Games of the Alphabet

Each Thursday we will be featuring a game starting with a different letter of the alphabet. We will highlight one of our favourites and invite you to tell us your favourite "letter game" and a bit about why you love it!

Overview

Released in 2017, 2-4 players, 120 minutes

Designer(s)

David Turczi, Richard Amann, Viktor Peter

Why We Love It

This futuristic, time-travelling, worker placement game hits a real sweet-spot of euroy-goodness, meets lovely aesthetic, meets an appealing theme. Arguably, that theme might not be fully entrenched in game-play, but the time-travel aspect is certainly an enticing concept and the incredibly solid game mechanics then work brilliantly to maintain that engagement, even when the theme fizzles a little during gameplay.

Variable player powers, different end-game scoring objectives, and alternative setups offer remarkable variety and replayability. Not to mention the additional elements offered by the Doomsday Enhancement Pack and the excitement of the upcoming Fractures of Time expansion!

This one can be a bit of a brain-burner, but if you're a fan of deep, strategic euros with unique art and theme, then Anachrony might be for you!

Calling all component geeks: Do you know what game our letter 'A' component is from? You can head over to our post on Facebook to take a guess and let us know what your favour 'A' game is!

Overview

Released in 2015, 1-4 players, 30-60 minutes

Designer(s)

Nicolas Robert

Why We Love It

This uniquely themed card game has stunning (though admittedly macabre) artwork, a dark and quirky theme and truly interesting hand-management and economic mechanics.

In this game, set in the 1800's in France, you are a proprietor of questionable morals at the "Bloody Inn". Optimizing your revenue commonly entails bribery, theft, money laundering and ultimately murder! Of course, you must also work to avoid police suspicion - bribery may work, or if all else fails, just find a tidy location to bury THAT body as well! This game creates an atmosphere of constant tension and struggle and offers up heaps of dark comedy as you find yourself knee deep in corpses with law enforcement checking in and limited access to suitable burial locations!

For a game comprised almost entirely of cards, The Bloody Inn is simply entrenched in theme with superb artwork that really draws you into the story. If you relish absurdity and thrive on tension, this might be one to check out!

Calling all component geeks: Do you know what game our letter 'B' component is from? You can head over to our post on Facebook to take a guess and let us know what your favour 'B' game is!

Overview

Released in 2016, 2-4 players, 30-60 minutes

Designer(s)

Paul Dennen

Why We Love It

Mixing humor and fantasy, this deck builder is a great gateway game for families and a nice palette cleanser or starter for experienced gamers.

Up to four adventurers use the cards in their hand to move, fight and loot their way through the dungeon. But beware! Your actions can be pretty noisy! Stumble? Steal a treasure? Every clank on your cards or looted items will contribute to rousing the dragon. The more clanks you make, the more likely the dragon will attack you next!

Chuckle along as you tattle and force friends to make noise, or your flash of brilliance lets you draw extra cards. Groan as a mesmerizing crystal cave impedes your rush to the surface, or you take the brunt of the damage from a dragon attack. Swear to get revenge when someone else nabs the backpack, potion or magic wand you wanted!

But with a combination of luck, looting (and fighting off the ever present goblins), you'll use your skill to gain cards with handy equipment, better weapons, stronger allies and powerful magic. You'll make your way to the dragon's lair, seize an artifact and escape above ground for your reward! (Or maybe you won't, because sometimes you don't). But you'll have fun trying!

For more fun, check out the expansions for the base game (underwater, pyramids, gold, spiders and more!), the Legacy variation or the slightly more challenging sequel Clank! In! Space! Renegade also has a great app that allows you to play the dungeon solo or the spaceship as a solo campaign.

Calling all component geeks: Do you know what game our letter 'C' component is from? You can head over to our post on Facebook to take a guess and let us know what your favour 'C' game is!

Overview

Released in 2017, 1-4 players, 90-120 minutes

Designer(s)

Jonathan Gilmour, Brian Lewis

Why We Love It

Let's genetically engineer some dinosaurs and build them their very own theme park! Do I hear the 90's calling? What could possibly go wrong?!

This funky, nostalgia-inducing worker placement and dice-drafting game (complete with slap-bracelet first player marker) comes with impressive dinosaur meeples and has huge table presence. Take note: this giant footprint game in no way offers a quick, easy set-up and tear-down! But if you're prepared to invest the time, this game has a truly fun vibe and flows beautifully.

In Dinosaur Island, you will progress through phases of collecting dino DNA, building theme park attractions, adding workers, creating dinosaurs, refining DNA, adding visitors and dealing with safety issues. It's very important to keep a close eye on your threat level and security level - beware ESCAPING DINOS! And yes, those escaped dinos WILL eat your innocent park visitors if left unchecked!

A variety of end-game objectives makes it easy to keep the game fresh and these objectives also allow you to vary the game length to some degree with a choice of short, medium, or long objectives.

The neon art and overall style of this game is so fun! There are few games with this level of flair and aesthetic, especially if you have the Deluxe Edition with a huge variety of Dinosaur Meeples, Scientists, metal coins, etc. This game has a LOT going on - in a four player game, there are no fewer than 11 boards on the table! That being said, it is not overly complex and turns progress smoothly from one phase to the next. If you love a solid worker-placement game with lots of flair and theme, check this one out!

Calling all component geeks: Do you know what game our letter 'D' component is from? You can head over to our post on Facebook to take a guess and let us know what your favour 'D' game is!