Actualol Newsletter

Bonjour board gamers,

I hope your summer exploits haven’t been getting in the way of your board gaming. This month we had the 10 Games To Start A Collection, and the Few Expansions I Actually Like.

Coming up next month - I have finally played 100 games by Reiner Knizia, so I’ll be making a video all about that. And in this newsletter, we’ve got my thoughts on Fractured Sky, Old London Bridge and Set & Match.

Actual Life

This month I’ve been getting into playing some solo games during Aurelia’s naps. Solo games are not something I’ve usually found the time for - but these short and sweet games fit perfectly. 

One day, somehow the weather, nap and my walk combined to find me conveniently at a picnic bench to play Grove in the morning.

And then a pub beer garden to play The Last Lighthouse in the afternoon. Both interesting puzzles that I look forward to exploring more. 

Actual Games

Fractured Sky is the kind of game I shouldn’t like, because it’s an overblown Kickstarter monstrosity. The box is huge, it’s full of plastic, and it’s got an embarrassing theme that makes me want to run away and find another hobby.

But, underneath all of that is a fun game. And it fits a niche I’ve been wanting to fill in my collection. It’s similar to Lockup and Keydom/Aladdin’s Dragons - in that you’re placing out secret tokens, trying to win areas by having the most strength there. So it’s a fun time of trying to guess what other player’s want and where they’ve put their best pieces.

And the way you put your tokens on the board is with magnetic airships. Even I can’t resist a gimmick that tasty.

You’re collecting resources that you can spend to build towers to make you stronger in later fights. Or use to look at secret goals to find out where the victory points will be this round. The decisions are tough - and it’s exciting to see the big reveal each round to see if you won anything.

It’s much more streamlined than I was expecting. But I need to play it more to decide if it’s worth keeping. The big box and setup isn’t doing it any favours, but I do currently prefer it to Lockup and Keydom’s Dragons. 

I recently proclaimed that I don’t own any flicking games - but that might have changed since getting Set & Match in a trade. It’s a simulation of tennis. You flick the tennis ball back and forth on the court, trying to get it across the net but not flick it so hard that it goes out of bounds.

It’s about as simple as a flicking game can be. And I like that, because too many others bore me to tears with their faff. 

There’s a nice incentive to try for the bolder shots - if you can flick the ball into the outer areas of the court you are more likely to win the point. And there’s bonus points for hitting a cross-court shot, or a drop shot. So each turn you’re deciding whether to be bold and try to win the point, or be safe and just keep the rally going.

The downside is it’s only really a 2 or 4 player game. And the box is annoyingly big. But it is fun, and is now my only flicking game.

Old London Bridge feels like a game made 20 years ago. It has that OG (Old-School German) feel to it, with simple rules and a mostly shared board. 

Each round you’ll be taking a building and adding it to your London Bridge. You have to build buildings in ascending order. So you’re all vying to take the lowest numbers early on. And to guarantee an early pick, you play cards to bid for turn order. 

The building you take also gives you an action. Either to collect money (which are victory points), collect more bidding cards, or move up two different tracks. But the power of your action is down to how many crests of that type you already have on your bridge.

So there’s a lot of thought that goes into which building to take. AND, there’s a rondel in the middle that gives you money depending on which spot you take from this round.

There’s a really nice amount of things to consider with every turn, but it never feels overwhelming. You get that satisfying feeling from pulling off a big move, and the warm, familiar frustration of someone taking the building you need. Plus it doesn’t outstay it’s welcome - take 12 turns and the game is over. 

It’s not a flashy game - I don’t envy them trying to sell it - but it’s a hidden gem, and I’m glad to have found it.

Song of the Month - Aftertaste by Katie Gavin

Have a wonderful month!

Actually yours,

Jon