was only Vlaada Chavitl with his great designs but, starting from 2007, Vladimir Suchy is also getting good releases. League of Six (Winter 2008 Gamers Alliance Report) was a nice game, Shipyard (Spring 2010 ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy (Alderac Entertainment Group [AEG], 2-4 players, ages 13 and up, about 60 minutes; $49.99) The Legend of the Five Rings is a roleplaying adventure game published by Alderac Entertainment Group that has been around for over a decade now. (We featured the game back in the Summer 1996 issue of Gamers Alliance Report.) That game has spawned a host of others ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy (Parker Brothers/Hasbro, 3-5 players, ages 13 and up, about 60 minutes; $70) Some games seem to have been around forever and the folks at Hasbro are fortunate enough or shrewd enough to have many of them in their line-up. Monopoly, Sorry, Clue, The Game of Life are just a few of the titles that are, without question, lurking in closets throughout ...
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Reviewed by Chris Kovac (WizKids Games, 2-4 players, ages 14 and up, 60 minutes; $49.99) What do you get when you mix a top Euro game designer - Reiner Knizia - with a major motion picture/TV franchise - “The New Star Trek” and the Wiz Kids Hero Clix game system? Well you might get the game Star Trek: Expeditions or at least a game real close ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy (Blackrock Editions, 2-4 players, ages 10 and up, 20-60 minutes; about $20) It's the 1930s and crime is rampant, spreading from city to city like the plague. Players, as the heads of criminal organizations, seek to spread their influence in cities across the country in this Alain Ollier design: The Boss. The Boss comes in a small package and within it, ...
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THE GAMER'S BOOKSHELF: THE BRAIN WORKS: 20 MINUTE WHILE-YOU-WAIT CROSSWORD PUZZLES by Matt Gaffney (Sellers Publishing, Inc., 288 pages each, $9.95 each) The main focus of Gamers Alliance is, as the name implies, games. Yet, while today's world may be getting smaller due to improvements in the means of communication, the World of Games seems to be getting larger as it continues to encompass many ...
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2011
Fall 2011
(Volume 2, Number 40)
Reviewed by Frank Hamrick (Treefrog/Mayfair Games, 2 players, ages 12 to adult, 60-90 minutes; $55) Two hundred and fifty years after Voltaire said it, it became a game! The British and French struggled for control of North America from the early 1700s until the final battle of Quebec in 1760. That final battle ended the long French and Indian War and led to Voltaire's supposed ...
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Reviewed by Andrea "Liga" Ligabue (Lo Scarabeo, 3-5 players, ages 10 to adult, 45 minutes; $59.99) Arcanum, from Lo Scarabeo, is the new game from Andrea Chiavesio and Pierluca Zizzi, released in Essen 2011. I really like Andrea's designs starting from Kingsburg, one of the greatest dice games ever (and featured in the Spring 2008 Gamers Alliance Report), down to last year's release Olympus. This ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy (Alea/Ravensburger, 2-4 players, ages 9 to adult, about 60 minutes; $34.95) One of the most romantic eras in human history is the Age of Knights and Chivalry. Novels and films abound that are set in that time. Games have also found this time to be a fertile area to explore as knighthood has served as the theme for many of them ...
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Baseball on the Table-top - Part IV Games of the 1980's and 90's by K-ban If the 70’s were the time for table-top baseball game designers to explore, in new and different ways, the confrontation between pitcher and batter (see Part #3 of this series in the Spring 2011 GA Report), the next generation of statistical baseball games to hit the market sought to add ...
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Reviewed by Chris Kovac (Wizards of the Coast/Hasbro, 2 to 4 players, ages 13 and up, 120 minutes; $65) One of the popular games of my childhood back in the 70's was the game Battleship where you and your opponent placed ships on hidden grids and then took turns calling out row and column coordinates to try to find and sink the enemy's hidden ships ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy (Gamewright Games, 2 teams or players, ages 8 to adult, 15 minutes; $19.99) When you have two successful games, it seems inevitable that someone will think "why not combine them?" The two games in question are the vintage game of Cathedral (whose spin-off Cathedral World was reviewed in the Spring 2004 GA Report) and the relatively recent and very successful FITS ...
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Betty Grable, Legs and Feet Betty Grable had legs - and man, what legs! For those of you who may not recognize the name, the lovely Betty was Queen of the Pin-ups during World War II. Her image in that famous photo (reproduced here) decorated hundreds (thousands? hundreds of thousands?) of soldiers' barracks as well as the fuselages of their fighter planes. If lonely and ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy (Gigamic distributed by Back Alley Traders, 2 players, ages 8 to adult, 10-20 minutes; $30) Back in 1985, Claude Leroy (for Swiss Games) came up with an idea for a rather clever abstract game and clever it was. Still, despite its originality, the game soon vanished from gaming stores making it hard to find. But Gigamic has solved that problem and returned ...
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Reviewed by Ted Cheatham (Queen Games, 2-5 players, ages 8 to adult, 45-60 minutes; $54.95) Ugh, must go to hunt Mammut. Me big cave man! And that leads us to the premise of the game of Mammut, designed by Kristian Amundsen Ostby. In Mammut, cave people are off to hunt for mammoths and forage. After the big day, there are all kinds of booty that ...
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Reviewed by Pevans (Ystari/Rio Grande Games, 3-5 players, ages 13 to adult, 75+ minutes; $54.95) Ye gods! French publisher Ystari has a fine track record and Olympos is the latest addition to the line (Rio Grande is publishing the English language version). The game’s designer is well known, too: Philippe Keyaerts is the man behind Vinci (and thus Small World) and Evo. As soon as ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy (Columbia Games, 2-6 players, ages 8 to adult, 30-60 minutes; $24.99) If this game seems familiar, that shouldn't be too surprising as it has had a long history. Slapshot is credited to Tom Dalgliesh and Lance Gutteridge. Dalgliesh may be best known for his wargame designing efforts for Columbia Games collaborating on such games as Hammer of the Scots (Winter 2003 GA ...
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THE GAMER'S BOOKSHELF: THE KOBOLD GUIDE TO BOARD GAME DESIGN by Mike Selinker (Kobold Quarterly/Open Design, 138 pages, $19.99 print/$9.99 pdf) It seems like everyone who has ever played a game thinks to themselves, "Hey, I can make a game too!". Well maybe you can and maybe you can't. But it's always good to draw some insight and inspiration from those who actually have had ...
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Reviewed by Greg J. Schloesser (What's Your Game?, 2-4 players, ages 12 to adult, 2 to 3 hours; $65.99) For years, the subject of wine-making was a sorely overlooked theme in the gaming industry. There have been a few games utilizing the theme but, for such a popular and intricate industry, the overlooking of this theme was baffling. This was corrected in a major way ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy (Gryphon Games, 2 players, ages 10 to adult, 45-60 minutes; $29.99) Several decades ago, in the early 1970s, game designer Phil Orbanes decided to start his own game company. The result was Gamut of Games. Although a relatively short-lived enterprise, the company published many games of note including Cartel and Infinity (both by Orbanes) and two word games - Montage and ...
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Summer 2011
(Volume 2, Number 39)
[Jeff Feuer is relatively new to the World of Games but that hasn't stopped him from voicing a knowledgeable opinion. In real life, Jeff is a professor of mathematics and he brings that analytical nature to his game playing and reviews. Jeff first appeared in the Summer 2007 Gamers Alliance Report with his review of Age of Empires III. Now he's back and, with his ...
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[David Rapp started out gaming with the Long Island Gamers and was a stalwart at our weekly gaming sessions for a number of years. An early contributor to the pages of Gamers Alliance Report, Dave made his GAR debut in the Fall 1999 issue with a review of Brawl from Cheapass Games. Dave would continue to be a steady contributor over the next several years ...
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[We are very pleased to have Larry Levy as part of our 100th issue celebration. We've said this before - and it's worth saying again - that Larry is one of the best known voices on gaming, sharing his expertise and insight throughout the world via his internet postings and writings for many game review publications. And more! Larry helped open up our 25th year ...
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[Gamers Alliance is international in scope, both in readership and contributors. Andrea "Liga" Ligabue is one of our valued international contributors hailing from Italy. Liga's first contribution to Gamers Alliance Report was in the Winter 2008 issue with his review of Race for the Galaxy. In this, his 11th review for GA Report, Liga races back to the galaxy to explore new (alien) frontiers.] (Clever ...
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[Games designed by Friedemann Friese have often found a place in the pages of Gamers Alliance Report. This review marks the 5th game designed by him to appear here - and my 691st (!) review for GA Report. - Herb Levy] BLACK FRIDAY (Kosmos/Rio Grande Games, 2-5 players, ages 13 and up, about 60 minutes; $44.95) Reviewed by Herb Levy The Long Island Gamers, my ...
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[Numbskull Games is a relative newcomer to the gaming scene. Their first appearance in these pages came with Last of the Independents in the Fall 2010 issue. This is the second appearance for the company here - and my 692nd review for GA Report. - Herb Levy] (Numbskull Games, 2-6 players, ages 12 and up, 90-180 minutes; $49.99) Reviewed by Herb Levy 2011 marks the ...
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[Joe Huber is one of the few: a recognized voice in the worldwide gaming community as well as a published game designer whose credits include Ice Cream, Scream Machine and Burger Joint (the latter receiving an International Gamers Award nomination for best 2 player game of the year and cited as "Best In Category" for family games in the December 2010 issue of GAMES Magazine) ...
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A Tale of Two Cities for This Century One of the most famous novels by Charles Dickens, legendary 19th century author, was A Tale of Two Cities. The two cities of the title were London and Paris. A best seller when published, required reading in schools across the country, even a pick for Oprah's Book Club over a hundred years after its initial appearance, all ...
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[As one of today's leading game designers, Michael Schacht games have often appeared in Gamers Alliance Report. This is the 13th time that a game designed (or co-designed) by Schacht has been reviewed - and review number 693 for me. - Herb Levy] (Matagot, 2-4 players, ages 10 and up, 60-90 minutes; $49.99) Reviewed by Herb Levy Michael Schacht must love cats. How else to ...
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[No Gamers Alliance celebration would be complete without something from Sid Sackson. Sid was a valued contributor to these pages for over 9 years. So, to mark our 100th issue, we are going back into the files to reprint a review Sid did of a quality abstract game - still available - in which he not only discusses the game but, in typical Sackson fashion, ...
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[Another one of our international contributors is Chris Kovac. Chris, a Canadian, has been a part of Gamers Alliance for years, doing his first review (of Byzantium designed by Martin Wallace) in the Spring 2006 issue. With this, his 24th review, Chris shares his view of a game by another successful designer, Stefan Feld, who is evidently a little "moonstruck".] (Z-Man Games, 1-4 players, ages ...
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[Marty Goldberger is no stranger to these pages having contributed reviews over our two and a half decades. Marty's reviews are an example of quality over quantity. First appearing in the Summer 1997 issue, he last graced our pages with his 5th review in the Winter 2010 issue with his review of Back to the Future: The Card Game when he helped kick off our ...
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[I've written this before but it's worth repeating: Few people enjoy a better - or more well deserved - reputation than Greg J. Schloesser. Starting and developing a readership as one of the most respected reviewers on the internet, Greg has spread the good word on gaming by being the driving force behind TWO gaming groups (the Westbank Gamers of New Orleans and the East ...
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[Looney Labs can always be counted on for a freewheeling gaming experience, particularly when it comes to cards. And so it is with Seven Dragons. Seven dragons for them, 694 reviews for me. - - Herb Levy] (Looney Labs, 2-5 players, ages 6 and up, 10 to 30 minutes; $15)