Hachette – Nerds on Earth https://nerdsonearth.com The best place on earth for nerds. Mon, 05 Feb 2024 17:39:26 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://nerdsonearth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/cropped-nerds_head_thumb2-100x100.png Hachette – Nerds on Earth https://nerdsonearth.com 32 32 All the podcasts from NerdsonEarth.com, under one umbrella. We create short run podcasts for nerds, covering D&D, Marvel, Starfinder, and more! You vote for your favorite shows and they just might get a second season. Hachette – Nerds on Earth false episodic Hachette – Nerds on Earth jason.sansbury@nerdsonearth.com podcast All the podcasts from NerdsonEarth.com, the best place on Earth for nerds. Hachette – Nerds on Earth https://nerdsonearth.com/wp-content/uploads/powerpress/noe-podcast-logo.png https://nerdsonearth.com/blog/ Tribes of the Wind: Soaring High https://nerdsonearth.com/2024/02/tribes-of-the-wind-soaring-high/ Mon, 05 Feb 2024 17:34:40 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=41271 Tribes of the Wind board game

Abram reviews Tribes of the Wind, the board game about using elemental magic to quell the spread of pollution, published by La Boîte de Jeu.

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Tribes of the Wind board game
Tribes of the Wind by La Boîte de Je

Tribes of the Wind, a board game about decontaminating the land with powerful elemental magic published by La Boîte de Jeu, makes a statement about the important of environmental conservation, albeit in a more fantastical way than you might initially expect.

Designed by Joachim Thôme, the Tribes of the Wind board game has you using the cards in your neighbors’ hands to build up your player board, develop villages, and move your windriders around to combat the pollution that you find yourself a part of.

So, let’s grab an air current as we check out Tribes of the Wind!

Tribes of the Wind Gameplay

Starting a game of Tribes of the Wind has players taking their own asymmetric character and associated player board. After setting up the initial levels of pollution on the board and drawing cards, players will take turns performing one of the following three actions:

  • Play a Card: If you meet the requirements for it, play a card and gain the benefit
  • Build a Temple: Discard three cards from your hand to place a Temple on a tile that doesn’t have one, and gain that Temple’s benefit
  • Build a Village: If you have enough windriders on a tile, you can transform it into a village

Playing a card will be the most common action, with the card’s requirements listed on the left and the benefits listed on the right. There are plenty of requirements that a card might ask for, but typically they are doing some sort of comparison between yourself and your two neighbors. For example, you might need to have fewer Fire cards in-hand compared to one or both of your neighbors, and if you have fewer than both then the benefit is going to be much better.

Everybody’s card backs are visible thanks to some handy little card stands, and you’ll always have five cards in your hand that others can reference for their requirements. This makes the game-state constantly changing, as the cards that you could play are always in flux.

The game itself plays like a race, as the game ends when a player has placed their fifth Village token. In order to be successful, you’ll want to be working towards those Villages, but also keeping in mind your personal scoring objectives that you’ll gain for each Village placed. Additionally, your characters have unique objectives that can unlock more powerful abilities that you can leverage on your turns.

At the end of the game, scores are tallied. Points are summed based on remaining pollution, number of tiles placed, Villages placed, and personal objective completions. Highest score wins!

Staking Our C.L.A.I.M. on Tribes of the Wind!

Tribes of the Wind IconComponents

The Tribes of the Wind board game features a smattering of components that all contribute to a gorgeous overall presentation. First and foremost, the card holders showcasing the vibrant card backs are an excellent way to add table presence and a pop of color as you play, while making it quite easy to keep track of the elements that your neighbors have in their possession. The cards themselves are great quality, which is good since they are being moved and placed rapidly; we essentially went through the entire deck in a three-person game.

The pollution and water tokens are appropriately sized, although the water tokens feel almost a little bit too small and fiddly to manipulate, as I was usually just pushing them to the edge of the table instead of picking them up directly. I absolutely love the village, windrider, and temple wooden tokens; their custom shape leaves no ambiguity to what they represent and they look really solid on the player board.

The main thing I wish the game included was some form of player aid card. Just starting out on our first play, we were constantly checking what all the iconography meant, almost until the end of the game. I suspect that if we don’t play this for a few weeks that we’ll need to resort to spending the same amount of time relearning them again. There is a reference section in the rulebook, but it’s not even on the back; you have to flip to the pages, of which there are 2-3 of actual iconography references.

Other than that, Tribes of the Wind has everything it needs to support its gameplay mechanisms.

Tribes of the Wind board game

Tribes of the Wind IconLuck

Discussing strategy for the Tribes of the Wind board game is actually quite interesting, because there is only so much ‘planning ahead’ that you can actually do. For example, you can have broad stroke ideas like wanting to build a temple in a certain spot or hoping to place a certain color tile somewhere on your board, but on a turn-by-turn basis, the game is actually played very reactionary.

The reason for this being a more tactical game is because you are leveraging the elements of your neighbor’s cards. These can change considerably between turns, suddenly opening up a card in your hand that was previously unplayable. In that case, if you want to play that card, now is the time! Playing in the moment is key, and taking advantage of what your opponents are indirectly giving you is super important.

You can have an impact on other players, but the game is largely more independent than that. You might take a card or tile that they wanted, sure, although generally that kind of disruption is going to be entirely unintentional without knowing what requirements exist on their carts. You’ll need to be constantly pivoting and reacting appropriately to the gamestate in order to keep up and win the race to five Villages.

The elements also tend to skew towards specific actions, like the Wind cards are geared more towards movement of the windriders, and Water cards generally will help you gain water. You can use this to your advantage when deciding which cards to replenish your hand with.

Tribes of the Wind IconAesthetics

Overall, the look and feel of the Tribes of the Wind board game is amazing; just take a second to check out the art on the elemental cards and you’ll see what I mean. They were illustrated with such a colorful intensity that integrates really well with the idea of elemental magic. Red pollution seems like a strange choice, although it certainly helps it stand out.

There is definite cohesion between all of the game’s visual elements, and nothing feels disjointed or out of place in the slightest. I give Tribes of the Wind top marks for standing out; I know that I was also drawn to the game immediately upon seeing the cover for the first time, which is exactly what you’re looking for.

Tribes of the Wind board game

Tribes of the Wind Icon Interest

I’m trying to think of some other games that utilize this ‘neighboring cards’ mechanic employed by the Tribes of the Wind board game, and I’m sort of coming up empty. There’s some extent of that in 7 Wonders, I suppose, although it’s not exactly the same. It’s almost like there’s this shared experience in that although you are all working on your own objectives and player boards, you need each other in order to be successful in the game. Granted, you don’t exactly know how to help the other players specifically, but it’s an interesting mindset at least.

If you favor games that have fast turns, then I have some great news for you here. As I said before, most of the time you’re simply playing a card and that’s your turn. There will be some analysis as the gamestate changes with cards cycling through your neighbors’ hands, but you only have five cards’ requirements to keep track of, and some might be completely out of the question regardless of what your neighbors do on their turns.

You might also enjoy Tribes of the Wind if you like games that have you building patterns, as you will do with your tiles, or games that offer personalized scoring objectives. It plays really smoothly and doesn’t overstay its welcome, plus the scores tend to be fairly close to each other.

Tribes of the Wind IconMood

Tribes of the Wind board game

Theme is unfortunately where I think the Tribes of the Wind board game falls a bit short. The idea that they’re working with regarding mankind’s pollution and trying to conserve is a noble one, but unfortunately I don’t see the theme connecting really well with the mechanics. Part of this is because there is just a lot of thoughts going on: catapults to launch your riders around, magical portals to use as gateways…there just seems to be something missing actually bring all this together, like a bit more backstory.

That being said, the Villages spreading pollution makes perfect thematic sense, and you do get the sense of a flock of windriders soaring throughout the board when you push those tokens all at the same time. It just requires some suspension of disbelief to get through it.

You’re also playing mostly a solitaire game by yourself, with little intentional player interaction. The race is what keeps you all driving towards the same goal and towards the conclusion of the game, so keep an eye on how everyone else is doing because the five points you get for finishing your Villages first is nothing to shake a stick at.

Tribes of the Wind: Ride the Wind!

Despite leaving something to be desired thematically, the Tribes of the Wind board game still shines with its mechanics. It doesn’t seem super novel or unique at first blush, but I really enjoyed how I have essentially 15 card backs to consider with every turn, without there being a ton of mental load in my decision-making. And it looks beautiful to boot.

Overall, I really enjoyed this game in the sense that it was constantly giving me more objectives to score with and different things to accomplish within the game. I could never do them all, of course, but then it would just be too easy, wouldn’t it?

You can pick up a copy of Tribes of the Wind from Hachette Boardgames, from Amazon, or – better yet – your FLGS!


[Disclaimer: Nerds on Earth was provided a copy of Tribes of the Wind from Hachette Boardgames in exchange for an honest review.]

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Rauha: A Bounty of Biomes https://nerdsonearth.com/2023/11/rauha-a-bounty-of-biomes/ Tue, 21 Nov 2023 13:00:00 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=41080 Rauha Board Game

Abram reviews Rauha, the board game that gives you a power to imbue the world with natural Life Essence, published by GRRE Games!

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Rauha Board Game
Rauha Board Game
Rauha Board Game by GRRRE Games

Rauha, a recent board game published by GRRRE Games, entrusts the players to use their powers to create a bountiful, harmonious land filled with life energy. It’s a tall order, but nothing you can’t handle.

Designed by Johannes Goupy and Théo Rivière, recognizable from Nautilus Island fame the Rauha board game combines elements of drafting, set collection, and combos as you attempt to fill up your board with biomes and be the most successful at your crucial task

So prepare to get your hands dirty as we shape this land in Rauha!

Rauha Gameplay

The turn sequence in the Rauha board game is very simple. Each turn you will be drafting Biomes from an alternating stack to the left or right of you. Then, you will either place that card onto your Player board or discard it, and both are advantageous for their own reasons.

If you choose to place the Biome card onto your board, you must pay any costs associated with that card. This could be a placement restriction or a Crystal cost, while some cards are entirely free. On the other hand, discarding the card lets you either take 4 Crystals or place a spore on a Biome that doesn’t have one yet.

Spores are the mechanic that takes this game and amps it up to the next level. At the end of every turn, you activate the row or column that has your Avatar token in it. However, you can also activate any Biomes that also have a spore on them, which will contribute to a cumulative benefit as the game goes on.

Eventually you’ll be drafting from Age II cards instead of Age I, which offer a different mix of cards that are more geared towards civilization instead of natural restoration. Once your Avatar makes it back to the beginning of the Player Mat, the game ends and the final scores are tallied.

Rauha Board Game

Staking Our C.L.A.I.M. on Rauha!

Rauha Board Game IconComponents

Just to kick things off about Rauha‘s components, I’d like to point out that the layout of the board and Divine Entities makes the game really stand out on the table. We live in a world that contains a hefty number of rectangular boards, and the way everything slots together is really pleasing, especially with the global reminders in the middle of the scoring for everyone to see.

I also really like the Spore tokens, which are double-sided wooden discs that are designed that way to aid in scoring. That way, you can flip them over as you score so that you prevent yourself from scoring the same tile twice.

All of the cardboard chits for the crystals are perfectly fine, and the square Biome cards are my favorite kind of card to use (looking at you, Wild Space). I also appreciate the notches in the player boards for the Avatar tokens, which help keep track of the current turn. All in all, I’m very happy with the components for Rauha.

Rauha Board Game

Rauha Board Game IconLuck

There’s actually a decent breadth of strategy in Rauha, mainly centered around claiming the Divine Entities’ powers, dealing with Water, and proper utilization of spores. The Divine Entities are awarded when you complete a row or column of a given set, and offer a variety of useful benefits like earning crystals, gaining extra points for every Spore, or counting as additional Water Sources. If you time these right, you can upend someone’s careful drafting strategy by claiming the Entity right after they earned it.

Water Sources are sort of a passive icon on the Biomes for you to keep track of. Every Scoring Phase, you earn points by comparing the number of Sources you have to the number that the person with the fewest has. Concentrating on Water can be huge if one person is punting it, but has less impact when everybody is relatively equal.

As with any drafting game, there’s an element of ‘hate-drafting’ in which you draft cards specifically because you don’t want your opponents to have them. What I really enjoy is the balance that you can only impact the players immediately beside you. In a four player game, there will always be one player that you’re not directly interacting with, meaning that the other players have to step up their game.

Rauha Board Game IconAesthetics

Overall, there’s a lot of taupe in the Rauha board game, giving this sort of old-timey feel of expeditions, maps, and discovery. Personally I wish that the colors on the Biomes were a bit more vibrant, because that would really help connect to the theme of the game. After all, we’re supposed to be invigorating the land with Life Energy, so there should be a lot more contrast between the tan backdrop and the colors of the land. I just don’t really get that vibe.

That being said, I really like the Divine Entities art and the hand-drawn illustrative feeling of the art in general is quite good. I just feel like a bit more pop would take the table presence to another level.

Rauha Board Game

Rauha Board Game Icon Interest

So what kind of board gamer would be interested in Rauha? From a straight mechanics perspective, I think that this is one of the better drafting games that I’ve played. This is primarily because you’re really only managing two sets of four cards at a time. Instead of something like Magic: the Gathering where you’re passing around a handful of cards around the table, you are doing these mini little draft parties with your neighbors that helps keep it snappy and reduces the cognitive load that comes with normal drafting games.

There are some similarities to some other titles under the Hachette umbrella, like In the Footsteps of Darwin, or even something like Vivarium. Both of these are a little bit different but they all have the same kind of ‘fill up the board in front of you’ goal while considering set collection. Strategically this game is deeper than both of those, so if you are looking for something along the same lines but meatier, then you can’t go wrong with Rauha.

Rauha Board Game IconMood

Rauha doesn’t have the most thematic ties to the gameplay, but it certainly creates all of the agony and triumph that comes with drafting games. You can plan ahead, hoping that you’ll get that other card, but be prepared when your opponents draft it instead. Now you have to pivot and make the rest of your gameplan work accordingly.

I do feel like varying player counts can impact Rauha in a decent way, mostly in the way that the Water Sources are impacted; they mean a lot more when you have more players. I am particularly fond of the three-player game, since everybody is always impacting everybody else, which feels more fun to me.

Rauha: All the Life Energy!

Nerds on Earth logo with 'Deal with It' sunglasses. Text inside the seal reads "Nerds on Earth Seal of Awesomeness".

I really enjoyed playing Rauha. When I first looked at it, I thought it wouldn’t have much in terms of strategy from game-to-game, but I was wrong on that. You have to pay attention to the other players, changing your strategy to accommodate changes in the gamestate. Should you grab a Spore, or would you be better off laying that Age II card on your board?

So let’s give it up for Rauha, recipient of the Nerds of Earth Seal of Awesomeness award! By balancing two mini-drafting games, Rauha reduces the amount of mental bookkeeping while allowing you to put together a satisfying engine, all in the name of nature!

You can pick up a copy of Rauha from your FLGS, or you can pick up a copy from Hachette Boardgames directly.


[Disclaimer: Nerds on Earth was provided a copy of Rauha from Hachette Boardgames in exchange for an honest review.]

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Virtual Revolution Board Game: Neo Paris Awaits! https://nerdsonearth.com/2023/10/virtual-revolution-board-game-neo-paris-awaits/ Wed, 25 Oct 2023 14:33:36 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=41060 Virtual Revolution Board Game

Abram reviews Virtual Revolution, the dystopian board game of controlling Neo Paris through Verses, published by Studio H!

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Virtual Revolution Board Game
Virtual Revolution Board Game
Virtual Revolution Board Game by Studio H

Virtual Revolution, a new board game published by Studio H, sends you on a corporate mission to dystopian Neo Paris where you’ll be attempting to wrestle control of the virtual universe in the region away from other hungry companies. People practically live in the digital world now, in ‘Verses’, and so the money is where the Verses are.

Designed by Guy-Roger Duvert, the Virtual Revolution board game is a cyberpunk game of technocratic influence and area majority as you recruit Agents to your cause to own the Verse-verse.

So let’s plug into the Parisian future as we dive into the Virtual Revolution board game!

Virtual Revolution Gameplay

Virtual Revolution is played over the course of 5 Rounds, in which players take turns performing the same sequence of actions. First, a Director is placed in any district in Neo Paris. You can then adjust the influence in that district accordingly, either by removing an opponent’s influence or by placing your own if it’s already empty.

Once influence is done, players can then choose one of the following 5 actions:

  • Work: Gain 5 currency
  • Recruit an Agent: Take an Agent card that’s within your Director’s influence range
  • Build a Server: Add a Server to the Borough where you just placed your Director
  • Create a Verse: Take an available Verse from the market
  • Make a Donation: Pay money to get rid of Corruption cards, and then optionally pay more to gain Immunity

Although this core gameplay loop is quite simple on its face, there is a lot to consider in the sphere of influence provided by each turn. In trying to maintain your foothold in each Borough, you will be working towards fully controlling Boroughs to gain powerful benefits that will aid you further. There’s a balance between making sure that you keep progressing towards your goals while also thwarting the other players.

There’s a high amount of player interaction in that sense; you are constantly removing players’ pieces, retaking territory, and even taking cards that they may have been eyeing up. The word that comes to mind is ‘struggle’, as nothing can be taken for granted except that everybody is gunning for you.

At the end of the game, point salad scoring comes into effect. You’ll score based on how many servers you have, Agents you’ve recruited, Boroughs in your control, how much money you have, as well as personal Objectives, Verses, and income. There are a whopping 9(!) scoring parameters in the game, meaning that you’ll only be able to prioritize a few different areas if you want to succeed.

Virtual Revolution Board Game

Staking Our C.L.A.I.M. on Virtual Revolution!

Virtual Revolution Board GameComponents

The Virtual Revolution board game gets top marks for production quality, mainly for its screen-printed meeples and servers that will be popping up all over the board as the game goes on. Lately one of my favorite game components has been the simple wooden disc, probably from the game designs that I’ve been personally working on. It’s also a really nice touch that each players’ Directors are all different while still making it clear and obvious that they are, indeed, Directors.

My only real issue with the components is hardly an issue, but the player boards have cutouts for the Influence tokens that will constantly be moved. However, instead of a ‘traditional’ dual-layered board, the board is just open to the table below. I guess that this fulfills the function of keeping the pieces in place, but you won’t be able to move the board easily unless you slide it, otherwise the pieces will need to be replaced within it. The Directors just sit on top, so it just seems like an interesting design choice. ZhanGuo: The First Empire did a similar thing, so this may be indicative of a rising trend.

Other than that, the cards are a standard quality, albeit large in number, and the tokens are a nice, thick cardboard. Also keep in mind that this is a sizeable, square board that will take up a good chunk of tabular real estate, but it’s solid and everything that a game board should be.

Virtual Revolution Board Game

Virtual Revolution Board GameLuck

I mentioned above that Virtual Revolution features a bountiful point salad style of scoring. This means that there is more than one way to play the game, and you will simply be unable to ‘do it all’. At least, you won’t be able to do it all well.

People will likely comment about the strategy revolving around the Borough-centric push and pull that you’ll be engaged in, which is definitely something that you’ll probably focus on. However, I think that a lot of the game hinges on Corruption management.

You will be fed Corruption cards constantly. Almost everything you do will get you one of these bad boys, which are bad news once you have 5 at the end of a Round. They make you discard Agents, remove Servers…all sorts of things. You can, however, protect yourself from their effects with Immunity tokens and by making Donations. A lot of people tend to sleep on that last part, but if you can effectively manage your Corruption and limit its detriment to you, I think you’ll be in for a good time.

Virtual Revolution Board GameAesthetics

Futuristic dystopian vibes are showcased in the vivid coloration and illustrations from artist Benjamin Sjöberg in Virtual Revolution. It probably helps having a film to draw inspiration from, as the world-building is already done and in a much more accessible state than concept art stills. The characters are evocative, and I am especially fond of the way lighting is used to echo emotion and tone.

Because there are so many districts, I do feel that in lower light there can be some issues distinguishing from one another, especially in reference to the title cards you get if you control a district completely. They do have abbreviations which definitely help, so you should be able to identify them even with color blindness.

Virtual Revolution Board Game

Virtual Revolution Board Game Interest

Because there is so much going on in the Virtual Revolution board game, the first game or two can feel overwhelming, especially with learning how everything interacts with the other gameplay elements. People who fancy the area control aspects of board gaming will love wrestling control away from their opponents, although it’s still hard to keep total control once you have it.

Players who like having access to a variety of options will appreciate both the market for Verses and for Agents, which will sculpt your future turns and give you subgoals to work towards within the game. The timing of promoting your Agents is also super important, because you can put together some nice synergies if you plan ahead a bit.

Personally, I would have liked maybe one or two fewer endgame scoring objectives, just to ease the mental tablature going on as I play, but I’m sure a lot of them came up as a result of playtesting, with players wanting something to show for all that money they made or for raising their income to absurd levels. There should be a reward for doing those things, I agree.

Virtual Revolution Board GameMood

Virtual Revolution is cutthroat; you’re always looking over your shoulder to see who might be coming after you next. At the same time, however, you’re coming after other people too, so it’s all in good fun. This is not a game where a bunch of people play solitaire. Even though you can win if you focus all of your efforts off the board, like with Verses and whatnot, the other players would do well to notice that and try to stop you from just capitalizing on a million Verses.

There can be a lot of feelings of people just swapping influence back and forth, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In the end, something has to give, especially if there is a full table of four. It becomes very easy to get tunnel vision into a single area of the board, but try to keep a broader eye!

Virtual Revolution: Calling All Directors!

We enjoyed Virtual Revolution, even as it pushes up against its 90 minute run time on the first few plays as you get to learn that game. I can see how some people might push well beyond that if they’re heavily analyzing every turn; there’s a lot to focus on and it can feel overwhelming if you try to do it all.

What Virtual Revolution does really well, however, is making you feel like you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck with recruited Agents. Being able to leverage them to make your subsequent actions more potent adds a bit of light engine-building that makes you feel like you’re getting away with something.

You can pick up a copy of Virtual Revolution from your FLGS since it released earlier this week, or you can pick up a copy from Hachette Boardgames directly.


[Disclaimer: Nerds on Earth was provided a copy of Virtual Revolution from Hachette Boardgames in exchange for an honest review.]

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Board Game Review: Solve ‘Whodunit’ in Suspects 3: Adele and Neville Board Game by Studio H! https://nerdsonearth.com/2023/10/board-game-review-solve-whodunit-in-suspects-3-adele-and-neville-board-game-by-studio-h/ Tue, 10 Oct 2023 12:00:00 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=41038 Suspects 3: Adele and Neville

Abram reviews Suspects 3: Adele and Neville, a thrilling mystery board game published by Studio H! Can you help these detectives solve the three cases?

The post Board Game Review: Solve ‘Whodunit’ in Suspects 3: Adele and Neville Board Game by Studio H! appeared first on Nerds on Earth.

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Suspects 3: Adele and Neville

I extolled my great praises with Suspects: Clair Harper Takes the Stage, the first installment of Studio H’s wonderful mystery series of board games. And the third installment is on the way in the form of Suspects 3: Adele and Neville!

Suspects 3: Adele and Neville
Board Game Box Cover for Suspects 3: Adele and Neville

Suspects 3 is designed by Guillaume Montiage. The game features three unique mystery cases that the upstart detective duo – Adele and Neville – must solve. But it wouldn’t hurt to have a few extra eyes on the case before the police arrive, right?

Although the cases are standalone, there is a slight over-arching story that connects them all together. So, feel free to pick and choose which case you want to start with and go from there!

What do we think about Suspects 3? Grab your magnifying glass and let’s dive in!

Suspects 3 Gameplay

Just like its predecessors, Suspects 3: Adele and Neville begins with an overview of the case and then grants you some additional documents and a deck of cards with which to begin your investigation. You’re basically handed a few different people and locations to visit, which will then begin to open up the case for you in the form of new leads and information.

Deciding to investigation a lead will give you card matching the indicated number. This, in turn, could invite you to ask additional questions or do further investigation in that area, granting you more cards. The cards essentially mimic the passage of time; the more cards that it takes for you to solve the mystery, the worse off your result.

Your goal is to correctly answer the questions posed to you by the case. You’ll always want to reach these first, before you begin, to give you a better idea of where you should be focusing your efforts. Additionally, the questions themselves won’t be immediately pertinent until the case starts unfolding before you.

At different thresholds of the case – when you have drawn certain numbers of cards – you should evaluate your answers to these questions. You can always change your mind, but however many cards you’ve revealed up to that point will dictate your score for that particular question. But it always pays to at least guess something at each of these checkpoints.

Hopefully in the end you’ll be able to correctly solve the case, and put Adele and Neville in good standing with their crime-solving reputations!

Suspects 3: Adele and Neville
Chapter 1 is The Candy Love, one of the best bands of our generation!

Staking Our C.L.A.I.M. on Suspects 3: Adele and Neville!

Suspects 3 Icon Components

Suspects 3: Adele and Neville‘s components are a carbon-copy of the earlier Suspects titles, which is great. I love the record disc in the first case, and there are so many little clues on the documents that make sense as you play through the mysteries.

There’s also very little plastic in the game, save for the thin bands that hold the card decks together, in lieu of plastic wrap. Everything else is paper, which is a nice environmental touch that I appreciate as an avid gamer.

That’s all you need for this game. There are no real fancy bells or whistles because all of the information is just in the cards and what you can deduce for yourself! Revel in the simplicity.

Suspects 3 Icon Luck

As with many modern mystery games, you can expect there to be some red herrings in Suspects 3: Adele and Neville. I find myself often taking a beat to think before deciding if a certain line of questioning is likely worth pursuing. What sorts of information could you possibly gain from that particular question? Obviously you can’t predict it entirely, but the goal is to solve the case with as few clues as possible.

The other bit of strategy advice I can give is that you should definitely keep notes. This is something that’s mentioned in the rules, but oftentimes the timing of happenings in the case becomes important for you to piece together the tableau of what happened. Things that don’t immediately seem vital to the case can reveal themselves to you in this way!

Suspects 3: Adele and Neville
The coveted solution envelope!

Suspects 3 Icon Aesthetics

The thing I appreciate most about the aesthetics in Suspects 3: Adele and Neville, is the consistency through the iconography in the sequels. Even if you haven’t played a game in the Suspects line since the first one, the level of intuition afforded by the design makes it super easy to pick up. There might be a handful of newer icons in the cases, but I felt very comfortable with what they represented.

On top of that, the visuals for each case are thematically tied to that case. Take, for example, The Candy Love. As you can see from the images I’ve shared so far, there is this 70s music kind of vibe, and that carries through all of the documents, fonts, etc. It’s the little touches that evoke that kind of imagery, and it’s so well done throughout the game.

Suspects 3: Adele and Neville

Suspects 3 Icon Interest

With many different mystery games out there, what sets Suspects 3: Adele and Neville apart? I’ve already spoken at length about how the simplicity of the Suspects games put the emphasis on your own abilities to deduce and solve the mysteries. The Candy Love, which is the first case, is listed as ‘Easy’ but it still is a decent challenge to piece together the clues. And the game does a wonderful job at making you think you know what’s going on before flipping everything on its head.

So far all of the Suspects cases I’ve played have involved a murder, so the stakes are high! Of course, there really isn’t any replayability, although I’ve managed to replay cases with friends who are experiencing them for the first time as well. It’s just as fun to sit back and watch the thought processes unfold, periodically asking questions while the team does their best to solve the crimes.

Suspects 3 Icon Mood

Oh this game can be agonizing! This is especially apparent when you pursue a line of questioning that ends up in a dead end, leaving you with cards that count against your total. Your success with Suspects 3: Adele and Neville can also be dependent on the order by which you pursue those leads. That’s why it’s very important to think about every decision that you make to ensure you’re confident that it will lead you in the right direction.

By having multiple questions that you’re intended to solve, the game also gives you gratification for partially getting the case correct. It’s not an all-of-nothing kind of situation. This is really nice because it makes you feel good when you are right. And even when you’re wrong, going back to see what you might have missed is just as enjoyable, giving you those ‘Aha’ moments.

Suspects 3: Adele and Neville: Can You Solve the Case?

Nerds on Earth logo with 'Deal with It' sunglasses. Text inside the seal reads "Nerds on Earth Seal of Awesomeness".

Suspects 3: Adele and Neville picks up right where the Suspects line left off: a tangible treat for amateur crime-solvers everywhere. Channel your inner Holmes and see if you have what it takes to stack up against the great team of Adele and Neville!

Once again, Studio H delivers in a big way with Suspects 3: Adele and Neville. I’m happy to give the Nerds on Earth Seal of Awesomeness award to Suspects 3, citing its ability to make me feel smart even in the face of defeat. It’s easily my favorite line of mystery games, and I can’t wait to try my hand at cracking some more cases!

You can find Suspects 3: Adele and Neville in the USA through Hachette Boardgames when it releases on October 11th, or try to find it at your FLGS!.


Disclaimer: Nerds on Earth was provided a copy of Suspects 3: Adele and Neville from Hachette Boardgames in exchange for an honest review.

The post Board Game Review: Solve ‘Whodunit’ in Suspects 3: Adele and Neville Board Game by Studio H! appeared first on Nerds on Earth.

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Nautilus Island: What Treasures Lie Within https://nerdsonearth.com/2023/09/nautilus-island-what-treasures-lie-within/ Fri, 22 Sep 2023 18:39:34 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=41018 Nautilus Island Board Game

Abram reviews Nautilus Island, the board game that sends you rummaging through an abandoned submarine, published by Funnyfox!

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Nautilus Island Board Game
Nautilus Island Board Game
Nautilus Island Board Game by Funnyfox

Nautilus Island, a new board game published by Funnyfox, is the second ‘marooned on an island’ game that I played at Gen Con, the other being Hellapagos. However, thematically this one is much different in the sense that instead of fishing for survival, players are salvaging what they can find from the abandoned Nautilus submarine in order to try and get off the island. Possibly with some extra treasure to boot!

Designed by Johannes Goupy and Théo Rivière, the Nautilus Island board game is approachable set collection in a thematic package, ensuring you’re never certain of what exactly you’ll find stashed away in this submarine. Timing is everything as your fellow companions are also collecting their own goods to provide value to this escape attempt.

So grab some work gloves and join me as I take a look at Nautilus Island!

Nautilus Island Gameplay

How are we going to get off this island? By looting this awesome submarine, of course! Players take turns moving their Castaway from one side of the ship to another, placing it in a column that doesn’t have a Castaway yet. Once they’ve moved, there is a decision to be made: Gather the Objects in the column, or Store Objects back in your camp.

Gathering Objects allows you to take the top card off each pile in your column. Some of these cards may be face down, so you don’t know the full story of everything you’re getting.

Storing Objects is how you earn points; you can play cards in front of you up to the number of spaces in your current column. The cards played must be the same color and are added to any existing cards of that color in front of you, provided that you don’t have a Porthole on that color.

When you lay down Objects, you can also take the Bonus token for that color if it’s still available. These get replenished when there’s only one Bonus token left, so there’s a bit of timing involved to ensure that your strategy is optimal.

After playing cards, you can choose to take a Porthole and close off that color. Doing so gets you some extra points, but you cannot play any more cards of that color for the remainder of the game. It’s a risky tradeoff!

Once a column is completely empty, the round continues until everyone has played their Castaway. Any cards leftover in hands count for nothing; only cards played in front of you score points! Highest score wins the game.

Nautilus Island Board Game

Staking Our C.L.A.I.M. on Nautilus Island!

Components

For a relatively simple set collection game, the Nautilus Island board game has more components than you might initially think. The gameboard lies everything out in a very intuitive way, ensuring that setup goes quickly even at different player counts.

I especially like the rotating compass, which can be adjusted to point at the side of the Nautilus that all of the players were on at the start of the round. It’s a simple cardboard arrow with a plastic rivet connection, but you’d be surprised at how easy it would be to lose track of which side the Castaways started on without it.

You’re also getting some intricate Castaway meeples in the four player colors, as well as numerous cardboard tokens for the Bonus and Porthole pieces.

All of the cards are mini-sized, which is honestly a really good choice for a game like this. I don’t need an entire standard-sized card to essentially show me some slightly larger art; the miniature cards do their job adequately and splendidly, keeping the game’s footprint small as each player builds their sets.

Nautilus Island Board Game

Luck

How hard could the Nautilus Island be, right? Move your Castaway and take some cards. Easy.

The depth of strategy in this game comes primarily from the matter of timing. Do you want to keep adding more cards to your hand to get larger sets? Or should you play those cards so that you can get the Bonus while it’s available? The spicy addition to this is realized by the fact that you can only play cards up to the number of decks in your column. This means you’re getting to play an absolute maximum of three cards each round.

What makes this an even juicier decision space is that you’ll see people gravitate towards the meatier end of the submarine, where there’s more bang for their buck. However, people on the narrower side get to go first each round, meaning that you can’t just hang out on the deep end all game night long either.

It reminds me a lot of the pains of a Fantasy Football snake draft where getting an earlier pick just means that your next pick is going to be eons away. I really enjoy that dynamic in a frustrating but strategic kind of way.

Aesthetics

The art in the Nautilus Island board game is really superb. While working the Hachette booth at Gen Con, there were constantly people gravitating towards the game simply because of the box art and the board. Bright azure waves surrounding an intriguing steampunky submarine is more than the price of admission to get people to the table. My hat’s off to Clément Masson for creating an inviting game that looks fantastic as you play it.

I did have some reservations initially that there could be some color-blindness issues cropping up with Nautilus Island. After all, the Objects that are Orange, Red, and Purple can definitely seem a bit similar. Luckily, each card and representation of a color is joined by a representative symbol as well, to help keep everything distinct and in order.

Nautilus Island Board Game

Interest

Nautilus Island is one of the more approachable games that I’ve been able to teach recently, and that’s because the rules overhead is very low, along with the barrier to entry. From a complexity standpoint, it is decidedly in the camp of other set collection games like Sushi Go or the like. The selection of which column to take is one that people can grasp, and the actual flow of the game is quite snappy.

But what really makes the game enjoyable are the hidden decks. They can completely change your strategy if all of sudden you get a couple of the same card. You’re constantly shifting your priorities in your hand, unless you’re sticking to columns that have all known values. Which is actually quite difficult to do.

Nautilus Island would probably be featured in our dormant ‘Beer and Pretzels’ column, meaning that it’s a chill game that you can enjoy with friends.

Mood

The gameplay of the Nautilus Island board game brings about player interaction in an indirect way. That is to say, when you place your Castaway on a column, you’re effectively blocking your opponent from visiting that column in the same turn. Going first in a round can certainly wreak some havoc in that regard.

In a strange way, this also creates a thematic connection to the mechanics, in the sense that the constant shuffling of the Castaways evokes this idea of frantically running around the ship trying to find exactly what you’re looking for. And you’re constantly racing over multiple aspects of the game: racing for columns, Bonus tiles, and Portholes. Every action has a time cost associated with it, and managing those costs is half the game!

Nautilus Island: Sift Through that Sub!

Nerds on Earth logo with 'Deal with It' sunglasses. Text inside the seal reads "Nerds on Earth Seal of Awesomeness".

I wasn’t prepared to run games of Nautilus Island at Gen Con, but as happenstance would have it, I learned the game on the fly and got a few tables up and running really quickly. That’s a testament to the approachability of the game, but also to the conciseness of the rulebook. Even in the hustle and bustle of a convention, you can go from zero to playing in a matter of minutes.

I’m happy to give Nautilus Island the wonderful Nerds of Earth Seal of Awesomeness award! This is a lighter game to gift this award, but we feel that it encompasses everything that a game should be: easy to teach, easy to learn, have meaningful choices, and most of all…it’s fun.

You can pick up a copy of Nautilus Island from your FLGS since it released earlier this week, or you can pick up a copy from Hachette Boardgames directly.


[Disclaimer: Nerds on Earth was provided a copy of Nautilus Island from Hachette Boardgames in exchange for an honest review.]

The post Nautilus Island: What Treasures Lie Within appeared first on Nerds on Earth.

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ZhanGuo: The First Empire: Be An Emissary to the Emperor https://nerdsonearth.com/2023/08/zhanguo-the-first-empire-be-an-emissary-to-the-emperor/ Tue, 29 Aug 2023 12:00:00 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=40926 ZhanGuo board game

Abram reviews ZhanGuo: The First Empire, the board game that puts you in the shoes of an advisor hoping to appease the Emperor, published by Sorry We Are French!

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ZhanGuo board game
ZhanGuo board game
ZhanGuo: The First Empire board game by Sorry We Are French

It’s difficult for a Euro-style game to grab me these days. Usually it’s because of rules overhead or not being able to get it to the table with any regularity. However, I was recently able to give ZhanGuo: The First Empire a try at Gen Con and I remember why Euro-style games helped launch me into this hobby to start with.

Designed by Marco Canetta and Stefania Niccolini, ZhanGuo: The First Empire is a re-implementation of ZhanGuo from 2014. Players compete to gain the Emperor’s approval by searching for the elusive elixer of long life, building the Great Wall, constructing palaces, and installing a magnificent terracotta army.

So get ready to be transported to 221 B.C. as we take a look at ZhanGuo: The First Empire!

ZhanGuo: The First Empire Gameplay

I was thrown into the fire to teach ZhanGuo: The First Empire in a ticketed Gen Con event after getting the rulebook on the eve before the show started. Luckily I had a group ready and raring to go to learn the ins and outs of the game along with me, also offering some of their own insights on the gameplay.

Each player has a board separated out into the various regional areas represented on the main board. On a player’s turn they will play a card to one of these regions, slotting it under the board, or they will be playing a card to the Emperor area. These are called Unification Actions and Court Actions, respectively.

Unification actions are what drive the engine-building aspect of the game. This is because when you take play a card to the Emperor area, if that card is either above or below the card played before it, then you get to activate the abilities of all cards in your regions that correspond to that action. For example, the ‘Search for the Elixir’ action is on the left side of the Court. If you play a card that is less than the card played there previously, then you activate your engine.

ZhanGuo board game

Over time you’ll find that regional Unrest grows as you continue performing Unification actions. You’ll need to recruit Governors in those regions to help quell the unrest. Additionally, those Governors will also be vital in gaining the Emperor’s favor, as you perform the following actions:

  • Recruit 1 Official: Gain one of the three Officials to one of your regions, which assist in the other actions.
  • Search for the Elixir: Move your Ship forward 3 spaces, granting you Alchemy cards which don’t increase Unrest, and also gradually earn more endgame points for your Alchemy cards you’ve placed in your regions.
  • Install 1 Governor: Remove one of each Official type from one Region to place a Governor on that region. Majority Governors will give extra points at the end of the game.
  • Hire 2 Workers: Gain 2 Workers in a region with a General. These are needed to build Palaces and Walls.
  • Build 1 Palace: In a region with an Architect, remove two Workers to build a Palace and gain the associated benefit
  • Build 1 Wall: Using an incremental number of Workers, build a Wall segment on an available space. The more Workers used, the better the endgame bonus you receive.

Each round, players will go through their six cards each round. At the end of each round, there are bonuses gained to whoever has the most of each type of unification token: Writing, Currency, and Laws. These bonuses change each round so you can plan ahead to target what you want.

Additionally, there are milestone-style scoring objectives that award more points for the first person to claim them. Anytime that you gain a Terracotta Soldier, you can claim any of the objectives in the Mausoleum that you fulfill, so you want to get there early before the other players do.

At the end of the game, a variety of points are added up to determine the winner. You will score points during the game, but also gain bonuses for having the majority of Governors in a region, your Ship’s progress compared to the number of Alchemy cards you have, bonuses for your Mausoleum, Wall bonuses, and any Terracotta Soldiers that didn’t claim an objective but are outside the Mausoleum.

Most points wins!

Staking Our C.L.A.I.M. on ZhanGuo: The First Empire!

ZhanGuo IconComponents

Starting out with the components, ZhanGuo: The First Empire has a great production value in its screen-printed wooden pieces, inset player boards, and token quality. There seems to be so much going on between managing your tokens on your player board or the pieces spread across the board, and most of the components are manageable. Only the Terracotta Soldiers seem a little small and fiddly to move around because of their size.

If you’ve read other reviews, you know that I’m an absolute shill for double-layered player boards, and ZhanGuo: The First Empire gets so close here. The only difference is that these player boards have a cutout for your wooden pieces to rest while they’re waiting to be used; they open right onto the table. I guess this is a cost-savings thing to not have an extra layer, but it seems kind of strange while still getting the job done of keeping everything intact. And you’re probably not transporting the game to another location after you start anyways…unless you’re some kind of masochist.

Overall, very happy with the components here!

ZhanGuo board game

ZhanGuo IconLuck

Being a Euro game, I should probably be spending the most time talking strategy in this review for ZhanGuo: The First Empire. There are an absurd number of things that you can do in this game, and it’s really easy to get locked up by all of the choices. I found that trying to do everything equally isn’t necessarily the best way to win this game; it’s all about timing of your decisions.

You need to be aware of what the other players are doing at a high level to see if they might be encroaching on your own personal plans. Are they building up Workers to go for a Wall bonus that you’ve been eyeing? Is there a stack of Officials that might threaten your majority of Governors? And then, of course, there is the constant tab-keeping on the Laws, Currency, and Writing tokens to see who has majority.

But one thing that is key in every game is the management of your hand of cards. You get two of each card type, which can only be in a specific numerical range. The timing of playing these cards to activate your engine is vital; you need to be activating as often as possible, even if it’s only a single action. However, waiting until the end of the round when you only have a card or two in hand for the ‘perfect turn’ that might activate a whole bunch of cards can go up in smoke if you don’t pay attention to the potential ranges of your opponents’ hands.

ZhanGuo IconAesthetics

The overall look and feel of ZhanGuo: The First Empire is exceptional. The gold trimmings and bold fonts are reminiscent of a regal authority, while the main game board gives vibes of an old parchment map that all of the players are gathered around like those war rooms you see in movies all the time.

There are a lot of icons present and it certainly takes a minute to understand them all. Starting out, we were referencing the rulebook a lot to understand what individual bonuses and cards meant, and that continued through at least half of the game until we started to get a feel for it. That being said, there are a ton of really good reminders that are present on the player board that make a lot more sense after you’ve played the game for an hour or so.

ZhanGuo board game

ZhanGuo Icon Interest

Obviously if you are into long games where you’re balancing a ton of different things and forging your own unique path to victory, ZhanGuo: The First Empire is going to be right in your wheelhouse. It’s heavy while still retaining a level of elegance with the Court Actions that is really intriguing. The addition of the Ship track and the ability to play Alchemy cards without triggering Unrest is an entire element of the strategy that makes you want to get the maximum benefit by making those your third cards played in a given Region.

Activating your engine is the real highlight, sometimes chaining five or more Actions together in a single go. Going heavy into a single Action type can be a worthwhile strategy if that action is going to give you lots of points by doing it repeatedly. This kind of engine-building always reminds me of Gizmos, although the engine building here is just a side-effect of your greater strategy.

The Mausoleum scoring also gives a lot of Terraforming Mars Awards vibes because you want to be the first to claim each one. On top of that, scoring columns or rows of these Mausoleum objectives will give you bonus points as a nice cherry on top of the whole thing.

And I suppose that’s what I really enjoy: each thing that you do guides you towards a potential strategy to take, and all of them seem equally viable.

ZhanGuo board game

ZhanGuo IconMood

It’s amazing how ZhanGuo: The First Empire generates natural player interaction through the Court Actions, influencing the next player with every card played. I really enjoy how playing Court Actions creates this stack of cards that gradually gets taller throughout the game, as if evoking imagery of how many times players have tried to curry favor with the Emperor.

These Court Actions also create an absurd amount of tension, holding your breath as the person before you plays their card, hoping that it’s just a little bit lower. Alternatively, they might not play a card at all and when you really need them to!

The amount of resources and economy of only taking 30 total actions in the game makes every Governor and every Wall feel substantial. You have to work hard to setup your pieces and get them just right, and that grants a satisfying number of endorphins when you see your projects realized.

ZhanGuo: The First Empire: 120 Reasons to Play!

Nerds on Earth logo with 'Deal with It' sunglasses. Text inside the seal reads "Nerds on Earth Seal of Awesomeness".

I’ve never played the original ZhanGuo, so I went into ZhanGuo: The First Empire with a completely open mind. From the get-go I was a bit hesitant, knowing the time investment required to manifest a heavy game like this onto the table.

In the end, I had a really good time with this game, and it received a lot of good feedback from the group I played it with. The end of the game got really tense as suddenly the number of Governors skyrocketed, Palaces were built, and the entire power struggle over the board became realized.

I’m happy to give ZhanGuo: The First Empire with the highly sought-after Nerds of Earth Seal of Awesomeness for offering the unique mechanism around the Court Actions that turned out to be super impactful. Not only is the game wonderful to see on the table, but it’s one that I want to get back to the table as soon as I can.

You can pick up a copy of ZhanGuo: The First Empire from your FLGS when it releases October 4th, or you can preorder from Hachette Boardgames directly.


[Disclaimer: Nerds on Earth was provided a copy of ZhanGuo: The First Empire from Hachette Boardgames in exchange for an honest review.]

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CDSK: R U Ready for this Trivia Board Game? https://nerdsonearth.com/2023/08/cdsk-r-u-ready-for-this-trivia-board-game/ Mon, 14 Aug 2023 16:50:38 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=40895 CDSK Board Game

Abram reviews CDSK, the board game that asks you to be honest with your own knowledge, published by Randolph!

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CDSK Board Game
CDSK Board Game
CDSK board game by Randolph

Generally speaking, I’ve never played a lot of trivia board games like Trivial Pursuit or the like. However, at Gen Con I was able to play many rounds of CDSK, an incredibly popular board game from France published by Randolph!

Designed by Joël Gagnon, the premise of the CDSK board game is simple: answer a trivia question correctly among your group and move ahead until you reach the end of the board. Seems simple right? There has to be more!

Let me tell you all about how CDSK has completely changed my opinion of trivia and question-based board games!

CDSK Gameplay

I got my first glance at CDSK courtesy of the Hachette Boardgames Press Event, where our game started as a one v one affair and ending in a table full of people. The CDSK board game is perfect when you’re waiting for more friends to arrive or guests are just trickling in, because adding people to the game is seamless and easy.

There are four categories of questions that you will be presented with, each one starting with one of the letters of CDSK:

  • Curious – Precise or bizzare subjects
  • Delightful – Movies, music, sports
  • Seasoned – Grown-up stuff, school of life
  • Knowledge – Science, nature, history, geography

Whatever space you’re on when your turn is up determines the question that you’re going to get. All of the base category questions are phrased in a way like, “How well do you know X?” It’s your job to determine how well you actually know that category, on a scale of 1-10.

The number you choose determines how many spaces forwards that you will move if you’re correct. If you’re wrong, you’ll stay on that same space for the next turn.

Difficulty 1 is literally a joke and a gimme answer; you’ll have no problem getting all of those correct. The difficulty 10 questions, however, are an entirely different ball game, and are very difficult. I won’t say impossible, because I’ve witnessed someone getting one correct, but they will not be a walk in the park.

There are also challenge spaces, which typically are timed and you get points per number of correct answers given. And once you make it to the end of the board, you have to correctly answer one more question from a special stack of Final Question cards in order to win.

CDSK Board Game

Staking Our C.L.A.I.M. on CDSK!

CDSK IconComponents

CDSK is a trivia game and therefore the primary components are just cards. However, there are a few other things worth nothing about the game.

First, the tray for the cards is slanted, making it very easy to just pull a card from the pile and place used cards back on top. There’s also plenty of space for more cards in case expansion content comes calling (which I dearly hope it does).

Secondly, the game board is just the underside of the box’s lid, which folds out to lie nicely alongside the box. This is a really clever design choice that makes setup instantaneous.

The only other thing I want to note is that CDSK doesn’t come with any player markers; part of its charm is that you/your team need to find a token to mark your spot on the board. I’ve used coffee creamer cups, tokens from other games, and even a spare bit of napkin. Whatever is on hand!

CDSK Board Game

CDSK IconLuck

You might think that a trivia game like CDSK has no strategy, but you’d be mistaken. Since you are the one choosing how many points you’re “wagering” – which I say loosely because you don’t lose anything if you’re incorrect – you can set yourself up for more favorable turns. Maybe you’ll only take a level 3 question because it’ll land you on the Challenge space, or maybe you’ll go slightly higher to avoid a category your team is weak at.

Challenge spaces are really sought after because you can gain a BUNCH of points that way. At the same time, they could also stump you, leaving you in the dust with only a point or two. They’re a great gamble, especially since the question content can come from anywhere.

CDSK IconAesthetics

There’s really not much to say about CDSK‘s aesthetics. The different fonts and illustrations are whimsical and playful, as if enticing you to play. After all, a trivia game can’t be that bad, right? Sometimes you think that you know a topic decently well but CDSK is sure to put you in your place.

This whimsical vibe is furthered by the fact that you bring and establish your own player pawns. Every game will look different, and passerby will surely question why there is a salt shaker on the game board.

CDSK Icon Interest

CDSK Board Game

I said it at the top and I’ll say it again: I generally don’t care for trivia games. To me they’ve always been filled with obscure or out-of-date questions, and I never really got into them. I can say the same of a lot of my core group of friends and family that I play games with as well.

CDSK changed the game.

We played game after game, switching teams around and just having a really great time. We even played in the car on the long drive back from Indianapolis…twice. There are plenty of fun and timely questions, like Taylor Swift or Lord of the Rings, that ensure there is a place for everybody to have their turn in the limelight. Will some of these become dated? Of course. But for now, I’m loving the relevancy and hope to see additional cards as time goes on.

CDSK IconMood

CDSK Board Game

CDSK will leave you seething at the other team as they get questions that are SO EASY while you’re obviously stuck with nothing but stumpers. It’ll have you question yourself and everything you know about anything. On the other hand, the game will also surprise you with knowledge that you didn’t even know you had.

There was one Challenge question that my brother and I had that asked us to name the birth year of different people with an acceptable error of 2 years in either direction. What started out as a terrible showing ended up with us having multiple logical deductions and getting way more points than we thought that we would. It flipped our mood from sour to sweet in an instant.

CDSK: Ask Me Anything!

Nerds on Earth logo with 'Deal with It' sunglasses. Text inside the seal reads "Nerds on Earth Seal of Awesomeness".

What else can I say about CDSK? This isn’t the trivia games that you’ve known forever; this one is spiced up in a whole new way. It’s engaging, fun, and makes you want to play again and again.

Therefore, I am happily awarding CDSK with the Nerds on Earth Seal of Awesomeness award for making me a believer that trivia fans can be fun! It’s really good and I beg you to give it a try.

You can pick up a copy of CDSK from your FLGS when it releases August 16th, or you can preorder from Hachette Boardgames directly.


[Disclaimer: Nerds on Earth was provided a copy of CDSK from Hachette Boardgames in exchange for an honest review.]

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Board Game Review: Command the Immortals in Gosu X by Sorry We Are French! https://nerdsonearth.com/2023/03/board-game-review-command-the-immortals-in-gosu-x-by-sorry-we-are-french/ Tue, 14 Mar 2023 12:00:00 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=40493 Gosu X Board Game

Abram reviews Gosu X, an dueling card battler where you draft the clans that make up your deck, published by Sorry We Are French!

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Gosu X Board Game
Gosu X board game by Sorry We Are French

Two-player games are always my jam, so when I first heard about Gosu X, I was instantly intrigued: commanding the ranks of three clans in a head-to-head battle, supplemented by a song for the dead? Uh yeah, I’m totally here for it.

In Gosu X, players take control of three rival clans, each with their own Troops, Heroes, and Immortal, in a one-on-one duel for supremacy. Each clan showcases their own strengths, as well as having a unique ability provided them by their Immortal.

The Gosu X board game plays quickly, and has enough rules overlap between other popular card games that many people will be able to get it to the table within a short time of reading through the rules. There are some Keywords and things you’ll need to reference, but I was surprised at how quickly it all came together.

So get your commanding voice out and prepare for battle as we dive into Gosu X!

Gosu X Gameplay

The Gosu X board game is played over a series of rounds, culminating in a Great Battle. During a player’s turn, they will place a card into their 3×5 tableau, always from left to right. Level 1 cards, called Troops, are played on the bottom row while Level 2 cards, called Heroes, are played in the middle row. The top row is reserved for the Level 3 cards, which are your Immortals and Shapeshifters.

On its face, this seems relatively simple, but there are prerequisites to playing cards. In order to play a Hero, you need to have a Troop of a matching clan somewhere in your tableau. Likewise, to play a Level 3 card, you’ll need to have both a matching Troop and Hero card already played.

This is where Shifting comes into play. Most cards have a Shift cost, meaning that you can discard a card in your tableau, pay the Shift cost by discarding cards from your hand, and then play the shifted card into the space that held the now-discarded card. When you do this, you don’t need to have a matching clan for that card.

A third action that you can take on your turn is to play an Activation Token. These tokens can always be used to draw more cards, which are definitely at a premium. Or, you can also use Activation Tokens to activate abilities on your played cards.

All the while, you will be using the effects on your played cards to capture your opponent’s cards (flip them over), make them sacrifice cards, and do all kinds of other manipulation with your hand, discard pile, and deck.

Once a player has done all that they care to (or can), they will Pass. When both players have Passed, it’s time for the Great Battle. Both players add up the military value on their face-up cards and whoever has the highest wins the Battle. You need to win two of these battles to win the game most of the time, although there are some alternative victory conditions depending on your clan.

After the Great Battle comes the Song for the Dead. During this phase, each player discards half of the cards from their tableau, rounded up. Because of this, you may not want to play all of the cards you can, since some of them are going to be discarded!

Staking Our C.L.A.I.M. on Gosu X!

Gosu X Icon Components

The components of the Gosu X board game remind me a lot of the style in The Shipwreck Arcana, especially with the tokens being wooden. As an aside, I honestly can’t believe I haven’t written about that game yet, but that’s something for another time.

I love the functionality of the board; visually it’s striking and there’s a purpose for everything on it. Once you stack those screen-printed wooden tokens in their rightful places, it really makes the game feel complete. This easily could have been made without a board of any kind, but the design choice really works and makes me happy it was included.

And of course, I should also talk briefly about the cards, which are great quality. You’ll be shuffling them a lot, so I still recommend some sleeves if you find the game to your liking. Between mashing the various clan decks together and general use through play, it will just help ensure they are protected.

Build your tableau, recruiting Troops, Heroes, and Immortals!

Gosu X Icon Luck

Every additional game of Gosu X that I play, I feel like I’m rediscovering new strategies. A lot of this is due to the fact that every single game you’re drafting the three clans that make up your deck. Some of them have a lot of synergy together, while others have less. But in every case, I haven’t found a combination that doesn’t work. Maybe if you only used two clans, but having three really smooths out your draws and gives you plenty of space to experiment.

That’s what keeps me coming back to Gosu X for more. Each combination feels like its own little puzzle that I need to try and solve, while simultaneously working out what my opponent might be thinking. The other little wrinkle that you need to consider is that two clans that aren’t chosen by either player have their global effects in-play for both players from the beginning of the game. In fact, you might choose your third clan just so that you can specifically have the global effect of another!

I also find the Activation Token use fascinating. Since card drawing is at a premium, spending those tokens for more cards is always enticing. However, you can also use them to activate abilities on cards, which may been much more valuable depending on the situation. And you can gain more of these tokens by playing the shapeshifters, of which there is one in every clan at Level 3.

There’s just so much to explore in terms of strategy with Gosu X, and that turns the game into something that I want to play over and over again. But that’s something you really have to do if you want to get the most of the game, learn the clans, and find those synergies.

Gosu X Icon Aesthetics

The overall aesthetic presentation of the Gosu X board game is top-notch. I’m a particular fan of high-contrast art statements like the white box slapped with a big giant black X over the top. Add in that little bit of gold and some weathering, and it’s definitely a striking statement on the shelf.

The card layout is also fairly clever, utilizing an X in the backdrop to facilitate the art while also separating each card into four functional sections. Keywords tied to specific clans are color-coded and presented in the same way in the rulebook, making rules referencing easy and painless.

And lastly, the art itself. Artist David Sitbon absolutely crushed it with these illustrations. All of the clans are cohesive in their design and coloring in a way that if you only showed me the art I could make a very educated guess about what clan it was from. That’s how you know it’s good! Plus there are some really rad 3D effects with the art hanging over some of the mechanical card elements like Shift costs and whatnot, adding a tasteful depth of field to the design.

Gosu X Icon Interest

Gosu X is definitely designed for people who enjoy card battler games, especially those that really like to practice, discover new strategies, and become masters of the game. It’s a 1v1 matchup, so you’re relying on your own abilities to outsmart and outwit your opponent. Nobody can get in your way except for yourself!

I also really enjoy some of the recent 2-player games that have come out recently like Caper: Europe and Radlands, and Gosu X fits solidly in that niche. The draft aspect of the game is also fairly unique, making it a deck builder except instead of building your deck with cards, you’re building it with…decks.

So those are the big things that would push you to this game: card game lovers or people who like to work out strategy. Broad strokes, sure, but they fit the bill!

Gosu X Icon Mood

Gosu X is not for the faint of heart. Your cards will be captured, sacrificed, and destroyed. Many times over. There is no way around it. Just go into the game knowing that your best-laid plans will be put to waste. And you’ll be doing the same to your opponent!

That’s the general feel of the game. There’s an interesting push and pull that happens when preparing for the Great Battle as well, because I’ve been in games where someone seems firmly entrenched in the lead after the first battle and their whole gameplan crumbles over the next two rounds. Spoiler: I was that someone.

People can come from behind and win the game or suddenly pull a win condition out of nowhere. That’s where understanding the clans comes into play, so that you can try and play around those situations. Regardless, you always feel like you’re ‘in the game’, so to speak, and that’s really important in a 1v1 game like this.

Gosu X: A Burly Battler for Besties

Nerds on Earth logo with 'Deal with It' sunglasses. Text inside the seal reads "Nerds on Earth Seal of Awesomeness".

I came into Gosu X knowing that the game was right up my alley. I’ve played a lot of Magic: the Gathering, Hearthstone, Marvel Snap, Gwent, etc, so I’m basically the target audience for a game like this. Absolutely loved the challenge and puzzle that you’re presented with.

So why stop at just writing praise about this game? Let’s give Gosu X the Nerds on Earth Seal of Awesomeness award! It’s well-deserved! Gosu X brings clan-based deck-drafting to the card battler scene, offering a tense duel experience for everybody who shuffles its cards.

You can pick up a copy of Gosu X from Hachette Games directly, or look for it at your FLGS!


[Disclaimer: Nerds on Earth was provided a copy of Gosu X from Hachette Boardgames in exchange for an honest review.]

The post Board Game Review: Command the Immortals in Gosu X by Sorry We Are French! appeared first on Nerds on Earth.

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Board Game Review: Uncover the Conspiracy in Critical: Foundation – Season 1 by Gigamic! https://nerdsonearth.com/2022/11/board-game-review-uncover-the-conspiracy-in-critical-foundation-season-1-by-gigamic/ Tue, 29 Nov 2022 13:00:00 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=39970 Critical by Gigamic

Abram reviews Critical: Foundation, a thrilling tabletop roleplaying game about uncovering a corporate conspiracy by Gigamic! Can you put Icarus on the map?

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Critical by Gigamic
Critical by Gigamic
Critical: Foundation Season 1 Box!

There’s a conspiracy, and you’re the only one who can help unravel the source! In the Critical: Foundation tabletop roleplaying game, you’ll be diving into bite-sized, 30-minute episodic scenarios to solve the details of this corporate thriller. Not bad for a Sunday afternoon, eh?

Designed by Yohan Lemonnier and Kristoff Valla, Critical: Foundation shrinks down the typical overhead that you’d experience with learning a new tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) while putting the emphasis on the narrative that comes out of the collaborative storytelling. Combined, the rules for players and gamemasters only take up 12 pages, and lot of it will be familiar to people who have already played various TTRPGs.

So grab your 12-sided dice (d12), pick a character, and see if you can help put the Icarus division on the map!

Critical: Foundation Gameplay

When you play Critical: Foundation, one player will be the Gamemaster and everybody else will take on the role of one of the characters. You can name your character whatever you like, thanks to the included dry-erase name boards, and you can also select your equipment and background as well. It’s a much quicker process than building a character from the ground up, while also giving you some flexibility.

And just like that, it’s time to get into the scenario! As mentioned above, each scenario is about 30 minutes long, with there being 9 total scenarios included in the box. If you’ve played tabletop roleplaying games before, much of the gameflow is determined by success and failures on checks. The GM sets the difficulty level, and the player (or group) rolls to see if they hit the Difficulty Level. If so, it’s a success, otherwise it’s a failure.

The GM then goes on to help narrate the story and explain the consequences of the check. Certain characters are going to be better at certain skills, so understanding what your character excels at will be vital to the group’s success.

At the same time, the players are free to pretty much do whatever they wish to progress towards the objective and progress the narrative. They might need to sweet-talk their way into a secure location or cause a distraction to give others the time to acquire the mission objective. The world is your figurative burrito!

Critical by Gigamic
Barnaby Daryngton is on the case!

Our Thoughts on Critical: Foundation!

Normally when we’re reviewing board games we’ll follow our CLAIM format to discuss components, Luck, Aesthetics, Interest, and Mood. However, Critical: Foundation isn’t necessarily a board game persay, so we’re going more free-form here.

First, let’s talk about the overall story in Critical: Foundation. I’m not going to give away any spoilers, because I want you to experience it for yourself, but I really like what’s been done with the world-building. You play in this semi-cyberpunky, dystopian, mega-corporation future, out in 2035. The synopsis sheet gives you a smattering of bullet points that serve as a baseline for you to build the world from. They’re so random, but also breathe a ton of life into the setting. I totally understand exactly what they’re going for.

The episodic nature of Critical: Foundation should also be lauded. I haven’t played a full day of tabletop roleplaying games in a long time. We all have busy schedules and it’s hard to block off an entire day to game. These bite-sized episodes are ideal for those among us who need to get their daily workout in, enjoy a nice home-cooked meal, and still have time to game in the evenings.

Plus, I should have mentioned that you can very easily SAVE your characters between sessions! Just slide your equipment and character cards in the provided envelope and you’re all set! The setup and tear-down is exceptional, and even the bookkeeping is kept to a minimum. The focus is on the gameplay and tracking Mars Inc.

The last thing that I want to mention about Critical: Foundation is that it’s perfectly approachable for anybody who wants to dip their toe into the tabletop roleplaying game genre. Games like Pathfinder and D&D come with a lot of rules and a lot of baggage, but Critical: Foundation strips out all of the extra frivolity to make sure you only have to worry about the basics. It’s also a really good first stepping stone for first-time Gamemasters! I was surprised at how easily the scenarios flowed and provided the necessary framework for the GM to be successful.

Critical by Gigamic
The included GM screen makes sure that you always have everything right at the tips of your fingers.

Critical: Foundation – Icarus Needs You!

Critical: Foundation is a perfect foundation for budding gamers eager to hop into the TTRPG scene. With a thrilling story, streamlined ruleset, and quick-bite episodes, it is a fantastic game for newcomers and seasoned veterans alike.

The Icarus agency needs your help to stop threats that are beyond the capabilities of government agencies. Join them and root out corruption wherever you can under the discreet guise of Icarus. This may be the first trial assignment for the agency, so do them proud!


[Disclaimer: Nerds on Earth was provided a copy of Critical: Foundation by Hachette Boardgames in exchange for an honest review.]

The post Board Game Review: Uncover the Conspiracy in Critical: Foundation – Season 1 by Gigamic! appeared first on Nerds on Earth.

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Board Game Review: Find Fame and Glory with Northgard: Uncharted Lands by Studio H! https://nerdsonearth.com/2022/10/board-game-review-find-fame-and-glory-with-northgard-uncharted-lands-by-studio-h/ Wed, 19 Oct 2022 18:54:01 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=39734 Northgard Uncharted Lands Creatures

Abram reviews Northgard: Uncharted Lands, a 4X combative board game published by Studio H! Conquer land, build structures, and send your army into enemy territory for Fame and Glory!

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Northgard Uncharted Lands Creatures
Northgard Uncharted Lands box cover
Northgard: Uncharted Lands by Studio H!

Fans of the Northgard video game rejoice, because the acclaimed Real-Time Strategy game is now available in board game form via Northgard: Uncharted Lands by Studio H!

Designed by Adrian Dinu, Northgard: Uncharted Lands puts you in control of a clan competing to hold territory in a newly discovered land of prosperity, hopefully bringing fame to your clan in the process. But other clans are doing the same; will you be victorious?

What do we think about the Northgard: Uncharted Lands board game? Grab an axe and get ready to build!

Northgard: Uncharted Lands Gameplay

Northgard: Uncharted Lands uses deck-building to present a 4X challenge to its players. Each player takes a unique clan deck, placing map tiles on the table to expand the playing area as the game goes on. The game takes place over the course of 7 Years (in-game time, not real-time).

On a turn, players take any of the following actions:

  • Play card(s) – playing a card resolves the action on the card played. Certain flash cards can impact the order of the effects by being played before or after the main card
  • Wait – a card is played but without activating its effects
  • Replace a card – spend a resource to draw a new card to replace one that isn’t activated
  • Remove a card – a card in your hand gets taken out of the game, for a cost, and two more cards are drawn
  • Pass – discard any remaining cards and take a Development card

After all of the players have gone, there is a Harvest phases where players collect Fame and resources from their buildings. Finally, Winter arrives, forcing players to spent resources to upkeep their armies and keep their units happy.

If a player controls 3 closed territories and has at least one large building in each, they win the game. Alternatively, fame is checked at the end of the seventh year to determine the winner if one hasn’t been declared yet.

Northgard: Uncharted Lands features dice-based combat, comparing army sizes and any other benefits from buildings, cards, or clan powers. Additionally, players can also spend food to supercharge their units for the fight. Then, the dice are rolled and whoever has the most axes wins the battle. Casualties are inflicted based on the number of Skulls rolled as well.

There’s also a very interesting Creature module that adds creatures to the game. These roam around the map. These add another wrinkle into the gameplay because they are just neutral units that can severely impact your armies. Don’t let them linger, but don’t let them distract you either!

Northgard Uncharted Lands dice
Engraved dice look sooo good, especially with that black and white pattern!

Staking Our C.L.A.I.M. on Northgard: Uncharted Lands!

Northgard Icon Rune on a stone Components

The first thing that needs to be said about Northgard: Uncharted Lands is that this is one of the best rulebooks that I’ve ever read. Anytime you get a rulebook that’s more than 10 pages, it’s intimidating to even begin reading it. But everything is explained in-depth, in order, and the examples answer any of the questions I have about the text.

Northgard Uncharted Lands rulebook
Very detailed rulebook, one of the best I’ve seen.

The included creature miniatures have enough detail to make them paintable, although the bases are thin, and I really like the different poses of the creatures. Action shots abound! As for the smaller miniatures, you’d have some trouble painting those with detail because they’re so small, but I’m not sure that you’d want to anyways. You’d have to make the bases stand out in a big way so people don’t get confused about who owns which units.

Overall, the insert is functional although I’m not really sure where some of the tokens should be stored. You may want to use some leftover baggies from other games to store the resource tokens so that they’re not flying all over the place.

Engraved dice are included, which is my absolute favorite style of dice because the values really pop. And the last component piece I want to comment on are the building tokens which are surprisingly thick. All of the other cardboard components are a more standard thickness, but those tokens are chunky. Which is a good thing!

Northgard Icon Rune on a stone Luck

While there is a slight potential for an unbalanced start at the beginning of a game of Northgard: Uncharted Lands depending on the land tiles that are drawn, the majority of the game rewards strategic play. As a 4X-style deckbuilder, you’ll need to manage your actions and plan ahead for the winter. Once winter hits, you pay upkeep for your units on the map, which can help keep armies in check. Don’t have the resources? You get a shiny new Unrest card to add to your deck which will hinder you going forwards.

Even if you use the optional Creatures module, the strategy of the game stays primarily the same. There’s an interesting ebb and flow between deciding to hunker down and build up before venturing out into the wilderness. On the other hand, you can also be aggressive and try and take over buildings that other players have built.

Overall, the game feels gives me those Smallworld vibes, if Smallworld were souped up into a 4X game and you only played with a single faction. Each of the factions in Northgard: Uncharted Lands are slightly different, meaning that you can experience the game under new eyes by trying them all out. And just for the record, I’m Goat Clan for life!

Northgard Icon Rune on a stone Aesthetics

Visually, Northgard: Uncharted Lands reminds me a lot of Imperial Settlers. Maybe it’s that they both use apples and wood, and the buildings share an isometric style, but there are quite a few similarities between the two.

I appreciate that the cards have very clear iconography right at the top so you know exactly what actions they allow you to take. The spaces on the board for buildings also don’t hog the spotlight by drawing too much attention to themselves, allowing the building tokens to blend in seamlessly once they’re placed.

And, as always, having tangible miniatures in a wargame is always going to elevate that game to the next level. Between the miniatures and the map tiles, Northgard: Uncharted Lands has plenty of table presence and appeal that would make me stop as a passerby.

Production-wise, this game is a winner from the rulebook all the way through to the components. I’m very impressed.

Northgard Uncharted Lands Clan cards

Northgard Icon Rune on a stone Interest

Northgard: Uncharted Lands is for people who want a 4X game wrapped in a slightly different package. The addition of the deck-building aspect instantly sets it apart from the other games in this genre. It’s also a game that rewards attacking, because the whoever has more units has a decent chance at winning the game. Buildings can change hands frequently, so don’t get too attached.

There’s also plenty of crunch between all of the aspects of the game that you’re balancing together. You have to weigh out potential attack targets, defensive positions, exploration, and potentially creatures. Oh! And your deck!

You’re also managing the Winter phase, which definitely needs to be considered along with anything else that you plan on doing. If you’re playing in a scorched-earth kind of style, maybe the upkeep costs actually push you towards attacking your opponents anyways.

Northgard Icon Rune on a stone Mood

As with other 4X games, Northgard: Uncharted Lands provides moments of taking time to strategize and weigh your options. It’s not necessarily a slow-paced game, but it can certainly push the boundaries of that hour-and-a-half playtime estimate if everybody is trying to optimize. The game does end after the 7th Year if nobody has won the game yet, so it can’t go on forever.

I’m not particularly good at 4X games like this, but I still found myself having fun sending units around before building up my armies over and over again. There’s a really fun balance between building structures, exploring, and battling. Anytime that a game can make me want to do ‘all the things’, that’s when I know it’s a winner. Choices have to be made; you can’t do it all in your turn.

There’s also potential for a player to plan out a way to win by having a sudden burst of territory control in a single turn to win the game. In that way, players need to pay attention to everybody at the table, as it’s not always clear who’s actually winning or in the best position to win either.

Northgard Uncharted Lands miniatures

Northgard: Uncharted Lands: 4X Goodness!

Nerds on Earth logo with 'Deal with It' sunglasses. Text inside the seal reads "Nerds on Earth Seal of Awesomeness".

Northgard: Uncharted Lands is a wonderful 4X game that plays much quicker than other similar games, which is a pretty large selling point. It’s definitely one of the reasons why I don’t play a lot of 4X games, because I could probably play 2-3 games in the same timeframe as some of the longer ones. And I just like playing a variety!

Because of its stellar production value and deck-building combination with 4X play, we’re happy to award Northgard: Uncharted Lands with the Nerds on Earth Seal of Awesomeness Award! With Northgard: Uncharted Lands, you can find all of the apples and wood that you could ever need, and still have plenty leftover to make some applewood bacon.

If you’re in the market for a new 4X game, check it out!


[Disclaimer: Nerds on Earth was provided a Northgard: Uncharted Lands by Hachette Boardgames in exchange for an honest review.]

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