Summary
Our Game Nights at Earthen are great fun but sometimes we can’t have everyone show up. Life happens and Sunday isn’t always a free day for everyone. That doesn’t stop people from wanting to play some great games though. We try to accommodate by having a smaller midweek Game Night that we try to bust out a game that we have been itching to play but haven’t quite gotten to.
The reason I bring this up is that I want to start incorporating these middle of the week Game Nights into this review. The games we play are usually a bit longer and have lots of depth in them that I would like to comment on to make this review more complete for all gamer types. I will try to specify where and when we play each game that is reviewed in the future. This is obviously a work in progress so I thank you to anyone reading these reviews.
Thank you and enjoy the review.
Games Played
The Bloody Inn
Location: Earthen Ales
Day: Sunday, July 15th, 2018
Tem-Purr-a
Location: Earthen Ales
Day: Sunday, July 15th, 2018
Hanabi
Location: Earthen Ales
Day: Sunday, July 15th, 2018
Everdell
Location: The Village at the Grand Traverse Commons
Day: Thursday, July 19th, 2018
Minerva
Location: The Village at the Grand Traverse Commons
Day: Saturday, July 21th, 2018
Magic: The Gathering
Location: The Village at the Grand Traverse Commons
Day: Saturday, July 21th, 2018
Analysis
Total Plays – 2
Last Played – First Night Played
Top Ranked Player – Kyle D. and Eric B. (1 Win, 50% Win Percentage)
Top Score – 70 (Kyle D. on July 15, 2018)
Most Total Plays – Kyle D. and Eric B. (2 Plays)
ADULT CONTENT IN THIS GAME
The cover of this game really says it all. The theme and gameplay are perfectly displayed right on the cover of The Bloody Inn. I have to applaud the graphic designer and artist on this one as it was a pleasure to dive into the world.
The Bloody Inn is a card-driven, hand management game that is set in France, 1831. Each player owns a room or two (depending on the player count) in an inn that guest will come and stay. Those guest will pay the player for the room after they leave for a good nights rest. Sounds boring? It is so you can ditch that plan and kill them off and bury their body in other establishments that you own. You will need to hire on accomplices, build up structures, and launder money to perform your nefarious deeds without being caught by the police. The player with the most money wins.
The Bloody Inn is an interesting puzzle to solve. The various mechanisms all react very differently to each other which makes for a very challenging experience. Each victim that you kill will only be lootable if you’re able to stash the body away (murderer’s honor?). This task can be tricky as police officers are often guests at your inn and will become suspicious if you have a body lying about as one would. The process of killing a guest and stashing the body can be laborious as many steps are required to do so and all involve your hand of cards. The patrons of your inn can be bribed which means they become a card in your hand to be used later. These patrons will have a specialty which includes killing, stashing bodies, bribery, or construction. Each action you take on your turn will require you to discard a certain amount cards in your hand. These specialists won’t have to be discarded if performing the action that they excel in which is where the hand management comes into play.
The macabre fashion of this game had immediate appeal to me and the paired gameplay didn’t disappoint either. I really enjoyed the challenge of managing the ever-growing stack of bodies without being caught which turned into a horror-filled press your luck game. The money laundering mechanic of having checks and money was a nice touch that players had to manage as you can only have so much cash on hand but you need it to pay off your workers. The entire game was designed to be a delicate but brutal balance between profit and safety. Finding the sweet spot between the two is where the game got interesting and just plain fun. I really enjoyed almost every aspect of this game and I’m looking forward to playing it more. this will not be the last time you see this at a Game Night.
Total Plays – 1
Last Played – First Night Played
Top Ranked Player – Amanda S. (1 Win, 100% Win Percentage)
Top Score – 56 (Amanda S. on July 19, 2018)
I acquired this game as a Kickstarter that I backed. The artwork looked amazing and the gameplay itself looked like something that I would really enjoy. It appears that I wasn’t alone in this thinking at the Table because there were 2 players looking to back this themselves and another that actually did back this one. Since the group collectively has two copies and will probably see lots of plays, I felt the need to get this played in time for our regular scheduled Game Nights at Earthen Ales on Sunday.
I had some apprehensions before we even began playing this one. The other player that had backed this game as well had previously played the game solo and lost pretty readily which made me wonder if the game has balance issues. This worry was only furthered after I read the rule book. The rules seemed simple enough but I was worried that the game would end quickly and unfulfilled. Those worries quickly subsided as we began to play and the game revealed itself.
Everdell is a card-driven, worker placement game that has players building a city filled with various cute critters and woodland buildings. Think Watership Down or Wind in the Willows and you will have the image in your head of what this is. Players will have to manage their resources and cards to score points and claim victory.
The components of this game are beautiful. They are all very cute and build upon the aesthetic of woodland creatures and at times seems superfluous. I also have a few complaints as some of the resources tend to roll off the table. Looking at you round berries and cylinder sticks. The rulebook I also have a few issues as they are a little too simple. I had various occasions when card interaction questions came up and didn’t have a ruling in the book on how it worked. A F.A.Q. section in the rulebook would have been very helpful here. Other than a few hiccups, the production quality was through the roof.
The gameplay itself had me muttering strategy to myself the entire night. This is a very good indicator that I’m really enjoying myself. All the cards that come up through play are either a construction or a critter. Each of these cards will have effects that will trigger at various times in the game which can be planned for and considered. The constructions, when played, will sometimes help you play a critter card without paying the cost so timing is key in your planning. This already has the makings of a great game but the resources that you are collecting are very tight so this planning that you do has to be spot on. A few players at the table were definitely feeling this at various parts of the game. I, myself, found the beginning of the game to be easy as my opening hand of cards had a great combo all lined up but my mid-game faltered and I ended up not being able to recover from it. It was an amazing experience to have.
Everdell has a lot to offer and to dig up as you play the game more. I immediately after our play wanted to dive back in and try some new combinations and wondering if there will ever be some expansions coming out. I strongly recommend that anyone who enjoys card synergy and engine building to give this one a try.
