"51st State" a First Play Review

This is a first play review (FPR) of 51st State Published by Portal (second edition US release published by Toy Vault. This review will contain the details of the game from Theme, Components, Rules and overall play. There will be a follow up review after playing the game with varying group sizes and multiple tests.

Theme: 51st State is a Science Fiction themed game of Post-Apocalyptic survival, working to build a new civilization.

FPR: This theme is medium; you would not be able to easily make a different theme fit in this game. It is possible but the cards, the strategy and tactics as well as the play really work well under this theme. The artwork really complements the theme and makes the game very enjoyable. I find more and more that the art work and theme play a big part in my desire to purchase games. I want high quality artwork and components with a fun theme that is not pasted on.

Components: The game components are playing cards, and cardboard counters (Oh and the back of the box, which is used for final scoring :) ).

FPR: As I stated before the artwork and components are great. The cards are similar to strength as regular playing cards, which will help the game to last longer. Text and icons are very easy to see due to excellent choices with contrasting colors. This is good as the game has heavy iconography (icons used for words or phrases).  The text on the cards is an easy to read font with good contrast between black and white for the majority of the text. An excellent take on the apocalyptic theme within the artwork, the world really does look like it is trying to rebuild itself. There are even some cards that have the classic gas masks. Like I mentioned before the artwork helps to make the theme really stand out.

Rules: The rules for the most part very clear and easy to read. The book has an OK layout, and the text is easy to read with good contrast. Interesting to note is that the rule book is color coded by background. Tan to represent components and setup, Green to represent play and flow of the game, Blue to represent the actions that can be performed during play and White to represent description and the index, which mainly covers the iconography and finer details of the cards. 

FPR:  Ahh, the rule book, if a game publisher ever produces the golden rule book (one that leaves no questions asked, is easy to read and understand) the editor of the rule book will be a millionaire, be able to lead us to world peace and solve world hunger on the side. That being said the layout of the rule book although well thought out did not work well for me. The separate sections made it easy to read and follow the flow, and made it easy for me to reference while playing the first game. This is a major plus as it is no fun to try and read the rules while trying to play the game.

The big flaw for me is disjointed rules that are a big part of the game. Scoring was the hardest part for me to figure out, and sadly one of the simplest parts of the game. Why did I have a hard time? First let me say, in reading the rules a second time after playing the game and reading some FAQs on Board game geek (FAQs) the scoring is very obvious. However to answer the question the scoring is in three separate parts of the rule book. First it is in the green section under phase 4 count victory points, second it is on the same page as phase 4 (page 4) at the bottom of the page in a solid green section and lastly it is on page 7 as an example of how to score.

When I read through a rule book I tend to not reference other page sections in the middle of my reading as it causes more confusion. And even after reading the rule book the three parts were hard for me to follow. Now in hindsight I completely see the flow of these three sections and it works really well. Currently I feel silly for not understanding the scoring the first time. The understanding I have now though is not what I had before and that is a flaw in the rules layout. And the scoring is not the only part that is disjointed. So if you had a hard time like I did the first time. After reading the rules give it a few moments, read the rules again, and maybe play through mock game by yourself. Also the FAQ on board game geek answer a lot of questions so check those out too.

Overall Play:  

Theme: Medium

Depth: Medium (a very tactical game)

Strategy: Medium Heavy

Luck: Moderate

Playtime: 45 minutes up to 90 minutes depending on group size and experience

Setup: Easy 5 to 10 minutes (if you are meticulous)

Clean up: Easy 5 to 10 minutes (depending on how you organize items in the box)

Quantity of components: Small amount (See components for details)

My ranking: Really liked it (4.5 out of 5) or (9 out of 10)

IN 51st state you represent a faction trying to gain power in the new world. Using the advantages of your faction you try to earn the most power (represented by victory points) so that you can be the new leader. During the game you will draft (select cards from a pool of cards) cards that represent potential locations you can use to earn victory points. Then you will attempt to make deals with the inhabitants of the location, conquer the inhabitants and receive spoils or incorporate a location into your faction. Using your locations, spoils or deals in the right way at the right time will earn you more victory points and potentially the game. 

FPR: 51st state plays smoothly, and the mechanics work well together to create a great game. The phases play well and there is enough going on to keep you engaged even when it is not your turn. The game is a little on the solitaire side of games as the interaction is minimal. However that is what most racing games are like. Although you may not be racing around the track or across a map you are racing to create the best and most powerful faction. The person who does this the fastest will be the winner of the game, and thus a race. 

A few parts of the game really stand out for me. The use of a single card in three different ways is not a new concept but is well executed in this game. With the dynamic of choosing how to use the location cards (since there are three options) really pushes you as you can't keep and use every location like you would want to. I like how this game scores points, although confusing to me at first it really works well for the game. And keeps you engaged with what your opponent is doing as you will want to know their score ever turn. I also love the ability to perform as many actions as you want and can. Usually I always feel limited in what I can do in a game. Not by my setup but by how many actions I have. Games like Agricola or Dominion come to mind. Most games use the limitation of actions to create the strategy in the game and 51st state does this as well. The difference is that in 51st state your actions are only limited by what you have in your hand and how you choose to use it. Again this is not a new concept but a great reprieve from the more common limitation found in the majority of games.

This game is hard to teach and there is a learning curve for the game, but the play is simple enough that after playing once or twice you should have the basics down. I highly recommend visiting board game geek and checking out the FAQ to make this easier for you. I hope to create a teaching guide for this game and previous games I have reviewed (which is only one). Until then hopefully someone else can provide you an answer.

First Play Review of Eminent Domain by Tasty Minstrel Games

This is a first play review (FPR) of Eminent Domain. This review will contain the details of the game from Theme, Components, Rules and overall play. There will be a follow up review after playing the game with varing group sizes and multiple tests.

Theme: Eminent Domain is a Science Fiction themed game of space exploration and colonization.

• FPR: This theme is light, and will not scare away anyone who is not a Science Fiction Fan. This theme could easily have been exchanged with a civilization based theme or Fantasy. The theme is cohesive and does work well in the game. The good part is that even though it is light it does not feel as if they pasted on a theme. Overall good simple theme that adds a little fun for those who like Science Fiction while not scaring away those who don't.

Components: The game components are playing cards, central board, plastic counters, wood counters and cardboard counters. 

• FPR: The art work and components are of good quality. The cards are thick which will help them to last for more playing. The text on the cards and playing board is an easy to read font with good contrast between black and white for the majority of the text. The important rules text is high contrast, while the flavor text (planet names, special ability text etc...) varies color to fit with the art work.The imagery on the cards is easy to decipher and looks good. This game uses iconography, which is the uses of icons or symbols to represent a phrase, action or word. This is similar to street signs using a red octagon to represent a stop sign. Good news is that there is a very small amount of iconography to learn, and with it being used heavily in the game most players will learn the icons quickly. The icons/symbols are easy to see and have good contrasting colors allowing for quick identification.The plastic ships are black and only black. This does ruin some of the detail that can be found on the ships, but is of little importance to the game. And only minorly affects the overall look. The ships do vary in size allowing for more fun during conquering by using an armada of ships both large and small. The wooden counters are nice and vary in a muddy color range. The central board is nice has some good artwork on it and helps to organize the playing area.

Rules: The rules are very concise, and for the most part very clear. The book has a good layout, is easy to read text with good contrast and fits in well with the rest of the artwork used in the game.

• FPR: Rule books are very hard to review as many of us read, understand context and structure of written documents differently. Even a minor difference in understanding can cause a big difference in play. The rule book is easy to read, and flows very well. Allowing for quick setup of the game. As you read you will think this game is very simple in play and should be great fun. Explaining the game however can be a little bit harder. I wonder if it is harder to explain because the rule book is so simple that there is just not a lot of things the instructor can take out without loosing the group. And of course each audience being different the instructor may have to spend more on one area of the rules than another. I would advise that you use the simple rule book (or a guide like this one on Board Game Geek (Summary Teaching Guide)) to make sure you explain the details, not answer any questions (except the what did you say ones) during rule explanation and then answer everything after. This will help the flow as well as allow everyone to understand how simple the play is. Often questions during the explanation cause more confusion when the play is simple. After explaining the complete rules then answering the questions will provide the clarity the group is looking for. Things I would have like to see in the rules would be examples. Especially examples of uncommon but potent combinations. The last item I would add or change would be implied rules. I will get into the details in a moment in over all play, however I will touch on it here. It would be nice instead of leaving us with no specifically stated guidance on role cards counting when selected, to have a rule stating that the role card symbols add to the cards played.

Overall Play: 

Theme: Light

Depth: Medium

Strategy: Medium Heavy

Luck: Moderate

Playtime: 45 minutes up to 2 hours depending on group size and experience

Setup: Easy 5 to 10 minutes (if you are meticulous)

Clean up: Easy 5 to 10 minutes (depending on how you organize items in the box)

Quantity of components: Moderate amount (See components for details)

My ranking: Really liked it (4 out of 5) or (8 out of 10)

Eminent Domain is a smooth game, and plays very quickly.  The game has interaction between players but the interaction does not generally impact you in a negative way or hamper your plans. This makes it easier for you to plan your actions and actually follow your plan. The game will not have a lot of variety in what it presents but does have a lot of variations on ways to win. This is a great game if you have one to one and a half hours available for play (depending on experience and number of players).  Eminent Domain would fit nicely in the gateway games category, it is more of a game for gamers but is easy enough that most casual or non-gamers can pick it up and have fun.

• FPR: There are moments where the game slows down because you are anxious to make your next move, however this does not make the game lag. This game is definitely a unique twist on the deck building games currently out. Deck building games start you off with a standard set of cards (your deck), that match every other players cards. Then through some actions you add cards to your deck. At the end of any deck building game you will have a deck that is different than all of your opponents. And if you did a good job building your deck, you have a winning deck that is better than your opponents. Although the game did not completely WOW me in the first play (which was with 2 players) it was definitely a fun game to play.  I really enjoyed the role choice and actions within the game, this unique take really added a lot to the strategy of the game. I like the game and I am excited to play it again. Other positives for the game is that it has a small foot print allowing it to take up only a little table space, it is easy to teach and learn and has some depth to it. Check out my next entry to find out how to play the game. Hopefully in less words than it took to review the game.

The Beginning

The Beginning

So here is the start, the dawn of my initial steps towards my first real goal. I know throughout life many of us have goals. Especially if you spent any time in a public and probably private school, where you are bound to get asked the question “What do you want to accomplish in the next five years”. Which is usually followed with a 10 year question much the same. Truth is I never had any idea what I wanted to accomplish or do in the next five years. If put in that situation again my answer probably wouldn’t have changed, as my goals then were to graduate high school, attend college and get a job that provides enough money. Now older and hopefully wiser I have a real goal. One that is much more substantial than learn and make money to survive. My goal is to turn my love of games into work that I can get paid for so that I can do two things more in my life. First is spend more time with my Family, and second is to get paid to enjoy my hobby.

Thus the blog is my opening step. As no one will read this entry, it will bear little wait in the understanding that my future supporters will have of me. However I want to state here in the initial stages that I only have a vague plan and that is the way I like it. I want to move forward and accomplish as much as I can as quickly as I can. This will make all of the “blue shirt” people, (personality test reference) who are highly organized and typically excellent at executing plans, very afraid for me and skeptical of my potential success. For me however that is exactly as I want it. I want to learn as I go and I want to go without wasting time building foundations and planning out details that I may want to change later. As I am not an excellent planner I usually like to state this is what I am doing and do it. Rather than plan and change it later. Now that I have created several run on sentences and blabbed incoherently lets return to the original topic.

Here I am world and here I come.  Initial Stage zero has begun, start a blog that will be all about gaming.

This blog is all about games. It is a "Repository of game entertainment for the whole family". With the Goal of "Bringing Back the Family Game Night"

CG-A#1

October 17, 2011