Scythe

Today's review is of the 2016 release, Scythe. For 1-5 players, it takes two hours.

Overview

In a steampunk-inspired version of Europe after the Great War, five factions vie for dominance. You will construct buildings, gain resources, build mechs, and perform other actions to expand your influence and earn stars (once one player has completed six, the game ends and is scored). You'll want to increase military power, popularity, resources, money, and territory to be successful. That's a lot . . . do you have what it takes to prevail?

In Scythe, each player gets a character, associated faction board (showing their faction and unique abilities) and action board (showing eight standard actions arranged in four columns of two each, but arranged differently on each—more on that below). Everyone gets mechs (placed on their faction board), workers, and cubes (placed on their action board). After setup (placing your character in its starting space and placing two workers in adjacent hexes), turn proceeds clockwise. 

game box showing contents; image from here

On your turn, you choose a column and take one or both actions, from top to bottom, in that column if you can. The actions simplified:

Top row (economic or movement):

• Move (move up to 2 units (worker, mech, or character) to an adjacent hex) or Gain (1 coin)
• Produce (gain resources from two territories containing workers)
• Resources are metal, oil, wood, food, and workers
• Bolster (increase military power and draw a combat card)
• Trade (pay 1 coin for any two resources or two popularity)

Bottom row:

• Upgrade (pay enough oil to improve your action board by moving a cube from a top action [increasing yield of that] and moving it to a bottom action [reducing the cost of that])
• Deploy (pay enough metal to build a mech, which is required to move over certain terrain and help fight battles)
• Build (pay enough wood to construct a building to unlock bonuses)
• Buildings are armory (helps military), mill (helps resource generation), mine (helps movement), and monument (helps popularity).
• Enlist (pay enough food to recruit personnel by moving a cylinder from your action to your faction board, gaining both an immediate bonus and an ongoing effect based on what adjacent players do)

On your next turn, you must choose a different column, so plan wisely! Efficiency is key; it's best if you can take both actions in the chosen column. And note: each action board has different action pairs per column (so one board might pair Move with Upgrade, while another pairs Move with Build). 

A word on combat: if your figure or mech enters a space with another player's character or mech, a battle ensues. Each player gets a combat dial, where they secretly choose a value (from 0 to 7) of combat power (which cannot exceed their current total), then secretly may add combat cards (from 2 to 5) based on how many plastic figures (character+mech(s)) they have in that space. Totals are revealed, combat power is reduced on that track based on what the player spent [which doesn't count combat cards], and the winner kicks the loser back to their starting space, gaining any resources they had in the combat hex.

A word on stars: you can earn up to six, but there are more ways to earn them:

• Complete all 6 Upgrades
• Deploy all 4 Mechs
• Build all 4 Structures
• Enlist all 4 Recruits
• Have all 8 Workers on the board
• Complete 1 Objective Card (a secret mission on a card given at the start of the game)
• Win a Combat (up to 2)
• Reach 18 Popularity 
• Reach 16 Power

After one player earns six, the game ends and victory points are tallied (a coin total, which is obtained by summing categories (stars, territories controlled, resources held, and structure bonus tiles), each of which is multiplied by a value determined by your popularity level. The highest wins!

You can watch how to play here.

Review

This game is currently ranked 26 overall on BoardGameGeek, a tremendously high ranking that hints at its popularity and quality. And I see why: the asymmetric factions are fun, the mechanics are tight, the nuances (like the action pairing) are intriguing and highly replayable. The art and theme are cool. I enjoyed it overall.

As with other asymmetric games, this is complex. There's a lot going on, it takes a long time, and it was very hard for me to track my own actions and everyone else's given different faction and action boards. I could 'micro-strategize' (plot out the next 2-3 turns) well enough, but the bigger picture and larger strategy was lost on me. The varying action boards are intriguing but inherently give some faction/action board combinations an unfair advantage [in fact, some pairings have been banned by the game designers as a result]. Though they have banned the most egregious examples, I believe there can still be some competitive imbalance from the start due to this factor. A few more plays could change (or confirm) my opinion. 

Overall, I would recommend it, but for a serious gaming crowd.

Rating: A-

The Dog Who Wouldn't Be (Farley Mowat)

The Dog Who Wouldn't Be is a humorous memoir about a boy and his dog growing up in Dustbowl-era Saskatchewan (1930s).

Mutt is a unique dog. Bought for four cents off a boy trying to sell ducks, this unorthodox canine had an intriguing life in the Mowat household. His misadventures could infuriate the family (and the locals), but he would grow to be a tremendous (if quirky) hunting dog, much beloved by the boy and parents.

This book is a lot of fun. Mowat is a master of writing—the tales are amusing enough, but the delivery (his words and phrases are nigh-poetic) increases the enjoyment tenfold. It's more than humorous, though; it is a poignant look at a bygone era, when boyhood meant exploration and adventure, traipsing around with a dog (or an owl . . .) before modernity's technology and limitations. It also offered glimpses into the all-too-familiar (and often hilarious) relational dynamics between husband and wife, parent and son. Highly recommended.

Rating: A

God & Culture (Various)

God & Culture is a 1993 work by a number of notable theologians of the time, dedicated to honoring Carl F.H. Henry. It presents essays on a number of topics related to culture, including pluralism, eschatology, anthropology, psychology, philosophy, history, economics, law, politics, literature, art, media, science, environmentalism, bioethics, leisure, and more.

Since this covers a wide range, I make no attempt to summarize it here. I recorded eight pages worth of notes for a class I am preparing . . . of those, I present a few highlights below as representative of themes throughout the book.

Culture is "a shared set of human activities and works that express ultimate beliefs and values." It matters because it is "the fruit of a theology or worldview." (Kevin Vanhoozer)

Pluralism is the expectation of our age, and open-mindedness with it. This pervades our culture. But note: "in the popular mind open-mindedness is no longer connected with a willingness to consider alternative views but with a dogmatic relativizing of all views." (D.A. Carson) People claim there is no objective truth, which is self-contradictory, as that is held up as an objective standard. We all operate with some truth in mind.

Our culture (and all disciplines) are "shaped by shared assumptions and value commitments." (Robert Priest) Our work and approach to it reflects "a value-laden judgment that is how the world ought to be described." (Ian Smith) But because of our sinful natures, "What we want, heaven help us, is simultaneously to be perfectly ruled and perfectly free." (Philip Johnson) In recent centuries, we appeal to reason. But "If human reason aspires to be the judge of God’s statements, it makes itself the unevaluated evaluator—which is to say that it takes God’s place." (Philip Johnson) One key here is recognizing our assumptions (both individually and collectively held) and asking how they align to what we claim to be ultimately true. What are our presuppositions—unquestioned (and largely unprovable) truths that drive us?

As we examine culture, we need to sift it finely. It may be that we approve of one aspect "without endorsing all of it," or we might "disagree with part of it without devaluing it entirely." (Leland Ryken)

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As with any compilation, the entries varied. Some essays were outstanding; others only so-so. Some have stood up well; others felt dated (thirty years is a long time in terms of cultural change—society has changed a lot since then). But overall, this is a solid read and recommended.

Rating: A-

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

Continuing the story from The Super Mario Bros. Movie . . .

Bowser Junior wants revenge—and he knows how to get it. Kidnapping Princess Rosalina, he intends to harness her power to destroy worlds. Can Peach, Mario, Luigi and crew stop him? 

Much like the first film, don't expect character development or much in the way of story or message (though Mario does show grace to his enemies on several occasions). Those (big) things aside, there were elements to enjoy. The animation is spectacular, the music is a well-done homage to classic video game fare, and there are plenty of nods to various Nintendo titles. If you are unfamiliar with the video games, I don't see you enjoying this. But if you are—even a few of them—you can find something to enjoy.

Rating: C+

Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game

Today's review is of the 2012 release, Legendary: a Marvel Deck Building Game. For 1-5 players, it takes 30-60 minutes.

Overview

You and your friends need to fight villains, rescue bystanders, and take down the mastermind before too many villains escape with bystanders. This is a semi-cooperative game: you'll either win as an individual (if you have the most points if the team collectively wins the scenario) or all lose.

Game play follows the typical flow of deckbuilding: after choosing a mastermind, scheme, and set of hero cards [shuffling all heroes together to form a hero deck], each person starts with the decks of 12 cards (basic resource or damage cards), draws 6, and play begins. On a turn, the active player:

- draws a card from the villain deck and adds it to the city, shifting existing cards down the row and/or doing any effects as stated (which may trigger scheme or mastermind effects)

- plays cards from their hand to damage/defeat villains or buy cards from HQ to add to their decks (all purchased cards go in the discard pile)

- discards unused cards

- replenishes the HQ by adding cards from the hero deck to it

- draws 6 cards (shuffling the discard pile to create a new deck if needed)

The game board; image from here

Play continues until the winning (or losing) conditions are met. Once that happens, if the players collectively have defeated the scenario, the one with the most points (gained by defeating villains and rescuing bystanders) wins. If the players lost the scenario . . . everyone lost.

Other things to note: 

Some cards from the villain deck will trigger mastermind or scheme effects. 

Villains can escape the city if they are shifted off the board and may take bystanders with them (you lose if 8 total bystanders leave in this way). 

Masterminds can be defeated by doing damage to them equal to or exceeding their stated value, but you have to defeat them four times to win the scenario. 

Buying cards from HQ is key to winning. These hero cards have different abilities, which could mean doing more damage or gaining more resources than the basic cards or having a special ability.

You can see a more in-depth overview here at Watch It Played.

Review

I enjoyed this one. The semi-cooperative aspect is fun. The customization/replayability are high (but that also means long setup/teardown times due to preparing decks). Like any deckbuilder, the HQ can get clogged with higher-cost cards (that happened to us), and the villains can be clumped disadvantageously (that also happened), meaning some turns are wasted. But that aside, the game was intuitive and interesting. Recommended.

Rating: A

For Sale

Today's review is of the 1997 release, For Sale. For 3-6 players, it takes 30 minutes.

Overview

You are a real estate mogul, intent on buying the best properties—and selling them for the most profit.

Each player starts with 14 coins (each is $1,000), the two types of card decks are shuffled independently, and then the game is played over two rounds.

Round 1: buying buildings

There are 30 building cards, valued 1-30. Each turn within this round, X building cards are placed in a row (X= number of players). The players bid clockwise and can either raise the current bid or pass. If they pass, they take the lowest-valued building still in the row (and return half of their bid, rounded up, to the game box). That player is out of the rest of the turn. The other players continue bidding or passing until all buildings are purchased. (The last player standing must pay their entire bid.) Then the next turn begins, with X more buildings laid out in the row. Turns continue until all buildings have been purchased.

example building cards; image from here

Round 2: selling buildings

There are 30 "check" cards, valued 0 or 2-15 (and there are two copies of each). Each turn within this round, X check cards are placed in a row. The players secretly choose one of the building cards they received in the first round. When all have chosen, the cards are turned face-up, and the owner of the highest-valued card takes the highest-value check. The owner of the next highest-valued card takes the next check, and so on until all checks are taken. Then the next turn begins, with X more checks laid out. Turns continue until all checks have been taken.

examlpe check cards; image from here

At the end of the game, the player with the most money (total check card value + remaining coins from round 1) at the end wins!

Review

This game is a light, fast, and fun auction experience—both open and secret. Better with more people (5-6). Since you start the game with only 14 coins, you must bid carefully; run out of coins early in round 1 in the open auction, and you'll be stuck with low-value properties the rest of that round. And round 2 has that secret auction element, enabling you to get back in the game even with lower-valued properties if you can play your cards correctly. Overall, this is a winner.

Rating: A-

Carl's Doomsday Scenario (Matt Dinniman)

Picking up from last time, where Carl and Princess Donut made it through the first two levels of the dungeon that has become their world now that the Apocalypse has come (and is televised) . . .

Level three is the Over City—a sprawling world replete with ruins and echoes of a past calamity that have left its surviving inhabits in rough shape. But still dangerous shape—even the inhabited towns hold secrets and horrors that force our heroes to choose: will they help these pitiful souls and complete mysterious quests? Or is it really all about survival?

I enjoyed book one well enough, but I expected the sequel to be more of the same and grow stale. I was wrong. I liked this better—though the entire book covers just one level (remember, there are 18 total . . .), there is a surpising depth to this (on top of the endearing absurdity) that makes the tale thoroughly engrossing. The standard warnings from before apply: beware profanity/violence/crude humor. But if you can stomach that, this is a good one. And I'm hooked. 

Rating: A