February's Games

February was the month of 7 Wonders! I played it 13 times - far more than any other game. Next up was London with 3 plays and Navegador and Ivanhoe with 2 plays each. As noted last month, London was received in January, but not played. So it was the new game this month - though it got only 3 plays.

7 Wonders
This game continues to hold its interest with our group. However, I can see it slipping a bit as the novelty wears off.

London

London is Martin Wallace's latest game and I really enjoy it. Though it has a game board, it is essentially a card game. The board is important to gameplay, however, but it is more of an accessory than the main focal point of the game. Gameplay is very simple. On a player's turn he simply takes a single card, and then takes a single action. Play then passes to the left. This continues until the end of the game (when the last card is taken from the deck).




(Top Pic: The London Game Board, Card Display, and Card Deck.)
(Bottom Pic: A player's City Tableau where he "runs" his city.)

When taking a card, the player may take it from the top of the face down card deck, or from one of the face up cards in the card display.

The four actions available are:
1) Play as many cards from you hand as desired OR
2) Run your city OR
3) Buy land on the board OR
4) Take 3 Cards from the Card Display

There is a hand limit of 9 cards, but only at the end of your turn. You may exceed that limit during your turn.

Rather than explain the game, you can read the rules on the 'Geek if you're interested. I'll just give my impressions.

I really enjoy London, but several in our gaming group were just not anxious to learn it, thinking that it looks too hard. That generally changes, however, once it is played. I'm not sure what it is that turns people off when watching it played by others. Perhaps it's the fact that there are so many cards to learn, others think there is too much down time, and others think there is not enough interaction. I disagree on all counts! :) I love the game.

Down time is minimal when players have a game or two under their belts. Card iconology makes it easy to learn what the cards do, there is just enough interaction to suit me (races for the best spots on the board, watching what others are doing and adjusting your strategy accordingly, and setting up for the important game end and final round.

Of the new Essen releases I've played thus far (Navegador, Troyes, London, Antics), this one holds its own. I am not sure at this point which of Navegador, Troyes, or London I would rate the best - though a slight nod might go to Troyes. However, I see all three as quality games. Antics seems to be a bit less so, but it is unique in its mechanic and that makes it special as well.

Looking Ahead

March should bring key Market to my game table, and hopefully I can report on it in next month's report.