The Games Cabinet

Fzzzt
Number of Players 3-4
Best with 4
Rating 7.32
Me 8
45 mins

One of the best card games for quite some time, that's Fzzzt to you. It's a game of acquiring robots capable of producing widgets in a 3 stage process: Bidding, assembling and scoring. The auction is fiendishly clever with bids being hard to judge. After each auction, any Robots acquired may be placed on Production units that carry the same symbols - set collection, if you like. It worked well with three players and I suspect it will be even better with the maximum of four.

Small World
Players 3-5
Best with 4
Rating 7.87 (33)
Me 8.5

The French game Vinci has long been well regarded, even before it went out-of-print. Well, it's back with a beautiful new production and cast. It now goes under the name of Small World and is even better than its predecessor.
The armies hitherto were fairly anonymous, but now step forward the Wealthy Ghouls, the Merchant Skeletons and so on. Each tribe is randomly donated a special power allowing it to circumvent normal rules. It's basically a game of territorial conquest but the twist comes in knowing when to let your tribe go into 'decline', a process allowing you to bring a new tribe into play. In its previous incarnation the game was a little dry but the new fantasy element brings a lot of humour into the game with sacrificing strategy.


Modern Art
Number of Players 4-5
Best With 4
Playing time 1 hour
BGG 7.54 (54)
Me 8
1 hour

Reiner Knizia is not one of my favourite designers, his game being too tactical rather than strategic for me. But, as ever, there are are exceptions. Modern Art is an exceptionally clever and beautifully produced auction game, one of a trilogy that comprises Ra and Medici. It's easy to learn but not that easy to get your head around, like many of Knizia's games.

Shogun
Number of players 2-5
Best with 5
Rating and Ranking 7.87 (20)
Me 8.5
3 hours

Shogun is a top class game which bridges the gap between American simulation wargames and the more simpler eurogames. Plenty to think about and lots of unfriendly interaction with your opponents. It's a re-themed and rather sexier version of Wallentstein, which was a critical rather commercial success. Crucially, the innovative dice tower remains.

Wyatt Earp
Number of players 3-4
Best with 4
Rating and Ranking 6.76 (284)
Me 9
45 mins


Wyatt Earp also reacquainted itself with the cabinet. Despite the modest rating on BGG this has always been one of my favourite card games. Much of this is due to the beautiful artwork by Franz Vohwinkel - Germany's best known game artist. The games was designed by two Americans as part of a Mystery Rummy series, though it was first published in Germany by Alea.



Ratings and Rankings 6.96 (271)
Me 8
Boardgame Geek 6.96 (271)


When it comes to mixing strategy and fun, French person Bruno Faidutti has always been one of my favourite designers. Boomtown is a good example of his style but my favourite has to be Citadels. It's unusual in that much of the play is character rather than player driven, so when you steal, assassinate, etc, the target always the character not the controlling player. Bluff, luck and strategy are all present in the mix.

The cards are printed on high quality, linen stock and the artwork emphasises how important this aspect of a game is. Citadels would not be the same without it.

Citadels
Number of players 3-7
Best with 5/6

Ratings and Rankings
Me 9
Boardgame Geek 7.34 (90)

In the 1960s 3M were not mere purveyors of paper clips and the like. They were also publishing games, and great games at that. One of these was Mr President, one of the few titles that has always been in a my game collection. It's a two-player simulation of American electoral politics as two players (President and the Contender) battle it out on the stump. One of the unique aspects of the game is that the game box doubles as the ballot box (see pic). It usually goes cheap on eBay. Get an extra copy, merge the cards and it turns into a good four-player game as the vice-presidents turn up.

Mr President
Number of players 2 or 4
Best with 2
Playing time 90 mins

Ratings and Rankings
Me 8
Boardgame Geek 6.37 (1914)


Another great game from 3M was Win Place & Show. Like Mr President this was published by Avalon Hill after £M decided they'd be better off making sellotape.

As a simulation of horse racing there isn't any better. The level of detail is terrific, even down to the race programs that come with the game. The level of affection for it was such that fans started making giant courses to play at conventions, and replacing the plastic nags that are included with the game with cast iron, painted figurines (see pic).

Win Place & Show
Number of players 3-6
Best with 6
Playing time 2 hours

Ratings and Rankings
Me 9
Boardgame Geek 6.37 (1914)

Games have cult followings just like movies. Um Reifenbreite is a good example. This is another game that inspired such love, it's fans replaced the cardboards bikes with some metal jobbies (see pic). The game is a remake of Homas Tour, which was developed and produced by a Dutch company in 1978. Sadly, their warehouse burned down and only a few copies survived. The artwork in this was far superior to the version published by Jumbo, which has garish colours and cartoon clearly aimed at the family market. The game abides, though, and Pro rules for the game together with new tracks can be downloaded from the web. It can be played as a sim, or as a fun game or, most likely, both.


Um Reifenbreite
Number of players 2-4
Best with 4
Playing time 90 mins

Ratings and Rankings
Me 8
Boardgame Geek 6.37 (1914)

Titles don't come much more evocative than Maharaja: Palace Building in India, and both game artwork live up to the premise.. Players have to race around Rajasthan paying tributes through various edifices. Route planning, cash management play major roles in this game that is almost bereft as luck. This is another game designed by Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling. Wolfgang has hundreds of titles to his name but I don't think he has been involved in a better one than this.

Maharaja: Palace Bulding in India
Number of players 3-5
Best with 5

Ratings and Rankings
Me 9
BGG 7.44 (95)

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