Origins 2015 - Games Played (Thursday)

My first full day in Columbus, and decent day for gaming despite spending a good amount of time in the vendor hall.

Cacao (4P): I purchased this without having much knowledge of the game itself, but I had figured what I'd heard had been good enough. What I found was a nice, quick game beautifully produced, with enough decision-making to feel like I was actually getting somewhere when I pulled off a great placement. And it almost had a phenomenal insert except for the odd decision to raise the ends preventing the box lid from sealing the contents in place. I definitely prefer it to Carcassonne & can see this being one we play over dinner at home.

The Voyages of Marco Polo (4P): One of my favourite games of the con, and one that I went back and purchased the next day rather than wait to own it. The mechanics themselves are a blend of things we've seen before but the package as a whole was really enjoyable and seemed to add something new. I've been rather tired of Alien Frontiers (& mad that I never got part of my rewards from one of its KS campaigns) so it was really nice to enjoy the dice-as-workers mechanic again. I loved the fact that low & high rolls each have their own advantages, and the crazy OP player powers that are all as OP as each other made for a lot of satisfying moments.

That night after dinner, I got to play 4 games that WEM had brought back from the Tokyo Game Market which was a great opportunity to try something completely new. The first of these was Timebomb (6P). Another hidden alliances, bluffing game that just really wasn't my thing. A more raucous group might have helped but honestly, this type of game just doesn't do it for me. The following three games, however, were all games I would happily play again:


Wok on Fire (4P): This little gem about prepping food was wonderful & I would love to get my hands on a copy. Using their spatula card each player gets to flip the ingredient cards in the "wok" twice, before helping themselves to any of the face-up cards as they attempt to create delicious combos. The art was adorable, the game was tons of fun, & watching opponents flip over the dreaded negative-scoring green peppers while fishing for valuable proteins or elusive chili peppers was both satisfying and hilarious.

Sheep & Thief (4P): This game certainly wins for the most unusual components of the night. The cotton ball sheep had a tendency to roll & mine kept wandering away from where they were supposed to be. I enjoyed the game itself; it combined drafting & path building with a little bit of take-that, and I'd like to play again, just not anywhere drafty!

Guns & Steel (4P): The last of WEM's games that I played, this one was essentially a tech tree game as we attempted to gain new technologies in order to have access to more advanced resources with which to create even better technology, build Wonders, and improve our offensive & defensive capabilities. I really enjoyed it, although the teeny tiny card text made even Imperial Settlers look easy to read. Josh did end up in a situation where his hand severely limited his ability to act but I wonder if that's a new player trap that would be easier avoided on repeated plays. Now if only I had access to these games... 

Why First?! (5P): This racing game is about coming in 2nd to gain points, & then having the 2nd-most points after all legs have been run to win. I really enjoyed the simultaneous playing of cards on anyone at the table - combined with having both positive & negative cards, it led to a lot of chaotic scrambling back & forth as one player's attempt to move an opponent would end up foiled by someone else attempting the same thing but in a different direction. Super cute, great art & components, and easy to teach plus the spin of second place being all that matters made this one I'll be looking for in the future upon its eventual US release.

Costume Party (5P): A quick card game about wearing unique costumes to a party in order to score points. Some typos that caused cards & rules to contradict each other were frustrating but it was enjoyable enough, although I won't be looking for a copy.

Coup: Guatemala 1954  (6P?) I think I played this on Thursday night - it was the one game of the con that I know I played but apparently I never wrote down so I'm fuzzy on timing & who was playing. It's Coup, lots of interchangeable roles, some interesting twists but again, it's Coup. Not my type of game but I was glad to get in a game with some folks I'd kept missing earlier in the con. A fine way to end the night but definitely not my type of game.