This or That: Board Games

I have taken this post idea and the "this or that"s from Michelle over at A Geek Girl's Guide. You should definitely go check out that blog. I love it.

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(AFFILIATE LINK)

Dice or Cards

I love a good quick dice game like Zombie Dice, but since Mr. LL and I only get to play once Lazy Baby goes to sleep, noisy dice got no place in my life. So cards it is. We've been enjoying Exploding Kittens as of late. (affiliate link)

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Light Weight versus Heavy Weight

These days, light weights for the win. I don't have a lot of time to devote to board games, so quick and easy games are what you are going to find in rotation at the Lazy House.

like love letter (affiliate link)

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Legacy or Not

I do enjoy a good, well designed legacy game, but I need more bang for my buck. So games with high replay value are going to get preference when I'm looking to buy a new game.

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Kickstarter or Retail

Kickstarter, all the way. I love to support indie game designers and they come up with some the most beautiful and well constructed board games these days!

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Versus or Co-Op

BOTH! Each has it's time and place and I wouldn't want to live without either genre on my shelves.

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What would your answers be? Let me know with a comment below.

Once a month gamer: Online resources

No review this month, but I did want to share some of my favorite places to go online to find new games, tools for gaming, and great communities!

• Tabletop: This Geek & Sundry YouTube series is where it all began for me. I didn't even know that the types of games I play now existed before I saw this show! It has been a huge inspiration to me and if you haven't seen it already, please go check it out.
• Geek & Sundry: While I'm at it, you should check out their site. They have articles about tabletop games and more!
• BoardGaming.com: This is my go-to resource when I want to know what games are coming out and to check out reviews of games by other tabletoppers. It also helps me find publisher links for some of the games I review here!
• BoardGameGeek.com: A forum space for all things board games. I'm not super active on this site because my designer heart detests forum sites because they are so visually unappealing, but I have found useful information on here before.
• Your DnD Stories: I love this Tumblr that takes people's actual D&D stories and illustrates them. Always good for a chuckle.
• Out of Context D&D: Speaking of Tumblr, this is another one that will give tabletop players a laugh.
• Lastly, some gaming swag:

D&D Chiffon top from welovefine.com

The player's vault from mythical makings on etsy

board gamer top from grumpy geeks on etsy

these candles have metal dice embedded in them! from boonzy arts candles on etsy

Takenoko /// Once A Month Gamer

From the publisher's website: Long, long ago, the Emperor of China offered the Emperor of Japan a Giant Panda in a gesture of peace. You have been appointed to the delicate task of caring for this politically-important Panda and tending to the Emperor’s illustrious bamboo garden. You must cultivate plots of land using irrigation and intelligence so that bamboo, the only food that the Panda will eat, grows in abundance. But beware of the sacred animal’s uncontrollable appetite for crunchy young sprouts… 

PUBLISHER:
Asmodee, Matagot

DESIGNER(S):
Antoine Bauza

COST: $49.99

THEME: Animals, Farming, Strategy

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We haven't played this game a whole lot, yet, because it is farely new to our collection. However, we played it none stop the week we got it. It is a lot of fun and I have yet to win, lol. You are tasked with working the bamboo gardens and caring for the Giant Panda, all while competing against other players to score the most points by completing as many of the objectives as you can.

There are three types of objectives:

• Plot Objectives, which award you points for creating a certain configuration of colored plots on the board.
• Gardening Objectives, which award points for growing colors of bamboo to certain heights, before the Panda eats them.
• Panda Objectives, which award points for eating certain combinations of colored bamboo.

You can only grow a certain color of bamboo on the matching color plot of land (ie: green bamboo only grows on green tiles), and you have to make sure you irrigate the land or have a water source on an adjacent tile in order to grow any bamboo. You also have to roll the weather dice, which will have different affects on your turn (example, the gentle Rain causes the bamboo to grow, allowing you to place a bamboo section on a garden plot of your choice).

Honestly, this game is a little complicated as there are a lot of things you can do but you only get two actions each turn. However, the game itself is beautiful and very well designed.

IMAGE VIA PUBLISHER

If you combine the price (at almost $50, it's one of the pricier games) and the learning curve, this isn't a game I would necessarily recommend to every one. However, if you are an experienced gamer and want a new game that it is fun and beautiful, then go for it!