This is an index of all the Mechanics & Meeples articles from 2014, followed by an index of all my RPGnet reviews from the same year.
Monthly Archives: December 2014
A Deckbuilding Look at Trains
AEG has already published some classic deckbuilders like Thunderstone (2009) and Nightfall (2011), so with this new release, Trains, it seems like they’re pushing harder on the deckbuilder genre than anyone else. It’s a combo train/deckbuilding game that’s one of the few deckbuilders to come with a playing board.
The Game
The core elements of Trains feel a lot like the premier deckbuilder, Dominion (2008). You have (blue) cards that are cash and you have (yellow) cards that are victory points (“veeps”). You use your cash to buy more cash, to buy (red) cards that do different actions, and eventually to push for victory.
The Tao of Board Gaming V
Koans I-III can be found in The Tao of Board Gaming I (December 2009). Koans IV-VI can be found in The Tao of Board Gaming II (April 2010). Koans VII-IX can be found in The Tao of Board Gaming III (October 2012). Koans X-XII can be found in The Tao of Board Gaming IV (May 2014).
XIII. The Problems of the World
The best gaming store in the world was located in an urban center that was peopled by progressives, anarchists, minorities, and other persons who sometimes felt the need to speak out against the establishment. Thus, the student of gaming who regularly attended events at that store sometimes found his route there blocked by protests arising from questions of social justice.
This was the case one day in the long winter when reports revealed that protesting in the urban center had turned into looting, vandalism, arson, and assaults. Sadly, this was not unusual.
Undeterred, the student of gaming set out for his regular gaming evening.