Review of Lucidity

Game: Lucidity

Designer: Shannon Kelly

Published: Renegade Game Studios

Players: 1-4 players

Playtime: 20-30 Minutes

Play Type: Push Your Luck, Dice Collection

Synopsis:

You close your eyes, and you are once again sucked into a dreamworld. You have a sense of urgency to break this hold on you. In the darkness lurks monsters who haunt your nightmares. You must escape this void before the monsters seek you out, and the dreamworld becomes a nightmare.

Game Play:

Each turn, players will decide which of the three levels of the sleep track they will use. This is a push your luck mechanic which decides how many dice the player will draw that turn. The options are three, four or five dice. Once the player has decided and drawn their dice, they return two to the bag and roll the remaining dice. Each dice has a specific color, and various symbols they can roll. Before explaining anything else, I will explain the differences in the colors and symbols to help clarify the benefit of each.

Colors:

• Blue (The Depths)-These dice make you draw more dreams
• Green (Envy)– These dice have a lot of power, but also may make you have to give up power
• Yellow (Imprisonment)– These dice can make you end your turn early
• Red (Primal Fear)– These dice have high risk of losing the game, but also have high power rewards

Symbols:

Power- This symbol can come in increments of one or two. They are Victory Points and how the player wins the game. The first player to fill their power track to 15 wins the game. Players may also spend power to reroll dice matching the color of power they spent.

Hunt- These are placed in the hunt row. If a player has 4 or more hunt dice on that track, they are eliminated from the game.

Exhaust- These are placed in the exhaust row. If a player has 3 or more dreams in the exhaust row they must draw a random dream from the bag. They then return all power on their track matching the dream’s color. Once exhausted players must rest.

Shadow- Shadows are placed in color corresponding shadow rows. Each color shadow causes the player to take a different action. Blue causes players to draw a dice, roll it and use it immediately. Green allows the next player to select a dream on your card, then forces you to reroll it and use it immediately. Yellow makes you rotate one of exhaustion to a shadow symbol, making it difficult to remove exhaustion during resting. Red lets you take a shadow from any color and move it to the hunt row. If any of the shadow rows fill up, you become a Nightmare.

If you become a Nightmare, you remain a Nightmare for the remainder of the game. Each Nightmare has a different play style, depending on the color of shadow that caused you to become a Nightmare. Nightmares are highly interactive among players and allow the person playing the Nightmare to steal dice from other Dreamers. The dice they are able to steal is dependent on the color that caused them to become a shadow.

Each turn players must place their dice in the following order: Power, Hunt, Exhaust, Shadow. Once all dice are placed the player has the option to either rest or dream again. Resting ends the player’s turn. When a player rests they have the option to either remove all exhausted symbols from the exhausted track, or remove one shadow from anywhere on the board.

If a player chooses to dream again, they move their tracker up on the sleep track. They may not choose to switch their sleep track. The amount of dice on the sleep track increases as Dreamers choose to dream again. They repeat this process until they have gone all the way through the sleep track of their choosing, they become exhausted, they are eliminated or they choose to rest.

Once the first player has reached 15 points, that player wins. Other players are able to take one last turn after that player has reached 15 points. In the event of a tie, the players roll their dream dice. However has the most power from that roll becomes the winner. If a player ever needs to draw a dice and there are none left, the current player finishes their turn by rolling the dice and resolving their dreams. Then the player with the most power wins. If there are no Dreamers left, the player with the most powerful Nightmare wins.

Components:

Lucidity includes 80 custom dice, a black dice bag with the hunt symbol on it, 4 Dreamer cards, 5 Nightmare cards, 4 turn summary cards, and 4 glass markers. The components are high quality. I like that the Nightmare cards are incorporated into the Dreamer cards when needed. I also like the the trackers are clear to allow players to see their dream track option. The art on this game is eye catching, and is the reason I originally purchased this game. The contrast between the black and dark line work with the occasional pop of color catches the eye and makes the game aesthetically pleasing.

Overview:

Positives:

• Easy to Learn
• Short Play Time
• Single Player Variant
• Great Components
• Small Footprint/ Portable
• Nightmares are Interesting Mechanic
• Dice can be Manipulated Easily

Negatives:

• Player Elimination
• Nightmare Play Style can be Boring/ Frustrating

Lucidity is an interesting take on push your luck mechanics. The introduction of Nightmares provides consequences to players, but does not cause immediate elimination. Players do have the option to be eliminated early on though, if they are not careful on how they manipulate their dice. Players are given the chance to spin the odds in their favor by removing excess dice of a specific color before it becomes a problem. Knowing when to rest can also assist players in not being eliminated. One positive of Lucidity is that ways that it allows players to manipulate their dice, despite the push your luck aspects. There are a lot of interesting decisions to be made when deciding what colors to keep and get rid of, and whether get rid of exhaustion or shadows while resting.

However, Lucidity does still have a player elimination factor which I am not fond of. Luckily it a short enough game that if a player does become eliminated they won’t be sitting out for a very long time. Despite the fact that Nightmares are not eliminated, in some cases players may feel like they have been eliminated. If the Dreamers decide to not use the dice that the Nightmare benefits from, then the Nightmare will likely spend turn after turn forcing the other player to roll dice. This quickly becomes monotonous, as they have very little ability to manipulate their game play. This is less likely to be seen with more players.

Overall I would suggest Lucidity for players looking for a short, push your luck game. Players who like games like Port Royal, Deep Sea Adventure or Ra are likely to enjoy Lucidity. If player elimination is a deal breaker for you, Lucidity is likely not going to be a game that you enjoy. However, if you generally play games solo, Lucidity does include a solo variant that plays well. I would not suggest Lucidity for families, because of the darkness of the theme however it is not overly complicated, so it could be played with older children.

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Go7 Gaming: Agricola Storage Solution Review (2016 Revised Edition)

 

In this video, Dave discusses the overall construction and functionality of the Storage Solution for the 2016 revised edition of Agricola.

Mass Market Musings…Pay Day (1975)

I often think about the games I used to play when I was growing up and one of the games I really enjoyed was Pay Day, which was then published by Parker Brothers. The game was designed by Paul J. Gruen from Massachusetts and the year Pay Day released, which was 1975, it outsold Monopoly. Quite an accomplishment I would say! I was born in 1971 so, the game was still pretty new when I got my first copy when I was maybe 8 or 9 years old.

The original version I has as a kid

I remember the game….rolling the die and moving through the days of the month and either getting money or having to spend money. Bills piling up, opportunities to make deals, and then if you got lucky, hitting the jackpot!

Unfortunately, as I grew up and moved on with my life, some of my games and such did not make the move with me. I think they were victims of my parents cleaning out their house many years ago.

Fast forward to about 5 years ago. I happened to be in Target and was in their toy and game section and they happened to have the game Pay Day on the shelf. It said Classic Edition on it and a number of memories about this game filled my head.

I decided to purchase the game so I could share some experiences with my kids, seeing it is a family game. I wasn’t sure what to expect either from myself revisiting this classic game, or what my kids thought of “old” games.

So…. let’s take a look at this new version of Pay Day and get my thoughts along the way. If you are not familiar with this game, here is a brief summary of how it is played:
The game simulates money management, with the game board resembling a calendar month. Pay Day is played on a one-month calendar with 31 days. During the game, players will have to deal with various bills and expenses, but will also have the opportunity to make deals on property and earn money. At the end of each month, players are paid their salary (the same for each player) and must then pay off all outstanding bills, taking out a loan if necessary. Most money (or least debt) wins after a certain number of months decided by the players (3 months usually takes 30 minutes to finish).

One of the things that I vividly remember is the paper money used in the game. And yes… it is still here.

Ahh yes… crisp paper money

Looking at the board, the month has quite a bit of activity going on.

The game board of the 2011 Winning Moves Classic Edition

Each day there is something that is happening that has the players doing something. There is only 1 space on the board where players get to take a breath and that is on the 7th day…..It is a day of rest. Interesting… a subtle Biblical reference in the game taken from the Ten Commandments.

Sunday the 7th… A day of rest

As I was playing the game, I realized that I was pretty much along for the ride. 95% of the game is based upon the luck of the die rolling. Movement is based on the die roll, so players have no control over what spaces they move to and have to endure whatever bonus or penalty is associated with that space. And based upon the roll of the die, my opponents can have a better or worse opportunity on the very same space that I occupy.

You can either have a good day or a bad day

The game leaves players with only a few decisions to make: buy a deal, take a loan out, and making payments on a loan. As I have been playing more of the modern board games that put players more in control of their destiny during the game, I felt a bit restricted in what I could do to make optimal moves. The main decision to make was how I was managing my money.

Is this a good deal or not?

In making deals, I really need to think about how I am managing my money. Do I need to take a loan out to pay for this deal? Will I get lucky and land on a space that allows me to sell that deal? If I take out loans, they are tabulated on a loan pad and on Pay Day, I have to pay interest on those loans, much like in real life. But, I do get an opportunity to pay down these loans so that is a good thing. Other aspects of the game that remind me of real life is the mail call.

Mail call…..do people still get postcards today?

Bills piling up, junk mail, etc. fill our mailboxes every day and during the game, every piece of mail we receive is a mystery. The bills that arrive are completely unplanned and so we are again at the mercy of the luck of the draw.

One last thing that has to do with luck: Rolling a 6. If I roll a 6 when I am rolling for movement, I hit the jackpot! and take all the money on the jackpot! space in the lower right corner of the board. Sometimes it can be a lot of cash, other times not one red cent.

Hopefully, there is money to win when you hit the jackpot

Well… There are certain things that Pay Day does that is a good thing and that is challenges players to manage their money. Nothing is guaranteed in this game except the monthly salary. So you need to be prepared for anything. This is a good life lesson for today because it is always important to have a handle on finances.

Being able to adjust the length of the game is a good thing as well. It makes the game adaptable to different situations in which players a playing. Do I want something quick or do I want to play for 6 to 12 months? Length of play is a very big issue when it comes to being able to bring a game to the table to play it, and bringing a game to the table to play it is just a tool for being able to spend time with others in their physical presence.

I had fond memories of Pay Day when I was a kid, and in a way I am glad the game has gotten back into my collection. Looking at the game in today’s gaming standards… is Pay Day a good game? Well, it is still for sale and I just saw a retro edition of the game at Target recently. So the game is still being played 40+ years after it’s release. I would say overall, yeah the game is good. It has survived this long in a market where games come and go all the time. For me, do I think Pay Day is a good game? The short answer is no. It is more of an activity where I am rolling a die each turn and moving to a space and doing what it says. In fact the rules state, your turn ends when you are finished doing what you are told to do. For most of the game I am not involved in making a decision. I land on a space and roll the die. The die result determines the outcome of what happens, or the amount of money that will be affected. Since the game is played in 1 month increments, the same board is used repetitively and so it gets boring rather quickly. Maybe now our brains are constantly looking for more and this game doesn’t have that “more” to offer.

Will Pay Day stay in my collection? The answer is yes. There are only a few of the classic games that I have that have a permanent place in my collection because they are part of who I am, because they were a part of my past, and still part of my present. More than anything there is a sentimental value attached to the game. Plus, some of these classic board games have laid some initial foundation work for the games we enjoy today. We need to see where we have been before we can see where we are now. Mostly, this game doesn’t take up much space so it can easily be stashed somewhere. Unless the kids want to play it, I don’t see the game returning to the table any time soon. However, I would not refuse to play it despite it being a game that I would not seek out today.

Some things seemed better in the past, and for me Pay Day is one of those things. Decades later what I once thought was a fun game to play, translated into an activity that sort of felt flat. I still have those memories of Pay Day being fun as a kid, so I will hold on to those.

Talking…Ticket to Ride: Germany

 

In this video, Dave and Chris discuss the English release Ticket to Ride: Germany, previously released as Zug um Zug: Deutschland with the 1902 expansion. Ticket to Ride: Germany is a reimplementation of Ticket to Ride: Märklin but uses passengers is a different way. Hear their impressions and thoughts on this version of the game in the Ticket to Ride series.

Review of The Grimm Forest

Game: The Grimm Forest

Designer: Tim Eisner

Published: Druid City Games

Players: 2-4

Playtime: 40-60 Minutes

Play Type: Resource Management/ Take That/ Set Collection

 

Synopsis:

Generations may have gone by, but the descendants of The Three Little Pigs still face the same adversity that they have for generations. That does not stop them though, they have entered a house building competition. All eyes are on you as you compete against the other pigs to build the best houses, as quickly as possible. There will be friends and foes around every corner, either to lend a hand or hinder your progress. May the best pig win.

Game Play:

Game play is easy, but engaging. The goal of the game is to be the first person to complete 3 houses of any material. However, if two players complete three houses in the same turn, the player with the houses made of stronger material will win. You reach this goal by gathering materials from one of four different collection tiles, and then using those resources to build the three different section of the houses. Each part of the house becomes increasingly more expensive, and some materials are slightly more difficult to get than others.

The game takes place over a repetition of three phases. During the first phase, players will secretly select up to two cards. The first card is the gathering card. Each player must place one gathering card, which depicts the tile that they plan to gather resources from. The second card is an optional fable card. The fable card is a one time use card that can do a variety of things to assist the player or hinder the other players. Some of the fable cards activate immediately, while others activate the next turn. Once all cards have been selected, any players who have opted to use a fable card will reveal them and take the action indicated. It is important to remember, if you draw a monster card, you must place it immediately on one of the four gathering tiles. There may only be one monster per tile. Once all the fable cards have taken their action, players then reveal their gathering card and place their pig on the tile of their choosing. Players will then take the resources at that tile. If multiple players are at the same tile, they will draft the resources evenly. The players will each take a resource until the resources could no longer be evenly divided. Any leftover loot will remain on the board for future rounds. Once this has been done, players check to ensure that none of their fables activate after the gathering phase. After all fable cards have been activated, players will discard any used fable cards, and return their gathering card to their hand.

Phase two begins after the cleaning up in the first phase. During phase two, players are able to do any two actions of the following four: draw a fable card, take any one resource, use a special action on a friend card or build one house section. Players are welcome to take the same action twice. In order to build a house section, the player must have the resources needed. They will then pay those resources, and take the corresponding house section. Players must build floors first, then walls, then a roof. Players may never have two of the same kind of house being built at once. Once a player has completed a house of a certain type, then they may begin working on a house of that same type again. Players can have a maximum of five houses being built. Whoever builds the first house of each type will receive a first builder bonus. That bonus allows the player to receive either 1 friend card, 2 fable cards, or one resource of each type. Additionally, players receive a bonus each time they build a wall, by taking a friend card.

Friend cards take the form of various storybook creatures. Each one has a special ability that can either be actively used as an action, or that is passively in play throughout the game. Players may only have one friend card at a time. When they draw a new friend card, they have the option of taking it, and replacing their current friend, or distributing it to another player of choosing. That player must then discard their friend card and use the new one. You may not discard a friend card.

After all players have taken their two actions, the clean up phase begins. The first player podium gets passed to the next player, players take their pig figures back, and the resources at each location are replenished according to the instructions on the tile.

Once the three phases are completed, players will rinse and repeat. The game end will be triggered once the first person has finished their third house. Players will continue to play until the end of the build phase. If two players have built three houses during this phase, the one with the sturdier houses wins.

 

Components:

The components in this game are striking. Druid City Games really outdid themselves in providing a high quality game for a fair price. The game includes 11 detailed plastic miniatures. Four of those miniatures are pigs, the rest are monsters that will come into play due to fable cards. The houses are also 3-D , and each style of house has it’s own design. The four player mats, and the four gathering tiles are made of thick,beautifully illustrated cardboard. There are a total of 106 cards in the box, making for a lot of variety in game play.  The resource tokens are also cardboard, and come in two denominations, single and mega. Probably the thing that stands out the most though, is the insert. This game has one of the best inserts I have seen in a game, if not the very best. Not only is it well designed to hold all pieces safely, it does so in a thematic way.

 

Overview:

Positives:

• Simple Gameplay
• High Quality Components
• High Player Interaction
• Gateway Game
• Family Friendly
• Retail includes same components as Kickstarter

Negatives:

• Miniatures are only in play for brief periods
• Take that may be off putting for some players
• 2 player is not as strong as 4

During my first play through of The Grimm Forest, I was pleasantly surprised. The simple game play was deceptive to the amount of thinking and planning I was doing each turn. The best part about that though, was the thinking wasn’t just about what I wanted to do, but also about what the other players would be doing. The Grimm Forest really exceeded at creating a game that has plenty of direct and indirect player interaction. I loved the various aspects of game play that made it so players were always aware of what the players around them were doing. However that aspect of strategy does not over complicate the game. It is simple enough to teach to children, new gamers, and seasoned gamers a like.

I will say though, that this game really shines at the highest player counts. While the game is completely functional and still fun at two players, there is slightly less player interaction during those games. I love it so much at the four player count, and would love to see an expansion that adds 5-6 players even. As players interact, they will find that many of the cards have a direct “take that” aspect to them. While I enjoy this aspect of game play, some players may not enjoy this. However, this aspect can be adjusted by removing cards from the game. It can be anywhere from a mild aspect of game play to a major element based on the cards in the deck.

One thing I was pleasantly surprised about, is that the components I received in my retail version of the game were the same as those from the Kickstarter version, with the exception of the box sleeve. With so many games including exclusives or upgrades for Kickstarter, seeing a game without that was a relief. Players who are purchasing at retail can rest assured that they are getting the full game, with the same miniatures and cards as the Kickstarter. I do wish that those miniatures that are so beautiful were in gameplay more often. The monster cards especially may only be used for  one phase in an entire game. I love that Druid City Games took the extra step to creating these miniatures, but I would love to see them in game play more frequently.

Overall though, I could not be more pleased with The Grimm Forest. I think that it does a really nice job of increasing player interaction in a game style that frequently does not have it. The resource management and strategy of balancing cards should appeal to Eurogamers, while the cut-throat nature of the game will appeal to those who enjoy Amerithrash games. It is simple enough to teach to anyone, and will have everyone at the table actively interacting with one another.

 

Go7 Gaming: Daimyo Box Insert Review

Here is my video review for the Daimyo Box insert for Rising Sun made by Go7 Gaming.

Century: Golem Edition

Game: Century: Golem Edition

Designer: Emerson Matsuuchi

Published: Plan B Games

Players: 2-5

Playtime: 30-45 Minutes

Play Type: Engine Builder/ Card Drafting

Synopsis:

You are a caravan leader, traveling  up and down the exotic Golem Road. You hope to gain and deliver the rare crystals that can be bought and sold on the beautiful Golem Road. Your goal is to be the strongest merchant on the road, racing to make the best deals before competing caravans reach fame and fortune.

Game Play:

One of the most wonderful things about Century: Golem Edition is the simplicity of the rules. The rules are included on only one sheet, and are fairly easy to remember and to teach.  There are only 4 actions a player may take in their turn. First, players may play a card from their hand and doing that action. Second, a player may purchase a card from the market. Third, a player may purchase a point scoring card. Finally, players may retrieve the cards they have played back into their hand.

Players are racing to create the best engine possible. The first player to gain six of the point scoring cards triggers the end of the game. The player with the most points between the point scoring cards, and point scoring coins. This is the main gist of the game. It is very simple to teach, with only a few clarifying rules beyond those actions.

Components:

Century: Golem Edition is one of the most high quality filler games that I have gotten this year. The components are really what catches the eye. The gems are vibrant, and shiny. The artwork is bright and welcoming. I love all of the elements of this version of this game. It is why I prefer this version to Century: Spice Road.

Overview:

 

Positives:

• Beautifully illustrated
• Extremely quick player turns
• Easily understood for those unfamiliar with Eurogames
• Different strategies are easy to learn

Negatives:

• Coin values can be confusing
• Expansions only will be for other versions

Century: Golem Edition was a non-necessary purchase for me, because I already own Spice Road. That being said I have no regrets in picking up this version. The game components are beautiful, and I find it is more inviting for non-gamers with the vibrant art style. My only complaint about the two versions is that the expansions are only coming to the Spice Road edition. Players who pick up the Spice Road will be missing out on any further additions to the series.

Beyond aesthetics, I find that Century: Golem Edition is one of the most frequently played games on my shelf. This is for multiple reasons, but the main reason I like Century is that it is easy to reteach myself. The game only includes a one page rule book. The simplicity does not make the game any less fun though. The fast-paced game play and the strategy of when to take new cards from the market or which cards to aim for to score adds interesting options to game play.

If you are in the market for a beautiful and easy to teach filler game, I would suggest this one. I prefer it to other engine building games such as Splendor. This is in my top 10 games I would suggest for someone trying to get into the hobby as well. While it is not overwhelming when learning rules, it still has beautiful components and strong strategic game play.