Explore an unknown magical continent… Become the master of medieval animal kingdoms… Create the ideal forest for trees and animals… This is the program for our Games evening for the month of October.
All the practical information (price, duration, difficulty, etc.) on the games of the month are in the box at the end of the article.
“Faraway”, an exploration in reverse
Sometimes the Games “evenings” take place in the afternoon. After a good Sunday meal (a little heavy but without alcohol, that’s something) with friends, we settle down Farawaygame promised to be very addictive. Benjamin (44 years old) has read the rules but struggles to explain them to the table. And we start with an error. The game is played in 8 rounds but we start with 10. And this information is crucial. HAS Faraway, it involves exploring a magical continent, Alula, by placing exploration cards at each turn. Some provide resources, others provide points (if you have the resources…), and there are various bonuses for completing your objectives. Easy, right? The subtlety is that the points are counted backwards from the last card placed, and not the first. So the resources of the first cards placed do not count for the objectives set at the end… Is it the explanations of the rules or the gastronomic excesses? In any case the game is clashing “ha damn, it’s true, we’re counting backwards” and “ha but no, there was no point in putting down this card”… Lucas (10 years old) plans his moves four rounds in advance, Syméon (8 years old) bets everything on a strategy where he chooses his cards first, Abel (11 years old) does not try too hard to understand the rules, Antonin (43 years old) is almost sure of winning, Aïna (13 years old) is almost sure to finish last.
The points count is quite long and leads to close results despite very different approaches. We had a good laugh, we racked our brains a lot too. As the game is pretty, we’re playing a three-player game again, and it’s already much smoother and faster. The game is adopted!
“The Wild Kingdoms”, a civilized battle
A digestive walk later, we continue, three of us, with the very beautiful The Wild Kingdoms. A short hour of play in perspective. The objective is to control territories on the pentagonal board with Animal cards. To place them, you must respect conditions which change with each turn. The mechanics are quickly assimilated and allow for many reversals. We don’t endure the game, we build it, and it’s very pleasant. Above all, there is a real clash between players who can choose to compete for territories or build their kingdom in their corner. The game is lively and indecisive until the end. Siméon, the animal lover, knew how to lead his troops to victory.
“Mixed Forest”, planting trees in peace
Sunday evening obliges, the last part is canceled due to baths to take, rooms to tidy and school bags to pack. Benjamin therefore finds himself trying Mixed Forest alone on the Board Game Arena site. It’s a bit of a shame because it seems like the game is very pretty, with its Trees and Forest Animals cards. No problem, the online part – even a little long due to players probably engaged in several games at the same time – is very pleasant. There is probably a way to play Mixed forest in a more tense way in search of the most optimal card combinations but this mild October evening encourages tranquility. Even with a low score, we are satisfied with the forest we were able to create and the animals who decided to come and live there. Let’s not think about those who were on our plates at lunchtime…
Faraway
From 10 years old, 2 to 6 players, less than 30 minutes from the second part, 18 euros. The game exists in four identical versions, apart from the color of the box. anyway, the game is already out of stock at many retailers so you will take the color you find…
The Wild Kingdoms
From 8 years old, 1 to 5 players, games from 30 minutes to an hour, 26 euros.
Mixed Forest
From 10 years old, 2 to 5 players, games of 30 minutes to an hour, 26 euros.