Links to games mentioned on the podcast:

Farmageddon

Puerto Rico

Agricola

At the Gates of Loyang

Take the Bait

Princes of the Dragon Throne

Sunrise City

Dark Horse

Kingdom Builder

Ticket to Ride Pocket

ALSO, NOW ON KICKSTARTER:

VivaJava: The Coffee Game (PLEDGE NOW FOR BREWPLES!)

Carnival (It’s here, and ready for you to enjoy!)

And, finally:

The Dice Hate Me Games Newsletter! Sign up for the best in behind-the-scenes goodness from our hearts to yours.

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In these days of the anti-hero, it is very easy to get caught up in the dark and gritty corners of Gotham and its lookalikes.  If that is your bent, then I might advise to you take a step back from Clever Mojo Games’s new release: Sunrise City.  And if you did, you might also be missing a humdinger of a new game from one of small game publishing’s powerhouses.

In Sunrise City you take on the role—three, actually—of a stakeholder in the construction of the city of the same name.  Through timing the use of your roles and clever tile placement, you and your fellow city officials will build Sunrise City from the ground up.  While you and your opponents literally raise Sunrise City from its foundations, you will score Benchmark tokens.  The player who ends with the most of these will be the winner.

Let’s begin with what Sunrise City is not.  First and foremost, Sunrise City is NOT Alien Frontiers.  If the name Clever Mojo rings a bell, it is most likely because you were lucky enough to be a backer of their first Kickstarter project.  The awesome dice-rolling frenzy that is Alien Frontiers can arguably be called the game that solidified the union between Kickstarter and board game publishing.  And whether you think Alien Frontiers is the darling of 2010—I do—or not, don’t judge Sunrise City by its predecessor.  Sunrise City tosses the dice out the window in favor of much quieter game mechanisms.

The first thing you will notice about Sunrise City is the box.  I can’t recall the last time I saw a gleaming white box on a board game.  (A quick scan of my game shelf reveals none).   The box cover pictures skyscrapers in front of a stylized sunrise.  This cityscape, combined with the nameplate below, and the “reinforced metal” corners of the box—nice touch, begins to convey the optimism of a city yet to be.  And the weight of the box might make you think there is actually a small city inside!   So let’s explore the streets of Sunrise City…

Opening the box you find more with an assortment of tiles and bits.  There are two sets of tiles in the box: Zone tiles and Building tiles.  The Zone tiles are square, and after laying down City Hall, each of the players will begin by zoning with them.  There are 5 types of Zone tiles, and these, distinguished by color, correspond to the buildings yet to be lain.  In addition to regular Zone tiles, there are a number of Community tiles.  The player who lays a Community tile gets to immediately add another Zone from the remaining stacks.

The Building tiles are rectangular in shape, with blunted corners.  (They are actually reminiscent of the paper in the updated version of Battlestar Galactica.)  If you thought the Zone tiles were thick, watch out: the building tiles are equivalent to two Zone tiles.  Most of these tiles are divided in two, with each half color-corresponding to a Zoning tile onto which it will be played.

The rest of the pieces in the box cannot be properly called bits.  Bits are small, and these are the opposite of that.  Sunrise City’s bidding chips are thick and chunky and boldly colored with matching scoring pawns.  The Floor markers are black and shaped for easy handling as you move them on and off the board to denote floor levels.  And the Benchmark tokens are thick, chunky gold stars.

I’ll not forget to mention the scoreboard, boldly colored and of the same thickness as the Zone tiles.   Lastly there are the Role cards, white with white borders, bold central figures, and clean, clear text.  Yet another subtlety I only just picked up while writing this: the background of the Role cards corresponds to the Phase in which the Role activates (blue for Zoning, green for Bidding, and yellow for Construction).  The exception to this is the Re-elected Socialite, whose power is to assume another Role.  Her role is flexible, which dovetails beautifully with the other purple Zones and Buildings, whose hallmark is their flexibility!

In terms of components, the quality is second to none.  All of the tiles are thick and sturdy.  All of the pieces are thick for fat-fingered players like me.  And the Role cards will stand up to a good amount of shuffling.

Now that we’ve walked the streets of Sunrise City together, let’s talk about gameplay.  Sunrise City takes place over 3 rounds.  In each round, players assume a different Role previously drafted, and that Role confers a power at a particular Phase in the round. In each round players lay Zone tiles, then bid to build on those zones, and finally construct the buildings.  Sounds simple, right?  Well, yes and no…

Sunrise City is one of those games that really benefits from repeated play.  On your first play you see how to put together Zones, perhaps to create districts, and in ways that correspond to your Building tiles.  Lay down those Building tiles and score points.  Well, in this game, it’s not just points that matter.  Every time you score points you move your pawn up a track, numbered 1-10.  The 10 is represented by a *star*.  When your pawn reaches the top of the track, you wrap back around to the bottom, and score a Benchmark token for passing the *star*.  However, if you land on the *star*, you score two Benchmark tokens.  So the real trick to the game is not just to score points as fast and as furiously as possible, but to score in specific ways that land you on the *star* and earn that extra Benchmark.  It is in managing this that the game is won or lost.

Lest I be considered a shill, I want to end this review by pointing out two problems with Sunrise City.  Fortunately neither of these problems is with the gameplay itself.  In fact, both have to do with the coloring.  First, the blue on the Zone tiles does not match the blue on the Building tiles.  The larger issue with the blue is that it might be confused with the purple Zone tile, but laid side by side, the difference is obvious.  This is a minor detail, and one that my mind overlooked shortly after recognizing the inconsistency, but that might pose an issue for some sticklers.

The other problem of greater weight is the Community tiles.  Community tiles have a significant effect on gameplay, and a tile placement that might land you directly on the *star* might be completely derailed by lack of consideration of those Community tiles.  The background color on the Community tiles is intended to correspond to a type of Building, thereby gaining or costing points to the player who lays a Building tile next to it.  However, the overall coloring of the Community tiles is so subtle, it is easy to forget they are there, and subsequently forget to score them altogether.  I plan to solve this problem by buying color-corresponding glass tiles to sit on the Community tiles.  These should stand out boldly enough not to be overlooked.

In the spirit of the Dice Hate Me review you’ve come to expect, I submit the following:

Gameplay/Replay	Components & Theme	Fun
While city-building is not unique to Sunrise City, I think that Sunrise City implements this action in a unique way—at least for this gamer.  The random distribution of both the Zone and Building tiles will offer a unique experience time and again, a la Carcassonne.  You just never know what will come up when, or where it will be placed.  The multiple Roles available and the drafting at the beginning of the game will also allow for some timing decisions—when to play whom to greatest effect—that will certainly play out differently every time.	Even with the aforementioned color issues, I would be inclined to give Sunrise City a 7 on a 6-point scale if it were possible.  Everything is so tactile and visual, all designed to give the board an upward lift as you build ever higher.  The playing pieces are so chunky that even the clumsiest digits will be hard-pressed to fumble them.  And oh those Benchmark tokens: thick stars with edges so sharp they’ll make a ninja jealous.  The artwork is clean and vivid.  This stylization, combined with the subtle nuances throughout, brings home the feeling that you're building a place you just might want to live, if you were a meeple.	The theme of Sunrise City was a bit of a hump for me to get over.  I’ll admit I’m a bit of a sucker for the elves and dwarves of high fantasy, and city-building does not scream “PLAY ME!”, at least to my ears.  I also will admit that some of the less obvious aspects of gameplay escaped me on my first few tries.  However, repeated plays have revealed new ways to jockey my scoring pawn to land just exactly on the *star*, and I grow more excited about my play each time.  I have seen this process at work in my fellow players, and each has said something like, “I know what I’d do differently next time.”
Overall score: 14 out of 18

If laying tiles is your thing, then Sunrise City will be a walk through the streets of heaven.  Even if it is not, Sunrise City offers a combination of strategy and luck that will keep players coming back.  Win or lose, any game that ends with me thinking about what I would do different next time is one to which I will return.

Here’s a bit direct from Cartrunk Entertainment’s John Moller:

“We asked, you answered. We postulated having a live streaming game of VivaJava during the Superbowl. Your answers here, in twitter, on tumblr and via email were enough to make the decision seem like a good one. We’re doing it.

Yes, Cartrunk Entertainment will be live streaming a game of VivaJava at 4:00pm (Eastern Standard Time) on Sunday February 5, 2012! The game’s designer, T.C. Petty III will be here at our home base in Delaware to join us for this awesome game! If you can tune in, you should!

We’ll have at least 6 experienced players blending and researching their way to coffee victory. It could be a full house by Sunday with 8 players vying for the coveted coffee crown!”

For more information about the event – and a link to several other VivaJava-related goodies – hop on over to Cartrunk Entertainment: http://cartrunk.net/vivajava-the-big-game/

For the most part, the following reviews will be from the iPad user’s experience. However, I’ll be sure to note when an app is optimized for iPad and iPhone. Since I also have an Android phone, I’ll note if there’s a comparable Android version of the app, as well – and if it’s any good.

Ticket to Ride

Search the internets for a “best of” list of must-have iPad apps, and Ticket to Ride is at the top of the list. What most lists fail to mention, however, is the hefty (for an app) price tag of $6.99. In the end, I decided to hand in the cash to check out the game for the sake of comprehensive journalism – at least, that’s what I told Monkey238, anyway. Thankfully, the money seemed well-spent. The Ticket to Ride app is gorgeous and smooth, with no hiccups (so far) and an extremely user-friendly interface. The AI is just as sneaky and annoying as playing against a certain Monkey who always seems to know what routes I need at just the right time. And even the sounds – and soundtrack – won’t make you want to claw at your ears after a few hours of play. In fact, I’m betting more than a few won’t be able to stop humming “Red River Valley” for days – and like it!

In summary, unless you’ve played Ticket to Ride until you never want to think about nor get near a train again in your lifetime, this app is a real treat for the tablet.

Impression score: 6 out of 6

Ticket to Ride is produced by Days of Wonder and is compatible with Game Center. It’s available in the iTunes store for $6.99.

Forbidden Island

If Ticket to Ride is considered by many to be the “killer app” of iPad boardgaming, Forbidden Island may just assassinate it. And although I’m not the biggest fan of coops, even I was seduced by its beautiful charms the moment I saw the starter screen. The graphics and interface are superb, and the sounds are immersive, but what sets this app apart is the attention to detail. One of the layout options is labelled “tabletop,” and it allows gamers situated around a table the ability to easily see their turn position and cards – because they’re oriented toward the player. That may not be the sexiest feature you’ve ever heard of, but to this gamer (and lover of the little things) it’s actually a selling point.

If you’re a fan of Forbidden Island – or just coops, in general – then this app is a must-buy. If you like digital boardgaming, then this app is a must-buy. If you like pretty, sparkly things, then this app is a must-buy. Or, you can just go back to playing Bejewelled for the 856th time.

Impression score: 6 out of 6

Forbidden Island is produced by Button Mash Games for Gamewright and is compatible with Game Center. It’s available in the iTunes store for $4.99.

Puerto Rico

Ah, Puerto Rico. The Euro darling of the hardcore gamerati has finally gone digital – and what an app! Now every gamer can thrill to ka-ching after ka-ching of coin-jingling sound clips as their little round brown blobby things go flying into plantations and warehouses – at least I think they’re plantations and warehouses. They all kind of look the same. But, hey, at least we get to see corn and indigo flower and grow in tiny little garden plots – as long as we throw a little round brown blobby thing at them. How do you throw those little round blobby things around? I have no idea – I just randomly touch the area near my swarthy (or regal) avatar and they come flying out. There’s no such thing as control when the icons/buttons are 8 pixels X 8 pixels. And the soundtrack – just try and get the acoustic guitar jams of Angels We Have Heard on High peppered with a vague Spanish rendition of the traditional Gloria en Excelsis Deo out of your head after the first thirty minutes of it on repeat. I’ll tell you right now – you can’t, unless you put on some Hansen, and I think we all know where that’s headed.

But, hey, at least it’s Puerto Rico. On the iPad. In glorious HD.

Impression score: 3 out of 6 (because, hey, it’s Puerto Rico)

Puerto Rico is produced by Ravensburger Digital and is compatible with Game Center. It’s available in the iTunes store for $7.99.

Kingsburg: Serving the Crown

I first played Kingsburg the board game back in October after hearing countless comparisons to Alien Frontiers. After playing, I can safely say that, other than dice and dice modification, Kingsburg is no Alien Frontiers. However, I still found the experience enjoyable and contemplated picking up a copy – so when I saw that the app was available, I jumped at the chance to give it a shot. After playing, I can safely say that, other than dice and dice modification, Kingsburg the app is no Kingsburg the board game. Since the game is optimized for the iPhone, the developers have had to make certain concessions with the user interface – concessions which are actually quite annoying. The most blatant offender comes when choosing how to allocate your dice to the court advisors. In the board game, you can clearly see all the advisors laid out in order with the value of dice needed to gain their favor and take their gifts. Not so in the app; players must first create a value combination with the dice and then an advisor is revealed. With three and, sometimes four, dice and the +/-2 value tokens thrown in the mix, the variations can add up, and players will spend half the game turning dice on and off again to find the “sweet spot.” For anyone who has never played the board game and who isn’t familiar with the mix of advisors, this lack of a tactical overview could be a real game-changer, not only in figuring out what you want to do each turn, but also in understanding and countering the possibilities of your opponents.

Despite the annoyances, the fun and challenge of the board game is still intact, and Kingsburg will probably satisfy those i-gamers who like to have a little dice in their deeper games – at least until the long-anticipated Alien Frontiers iPad app makes its debut.

Impression score: 4 out of 6

Kingsburg: Serving the Crown is produced by iNigma and is compatible with Game Center. It’s available in the iTunes store for $4.99

Roll Through the Ages

And speaking of dice, I originally grabbed Roll Through the Ages when I had an iPhone and it was at the bargain price of $.99. It was worth all 99 pennies. The app doesn’t throw a whole lot of flair at the player, but it doesn’t need to; the user interface is fairly easy to navigate, and the rules aren’t that difficult to grasp, especially for players who’ve played the analog game. One of the best/worst features of the game is the food monitor that lets you know when you have enough food to feed your people. It’s the best because it lets you be a bit lazy and speeds up gameplay by doing all the calculations for you. It’s the worst feature because it never tells you exactly how much food you have, so you could be rolling in the wheat and not even know it. This, of course, slows gameplay at times because you have to backtrack and figure out if you’d rather have two workers or two food on those split dice. Overall, though, Roll Through the Ages is a decent port of a solid casual game and will satisfy the digital dice cravings nicely – especially for iPhone users who want to play a quick 15-minute game on the daily bus/train.

Impression score: 4 out of 6

Roll Through the Ages is produced by Vintru, LLC and is not compatible with Game Center. It’s available in the iTunes store for $2.99.

Bang! HD

Bang! is one of my gaming group’s all-time favorite card games, and holds the position of not only the most-played game, but the most-owned game. Every friend, family member or coworker we all introduce the game to seems to want it for their next reunion, party, or camping trip. And so, on the day I bought my iPad, right there in the Apple Store while I was waiting for the complete set-up, I logged into the free Wi-Fi and plunked down the coin for Bang! The port over to iOS remains one of the best I’ve seen for any game, with slick graphics, fantastic sound and a very useful interface – and that’s all fine and dandy as long as you just want to play Bang! as a straight card game. However, what seems to be hard to distill into digital form is the sneaky, backstabbing, social play that makes the analog game so darn fun to play. In Bang! you have to play your cards right, but just as in Poker, you’re typically playing your opponents more than the cards. The same is true in the original Bang! and without the full social experience, this version falls short.

I will give credit to the developers, though, for trying to make the AI seems as human as possible; quite often, I’ve found them to be almost as sneaky as those two-faced varmints I work with and play against. Almost.

Impression score: 5 out of 6

Bang! HD is produced by Palzoun & SpinVector and is compatible with Game Center. It’s available in the iTunes store for $4.99

Medici

Those of you dear readers and friends who know me best probably also know my opinion of the average Reiner Knizia game – best left on the shelf. Now, don’t get me wrong, I admire the good doctor’s prolific nature and his zeal for games, but me and a Knizia game typically go together like hammers and panties; that is to say, not well. From time to time, though, I like to revisit things that I find unpleasant or unsavory – much like some foods – and see if I have acquired a new taste. And, so, I bought some Knizia. I decided to go with a mechanic I really like – bidding – in order to ease myself into the shallow end rather than diving head first into the deep. It was a good decision, and I’ve found that I really like Medici. There’s not an awful lot to the game – over three rounds either bid, or not, on lots of one to three items from five different categories, scoring end points when the five slots on your ships are full. However, what the app adds to the experience is both subtle and engaging. The sounds are minimal, the soft, shifting blues of the waves behind the ships are pleasant, and the interface is straightforward. Overall, there’s not much to not like about the game or the app. I always love when I’m pleasantly surprised by what’s on my plate.

Impression score: 5 out of 6

Medici is produced by Codito Development Inc. and is not compatible with Game Center. It’s available in the iTunes store for $.99 (a bargain!)

Elder Sign

Many of you who follow me on Twitter already faced the onslaught of tweets when the Android version of this was released in early November. So it should come as no surprise that Elder Sign makes this review list. Not only did I feel that the Android port was worth every bit of the $4.99 that I paid for it, I did and still would recommend it to everyone within shouting distance. Thus, when I first purchased my iPad, one of the most pressing questions was whether I should shell out a whopping $6.99 for the iPad version – for an app I already had on another platform and enjoyed. In the end, my love for everything Lovecraftian (and Launiusian) won out and I relented – and I’m so glad that I did. For every eery and heart-stopping moment that I enjoyed this dice-chucking (or glyph-flinging) game on the Android, I found as much or more joy when witnessing the creepy hordes bearing down on Arkham on the iPad. The art is amazing (naturally), the user interface superb, and the sounds are incredibly immersive. And, as an added bonus, the app amps up the difficulty from the analog version. Whether you own an iPad, iPhone or Android device, you really can’t go wrong with going insane in this cyclopean effort.

Impression score: 6 out of 6

Elder Sign is produced by Fantasy Flight Games and is not compatible with Game Center. It’s available in the iTunes store for $6.99 for the iOS, and in the Android Market for $3.99.

Hero Academy

Ok, so this one’s technically not a board game, but it totally could be. I stumbled onto this little gem by accident on – where else? – Twitter, and immediately had to check it out. I soon discovered that the game involved variable set up on a square grid with a host of fantasy characters such as wizards, knights, archers and clerics – much like a cross between Summoner Wars and the home arcade classic Archon. Each round, players have to decide how best to use five actions to move/deploy/equip their various characters, equipment and special items in order to gain the upper hand against their opponents and deal damage to the opponent’s power crystals. Players can win the game by destroying the opposition’s crystal(s) or forcing them to run out of reinforcements. Overall, the game has a similar analog feel to Titan, but with the quick pace and ease-of-understanding of SmallWorld. In other words – it’s awesome fun, and you should fight me. My name is dicehateme. Naturally.

Impression score: 5 out of 6

Hero Academy is produced by Robot Entertainment and is not compatible with Game Center. It’s available in the iTunes store for FREE (although it won’t be long before you sign up for the in-app upgrades).

The Speicherstadt to me is a perfect example of what it means to be a “European” game. It is a very tight game about managing resources – and is, in fact, the first resource management game I have ever played that has hardly any resources. It feels a bit like playing a farming game set in the middle of a drought! So here’s what happens: each player has three bidding markers. Starting with the first player, each player places one of their bidding markers next to a “building” (by building I mean a building, contract, ship, or firemen; also, there will be one more building available than there are players in the game). If another player (or players) have already placed their marker on a building, you can place your marker above theirs. After all markers have been placed, you start determining who purchases each building – the player who placed on the building in question first has the first chance to buy it, but at a cost of $1 per marker present. If they pass, the second player has the option (and it is now $1 cheaper), and so on until the building is either purchased or all of the players have passed. After this, if someone has purchased a ship (the only way of getting resources in the game), then they have to immediately allocate their new resources – whether this means they store them in a warehouse, trade them to the bank, or place them on a contract. Now, at the end of the turn, each player collects $1 of income from the bank ($2 if they purchased no buildings that turn). Also during the course of the game, four fires will start. Each player helps put the fire out by contributing his Firemen (if he has any – these can be purchased like buildings, but must have already been purchased in order to be used). The person(s) with the most Firemen get victory points, and the player(s) with the least Firemen lose points. When you fight the last fire, the game is over, and players add up their score – points can be earned through completed contracts, buildings, and from fighting fires. Whoever has the most victory points gets the option of gloating the loudest (and dancing a victory dance – but you should at least think about having a tactful one)!

The first thing that I like about The Speicherstadt is how purchasing buildings works. I think that this concept of demand is an innovative and yet simple mechanic that functions masterfully. From a capitalist perspective, it also makes sense to me – if there are three people that all want the same thing, then let the first person purchase it – but only if they’re willing to pay for it! (How much do new iPhones cost when they come out again?) Well, it’s not exactly like how supply and demand works in a real marketplace, but it is a nice mechanic in this game. The first person present gets the opportunity to buy the building, but each extra coin they spend can make a large difference in the game! (Keep in mind, you only gain one extra coin per turn) Unfortunately, the limited amount of money in the game essentially turns this into a first player disadvantage. However, you each take turns being first player, so overall, I really enjoyed this new way of handling purchasing.

The next thing that I thought was interesting was the limited quantities of everything in the game. You won’t have an abundance of anything, I can almost guarantee it. One of the games I played I purposely refrained from buying any buildings for the first few turns so that I could have more money later on. Sure enough, within a few more rounds I had been able to purchase what I wanted, but I was back to a very small amount of coins available in my bank (by the way, this strategy worked; I won that game). This makes each decision feel much more crucial – which adds more of a sense of excitement and tension into a fairly simple game.

A third thing that I liked about The Speicherstadt was the Firemen. Specifically, I liked that they were important enough in the game that you couldn’t ignore them, but they weren’t overpowered to the point that you could win the game by focusing only on them. They simply added another element to factor in when deciding what to buy on any given turn. And so they helped add more of a feeling of “but, I need all of them” when looking at buildings. (And then you look at the amount of coins in your bank and you grow very sad realizing that you couldn’t afford to buy three buildings even if you were able to buy them for $1 apiece. I’m assuming this wasn’t just me…)

With that said, the main con that I had with The Speicherstadt was that I felt like the first phase of buildings were somewhat worthless. (There are 4 different piles of buildings that are shuffled separately and stacked on top of each other to form the draw pile.) Most of these buildings allowed you to trade in extra goods of a certain type for one coin each.  Yes, there are times when trading a specific good for one coin is useful – namely, when you have excess amounts of that good and no need for it. However, the trading buildings from the first phase only work with a single type of good and only improve your basic trading from a 2:1 resource to coin ratio to a 1:1 resource to coin ratio. And, you don’t know which goods you will have extras of later in the game. Therefore, buying any of the trading buildings seems to be far more of a gamble than a strategic decision, in my opinion. Since the bulk of the first phase buildings are these trading posts, most of the first phase felt somewhat pointless.

My second con was that there was nothing that really grabbed me about The Speicherstadt. Yes, this is a much harder con to describe, but overall the game just didn’t engage me to the point where I felt like I needed to play it repeatedly. There was no sense of building on previous accomplishment. Yes, there was ongoing strategy from the beginning to the end of the game – buy contracts, decide whether you need buildings now or coins later, make sure that you have firemen; but, overall you’re still reacting to the situation more than you are developing a long term strategy. Whereas I don’t think that necessarily makes a game bad, it is my best attempt of explaining why The Speicherstadt didn’t grab my imagination and make me excited to play it again and again.

Overall I give The Speicherstadt a 7.5/10. It works – there is nothing wrong with this game. I wouldn’t even mind playing it more if other people were interested. However, it’s probably not something that I will actively pursue. I am glad that I had the opportunity to try it, though, because it did feel unique to me, even with all of the other games that I have tried.

Or, instead of a 7.5/10, on the Dice Hate Me scale,  The Speicherstadt scores:

Gameplay/Replay	Components & Theme	Fun
The Speicherstadt offers some innovative mechanics, but isn't as engaging as I would hope, causing the long term replayability to suffer.	But then again, I'm ok with wooden pieces and meeples.  The expansion even replaces the cardboard coins with shiny metal ones (from what I've been told).	I enjoyed playing this game.  Then again, I love to play games!
Overall score: 13 out of 18

I hope you enjoyed your brief interruption from Chris’ writing.  Can’t read enough about board games?  Once you’ve read all the articles here, why not check out my site for a bit. Or better yet, why not follow us both?

(Editors note: I’d like to thank Josh for taking the time to contribute to Dice Hate Me. He is a shrewd, critical gamer whose opinion I trust. As for The Speicherstadt, I would rate it a bit higher than Josh, but mainly because I love bidding games, and Stefan Feld’s mechanics distill the bidding essence to a warm, comforting bit of gaming – especially that warm feeling you get when you can press your opponent for their last coin and still come out on top.)

The Speicherstadt is a game for 2 to 5 warehouse managers, ages 8 and up, by Stefan Feld for Z-Man Games. It’s available for 30 bucks at Board Game Guy, or at your Favorite Local Game Store.

Now, we’re back. And we’ve brought coffee.

Dice Hate Me Games is proud to present VivaJava: The Coffee Game! Designer T.C. Petty III has spent the last three years perfecting this unique and engaging game and now it’s time for it to be sent out into the wild. VivaJava is now available on Kickstarter, and with your help, we can see this wonderful game on the shelves of great stores everywhere.

In a nutshell, VivaJava is a “social Euro” for 3-8 players. What this means is that the game will satisfy that craving for a Euro game while keeping gameplay open and highly interactive through cooperation and negotiation. For more information on VivaJava, you can check out the official Kickstarter page, or the games page on Dice Hate Me Games.

As always, thank you for reading Dice Hate Me – and regardless of whether you choose to back VivaJava, you can rest assured that Dice Hate Me will continue to bring you all the quality gaming news, reviews and previews you’ve come to expect since our inception. Taste the quality!

PHOTOS FROM THE UNPUB!

Early morning gaming. By noon, the place was packed with gamers and designers.

VivaJava!

Jesse Catron's Pond Farr - a delightful deck-building salmon racing game.

Weston Stapleton's Tabgha

A monkey playing Swinging Jivecat Voodoo Lounge

Swinging Jivecat is full of monkeys!

Designer Josh Tempkin explains Throne Dice.

Co-designer Brad Lackey loves building his kingdom so it can be torn down in Throne Dice.

Joe Hopkins teaches the most efficient method of selling vacuum cleaners in Traveling Salesman.

Darrell Louder's Compounded drew many a crowd with its unique theme and elements of surprise.

A table full of chemical miscreants: Josh Edwards and his wife Anna, David MacKenzie of Clever Mojo Games, Luke Winters and Monkey238

AND BUT SO:

VivaJava: The Coffee Game (Soon to be on Kickstarter!)

Carnival (It’s here, and ready for you to enjoy!)

And, finally:

The Dice Hate Me Games Newsletter! Sign up for the best in behind-the-scenes goodness from our hearts to yours.

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Nefarious

This unassuming little title from Donald X. Vaccarino (he of Dominion fame) was at the top of my Essen wishlist for the mad scientist theme alone. Game Whisperer Richard Bliss was kind enough to loan us his personal copy so that we could discover, thankfully, that the game is as fun as the theme. Nefarious has received mixed reviews since its release, but Monkey238 and I have had an enjoyable time exploring its simple and subtle nuances, and it makes a fantastic and quick-playing four-player game for casual gatherings. The mechanics are pretty straightforward and the basic strategies not terribly complex, but what keeps the game fresh and exciting is the use of two Twist cards that are revealed at the beginning of the game. These cards turn some of the mechanics and goals on their heads, mixing up gameplay, and often creating combos that can be downright devious in their machinations. It’s family-tested, as well – my mom had no trouble picking up on the basics within a couple of turns. It’s a safe bet this subtle gem will be a hit at your next science club reunion.

7 Wonders

Speaking of quick-playing, I finally caught the tail-end of the 7 Wonders bandwagon and ordered it for the holidays. Monkey238 and I had played it once before with a full table of 7 players and enjoyed it quite a bit despite the often head-scratching moments of deciphering the myriad iconography on the cards. To familiarize ourselves a bit more with the icons and varied strategies, we tackled the “advanced” two-player variant and found it surprisingly satisfying even with Bob, our dummy third player. Once Shawn and Jacki were added to the mix, the game really began to shine and it became incredibly easy to justify a wild strategy change mid-game as we knew that if it didn’t work out, we could just shuffle up and play again in 30 minutes. The short play time can be deceiving – you might expect lighter fare from 30 minutes and a deck of cards – but 7 Wonders is wonderfully satisfying, especially with a smaller group.

Homesteaders

Homesteaders is next on the list because we first encountered this lovely down-home title at the same game party where we first played 7 Wonders. I remember a flurry of poor choices, a lot of overbidding and tons of negative points in that first game, but that didn’t curb my fascination. And, so, when the vastly-improved second edition was released this fall, there was much rejoicing at Dice Hate Me HQ. It’s no secret that I love games with a robust bidding system, and Homesteaders delivers that along with a rich engine-making mechanic that allows for a ton of varied strategies. Some gamers have lamented the semi-dry theme, but Homesteaders‘ charming art and easy iconography make it a pretty immersive and memorable gaming experience. A fair word of caution to casual gamers, however – underneath that unassuming exterior lies a multi-spoked cog that may leave a few grinding their gears trying to assess and absorb the nuances.

Macao

And now that we’re on the subject of games with a lot going on, allow me to present Macao – again. As I mentioned in my Mace 2011 wrap-up, Macao is one monster brainburner. Having left the table after my first experience with the game a bit shaken, I was stirred to actually buy the game for the holidays in the hopes of twisting a certain Monkey’s mind with lots and lots of tiny cubes. Naturally, she caught on quick, and by mid-game of her introductory foray she was already giving me a hardy run for my money. After my second game, I could safely say that the game made a lot more sense; what I can’t safely say is that my strategies became more focused. By our third game, Monkey was doing as Monkey always does in Euros – lingering in the back of the VP track until final scoring where she nets a 100 points and makes everyone eat her dust. This time, however, she was doing so while grinning widely. This is always a very good thing – the game got her seal of approval. We played another later in the week with four players and found it even more competitive, cutthroat – and wickedly good. It may have taken two years to finally get Macao to the table, but it’s clear now that it was well worth the wait.

Fealty

Brainburner number three in the mix is the recently-Kickstarted Fealty from Asmadi Games. Fealty’s campaign ran about the same time as Carnival’s, and we thought it looked like an intriguing and fairly-unique blend of area control and hand management. As it turns out, it’s much, much more. In Fealty, each player has control of a set of nine servants, nobles, generals and such that can be sent into the countryside to spread influence and convince the peasantry to support your cause for the kingdom. Each of the servants exert influence over different terrain types and with different reaches – the Agent, for instance, can exert influence over towns that are within two squares of its token, while the Ranger can exert influence over forests that are within three squares of its token. Each servant also has a speed, which determines both its turn order in relation to other players when selected, as well as the order in which influence is spread and scored at the end of the game. Placement restrictions (no placing a token in the same row or column as another token of your forces) and special actions that are activated when the card is played (moving already-placed tokens and such) really amp up the strategic thinking. Fealty’s gameplay taps into that tiny gap where you have to balance a long-term strategy with mindbending tactical savvy when the enemy places their forces in just the wrong place at the right time. Fast-moving it’s not, but the rules are fairly straightforward leaving the true complexities where they belong – squarely on the game table.

VivaJava

A tiny step down on the mindbender scale – but no less fulfilling in strategy and fun – is our next Kickstarter project and Euro darling, VivaJava. Monkey, Shawn, Jacki and I took the Intern Inspansion for a couple of test spins to check out some last-minute balance tweaks and the new Flavor card mix. As we pushed ourselves to explore new avenues for game-winning strategies, the game seemed tighter and more focused than ever. We discussed a couple more tweaks to get the engine purring like a fine sports car, and we were recently able to test those out with designer T.C. Petty III and a slew of new players at the recent Unpub2 in Dover, Delaware. The more we play, test and refine VivaJava, the more excited Monkey, T.C. and I are to share this wonderful game with all of you. January 25 is VJ Day on Kickstarter – it’s almost time to Get Caffeinated!

And now, more games with more pictures!

Monkey shifts the Supervisor in her classic "feed the caravan" move in Yspahan.

All manner of Hades breaks loose in Flash Point: Fire Rescue - an interesting (albeit slightly inferior) alternative to Pandemic.

Sometimes it's healthy to give your brain a rest and let your fingers do the heavy lifting in Caveman Curling.

A little three-player foray into Eminent Domain. Apparently it's cold in space.

Laugh all you want, Monopoly Express is an addictive little press-your-luck dicefest.

Mmmmm, canned taco.

Links to games mentioned on the podcast:

Time’s Up: Title Recall

Yspahan

7 Wonders

Macao

Fealty

King of Tokyo

Mr. Jack

Twilight Struggle

Confusion: Espionage and Deception in the Cold War

Saboteur

Lifeboat

Bang!

Hey, That’s My Fish!

Nefarious

Defenders of the Realm

Forbidden Island

Chronicle

Compounded

ALSO, NOW ON KICKSTARTER:

Caveman Curling

AND BUT SO:

VivaJava: The Coffee Game (Soon to be on Kickstarter!)

Carnival (It’s here, and ready for you to enjoy!)

And, finally:

The Dice Hate Me Games Newsletter! Sign up for the best in behind-the-scenes goodness from our hearts to yours.

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Last year around this time, I mentioned that 2010 had been a great year for independent success stories, and 2011 has quadrupled that success. This has truly been the year of Kickstarter, and we would definitely know – Carnival was a part of it! Because of the wonderful resources of fans, supporters and curious gamers alike, we all have been privileged to play many titles this year that may never have seen the light of day without the benefit of crowdfunding, and 2012 will bring even more indie gems to our tables.

But before we look forward to gaming in 2012, it’s time to take a moment and reflect on the best and brightest of 2011. Thus, we present the Dice Hate Me 2011 Game of the Year Awards! This year, the main category has been changed just a bit; only those games that were published in 2011 are eligible for the award. However, in order to honor those games that graced our gaming table for the first time this year but were published before 2011, I decided to introduce the Dice Hate Me Discovery of the Year Award. Breaking up the category may seem to lighten the competition a bit, but bear in mind that the games list is four times as large as before! The final decision was still mind-numbingly difficult, but in the end, the choice became clear.

2011 Dice Hate Me Game of the Year

Belfort

In the “Year of the Independent” there was simply no way to resist the charms of this unexpected gem – and no way for this brainburning beast to be denied its due. At the heart of Belfort lies the many machinations of a standard Euro, but the mad genius of its complex construction defies simple categorization. For me, Belfort is a rarity – a box full of magic that scratches multiple gaming itches in one intensely-satisfying sitting. And in a hobby where its enthusiasts are always in search of the unusal, where the designer du jour is seemingly always the one with the latest maniacal mechanics, it’s refreshing to see the thirst for uniquity quenched by two down-to-earth guys from Canada with a fondness for the familiar.

Belfort is a game for 2-5 fantastical civil engineers, ages 12 and up, by Sen-Foong Lim and Jay Cormier for Tasty Minstrel Games.

First Runner-up

The Road to Canterbury

If 2011 wasn’t declared the “Year of the Independent,” it could just as easily have been called the Year of Alf. Alf Seegert’s name had popped up from time to time before, but it wasn’t until this year that we played three of Alf’s games – two of which were released in 2011, and both of which were excellent. And although Trollhalla will find its way off the shelf and onto the table for years to come, The Road to Canterbury is a near-perfect masterpiece. I would be hard-pressed to name a game that so closely integrates theme and play, with a gaming voice so mischievous and bawdy that one might feel as if that old bard Chaucer himself may have had a hand in its production. In the end, Alf’s ode to literature was only nudged out of the top spot because of Belfort’s ability to accommodate two more players at the table; truly, to call The Road to Canterbury a “runner-up” seems almost an injustice, as it deserves the same superlative as its subject matter: Classic.

The Road to Canterbury is a game for 2 to 3 Pardoners, by Alf Seegert for Eagle & Gryphon Games.

Second Runner-up

Elder Sign

The dangers and denizens of Arkham, Mass. are no strangers in the Dice Hate Me household, and so it was with bated breath that I awaited what I thought could be the “Year of Lovecraft.” However, when Mansions of Madness left a coldness inside me that rivaled the murky depths off the coast of Innsmouth, a seed of corrupt doubt grew in my heart. I greeted the arrival of Elder Sign later in the year with guarded and much-subdued elation; with so much hallowed ground to defend and redeem, could it deliver? Deliver it did, and with dice no less! While some complained of its ease in difficulty and others remarked on the inherent fiddliness of every Fantasy Flight game, I and everyone else that I introduced to the world of Elder Sign just did as designers Richard Launius and Kevin Wilson had intended – we had fun in the face of fear.

Elder Sign is a game for 1 to 8 investigators, ages 8 and up, by Richard Launius and Kevin Wilson for Fantasy Flight Games.

2011 Dice Hate Me Discovery of the Year

Defenders of the Realm

Maybe it was the magic of that first play at Origins with designer Richard Launius. Maybe it’s the fact that Monkey and I can play a three hour game and not mind losing – again and again. Maybe it’s the taint. But maybe – just maybe – it’s because Richard created a game that not only made me truly care about a co-op, it also made me forget my fear of chucking those cruel cubes of fate.

First Runner-up

Yspahan

Boards. Cards. Camels. Cubes. Language-independent iconography. And dice. One of these things is not like the other. And yet, in this unassuming little Euro, those wooden dice breathe fresh air into area control and resource management – all in a tight and tidy little one-hour romp. Troyes wishes it was this good.

Second Runner-up

Lords of Vegas

Perhaps by now all of you dear readers have noticed a trend in these discoveries: Yes, they feature dice very prominently. One would think that a gamer that typically goes by Dice Hate Me might run screaming from the room every time someone even mumbles the word Yahtzee. This is not altogether true – the real trick is if the game masterfully walks the razors edge between tactical control and excitement of the unknown. Lords of Vegas is just such a game, perfectly embodying the gambling spirit of the Strip in each and every roll of the dice.

NOTE: There have been a few readers of Dice Hate Me and listeners of The State of Games that have speculated that the Discovery of the Year awards might include unpublished games that I have discovered at conventions or that have been sent to us for review and feedback. Although I would love to make a special category for games like, oh, VivaJava: The Coffee Game, that might be construed as self-promotion. And so I’ll only mention VivaJava: The Coffee Game – and other great games like John Moller’s Flummox, Darrell Louder’s Compounded, Ben Rosset’s The Market, and Mike Swiryn’s States: After the Fall – in this tiny note. But just you wait until next year…

______________________________________

And now for something completely different. Each year Monkey238 also takes some time to reflect on the past year of gaming and select her Game of the Year. Because she likes to keep things tidy – and because she’s a rebel who likes to buck trends – her Game of the Year is selected regardless of when the game is published. And now… Monkey238!

Last year I learned 38 new games. That’s a lot. Or so I thought until I recently checked my handy little spreadsheet, appropriately titled “Monkey’s Games”. Wanna take a guess as to how many cells I have filled up for 2011? Did you answer 117? Then you would be correct! That’s right, folks. 117 new games played this year; that’s on top of the ones I already knew. And somehow I also managed to graduate university Valedictorian. Both Chris and Momma are so proud.

Perusing my list, it is no surprise that my top three games of the year have lots of wood for me to run my hands through. I have therefore declared 2011 as Year of the Euro. An honorable mention goes to Egizia, which I played near the end of 2010. This fine Rio Grande publication is what first gave me the thrill of making my way around a victory track and from that point on I’ve been successful using a seemingly* come-from-behind strategy to nudge my green meeple/cube/disc along the board.

And now I present to you my favorite games of 2011.

Game of the Year

Yspahan

Two words: wood + camels. Can it get any better? Yes, it can. Just add a handful of large (wood) dice to increase the wonderfully tactile and sensual experience that this game is. The equilibrium created by the luck of the roll versus the strategic decision-making required each turn gives the players a sense of accomplishment every time they place one of their cubes in the shops, the caravan, or the buildings. The colorful boards (there are three community boards and an individual one for each player) are oddly pleasing despite their initially-jarring vibrancy, inviting you to visit over and over again.

First Runner-up

At the Gates of Loyang

Before you jump to any conclusions, this game is not solely on my list because of its Chinese theme. Or because of its colorful veggie meeples. Or because of its interesting economic mechanics. It’s all of these factors combined that make AtGoL my choice over its better known cousin Agricola, as you strive to sustain profit-yielding fields and income-producing markets.

Second Runner-up

Belfort

Introduce elves, dwarves, and gnomes to the piles of wood circles, squares, and pentagons, and you’ve got yourself a fun, fantastical journey staking your claim in the village with worker placement, resource management, and building construction making it all possible.

*I say “seemingly” because I’m one of those players that somehow racks up enough end-of-game points to slide my way past the glaring eyes of Mister Blue. (Editor’s note: That’d be me – Dice Hate Me)