My non-historical gaming centered around new discoveries and re-discoveries… and all of them were card games of one kind or another. But see for yourselves which three non-historical games I liked best this year. You can read the other...
My non-historical gaming centered around new discoveries and re-discoveries… and all of them were card games of one kind or another. But see for yourselves which three non-historical games I liked best this year.
You can read the other Farewell 2023 articles here:
Farewell 2023 – New-to-Me Games
Farewell 2023 – Historical Fiction
©Nerdlab Games.
Mindbug: First Contact (Skaff Elias/Richard Garfield/Marvin Hegen/Christian Kudahl, Nerdlab Games)
I got to know this little gem during my visit of Süddeutsche Spielemesse (Southern German Games Fair) this year. Its one-sentence pitch is that it’s like Magic: The Gathering (whose designer Richard Garfield was involved in the creation of Mindbug), but without the deck-building. Your goal is to reduce your opponent’s life to 0 by attacking with a host of devilish creatures, ranging from a Rhino Turtle to a Kangasaurus Rex. Countering your opponent’s creatures with the right antidotes is key – as is knowing when to employ your Mindbug cards which allow you to take control of a creature your opponent just played. The game plays so quickly that we managed five games in slightly over an hour. As I was defeated each time, you probably shouldn’t take strategy advice from me, but I had a great time playing it… and would have been up for a sixth game, if time had permitted it. What more can you ask from a game?
My little team of creatures is ready to take all challengers… or is it?
©Alderac.
Love Letter (Seiji Kanai, Alderac)
Another small and delightful game which I played for the first time this year. The opportunity arose when my wife and I were visiting a board game café during our summer vacation. The game we had played right before hadn’t exactly been a hit with us, so we were looking for a little ludic pick-me-up. And Love Letter was just that. Within a few minutes, we were embroiled in outwitting (and sometimes outguessing) each other to deliver our amorous missives to the charming Princess Annette. The game was such a hit that I gave a copy to my wife for her birthday, and it got played the day after already. As it is so small that it barely needs a table, it’s also a great travel game!
Love Letter, being played on a stool instead of a table.
And my favorite non-historical game which I played this year was…
I know there are other editions with wildly different covers, but this classic view of Catan’s rising sun will always have a special place in my heart. ©KOSMOS.
Catan Card Game (Klaus Teuber, KOSMOS)
I was quite enamored with the Catan Card Game around 20 years ago, owning almost all the little expansions and constantly tinkering and re-building decks (my favorites were those centered on the University building). Since then, I’d only played it once. Yet this year, after Klaus Teuber’s all-too-soon death, my good friend M. and I embarked on a new journey with this old game. In the course of a long, board-gaming heavy weekend, we snuck in four games of the Catan Card Game, each with a different expansion. That was just the right amount of nostalgia and re-discovery in gaming, and I can see this become one of the staple games for our annual board gaming weekends. I wouldn’t mind that. No, I wouldn’t mind that at all.
A principality to be proud of.
And what were your favorite non-historical games this year? Let me know in the comments!