RDTN Episode 157: Calimala, Architects of the West World, Ascension Delirium

Episode 157 does not have a guest, but all is not lost. We actually get down to some board games. That is right, what an idea for a board gaming podcast. First, we have the a game picked up for publishing in the USA by Stronghold called Calimala. It is not to be confused with the word that means squid in Italian as some kept saying noat the game table. This was released in 2017 and was a big hit at Essen, so we heard cause we weren’t there. The game is designed by Fabio Lopiano, which was his first game, and who also designed Ragusa that will be out next year. If you are interested in how Fabio came up with design, be sure and check out his Designer Diary on the BGG site or click on this link.

Moving away from raiding Vikings to warring kingdoms trying to build civilizations in the 800s, Renegade has released Architects of the West Kingdom. That is about much as I am going to give you as it comes to theme. If you want to try and force more theme then this game is supposed to be during the time of the Carolingian Empire where you probably remember the name Charlemagne from your history books. Develop the best civilization which will help you get more Victory Points and if you have the most, you are a winner. As we state in the episode, this game’s engagement might have been challenged had it not been for the ability to capture other player’s workers. And when I first heard about capturing workers, I was very skeptical, but it works and does it very well. I was concerned that it would be a game of backstabbing and diplomacy, but it wasn’t. Plain and simple fun worker placement game. Give it a try.

Last but not least was Ascension: Delirium. One of my favorite expansions in the Ascension line is Dreamscapes. Not really sure why other than I enjoy the additional “currency” of Insight that must be obtained and allows you to spend to really help boost your deck. So when Justin Gary was talking with us at Gen Con about Delirium and mentioned Insight was back and there was a die, I got excited for this expansion. While the randomness that a dice brought to the game doesn’t sit well with everyone, some might enjoy it because it brings a bit of gambling in hopes that the dice will roll what you need to help you during your turn. While I was okay with that part of the game, I really liked the introduction of the new keyword Fate that adds an auction mechanic to the game. I am looking forward to combining Delirium with Dreamscape because I believe it will make players have some very interesting choices during the game.

Enjoy the episode and return back in two weeks where we talk about the Third Edition of Arkham Horror.

[table]
Segment, Time
Music Discussion, 00:37
Marty’s Music Video Experience,6:48
Top Ten Selling Games,10:29
2nd Annual BooBQ Event,12:50
Pandemic Cthulhu, 15:19
Arkham Horror LCG,16:35
English lessons from Ignacy,20:28
Kickstarter Discussion, 22:40
Processing: A Game of Serving Humanity,23:35
XCase 2.0,26:19
Miniature Market,30:00
Calimala,31:25
FFG Unique Game System,36:45
Architects of the West Kingdom,49:07
The Broken Token,54:18
Ascension: Delirium,55:40
Outro,1:00:32
Monolith Arena,1:03:35
Cake,1:05:15
Portal,1:07:45
[/table]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:08:32 — 62.8MB)

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