Famiglia

Name: Famiglia

Publisher: Rio Grande Games

Designer: Friedemann Friese

Players: 2

Ages: 10+

Playing Time: 30 Minutes

Roll up your sleeves and get ready for some street action in Rio Grande's recent card game release, Famiglia.The pressure's on as the two most influential mafia lords compete in a face-off to recruit the best members for their gangs and emerge as the head honcho over all. Created by German board game designer Friedemann Friese (Power Grid, Factory Manager), this game offers the type of creativity and strategically balanced gameplay for which Friedemann in known. Famiglia is a great fit for those looking for a fast-paced two-player card game. It will surely not disappoint.

Among the dozens of different gang members, you must select the most promising from the four families (La Famiglia, the Accountants, the Mercenaries, and the Brutes), each known for their distinctive abilities. Will it be the Brutes, skillful in intimidation, or will you select the Accountants, who cleverly allow you to reuse a strong card's abilities multiple times? A blend of both is typically desirable, but the order in which you recruit them can make all the difference. Throughout the game, you try to collect pairs of low-level family members who can influence the more valuable family members to join your gang. A keen awareness of the other player's strategy is crucial in succeeding, because a smart player will manipulate the choices available to their opponent. Each member recruited is worth a certain number of victory points, and at the end of the game, the mafia leader who collected most victory points is the winner. It's easy to learn, but the winning strategies take planning and premeditation.

For a game consisting of only a deck of cards, the strategy of Famiglia is solid. When I play with my husband, our matches are usually within just a few points of each other, and the different available play styles are well-balanced. In addition, the art for the game is very well done, making it visually appealing to play. It has such a unique and creative style that I think many people could enjoy this game, even those who typically shy away from strategy games. A typical game only takes about 20 minutes, so we love having a quick match right before bed or during a lull in our daily activities.

The style of Famiglia, coupled with its relative simplicity to learn, make it an attractive option for a wide variety of gamers. Don't let the little box deceive you--a lot of fun is packed into that tiny container! I highly recommend Famiglia as a small but strategic two-player card game. Viva La Mafia!

Agricola

Name: Agricola

Publisher: Z-Man Games

Players: 1-5

Ages: 12+

Playing Time: 2 Hours

Download Rules

Agricola is a farming game that is both imaginative and strategically fulfilling to even the most competitive gamer. As a player, you begin your life with nothing but your spouse, a modest two-room house, and a plot of unworked land. You must decide how to better your situation and feed your family. Will you use what little you have to gain employment, plow a field, buy animals, or make improvements to your home? Will the proceeds raised from harvest be enough to put food on the table? Can you expand your home in time to raise the children you've always wanted? You are the only one who can make these decisions. There are many paths to take, but the most successful ends in the highest valued estate and the most victory points at the end of the game.

The game of Agricola is all about the opportunity costs associated with building a profitable farming operation. Many activities are available to consider, such as plowing fields, sowing seeds, purchasing animals, and growing one's family. In each round, each action can only be selected by one player, so choosing the most profitable options for yourself is of great importance. As the game progresses, more opportunities become available, but the competition for them increases as well. After each group of rounds, harvest time comes, and each player must feed his growing family. If too little food has been produced, the only recourse is begging on the streets, and beggars receive negative victory points that are crippling to their score at the end of the game.

Agricola was a fun bonus to a vacation Bryant and I recently took to Washington D.C. While staying with our cousin, we both came down with illnesses (getting sick on vacation seems to be a growing trend in our family). Luckily, our hosts had quite a board game collection, including the Settlers of Catan (one of my favorites) and this game, Agricola. Since neither of us had ever played Agricola, we were eager to learn, and it was a perfect way to pass the time during those unfortunate days while we were stuck at home instead of touring our nation's capitol.

For having such a depth of strategy, Agricola is very straightforward and easy to learn. Its rules make sense, and it features multiple levels of complexity for a variety of audiences. When we were starting out, we played the simplified Family Game version, which omits the decks of minor improvements and occupations. Even in this simple version, the game is well-balanced with great deal of strategy. In later games, we played the full version with all the decks, which has a nearly endless variety of strategies available. Thanks to these large decks, it is clear that Agricola will not grow old anytime soon.

I appreciate the creativity that players can exercise while playing Agricola. It strikes me as a game that can be enjoyed by a broad spectrum of people. Usually, games as strategic as Agricola are not enjoyed by the majority of players, as they are too complex for ordinary people to endure. Something about the sense of accomplishment that comes from building a farm, however, appeals to nearly everyone. This makes it much easier for strategy-lovers such as myself to find opponents.

I was also impressed by the quality of the game's content, as it comes with many unique cards and wooden pieces. The manufacturer clearly did not skimp on the production. Be forewarned, however, that the game does take a lot of space, and is nearly impossible to play without a table.

Agricola is a wonderful game of strategy, and leaves its players with a sense of accomplishment and pleasure. It's definitely made my top ten list of favorite games, and I trust that others looking for interesting strategic games will not be disappointed by its quality. I cannot recommend Agricola highly enough.

Mamma Mia

Name: Mamma Mia

Publisher: Rio Grande Games

Players: 2-5

Ages: 10+

Playing Time: 30 Minutes

Download Rules

Mamma Mia is a mildly competitive, fast-paced card game that is easy to learn and enjoyable to all. Combine fresh mushrooms, olives, bell peppers, salami and pineapples to make good, wholesome Italian pizzas. Mix your own ingredients With those of other players and bake your pizzas to perfection, satisfying the cravings of your customers. Successfully fill the most customer orders to claim the victory at the end of the game! It's simple, appetizing, and fun!

It works like this: each player starts with a combination of ingredient cards and customer orders cards. The players take turns playing their ingredient cards into a common pile in the middle of the table. Then, at just the right moment, players try to claim the ingredients for their own customer orders by placing them over the stack. As the pile builds, it becomes increasingly difficult to remember what ingredients are still available! Each single ingredient card can only be used on one pizza, so everyone competes to make use of the common ingredients. Although some luck is involved, strategic timing and a good memory are worth their weight in gold.

I found Mamma Mia in a pile of old clothes while rummaging through a garage sale one chilly Saturday afternoon. Its shrink wrap was still intact, though dirty, and its colors were severely faded from years of abandonment. Nobody had ever even bothered to give it a try! For $1.50, I figured I couldn't go wrong, especially since it was put out by one of my favorite game publishers.

My initial impression was marginal: the graphics didn't impress me much, and I tend to put a fair amount of value on the overall visual appearance of the games I play. The gameplay was solid, though, and I quickly overcame my premature judgement. They say never to judge a book by its cover. I found Mamma Mia to be very enjoyable, as did the four people playing with me. They even begged to play another round! It was a great success.

Several factors make Mamma Mia unique among games, such as its playing time, appeal to the non-gamer, and compact size. Its short length, with rounds as quick as 20 minutes, makes it easy to squeeze in between longer games, livening things up a bit and allowing for a light-hearted experience. It also has great appeal to those who aren't as serious about gaming in general. Seriously, who would turn down pizza making? There's just something about the appetizing nature of this game that makes it a fun fit for all. In addition, its small size allows it to conveniently fit in a purse or pocket, which makes it very easy to play while passing time on the go, such as in an airport.

I recommend Mamma Mia as a fun alternative to its lengthy, more complex counterparts. It's perfect for sharpening up that good ol' memory, and it makes for an enjoyable time among friends. For a great pizza-making time, give Mamma Mia a shot!

Gambit

Name: Gambit

Publisher: MindWare Publishing

Players: 2

Ages: 8+

Playing Time: 15-30 Minutes

If you’re looking for an interactive game that is mentally stimulating and strategically challenging, then Gambit would be be a great choice for you. It doesn’t take long to learn and play, but it takes a lot of time and thought to become really good! This colorful, tiled board game has brought me hours of thought-provoking fun!

My husband and I were on a routine trip to our local Goodwill two weeks ago when Bryant spotted Gambit among the various used games that were for sale. As is the custom, he read the entire rule booklet before even considering a purchase. Still uncertain about whether the game’s strategy was sound, we decided to play it before spending a hard-earned $2.99 on the game.

So there we were, in the middle of Goodwill, quietly pulling together some random chairs from the furniture department and setting up a little game station as out-of-the-way as possible. It was quite invigorating since I have never done such a thing in a Goodwill! As we sat down to begin
our endeavor, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Gambit. I liked the rainbow colored tiles (I’m a huge fan of color) and I loved the simple concept of the game that seemed suitable to even the youngest of ages.

The game was not a disappointment. Despite its simple concept, it contained quite a bit of strategy. Planning ahead was necessary, although these plans had to be able to change in a second if the opponent caught on! Strategy was a combination of positioning oneself in the best places while still foiling the other player in their plans. As I played the game, I realized I was having a lot of fun--more than usual! It was right then and there that we decided Gambit was worth it. Shortly after the “the store will be closing in 15 minutes" announcement, Bryant and I concluded our game and headed to the checkout. It was a three dollars well spent.

We brought Gambit to our monthly game club, The Albany Gamers, where it was also thoroughly enjoyed by all who played it. People were asking “where can I find this?" and commenting “I’d really like to own this game!" I would definitely recommend Gambit if you are looking for a brain-stimulating game that forces you to think! I think I’ve become smarter just by playing it!

Letter Roll

Name: Letter Roll

Publisher: Out of the Box Publishing

Players: 2-8

Ages: 8+

Playing Time: 10-20 minutes

If you enjoy witty word games and time-pressed thinking, then you will likely find a friend in Letter Roll. It is simple to learn, mentally stimulating to play, and useful for building and maintaining one’s vocabulary. Up for a challenge? What words can you think of that contain T, G, and L? How about L, U and F? Try your hand at rolling three of the seven letter dice; the options are as endless as the game is fun!

The object of Letter Roll is to gain as many points as possible by crafting words out of the three letters that you are given at the beginning of each turn. This varies greatly in difficulty, since the dice are categorized by how frequently they are used in words. The white dice are vowels and frequently-used letters like T and S; the blue dice contain less frequently used letters: G and P. The orange dice are the rarest and most challenging letters to use in words. A roll containing two orange dice will be extremely challenging and may only yield a couple of words, while a roll with white dice will be a race to the end of the timer, since players can think of words faster than you can write them down. Since new dice are selected in each round, there is good mix of difficulty levels within each game. This leads to variety that does not quickly grow old.

I wasn’t sure what to expect of Letter Roll. Generally, I shy away from word games since I tend to gravitate toward the more mathematical games, where probabilities and calculations determine successful strategies rather than one’s own vocabulary. My mother has always been a gifted Scrabble player with a large vocabulary, so my competitive ego has taken a lot of hits in the word-game department, making the whole experience generally unpleasant. Letter Roll exceeded my expectations and preconceptions regarding word games, and has actually proven to be quite fun. Its ability to challenge me and make me think has been very rewarding. Unlike a game of Scrabble, where I am ashamed to reveal the pathetic words that are the only ones I can think of, I am proud of my words in Letter Roll, and the list is usually quite expansive and able to compete well with those of other players. I think the main reason for this is that it is more speed-based, as opposed to purely cognitive. I think the balance between these two is superb.

Letter Roll works well at social gatherings due to its flexible nature. With each turn taking less than 3 minutes, it is the perfect “filler” between other games. It can take as long as thirty minutes or as short as five, depending on how much time is available. The games can be hard or easy depending on the player preferences. It can even be played with children, and makes a wonderful vocabulary-building tool.

Due to its mix of difficulty levels, intellectual challenge, and inherent flexibility, I would highly recommend Letter Roll to those who are looking for a good word game that is both simple to learn and fun to play. Let's get the fun rolling!

The Settlers of Catan

Name: The Settlers of Catan by Klaus Teuber

Publisher: Mayfair Games

Players: 3-4

Ages: 12+

Playing Time: 1-2 Hours

If I could recommend a great all-around game that incorporates strategy with a playing ease and enjoyment for the less-than-uber-serious gamer, then I would suggest The Settlers of Catan. It is a very fun production-based game that is visually appealing, strategically sound, and extremely fun.

In The Settlers of Catan, players’ ultimate goal is to have the most successful nation and thus win by having the most victory points. Players do this by building settlements and cities next to valuable resources they can collect to further their expansion. The roll of the dice determines which resources can be collected each turn. As players gain and trade these resources, they strengthen their nation by building roads to new settlements and cities or choosing to develop in militaries and civic buildings. Competition is ever-present as players negotiate trades for the most valuable resources, race for the best situated and most productive land, and rob other players of their sacred materials. There are often surprises as people use their resources to the best of their abilities, collecting cards that hold secret victory points to be revealed at the end of the game.

The Settlers of Catan has something to offer to the novice as well as the expert. It is an easy game to learn for beginners; the rules are simple, fairly intuitive and can often be understood within the first few turns. After just one game of The Settlers of Catan, many people have grasped the game enough to win--my dad even won on his first game! While this is true, the game does not easily grow boring; even after extensive play, it still offers strategical challenges. Much of the strategy is centered on your ability to bargain with other players, so the social aspect of the game is varies dramatically from game to game, depending on who is playing. In addition to this variation, the island’s topography is never the same. Not only do the resources vary in the amount of yield they produce, but their locations on the island vary as well. With all these possibilities on an ever-changing island, you can imagine how the game can remain strategically challenging even after many games.

I’m not going to lie: I absolutely love The Settlers of Catan and I would highly recommend it! It’s a worth-while game to learn and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. If you enjoy strategy, competition, and the feeling of accomplishment that comes from creating something successful, then you will likely enjoy The Settlers of Catan, just as I have. It remains to this day one of my favorite games in our collection!