Here is the latest board games news and reviews, for the week of June 3rd, 2013:
Facebook Scrabble Boycott
The Daily Mail shares the story of a group of loyal Scrabble fans that feel abandoned by Mattel after the Scrabble publisher released a new version of the Facebook Scrabble game that deleted many years of user data and forced all players to start over from scratch:
"Furious Scrabble fans boycott Facebook's version of board game after hard-earned scores were deleted with software upgrade. Player rankings based on years of play and contact lists of Scrabble friends wiped overnight. Complaints over 'brash' new design and not being able to choose your opponent. Makers say new version allows users to play in six languages with official wordlist." [link]
Tabletop Gaming News features a review of the new party game Wordner:
"Wordner is a party game that is along the lines of Apples to Apples or Cards Against Humanity. Players are given a prompt and must come up with what they feel is the best answer. The Judge then decides who wins and that player receives a point. Playing Wordner, like any good party game, is about the company you keep. The game works best when you've got a group of old friends together in high spirits who love to laugh and joke with one-another." [link]
Opinionated Gamers Review: Bora Bora
A review of the Bora Bora strategy adventure game, from Opinionated Gamers:
"Bora Bora is kind of a worker placement game, except that the 'workers' are actually dice and their abilities change every time you roll them. So – make your own call if this qualifies as WP. It also has a geographic expansion element, some engine-building, a little resource gathering, and lots of other stuff. In other words, it's typical Stefan Feld, with lots of disparate design elements tied together with a central dice mechanic." [link]
David Gardner of Australia's Herald Sun tells us what we've been doing wrong all these years:
Monopoly rules demand that when players land on a space, such as Park Lane, but do not choose to purchase the property, an auction must take place. The idea is that a bidding war will prompt another player to buy the space, and so the game will speed up. However, many players usually skip this stage in ignorance and restart play, meaning the Park Lane property will be available until someone lands on it again – which could be hours later. A testament to how long the game can take is the record for the longest Monopoly tournament which lasted 70 days."[link]
'Warhammer Quest' Review - A Classic Adventure Board Game Reborn
TouchArcade.com has a review of a new fantasy strategy board game for iOS:
"The world of Warhammer Quest is a dark place. A few settlements dot the land but they are surrounded by wilds overrun with Orks, Goblins, Trolls, and other threats. Taking on the role of a party of four adventurers, you will journey the land seeking quests, fame, and fortune. As you battle through dungeon after dungeon, you must learn how to best utilize each team member to succeed. Warhammer Quest, while being an excellent port of a classic board game, is actually an amazing dungeon crawler on iOS, no matter what your experience with the source material. You owe it to yourself to check out this excellent hack and slash experience." [link]
Power Grid Video Review
The Board Game Family brings us a video review of Power Grid, which is not a new game, but has long been considered one of the best strategy board games:
Power Grid is a fantastic strategy board game. While the theme may not seem very exciting, it's a game that easily made my Top 14 Best Board Games. If you're interested in board games that keep you thinking and reward strategic planning with a victory, then we highly recommend you consider Power Grid." [link]
Board Game Buzz is a periodical roundup of news and notes from the board gaming blogosphere, featuring board game news, board game game releases, board game reviews, and opinion from the people who live and breathe board games and gaming!
"Furious Scrabble fans boycott Facebook's version of board game after hard-earned scores were deleted with software upgrade. Player rankings based on years of play and contact lists of Scrabble friends wiped overnight. Complaints over 'brash' new design and not being able to choose your opponent. Makers say new version allows users to play in six languages with official wordlist." [link]
"Wordner is a party game that is along the lines of Apples to Apples or Cards Against Humanity. Players are given a prompt and must come up with what they feel is the best answer. The Judge then decides who wins and that player receives a point. Playing Wordner, like any good party game, is about the company you keep. The game works best when you've got a group of old friends together in high spirits who love to laugh and joke with one-another." [link]
"Bora Bora is kind of a worker placement game, except that the 'workers' are actually dice and their abilities change every time you roll them. So – make your own call if this qualifies as WP. It also has a geographic expansion element, some engine-building, a little resource gathering, and lots of other stuff. In other words, it's typical Stefan Feld, with lots of disparate design elements tied together with a central dice mechanic." [link]
Monopoly rules demand that when players land on a space, such as Park Lane, but do not choose to purchase the property, an auction must take place. The idea is that a bidding war will prompt another player to buy the space, and so the game will speed up. However, many players usually skip this stage in ignorance and restart play, meaning the Park Lane property will be available until someone lands on it again – which could be hours later. A testament to how long the game can take is the record for the longest Monopoly tournament which lasted 70 days."[link]
"The world of Warhammer Quest is a dark place. A few settlements dot the land but they are surrounded by wilds overrun with Orks, Goblins, Trolls, and other threats. Taking on the role of a party of four adventurers, you will journey the land seeking quests, fame, and fortune. As you battle through dungeon after dungeon, you must learn how to best utilize each team member to succeed. Warhammer Quest, while being an excellent port of a classic board game, is actually an amazing dungeon crawler on iOS, no matter what your experience with the source material. You owe it to yourself to check out this excellent hack and slash experience." [link]
Power Grid is a fantastic strategy board game. While the theme may not seem very exciting, it's a game that easily made my Top 14 Best Board Games. If you're interested in board games that keep you thinking and reward strategic planning with a victory, then we highly recommend you consider Power Grid." [link]
Board Game Buzz is a periodical roundup of news and notes from the board gaming blogosphere, featuring board game news, board game game releases, board game reviews, and opinion from the people who live and breathe board games and gaming!