The winter flu has set in and as a result there wasn't a whole lot of gaming done this week. Also next weeks post will be delayed as I'll be away in Sydney for the Easter long weekend and plan to update after I'm home again. So without any more delays here's:
What I've Been Playing This Week:
Lost Cities: Sneaking up the list on my go-to two player games, Lost Cities has quickly become a favourite. It's easy to teach, easy to understand, and its a lot of fun to play! As I've already mentioned before, its card based so expect some luck - but there's enough simple strategies involved where you feel like you can counteract the luck with some good planning. Love the game end mechanism which is triggered once the last card is drawn. This creates opportunities to push for a card and drain the game clock, or slow things up a bit by drawing cards you don't actually need from the discarded pile. I'll say it again, if you enjoy two player games seek this one out!
Splendor: One of my most played games last year that I keep defaulting to for its accessibility. I find games like Splendor are great ones to have in the library as I know they will get played. I could almost bring this one out to play with anyone and that's what makes it such a gem of a game. After nearly 30 plays I still haven't mastered a winning strategy and generally just react to the cards that have been drawn rather than a predetermined plan.
Board Games Purchased This Week:
Bohnanza: Last week I mentioned this game briefly, and this week it turned up in the mail. I gotta admit my initial impressions are a bit mixed and I'm not really that excited about this one. I only bought it as I've heard many good things about it so I'm sure once I actually play it, I'll be happy with the purchase. When will it get played? To be honest, I'm not actually sure it'll be any time soon. I normally love reading through rule books which often gets me excited to try the game, but after reading the Bohnanza rule book I'm not exactly itching to play this one.
Ticket To Ride Europe: So I have previously owned Ticket To Ride, and this version to be exact. But I gave it away and since then have been Ticket To Rideless. With some family staying here, I realized that there's still a place for TTR in the library and after looking into Rails and Sails, I decided Europe was still the best version for me to have. Now that the family is gone it may not get played for a while, but its nice just seeing it back on the shelf.
A Random Promo Card: I had a mysterious package this week. Inside was a couple bags of sleeves and a random promo card (pictured below). I couldn't for the life of me figure out what it was and I was 100% sure I didn't order the sleeves or this card. To solve this mystery and my curiosity, I turned to Instagram where I found out it was a promo card for Burgle Bros - a game I don't actually have. Still didn't get why it came in the mail until another fellow instagrammer mentioned that it was a bonus for backing Fugitive. It all makes sense now.. Except I have no idea what to do with this card! Guess I'll keep it in case I ever decide to buy Burgle Bros.
