So Many Games, So Little Time

I was able to find two local gaming stores this weekend and couldn't resist the temptation to add to my burgeoning collection. This weekend's additions were:

Manoeuver, GMT Games: Light, Napoleonic-themed wargame that fits nicely between chess and a traditional wargame. The components consist of a short rulebook with very intuitive rules, easy mechanics, geomorphic game board, a few dice, and some tiny, tiny cards. I would love for someone to produce some full-sized cards for this game. This is a good gateway game but it by no means is a throwaway. It has extremely high replayability and should appeal to a fairly broad audience. I can see myself playing this regularly.

Race For the Galaxy, Rio Grande Games: One of the hot new card games, this is loosely derived from the classic Puerto Rico. I was completely confused by the rules at first, and I suspect experienced Puerto Rico players would have a tremendous advantage in climbing the learning curve. I plowed through the rules a few more times, played a couple of rough games, and think I finally understand the mechanics. Strategy is an entirely different story, and I suspect it will take a dozen or more plays to have any strategy epiphanies. It's an intriguing game that is really interesting to play.

Cold War: CI vs. KGB, Fantasy Flight Silver Line: Two-player card game with a Cold War theme that requires players to compete for a series of objectives in an attempt to reach 100 points. The production quality is beautiful as with almost all Fantasy Flight titles, and the rules are well-written, but the game itself is unremarkable to this point. There just don't seem to be enough interesting decisions, but just pretty straightforward management. Two competent players could make for an interesting game, but I don't know what would cause said players to choose this over numerous other, more interesting games such as the aforementioned Race For the Galaxy. The mechanics of the game work fine, but I think it would be more successful with a different theme. Anyone interested in a Cold War theme is more likely to play Twilight Struggle.

I'm also attempting to play the nine-player variant of A Game of Thrones via email, but I'm not sure how well that's going to go.

I've been keeping up with the hurricane Gustav coverage all day, and my prayers are with the residents of the Gulf coast as well as with the emergency and rescue workers in that area. Let's all hope the storm continues to subside as well as the floodwaters.