Episode 13 - A Contest, Abstract Games Spotlight, and Mage Knight

In this episode, we kick off our very first contest! We are giving away two copies of the awesome micro-game from AEG, Love Letter. Listen to the episode and head over here for full details: Love Letter Giveaway
Besides that, we look at the genre of Abstract games and review the super-heavy (at least for us) Mage Knight.

First off, since we did say it was a visual game, I wanted to show you some pictures of Yinsh which we discussed in the Abstract Games part of the episode.

Players start by placing their rings on the board.

Play then focuses on placing these stones in rows of the same color.

Here's what the game might look like after a number of turns. Looks neat right?

Mage Knight: The Board Game is a deep and rewarding experience.

Players will take on the role of one of these Mage Knights and conquer the countryside.

A player's starting setup. As the game progresses, This player's area will be filled with skill tiles, units and played cards.

This is the hub of the game. It includes the Advanced Action, Spell, and Unit offers along with the Day/Night board and Fame/Reputation tracks.

A close-up of the day/night board. The dice show the available mana while the number show how much movement is needed to enter the pictured terrain during this round.

 The starting map. The starting tile is always the same, but the two connected tiles are drawn randomly. You can see that we've already uncovered a wizards tower, a fortress, and a rampaging orc.

An example of some of the monsters you might see in this game. You will be referencing the rulebook often at first to decipher the iconography on these tokens.

Mana crystals. Do not leave these on the floor if you walk around barefoot.

The cities that are the objective in most scenarios. These models use the Wiz-Kids patented clix bases to show the level of the city.

There are quite a few tokens and pieces in this game.