Barnestorming 1974- Crude in Review, Mage Wars, Batman & Robin,

 Not to be confused with "Crude: The Steve Avery Game"

On the Table

Crude. If you like economic or business games, you should play this game. If you like games like Acquire, Power Grid, or Settlers of Catan you should play this game. This is an important reissue of an important game, one that I think is the missing link between Sackson and Teuber. Stronghold’s new edition is a pretty straight reprint with some minor, designer-sanctioned changes and some improvements. It didn’t really need to be modernized all that much. In fact, it still looks like a 1970s game, which I actually kind of like. My Worthpoint article isn't up yet, but it's also about Crude, more from a collector's perspective.

Mage Wars. It’s really good, but I get a feeling that it’s one that I won’t be adding to the permanent collection. There’s TONS of game here, and if you’ve got another party interested in really digging into the deckbuilding aspects of it and learning the cards, then it could be something you’ll play for a long, long time. I love how it’s almost a kind of uber-game, bridging a lot of different hobby game types into one massive but not really all that unwieldy whole. There’s TONS of keywords, status effects, and then there’s that whole “open deck” style of play…all of which are major roadblocks without experience. Expect a first game slow-motion trainwreck. But once it opens up, it’s really, really good. More later.

Really, really want to play Lord of the Rings right now. I may have to solo it tonight.