Last night was game night!
First game was Carcassonne, a city builder. Jenny got this for me as a gift and I’ve been itching to try it out. The game is really quick to pick up and play, and moves quickly. I think I like this better than Catan. There was some deal-making at the table, and there’s something satisfying about building out a landscape. I think it scratches the same itch as jigsaw puzzles – order emerging from chaos.
One strategy that was identified early-on was that you could get 4 quick points by connecting 2 small city tiles (like the 2 cities just left of the big road loop in the pic above), which felt cheap. We checked the rules and it was legal, but it still bugged me. It turns out those cities used to be only worth 2 points, but the rules changed (maybe due the expansions?).
Second game of the night was Boss Monster. The first thing I noticed were the pixel-art graphics on all the cards. Gorgeous! In this game you are the boss at the end of a dungeon, and you have to set your rooms up to beat the heroes. Each room has abilities.
This requires a little more strategy than Carcassonne, but I was lucky enough to get some cards that worked well together. We used an expansion deck to accommodate all 5 of us. It also went a little slower, but I think with fewer people it would be smoother.
Aside from the games, the highlight of the night was Tim’s Old Fashioneds, but that’s because he’s an amazing bartender.
2 responses to “Carcassonne and Boss Builder”
I also like Carcassone better than Catan!
I’m rediscovering the fun that comes with board games, because Berta got me the Pandemic (legacy version) https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/161936/pandemic-legacy-season-1 some months ago. Cooperative games were new for me, but it’s being a lot of fun, and I highly recommend it. With the added novelty of the legacy thing, it feels more like a videogame.
I’m also discovering how many coop games are out there. Sometimes it’s nice to play together against the game instead of against each other. I played Aeon’s End with some friends recently and that was a blast, albeit super complex. Going to have to check out Pandemic.