This week the streak of playing a board game at lunchtime carried on to one rainy Wednesday afternoon. However, Splendor Duel only made it to the table once last week. Contrasted to a hat-trick the week before!
The Duel Continues
As my wife and I get better, the mechanics of Splendor Duel or the latest game were the closest yet. With yet another victory type secured, this time with a single colour. My wife has found her winning ways again. After a short blip in form, I managed to gain a few wins under my belt. However, her vision and clarity shine through in this game.
I feel like we're both being able to find our way amid all the cards. I think perhaps this was a slower game due to the sheer number of tier 1 cards played. This time the deck ran out with only the last three cards left on display. Last game, I realised to win the colour race, you needed to secure those high-value 3 and 4 pointers in the top 3rd tier. And while my wife did play these, it also features a few sneaky wild cards which helped push her over the line.
At the start of this year, Splendor Duel is becoming a main theme in our house, with a 50/50 win rate. I cannot wait to see who comes out on top. It’s going to take a lot for something as quick, seamless, and engaging as Splendor to take its crown as the most played in our household.
Trekking into the Unknown
For Christmas, I received a tiny tin of possibilities. Within the travel case of Tik Tak Trek contains all the elements for knots and crosses, with some gamer rules included. Placing out different terrain tiles, you must score a 3 in a row. But at the end of the row, you light a fire. This fire is then what scores you points at the game’s end.
Tik Tak Trek is a speedy two-player only title. With simple turns you know and love from childhood. I liked the mystery of not quite knowing how well either of us were doing. At the end of things, when my wife scored a mighty 15, I thought I had no chance. But as my last two fires were counted, our scores tied. Like most games, settling a draw is a difficult business. This game had two options with the number of fires the first and whoever went first the second.
This winning condition made me upset because it added the luck element this game has tried hard to eliminate. However, that is a small complaint in an otherwise fun little tin. Having only played one game, I am sure our opinions will become clearer over time.
For something speedy that can be played on sofas (although the tiles move!) to small patio tables, Tik Tak Trek will make it into my travel companions later on this year!
Solo Celebrations
When not playing with my better half, the other form of gaming I have includes solo modes. Many great games offer a suitable solution for the itch. While most games are better with others, a few of my favourites have come to be shaken up a little with the addition of Black Forest.
One great reason to solo play is to learn the game before teaching others. It allows you to explore the rules and make mistakes in a lower-stake environment. This is exactly the tactic I employed for Black Forest. A heavy sandbox worker placement game, it is much simpler than it looks on the surface. The solo mode allows you to play over five rounds with five meeples, allowing for a total of 25 turns and 50 actions.
Having not played with others, I am not sure how this compares to the number of turns, but scores in solo are quite easy to get into the high 40s and 50s. For a game where many people and even the rules have a person scoring mid-30s, I felt my high score of 49 was pretty good. Funnily, my scores have been decreasing with each play. Partly due to me not visiting building locations in the first game and just building when I had the resources. I also think the number of building and synergising them is very crucial.
Later in the week, I returned to a well-loved classic in Ark Nova. Like Black Forest, it takes place over limited turns. I have recently been trying to beat the game in medium mode, where you start on 10 appeal rather than 20. It makes income still nice and lucrative but has an added element of skill to cross. In every game I have won, I have never won before the 27 turns are up. But in my back-to-back games, I managed it.
The first game was a classic for me, not quite crossing before the game end but enough strong end games to squeeze me over the line. My second game started with a round 1 project. Thanks to a cheap herbivore and native farm. Despite only getting a mere 2 appeal for native farm, I felt this was worth it to support the base project. As the game progressed, plenty of projects came. This was fortunate due to a single monkey appearing for the primate project all game. A massive Dugong with Aquarium points plus the Scarlet Macaw were enough to ensure victory.
So, there you have it, my week in gaming. From solo to Splendor to trekking the deserts and lakes. I have loved recording wins and losses for my family. As well as getting a few different solo games out already this January.
