en – Page 13 – /w/root

Tiny Wooden Pieces – a webcomic about board games [LT-EN]

March 25, 2016May 26, 2019 wroot Leave a comment

[LT] Vienam iš paskutinių įrašų pamiršau paminėti kas mane įkvėpė nupiešti kažką susijusio su stalo žaidimais. O gi tai, kad jau apie metus laiko skaitau internetinį komiksą apie stalo žaidimus – Tiny Wooden Pieces, kurį kadaise paminėjo Dice Tower kanale. Ne daug yra komiksų apie stalo žaidimus (bent jau aš atsimenu tik vieną, bet jis buvo ne piešiamas, o su tikrais žmonėmis ir keliais pliušiniais žaisliukais). Šis komiksas išleidžia naują įrašą kas penktadienį (kai penktadieniais einu pietaut ir išsitraukiu savo planšetę, visada pagalvoju “valio, turėtų būti naujas įrašas!”). Visi įrašai būna smagūs, humoristiniai ir dažnai iš mūsų (stalo žaidimų žaidėjų) tikrų gyvenimo situacijų 🙂

[EN] In one of the latest posts i forgot to mention what inspired me to draw something board games related. And that is that i’m reading this webcomic about board games for about a year – Tiny Wooden Pieces, which once was mentioned on the Dice Tower channel. There are not many comics about board games (at least i remember only one, and it wasn’t with drawings, but with real people and a few plushy toys). This comic releases a new issue every Friday (on Fridays when i go to lunch and take out my tablet i always think to myself “wohoo, it should be a new issue today!”). All the issues are fun, humorous and often based on our (board games players) real life situations 🙂

First win in Pergamon [LT-EN]

March 5, 2016April 4, 2016 wroot Leave a comment

[LT] Pagaliau pavyko laimėti ir šiame žaidime (bandau nuo rugpjūčio). Ta proga nupiešiau šį paveiksliuką, kuriame pavaizduoti visi žaidimo artefaktai. Keista, bet archeologai šiame žaidime visus artefaktus randa suskaldytus į dvi dalis 😀 Laimėjimas galbūt paaiškinamas skirtingu žaidėjų lygiu, bet gal ir aš išmokau geresnės strategijos šiame žaidime. Iš pradžių stengiuosi surinkt daugiau pinigų ir nesivaikau brangių eksponatų. O surinkti pinigai leidžia vėliau užimti geresnes pozicijas renkantis iškasenas, kurios labiau tinka prie tavo jau turimų. Kaip ir sakiau anksčiau, šiame žaidime man labiausiai patinka lipdyti atskirus gabaliukus į ekspoziciją.

[EN] Finally i’ve managed to win in this game (trying since August). For this occasion i’ve drawn this little picture, which shows all artefacts from this game. Strange, but archeologists in this game find all artefacts split in two pieces 😀 My victory can probably be explained by different level of players, but maybe i’ve learned better strategies in this game. At first i always try to collect more money and do not chase after pricy exhibits. And the money i have amassed helps me later to take better place when choosing fossils more fitting to ones i already have. As i’ve said before, in this game i like gluing different pieces into exhibition the most.

Board Game Mini Reviews [EN]

February 14, 2016October 26, 2020 wroot Leave a comment

So, this time only two new games (will not count one game of “4 in a row). Maybe will have to post about one new game right away and not wait until i gather more in the future.

Kahuna

I hated it after the first play. Then i decided to give it one more chance. I’ve won the second game. After the third one i’ve decided that i don’t want to play it anymore. Even when i’ve managed to win, it didn’t feel that i did something clever or outsmarted my opponent. I was just lucky to get the right cards. The problem with this game is, that once you did a few bad moves you will drag on a second place for the reminder of the game without a slight chance to come back. This is unacceptable, especially in an abstract game for two. The game is from 1998 and it feels (visually it is not very attractive either). Most probably there is some deep strategy, tactics in there, but i don’t even want to discover them. 5/10

The Voyages of Marco Polo

First of all, that name?? Some publishers don’t consider that simple names are letting people to share their impressions easier and to find information on the internet. By the way, the biggest problem with this game is exactly that “travel” part. Because the game is too short and you have to do lots of things in it to collect enough points, so the traveling part is very limited and leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth. I’ve played 3-4 games of it. In one of them i’ve tried to concentrate on traveling and still wasn’t able to fulfill both of my travel tasks. On the other hand i’ve collected very few points in other parts of the game. In other sessions i wasn’t thinking about traveling at all and concentrated on fulfilling the orders. True, i still didn’t won, so maybe one has to keep a balance and try to do everything. But when you are not able to complete just one traveling task, it is not allowing to get full satisfaction from a game. And the other parts (action selection, orders fulfillment) are fun. That’s why it gets a higher rating. But every session i’ve played felt too short. 7/10

Inventor of Jenga [LT-EN]

January 17, 2016April 4, 2016 wroot Leave a comment

[LT] Jenga, kaip ir Monopolija, yra žinomas visame pasaulyje žaidimas. Bet turbūt mažai kas žino, ką reiškia žodis Jenga. O pasirodo swahili kalboje tai reiškia – stato. Įdomus interviu su šio žaidimo kūrėja, apie tai kaip jai teko kovoti su leidėjas dėl jai patikusio pavadinimo ir kaip neįtikėtinai jai dabar atrodo toks šio žaidimo žinomumas ir populiarumas.

[EN] Jenga, same as Monopoly, is a game known in the whole world. But not many know what word Jenga actually means. In swahili language it means – build. An interesting interview with the inventor of this game, about her struggle with publishers because of the name she liked and how incredible game’s popularity looks to her today.

/top10: Best MP games for 2 players [EN]

January 10, 2016May 26, 2019 wroot Leave a comment

As i often play games with two (live or on BGA/Yucata sites), even when a game is meant for larger count of players, i’ve decided to share a list of my best games meant for larger number of players which can be played with two. Most often i play with two because of a faster gameplay. Because when playing on the Internet it already takes very long as you take a turn or few per day. So this way you are not forgetting what you were going to do in the game, your turns come faster. Also, some games, in my opinion, have too much chaos and luck when playing with larger count of players.

10. Firenze

I often play this game with three. But it is also much fun with two. There is still plenty of space for competition with a fewer count of players. Also, when you only have one opponent you can have some long-term strategies without fearing, that someone will grab the card you need or take the spot you want on a tower.

9. The Palaces of Carrara

Same as with Firenze, this game is well enough with 3 players, but when you play with two there is a wider strategic space. Also the game lasts a bit longer and you manage to build more buildings, while when playing with three the game often ends unexpectedly.

8. Voluspa

The game is interesting enough with 3 players as well, because you can always have a better turn while two others fight with each other. But this game is very simple and fast, so in general i tend to want to play it with only two. Then it gives a feeling like you are playing chess or a similar game.

/top10: Best games (v.2015) [EN]

December 27, 2015May 26, 2019 wroot Leave a comment

bgames-popuri As this year approaches its end i’m presenting my list of best games at this moment. This is not a list of best games released or played this year, but best games for my taste to this day (year of 2015). Of course, there are still a few days to try something new and very impressive. Also, i’m currently on my second play through of a new game, which in theory has chances getting on this list. But, maybe it will get lucky next year 🙂

10. Race for the Galaxy

One of the best card games where cards work as resources and also as buildings/technologies and as war force. Although the new dice game “Roll for the Galaxy” is getting lots of raving ratings lately, until i have played it “Race..” is still the best for me.

9. Cacao

Released this year. Very simple. Very addictive and hella good looking.

8. Summoner Wars

One of the best tactical games for two players, which doesn’t take half a day.

Board Game Mini Reviews [EN]

November 21, 2015October 26, 2020 wroot Leave a comment

It’s time to post about 3 more games which i had an opportunity to try out recently.

La Isla

I’ve seen a video review of this game recently. It seemed simple and kind of interesting. I’ve read the rules and decided to give it a try on Yucata. And.. didn’t like it much. It just has too much choices and the game itself felt a bit dry and “mathy”. When you are choosing which card of 3 to use for what purpose you have to to go through the whole map, and evaluate where you can use it most effectively. And as there are also 3 phases where you can use a card, brain burning process intensifies even more. Same as with Helios game, this one is too heavyweight and you don’t enjoy it while playing, but it feels like you are solving a hard mathematic exercise. 6/10

Port Royal

This game was available on Yucata for a long time, but i’ve decided to try it only after seeing a video review by Tom Vasel. I’ve started playing it even without reading the rules. That’s how simple this game is. Money, special abilities and victory points, everything is in a single cards deck. The game is of “push your luck” type, when you are revealing card by card and hoping that bad card won’t come up and you will manage to gather more money or get some good character or a lot of points. But the risk grows with every revealed card and you have to weight it. Although there are ways to mitigate this risk, but the game felt too much depending on luck. So, after playing more sessions of this game i’ve ranked it one point lower than at first. 6/10

Cacao

After just seeing first pictures of this game, first review, i thought, i must like this game. I have played 3 sessions of it so far, but impression is good so far. It reminds Carcassonne a bit with tiles laying on the table (although there is no puzzle mechanism in this game). But the game is very different of course. And very simple. It will suit families and those, who is doing their first steps in the modern board games world. You lay your workers tiles next to already laying tiles on the table and try to gather more resources or sell for the highest price ones you already have. There are also a few other options to score points, which you shouldn’t overlook. So far i have a hard time winning in this game (i haven’t figured out what is the best balance between different points scoring strategies), but scores are usually very tight by the end of the game. 8/10

/top10: Favourite 2 player games [EN]

November 7, 2015May 26, 2019 wroot Leave a comment

bgames-popuri In this post i will present a list of my favourite games for two players (starting with 10th place and till the first). Some of the games i mention have special variants for larger number of players or team variants (two vs two), bet they are usually considered as games for two players, so i have included them in this list.

So, let’s begin:

10. Memoir ’44

The only war game in my collection and on this list, though it’s considered as a very light war game. Very eye grabbing with colorful maps and plastic soldiers. Apparently this was the main thing which stimulated the purchase, that i haven’t played toy soldiers enough as a kid 🙂 Game’s system is very simple, based on cards pointing on which side and with what number of units you can attack. In the battle dice with special symbols are used. I’ve played a few games with father and maybe with brother, but unfortunately this game is not seeing any day light since. For the most part because of the long setup time and because board takes much space. But also because of a rather high luck factor while drawing cards and rolling dice.

9. Gobblet

Very simple abstract game, though forcing to crunch your brains and training memory. Maybe this game got on this list also because we got a very pretty wooden version of it from suppliers (which we later gifted to our co-workers in another department), or maybe because from the very beginning i was winning almost every game of it with my colleagues. Although, my unbeatable rank went down later 🙂 Oh, those diagonals, never forget about the diagonals!

8. Hive

Another abstract game. Very portable, because in the box there is a baggy which can hold all the components and the rules. Whole game is consisting of 22 tiles made of pleasant to hold plastic. This game can be played on a grass, sand, without worrying that a wind may carry cards or components may be damaged in some other way. Every tile has its own unique movement. The game is simple and fast, but it stimulates you to think hard on your moves, foresee moves, prepare for your opponent response. Maybe it can be compared with chess, but in a smaller scale, with a shorter play time and playful theme (insects).

Latest purchase – Huawei MediaPad X2 [LT-EN]

October 17, 2015April 4, 2016 wroot 2 Comments

[LT] Mano senukas Nexus 7 3G (2012) pasidarė pernelyg lėtas (po kelių Android atnaujinimų, 4.4 ir po to 5), o be to kažkas pasidarė su ekrano apšvietimu ar matrica (labai ryškios šviesios spalvos, išdegusio ekrano efektas grįžtant iš pilno ekrano vaizdo). Savo laiku tai buvo nuostabi maža planšetė su puikiu ekranu ir švaria Android operacine sistema (tokia, kokią ją sugalvojo Google inžinieriai, be kitų gamintojų papildinių ir išvaizdos pakeitimų). Bet šiai dienai jis jau morališkai paseno. Jo procesorius nesusitvarkė su nauja Android versija, dažnai strigdavo. Be to 6-tos Android versijos jis jau negautų. Dėl visų šių priežasčių pradėjau ieškoti jam pakaitalo. Deja, bet 2013-ujų metų Nexus 7 jau neparduodamas, o ir jis jau būtų senokas pasirinkimui. Nors Nexus įrenginys man būtų idealiausias, kadangi jau pripratau prie sąsajos, taip pat mėgstu bandyti naujoves ir gauti naują Android versiją kuo greičiau. Bet naujausias Nexus planšetas yra net 9 colių dydžio. Mažų planšečių pasirinkimas mūsų parduotuvėse ne ypatingai didelis.

Taigi išsirinkau kiniečių gamintojų (nors beveik visa įranga surenkama ten pat, bet ši kompanija pati įsikūrusi Kinijoj) Huawei produktą, kuris buvo pristatytas tik šių metų sausį, taigi pakankamai naujoviškas ir turintis galingą “geležį”. Modelio pavadinimai kažkodėl skiriasi. Gamintojo puslapyje jį vadina MediaPad X2, bet kartais jis parduodamas su Honor X2 pavadinimu (aparato išvaizda ir vidus identiški). Man ir atiteko honoras gauti Honorą 🙂 Gaminio modelio numeris GEM-701L. Aparatas labai galingas, greitas, išvaizda ir surinkimas geri. Aišku yra minusų, kaip Huawei grafinė sąsaja ir pan. Apie patikusius ir nepatikusius dalykus parašysiu vėliau Yes-No rubrikoj. O kol kas laikas sudiegti visas reikiamas programas, suderint nustatymus ir išbandyt jį kasdieninei veikloj 😉 Read More

Board Game Mini Reviews [EN]

October 11, 2015October 26, 2020 wroot Leave a comment

Occasionally i try out some new game. Live with my friends or colleagues or at one of the sites i’ve mentioned (Yucata, Boardgamearena). One time i just want something new. The other time i decide to try a game which i heard about on the Dice Tower channel or somewhere else.

I will describe in short my impressions about games which i tried out in the recent 2-3 months.

Nations: The Dice Game. I haven’t played the Nations game. I saw good ratings of this version from the Dice Tower team. And when this game appeared on Yucata site i hurried up to try it. And.. it seemed too primitive and short to me. Although its shortness has to be its merit, but i want a bit more from a game than 4+ rolls of dice (yeah yeah, there is an option to re-roll if you doesn’t like the results). Also it seemed that selection of new cards, which you could acquire to acquire more dice, was limited and not interesting. You get the same thing, just in a bigger amount, so you could buy more of the same thing (dice). This game lacks diversity. I’m still trying to play it (and win 🙂 ) to see something i didn’t see yet. But i rate it 6 out of 10 so far.

Seasons. The game i wanted to try for a long time. It looks beautiful. Chunky, nice dice with symbols-resources, pretty art on the cards. The game is interesting, but it didn’t impress me that much. I’ve mostly played it with 2 players (on the Boardgamearena site), because playing it with more players creates too much chaos and it is hard to plan or strategize. A lot depends on dice in this game and on who is picking the needed resources first. The thing that by the end of a game some players were able to pull such combinations, so it completely out weighed the results in their favor, also contributed to a bit of weaker rating of this game. It looks like i didn’t like the game, because i lost so many times 🙂 Partially true. But i didn’t like that there could be such leaps of points in the game. However the game is really peculiar, interesting and unique. I really liked the start of the game, when players in turn are picking cards (“drafting”) and put them aside for the first, second and third turn. The game is demanding to think through your strategy very well from a very first minute. My rating 7/10.