What We're Playing!
/Ever wondered what games the guys behind the counter enjoy in their off time? Wonder no longer! This is What We're Playing!
Ben - Century: Spice Road
If you know me, you know I love simple mechanics in a fast-paced game, and Century: Spice Road (my new love) certainly delivers. In this hand management/card drafting game, players are caravan leaders traveling the famed Silk Road, trading spices for gold and glory. Each player can only take one of four actions per turn (establish a trade route, harvest spices, claim a victory point card, or rest to refill their hand), so gameplay is smooth and strategic with no room for wasted actions.
On top of it all, the game looks fantastic! The art is beautiful and housed on large, colorful Tarot-size cards. Played in under an hour, Century: Spice Road is one of my favorite new games, and I'm extremely excited by the sequels to come in the Century series! If you're curious about the game and want to know more, just ask me!
Nick - Star Wars Destiny
This month I am playing Fantasy Flight's first CCG: Star Wars Destiny! It is a fast paced card game that also uses dice when playing. The game brings a bunch of old favorites from the movies as well as new characters from the new movies and TV shows.
The game starts with you bringing anywhere from one to four characters to battle your opponents, from force users to bounty hunters and everything in between. Each character brings special dice to the table that have a bunch of different effects depending on what side of the dice you roll. You also have a deck of cards you use to power up your characters in order to defeat the other player's characters.
Star Wars Destiny is a fast game that plays very easily, but is complex enough to keep you coming back for more gameplay. I really recommend it to any Star Wars fan as well as any card game player!
Corey - Lovecraft Letter
Lovecraft Letter is a Lovecraftian twist on the classic card game Love Letter. The original is well known for being a dead simple to learn and play, quick card game that's guaranteed to have a theme that will suit anyone, from Batman to Archer and just about anything in between.
Lovecraft Letter introduces not only a new theme, but for the first time new mechanics as well! If you're unfamiliar with Love Letter, I'll give you a quick rundown. Each player is dealt one card, which will have various abilities. On your turn, you draw one card and play one card. Their abilities let you do various things like looking at another player's hand or knocking another player out of the round if you can guess the card in their hand. The last person still in the round gets a point, and the first person to an agreed point total wins.
In this new version of the game, eldritch influences from beyond can corrupt your mind and drive you insane. This leads to newfound powers though; certain cards have additional abilites that are only accessible once you are insane. These new abilities are much more powerful than their sane counterparts, however it is harder to win the game in this state. You only have to win two rounds while sane to win the game, but it takes three to emerge victorious while under the otherworldly influence.
Whether you're looking for a quick and easy new game to play, or want a new twist on your Love Letter games, Lovecraft Letter is a great addition to anyone's collection!
That's all this time around, but be sure to check back in next month for a glimpse into what's new, what's good, and What We're Playing!
