Mac – Page 11 – Stately Play

Fire & Ice coming to Terra Mystica in April

March 22, 2018 David Neumann 5

iOS, Android, PC/Mac/Linux • I haven’t spent a lot of time singing the praises of Digidiced‘s digital port of the euro-game masterpiece, Terra Mystica. Not because it’s not a great port or the game itself isn’t my cup of tea, the reality is that the game is just too damn confusing. Yes, I’ve played it on the tabletop, but I’m not sure I ever got my head around TM’s wheels-within-wheels design that seems complex for complexity’s sake. Seriously, there are so many different rules, ways to play, and mechanisms that it’s a very hard game to truly understand without many, many playthroughs. And all complexity happens even before you take into account the 14 different races, each with their own tweaks to the base rules. On the tabletop you can take your time to figure out just what the hell is going on, but the app comes at you full speed. There are tokens flying, actions being taken, and points being scored and I JUST CAN’T HANDLE IT.

Darkest Dungeon adds DLC and drastically drops down to a dollar

March 14, 2018 David Neumann 6

iPad, PC/Mac/Linux, Switch, Xbox, Playstation • When Darkest Dungeon came out for iPad last fall, I instantly became addicted and played it more than I had in the previous three years it had dwelled on my laptop. I know the love for DD wasn’t universal with many complaining about the wonky UI that could be both tiny and fidgety at the same time, while others saying the difficulty level went beyond their definition of fun. Both were valid points–it’s close, but not a perfect port–but I loved it and kept throwing my hapless adventurers right into the woodchipper with the hope that the Crimson Court and other expansion content would soon arrive on the platform. Today is that day.

Abstract gem, Feud, heading to Early Access and launching iOS beta

March 12, 2018 David Neumann 6

iOS, Android, PC/Mac/Linux • We talked about an unassuming little abstract game called Feud back in November and, turns out, it was pretty good. And this is coming from someone who doesn’t like abstracts. The game was designed by Dave Cordell originally as a tabletop game, but was quickly moved over to the digital realm where it’s a much better fit. Feud should be heading to Early Access fairly soon, but Bearwaves is adding a healthy heaping of goodness before that happens. Oh, and it sounds like an iOS version is coming down the road as well, and they’re looking for testers.

Through the Ages coming to Steam on March 26

March 8, 2018 David Neumann 5

iOS Universal, Android, PC/Mac • If you’ve been reading Stately Play for any length of time you’re aware that my favorite digital–and tabletop, for that matter–board game of all time is Through the Ages designed by Vlaada Chvátil and developed and published by Czech Games Edition. I’ve played more games of TtA online than any other game and it’s not even close. Before the app released, I played dozens of games on Boardgaming Online and, before that, I developed a VASSAL mod and played dozens of games while trying to get that up and working. Since the app released last year, I’ve had 3-5 games going at all times and I’m still not getting tired of it. On March 26 Through the Ages will arrive on Steam for PC/Mac and being able to play it on my laptop while appearing to work will make my life complete.

Armello is coming to iOS next week and, yep, it’s pretty good

March 6, 2018 David Neumann 13

iOS Universal, PC/Mac/Linux, PS4, Xbox One • Sorry I was AWOL yesterday, but unbeknownst to me (and for no reason I can ascertain) my two younger kids had off school yesterday. This allowed me to do real-life things with them like fix my attic stairs and teach them a slew of new curse words. Today’s a new day, however. The new attic ladder appears to be functional and I can’t wait to get a call from the school’s office today informing me that my kids decided to share their new vocabulary words. Oh, I also got a chance to play Armello on both my phone and iPad and it’s good. Very, very good.

Just when you thought we’d covered everything on Steam today, have you seen Space Tyrant?

February 27, 2018 David Neumann 5

PC/Mac/Linux • I know it has already been a rather silly day on Steam what with Subset Games launching their first title since FTL took the world by storm and Handelabra unleashing a new, very un-Sentinels-like card game. Brace yourselves. Those aren’t the only two cool looking games to land on Steam today. Thanks to BitGamerX we also learned about Space Tyrant which looks like a sci-fi 4x designed by chaos-loving aliens. To be fair, we don’t yet know for certain that Blue Wizard Digital isn’t comprised of chaos-loving aliens. We’re working on it.

You can now delve One Deck Dungeon via Early Access

February 27, 2018 David Neumann 4

PC/Mac/Linux (now in EA), Mobile (coming later) • I know everyone’s busy playing Into the Breach today, but I’d like to ask you to stop for just one moment. Please. C’mon, you can pull yourself away for a little bit. No? Okay, then just listen to me drone on in the background. Into the Breach isn’t the only bit of coolness to land on Steam today. Our friends at Handelabra have also pushed out an Early Access build of the card-based dungeon crawler, One Deck Dungeon for PC/Mac/Linux which is two more platforms than you’ll find for Into the Breach. Take that, Subset!

Civilization VI for iPad expands with Vikings and Poland

February 22, 2018 David Neumann 1

iPad, PC/Mac/Linux • That thing that we weren’t sure was going to happen just happened. Of course [the headline gives away any sense of suspense, you dolt -ed.], I’m talking about Civilization VI for iPad, specifically the question we had since it arrived on the App Store in December: Will Aspyr support it with more content? We weren’t sure, but today the Vikings and Poles arrived via IAP and it’s a happy day.

I got to play Luca Redwood’s Photographs and it’s fantastic

February 20, 2018 David Neumann 2

iOS, Android, PC/Mac/Linux • With 1000000 and You Must Build a Boat under his belt, Luca Redwood has become a legend around these parts. Both of those titles looked and played very simply, but had a hidden depth that you realized only once you rolled up your sleeves and delved in. Luca’s next game is called Photographs and, until now, we didn’t know much about it. That changed this morning when I was sent a preview copy that I’ve been messing around with all day. I’m pretty sure that Luca Redwood fans won’t be disappointed when Photographs hits the App Store.

I’m in the One Deck Dungeon beta and it’s, dare I say, glorious

February 14, 2018 David Neumann 0

Mobile, PC/Mac • Earlier this year my Kickstarted copy of One Deck Dungeon from Asmadi Games arrived and it quickly became my go-to solo game. It’s compact, easy to fit in a backpack, and plays fairly quick while still giving you something to think about each and every turn. Those gents at Handelabra have taken it upon themselves to convert this card game to digital and, just this week, they let me have a look behind the curtain to see how things are going. They’re going very, very well.