A month of board games - November

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As expected, I had less chances to play in November. Going back to the office has reduced the time available and increased the tiredness. Thus, fillers stood out during the month.

I did not find any good deals during Black Friday so the collection got only enriched by an expansion (Concordia: Solitaria) which I bought in October. On the other end, I sold two games: Conspiracy: Abyss Universe and Outfoxed!. The first one is a great game but it works too well on BGA and I prefer to play there. Outfoxed never clicked to the kids.

Monthly statistic

Total play: 40. 8 of them were kid games and 11 solo.
Total different games played: 22
New games played: 3
New expansions played: 1

Collection statistic

H Index: 12 (+1)
Games in collection: 60 (-2)
Games in my shelf of shame: 14 games (-3)
Total number of expansions: 30 (+1)
Expansions in the shelf of shame: 19 (0)



Jenga x5

An old game that is loved by the kids. They always have fun and ask for a play after the other. Jenga reminds me my school time, actually the times I played hookie from school and we went to a bar with only this game... :arrrh:

:star::star::star::nostar::nostar:

Ohanami x4

The filler of the moment at home. We like its simplicity and the suspense in any games given that they are always very tight. Game and rules are nothing special but in the end, it is just fun, which is what matters.

:star::star::star::star::star:

Tetrarchia x3 NEW!

I played 3 times and easily won at middle difficulty levels. The base game has 81 combinations of different challenges so it can easily be leveled up. Besides that, there are other scenarios in the box and many things to try and discover. With its very fast set up and limited space requirements, Tetrarchia might be my ideal solo option in the coming months.

:star::star::star::nostar::nostar:

Watergate x3 NEW!

After longer than 6 months, we finally tried it. I start saying that the rulebook that describes the Watergate scandal and its different involved people included in the game is a plus. I am a lover of historical novels that combine the plot with historical events. Obviously, I found extremely interesting to find a game like this and hope to get others in the future. About the game itself, my first feelings have been more than positive. The gameplay is easy and the rulebook very clear. The asymmetrical characters with their specific cards provide very tense head-to-head play with plenty of interaction. After three plays, we have found it easier to play as the editor but we definitely need more games to see if this is true.

Wingspan x3

Although this is not my game as my girlfriend wins almost all the time, Wingspan is always a pleasure to play. We had several plays with Wingspan: European Expansion: My preference is toward the original game as I find it more linear and more balanced. I also think that the expansion does not add too much interaction, one of the items more mentioned in its comments. I am ready to move to Wingspan: Oceania Expansion and I expect big changes in the gameplay, hopefully positive changes.

:star::star::star::star::nostar:

Agricola: All Creatures Big and Small x2 NEW!

Full of dust after a year in the shelf of shame, this simplified version of Agricola (Revised Edition) went to the table. It is a much more streamlined version of its most famous brother without its pressure and tension. The strategy is focused on breeding the different animals: No food and no grain. After the first play, I was somewhat skeptical but my opinion improved with the second play. Although far from the depth of Agricola, first impressions have been quite positive and it seems to be a very good short option for an easygoing evening. With the deluxe box there are several buildings that need to be discovered and might change the strategy from play to play.

:star::star::star::nostar::nostar:

Calico x2

I really like the Calico's kind of solo based on scenarios. With 10 different challenges, this game has been keeping me busy for a while.

:star::star::star::star::nostar:

Claim x2

Overtaken by Ohanami as the "filler of the moment at Pultraks", we did not play too much Claim this month. I think after 4 months with more than 20 plays, a little break is normal.

:star::star::star::nostar::nostar:

Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion x2

The campaign is getting more complicated and above all each scenario requires much more time. Thus, it gets really difficult to find time to continue the campaign with regular sessions. Shame because time flies while you are in the dungeons.

:star::star::star::star::star:

It's a Wonderful World x2

One last scenario left to finish the solo campaign. Then, I will do everything again from level 1, trying to get the gold medals. Definitely a good solo with a very fast set up. Shame, there are only 6 scenarios... which go really fast.

:star::star::star::star::nostar:

Catan: Junior

Kids like this game somewhat, I do not. I find it boring. I just hope it could be a good gateway for more interesting titles....

:star::star::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar:

Concept Kids: Animals

Kids love to give hints and guess animals with this very instructive game. We played with the more complicated animals... and it was a challenge for everyone, not only for the kids.

Escape: The Curse of the Temple

Finally, we could escape from the temple but... what a tension. Every gong of the bell creates panic. You keep running (...throwing dices) till the last countdown where you just hope to get the right die combination... and get out of the temple.
Unique game in my collection, it is like being in an Indiana Jones' movie :).

:star::star::star::star::star:

Marvel Champions: The Card Game

Tried two new heroes against Rhino and ended up with an easy win. I would like to spend some more time in building and trying new decks which is the funniest part around this Marvel gem but the problem is always the same... Time.

:star::star::star::star::nostar:

Pandemic

I probably got the fastest defeat ever. Everything worked perfectly against me and I could not stop the viruses. I keep getting surprised by Pandemic as every game is always tense and fun.

:star::star::star::star::nostar:

Port Royal

Another filler that is having a break in our rotation. I am sure that it will shine again soon as this is a great game.

:star::star::star::nostar::nostar:

Terraforming Mars

I had my first solo and I really loved it. I played several times to TM and I always like how you start from nothing, then, you build your engine and see your progresses in terraforming the planet. As a solo, you have even a bigger sense of accomplishment. I was surprised to see that I could win the game at my first attempt. This is my biggest concern as I don't like too much solo where I play against my best result: I have fear to get bored after 2-3 other solo plays.

:star::star::star::star::star:

The Castles of Burgundy

I played it a lot on BGA in November but playing CoB on the table is much better as I have a better overview on what is happening. In any case, BoB never disappoints me.

:star::star::star::star::star:

Ticket to Ride: Europe

My girlfriend and I played to this classic again to get confident with its rules. Next time, we will definitely use our smaller Swiss map as a 2P game gets extremely loose with the European map.

:star::star::nostar::nostar::nostar:



Under Falling Skies

I played together with the kids and despite the defeat, it was fun. An experience I will try again with other solo games.

:star::star::star::star::nostar:

Viticulture Essential Edition

I lost for the first time with my girlfriend. We played Viticulture: Visit from the Rhine Valley: Besides being an attempt to excuse my defeat, the importance of getting good cards with the expansion seems to be higher given that the main strategy is around producing and selling wine. In the normal game, the luck factor is somewhat mitigated by the greater variety of strategies that can be pursued. Nevertheless, the experience of this game is always positive and hope to have a revenge soon.

:star::star::star::star::nostar:

Zombie Kidz Evolution

We only did a scenario and failed. Then, kids wanted to play something else…. Shame because we are just in the middle of the legacy and I would like to get at the end.

:star::star::star::nostar::nostar:

The game of the month

No doubt: Watergate . It is a solid 2 player game with very tense interaction. Love at first sight.
I am pretty sure it will be in my top 20 2p games next year (Here my 2021 geeklist).

The goal of next month

Goal of the month is to play Brass: Birmingham. It has been one of the first games to get in my collection and still in the shelf of shame. With Christmas, I want to find the time to finally try it and see one of the top games of the BGG ranking.
Furthermore, I want to keep my tradition to play Eldritch Horror at New Year's eve. I suppose these are not too complicated goals but... let's see how the month goes.

Happy gaming