Settlers of Catan

Number of Players: 3-4 Players
Age: 10+
Playing Time: 60 - 75 mins

Catan is a worker placement game to guide your settlers to victory through resource gathering to build roads, settlements and cities, and buy development cards.  Through dice rolls and trades you acquire your resources. 

There is a nice element of scuppering your fellow players plans by place roads in their way or an well place settlement which stops them building.

The set up can take time as there are a number of components to this game which can allows for different setup of the board every time you play.  This allows for endless variety in the game.  It is important, however, that you play on a flat surface.  

This game consists of resource production through dice role, trading with fellow players, the bank or trading stations or you can build roads, settlements and cities.  It's a good balance of luck (with the dice rolls for resource production) and strategy.  With a well designed rule book the rules are easy to learn and the modular board allows for replayability. 

There are a number of expansions for this game bringing in additional game play.  There is also a Star Trek version as well.  Works as Catan but with character cards which brings in another layer of strategy.  Well worth the look.

Settlers of Catan: 8/10
Star Trek Catan: 9/10

Dawn

Boss Monster

Number of Players: 2-4 Players
Age: 13+
Playtime: 20 minutes

So you miss the old 8 bit dungeon exploring games of the 80s, imagining yourself a hero slaying monsters and collecting treasures and win the day, and if you're really lucky win the heart of your true love (this would usually be a woman in distress, because... hey, it was the 80s).  Well here's your chance to relive those glory days.  This game, however, takes an interesting spin.  

Rather than being the hero you are the Boss Monster.  You role is to create a dungeon that will kill the hero that you have lured to your dungeon.  Each card had a special ability that will effect the hero in some not so nice way. The dungeon slowly grows to five rooms, some of these room have the ability to be ungraded or be destroyed so a new room full of horror can be built.

As the dungeon grows the stronger the heroes that are lured.  Each hero has a number of souls which when defeated become yours for the taking.  The first monster to reach 10 souls wins the game, equally a player can be killed if they gain 5 wounds (i.e hero's survive your dungeon).

I enjoy the game, can take a little time to understand how the game works and some of the finer points for example how the rooms can link together to become more powerful, but once these have clicked this game is very enjoyable.

Score: 8/10

Dawn

King of Tokyo

Number of Players: 2-6 Players
Age: 8+
Playtime: 30 minutes


Have you ever wondered who would win a battle of the monsters: Alienoid, Cyber Bunny, Giga Zaur, Kraken, Meka Dragon and The King, well here is your chance to find out.

As a player you pick one of these monster, each own a score board with health and victory points.  The aim is to fight other monsters, rampage a city and fight to be The King of Tokyo.  

This is a dice rolling game which allow you to attack, heal and gather energy to gain super powers.  The winner is the monster that hits 20 victory points thus destroying Tokyo or be the last monster standing.

The game is simple to pick up, but the finer nuance of how the powers can aid you in your reign of terror can take a little time to pick up. 

Score: 9/10

Dawn