Rating distribution for M57
Ratings
Sat 19th Mar 16:13
Nice looking board. It's just a strange layout with little in the way of choke-points (except for all the towers, which are kind of inverted choke-points). The value of the extra view seems somewhat wasted when all the towers are next to each other. I'd rather see them scattered a bit more randomly.
Europa 2210 rated 
Good
Good
Nice looking board. It's just a strange layout with little in the way of choke-points (except for all the towers, which are kind of inverted choke-points). The value of the extra view seems somewhat wasted when all the towers are next to each other. I'd rather see them scattered a bit more randomly.
Fri 25th Feb 18:31
This no-frills board plays well for beginner and advanced alike, and its unique polar cartographic twist puts it in the category of boards everyone should try.
While graphically it doesn't offer much to get excited about, its borders are clear, game-play is even, and it sports a pretty-near-perfect assortment of choke-points to keep players on their toes. All in all a wonderful first effort by the designer.
This no-frills board plays well for beginner and advanced alike, and its unique polar cartographic twist puts it in the category of boards everyone should try.While graphically it doesn't offer much to get excited about, its borders are clear, game-play is even, and it sports a pretty-near-perfect assortment of choke-points to keep players on their toes. All in all a wonderful first effort by the designer.
Sun 20th Feb 22:34
The graphics on this board are appealing enough that I tried it, so that's a plus, but play is predictable. Basically, whoever secures an outside rock is "in"; everyone else is toast. From there things seem to evolve fairly quickly and even with fog on there doesn't seem to be much room for subtle strategy. Secure a corner -bash away at the center - and then pick apart the rest of the board.
The graphics on this board are appealing enough that I tried it, so that's a plus, but play is predictable. Basically, whoever secures an outside rock is "in"; everyone else is toast. From there things seem to evolve fairly quickly and even with fog on there doesn't seem to be much room for subtle strategy. Secure a corner -bash away at the center - and then pick apart the rest of the board.
Sun 20th Feb 15:37
What Gimli said ..mostly, except I make a distinction between Poor and Bad. Bad is this side of evil. Gimli thinks the board needs a complete overhaul, but I wonder that it could be fixed by simply altering the defensive nature of the citadels and the capital to "standard".
What Gimli said ..mostly, except I make a distinction between Poor and Bad. Bad is this side of evil. Gimli thinks the board needs a complete overhaul, but I wonder that it could be fixed by simply altering the defensive nature of the citadels and the capital to "standard".
Sat 5th Feb 22:42
WarGear is very fortunate to have a twisted and demented designer like Riskyback in its ranks. Graphic features like the bloody splotches all over the map are typical Risky fare. When you're in the mood to play a quirky map, try this one. Execution is very good, and gameplay is exactly what you might expect from a board lacking in choke-points. Easy to play and understand, this is a good board for beginners who are looking to expand their catalog of WarGear experiences.
WarGear is very fortunate to have a twisted and demented designer like Riskyback in its ranks. Graphic features like the bloody splotches all over the map are typical Risky fare. When you're in the mood to play a quirky map, try this one. Execution is very good, and gameplay is exactly what you might expect from a board lacking in choke-points. Easy to play and understand, this is a good board for beginners who are looking to expand their catalog of WarGear experiences.
Sun 23rd Jan 00:14
I'm not sure why this board has become somewhat of a classic., but I have to admit that graphically it has a "je ne sais quoi" that forces me to rate it higher than I would normally justify. Border colors meld into each other (I should be complaining about this), but in a way that doesn't confuse things enough to make make me criticize it as a design flaw, and it has territories that are way too teeny-tiny for my aged eyes.
Yet I find myself coming back to play this board.
I'm not sure why this board has become somewhat of a classic., but I have to admit that graphically it has a "je ne sais quoi" that forces me to rate it higher than I would normally justify. Border colors meld into each other (I should be complaining about this), but in a way that doesn't confuse things enough to make make me criticize it as a design flaw, and it has territories that are way too teeny-tiny for my aged eyes.Yet I find myself coming back to play this board.
Fri 31st Dec 12:33
Simple graphics are easy enough to decipher. Mechanically speaking, gameplay is a tad tight for my taste but there's nothing wrong with this board. The pirate ships are a nice touch.
Simple graphics are easy enough to decipher. Mechanically speaking, gameplay is a tad tight for my taste but there's nothing wrong with this board. The pirate ships are a nice touch.
Fri 31st Dec 12:21
Even though there are a few of what I would consider to be a few flaws on this board (like some of the players' colors are hard to make out when they occupy Britain and Japan - I agree with Alpha on this), there's something about this playful graphic that is captivating. Nonetheless, with the exception of one or two border changes, it's just another world map, which right off the bat means it would be hard for me to give it a rating higher than "Great", so I'm going with "Good".
Even though there are a few of what I would consider to be a few flaws on this board (like some of the players' colors are hard to make out when they occupy Britain and Japan - I agree with Alpha on this), there's something about this playful graphic that is captivating. Nonetheless, with the exception of one or two border changes, it's just another world map, which right off the bat means it would be hard for me to give it a rating higher than "Great", so I'm going with "Good".
Fri 31st Dec 12:12
It may play fine, but everything else about this map is uninspired. Pick a state, make a map ..done.
The borders are clear enough, but there's nothing of interest that could have been taken advantage of ..like geographical features that could be used to create choke points or dice mods to delineate the effect of these geo-features. This is a "draw-up/copy political borders and hope it plays well" design.
It may play fine, but everything else about this map is uninspired. Pick a state, make a map ..done.The borders are clear enough, but there's nothing of interest that could have been taken advantage of ..like geographical features that could be used to create choke points or dice mods to delineate the effect of these geo-features. This is a "draw-up/copy political borders and hope it plays well" design.
Thu 23rd Dec 07:22
OK, this is not a complex yet balanced masterpiece that plays well to a number of different strategies depending on a vast array of possible positions, but it's in no way a disaster either. This board is a well executed minimalist design based on a classic catch-phrase.
Reviewers who claim that the first to strike will lose are wrong. Basically, it's a single choke-point board. Winning requires knowledge of how dice odds change based on a the size of both player's stacks. Not taking a "peak" at the bacon can cost you the game because the bonus for holding the bacon is off the charts. Waiting too long will seal your fate. I have won this game on the second turn as the aggressor. For sure, play on this board will not evolve into complicated positions requiring players to pull all of their time tested techniques out of their bag 'o tricks, but it's a very good choke-point primer ..and it's making me hungry.
OK, this is not a complex yet balanced masterpiece that plays well to a number of different strategies depending on a vast array of possible positions, but it's in no way a disaster either. This board is a well executed minimalist design based on a classic catch-phrase. Reviewers who claim that the first to strike will lose are wrong. Basically, it's a single choke-point board. Winning requires knowledge of how dice odds change based on a the size of both player's stacks. Not taking a "peak" at the bacon can cost you the game because the bonus for holding the bacon is off the charts. Waiting too long will seal your fate. I have won this game on the second turn as the aggressor. For sure, play on this board will not evolve into complicated positions requiring players to pull all of their time tested techniques out of their bag 'o tricks, but it's a very good choke-point primer ..and it's making me hungry.
Sun 19th Dec 12:33
But for a few slightly ambiguous borders, this board is solid. The graphics are well executed and gameplay is very even; You can pretty much pull out a win from just about any borough. The airports add a tricky layer of difficulty. The metaphor of a double-edged sword comes to mind. I'm not so much a hordes fan, so I really like this version.
But for a few slightly ambiguous borders, this board is solid. The graphics are well executed and gameplay is very even; You can pretty much pull out a win from just about any borough. The airports add a tricky layer of difficulty. The metaphor of a double-edged sword comes to mind. I'm not so much a hordes fan, so I really like this version.
Sun 19th Dec 12:16
An intriguing theme/design. Good graphics. Reasonably balanced play for a two player game.
For some reason gameplay seems just a bit too prescribed, which leaves me feeling at the mercy of the dice a bit more than usual. Admittedly, this might be sour grapes because I haven't won on this board, but there you have it.
An intriguing theme/design. Good graphics. Reasonably balanced play for a two player game.For some reason gameplay seems just a bit too prescribed, which leaves me feeling at the mercy of the dice a bit more than usual. Admittedly, this might be sour grapes because I haven't won on this board, but there you have it.
Sun 19th Dec 09:37
I've only played it a couple times, but this looks like it's going to be a classic. This is an expansion on the "Steal the Bacon" design - nothing but choke-points, but with sliding scale of dice mods to match the very appropriate map them. Time will tell if the mods are set right, but my guess is that they are close to perfect.
I've only played it a couple times, but this looks like it's going to be a classic. This is an expansion on the "Steal the Bacon" design - nothing but choke-points, but with sliding scale of dice mods to match the very appropriate map them. Time will tell if the mods are set right, but my guess is that they are close to perfect.
Sun 19th Dec 08:38
Disclaimer: I have to admit that there are a number of things about this map that are just not my cup of tea. For instance, tubes full of adjacent choke-points (I don't like Antastic or Crossword puzzle-like boards either), and a theme that that I don't relate to well to (I just never understood the fascination people have with that kooky pixelated Mario image).
All that said, the board is well executed, the colors are crisp, and gameplay looks to be very well-balanced.
Disclaimer: I have to admit that there are a number of things about this map that are just not my cup of tea. For instance, tubes full of adjacent choke-points (I don't like Antastic or Crossword puzzle-like boards either), and a theme that that I don't relate to well to (I just never understood the fascination people have with that kooky pixelated Mario image).All that said, the board is well executed, the colors are crisp, and gameplay looks to be very well-balanced.
Sat 18th Dec 14:09
Mind-bogglingly mind-boggling. Don't play with a hangover.
Mind-bogglingly mind-boggling. Don't play with a hangover.
Sat 18th Dec 13:44
There are parts of the map that look like a straight scan or image from a copyrighted source. I'm rating it "Bad" in the sense that copyright infringement is bad for WarGear. I'll be happy to change my rating if the source is properly acknowledged or is shown to be in the public domain. Just send me a PM.
There are parts of the map that look like a straight scan or image from a copyrighted source. I'm rating it "Bad" in the sense that copyright infringement is bad for WarGear. I'll be happy to change my rating if the source is properly acknowledged or is shown to be in the public domain. Just send me a PM.
Sat 30th Oct 21:26
Big bonuses tied to negative bonuses make this one of those boards where once you have made your mind up to go for the big bonuses, you are committed to defending them. And so it is that I agree in principle with Risky. This is a scary board made by a map-maker with a twisted mind. Graphics are simple but clear. More interesting graphics could easily make this a great (8 star) map.
Big bonuses tied to negative bonuses make this one of those boards where once you have made your mind up to go for the big bonuses, you are committed to defending them. And so it is that I agree in principle with Risky. This is a scary board made by a map-maker with a twisted mind. Graphics are simple but clear. More interesting graphics could easily make this a great (8 star) map.
Sun 11th Jul 07:06
Very nice graphics. Dice modifiers are a nice touch, but nothing about game-play really gets me excited. Maybe it's that there are not enough choke-points, Mordor is really the only continent that gets your attention in that regard on this board.
Very nice graphics. Dice modifiers are a nice touch, but nothing about game-play really gets me excited. Maybe it's that there are not enough choke-points, Mordor is really the only continent that gets your attention in that regard on this board.
Sun 27th Jun 16:35
I have no clue how to rate this board. The map looks beautiful, but the countries are too small, Game play is just down-right weird. What the heck is a Control Center? ..and why are they there? Calling this average or fair would be a misnomer. I can easily see how this game would seem great to some and be a confusing and annoying contrivance for others. My opinion of it falls somewhere in-between, but I refuse to call it average. Hence, no rating.
Across The Great Divide rated Unrated
I have no clue how to rate this board. The map looks beautiful, but the countries are too small, Game play is just down-right weird. What the heck is a Control Center? ..and why are they there? Calling this average or fair would be a misnomer. I can easily see how this game would seem great to some and be a confusing and annoying contrivance for others. My opinion of it falls somewhere in-between, but I refuse to call it average. Hence, no rating.