SweetJP
2711
I enthusiastically second this post! I gave Spirits Abyss a shot because I was intrigued by the trailer and the price, and it is quite the bargain! Then I tried the developers previous game, Skelly Selest. Also VERY good. This guy gets fast-paced arcade action, and I love how weird the humor and visuals are. I’m an overnight Caiysware games fan, and his entire catalogue is on sale at Steam right now. I might end up buying the full set!
Another week, another digital board game, This time it’s Reiner Knizier’s Yellow & Yangtze, a sort of spiritual successor to his own earlier Tigris & Euphrates. Same tile-laying mechanics with a few more options in terms of actions you can take. It’s Early Access, but appears to be feature complete, with only a little more polish and balance remaining,
I really love Tigris & Euphrates, but making it even more complex? I’m out.
That was my initial reaction, but the changes feel organic enough that it’s not a problem.
Bobtree
2715
Straimium Immortaly is the one I played. It was ultra charming and wonderfully strange. I also bought Skelly Selest and will get Spirits Abyss soon. Caiysware makes some special games.
Oh I didn’t remember those guys name.
Straimium is very nice. I haven’t figured 1/10 of the secrets.
Oooh! I had no idea Knizia did any sort of follow up to Tigris.
Bleh. :( Somebody wake me when it’s done.
-Tom
I think it only came out in '18
And as near as I can tell, it’s exactly the same as Tigris and Euphrates, but with new names for the components and mechanics. Am I missing something, or is this the exact same game?
-Tom
There were no dedicated soldiers in Tigris and Euphrates, but maybe they are just the same as the old black tiles actually.
I think that’s exactly what they are? I mean, I’m okay with doing whatever it takes to make Tigris and Euphrates more intuitive. It’s one of my favorite Knizia designs, along with Lost Cities and Hobbit Stratego. But I’m pretty sure Yellow and Yangtze is just a fancy update with a Chinese reskinning.
-Tom
Maybe Tengen bought some of Reiner Knizia’s organs!
… I think I got my facts mixed from another thread.
Heh, don’t think I wasn’t thinking the same thing…
-Tom
I was intrigued and looked it up on BGG. It looks like it should play fairly differently. External conflicts are all v all with minor point gains (instead of a bunch of red points); buildings are easier to build, don’t remove the tiles, and can be moved; two blue tiles or two green tiles (which you can replace with the corresponding off-map leader) can be used to do stuff instead of being places; …
It looks like more of a game, but not necessarily better. Certainly different enough.
This requires explanation.
It’s not available on phones or computers.
My assumption was that this was a euphemism for something, since an lotr Stratego game wouldn’t need/be a Knizia design
He made a LOTR Stratego-type game that is very good.
It’s called Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation. Like Stratego, you can see where units are, but not which ones they are. Which allows the Fellowship player to sneak their Hobbits to the opposite end of the board without getting caught, among other interesting dynamics.
