Review: 7 Wonders

November 14, 2017 David Neumann 8

iPad • There were three board game ports that seemed stuck in development hell, never to actually make an appearance on our tablets. The first was Twilight Struggle which switched developers after years of development only for Playdek to save the day, releasing one of the best board game ports on the App Store. Then there was Through the Ages which was promised back when the iPad was a novelty, died when Codito’s license expired, and finally resurrected by CGE as one of the best board game ports on the App Store. Now we have 7 Wonders, which was nearly released several years ago, been through multiple beta tests, and has finally made its way to digital but, unfortunately, isn’t one of the best board game ports on the App Store.

Stately Sessions: Liberty or Death, Turns 5 and 6

November 13, 2017 David Neumann 3

Tabletop • We’re back after a long gaming weekend that consisted of playing a lot of old favorites with not one “new” game hitting the table. We had some new players, so game teaching was still in order, but far less stressful than trying to teach games I barely know how to play. That’s all in the past, however, and from this point on we’re going to focus on wrapping this game of Liberty or Death from GMT Games up. I’m hoping turns become faster and faster as I become more familiar with the flowcharts of the AI, so maybe we’ll finish this game before New Year’s? Let’s take a look at two quick turns, Turns 5 and 6.

Return to the world of Hand of Fate in creatively titled Hand of Fate 2

November 13, 2017 David Neumann 0

PC/Mac/Linux • Back when we ran another certain website a strange card game/roguelike/action combat game made its way to Steam. It was Hand of Fate from Defiant Development and wasn’t like anything we’d ever played, except for the combat which was like several other games we’d already played. That wasn’t a big deal, because the mix of everything into one big stew ended up being a tasty package indeed. I tend to not follow Steam as close as I should so I wasn’t aware of a sequel in the works but last week it stopped being in the works and became a full-fledged release. In other words, it was a happy surprise to be playing Hand of Fate 2 over the weekend.

If you don’t already love Zach Gage, FlipFlop will do the trick

November 10, 2017 David Neumann 2

iOS Universal • It’s already been a great year for solitaire card games on mobile. We’ve had Card Thief, Onirim, and Miracle Merchant, all of which are GOTY-quality apps. Zach Gage felt he needed to jump on the bandwagon–Typeshift didn’t suck up enough of my time earlier this year–and yesterday he released his latest title, Flipflop Solitaire. Yes, it’s just solitaire, but somehow Zach Gage has made it much more. How does he do it? I’m guessing it’s the little bit of love he puts into every app.

Stately Sessions: Liberty or Death, Turn 4

November 9, 2017 David Neumann 1

Tabletop • Due to our dining room table being needed for actual dining, I was forced to remove GMT‘s Liberty or Death from its resting place and put it all back into the box after Turn 3. Luckily, I had several badly taken and blurry iPhone pictures taken of the board at this stage, so setting it all back up wasn’t too much of a chore. Anyway, that’s why we had a slight delay in getting to Turn 4. Or, at least, that’s the story I’m sticking with. It had nothing to do with me being lazy, as far as you know. Onwards!

Watch the skies for locust, 7 Wonders is actually coming

November 8, 2017 David Neumann 20

iOS, Android • Few titles have had the long and drawn out development of 7 Wonders. We’ve been told it will be released in the next few months, but that was back in 2013. We’ve been informed that betas were starting, then ending, then starting again. It was the mobile version of Duke Nukem Forever. That’s all coming to an end next week because, hold on to your hats, 7 Wonders is coming to the App Store next Tuesday.

You can now choose your own adventure on the island of Catan

November 8, 2017 David Neumann 7

iOS Universal, Android • 2017 has seen a flood of digital board game conversions from new kid on the block, Asmodee Digital. Today, however, I think we can safely say is their strangest release. It’s called Catan Stories and finally allows us to roleplay as settlers on the titular island like we’ve always wanted to! In all honesty, I’ve never wanted to do this, and never really thought about the people collecting my wheat and sheep when I roll dice in Catan. I’ve thought about the robber, wondering why he’s such a dick, but I don’t think that’s where Catan Stories takes us. Anyway, Catan Stories is out now for iOS and Android.

Stately Sessions: Liberty or Death, Turn 3

November 7, 2017 David Neumann 2

Tabletop • When last we left our intrepid rebels, they had convinced the French to send a few resources their way and used them to take control of New Hampshire. Unfortunately, the British had troops to spare and loaded up Pennsylvania with both regulars and Tories and even built a fort in the Keystone State. Not to be outdone, the Native Americans added more warbands to the territories west and north of the Proclamation of 1763 line, and even built a village just outside the colonies. Luckily, both the Native Americans and British were unavailable for Turn 3, so lets see if the French and Patriots can make up some ground.

Stately Sessions: Liberty or Death, Turns 1 and 2

November 6, 2017 David Neumann 2

Tabletop • It’s commonly believed that the American Revolutionary War began on a wet Wednesday morning in northeastern Massachusetts in the year 1775. That may be true, but a much more fun version of it erupted on a cold November afternoon in Wisconsin, specifically (and much to my wife’s chagrin) on my dining room table. That’s when my latest foray into GMT Games‘ fifth COIN game, Liberty or Death, began, leading to the following tale of military and political highs and lows. The trip should have something for everyone. Old grognards can tell me where I misinterpreted the rules and how stupid I am for not covering my flank, while LoD newbs can read an alternate tale of the ARW and see if Liberty or Death seems like something they’d like to throw down on their own dining room table.

Ooze is also apparently a vaping product. It advertises dual quartz technology, so I guess it's twice as timely as a watch?

One Deck Dungeon and the Digital Giants

November 6, 2017 Kelsey Rinella 15

I mistakenly thought I might be able to tempt my daughter into a game of One Deck Dungeon. An all-female cast in a relatively simple and quick dungeon crawl seemed like it might be the key which unlocked the gamer she could become. It didn’t happen, but I can make lemonade: I now happen to own a copy of the tabletop version of a game with a much-watched (including by us) digital kickstarter campaign. So this isn’t a review of the game as a tabletop experience, but specifically a look at its fitness for digital translation.

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