Codenames vs Scythe

And I found it really hard to keep track of which words were mine - I had to write them onto a piece of paper and make sure my words didn't relate too much to my opponent's, otherwise your partner might guess a word that is for the opposing team! Not even sure where that timer comes into play because we took forever in giving and guessing clues. I guess because words can be interpreted in so many different ways and there are so many different patterns, you can use this set for some time before it gets old. I kind of feel silly now because I thought this was a strategy board game - I sent one to somebody for Secret Santa … hopefully they liked it? I do agree that this game would be better suited for older teens and adults. Not sure if I can see younger children getting into it

Eclipse, Terraforming Mars, Scythe... these are not good games for new or casual players

I think it's fantastic that someone who started their design career with something as niche as TtA has managed to produce one of the few true breakouts into mass market popularity from hobby boardgaming with Codenames. Such a simple, fun, and *teachable* design that can get almost any group enjoying themselves within a few minutes.

\- Agricola. Played 2 player. Should a game about cute little farm animals really be this mean? Very instructive on how and why meanness can get built into a design. A game like War of the Ring, where Sauron's armies beat the living hell out of the Free People turn after turn, doesn't feel as vindictive as when you block your fellow Agricola-er from that *one space* they *needed* to fulfill one of their big objectives

It's a game that simultaneously feels like it's not long enough -- like I want there to be more strategic depth -- but also too long for the amount that's actually present. Maybe I would like it more if I reduced the starting health to say, 40 or even 30. I've really only gotten a good response from one person that I've taught it to. Maybe it's just not for my group

This expansion gives wonderful variation to the game as players will be able to change the game, and their strategy, with the placement of the modular hex tiles. This variety breathes new life into the game as it really does change strategies and benefits that a player will experience. A flaw in the random distribution of resources can be that a player has a slight edge, or hindrance. For those that have not played scythe enough, or they prefer playing the base map, this expansion also gives eight new Structure Bonus tiles

* **6 Nimmt!** 2x - I've worn out a deck and I'm approaching the second deck dying...

Best long strategy boardgame I played. A group of 4 of us played this game, 3 for the first time and the host played it once or twice. So it took like 5hrs to finish. The 2 top players were first time players

Even though it says for 2 players - the play is greatly diminished in fun. It's more like one person plays and the other person sits there. LOL. booo

Scythe pits factions of power-hungry individuals against each other in an imaginary, post-WWI world of nearly dystopian scarcity. Players assume the roles of characters that represent different nation-states, all of which are vying for resources and territory following a period of sociopolitical unrest. Players can control character movement, select actions to increase resource production, maximize efficiency to gain power an influence, and conquer territories. Your global achievements in these arenas contribute to your final score and the game ends after a player completes six specific objectives

My friends and I play codenames online using a voice chat and have had a long standing disagreement about whether or not Googling should be allowed or not in codenames. Now, I have no issue with the occasional Google search in casual codenames. But my friends pretty much rely exclusively on Google to come up with their words and to decode them, and especially so during our server tournaments (where the hosts allow Googling).

The rules are well written and make a lot of sense but there are a lot of them. The game recommends to read some of the basics and then give it a try. You can then get a feel for how it all plays out. This works however I found that my wife and I had to stop a lot of times to figure out various issues that came up

In: **Isle of Cats, Red Rising, Parks, Racoon Tycoon, Splendor, Trails, Arboretum, The Crew, Deep Vents, Codenames, Codenames Duet, LLAMA, Friday, Wits and Wagers**, and a nicely kept 1962 copy of **Mille Bornes**

The same goes for resources, you can't win just doing what an econobox does. You will need to fight sooner or later and worrying about resources gives no direct advantage. Popularity, the final component is how popular your character becomes, despite seemingly small, this is the last third of the game. In this case the more your people like you the more bonuses you get at the end of the game

For about 6th graders and up, Code Names is a delight when you magically find commonality between disparate words, and your teammates successfully follow the logic of your single word. This game takes some mental acuity, I would not suggest it for fun while imbibing in, ahem, adult beverages Upon opening, the game arrived with a coating of dust on the contents of the box. After a bit of investigating, I found the enclosed sand timer had cheap plastic stoppers on each end, and not one but both had managed to fall off in shipping, spreading sand everywhere. It was a bit of a mess

More recent titles have all kinda just left with a "that was fun enough" reaction rather than a "Let's play again!" reaction, or even just a "I'd rather play x designer's older games" It's not for lack of trying. Some of the more recent lauded games I've played are **Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion (2020), The West Kingdom Trilogy ('18, '19 '20), Maracaibo (2019), Underwater Cities (2018), Hallertau (2020), Tekhenu (2020) Sleeping Gods (2021), Cryptid (2018), Wingspan (2019), Root (2018), 7th Continent (2017).** It's not that I don't think these games are good, they are, but they just seem to lack a bit of a wow factor for me, and out of all those games, I'd rather play something on my first list.