Board Game On | Terraforming Mars, Carcassonne, and Azul!

Welcome to the Adventure Board Game Blog. I am your host, Samantha. Clue,  is the classic murder mystery game and it was my moms ultimate favorite . The game was first  introduced in England in 1949, where it is known as Cluedo. There have been 8 different editions of Clue in the US and 3 different editions in the UK, as well as several different spin-offs of the original game. Fun Fact, Clue was originally named Murder! and was created to pass the time during the war when troops were stuck in underground bunkers during long air raid drills.

We have some amazing games to talk about this week. These games are mind blowing as well as fun and very interactive. I haven’t played them all but some look like I need to go out and buy them now. 

First we have Terraforming Mars. In Terraforming Mars, players compete against each other to terraform the planet by utilizing cards, spending resources and triggering special abilities in an attempt tp score the most points. Each player takes on the role of a greedy corporation that is trying to utilize Mars in a way to make the most money possible. Terraforming Mars has tons of cards and every single one is unique, which gives the game a high level of replayability and keeps the tabletime gaming community coming back time and time again. Terraforming Mars is a board game for 1 to 5 players designed by Jacob Fryxelius and published by FryxGames in 2016, and thereafter by 12 others, including Stronghold Games. In Terraforming Mars, players take the role of corporations working together to terraform the planet Mars by raising the temperature, adding oxygen to the atmosphere, covering the planet's surface with water and creating plant and animal life. Players compete to earn the most victory points, which are measured by their contribution to terraforming and to human infrastructure. Players accomplish these goals by collecting income and resources which allow them to play various projects, represented by cards, which increase their income or resources or directly contribute to terraforming the planet or building infrastructure.

The next game we have is Carcassonne. Carassonne is a beloved classic. Carassonne truly shoed players what tile-laying games are all about. However, Carcassonne didn’t just stop at tile-laying. It also put an entire game on top of it to where players felt as if they were building the game board as they played. Carcassonne laid the foundation for many games that followed it and even after twenty years, the game is still selling well and being played by millions. Carcassonne has also spawned many expansions, spinoffs and games based on the same gameplay mechanisms. A TILE PLACEMENT GAME OF CREATING LANDSCAPES, CLAIMING AREAS, AND GAINING POINTS

Discover or rediscover Carcassonne, the multi-awarded tile-based game in which players draw and place their tiles to build a medieval city. Place your cities, roads, abbeys or fields to enlarge your landscape, then place your followers, the meeples. Knights, robbers or farmers... Each meeple will help you control your territory and win points.

But be careful, you will need all your best strategy and tactics to maximum your points! Place your tiles and your meeples wisely to stop your opponents and win the game.

SIX EXPANSIONS: ENLARGE YOUR LANDSCAPE AND OPTIMIZE YOUR POINTS

Thanks to the mini expansions ""The River"" and ""The Abbot"", you can embellish your landscape and vary your game to enjoy new ways to play! Double or even triple your points thanks to the new buildings in the Inns & Cathedrals expansion! And with the Traders & Builders expansion, score more points with the trading commodities and build faster with the builders! Discover the city of Carcassonne covered with a blanket of white snow in the Winter Edition... and look out for the Gingerbread Man and the bonus points he'll give you! Beware of the Dragon in ""the Princess and the Dragon"" expansion! He could eat your Meeples if you're not cautious. And be kind with the Princess: she might prefer you to other Meeples and toss them out of the cities!

FEATURES

• Accessible and tactical gameplay adapted from the award-winning Carcassonne board game    
• Six expansions:

- The River, the Inns & Cathedrals, the Traders & Builders and the Winter Edition expansions as well as the Princess and the Dragon expansion are all available to purchase from the Shop,

- And you can unlock The Abbot for free using your Asmodee account.

• Up to 6 players! Play against the computer in solo mode, face off your friends in Pass and Play or challenge players from around the world in online mode
• There is no more 3 but 4 different behaviors you can chose before starting a game with AIs. They all propose a better challenge than the previous ones. Players who want to experiment a true challenge will play against the Conqueror AI who is the strongest AI of the game.
• Try out the aerial top view to refine your strategy!
• Additional strategic layers compared to the physical version:

- field view which allows you to see the field possession of each player

- remaining tile list: allows you to see the tiles which are remaining in the draw pile

Languages available: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish 

Our last game this week is Azul. Azul is an abstract game with a beautiful look. Azul is a game that took the hobby by storm when it was released. Azul combines many things that players love like drafting, beautiful components, and thought-provoking choices. Azul has quickly become one of the most beloved modern games to be released and for good reason. Azul has shown players that abstract games can be something that millions enjoy as long as the proper care has been put in the finished product. Azul has also spawned three sequels that keep the same feel of the game but drastically alter int in different ways. From two to four players collect tiles to fill up a 5x5 squares player board. Players collect tiles by taking all the tiles of one color from a repository, or from the center of the table, and placing them in a row, taking turns until all the tiles for that round are taken. At that point, one tile from every filled row moves over to each player's 5x5 board, while the rest of the tiles in the filled row are discarded. Each tile scores based on where it is placed in relation to other tiles on the board. Rounds continue until at least one player has made a row of tiles all the way across their 5x5 board. Additional points are awarded at the end of the game for each complete row or column, and for each instance of all five tiles of the same color being collected. The basic game dictates where tiles of each color go on their player board, while an advanced version allows players to place them anywhere.

If you are a lady or a non-conforming gender we have a LADIES GAME NIGHT! On the third Wednesday of every month, Austin and a great group of ladies get together and play and learn some amazing games. 

Don’t forget we do offer board game night every Thursday from 6-close. You should come out and test board games to your heart's desire!! Don’t forget to check in next week and see what events we have going on in May!! 

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The Adventure Begins | 525 Woodland Square Blvd. #130, Conroe, TX 77384 | 936-273-3223

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