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Theme Week: The Fewer, The Better

Games by designer Leo Colovini tend to be more strategic and less chaotic when played with the fewest number of people listed on the box. (Some argue that his games are most fun when played with zero players, but we’ll ignore those sourpusses.) FAB has already reviewed Colovini’s Cartagena and Familienbande; this week, seven more games from Signor Colovini.

"Go west, young man, and grow up with the country.” Plenty of Americans heeded the call to travel west in the 19th century, whether they were looking for gold in California, religious freedom in Utah, or hundreds of acres of sunflowers in Kansas. Leo Colovini draws on this history for …
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December 15, 2006 | (4) Comments | Permalink

Theme Week: The Fewer, The Better

Games by designer Leo Colovini tend to be more strategic and less chaotic when played with the fewest number of people listed on the box. (Some argue that his games are most fun when played with zero players, but we’ll ignore those sourpusses.) FAB has already reviewed Colovini’s Cartagena and Familienbande; this week, seven more games from Signor Colovini.

Alexander the Great conquered more land before breakfast each morning than most of us will see in a lifetime, but conquering loses its thrill after awhile and Alexander wasn’t above sharing the wealth with his most trusted underlings—that is, you and one to three other generals.

In Alexandros, …
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December 13, 2006 | (0) Comments | Permalink

Theme Week: Chock-o-block Schacht

In a 2004 interview, designer Michael Schacht said, “I am a big fan of games with few rules.... I prefer a rules structure that also permits poor play. After all, one should be able to learn a game and improve with each play. That has the disadvantage, though, that some of my games aren’t completely understandable during the first play.”

When you think of games related to China, Mah Jong might be the first thing that comes to mind. You’ve seen actors playing the game in movies, slapping down the chunky tiles and collecting the scoring sticks from opponents.

The pieces in Michael Schacht’s China can’t compare to …
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November 29, 2006 | (2) Comments | Permalink

In Tower of Babel, players supervise construction of the eight wonders of the ancient world—yes, eight, as the Tower of Babel is included with the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the statue of Zeus at Olympia, and the rest.

Each of the eight wonders is marked with three randomly …
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October 23, 2006 | (14) Comments | Permalink