Category: Board Games

Game Review: “Deception: Murder in Hong Kong”

Fun game from last week-end’s game day, a weird combo of “Clue” and “Werewolf.” Everyone’s an Investigator — except for the Forensic Investigator, who tries to vaguely guide the investigation.

The tableau: scenes in the middle, and four clues and weapons in front of each Investigator.

Each Investigator (one of whom is the actual MURDERER) has four possible clues and four possible weapons in front of them. The FI does a werewolf-like “Everyone close your eyes,” at which time the Murderer shows the actual clue+weapon combo. The FI then puts down a series of clue boards to describe the victim, the murder location, and three other aspects, each with a multiple-option set-up for them to choose from.

The Forensic Investigator tries to take the real Clue+Weapon combo and identify scene elements that will lead the Investigator to the Murderer. Sometimes they can be an awkward, even misleading, fit.

Once everyone has opened their eyes, each of the Investigators (including the MURDERER) looks at the various possible combos in front of each player, trying to make the match the narrative the FI has presented. This goes to a second round (with the FI replacing one of the clue boards to get rid of something that might have been misleading).

Ultimately, each of the Investigators (including the MURDERER) get to make an accusation (the clue+weapon combo). If none of the (non-MURDERER) Investigators figure it out right, the MURDERER wins.

Each Investigator is associated with a quartet of weapons, and clues.

It sounds a little goofy, but it’s actually deeply engaging, and the incredibly deep decks of both clues and weapons, and the maddengly narrow number of choices on the scene cards, makes it all a deep challenge. Of the games we played, we had both successes and failures. And wanted to keep playing.

Soooooo many weapons.

As you get more players, the number of possible things that will fit the scenes grows, making things more difficult … but the number of analyses by players grows, too, which can help in narrowing the possibilities.

There are optional rules we didn’t play with, and at least one expansion set, but even without those, this is one of those “I’m thinking of buying a copy in case the person who owns it doesn’t bring it to Game Day some time and I want to play it.”

Game Day Review: HOAs, Elder Gods, and Drunken Adventurers

We had our kinda-monthly Game Day today, with a dozen plus friends and families breaking out games (and eating and drinking and socializing). Here’s what I played:

Runes & Regulations

⚫⚫⚫⚫⚪ – Ease of Play
⚫⚫⚫⚪⚪ – Replayability
⚫⚫⚪⚪⚪ – Fun

Everything about this game should be right. It’s a close cousin to “Unstable Unicorns,” but framed around magical home-owners trying to let their mythical creatures out on the front lawn, and the various objections that neighbors (other players) and the HOA (the game) raise.

The cards are cute in pictures and text, the premise is amusing, and the mechanics all feel good, but, ye gods, this game is wildly unbalanced. Five by-no-means stupid or ungamed players went through this 30-60 minute game for two hours, if not longer, and none of us were able to put more than three creatures on our lawns for more than a partial round. Other players can whack you back to square one far too easily, and if they don’t, the game (through the spinner randomizing element) will.

Quite honestly, as packaged, this game feels broken. We speculated on some straightforward ways to improve it (ditch the spinner, for one), but, honestly, if you want a game that feels like Unstable Unicorns … get that, not this.

Elder Signs

⚫⚫⚪⚪⚪ – Ease of Play
⚫⚫⚫⚪⚪ – Replayability
⚫⚫⚫⚫⚪ – Fun

Another complex, token-and-card-heavy Defeating the Arising Elder Gods game. Cooperative, but could easily also be run solitaire (the assistance other characters can provide you is limited; most of what other players provide is advice on what to do next). Player Characters must engage in and defeat different rooms, rolling specialty dice and trying to match patterns, with various extra abilities provided by items, clues, and innate character abilities, all the while dealing with a ticking clock bringing the group ever-closer to the arrival of the Old One that will eat everything.

Fun times.

The game is full of fiddly bits and special rules, though the basic mechanics aren’t difficult. Lots of random elements (the dice) keep things variable, which is probably good, as it helps cover for the plethora of factors that need to be dealt with.

Not a game I would go out of my way to play again, but certainly one I’d play again given the opportunity.

Tales of the Red Dragon

⚫⚫⚫⚫⚪ – Ease of Play
⚫⚫⚫⚫⚪ – Replayability
⚫⚫⚫⚫⚪ – Fun

Fun up-to-four player game as fantasy adventurers hang out at the tavern after the big dungeon crawl, and try to drink each other under the table — interspersed with fierce gambling games. Run out of money, and you’ll be tossed out. Pass out, and your “friends” will rifle your pockets.

The rules are pretty easy (there are a few nuances that could use a bit more explanation), and the cards for each player character (priestess, wizard, fighter, rogue) provide enough color to make them stand out as separate characters. While it’s possible to be knocked out of play, it’s likely by the time one character falls, others will be close, and the game will be over pretty quickly.

This game has several expansion sets, adding additional characters and rule mechanics, which is good.

We’ve played this before, and I recommend it as a fine Game Day game.