August 2021 roundup

In August, I managed to play 72 games of 29 different titles with 10 of them being new to me.

== NEW GAMES ==

Metric Mile – 1 play –  8 
First Published 1986

Very clever solo or multi-player game about middle distance running where you can see whether runners from years gone past would match their modern counterparts. A game lasts ten rounds with each of the four laps becoming more focussed so the first lap lasts one turn while the final lap lasts four. I mapped some of the cards to this year’s olympic finalists and it worked very well.

So Clover! – 2 plays –  8 
First Published 2021

Very accessible party game in the Codenames / Just One family where you try to give clues to allow the other players to correctly place word cards in the correct sequence. Really enjoyed this, even with just two players.

Ryder Cup Replay – 2 plays –  8 
First Published 0

Golf game based on the Ryder Cup competition where you get to replay a specific tournament to see if you can change history. Each player has a card grid of results for the type of club used and the results are cross=referenced with an outcome on the course being played. This was excellent and I’ve spent quite a bit of time adapting it to the 2021 Solheim Cup course and players in readiness for this weekend’s tournament.

Space Lunch – 1 play –  7 
First Published 2020

This is a nice set-collection game where you are trying to draw the right cards from a limited choice while looking ahead to limit your opponent’s possibilities and set yourself up for your subsequent turn. Only played solo but the AI worked well and I quite enjoyed this.

Fast Drive Football – 1 play –  7 
First Published 2021

This is a downloadable solo print and play that simulates an American Football game using dice and charts to resolve each possession rather than play. Hence, a game can be played pretty quickly once you are used to the system. It works really well and the designer is releasing card sets for lots of historical seasons. I’m probably going to use this to play a tournament during this year’s NFL season.

Harry Potter Strike Dice Game – 3 plays –  7 
First Published 2020

Simple push your luck dexterity game of throwing dice into a tray and hoping to match a symbol already showing in the tray. If you don’t get a match, you can toss in another die but once you’re out of dice, you’re out of the game. The Harry Potter version adds special actions for each symbol that mix things up and is a decent variant on the original Strike Dice Game.

Golems – 1 play –  6 
First Published 2020

A card drafting game where you are trying to collect the best combination of golem cards while utilising gems and runes to improve your position. It worked ok but I wasn’t blown away by it.

The Tea Dragon Society Card Game – 1 play –  6 
First Published 2018

This is a deck-building and management game where you choose to draw a card and trigger its effects or buy a card to improve your deck. Certain cards bought progress the game through the four seasons at the end of which whoever has collected the most points wins. It worked smoothly but didn’t wow me as anything different from lots of other deck builders.

Clue: Harry Potter Edition – 1 play –  6 
First Published 2008

Not a lot to say about this other than it’s Cluedo ported to a Harry Potter setting. There are dials on the board that open and close doors to some of the locations and there are cards that can help or hinder your investigations. These are interesting additions and it works pretty well although it’s still basically the Cluedo framework of deducing who did it, with what and where.

Mint Control – 1 play –  6 
First Published 2020

A pared-down area control game that worked ok but wasn;t anything that I felt I’d be rushing back to.

== OTHER GAMES PLAYED THIS MONTH ==

10x Flamme Rouge
9x Pocket Sports Boxing
8x Pocket Cricket
8x Reiner Knizia’s Decathlon
6x Pocket Golf
2x Urbion
2x Onirim
2x Formula D
1x Can’t Stop
1x Qwixx
1x L.L.A.M.A.
1x Encore!
1x Love Letter
1x Qwinto
1x Limes
1x Take it Easy!
1x Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game
1x Space Worm
1x Win, Place & Show

My Tour de France game has just about run its course and has been excellent fun. My cricket league has passed the halfway point and is working well (unless you’re a Lancashire Lightning fan) while the olympics gave me an excuse to give Pocket Sports Boxing and Reiner Knizia’s Decathlon a few plays. It was also nice to play Take it Easy, Qwinto, Love Letter and Limes again after a bit of a break. Onirim, LAMA and Can’t Stop remain in regular play.

== YEAR SO FAR ==

571 games of 135 titles.
41 new to me.
1 x 90 plays; 1 x 40 plays; 1 x 37 plays; 1 x 35 plays; 1 x 27 plays; 1 x 23 plays; 1 x 18 plays; 1 x 16 plays; 1 x 15 plays; 1 x 14 plays; 1 x 12 plays; 1 x 11 plays; 1 x 10 plays; 1 x 8 plays; 2 x 7 plays; 2 x 6 plays; 2 x 5 plays, 7 x 4 plays; 14 x 3 plays; 15 x 2 plays; 79 x 1 play.

== STATE OF THE COLLECTION ==

I added 5 new titles to the collection which were Blitzkrieg: World War Two in 20 Minutes, Ryder Cup Replay, Harry Potter Strike, So Clover and Mr Cabbagehead’s Garden.. My total collection now stands at 715.

At the end of August, I have seven unplayed games (ten at the start of the month) and my Game of the Month was Ryder Cup Replay.