Welcome back to the 2019 Tabletop Challenge!

Throughout 2019, staffer Steena and her partner have been attempting to play two games each week with no repeats. As their board game library grew, they wanted to carve out time to play together and try out their new games! And so 104 games in 52 weeks became their challenge for the year. Now in month eight! Steena shares what games they played in August and her favorite of the month. Welcome to the table!

Civer art for the baord game Trodgor!! showing a winged dragon with an overly muscled arm, just one, breathing fire on a village.

Via Board Game Geek

74. Trogdor!! The Board Game

  • Player count: 1-6
  • Run time: 30-60 min
  • Publisher: Self published
  • Mechanics: Area control, area movement, cooperative play, grid movement

This game will, most likely, only be of interest to you if you were part of the internet phenom Homestarrunner.com in the late 1990s and early 2000s. This website was a series of comedic flash animation videos starring a cast of quirky characters and offshoot plotlines. One of these offshoots, starring a luchador named Strong Bad, included the character of Strong Bad developing and drawing a dragon-like creature named Trogdor, who flies around burning villages. That it’s. That’s the joke and, if you never watched those flash videos, I really cannot explain why it was and is funny. BUT THEY MADE A BOARD GAME OF IT! In Trogdor!! the Board Game players work together as Keepers of Trogdor, a cult of Trogdor devotees, to help “burninate” the countryside. Only when the whole countryside has been “burninated” is victory achieved.

How to draw a more better dragon

 

Cover art for the board game The Oracle of Delphi showing colored stones, an oracle sitting in the middle of them, and Greek Gods floating above the title of the game.

Via Board Game Geek

75. The Oracle of Delphi

  • Player Count: 2-4
  • Run Time: 70-100 min
  • Publisher: 999 Games, Cranio Creations, Do It Games
  • Mechanics: Action point allowance, dice rolling, grid movement, modular board, pick-up and deliver, press your luck, variable player powers

Zeus, highest of the Greek Gods on Mount Olympus, has set forth twelve tasks. The mortal capable of completing these legendary feats will be granted a place among the gods. Sailing the waters between the Greek isles, players attempt the complete these twelve tasks first by defeating monsters and bringing offerings to the temples of the Gods. Each player must consult the Oracle by rolling dice, which will determine what actions are available to them and therefore altering their fate.

 

Board game cover art for Ex Libris. The cover shows a fisheye view of a library with mismatched, unstable shelves, and librarians climbing ladders to add books.

Via Board Game Geek

76. Ex Libris

  • Player Count: 1-4
  • Run Time: 45 min
  • Publisher: Renegade Game Studios
  • Mechanics: Card drafting, hand management, set collection, tile placement, variable player powers, worker placement

The role of Grand Librarian has come available and you and your fellow book collectors are all vying for the position. In order to prove you are the best candidate you must make sure your personal library is in excellent condition. Collecting rare books, eliminating banned books, alphabetizing, and making sure your shelves are stable will all factor into your total score. Take time to read the book titles while you play, they’re a gas!

 

A minimalist cover for the bord game Takeout. It is white, with a simple red pagoda, and the words "Takeout" and "card game" in an Eastern brush style script. It is meant to look like a takeout box from a Chinese restaurant.

Via Board Game Geek

77. Takeout

  • Player Count: 2 -4
  • Run Time: 15-45 min
  • Publisher: Small Monsters Games
  • Mechanics: Hand management, pattern building, set collection, trading

In a quest to try authentic Chinese cuisine, players of Takeout are attempting to create a full course of Chinese dishes, one of each flavor – sweet, sour, salty, spicy, and bitter – and a cold drink to complete the meal. The card game consists of crafting a set collection of dishes and using alternate cards to steal from your friends. Look for our full review of this game right here!

 

Board game cover art for Nations. In the background a large forefinger is pointing to a spot on the globe. In the foreground is Marie Curie holding a beaker, Abraham Lincoln, a Woad, Queen Victoria, a Roman Centurion, an Archer, a Samurai, and other historical figures.

Via Board Game Geek

78. Nations

  • Player Count: 1-5
  • Run Time: 40-200 min
  • Publisher: Asmodee, Asterion Press, Rebel, Ystari Games
  • Mechanics: Card drafting, variable player powers

Through four great epochs, players must build up their nation from prehistoric roots to a progressive nation of the 20th century. Providing for its citizens, creating a stable economy, and pushing ever forward to create, improve, and innovate technology, civilizations will be challenged by historical events and the other nations growing in tandem.

 

Cover art for the board game Crows. A tree with bare limbs, surrounded by tombstones, is filled with crows.

Via Board Game Geek

79. Crows

  • Player Count: 2-4
  • Run Time: 45 min
  • Publisher: Valley Games Inc.
  • Mechanics: Modular board, tile placement

A tile placement game in which players are attempting to arrange the tiles in such a way as to attract crows. Each player has a shiny object and the goal is to have the most crows flock to your shiny object as possible. Strategic placement of tiles and your shiny object will determine the winner in this game with a lightly spooky aesthetic.

 

Board game cover art for Merlin. A wizened old man with a white beard and a staff, ostensibly Merlin, looks out from the left side. On the right, King Arthur and two knights are posed in front of Camelot.

Via Board Game Geek

80. Merlin

  • Player Count: 2 – 4
  • Run Time: 75 min
  • Publisher: Queen Games
  • Mechanics: Area control, dice rolling, rondel, set collection, worker placement

Whew! This game’s board is a doozy and, while I would not suggest it for newcomers to tabletop gaming, it is a ton of fun! King Arthur is seeking his successor amongst the Knights of the Round Table. Knights will attempt to prove their worth by completing tasks, building manors, influencing the various counties, and facing perils! Merlin, the wizard of King Arthur’s court, may also be induced to give his aid and the Merlin player piece can be moved around the circular board by any player on their turn. Which of these bold knights will sit enthroned at the end of the game?!

An animated gif from the film Monsty Python and the Holy Grail. King Arthur and his knights are riding imaginary horses across the screen.

Via Waterloosunsetinboston.tumblr.com

 

Favorite of the Month!

This game took me by surprise. It is chewier than I generally like and movement can be a bit of a mindbend at first but it really is so much fun because Merlin throws everything into confusion. You can only plan so much in advance because if any of your actions requires Merlin and your opponent(s) move Merlin first, suddenly your whole scheme may be ruined. Time to reassess!

Now taking bets! Do you think they’ll make it to 104 in time?! Did you know you can follow the #104Gamesin52 on Instagram to see what they’re playing each week (theoretically; this necessitates Steena remembering to post the pictures she takes).

See you next month for more meeples and mechanics!