Here we are again, with another seven days of games in the rear view mirror! Our super cool DWP team has been jotting down thoughts about their favourite experiences from the past week. Let’s jump into the alphabet soup and see what everyone has been up to!

BILLY C:

For my birthday this year one of my incredible partners bought me some upgraded components for my favourite game, Brass Birmingham. Board gaming is such a huge part of my life and hobby, and upgrading games is an aspect of the hobby that I really enjoy. I have upgraded Quacks tokens, and the BoardGameGeek bit bowls, and 3D printed Lorenzo pieces, and foil cards for A Song of Ice and Fire. These (totally unnecessary) things just make the experiences slightly more fun for me. And now Brass is upgraded. 3D printed trains and boats and beer barrels – the game is prettier than ever. Oh, and it plays perfectly.

STEVE T:

I recently acquired one of Billy’s favourite Roll & Writes, On Tour. I’ve played the European tour board three times since it arrived. For some reason, neither I nor my opponents were interested in touring the USA (the game’s original board).

JON-PAUL D:

Dirt Dog just launched on Kickstarter a few days ago, and I had the chance to review a pre-production copy of the game last week. It’s a quick game, where players challenge each other’s dogs in the AKC sport of Earth Dog. Using burrow cards, one player builds a card-based obstacle course for their opponent to navigate through with skill and obedience cards. The artwork is really, really lovely in this game, and if you’re a dog lover, it’s well worth taking a peek at the campaign page.

DAVID W:

In my ongoing bid to keep my 81-yr-old mom mentally stimulated I introduced her to Mysterium Park this weekend. I was keen to see how the game translated into this smaller more streamlined decision-space and I was not disappointed. I played the Ghost, natch, and I only had her playing one Psychic although the rules recommend a single Psychic player should play with two–but I didn’t want to overwhelm her because she’s never played anything close to this kind of game before. Of course I cheated horribly by helping her out a fair bit and we won with plenty of rounds to spare–but she was very intrigued: her exact words were: “This game rocked me.”

MATTHEW R:

I got a chance to teach and play one of my favourite games from the past year, Horrified. The co-op game has players working together to thwart various classical movie monsters, such as The Wolf Man or Dracula. Even though Horrified is not a super complex game, I was a bit worried that some less experienced gamers might not enjoy the experience (not everyone likes co-op games), but it went over swimmingly. I have heard some people describe Horrified as a Pandemic replacement, and after this recent experience I would tend to agree. The theme is better (even before we had to deal with a real life pandemic), the actions are more interesting and each game a is bit different based on which monsters are in play.

KIMBERLY T:

I played Ohanami twice this past week, once with four players and then again with three players. I think I prefer it with fewer players and can’t wait to get a two-player game in to test my theory. Ohanami is a quick card game that is easy to learn and even easier to teach, which makes it great for sharing! If you’re a fan of The Game, you’ll really enjoy this little gem because they both are designed by the same person! Steffen Benndorf’s technique of using uniquely numbered cards that must be played in either ascending or descending order is rewritten here in Ohanami that leaves each player on their own instead of on a team. The card drafting is also a great way to force player interaction and smart choices on your turn. It’s a beautiful game, too, one that doesn’t make each card look just like all the other cards of the matching color. I’m really liking this game.

Another week of gameplay recaps is now in the books! As always, thank you for joining us. Canadian readers should also check out David W’s Remembrance Day list of beginner wargames!