WPG Blog - en

"Peloponnes" is our Game of the Month

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:37:15 +0100

Development games that do not use dice pose an extra challenge with respect to game balance: in order to create tension for the players the rules need to impose an element of asymmetry that does not favor starting conditions or player positions. Our task is to develop a civilization in ancient Greece and expand its territory in direct completion with our fellow players. Every now and then disaster strikes and decimates our people or devastates our land. Defying these and to escape unscathed is a key to winning the game.

New review: "Egizia"

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:42:00 +0100

At last a new review.

Dominion Strategy Analysis - Part 4

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 10:03:00 +0100

In part 4 of his strategy analysis Günther has a closer look at the "Seaside" expansion set of the game.

Dominion Strategy Analysis - Part 3

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 16:17:13 +0200

In part 3 of his strategy analysis Günther has a closer look at the "Die Intrige" expansion set of the game.

"Egizia" is our Game of the Month

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:22:00 +0200

It is unusual to select a 'game of the month' that has not been published yet, but in this case 2 of the Westpark Gamers had extensive experience with the prototype during test sessions at 'Hans-im-Glueck', so that it can safely be said that there is another winner in the works here. 'Egizia' is an excellent game built around a selection mechanic that uses the river Nile as a thematic base that works very well. The game is an exciting race for victory points and the survival of one's people - both in equal measure.

New podcast: Where There Is Discord

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 16:43:44 +0200

Moritz talks about 'Where There Is Discord - War in the South Atlantic', a solitaire simulation of the Falkland War.

"Automobile" is our Game of the Month

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:07:34 +0200

In comparison to more complex games like 'Brass' 'Automobile' is relatively simple, but has a high density of actions - each move counts and 'min/maxing' is necessary to make the most of them, as it is impossible to do everything at once. A fascinating game, and a relatively untrodden theme (car production) - exciting and recommended!

"Wind River" is our Game of The Month

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 18:35:17 +0200

'Wind River' quickly belonged to our most currently played games, and that can't be bad! 'Wind River' is a perfect merge of fitting theme and functioning mechanics. It is quickly explained and not too long. Good planning and second-guessing the other players moves are crucial to winning this game, with a bit of group dynamics added into the mix...

New review: "Diamonds Club"

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Tue, 05 May 2009 22:09:01 +0200

Walter's review of Rüdiger Dorn's latest game "Diamonds Club" just went online.

New review: "Valdora"

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Tue, 05 May 2009 22:05:47 +0200

Aaron's review of Michael Schacht's latest game "Valdora" just went online.

Resurrected: The 4000 Years Old Lir Parets Re

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 08:20:06 +0200

Maybe this even is a small scoop but in any case it is the result of an excellent cooperation between a devoted researcher of ancient history, a creative mind and an unusual boardgaming group: a more than 4000 years old boaldgame could be resurrected - "Lir Parets Re" ("Yad's Law Of Lirpa"). Details about this discovery can be found ->here.

Quick Look: Alles im Eimer

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 08:29:46 +0100

A new edition of our "Quick Looks" has just gone online. This time about "Alles im Eimer".

Cultaptation Update

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 09:32:56 +0100

Luke Rendell recently gave an update on the status of the "Social Learning Tournament":
"We are pleased to announce that Stage II, the 'melee' round, of the tournament is now complete. This means the tournament itself is complete and we have a winner! Details of the evaluation procedures used in Stage II and of the winning strategy are given at: http://www.intercult.su.se/cultaptation/tournament_details.php. We congratulate the authors of the winning strategy, 'discountmachine'. Once again we would like to express our warmest thanks to all who took part in the tournament. We are now working on analysing the results and our next step will be to prepare a scientific paper on the tournament where we will put forward our interpretation of what the results mean."

spielbox no. 2/2009 (middle of April) with the Dominion expansion "Black Market"

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:12:45 +0100

Issue 2/2009 of spielbox, which will be published in the middle of April will have the expansion "Black Market" to the well known game "Dominion" from Hans im Glueck Verlag. Subscribers will receive this expansion with their subscription copy. If you are not a subscriber you can place an order with the form at the website http://www.spielbox.de/ (just click the Banner at the start page - right side) to reserve you a copy.

Dominion Strategy Analysis - Part 2

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 18:55:30 +0100

In part 2 of his strategy analysis Günther has a closer look at the 2- and 4-player game.

Dominion Strategy Analysis - Part 1

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 20:29:02 +0100

The growing community of gamers who love playing Dominion resulted in a few inquiries at the Westpark Gamers about the possibility of getting an analysis of the game. Now the first part of our strategies analysis has been completed.

Günther's Entry for the Social Learning Strategies Tournament

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 16:14:56 +0100

Out of a total of 104 entries Günther's entry "stabilityObserver" reached a remarkable rank 11 with a final score of 0.499 in stage 1 of the contest. Unfortunately, only the top ten entries make it into the second stage. For full details of the results of the first stage have a look here...

Quick Look: Advanced Heroquest

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 07:44:10 +0200

"Advanced HeroQuest" is dungeon crawling at its most basic - only a handful of different monsters and basic features appear again and again (this was supposedly to be changed with expansions - but not many appeared) and torture the patience of the players.

Quick Look: Advanced Civilization

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 08:20:43 +0200

So many games owe their inspiration and existence to "Advanced Civilization", the granddaddy of all epic historical non-wargames.

Quick Look: "Adel verpflichtet"

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 08:15:38 +0200

One of the forerunners of the German wave, "Adel verpflichtet" still is a good game after all these years.

Quick Look: "Ad Acta"

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 22:05:18 +0200

You want to you spend your valuable pastime with filing files? Then "Ad Acta" is the game for you.

New review: "Tinners' Trail"

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 09:01:46 +0200

More than half of the worlds demand of tin was mined in Cornwall, England in the late 19th Century. Martin Wallace has chosen this setting for his latest strategy game "Tinners' Trail".

Quick Look: Activity

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:10:08 +0200

Less a geeks' game than a game for adicts of party games our latest "quick look" is about "Activity".

Quick Look: "Acquire"

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 11:04:48 +0200

Our new "quick look" is about "Acquire", a classic that should by in every games collection.

Quick Look: Ace of Aces

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 08:19:41 +0200

Here's another quick look by Moritz. This time it's about the two player game "Ace of Aces".

Quick Look: Abduction

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 17:58:03 +0200

Today we start our new series of "quick looks" with "Abduction". Here we describe in just a few lines those games in our game collections that we enjoy to play.

"Brass" is our new Game of the Month

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 20:54:02 +0200

"Brass" is no easy game to get into - some of the mechanics are quite unique and the first game might be full of mistakes. But after a while a new dimension in Wallace's work can be discovered. His recent games give the players more control over their actions but also are more of a challenge even for experienced gamers. Like a clockwork the various mechanics interlock to create a rather abstract but highly satisfying gaming experience. One of the most interesting games of recent months, but you should have your brain equipped to play it!

New review: "Keltis"

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 01:31:58 +0200

A similar feeling as "Pachisi" is created by "Keltis", which was recently awarded the "Spiel des Jahres" prize. The judges favored it most of all the games this year and Walter evaluates the possible reasons in his latest review.

Game Finder has gone live

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 15:57:16 +0200

You are lookking for a game tip for your next gaming session? Our database has more than 600 ranked game entries and we decided to offer a search function to find the best ones. The search comes in two choices: the simple one lets you enter the number of players in your group and a game preference by specifying the names of Westpark Gamers that represent your game taste best. The extended version offers additional criteria. You can reach the search function via the menu bar.

JATI revisited

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 08:10:24 +0200

In the meantime Sheri has received additional information about Keith Haven from his wife Marian. This is what her caregiver wrote: I found the game of JATI stored here and also talked with Marian about the game and your questions. Keith was born in Robbinsdale in 1921. Marian doesn't know if he signed any games, but since he was an artist then he probably took the opportunity to sign whatever he could. The second signature looks more like his usual one. She didn't sign anything for him that had to do with his games and art work, so the first one is his also (she couldn't really see it so the comparison is mine). She said his writing was very neat. The directions in the game that I found also list the name of JATI as DRAGON or KARACHI.This game has black plastic with square pegs and colored cubes. 3M thought it was too noisy so they requested burlap to make it a quieter playing game. Marian said that he didn't have a goatee on very long and usually was clean shaven or had a mustache. In my opinion that photo doesn't look like him a lot but since I only knew him in his later years I'm not an expert about his looks as his family is. There still is interest in his games. Her daughter and grandson also know a lot more about the games than Marian can remember. "Botch" was a favorite one they liked to play. There are still a lot of games around here in storage as they said he had a hard time marketing them in later years.

New review: "Senji"

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 09:02:41 +0200

It has been a while that a game was on our table that triggered so many different reactions and opinions as "Senji" did. If it was our inability to use diplomacy to its best or if the game mechanics are really flawed is difficult to say. Walter tries to clarify this in his latest review.

New review: "King of Siam"

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 09:16:36 +0200

A nomination for the 2007 Meeples Choice Awards demonstrates the interest "King of Siam" has created umongst gamers. In his latest review Walter describes how we liked the game.

"Stone Age" is our new Game of the Month

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 19:53:48 +0200

It seemed only right to elect "Stone Age" as our game of the month after our good Walter has created an extensive analysis of the game's statistical pitfalls. Again "Michael Tummelhofer" has managed to create a fascinating game with lasting appeal, in which each decision must be well contemplated. In contrast to "St. Petersburg" this game has an easier learning curve because of the self-explanatory theme, and it is also more forgiving. The resource dice bring a relaxed moment to the game, which is also beautifully produced.

New review: "Linq"

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Wed, 28 May 2008 19:24:49 +0200

In parallel to its entry in the Spiel des Jahres list of recommendation we had "Linq" published by BeWitched Spiele on our table. Described as a "party game" it was greeted with some sceptisism at first glance. More details can be found in Aaron's latest review.

"Metropolys" is our new Game of the Month

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Fri, 16 May 2008 08:48:40 +0200

Ystari's new game "Metropoys" has been selected as our new game of the month. Ystari Games continues to amaze with their new abstract placing game with twists. Metropolys might have the least attractive map of all Ystari Games, but its clever "bidding" mechanic works very well and creates many brainteasing situations for the players. A rather silent "Thinking Man's" game, but not outstaying, it is welcome with a 30-60 minute game length. This can be especially recommended for anyone who liked the mood of Ystari's first game, "Ys". Walter also wrote a review about the game.

New podcast and report: Armageddon

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Sun, 11 May 2008 14:16:22 +0200

In his latest podcast Moritz reports about the German roleplaying game "Armageddon - Das strategische Fantasyspiel", which has a history of more than 30 years. A transcript of the podcast is also available.

A Balance of the Stone Age

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 08:32:48 +0200

Mathematicians seem to like dealing with probabilities, and games that use chance and probability in their mechanics have always attracted the attention of Walter and Günther in our group. Walter took the opportunity to have a deeper look in the mechanics of "Stone Age" released by Hans im Glück this year.

New review: "Starship Troopers"

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 21:21:40 +0200

"Starship Troopers" is one of the games that has been released twice by the same publisher - Avalon Hill in this case - in distinctly different formats and with more than 20 years between the release dates. Moritz compares the two games in his review.

New review: "Age of Discovery"

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 21:35:36 +0200

Again, a game was on our table that got a rather divers feedback from the members of our group. Was it because the rules of "Age of Discovery" had not been fine-tuned enough - something we regularly see with Phalanx games? Walter wrote the review.

Designer of 3M's JATI discovered

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 11:11:49 +0200

Until recently the designer of the 3M bookshelf game JATI was unknown. Now Sheri McNally send us a newspaper clipping from 1965 about the the game designer and artist Keith Havens rom Minnesota, who is quoted as Jati's designer. Here are the details...

IMPORTANT! Game download now working again!

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 21:08:40 +0200

Due to a php change by our hoster the download scripts for the game download of "Yspahan" and "Sankt Petersburg" did not work anymore. This has now been repaired. Sorry for the inconvenience.

New review: "Trans Europa"

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 07:25:23 +0200

The predecessor "Trans America" from the year 2002 was not as well received by our group as the new release Trans Europa from the year 2005. Is the map of Europe with its more familiar geography or the in ingenious "Schikane" extension from Spielbox that we used? Walter wrote the review.

New review: "Star Trek III"

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 19:52:00 +0100

In his latest review Moritz has a look at an already more than 20 years old classic solitaire game: Star Trek III. In fact, this game is a collection of three completely different games relating to the Star Trek theme.

Glory III Session Report is online

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 19:40:00 +0100

"Glory III" is the latest version of Richard Berg's cosim "Glory" from the year 1995. Besides the normal 2-player scenarios it also offers single player scenarios. In his latest session report Moritz describes in detail one of these scenarios.

Cultaptation Tournament challenges strategy developers

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 19:40:00 +0100

The Cultaptation Research Project has startet a competition for the development of the best strategy for learning in a complex, changing environment. Günther, our computer game developer and chief strategist had a look at the contest and ran a few first simulations.

Script bug corrected

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 19:40:00 +0100

Unfortunately a small bug had been introduced when redesigning our entry page, which resulted in a problem with navigating through our site with some browsers. This bug has now been corrected.

Face-lifting of the Westpark Gamers' entry page

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 19:40:00 +0100

Today a face-lifting of our entry page went online. Now all information about changes on our site are easily visible directly on the entry page.

New review: "In the Year of the Dragon"

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:40:00 +0100

In line with our selection of "In the Year of the Dragon" as our Game of the Month in December Walter wrote his latest review about the game.

New Game of the Month: "In the Year of the Dragon"

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 19:40:00 +0100

"In The Year Of The Dragon" is a new resource management type game that falls into the category "shortage games". From the beginning on players are under pressure to fulfill various demands that become increasingly difficult. The event track (which is randomly assigned) is the heart of the game, the players know already, what hardships they have to endure, but even the best plans can be laid to wreck by the other players. A great game that easily fascinates!

New review: "Container"

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 19:40:00 +0100

It's not often that we see a controversial discussion about a game at the Westpark Gamers and if so, it is usually about a game that lives more by its theme than its game mechanics. It came as a surprise that this time's subject of major discussions was the abstact economic game "Container" as these types of games are much liked by us. Walter, one of the main critics of the game, describes his opinion about the game in his latest review. Let's see if it will trigger disagreement by others.

New review: "Hamburgum"

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 19:40:00 +0100

For the third time in a row the publisher Eggert-Spielereleased a game by Mac Gerdts. After "Antike" and "Imperial" the new "Hamburgum" was on our table. Walter wrote the review.

New review: "Jamaica"

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 19:40:00 +0100

After his successful "Yspahan" Sébastien Pauchon this year releases "Jamaica" as a joint work of three designers. Aaron describes in his review how our group of seasoned gamers liked this light family game.

New review: "Agricola"

nospam@example.com (Aaron Haag) — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 19:40:00 +0100

Uwe Rosenberg is well known for his card games, especially those of the Bohnanza series. Now we had his latest game "Agricola" on our table; a truely 'heavy' game with a box weighing close to 4 pounds. If the gameplay is equally heavy is described by Walter in his new review.