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Steph's New to Me List for April 2021!

Posted by Steph

New To Me List

03 May 2021

Steph Hodge

(punkin312)

United States
Tennessee

Well, it's no Ginkgopolis...

Welcome to Steph's "New to Me" List 2021!

This year I have made the goal of learning 400 games!

Steph's Awesome Gaming Calendar 2021 - On Sale Now $10!

Steph's Awesome Spectrum Rating System!

Steph's Sad Cloud Rating 1-2.5/10
Steph's Bland Rainbow Rating 3-4.5/10
Steph's Primary Rainbow Rating 5-7/10 (Solid Play)
Steph's Super Rainbow Rating 7.5-8.5 (Keepers)
Steph's Double Rainbow Rating 9-10/10 (Top Favorites)

April List
from Worst to Best

Paris Connection:

I am not really into these network-type games, but this was easy enough to play and super quick on BGA. Just not into this game at all. It couldn't be over fast enough.

3/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Microbadge: All the Meeples of the Rainbow blog

Doughnut Drive-Thru:

Such cute donuts! super simple push your luck game. Definitely not a lot of replay value here. You are fighting for the actions you need and hope you roll well enough to finish what you need to. Shrug, the game was fine, but will likely be forgotten.

4/10 After 1 play (Owned)

13 Clues:

On BGA. Deduction game that is very much like Code 777 but with photographs and colors where you can ask other players what they can see etc. I am just not that into deduction games like this, but I liked this one even less than Code 777.

5/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Wilson & Shep:

Super light kids deduction game. Targeted for the kids in the family. Not much strategy involved with this one, but cute enough to play a few rounds. Not for the everyday game day.

5/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Sweet Holic:

Super cute set collection game. Play a tile or discard a tile. Nothing we haven't seen before in gameplay, but it is cute.

5/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Ubongo! Fun-Size Edition:

If you are a fan of the Ubongo series, then you will feel right at home with this compact edition. Very easy to play. Puzzles didn't seem that challenging. It works, but I prefer 3D.

5/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Duel of Wands:

An interesting theme being magic and spells. Pretty standard 2 player dueling card game though. Not sure the upgrades and bonus spells are balanced well. The game works for sure but wasn't much fun.

5/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Umbra Via:

Auction game with some tile placement and area control. I think it works well as a game, but in general just not as interesting as I would want it to be. Might be better with more players so you don't have a dummy player getting in the way. Seems a bit chaotic.

5/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Origins: First Builders:

The next big B&D game. Mostly just not a game for me. It is too punishing for my taste. I know a bunch of people will really dig this title. I can see a solid game here and I would try again, but for me right now the 3 player game was harsh so I can't imagine even trying it with 4 players. Might be best as a solo or 2 player game.

5/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Zodiac Clash:

Beautiful production and interesting astrological theme. The theme is pretty much pasted on, but you are trying to align the stars... so, yeah. Very much an easy-to-learn abstract game. Not much going on here, but it was worth a try.

5.5/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Rook:

Classic card game I finally tried. Played as a 2-player game and you have to have a dummy hand. I like it more than a lot of card games I learned in the recent months. I like the blind kitty. I would like to try it with 4 players, as I am sure it is a better partner game.

5.5/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Loch Ness:

Light bluffing game better with a bunch of players. With 2 players you have to have a dummy hand. You are just trying to predict where Nessie will show up in that round. The game worked and I liked it more than Michael. I can see why it has been a forgotten title.

5.5/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Hashi:

New flip n Write game. I can see this one getting really boring. I enjoyed playing it, but don't really have a desire to try it again. I feel like I saw what it had to offer. If it was the game on the table I would play again.

5.5/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Switch & Signal:

I wanted to play this since it is a cooperative train game and I wanted to see what it was like. I was told it makes for a better solo experience. I liked it well enough and found it to be an interesting puzzle. Perhaps not enough tension for a cooperative game, but I enjoyed it about what I expected.

5.5/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Glow:

What a beautiful game! Simple dice game where you want to roll your sets o you can gain bonuses from your cards you collect in the game, but you will also need to move around the board with the dice, so they serve as multi-purpose dice. It works well! Not sure about the replay value of the game, but I like it well enough to play again.

6/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Summoner Wars (Second Edition):

I am not really into the 1v1 battle games. Interesting card management game where you are trying to deplete the other player's life first. I totally get why people enjoy this game, but ultimately it isn't my favorite. I would play again for sure. I loved playing the Polar Dwarves!

6/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Rotundo:

Small card game, better than expected. Gotta collect all the balls! haha, nothing exciting about the game but it works and I could see playing it on request.

6/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Super Fantasy Brawl:

Much better than I expected it would be. Played on BGA and learned that it is not just a battle arena game, which I thought. It is a game to get 5 points first and there are a few ways to score points. The interesting system they created here. I would definitely give it another try, but generally not my type of game.

6/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

A Gentle Rain:

Simple tile placement game to try and create a 2x2 grid so you can place a flower token. If you can get all the flowers placed you will get a score based on the leftover tiles and placed flowers. A solo game that you can play cooperatively. It works and I enjoyed my time. Quick but nothing that stands out in the long run.

6/10 After 3 plays (Owned)

Moonrakers:

This game is not designed for 2 players. Didn't work very well, even with the AI. I would rather just play with more players so you can get the full negotiation experience. Beautiful game with some deck-building and contract fulfillment. Race to get 10 points. I am not the biggest fan of negotiation games, but this was fine. Need to play again with more players though.

6.5/10 After 1 play (Owned)

15 Days:

New Alpha game on BGA. Beautiful artwork as found in most Thundergryph games. Card and hand management game for ascending and descending sets of cards. Trying to gain control of the animal tokens and bonuses. Works just fine and I would play again. Didn't wow me though.

6.5/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Block Ness:

Super cute abstract game with an adorable Nessie theme. Player colors have a unique set of pieces. Ultimately you are trying not to get blocked by the other players. Nice game and will definitely work for families. Adorable!

6.5/10 After 1 play (Owned)

One Card Wonder:

Recently on KS. Very light resource management game to build your wonder card before the other player's. Very light and harmless. Tons of variable wonder cards and building boards to keep it interesting each play. Would play again for sure.

6.5/10 After 2 plays (Owned)

Unmatched: Little Red Riding Hood vs. Beowulf:

Small box Unmatched set. I liked playing this one on stream, but I am not sure I liked Little red's ability very much. Not my favorite in the series but still seemed interesting and different than the other characters and sets.

6.5/10 After 1 play (Owned)

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Wordsmith:

I am always up for learning a word game, I like that in this and Decipher you are using bits to form letters. In Wordsmith you are actually forming letters so you can form a word in real-time. I tend to push my luck with the dice rolls but still have a great time trying to craft the words. Overall, I think I like the gameplay in Decipher more, since I get to decode the other player's word.

6.5/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Chai: Tea for 2:

Hitting KS May 2021. This is a game designed for 1-2 players only. I like that it feels very different to Chai but still set in the same world. Great artwork and amazing quality. Overall easy to understand mechanics and fine gameplay. Nice game.

7/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Keystone: North America:

Played on Tabletopia so the game is still in prototype since all of the artwork isn't complete. The artwork that is there is amazing! Tile drafting and placement game. I very much enjoyed it. You have to take those key tiles in order to get multipliers - don't forget!

. I look forward to the final product!

7/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

MATCH 5:

A new party game that reminded me of Scattegories, but you will want to match people's answers instead. Love the dice and how there are a few sets of dice so it will always feel different. Great end-of-the-night party game. Happy to play this whenever requested.

7/10 After 3 plays (Owned)

Inspector Nose:

This one reminded me of Similio but with dice. I had fun playing with the BGG TV Twitch channel. I would definitely want to play this one again to see if it has staying power. But, I surmise if you like Similo this will be a winner for you.

7/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Fantastic Beasts: Perilous Pursuit:

Love the Wizarding World very much, and I love pushing my luck was happy to try this one. Cooperative dice game to capture the beasts. I very much enjoyed the films. Easy to learn and play and will work for a bunch of groups.

7/10 After 2 plays (Owned)

Unmatched: Cobble & Fog:

Definitely the best theme I have played in Unmatched. I simply love Jekyll & Hyde as a character in general. Very cool series and enjoyed this box set more than the others because of the theme alone.

7/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Conspiracy: Abyss Universe:

Nice little card game set in the Abyss world. I really liked this one. Simple tabealu and set collection game. You can play on BGA. Simply beautiful too.

7/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Scout!:

A card game that all my friends were talking about several months ago. Finally got to try it on TTS. Duel numbered cards, but you can't choose the number you want. Cards also must remain in the order they were dealt. Reminded me a lot of Dealt!. I like they both about the same.

7/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Aldabas: Doors of Cartagena:

Never would have guessed there would be a game about door knockers. Alas, here we have it. Clever tableau card placement. Not challenging to learn and super quick to play. Very enjoyable.

7.5/10 After 2 plays (Not Owned)

Age of Galaxy:

Going to KS in May 2021, really enjoyed the first play of the prototype. Lots of cards for cool abilities but you are limited by how many you can play. Very quick exploration and tech tree game. Such a tiny box, it really packs a punch!

7.5/10 After 1 play(Owned)

Minigolf Designer:

Love this theme so much! It is so much fun designing a minigolf course. Works great with 2 and I can imagine it working well with more players as you see more tiles. Drafting tiles with tile placement is always fun for me! Definitely a keeper!

7.5/10 After 2 plays (Owned)

Trek 12:

Last-minute learn for the month as it is on BGA in Alpha mode. Perhaps my favorite Bruno Cathala game. Roll n write with a light campaign mode. I haven't played the box game so I think there is more to it, and I am dying to play it! Reminded me of a more complex Rolling Japan. I will definitely need to seek this out.

7.5/10 After 8 plays (Not Owned)

Hadrian's Wall:

Talk about Combos! You are presented with ALL THE OPTIONS and you just have to go for a strategy and hope it works.

Lots of rules, but everything makes sense and feels very much like a Garphil Games game. Good Luck...

7.5/10 After 2 plays (Owned)

Escape Tales: Children of Wyrmwoods:

Only played the prologue game so far, but it was a great story and I love the new character cards with stats. I can't wait to explore this one further! Great Escape game.

8/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Game of the Month!

Merchants of Magick: A Set a Watch Tale:

This is a roll n write game that I just love. from the artwork to the theme, this is a cool game. I love the idea of upgrading your shop to have items and then fulfilling the order cards. Can be slightly luck of the draw if you find an order that is perfect for you, but I think that is part of the fun. I have really been enjoying my plays. Available to play on TTS which is awesome too.

8/10 After 4 plays (Owned)

New to me Expansions!

Board Royale: The Island Expansion - Wild Hunt:

Turns the game cooperative which is cool. Still in prototype form, so will be interested to see the final product if anything changes. Would definitely try it again.

6/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Claim: Reinforcements – Maps:

Love these new expansion packs for Claim. I think they add enough to keep the games mixed and interesting. If you are a fan of Claim, I definitely think you should look into the reinforcements packs. With Maps you get new rule cards and ways to score each game.

7.5/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Claim: Reinforcements – Magic:

I like the Magic Reinforcement deck better than Maps, but only slightly. I really like the push-your-luck aspect with the wizards in this expansion. Beautiful art and wonderful addition.

7.5/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Targi: The Expansion:

I think this expansion will work really well for those who play Targi a bunch! There is extra content but doesn't change the game dramatically. Keeps it about the same amount of time with some more options. Very enjoyable!

7.5/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Not Alone: Sanctuary:

Very cool expansion. Changes the game up quite a bit, it is not for the better, but it is different. Will add to the variety in the gameplay for sure. I will happily play this one anytime!

7.5/10 After 1 play (Owned)

The Tally

January: 27
February: 44
March: 35
April: 40

Total new-to-me games for the year: 146!

Follow along this geeklist to see what tv shows and moves I have been watching:

Steph's Movie & TV Series List 2021!

Happy Gaming!!!

-Steph

If you like what you saw, please thumb!

All images in this post are copyrighted, owned, and controlled by Steph Hodge Photography, unless otherwise noted.
Please contact me if you would like to purchase or use my images in any way.
Disclaimer: I am a contract Employee of BGG. I often review games that are provided by the publisher. I am not compensated for my blog content.
Thank you.

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Mon May 3, 2021 12:00 pm

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