Tag Archives: Abstract Strategy Games

Abstract Strategy games are often (but not always) theme-less (without storyline), built on simple and/or straightforward design and mechanics, perfect information games, promote one player overtaking their opponent(s), little to no elements of luck, chance, or random occurrence, and can be minimal in design. (source: BGG)

Shipping Showdown Game Review

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Jamaican-Canadian billionaire businessman and philanthropist, Michael Lee-Chin, said “My first playpen was a cardboard box.” I have many fond memories of playing in cardboard boxes myself. Making them into forts or using them to build a robot (that I might have also worn as a costume). But those boxes serve the initial purpose of holding things. In this game, you’ll be tasked to fill boxes full of items as quickly as you can. Fill it up and send it out! Just be careful that your fellow box-packers don’t upset your productivity! Continue reading →

Blue Lagoon Game Review

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American writer of weird, science, fantasy, and horror fiction, best known for his creation of the Cthulhu Mythos (All hail the great Cthulhu!), H.P. Lovecraft, said, “We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.” And yet, it’s in the very nature of humanity to gaze longingly at the horizon or attempt to glimpse other worlds in the stars above us. We are built to travel, explore, and seek out the mysteries of what we cannot see, for we are forever curious. Some of us even have the intestinal fortitude to act upon those urges and seek out the unknown. Brave souls. In this game, you will lead such a group as they explore the surrounding islands, making homes and discoveries along the way. Continue reading →

Downtown Farmers Market Game Review

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I love visiting farmers markets. They are full of fresh vegetables, beautiful flowers, artisan loaves of bread, and, if you’re fortunate, a vendor selling bacon on a stick smothered in chocolate. Farmers markets feel like an adventure each time I go, not having any idea what I’ll find but always leaving feeling satisfied with the experience. In this game, you’ll also have a chance to visit the farmers market, with a list of food ingredients you want to gather quickly. But like real-life farmers markets, availability and quantity is never a sure thing. Continue reading →

Mur Game Review

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Dutch chess player, mathematician, author, and chess administrator Max Euwe, said, “Strategy requires thought, tactics require observation.” It also takes patience. In this game, you build up your plays, taking the time to adjust according to future opportunities. It’s a game of small moves to big wins. It’s also a game that will make your head hurt and your brain simmer. Not for the faint of heart, but most certainly a game every strategist and tactician should play. Continue reading →

Flank!: Battle for Fairfield Game Review (prepublished version)

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The peaceful village of Fairfield lies in a lush valley surrounded by healthy farms and livestock. Those who live in the village are prosperous and happy. However, two armies hungrily eye the village, coveting it as their own. Now Fairfield has become the epicenter of chaos and violence where once only peace and tranquility were found. The two armies will fight to the end to possess the village, but which will win, and what will be the valley’s fate after the swords stop clashing? That is up to you, but only if you win the day. Continue reading →

Twinkle Game Review

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American actress, model, and singer, Marilyn Monroe, said: “We are all of us stars, and we deserve to twinkle.” But not all stars can be the brightest. In this game, players will build constellations, using dice to represent stars. While one of the goals is to shine the brightest, it isn’t the only path to victory. Build your constellations with purpose, and you’ll end up owning the heavens. Continue reading →

Super Mega Lucky Box Game Review

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American astrophysicist, cosmologist, and winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics laureate John C. Mather said: “There is strength in numbers, but organizing those numbers is one of the great challenges.” In this game, players will be tasked to complete cards by crossing out random numbers. But look deeper, and you see that between the known and the unknown, the moment when there is limited and unlimited potential, there is a great deal of apprehension and excitement. It can be addictive. Randomness and luck might be everywhere, but we can infer a great deal by simply observing and making smart choices. And that’s the game. Continue reading →

The Whatnot Cabinet Game Review

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A curio cabinet is a display case or shelf that can hold just about anything. At a glance, it appears to be nothing more than a collection of random bits and pieces. A small drawing of a girl by a pond, an old brass key with no lock to work, a bit of sand in a glass jar from a distant shore, and an old watch that has long since stopped telling the hour correctly except for two times a day. Some might see this as junk, but take a closer look, and you’ll see treasures. In this game, players will take their own journey and collect items of personal value. Placing them on their shelves is only the beginning, as collecting and organizing intelligently is how you win the game. Continue reading →

Mandala Stones Game Review

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Dutch post-impressionist painter, Vincent van Gogh, said, “The great artist is the simplifier.” In this game, players will be asked to make what is seemingly simple decisions, collecting colors, and creating patterns, with the intent of creatively scoring while at the same time creating art. All the while, the player’s opponents are doing the same. Artists might be simplifiers, but when you share a small canvas with more than one, things go from simple to elaborately complex. Continue reading →

Seven Dragons Game Review

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The very first fantasy creature I can remember falling in love with is the dragon. A fearsome foe to fight in games and a wise teacher in others. They represent chaos and order, destruction and creation. Dragons have been part of mythology in just about every culture and continue to be a topic of discussion, interest, and admiration. In this game, players will attempt to match different colored dragons to the table, and just like dealing with real fake dragons, you best be careful how you go about it. Never trust a dragon, and never trust this game to give victory to you easily. Continue reading →

Dead Shot Game Review

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English actor and voice actor Malcolm McDowell said: “One man can change the world with a bullet in the right place.” How true and grim. In this game, you play as a sniper. A highly trained soldier who lies in wait to take out their target. Your only two weapons are a high-powered rifle and patience. You sit and wait for your target, but be careful. Others hunt for you, too, and it is only a matter of time before they find you or you find them. Let the hunt begin! Continue reading →

Stripes Game Review

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Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and theatre designer, Pablo Picasso, said, “Why do two colors, put one next to the other, sing? Can one really explain this? No. Just as one can never learn how to paint.” In this game, players will be shifting the position of colored stripes, making patterns. The complexity of the game is not the matching of the colors, but the proper arrangement and timing of the alignment. In the act of doing so, the players bring forth color harmony. Continue reading →