What We're Playing!
/Ever wondered what games the guys behind the counter enjoy in their off time? Wonder no longer! This is What We're Playing!
Ben - Shadow Hunters
This month the name of the game is Shadow Hunters from Z-Man Games, and it's one of my absolute favorites! I love a game that scales to fit your playgroup, and few do that better than this anime-styled mystery survival game. It plays between four and eight players and actually excels the higher the player count becomes!
Players are all trapped in a danger-filled forest and serve one of three factions: the evil Shadows, the Hunters who track them, or the poor neutrals caught in between. Each player assumes the secret identity of a character within one of those factions with their own stats, win conditions, and special abilities. Players then roll dice to acquire equipment and weapons to defend themselves as well as clues to help them deduce their fellows' identities. The goal? To find out who your allies are before your enemies find you and satisfy the win condition on your card! These conditions can range from defeating all Shadows to collecting specific equipment to even being the first to die.
The game is simple enough to introduce new players to tabletop gaming but complex enough to keep board game veterans on their toes to the very end. Stop on by Top Tier, and I'll be happy to show you why Shadow Hunters is one of the best large-party games out there!
Nick - Hour of Devastation Draft
I have recently started playing Magic the Gathering Hour of Devastation draft. I haven't played in a draft in about 3 years and I must say this set is great to draft!!
Magic the Gathering has a way to play called draft. You take 3 packs of cards and in a group you all open one pack. You take one card and pass it to the next person and have one pack passed to you for you to take another card. You do this till all packs are open and you have drafted 45 cards. With those cards you make a 40 card deck and play in a tournament to maybe win some prizes and a free FNM promo card.
I really like the aesthetic of this set. The whole Egyptian vibe is really cool and all the mummies are great! I had a blast drafting mummies and cards that turn into mummies. The whole set is full of fun cards and cool abilities. I totally recommend drafting this set.
Corey - Kingdomino
Kingdomino is a board game that’s a mix between dominoes and a kingdom builder with a set-collecting element. Each player starts with a castle, then takes turns choosing tiles to add lands to their kingdom. The better tiles have higher numbers, and the higher the number of the tile you choose, the later in the next turn you’ll be able to choose your tile. The object of the game is to connect as many of the same type of tile as you can, together with crown tiles that allow you to collect points, and end the game with the most points. But be careful which tiles you choose, because similar to dominoes you must connect a matching end of your new tile to your existing plot of land. If you’re stuck with a type of land that you don’t already have (maybe because you chose the best tile last turn and ended up with the last pick this turn) that tile simply can’t be added to your kingdom, and you won’t get any points for it. Plan carefully, think ahead, and consider your opponent’s choices as well to ensure you rule the best kingdom!
Kingdomino is simple enough for children to learn and play, but with enough complexity to keep veterans coming back. It’s also super quick to pick up and get a game in, taking an average of 10-15 minutes including learning how to play your first time! This is definitely going to be a solid addition to my board game collection that I think will regularly sit near the top of the stack.
That's all this time around, but be sure to check back in next month for a glimpse into what's new, what's good, and What We're Playing!
