#firstimpressionsfriday🎲 started by @kay_plays_games Been a while since I had a new game to play and talk about on Friday. Earlier this week I received my kickstarter copy of Flamecraft by @cbalchemy And @luckyduckgames. I became aware of the project because I am a huge fan of @pvaughan007 and his work on #dwellingsofeldervale. I knew this was a completely different game but also knew by the campaign that the same level of quality and production would be on point. I loved the Art by @art_of_sandara and wish I could live in this little world they created. Pros: Art, components, storage solutions are all amazing. Each dragon card and shop have unique art by the incredible @art_of_sandara . Components in the deluxe edition are screen printed wood pieces and are very vibrant. The game comes with some stellar organizers by @gametrayz It has one for all the cards and dragons and two smaller 6 compartment trays for the resources. Another pro for me is its simplicity. They have simple rules and simple actions you take each turn. You can visit a shop and either gather resources or enchant a shop by spending resources. I also enjoyed the race trying to collect as much reputation ( Victory points) as possible before the end is triggered by drawing or revealing the last card of either the dragon or enchntment decks. Cons: it is a table Hog! Aesthetically I really enjoy the look of the long street that the shops occupy but it makes it so hard to see all of what's going on without standing and walking around to get a better look. The available dragons in the park and the enchantments that are available are on opposite sides of the board and just think it could benefit from a more condensed board. Also while I enjoy the simplicity of the actions the 6 types all have the same abilities' and while this will be great for teaching my kids and new gamers on Wonder if after more plays I'll be wanting more eventually 🤔 Overall I am happy with Flamecraft and knew what i was purchasing, a family weight game and I hope my kids enjoy it when I teach it to them. I am looking forward to getting it to the table a few more times to see how it holds up especially with more players. (at Wonder Lake, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/CkihmI6Lq6_/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#firstimpressionsfriday🎲 I recently picked up Cascadia by @aegminions and @flatoutgames We really enjoyed the puzzle presented in this game. In Cascadia you are drafting a pair of a tile and an animal token. Then you place the habitat tile and the animal in your personal habitat. The goal is to link like habitats, as at the end of the game you get 1vp for each land in your largest chain for each habitat type, plus additional bonus points if you are the player with the largest habitat among the other players. The other way to score points is to arrange your animals in particular patterns based on the goal cards for each animal ( elk, fox, salmon, hawk, bear) This was a very simple game with simple rules yet is very brain burning. The player interaction is very low as you can't really do anything to the other players boards, however you can and will undoubtedly draft a tile and animal another player most likely wants/needs. Overall I'm really enjoying Cascadia and can't can't wait to play more. This is definitely one that will stick around and probably make its way into our normal rotation of games to get to the table. Have you played Cascadia? What do you think of it? (at Wonder Lake, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdgUs53LInx/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#firstimpressionsfriday🎲 I recently picked up Cascadia by @aegminions and @flatoutgames We really enjoyed the puzzle presented in this game. In Cascadia you are drafting a pair of a tile and an animal token. Then you place the habitat tile and the animal in your personal habitat. The goal is to link like habitats, as at the end of the game you get 1vp for each land in your largest chain for each habitat type, plus additional bonus points if you are the player with the largest habitat among the other players. The other way to score points is to arrange your animals in particular patterns based on the goal cards for each animal ( elk, fox, salmon, hawk, bear) This was a very simple game with simple rules yet is very brain burning. The player interaction is very low as you can't really do anything to the other players boards, however you can and will undoubtedly draft a tile and animal another player most likely wants/needs. Overall I'm really enjoying Cascadia and can't can't wait to play more. This is definitely one that will stick around and probably make its way into our normal rotation of games to get to the table. Have you played Cascadia? What do you think of it? (at Wonder Lake, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdgUOPCr3lK/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#firstimpressionsfriday🎲 Set A Watch by @rockmanorgames This game is a cooperative dice placement game for 1- 4 players. You must secure nine locations over nine rounds to prevent the Evil Unhollowed from spreading darkness across the land. Each round, the party will choose one adventurer who will rest at camp and perform special camp actions while the rest of the party faces off against a line of creatures attempting to breach the camp. Each adventurer has either a set of 3 d6 or d8 dice to roll and place to deal damage and activate unique abilities. Every round is a puzzle that requires strategic planning and execution to stay alive, defeat the Unhollowed, and keep the fire burning 🔥...or all will perish to darkness. (at Wonder Lake, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/CZSIzNZr4U8/?utm_medium=tumblr

#firstimpressionsfriday🎲 Last night, we played Overboss by @brotherwisegames @brotherwise_games This game is so well produced. I love the @gametrayz Organizer; it makes it super easy to pick the tiles out and put them away. The object of the game is to fill your overworld with land tiles and fill them with matching monsters. If you have rows and columns of matching monsters that are called a band and score extra points, the tiles also have unique scoring. For example cave tiles are worth 1 point but get a +2 bonus if places next to the mountains on the border; Marsh lands are woth 1 and get a +1 bonus if adjacent to the water or another Marsh tile. Each tile has a unique rule but they are all easy to understand and remember as they have icons on the tiles to remind you of the scoring rules. The gameplay is simple, with just two actions you can do on your turn. Pick a pair of tile and token and then place them. The monster token must be placed with tile unless the tile was a dungeon tile. The monster goes in your lair to the side of your board until a tile without a monster is placed. This can happen if a til you draft had a Portal or a Crystal. Those tokens also go in your lair, so then the tile would be empty, and if a monster tile was in your lair, then you would place it on the new empty tile. At the end are scores we're super close 61 to 64 . Next time we play we will add the Boss monster and the command cards for added strategies. I can see this being a nice game to begin gamenight with or for a relaxing 1v1 night for me and my wife. The rules are also so simple I plan to teach it to my kids in hopes this will be a game we can all play as a family. Overall I'm very happy and want to thank Chris and Johnny O'Neal for sending us this copy. (at Wonder Lake, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/boards_on_tables/p/CYtoHC3LRo4/?utm_medium=tumblr

#firstimpressionsfriday🎲 Started by @kay_plays_games 🎲 After receiving Fleet: The Dice Game by @eaglegryphon for Christmas, we had to open it and see what this roll and write was all about. We are huge fans of the Deadliest Catch TV show and decided to put it on in the background as we played. 🛥 This game was so much fun. At first the options seem a little daunting but the rules were easy to learn and choices in the end were easy to make as you are limited by the dice rolls, But them that's where the real fun comes in. As you unlock more boats, fishing licenses and harbor/warf buildings you gain ways to mitigate the dice. 💰 Then in each round you gain income, coins, but you can also gain stars 🌟. The stars on the income track allow you to do an additional free action of your choice and fill in any next open space anywhere on your sheets. This was my favorite part! I loved chaining actions. One of the rounds my wife got the market die, which gains coins based on how many fish you have caught, she also had the canning co. Unlocked at the warf and she was able to gain additional coins for each full boat she had. This allowed her to gain like 10 coins and 2 free actions which she then used to unlock a new boat which then got an additional coin because of a license she had which got her another free action! 🎣 🏆 My wife won 89 to my 84 and we can't wait to play again! Highly recommend this game if you are looking for a simple, fun and combotastic small box game. I can definitely see us bringing this on vacation and playing on a beach ⛱ can't wait to do that someday. (at Wonder Lake, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/CYJjs3ALhwL/?utm_medium=tumblr

#firstimpressionsfriday🎲 Marvel Champions: The Mad Titans Shadow This expansion looks amazing. 2 new Hero's Adam Warlock and Spectrum are very unique and well rounded characters. Adam has the most unique deck building rule where you must use all 4 aspects but you can have duplicates of any card and each aspect must have an equal number of cards per aspect. Spectrum has 3 energy forms that each effect one of the basic stats like Attack, Thwart and Defense and so she can switch between these forms depending on the situation. The Villains are equally awesome as you are facing off against Thanos and the Black Order. There are some surprises in this box as well but I won't spoil any as it needs to be something you experience yourself. I love that the Infiniti Gauntlet is a modular set that once I'm done with the campaign I could totally add it to some earlier Villains and add a new difficulty to some otherwise Trivial and easier early Villains. Do you like Marvel Champions? Have a favorite Hero or Villain? Let me know in the comments. Later gamers -Excelsior (at Wonder Lake, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/CV5kSRKL5NS/?utm_medium=tumblr

#firstimpressionsfriday🎲 Wrath of the Lich King by @zmangames_ /@asmodee_games This games production is great. The quality of the miniatures, components, characters and even the actions and terms in the game have been crafted from the source material with a ton of love for this IP. Ive read the rules and watched some how to plays and feel like they really hit a homerun and got the mechanism to reflect the Warcraft theme perfectly. Tonight we play it and will update this post with my reflections after but so far I'm very impressed and very excited to Play. (at Wonder Lake, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVnhXLvLpfH/?utm_medium=tumblr

#firstimpressionsfriday🎲 Marvel Champions LCG by @fantasyflightgames @asmodee_games Marvel champions LCG is a living card game set in the Marvel world where you play as your favorite super heroes battling against a super villain/s trying to bring there health down to zero before they pull off there brilliant scheme. I love this game for only having 2 plays so far, one Solo and 1 two player, it's extremely fun and I love the card play. You build a deck or use a pre-constructed one; that consists of your chosen hero and a set of aspect cards. The aspects are aggression, Justice, leadership and Protection each with there own strengths and weaknesses. The Villians have there own deck of cards and schemes that they are trying to complete to win, they can also have extra side schemes and villains added to make them more formidable and challenging. The villains health also scales with each player added insuring it scales correctly so it's not too easy when playing with more friends. I love that I don't have to buy boosters and pray that I get the one Uber powerful card I'm looking to complete a deck and instead know exactly what I'm getting, after doing some research online, so I know what Heros or expansions to buy or not buy. However each month brings more Heros and villain packs or big box expansions that it's hard not to just want them all 😬😂 Overall I'm very happy with the base game heroes iv found so far and look forward to a lot of content ahead. (at Wonder Lake, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/CTGYudyrbvI/?utm_medium=tumblr

#firstimpressionsfriday🎲 Isle Of Cats designed by @cityofgameshq Isle of cats is a really fun drafting/tile laying game for 1-4 players. The Evil lord Vesh is on his way to destroy the Isle of cats and you are trying to save as many cats as you can before he arrives in 5 days (rounds). You start with an economy turn where each player goes fishing and starts with 20 fish. You then Draft 7 cards you keep 2 and pass the rest to the opponent/s then draft another 2 ...keep doing this till you have your 7 kept cards. These cards help you to rescue cats from the island, score point with end game lessons ( there are both private and public lessons) help befriend Oshax (wild cats) or find lost treasures. You then use the cats to fill rooms on your boat and cover rats which if not filled or covered will count as negative points at the end. The player to draft, collect and fill their boat and match what they have collected to the drafted public and private lessons will score the most points and win the game. We really enjoyed the first play and can't wait to play again 😻 #boardgames #boardgamesofinstagram #bgg #bggcommunity #boardgamenight #boardgamegeek #boardgamenight #boardgamegeekcommunity #boardgame  #boardgameaddict #tabletopgames  #boardgamephotography #gamenight #brettspiel #juegosdemesa #games  #jogodetabuleiro #boardgamesrule #boardgameporn #boardgamenerd #bordspellen #giochigatavolo #桌遊 #ボードゲーム #보드 게임 #настольные игры (at Wonder Lake, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/CSzXt5yr6yv/?utm_medium=tumblr

#firstimpressionsfriday🎲 A day late but we played Fort by @ledergames late last night. This is a real fun game. Your goal is to collect friends from the Park to improve your deck and help you build the best Fort. On your turn You make use of one or both actions on your card. The top action is a public action that can be followed by the opponents the second action is private and only you can use it. You use these actions to collect toys and pizza you use to upgrade your Fort. Your card will also have a suite either glue, skate board, crown, shovel, book, squirt gun and coin that counts as wild. I love the art direction and how the names and the abilities of the cards match the kids name and personality. The only con I really have is that the game is complex in its iconography and it will take a few more plays to get it down. Luckily this con is easily remedied with the great player aid provided. Overall we loved Fort and believe this will become a main stay in our selection of games we frequently play when we are looking for a quick but thinky game. #boardgames #boardgamesofinstagram #bgg #bggcommunity #boardgamenight #boardgamegeek #boardgamenight #boardgamegeekcommunity #boardgame  #boardgameaddict #tabletopgames  #boardgamephotography #gamenight #brettspiel #juegosdemesa #games  #jogodetabuleiro #boardgamesrule #boardgameporn #boardgamenerd #bordspellen #giochigatavolo #桌遊 #ボードゲーム #보드 게임 #настольные игры (at Wonder Lake, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/CSk2LPdLsEu/?utm_medium=tumblr

#firstimpressionsfriday🎲 Lost Ruins of Arnak by @czech_games_edition designed by Min and Elwen I really enjoyed my time in Arnak. It's such a mysterious island. As we searched to find the entrance to the eagle temple we encountered some fierce monsters. Luckily I had my trusty revolver which quickly dispatched them. The rival explorers had access to a plane and a hot air balloon that allowed them to gain an early lead and they reached the temple first. I hoped overcoming some monsters and being second to the temple would be enough but alas I was mistaken and the rival expedition came out with the most spoils from the majestic Lost Ruins of Arnak. Lost ruins of Arnak is a worker placement/ deck building game for 1-4 players. The Art and components are top notch and the design is well thought-out and all comes together in a great and fun experience. For our first play I was impressed with the pace of the game and how it did not take to long to go through a 2 player game which is good. I feel like our next plays will only get faster and allow us to play more than just one game at gamenight. We really loved the unique tools and relics that you added to your deck to pull off some fun combo's. The game did feel slower than a traditional deck builder and I was not cycling through my deck like I do in other games but that could just be due to the order of which cards came out in our game and it being our first play and not being to familiar with the mechanisms and cards. All in all I really enjoyed it and plan to get it to the table again very soon. #boardgames #boardgamesofinstagram #bgg #bggcommunity #boardgamenight #boardgamegeek #boardgamenight #boardgamegeekcommunity #boardgame  #boardgameaddict #tabletopgames  #boardgamephotography #gamenight #brettspiel #juegosdemesa #games  #jogodetabuleiro #boardgamesrule #boardgameporn #boardgamenerd #bordspellen #giochigatavolo #桌遊 #ボードゲーム #보드 게임 #настольные игры (at Wonder Lake, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/CRHxV60rGba/?utm_medium=tumblr