Knizia, despite being an undisputed master of the modern two-player card game (amongst a multitude of other accolades), is not infallible. It’s not that Blue Moon, his take on the kind of 1v1 card combat game typically relegated to CCG territory, is bad. Far from it. In fact, when viewed solely as a work of product innovation, this is one of his most groundbreaking achievements. Remember, Fantasy Flight’s LCGs(™) did not exist at this time, so Blue Moon positioning itself as an alternative to Magic: The Gathering that didn’t require the hoop-jumping and wallet-draining of mediocre-by-design starter decks and randomized booster packs was an attractive proposal. Furthermore, the game is easy to understand, fun, and each playable deck is tactically distinct. So what holds it back from greatness? Unfortunately, Knizia’s highly European, minimal approach to game design — which serves him extremely well when designing, say, Euros — does him few favors when working in the high fantasy, direct conflict space. Of course, he’s much too talented to reduce its system to the point of meaninglessness, but Blue Moon is still lacking in the sort of flavor and dynamics you’d want from a game about appeasing powerful dragon lords by proving your worth via magical warfare. Most games of Blue Moon will be played with the prebuilt “People Decks” provided in the base game. Deck customization is allowed, of course, though is quite restrictive unless you really go wild with all the expansions. Besides, the original release only came with two decks: the “Vulca” and the “Hoax”. Thankfully, a more recent…
Android: Netrunner is an asymmetric two-player card game based on the old CCG Netrunner Richard Garfield authored alllllll the way back in 1996 (can you imagine playing a game over twenty years old?!). Over the years, the design has proved quite popular and remains a tournament favorite for many dedicated players. A CCG-turned-LCG(™) that has been played competitively in some form or another for the last twenty-five years when so many others have come and gone, it must be good right? But how good? Better than… Magic: The Gathering? Yes, much better. It’s not even close. Whether its deeper or more complex is a much harder question to answer — and one I don’t have the tournament-level experience in either to adequately tackle — but Android: Netrunner is a far, far more enjoyable way for two well-played gaming enthusiasts to spend an evening together. Its exquisite theming, immersive world, unique player interactions, tense information exchanges, and flavorful scenarios all compliment a creative, asymmetric core system that commands the utmost attention of your tactical sensibilities. I just spent the entire introductory paragraph raving about how great the game is, so lets start off the review proper by griping about something that doesn’t really matter. What is the deal with the new core sets rulebook? It actually states on the very first page that you’re going to need to consult an online reference for some of the rules questions that arise during play because they aren’t covered by the text. That is stupid annoying; why would you not provide everything needed to…
Arboretum is a really strange game that it is more interesting to think about when you’re not playing it than when you are. Then it’s just kinda annoying. It’s a confusing situation. I mean, I think this is a good game; all signs point to it being one, at least. It has simple rules, a smooth cadence, and a surprising amount of depth for a “filler” (a word best used in quotes). In a lot of ways it’s a difficult game to criticize, or at least to find the right words to do so. Nevertheless, a cursory look through some forum discussions reveals that it’s a surprisingly divisive title with many players passionately opining both for and against it — something quite atypical for lighter weight card games. So why exactly is Arboretum, a colorful game about building relaxing paths through resplendent trees, a game that some love and others revile? Well, seeing as I fall right in the middle of those two categories, perhaps I am the right man to answer that very question. As mentioned before, Arboretum‘s ruleset is quite simple. In fact, the “How To Play” section of the rulebook is a full two pages shorter than the sections on scoring. Shuffle a deck of cards with 6-10 suits of trees on them depending on player count, deal seven to each player, and put what’s left in the center of the table. Cards are ranked 1-8 indicating their value, and there is one card of each rank for every suit. On their turn…