Events: International Tabletop Day 2017. Sort Of.

I didn’t get the chance to play through this year’s International Tabletop Day thanks to #nippleSG (look it up on Twitter, you won’t be disappointed). Instead, I’m going to celebrate this year’s belated International Tabletop Day by listing the five best board games I’ve played since last International Tabletop Day.

In no order of preference:
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Five Tribes

I always thought Five Tribes was a complicated game with too many mechanics and rules to keep in mind. My friend, Eisu, and Tabletop proved me wrong.

Five Tribes is a worker placement, German-style board game with a Mancala (or for us in Southeast Asia, Congkok) mechanic. The Sultan in the land of Five Tribes has passed away and it’s up to us to decide who the new ruler should be.

One of the best features of this game is how it requires you to shift your strategy according to how the table is set – the setup is different and each worker meeple has a different placement with each game. So wanting to collect the most unique resources in one game may not be as viable as collecting Djinnis in the next.

Five Tribes is designed by Bruno Cathala and published by Days of Wonder. To find out more, click here.

(Note: Whims of the Sultan, its latest expansion, should be out. I’m going to be staying tune for more news!)

Dead of Winter: The Long Night

 This game was especially fun for two reasons:

1. Deeper, more engaging storylines
2. The ability to fortify the colony (TURRETS FTW!)

Dead of Winter is one of my favourite board games, but when Dave told us that he got the expansion – The Long Night – I knew we had to play it.

Playable on its own or with the original base set, The Long Night brings in two different storylines which fully embrace the circumstances of the board game as compared to the main game. While the previous games perhaps had missions that counted at the start and the end of the game, The Long Night introduces different missions as the days and stages pass.

We played the Raxxon storyline, or what Dave called the ‘Resident Evil’ equivalent. While we did really well on the crisis missions and first two stages (We had a peak morale of 8!), the luck of the draw for the final, special edition zombies did us in.

And I won. 

Betrayal win. MUAHAHAHAHA.

Dead of Winter: The Long Night is designed by Jon Gilmour and Isaac Vega and published by Plaid Hat Games. Find out more about it here.

(Note: Perhaps the designers and publishers were in a rush to release the game, but there are a few typos in the cards (especially the Crossroads cards))

Splendor

One of the quietest games I’ve played, especially when you head towards the end.

Splendor is a resource management and matching game where you try to become the wealthiest noble in the kingdom.

With limited resources, be the first one to reach 15 wealth among your friends. Watch out though – you’d think that you’ll be able to math your way to success, until you realize that your starting chips are literally limited in number.

Splendor is designed by Marc André and published by Space Cowboys. To find out more, click here.

Quadropolis

I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again – Days of Wonder makes games that soothes the organizer in everyone.

As architects and engineers, we’re supposed to purchase different buildings and areas (in the form of tiles) to make the most sustainable, livable city – and gain the most points. Each building tile we use to construct our cities produce certain resources, which need to be made use of properly or result in your city producing excessive waste. Apartments provide manpower, parks clear up industrial waste, ports generate both energy and manpower but are only worth points if you play them in a row, you’ll get the gist. On top of that, certain tiles can only be obtained with certain player tokens and later placed on certain areas of your player mat.

It was a new find for Dave, the Tiger, and myself. Quick to pick up and play, the game is bright, intriguing, and fast-paced enough so that there’s no extended downtime in between player turns.

Quadropolis is designed by François Gandon and published by Days of Wonder. To find out more, click here.

Limpeh Says

​Need I say more?

We first heard of Limpeh Says towards the end of last year, when they launched the Kickstarter to this Singaporean take on Cards Against Humanity. While the latter brought about the most inappropriate answers to the most ‘innocent’ questions, Limpeh Says takes that a level higher with context-heavy insinuations and countless inside jokes.
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I bought a custom package, which gave me the opportunity to have my own inside jokes included with my basic deck… so “Sarah, No.” has become an answer card our friends look forward to receiving (and using).

Some of my favourite custom cards.

​Limpeh Says was created by Tan Yong Heng and Gabriel Leow. To find out more about the game, click here.

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And that’s it for this year. I’m looking forward to more games coming my way this year, be it through my friends or Geek & Sundry. I hope all of you have enjoyed this year’s International Tabletop Day and we’ll see you next year!
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P/S – While we wait for Titansgrave Season 2 and Tabletop Season 4 to slowly upload on YouTube, do check out the new Geek & Sundry series, ‘Escape’! It’s definitely becoming one of my staples. ​