Calico

Calico

by AAG Staff

Calico is a puzzly tile-laying game of quilts and cats. In Calico, players compete to sew the coziest quilt as they collect and place patches of different colors and patterns. Each quilt has a particular pattern that must be followed, and players are also trying to create color and pattern combinations that are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also able to attract the cuddliest cats! Turns are simple. Select a single patch tile from your hand and sew it into your quilt, then draw another patch into your hand from the three available. If you are able to create a color group, you may sew a button onto your quilt. If you are able to create a pattern combination that is attractive to any of the cats, it will come over and curl up on your quilt! At the end of the game, you score points for buttons, cats, and how well you were able to complete your unique quilt pattern.   Each player has a quilt board on which they will be laying the hexagonal quilt tiles. Each tile is one of six different colors and has one of six different patterns. You start with three design goal tiles placed near the center of your board. These will score you points. You create sets of matching colors and try to attract different cats to your quilt. The puzzle of the game is just tricky enough to keep you engaged, while still allowing you to enjoy the relaxed nature of the theme.  

Santa Monica

Santa Monica

by AAG Staff

Golden Geek Nominee! https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2646076/15th-annual-golden-geek-awards-nominees-announced   Get your copy today! Click here!   In Santa Monica, you are trying to create the most appealing neighborhood in southern California. Will you choose to create a calm, quiet beach focused on nature, a bustling beach full of tourists, or something in-between to appeal to the locals? Each turn, you draft a feature card from the display to build up either your beach or your street. These features work together to score you victory points. The player with the most points wins! Check out this review by Kit Harrison! This is a guest post from Kit Harrison. I had just gotten back from a weekend in Los Angeles visiting friends when I saw the announcement for Santa Monica on the AEG webpage. The artwork and the look of the game immediately grabbed my attention because of how well it captured the overall vibe of the place. In the ocean-front community of Santa Monica, laid-back locals somehow coexist with tourists rushing from the shopping strip to the beach and back again. Published by AEG and designed by Josh Wood, Santa Monica is a tableau-building, card-drafting, action-optimization game for 2 to 4 players that takes about 45 minutes to play. The game plays well at all player counts, although 2 or 3 is ideal. Gameplay Overview: In Santa Monica, players each create their own tableau that displays a section of the beachfront boulevard and the wide Santa Monica beach behind it. Players take turns selecting cards to place in their tableau, gaining resources, and opening up opportunities for scoring. The street cards are placed across the front row of their tableau, and the beach cards must go in back to complete the scene. Players start off with a central tile that gives you a bit of direction for your strategy, but other than that, the game is wide open. The starting tiles for the game. Players draft their cards from a central display of two rows. Only cards from the front row may be taken and when they are, the card behind it slides down to become available for the next player. There is a simple mechanism that steers players toward certain cards by giving extra bonuses and a couple of ways to spend your “sand dollars” to break the drafting rules a bit, but beyond that, turns are very straightforward. Pick a card, put it in your tableau. The hook of this game, however, are the meeples that show up on your cards. You will need to usher them to various sites where they can grab a bite, have fun on the beach, or otherwise enjoy themselves while earning you points. The game ends after someone has placed their 14th card. After the round is finished, players are awarded points for end game scoring and the player with the most points wins. Cards will be drafted from a market, with only the front row being accessible. Game Experience: Santa Monica is a joy to behold. The graphic design by Brigette Indelicato is quite good and immediately clear. The iconography of the game is intuitive, unobtrusive, and does a fine job of conveying the action of the cards in just a few small illustrations. The artwork on the cards, by skilled cartoonist and relative newcomer to boardgames Jeremy Nguyen, is detailed, delightful, and thematic, and so well done that it almost renders the iconography redundant. The two of them made a tremendous team. The wooden components are fun to play with, thematic, and round out the overall look of the game. It’s a tourist trap! I loved the interlocking decision points that Santa Monica presented. Creating a nice balance of street and beach, people and activities, resources and scoring is what this game is all about. Some cards, like shops, want to be next to each other. Other cards, like a local hangout and a tourist trap, want to be far apart. Some cards will give you stuff like sand dollars (the currency of the game) as well as meeples representing locals and tourists. Some cards let you move those folks around. The action of this game centers around how you make it all work. Too many people and nowhere for them to go? Bad news. Too many empty picnic tables and volleyball courts with no one to visit them? Also not good. Santa Monica is one of those “make the best moves with what you have” games. There are only 4 cards on offer at any given time so no matter what strategy you pursue, you have to be flexible. Not only that, only a fraction of the cards will see the light of day in any given game, so you can’t really wait around for a particular card or even a particular kind of card. In my mind, this is a good part of the appeal of this game, especially for two players, where I think this game’s sweet spot is. One scoring mechanism that is always available for players is to move the green VIP meeple across the type of cards indicated by your starting tile. It’s a fun touch in the game—who doesn’t love going to a spot that the celebs have been to! An oceanfront wedding. Scores will be variable and a losing score in one game might be enough to win in another, as ideal combinations just might not show up. Then again, the next game you play everything will seem to click. Depending on your approach to playing games, this might be frustrating or interesting to you. There is a strong “I need that card!” mentality in Santa Monica that creates tension and is quite enjoyable when it favorably resolves. One clever design choice that was enjoyable as well as thematic is the bonus movement of all your meeples at the end of the game. Once the last cards are placed and the game is almost over, all the players have a final chance to move each of their meeples. The effect of this rule encourages players to leave the locals on the card where they appear (as they’ll often be able to reach their destination on their bonus movement alone), whereas with the tourists you are frantically trying to scurry them around to the various scoring sites every chance you can get. It’s an interesting dynamic that really brings Santa Monica to life. Final Thoughts: There seems to be a trend in popular card-driven games such as Wingspan and Terraforming Mars where there are far more cards than you are ever likely to see in a game. I generally enjoy this dynamic in a game, as it tends to create a less predictable game environment that players need to react to. Santa Monica doesn’t have quite as many cards, but the general idea is there. All in all, Santa Monica is an excellent casual game for a wide variety of gamers. It’s a compelling puzzle for folks who really want to duke it out, but at the same time, it’s an inviting gateway game that you might purchase as a gift for someone relatively new to board games. For me, I put Santa Monica in the category of “relaxing games” where a lot of the satisfaction of the game comes from creating and mentally inhabiting the tableau in front of you. But behind this delightful facade is a puzzley head-scratcher where you are clawing for points, trying to out-think your opponents, and hoping you can grab that fifth “shopping” card to complete your string before someone steals it from you! Final Score: 3.5 Stars – Solid, simple, thematic game with delightful artwork and a lot of unique elements that should find a spot in a lot of board game collections Hits:• Unique meeple movement/scoring mechanics• Gorgeous artwork• Thematic gameplay Misses:• Can feel too constrained• Limited variety of endgame scoring tiles  

Monster Hunter World Board Game by Steamforged

Monster Hunter World Board Game by Steamforged

by AAG Staff

Coming Fall 2022!! Let us know if you are interested!! Inspired by the hit video game that sold over 15 million copies worldwide, Monster Hunter World: The Board Game brings three ‘M’s and four ‘C’s to your tabletop: massive monster minis in a cooperative, choose-your-own-adventure-style combat campaign! It’s time to journey to an uncharted land, because the Astera basecamp needs YOU. Become a hunter of the Fifth Fleet to track down and slay the fearsome monsters roaming the New World. Protect basecamp and craft awesome new equipment with the loot collected from your fallen foes, so you can take on bigger and badder beasts! Gather your party of 1-4 hunters* and venture out on quests made up of three phases: First is the gathering phase, where you’ll trek through the lush jungles of the Ancient Forest—or the arid dunes and fetid swamps of the Wildspire Wastes—gathering resources and searching for a monster that could appear at any moment. Just like in the video game, the tabletop monsters can be wild and unpredictable, with changing moods and attack preferences. In this phase, you’ll use a choose-your-own-adventure style quest book to determine what state you encounter the monster in and how you’ll make your approach. Next is the hunting phase, where you’ll attempt to slay the monster in fluid and dynamic combat that makes full use of the board and miniatures to bring your experience to life. And, finally, the HQ phase, where you’ll craft new weapons and armour upgrades using the hard-won loot from your monster battles! The choose-your-own-adventure element will immerse you in the New World, giving five unique ways to approach each monster before engaging in combat. Enjoy the beauty of the landscape as you would in the video game, and feel your tension build as you get deeper into the hunt… ...Because it’s crush-or-be-crushed with monsters as mobile as these. Enter dynamic and dangerous combat where positioning and teamwork are vital to success. Leap away from devastating attacks and strike when the opportunity presents. It’s vital you manage the threat, juggling which of your party members is drawing the monster’s attention at any given moment. One wrong move could spell doom! Where you strike matters, too. Earn the loot you need for the weapons you want by targeting different areas of a monster and wearing it down over time. Speaking of weapons, use your player board to track your health, stamina, and equipment. Just like in the video game, your weapon is essentially your hunter class, with a unique deck of cards and upgrades you can swap out by crafting to gain newer (and more powerful!) bonuses and attacks. As for using those weapons? Combat is controlled by cards which you’ll use to create combos, meaning you’ll string together attacks at the cost of stamina. Keep an eye on your stamina to balance your offensive and defensive moves, or you might find yourself caught out and crushed by a massive monster attack! Want to play solo? No problem. Monster Hunter World: The Board Game includes solo mode, where you can control a pair of hunters and quest to your heart’s content.

My Father's Work

My Father's Work

by AAG Staff

Coming Early 2022!! This game will not be sent to distribution, which means there will be limited copies available to us! Let us know if you are interested!! The walls were lined with iron shelves, each metal slat overfilled with glass jars containing formaldehyde and grotesque curiosities within. Pristine brass tools and refined metals of a quality I had never before laid eyes upon were strewn across sturdy slabs of rock and wood, their edges sharp with use. However, my eyes were soon drawn to a sturdy writing desk, its mahogany eaves inlaid with thin strips of copper, the center of which contained a well-worn leather-bound book. My father's journal — passed down to me and representing years of knowledge and countless experiments. And inside that weathered tome, atop the pearly parchment oxidized yellow at its frayed edges, were the deliberate quill marks of a crazed genius outlining the ambitious project he could never complete in one lifetime — his masterwork. Without realizing it, my hands were shaking as I clutched the book to my chest. At once, I felt an ownership and anxiety for the scientific sketches scrawled so eloquently on those frayed sheets. It was at that moment that I began my obsession: I would restore this laboratory to its former brilliance and dedicate my life to completing my father's work! In My Father's Work, players are competing mad scientists entrusted with a page from their father's journal and a large estate in which to perform their devious experiments. Players earn points by completing experiments, aiding the town in its endeavors, upgrading their macabre estates, and hopefully completing their father's masterwork. But they have to balance study and active experimentation because at the end of each generation, all of their experiments and resources are lost to time until their child begins again with only the "Journaled Knowledge and Estate" they have willed to them — and since the game is played over the course of three generations, it is inevitable that the players will rouse the townsfolk to form angry mobs or spiral into insanity from the ethically dubious works they have created. The player with the most points at the end of three generations wins and becomes the most revered, feared, ingenious scientist the world has ever known!   https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/328866/my-fathers-work https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/renegadegamestudios/my-fathers-work

Alien RPG

Alien RPG

by AAG Staff

Space is vast, dark, and not your friend. Gamma rays and neutrino bursts erupt from dying stars to cook you alive, black holes tear you apart, and the void itself boils your blood and seizes your brain. Try to scream and no one can hear you—hold your breath and you rupture your lungs. Space isn’t as empty as you’d think, either—its frontiers are ever expanding. Rival governments wage a cold war of aggression while greedy corporations vie for valuable resources. Colonists reach for the stars and gamble with their lives—each new world tamed is either feast or famine. And there are things lurking in the shadows of every asteroid—things strange and different and deadly. Things alien. This is the official ALIEN tabletop roleplaying game—a universe of body horror and corporate brinkmanship, where synthetic people play god while space truckers and marines serve host to newborn ghoulish creatures. It’s a harsh and unforgiving universe and you are nothing if not expendable. Stay alive if you can. The ALIEN tabletop roleplaying game is a beautifully illustrated 392-page full-color hardcover book, both presenting the world of ALIEN in the year 2183 and a fast and effective ruleset designed specifically to enhance the ALIEN experience. The game can be played in two distinct game modes: Cinematic play is based on pre-made scenarios that emulate the dramatic arc of an ALIEN film. Designed to be played in a single session, this game mode emphasizes high stakes and fast and brutal play. You are not all expected to survive. Campaign play is designed for longer continuous play with the same cast of player characters over many game sessions, letting you explore the ALIEN universe freely, sandbox style. The rules of the game are based on the acclaimed Year Zero Engine, used in award-winning games such as Tales from the Loop and Mutant: Year Zero, but adapted and further developed to fully support and enhance the core themes of ALIEN: horror and action in the cold darkness of space. The year is 2183—little more than three years since the destruction of the Hadley’s Hope colony on LV-426, the disappearance of the USS Sulaco, and the closing of the prison and lead works on Fiorina 161. The loss of the Sulaco’s Colonial Marine unit along with these Weyland-Yutani sponsored outposts, and the implications of corporate foul play stemming from these incidents, have created an air of distrust between the company and the United Americas. To add fuel to the fire, conflicts between the rival sectors of space have increased exponentially in the past five years. While unconfirmed, many believe that Hadley’s Hope was a test site for one of Weyland-Yutani’s bioweapons and that an enemy state sent a warship to nuke it from orbit. Others believe that the Company is working with a rogue nation to assume control of the colonies on the Frontier. The 2180s are a dangerous time to be alive. https://www.alien-rpg.com/ Pre-Order the Amazing Starter Set through us today! Click here to order!

Succulent

Succulent

by AAG Staff

As spring is in full swing we’re ready to tend to our gardens, caring for last year’s plants and adding plants for the new season. Succulents are a perennial favorite, thanks to their ability to survive with minimal care. Now Renegade Game Studios offers players a chance to care for their own succulent garden in Succulent. You’ll take on the role of horticulturist, tending to a community garden filled with succulents. Each turn you’ll prune cuttings and gather water droplets as you attempt to complete garden projects to earn victory points. Will you complete the projects that lead you to victory? Or will one of your opponents have a greener thumb that gives them the win? HOW TO PLAY SUCCULENT After randomly setting up the game board, each player receives two starting flower beds and a greenhouse. On your turn you’ll take one of two actions: either place a flower bed into the garden or place your token on a project card. After either action, you may complete a garden project card by turning in the required cuttings.  If you place a flower bed you’ll receive the cuttings you’ve covered up and if your flower bed is adjacent to a flower then that flower’s owner (yourself included) will receive water droplets as well. If you place your token on a project card, then you’ll receive the listed flower beds. Finally, you may complete one of the project cards if you have the required cuttings. Play continues until one player has placed all of their flowers into the garden or completed the predetermined number of projects. SIMPLE TURN STRUCTURE YET STRATEGIC DEPTH  What makes Succulent so engaging is its simple turn structure and depth of strategy. Each turn you’re doing only one action, but that action can result in resource bonuses or completion of a point-scoring garden project card. For example, the importance of collecting water droplets becomes clear through gameplay. As you collect water droplets you’ll place them into your greenhouse. When one colored section is complete, such as red, you may turn in all of the water droplets in the red section and use it as a way to help complete a project card. TILE-LAYING, RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, AND SET COLLECTION Fans of the tile-laying mechanism made popular by games like Lanterns: The Harvest Festival and others will enjoy Succulent. Flower bed tiles offer immediate resources in cuttings and sometimes immediate water droplet bonuses as well (to you and other players), but it’s later in the game where strategically placed flower beds may yield even more bonus resources for their owners. llection are important mechanisms in the game. And although it’s not a cooperative game, there is some element of semi-cooperative play involved in Succulent. As players place their flower beds in the garden, flowers will yield water droplets. These droplets are crucial to completing projects before your opponents.  For example, perhaps you placed a flower bed next to one of your flowers as well as one next to an opponent’s flower. Yes, they’ll earn a droplet, but so will you. You place the droplet immediately into your greenhouse and if it completes any color then you may use it to complete a project. You may have given your opponent a droplet, but since you’re first to act, you may be able to use your own droplet to complete a project before anyone else. It’s one of the more clever aspects of Succulent that propels play: while a competitive game, there are times when you’ll end up to helping your opponents while helping yourself.  If you complete a project that has a player’s token (including your own), then they receive a large water droplet. These large droplets never leave your greenhouse and make it easier to use for its color. Put them on the right spot and they’ll also score any victory points shown on the space. ANOTHER SOLID TITLE FROM AN ESTABLISHED DESIGNER  Like J. Alex Kevern’s previous Renegade release, World’s Fair 1893, Succulent features a quick and easy turn structure without sacrificing strategic gameplay. While World’s Fair 1893 relied on an area control mechanism to drive its action, Succulent is a tile-laying game at its heart, with set collection used to score victory points.  Succulent can be played by 2-4 players in about 30-45 minutes, making it a perfect title for a multi-session game night. The clear and concise rulebook ensures a quick teach and learn and with its streamlined play, Succulent will hit the tabletop early and often. •• Ruel Gaviola is a writer, podcaster, and content creator based in Southern California. A regular contributor to Geek & Sundry, The Five By, iSlaytheDragon, That Hashtag Show, and other websites, he’s also on the Board of Directors for the Tabletop Writers Guild and on the American Tabletop Awards committee. When he’s not playing board games, he’s writing, traveling, or enjoying a date night with his wife. Connect with him on Twitter @RuelGaviola and find links to his work at ruelgaviola.com.

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