Dungeons & Dragons: Castle Ravenloft Boardgame

Game Description: A cooperative dungeon crawl based on Dungeons & Dragons… A group of Heroes explores the dungeon beneath Castle Ravenloft, fighting off monsters, discovering treasures and hopefully surviving until the goal for that particular adventure has been found and fulfilled.

Players: Eric M, Charlie M, and Joel (plus Sara M and Mariah M for part of the game)

Winner: We played a “campaign” game, taking our experience and gold pieces with us after the game. We won in the sense that we defeated Strahd.

Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of Ashardalon Boardgame

Game Description: A cooperative dungeon crawl based on Dungeons & Dragons… A group of Heroes explores the dungeon beneath Firestorm Peak, a volcano that has recently become the home of Ashardalon, a red dragon. The Heroes must fight off monsters, discover treasures and hopefully survive until the goal for that particular adventure has been found and fulfilled. This game builds on the Castle Ravenloft ruleset, improving problems and adding some new features.

Players: Eric M, Charlie M, and Joel (plus Sam for part of the game)

Winner: We continued our “campaign” game, buying some treasure with gold pieces earned in Castle Ravenloft, and continuing to level up as we moved into the Wrath of Ashardalon scenario. We won in the sense that we defeated Ashardalon.

7 Wonders

Game Description: Card-based resource management game where you build buildings and increase your commercial, science, military and governmental status. The twist here is that each player’s hand of cards is passed to another player after each “turn”.

Players: Eric M, Charlie M, Peter S, and Joel

Winner: We played 3 games, with Eric, Charlie and Peter each winning one game.

Kingdom Builder (with Capitals expansion)

Game Description: Abstract area-control hex-based game with variable powers and scoring from game to game. Sounds dry, but it’s not.

Players: Eric M, Charlie M, Peter S, and Joel

Winner: Peter won.

Automobile

Game Description: High complexity and basic business strategy contribute to this automobile manufacturing and selling simulation.

Players: Eric M, Charlie M, Matt B, Melissa D, and Joel

Winner: Matt won.

Battlestar Galactica

Game Description: A cooperative game with a traitor (a la Shadows Over Camelot). Are you a Cylon?

Players: Eric M, Charlie M, Matt B, Melissa D, and Joel

Winner: The Cylons won (Matt and Eric).

Flash Point: Fire Rescue

Game Description: Cooperative game where players are fire fighters attempting rescue family members from a burning home. Also, players must find hazardous materials that might explode and, of course, the ever-increasing threat of the fire itself.

Players: Eric M, Matt B, Melissa D, and Joel

Winner: We played two games on the harder side of the board and lost both.

Finca

Game Description: A Finca is ranch or farm in Spain. This game is all about growing fruit on the island of Mallorca and delivering it to the nearby community. The most successful farmer wins the game.

Players: Eric M, Matt B, Melissa D, and Joel

Winner: Matt won. This game had a very strange tile mix with a lot of the multiple ? tiles coming up at the same time.

Flash Point: Fire Rescue

Game Description: Cooperative game where players are fire fighters attempting rescue family members from a burning home. Also, players must find hazardous materials that might explode and, of course, the ever-increasing threat of the fire itself.

Players: Eric M, Keith V, and Joel

Winner: We played 2 games, the first with flawed rules and lost, the second with corrected rules and lost (but just by a hair)

Age of Discovery

Game Description: A card-based victory point game, with a loosely fitted theme of buying Ships and then sending them off on Trade Contracts for cash, or to Expeditions for victory points. There’s a lot of game in this little set of cards.

Players: Eric M, Keith V, and Joel

Winner: Eric won. He got a lot of Trade Contracts going before Keith and I could.

Drako

Game Description: An asymmetrical wargame for two. One player is a Red Dragon that has been captured and chained by a group a Dwarves. The other player controls the three Dwarves that are attempting to gain control of the Dragon using their axes, a net, and a once-per-game Fury surge of power.

Players: Eric M and Joel

Winner: We played two games, switching sides for each, Eric won both.

Jambo

Game Description: Players represent African traders trying to sell their wares for a profit while avoiding pesky animals sent by their opponent to delay and damage their crafty plans.

Players: Eric M and Joel

Winner: Eric won (yet again).