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Micro Reviews of Board Games From a Non-Competetive Perspective

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Shades:
Ravenloft is only to be played when you have a good Dungeon Master who is up for it.

And I can tell you now that there are not that many.

This setting was tried by our group when it was still active, but our DM did not have the 'chops'. Reading the novels that are associated with this setting is a joy. As a character you have to be really able to survive any night outside the safety of your home in Ravenloft (played it when 2nd Edition rules were still king).

The game improved a lot when I aided our DM by playing the main evil character. My fellow players really hated me for all the mean streaks I introduced to the evil character. I think when you have enough players (5 or more) to let one of the imaginative players to be the main evil character.

After all, with Dungeons and Dragons games there is only one real rule...the DM is always right.

Besides, the 2nd Edition books start by saying that all the rules and stats from the books are optional and definitely not set in stone. Later rule books are unfamiliar to me.

mouser:
i think there might be a bit of a confusion -- the Ravenloft I reviewed is a brand new board game meant to be played without a DM.  There are also other scenarios for the traditional dungeons and dragons using the "Ravenloft" setting, but that is something very different from the board game.

Shades:
 :-[

As I said, it was a long time ago for me. If I only had the time, I would enjoy participating in tabletop games like D&D again.

Oh oh, nostalgia is kicking in...

Gothi[c]:
Shades,

Like mouser said, i think you are confused :)
This isn't tabletop rpg d&d
this is just the boardgame version.
If it were real D&D (especially 2nd edition) i would have given it 10/10 ;)

mouser:
My next micro-review is for first impressions of: Dixit




Dixit is really more of a card and party game than a board game.  The concept is very simply, players (or teams) take turns coming up with an ambiguous description of a hidden card in their hand, and other players try to choose cards from their own hands that best match the description.  Then all cards are shuffled and laid out on the table and everyone tries to guess which card the player originally described.  A simple scoring system advances pawns on a board.

I brought dixit to a family gathering last week that had players ranging from 7 to 70, and everyone got a big kick out of it.

Why is it a perfect game for family gatherings:


* Super easy to teach and transport
* Plays fast and everyone is involved and engaged every moment of play.
* Little or no real competition, very lighthearted and entertaining; no one really has to care about winning and losing.
* Little kids love the artwork, adults like coming up with clever clues.
* Older players who *enjoy* deep thinking can get satisfaction from thinking hard about clues and details.
* Fosters discussion and chatting about the clues and pictures.
* Fun when people don't agree with each other
Game Designer Interests

* Clever scoring rule that ensures people come up with ambiguous but reasonable description clues.
Summary:

I'm sure groups of adults would enjoy this, but I definitely think that Dixit (and its expansion Dixit 2) is a perfect game for family gatherings, especially when you have a variety of ages including very young (6yrs or so) kids.  I highly recommend it.

Final Rating: 9 of 10

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