Area Control

  • Review: Carcassonne

    ByiMisut Hours
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    The city of Carcassonne, in southeastern France, is famous for its walled citadel dating back to Roman and medieval times. Players will try to make their fortune by placing their followers on the roads, cities, monasteries, and fields in the region, a region that will change as the game progresses. Properly deploying these followers, whether they are highwaymen, knights, monks, or farmers, will be essential to achieving victory.

    This is how we are presented with Carcassonne, a classic designed by Klaus-Jürgen Wrede, author of other well-known titles such as The Downfall of Pompeii, Mesopotamia, or Rapa Nui. The game was published by Hans im Glück in the year 2000, winning the famous Spiel des Jahres award in 2001. The illustrations were handled by Doris Matthäus (as in many titles from the German publisher), who had already worked on games such as El Grande, Tigris & Euphrates, Saint Petersburg, or Elfenland.

  • Review: Five Tribes – The Djinns of Naqala

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    Crossing the Land of 1001 Nights, your caravan arrives at the fabled Sultanate of Naqala. The old sultan has just died, and control of Naqala is up for grabs! The oracles foretold of strangers who would maneuver the Five Tribes to gain influence over the legendary city-state. Will you fulfill the prophecy? Invoke the ancient Djinns, move the Tribes into position at the right time, and the Sultanate may be yours!

    This is the premise behind Five Tribes: The Djinns of Naqala, one of the biggest recent sensations in the hobby. Designed by Bruno Cathala, author of other celebrated titles like Cyclades or Mr. Jack (alongside Ludovic Maublanc), it was published in 2014 by Days of Wonder. Artwork is handled by Clément Masson in his debut outing in the board game industry.

  • Review: Kingdom Builder

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    The goal of the game is to amass as many gold nuggets as possible while building your kingdom, which requires strategic decisions about where to place your settlements. The criteria for earning those coveted nuggets during final scoring will be defined by three Kingdom Builder cards.

    Straight to the point: this is Kingdom Builder, designed by the acclaimed Donald X. Vaccarino, creator of one of the milestone titles that revolutionized the modern gaming landscape: Dominion. It was published in 2011 by Queen Games, featuring artwork by Oliver Schlemmer, one of the publisher’s regular artists who also illustrated titles like Fresco, Escape: The Curse of the Temple, and the second edition of Wallenstein. This design was awarded the prestigious Spiel des Jahres in 2012.