Trevor and Danny from ZiaComics.com have compiled a list of their Top 20 favorite board games.
They have different tastes in games so their lists have very little in common.
Danny prefers abstract strategy games while Trevor enjoys games with captivating artwork and ease of play. They both like ALL types of games, these are just their favorites.
This is the first segment in the countdown.
This video covers #20 through #16 on their lists. Trevor and Danny tell you what games squeaked onto their list.
A little bit of info is given for each game to help you decide if it is a game you’d like to look into a bit further.
Trevor and Danny from ZiaComics.com have compiled a list of their Top 20 favorite board games. They have different tastes in games so their lists have very little in common. This list is just the honorable mentions.
Danny prefers abstract strategy games while Trevor enjoys games with captivating artwork and ease of play. They both like ALL types of games, these are just their favorites. The games that made honorable mention are The Resistance, Smash Up, Can’t Stop, San Juan, Dead Man’s Draw, Here Kitty Kitty, Quoridor, Red Dragon Inn, Dragonwood, and Council of Verona. To find out who picked which games and where they ranked them you can look at the list below. If you want to be surprised just click on the video link and ignore the list.
This is just a little teaser intro for the actual Top 20 list of board games. Trevor and Danny tell you the games that just barely missed the cut. A little bit of info is given for each game to help you decide if it is a game you’d like to look into a bit further.
Hello, It’s time for another board game blog! This week we are taking a break from reviewing cat games and will be looking at Dragonwood by Darren Kisgen and Gamewright Games.
Dragonwood
This is a quick, competitive game for 2-4 players. To setup separate the two decks, Adventurer Deck (red backed) and Dragonwood Deck (green backed). Take out the two dragon cards (Orange Dragon and Blue Dragon) and shuffle both decks. Remove a number of cards at random from the Dragonwood Deck depending on the number of players (12 for 2 players, 10 for 3 players, and 8 for 4 players).
Then shuffle the two dragons back into the bottom half of the deck. Deal 5 Dragonwood cards into the center of the table to form the “Landscape”. Then deal 5 Adventurer cards to each player. Set the dice and player reference cards off to the side but within reach of all players. You are now ready to begin!
Some of the cards
On your turn you may do one of two things:
Reload – draw one Adventurer card add it to your hand. Signal your turn is over by saying “Reload” to the other players. Note: there is a hand limit of 9 cards. Should you choose to reload with 9 cards in your hand you must discard a card from your hand after drawing. (If you draw one of the “Lucky Ladybug” cards immediately discard it and draw 2 more cards.)
Capture – play a number of Adventurer cards from your hand, roll dice, and try and capture one of the Dragonwood cards in the landscape. Note: you may always play one card and try any of the three methods for capture. You may only roll a maximum of six dice. (You may only attempt to capture 1 card from the landscape per turn.)
Adventurer Cards
The Adventurer cards come in five different colored suits. They are numbered 1-12. The first time the deck runs out reshuffle the discard pile. When attempting to capture cards from the landscape you will use one of three methods:
Strike – (sword icon) play cards that are in a row regardless of color (e.g. 6, 7, 8).
Stomp – (boot icon) play cards that are all the same number (e.g three 8’s).
Scream – (face icon) play cards that are all the same color (e.g. four blue cards).
Dice showing all faces
You must announce to all players which method you are using to try and capture the card from the landscape. Whichever method you choose to capture will allow you to roll a number of dice (numbered 1-4) equal to the number of cards played. Four cards played = four dice to roll. If your roll is equal to or greater than the target number you succeed. Discard the Adventurer cards used and take the captured card. If not successful the attempted card remains in the landscape, discard one of the Adventurer cards used as a wound, and put the rest back into your hand. Note that some creatures are easier to capture using different methods. It may be easier to try and stomp fire ants rather than strike them.
Dragonwood Cards
There are three types of cards in the Dragonwood deck:
Creatures – (green faced) if you defeat a creature take the card from the landscape and place it face down in front of you. You score the points listed in the shield on the bottom left corner.
Enhancements – (purple faced) if you capture an enhancement take the card and place it face up in front of you. This card can be used for the rest of the game (unless the card says otherwise) to assist in future creature captures. Note: enhancements can’t be used to capture other enhancements.
Events – (orange faced) whenever an event card is revealed it immediately affects all players and is then discarded.
Whenever a card is removed from the landscape (either by capture or through event resolution) you replenish the empty space with a new card from the Dragonwood deck.
The game ends when one of two things happen:
Both dragons have been defeated.
The Adventurer deck runs out for a second time. (in this case every player takes one more turn.)
All players total up their victory points, and compare the number of creatures captured. Whoever has the most creatures gets a bonus 3 points (if tied for most, the players each get 2 points). The player with the most points wins (if tied overall the player with the most points and most captured creatures wins).
Components
And that’s it! The game comes with 64 Adventurer Cards, 42 Dragonwood Cards, 2 Turn Summery Cards, and 6 Custom Dice. it retails for $14.99 and is out now.
What really stands out is the artwork by Chris Beatrice. Each card is beautifully illustrated and matches the humorous tone of the game.
I give it 2 out of 2 dragons in the woods.
Until next time, keep playing games, and may the dice be ever in your favor!
-Trevor L. Cooper is an avid board gamer. When he is not gaming he can be found on his YouTube game channel Well Played.
Dragonwood by Gamewright gameplay review by Danny McKinley from ZiaComics.com
Dare to enter Dragonwood! Deep in the heart of this mythical forest lurk angry ogres, giggling goblins, and even the famed and fearsome fire-breathers themselves!
In Dragonwood, you collect sets of adventurer cards to earn dice, which you then use to roll against your foes. Stomp on some fire ants, scream at a grumpy troll, or strike the menacing orange dragon with a magical silver sword. Choose your strategy carefully because the landscape of Dragonwood is ever-changing. Only the bravest will overcome the odds to emerge victorious!
Gameplay:
On their turn, players either draw a card or attempt to capture a creature or enhancement. Players draw from the Adventurer deck that contains cards of 5 different colors all numbered 1-12. With these cards players form combinations to attempt a Strike (cards in a row of any color), a Stomp (cards of the same number) or a Scream (cards of the same color). To capture, players roll a number of dice equal to the number of cards they have of the particular combination. Each creature has different minimum values of a Strike, Stomp or Scream needed to capture it, and a Victory Point amount.
The game includes six, six-sided dice with sides 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, and 4 to reduce extremely lucky outcomes. The Dragonwood deck has 42 cards, 5 of which are displayed in the landscape at any time. In addition to creatures, this deck also has enhancements that are captured in the same way as creatures which assist players in capturing creatures, and contains events that also impact play. When both dragons have been defeated, the game is over and the player with the most victory points wins!
Is the best strategy to go for several smaller creatures or save up for larger attacks? Should you grab some enhancements hoping they will pay off, or go immediately for creatures? Do you take chances on some rolls or go for sure things? Every time you play Dragonwood the deck is different, so no two games are the same!
El Paso Herald-Post El Paso News & Opinion
