Ab durch die Mauer

Joe: Germans really know how to design kid’s games. It is essentially a memory game where you are trying to outfit a ghost with different articles of clothing but it’s done with magnets. You can pull levers or rotate the board in order to attach your magnetic ghost piece to one of the hidden magnets in the board to allow your ghost to traverse the board quickly or move through walls. I can see this game winning the Kinderspiel and still be a game that parents will enjoy playing with their children.

Heather: As soon as I heard that Ab durch die Mauer had ghosts traveling through walls by magnets, levers, and rotating the entire board I was intrigued! As an adult. I enjoyed the puzzles of trying to figure out which way to shift the board. This was the most unique game I demoed at Pax and one both children and adults will enjoy.

Aquatica

Joe: This was my number one priority to demo in the first look area. It combines a mechanism I really like, hand building, with a very different and interesting mechanism of a card tableau that ages. As the cards in the tableau age, they can give you temporary bonuses and once the card has completely aged, it can score. Our play of it couldn’t have been longer than 40 minutes with a rules explanation and the turns were very quick. This is definitely a game to look for once it gets a wider release.

Heather: When we sat down to demo Aquatica I was a bit nervous. Would I grasp the mechanics during play? Would I enjoy the game? Quickly, all of my fears disappeared and I found myself getting into the rhythm of playing cards, collecting cards, consuming cards for extra benefits, and trying to strategize how to gain the most points. Turns flew by, and the game flowed seamlessly from start to finish. I left the demo table wishing it was for sale immediately.

Azul: Summer Pavilion

Joe: I mainly wanted to try it because I enjoyed the original Azul and I wanted to see if this one played differently. The drafting mechanism is essentially the same but with a twist of having wild tiles. This version also allows opportunities to combo actions by surrounding icons and taking available tiles from the central score board. I was pleasantly surprised by this one. It still felt like Azul but I think the changes made to Summer Pavilion allows for more interesting choices.

Heather: For those who enjoy the Azul series Summer Pavilion follows a similar format and gameplay. It has unique elements that set it apart from the first two but I do not know if I would own more than one Azul due to limited shelf space. I would replace my copy of the original Azul with this version as it has more interesting choices, chances to chain combos together, and adds in wild tiles.

Cthulhu: Death May Die

Joe: I am a big fan of the Arkham Files games from Fantasy Flight and previous designs by Eric M. Lang. I wanted to try it but I had no idea what to expect. Cthulhu: DMD plays like a pulpy action movie where you throw dice and kill monsters. The more action oriented storytelling is refreshing compared to the methodical mystery solving of games in the Arkham Files series. One thing I really enjoyed about DMD was the ending. Frequently in cooperative games, the session ending can be anticlimactic and you know a few turns from the end if you will win or lose. Our session of DMD came down to the wire with a final attack on the Avatar of Cthulhu and every player character was on the brink of insanity or death. Very easy to learn but like any co-op, the game’s system can be manipulated by the players. I still enjoyed it a lot and it was one of my favorite games of the convention.

Heather: I tend to enjoy shorter games but I became so immersed in Cthulhu: DMD I had no idea that 2 1/2 hours had passed during our play through. Cooperative games are my favorite style and this one did not disappoint. It had some flaws, such as unclear rules that could be taken advantage of, but overall was packed with impressive storytelling, game mechanics, and well crafted models. Having three actions during a turn, and a variety of action options, meant I never felt I wasn’t contributing in some way. As long as everyone on your team makes timely decisions, turn order does not take long and you always need to be considering your next move. I enjoyed that the insanity meter gave you negative effects and bonuses at the same time, and each character had unique abilities that meshed well together. Overall, I highly enjoyed this demo and we will be purchasing this for our gaming group.

Downforce with Wild Ride expansion

Joe: I’ve played other games from Restoration Games and Heather and I have even done some playtesting for the company but, for some reason, we hadn’t previously played one of the first games the company brought back. What fools we were. I like some racing games but they rarely feel like a real race. One car can jump out and every other car does their move to catch up. The cards used in Downforce can move multiple cars on the same turn and cars’ positioning plays more like a real Formula 1 race. The Wild Ride expansion added ramps which made the track more interesting but I enjoyed the pacing of the game and the card play more than the inclusion of jumps. It’s a great game and I highly recommend it.

Heather: Downforce Wild Ride was just plain fun. I enjoy Formuila D but we never finish more than one lap due to time constraints. Unlike in some other racing games, Downforce is only one lap and that lap goes very fast and has high adrenaline. Due to the tight track style, it was hard to predict the first place winner until the last turn or two. The ramps added even more unpredictability and if played right a car could speed through two to three turns with one card. Even then, I like that your car does not have to win for you to win. You get a bunch of points if your car is triumphant but it isn’t essential. Like in Camel Up, you just have to place your faith in the correct cars to come in first, second, and third place. The game has just the right amount of luck and strategy for me to enjoy it.

On Tour

Joe: This has to be one of the most well produced roll and writes I’ve seen. The dice used are huge, the player boards are very vibrant and dry erase, and the cards might be a bit too big but are very clear and colorful. On Tour is a simple route building game where you put the numbers rolled into the areas listed on the cards in order to make the longest music festival tour. The game can get a bit tight and some of the other players found it stressful. I enjoy it. I liked it more than Railroad Ink and On Tour isn’t as punishing as that game but it also isn’t a roll and write I would want to pull out frequently.

Heather: On Tour is an easy to understand roll and write that caused me to question every move and some stressful decisions. I have to admit I am not great with pre-planning moves a few turns ahead. Those who are, may find the game easier and more enjoyable but even then there is a high luck element with dice rolls and cards. The game has variability as the player must place in two of the three regions available. After placing, I always wondered, was there a better option out there? I tried to leave major hubs open to loop across the USA, but only wound up forcing myself to block off the East Coast entirely. As more and more of my board filled, my anxiety rose. Other players around me though enjoyed the math puzzle and were able to better utilize the numbers available. The game is gorgeous and I will give it a second chance as I love most roll and writes, but I do not know if my opinion will change much.

Paranormal Detectives

Joe: I tired this out mainly because Heather was interested in this party game. Since I prepared beforehand and I knew the rules better than the rest of the group, I was roped in to being the recently deceased. The game is played in turns with the detectives playing cards and asking the ghost the who, what, when, why, and how of the death. The ghost then answers the question by using the method on the card. This can be manipulating string, pointing to letters on a spirit board, or playing tarot cards. Then the detectives can guess the five points to win the game. This is definitely not my kind of game but I thought it played pretty well. I just think that I would enjoy it more as one of the detectives trying to use the clues to deduce the murder rather than playing the ghost again.

Heather: As a person who enjoys party games, I thought Paranormal Detectives was creative, enjoyable, and unique enough to add to my collection. Unlike the semi-cooperative Mysterium, this is a competitive game, where the ghost gives a variety of visual, auditory and kinesthetic clues. If a tarot reading did not make the murder weapon clear the person has other options they can try. There are some cards that ask the ghost to draw on a person’s back or use the medium’s hand to draw a picture. I like that the game gives alternatives to these cards in case either party is uncomfortable with the cards based on touch. Even though I was way off base with my guesses I had a great time laughing with the other players and trying to figure out the mystery. I look forward to trying out the ghost role in my upcoming game night.

Trails of Tucana

Joe: Another path building roll and write but I found this one more enjoyable. Trails of Tucana was one of those Essen Spiel releases I wanted to try. This roll and write uses cards that show different land types and the players each make a line connecting two adjacent land hexes of those revealed land types. Players are then trying to use these lines to connect docks to icons or to other docks of the same type. The players also have ways to extend their turns by connecting the pair of icons on the player sheets to docks and get free roads. The game is extremely easy to play and teach and the cover has a toucan on it. C’mon, I’m not made of stone.

Heather: I enjoyed Trails of Tucana more than On Tour. Whereas, On Tour stressed me out and I felt there were no paths available at some point, Trails of Tucana had multiple options. I did not feel like I had to overthink where to place my roads. Yes, I may have skipped the best, most efficient option, but I still managed to score a decent amount of points. In fact, everyone scored within a few points of one another. I liked that every player sets their board up slightly different giving them diverse starting paths and creating unique ending boards. Although the goals and bonuses were the same, how we got there varied. We played the smaller board, and I look forward to trying out the “Grande” board and icon variant very soon.