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Welcome to Which Game First where we boldly explore the hilariously huge world of board games. Did we unearth any hidden treasures you’ve been missing out on? Let’s find out!
First up: We we plant flowers for the king, or become mulch ourselves in Gardeners
Next: We hurl devastating weapons and deadly insults as the walls come tumbling down in Crossbows & Catapults: Fortress War
And lastly: We turn to the stars to find the right cards in The Lunar Dial
Gardeners
Designed by: Kasper Lapp
Published by: Sit Down! (2023)
Players: 1 – 4
Ages: 10 & up
Playing time: 15 minutes
Gardeners is a simultaneous cooperative game played silently and in real time.
In less than 15 minutes, players must succeed in arranging as many gardens as possible, always composed of the same 36 tiles, but responding to different rules from one round to another.
Everyone must deduce the rules in force by observing where the tiles are placed and from where some are removed.
A game of Gardeners is made up of an indefinite number of rounds. Each is broken down into 5 phases, as follows:
- Draw a Constraint card
- Start the sandtimer
- Arrange the garden
- Check the garden
- Prepare for the next round
During the game, players cannot communicate in any way about what to do or not to do to make the garden. Sounds easy right? We shall see!
Will you satisfy the King’s whimsical desires? Or will your head end up on display somewhere to motivate the new gardeners?
Crossbows & Catapults: Fortress War
Designed by: Stephen Baker, Noah Cohen, Rob Daviau, Justin D. Jacobson, Brian Neff
Published by: Restoration Games (2024)
Players: 2
Ages: 10 & up
Playing time: 20 – 30 minutes
Crossbows & Catapults: Fortress War is a restoration of Crossbows and Catapults, the 1983 classic game of kinetic warfare. Each player builds their castle, then players take turns using their weapons to fire discs at their opponent’s castle, trying to knock over their warrior figures.
Setup by building a fortress made of wall components at least 2 rows high, and place your dwarves or orcs warriors to the sides of the fortress or behind its mighty walls. The playing field is divided in half, with flag markers representing boundaries.
On your turn, play one of your cards from your hand. These cards do things like introduce more troops on your side, or give you extra attacks or special moves. Then take two standard actions, such as moving one of your troops, or firing one of your weapons.
Your choices of weapon are – crossbow or catapult. You physically fire the weapon at your opponents troops or at their fortress. Any pieces of the fortress that get knocked down are removed from the battlefield. Any troops knocked over must also be taken off the field.
The winner is the player (or team) who has the last warrior standing.
The Lunar Dial
Designed by: Keith Baker, Jennifer Ellis
Published by: Goliath Games (2023)
Players: 2 – 4
Ages: 14 & up
Playing time: 20 – 40 minutes
The Lunar Dial is an abstract strategy game. Players are dealt a hand of cards from a 52 card deck. On the main table is the zodiac board, and on that board is a big circle where 12 cards from the deck are placed face up. A triangle in the center of the board divides the circle into 3 sections, and there are 4 face up cards per section.
In turn, a player will play one card from their hand to either collect other cards from the board or, if they can’t collect other cards, they must throw down a card into an unoccupied space on the board. To collect cards from the board, have the matching number value of the card from one of the three sections.
For example, I have a 12 in my hand that I want to play. One of the sections of the board has four face up cards, 3 – 6 – 9 – 12. I can use my 12 in my hand to pick the other face up 12. Or can use my 12 in my hand to pick up the 9 and the 3. When I collect a card or cards, place them face up in front of me. If for some reason a card in my hand does not equal any cards in any of the 3 sections, I must then throw a card from my hand onto a section of my choice and then draw a card.
Be careful: the triangle in the center of the board has rules, which prevents a player from taking cards from that area if the card from their hand does not match the suit rules for that particular area of the board. For example, a side of the triangle might read (no half moons) so if the card I’m trying to use from my hand is a half moon suit, I can’t take any cards from that particular part of the board.
When a player collects 13 face up cards in front of them, reveal one of the 4 zodiac cards, which will incur some kind of bonus or special power or rule for the rest of the game. Along the way, players collect moonstones for various accomplishments, such as revealing zodiac cards, or having the most wild cards at the end of the game, or just obtaining particular cards from the deck.
The player with the most moonstones in their possession wins the game.