inconsequential ruminations

It has been a slow few months for games, mainly because I had a contract job away from home, but also partly because I bought a new PC and have been playing too much Fallout 3 and Team Fortress 2.

On Wednesday I went to see the Isleworth Gamers and I hope I will be going regularly from now on.

Pickomino
I bought Pickomino on a whim, hoping I could play it with my four year old, but when I saw it was recommended for 8+ on the box I settled on it as a filler at the club . There is not much to say about it:

• It is a dice game with worms on dominos.
• It is fast – 20 minutes.
• It works.
• It is quite fun, but it’s the sort of game that might get boring if your friends like it more than you do.
• It is probably best played in a pub
  6/10

Liberté
Liberte is a French Revolution themed, medium-complexity area control game, which is about as heavy at El Grande. The Tao of Gaming review covers the mechanics neatly. I bought this second hand for £40, as it’s hard to get hold of and fairly well regarded at #227 at the Geek. I liked that the area control mechanics contributed to a bigger strategic picture. We played with the Daggar Variant, which sped the game up slightly and meant the card display did not clog up. Opinion was divided. Russ and I liked it, Barrie and David didn’t and Emma abstained – a hung parliament. I will play it again – if I can persuade more people at the club to play. Liberté is due for a reprint by Valley Games, who are bound do make a good-looking version. If you like area-control games with a strong theme, definitely pick it up.
7/10

Inquisitio
A horror game about avoiding torture and witchcraft. I won this despite only half hearing the rules due to a bad headache and therefore playing randomly, so I don’t have a lot of respect for it. Ultimately I hate the theme and artwork, so I’ll avoid it.
2/10