This week we’re ranking: Village Pillage, Red 7, Muse, Azul, and Sub Terra
#5 Sub Terra
I’ve yet to play a board game that’s made me feel so horrified as I was playing Sub Terra and I’ve played and reviewed Horrified! The feeling of encroaching dread as the Horrors get ever closer is phenomenal. However, when I think about the rest of the game I feel blasé at best. It’s just point-to-point movement without too much else to manage and control.
Sub Terra II: Inferno’s Edge is coming out soon, and judging from the early commentary on Board Game Geek it seems like they’ve fixed a lot of the issues with the original game. But lost some of the dread in the process. I would be very interested in having a look whenever it hits retail.
#4 Village Pillage
I have a soft spot for this game. It’s the first game that a prototype was given to me for review, and more importantly, the first game that I enjoyed enough to give it a good rating. I still think it’s a great game of bluffing and hand-building. But since it arrived from Kickstarter it hasn’t come out as much as I hoped it would. I think that’s less an indication of its quality, and more that it’s in the same genre as some of my favourites: Cockroach Poker, and Welcome to the Dungeon.
Even still, because of this post, I’m interested in cracking it out and having a game with the boys. Will update this paragraph when I’ve done so, as I think that will influence my ranking.
#3 Muse
Muse was a very easy game to rank. I put it just behind Dixit.
Even though I’ve sold it, at the time I wrote my review Muse was essentially my travel version of Dixit. Small footprint; big entertainment. Unfortunately, as I said in my review, I found Muse to be the drier game of the two, as it was less about ridiculous clues and more about clues that fit ridiculous topics. It’s a subtle shift that made the game less interesting for me.
As my tastes changed towards more thinky small box games and less creative ones. I found myself bringing Muse less and less. While I still enjoyed the game, if I am not wanting to pull it off the shelf – that’s a good indicator that it’s time to move on.
#2 Red 7
Red 7 is still one of my go-to bag games. It’s simple, it’s quick, it’s got a bit of luck, but most importantly it’s great for twisting and turning your brain. If you play without the advanced rules it can be brought out for anyone. If you play with the advanced rules it increases the difficulty of finding the right move but feels less luck-dependent, and victory feels more in your hands.
Still one of the best small box games in my collection.
#1 Azul
Another winner!
Azul is still as good as ever. A tight two-player pattern matching and drafting game, or a more chaotic four-player game. Either way, it’s a blast. I’ve had the opportunity to bring it out many times since the review due to its simple rule set and wide and colourful but appealing design. Each time impressing the people I’ve played with while keeping me engaged throughout.
I’ve yet to try either of the two stand-alone expansions: Azul: Summer Pavilion, and Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra. If you have some experience with either I’d love to hear about them in the comments below!
That’s 51! A half-century of board games reviewed, and on The List. This is a pretty big milestone, and I’m chuffed. This would not have happened without everyone’s interest in it, seeing people come in and check it out has been fantastic, and I’m glad to give back to the board gaming community.
So thanks for coming back and reading Roll to Review!
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