Saturday, June 28, 2008

Conquest of Pangea Grab your wooden rafts and Ug boots, we're going back in time to the CONQUEST OF PANGEA!

CREATOR: Phil E. Orbanes, Immortal Eyes Games, Winning Moves Games.

2-4 players, Teen to Adult, Playing time 90 mins. * SMALL PIECES NO BABIES *

GAME BASICS: At the start of the game the world's continents are all joined in a massive conglomeration. You own a tribe of people and you start them out building their lil huts across this untouched landscape. TIME PASSES and slowly the once cozy neighborhood gets broken up one continent at a time! this puts a kink in your plans for world domination! undeterred you keep at it and strive to rule over your fellow ex-pangean brethren!

I first saw this game at Origins in 2006. ( I think it was 2006... I think that was my last trip to origins sadly... brain is foggy on the time )

There's lots of pieces and cards....which suckered me in as usual....

GAME DISSECTION: Sure you can have this island for some beads - snicker - we were leaving anyhow...toodles!!

ART: The cover art is a wild multi-element depiction of a world in chaos. Not my taste really but the INTERNAL art caught my eye. It was a clean. clearly designed game. the cards matched what they should, the continents were different but complimentary colors and nothing was too garish or hostile to the eye. the pieces were nicely crafted and the board was unique and well designed.

PRICE: 30-40$ Depending on where you shop and if you pick up the new expansion. I played it without the expansion for some time now, but from what I have been able to research the expansion moves the game along a lil better. Not bad for 5$.

REPLAY: The 90 minute game time prolly means you won't be pounding out several tourney's with this game, BUT its a good 90 mins of gaming goodness. Two games of this will prolly take less time than one Lord of the Rings movie, plus no one will complain if you talk and munch chips while you play the games. ( unless you do both at the same time! )

MECHANICS: The game is best with 4 people, though it can be played with as little as 2. that being said the patterns of change are randomized by the time cards that choose for you which continent breaks away from the pack and becomes isolated. While there are plenty of people who balk at ' too much randomness ' there's a growing number of people who don't like one player pretty much deciding for you what you can do and where. Balance is the key to a good game, and how you work the balance to your advantage becomes the source of fun.

This is a thoughtful game. Its not a loud HA HA NEENER NEENER NEENER game. There's no dice-rolling anticipation. Its more akin to the two master-samurai-swordsman... standing 50 feet apart, the suddenly rushing in and each delivering a stroke. Combat is handled through Power cards and Power points. In this respect its much like ancient battles, where you determined before the battle, if you had the numbers to beat the enemy, and if you did you made war.

FUN: Yeah but is it fun?? Don't be fooled by the calculating aspects of the game, undermining your opponents dominance in an area with cunning is often more satisfying that getting a lucky dice roll, especially if you are like me and the dice hate you....

"And when I say "hate" I mean HATE! Not strongly dislike, or despise, although these are also true! No! For I am, Mojo-jojo! I am EVIL! AND I HATE THE POWERPUFF GIRLS! ~ Mojo Jojo

THAT kind of dice hate. So I'm happy to draft some cards and play some points and stick it to my enemies through careful calculations.

GAMER PROFILE: Gilgamesh or Ekidu the Wildman?

CASUAL: You might be invited over to some one's house to play games some day.they might want to play this with you. Don't be intimidated if you don't usual play board games or are used to the old standbys. If you can make change or cook mac and cheese, you can play this game.

ACTIVE: Maybe the theme art isn't screaming BUY ME! Maybe you prefer a different genre of play or need dice to feel safe from the cunning warriors opposite you. Expand your gaming experience and get out of that RP rut! Unlike Settlers, this game lets you expand your empire by invading opposing lands.... an often complained about feature that many find most enjoyable in a game.

GAMER: Get the game and the expansion and have a load of gamer good fun! A good game to introduce casual gamers to after they've whetted their tongues on a game like Settlers of Catan. Conquest of Pangea will easily fit in with a GAMES OF WORLD DOMINATION night at your favorite gamer's home. If you have more than four people, bring another set and have them be an evil mirror universe...make them all wear goatees so you know who is evil. Even the girls. Equality NOW!

CREATOR: Here's a game that broke lose of an often stagnated gaming world. It has a multi-piece, movable board. This will most likely drive production costs up a bit but as its the second in their series, they seem to have planned ahead for that and made a similar to make game and sold that first. This would have the same effect that Lucas used when making the Star Wars movies. the profits from Star Wars went right back into the creation of Empire Strikes Back. Surprisingly, a lot of NEW game companies think ONE game is all they need to be rich and never work again. Its not true. One look at the gaming world shows you that even the BIGGINS need expansions and additions or new games all together. If you plan ahead of time, you won't be caught short at the conventions. After good gameplay and art...nothing sells a game more as rumors of expansions.

FOR THE LADIES: The world of gaming has long been dominated by men. So I am told. My grandmother taught me how to play poker, and my mother routinely beat my butt in Scotland Yard. My daughter trounces my mind and will to live in Risk: Godstorm. If you are new to games, jump in and play. If you are a ' pioneer' woman and have been gaming for ages.... try introducing your other female friends to the world of gaming. Life is short, don't play alone!
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