Last year I attended Boston FIG, and
reported
on the ten games I played during my six hour
visit. For 2019,
I visited with two friends and tested thirteen games. The complete
list of games at the event can be found here.
Reviewing games presented an indie
festival offers unique difficulties. Negative reviews contain no
malicious intent, but reviews without an attempt at truthfulness
would be without purpose. I recognize that these games are in
various stages of development, some nearing completion, while others
are early prototypes. With further development problems could be
resolved in a satisfactory manner, but what follows are my thoughts
based on the games presented at FIG 2019.
While I wish all games were worthy of a
play-test, the first three require significant redevelopment before
they offer enjoyment.
Ruthless Old Prospectors, by
Move Rate 20 Games, was a two to four player
game, where the first player to escape a gold mine wins. Every turn
the player picked up a tile showing a section of tunnel, and placed
it next to an already existing segment. Unfortunately, the game
lacked player interaction, and offered no significant choices for the
player. A lack of options, and an incredibly simple rule set
combined to make the experience easy and dull. But, Ruthless Old
Prospectors was still early in production, and maybe the developers
will solve their difficulties.
The same can't be said for Curse of the
Pyramid. This cooperative game began as explorers entered an
Egyptian pyramid. A vague malevolence locked them inside, and they
decided to pillage the place before attempting an escape. The board,
constructed from cards, was only ten spaces big and the players moved
around this limited space opening rooms and collecting hieroglyphs.
Ending the game required stealing four treasures, each of which
needed specific hieroglyphs. Each stolen treasure increased the
difficulty by unleashing a curse. Aside from the small board, and
the lack of options, the most significant problem with Curse of the
Pyramid was the inability to lose. The curses weren't threatening
enough. Rather, their irritating effect dragged out the game instead
of ending it.
Of the least interesting games,
Cardtropolis by the
Game Crafter, offered the most enjoyment. It
was the most polished; a complete game ready for sale. It was also
the first game which featured Superheroes. A card game, players used
superhero cards to collect Supervillans. The player with the most
powerful collection of Supervillians won the game. While the visuals
were acceptable, it required no strategy. The core mechanic involved
basic counting. Superheros cards and Supervillan cards each had a
strength value. To capture a Supervillian the player needed to
combine Superhero cards and power cards to equal or exceed the power
of the enemy. The player didn't have much to do, or many choices to
make.
While
some games are unplayable, the next few games pass the basic
threshold of acceptability. One could consider playing these games
at a friend's house. Purchasing it would require improvements by the
developer.
Flights of Fancy, by Double
Watt Games, required the player to assemble a
beer flight by collecting dice. Players took turns collecting
components of their favorite beers (the starch and the flavoring),
along with the proper cups to pour them into. The material
comprising the boards was excellent, but the dice were difficult to
read. The quality of dice alone wouldn't make the game enjoyable.
The only action the player had was to pick a single die from a pile,
which meant minimal interaction and few decisions. At the same time,
Flights of Fancy included over sixteen different types of beers which
the player could craft, with too much information to keep track of
each of them, and too easy to make at least one.
The second Superhero game on the list,
Auction Comics, by Venntik
Games, employed common auction and bidding
mechanics as its core . While it was a competent version of the
style, it added nothing to distinguish it from other games in the
genre. It was also marred by a cluttered visual effect which made it
difficult to understand and play.
Simply
Adorable Slugfest used Pokemon like creatures
in a kids fighting game. Players selected their cuddly monster
before battle began. Each turn players activated one of their
creature's skills. A skill attacked the player to their left, and
defended against the player on their right. Following each turn
players unlocked additional skills to improve their attack and
defense. While the concept was clear, the game felt insubstantial.
It was difficult to gauge the effect of each attack, and each turn
blurred into another similar one. Any game which forces the player
to attack to their left, while defending against assaults from their
right (or vice versa) often suffers from numerous problems, like last
year's Life
Siphon.
Pitman
was a bidding, bluffing, dice rolling game, with hints of poker.
Players received five cards. Cards had either a point value (from 1
to 5), or allowed the player to roll dice (1 or 2). Players bid for
how many points they thought their hand was worth. Once all other
players passed, the winning bidder would say how many dice they were
allowed to roll, but they could bluff. Players could call them on
the bluff, or allow them to roll for their bid. While it
successfully combined a variety of mechanics, it felt like a simple
variation of poker.
While many games at Boston FIG were
created for families, few were so explicitly designed for kids as
Starport. A simple RPG, its
system encouraged cooperation and creativity. Unlike teen and adult
RPGS which constrict a player's choices with lists of rules,
abilities, and equipment, Starport allowed children to explore
distant worlds or local areas while seeking to aid others. Of
course, its simplicity was also a negative, as one might wonder what
they would be purchasing. Starport is current for sale, but only
includes the rule book, and not the tokens or maps demoed at the
event.
The next two games offered ample
enjoyment, but they still contained enough of a flaw that I wouldn't
rush out to buy either of them.
Scale the Wall was created for the 2019
HABA USA game design contest. Participants used game pieces
chosen by HABA (from previous HABA games) to create their own board
game. Created by Searchlight
Games, Scale the Wall was a dexterity game for children. Players
stacked HABA pieces on top of each other. After attaining the
correct height, they must place a snake on top. Each playthrough
introduces one variant rule. Our group of three adults experienced
difficulty stacking thirteen HABA objects, the Zookeeper, and the
snake in a stable pile, especially since we each had to have one
finger touching the object as we stacked it. The developer never
intends to produce Scale the Wall, but the rules are free on
Searchlight's website.
Clear
the Decks was another cooperative game, where players defend
their sailing ship, while attacking the enemy's. Each player
controls three cannon, and plays cards to perform actions like shoot,
defend, or board. While the game offered a variety of actions, too
many different card types cluttered the presentation and play. There
were cards for the player, for the enemy ship structure, for
boarders, and more. It also seemed strangely easy, as my friends and
I never felt the least bit of threat, while tearing apart the enemy
ship.
The quality of games at Boston FIG the
last two years has been incredible. This year, three of the games in
particular stood out as exceptional.
Born
to Serve was the third Superhero themed game, but it was
implemented with more creativity than the other two. Like Pixar's
The Incredibles, superheroes are out of a job. Instead of
fighting crime, they must make ends meet by competing for a job at
the local dinner. Players fight to serve the most customers and earn
the biggest tips. The player with the most cash at the end wins the
dubious honor of using their super-ability to serve dry toast and
cheap coffee for the rest of their life. While I don't love the
genre of Born to Serve, it incorporated strong mechanics, a variety
of meaningful choice, strong player interaction with appealing visual
effects.
While Pitman offered a minor variation
on bluffing and poker, Bluff
the Bullet offered a more unique experience. While poker is the
starting point, Eye4Labs used it to design a innovative game.
Players receive five cards on the table, two face down and three face
up. They also are given a hand of five more. Each card is assigned
a value from one to seven, and one of six suits. Each suit is a
different action, and players take turns playing the five cards from
their hand to manipulate the cards on the table. The player with the
best poker hand at the end wins. Full of bluffing, strategy, and
plenty of options Bluff the Bullet was a short, engaging game.
Beautifully illustrated, it is not for purchase in a box set, but as
a print and play (purchaser chooses their own price). It can be
found here. I
already got my copy, just need to print it onto quality paper.
Awkward Mixture's Best Game of Boston
FIG 2019 was Perch,
a 2-5 player area control game, featuring birds and their roosts.
Players place their birds, and their opponents, on nine spaces with
different terrain. Players earn points for controlling locations,
but in unexpected ways. Perch included a strong mix of strategy and
player interaction (both direct and indirect). With plenty of extra
habitats, the game offers endless replayability. Unfortunately Perch
is not currently for sale, but I'll be watching to see if it is
published in the future. YouTube has a great intro video, using a
popular and on point They
Might Be Giants Song.
In conclusion, Boston FIG was a great
event, worth six hours and thirty dollars. For those who live near
Boston, I recommend attending next year. I certainly will.
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