Flamingos, Felines, and Fifty Days

Day 50 - Zooloretto
Designed by Michael Schacht

Tonight is Day 50 of my A Game A Day (AGAD) project! Wow, I can't believe I have played a different game each day for 50 days straight. I owe a giant SHOUT OUT to The Wife for sticking with me in this endeavor. She deserves a great big prize at the end of this thing, that's for sure. I told her tonight that there is an end in sight to this project since I am running out of games to play. I still have a few games up my sleeve, but those will run out quickly. Don't worry fans, I have not played all of the best games leaving you with a lackluster finish. Games that you can look forward to include Power Grid, Forbidden Island, Limits, Go, Citadels, Killer Bunnies, Kill Doctor Lucky, and Dominion. So, I think we are going to be able to make it to 60, but we will see how much longer I can last after that. Once I run out of games to play, I will continue to review games and add them to the list as they become available. I think that it is fitting that on Day 50 The Wife and I share our second tie of the series. Thank you everyone for your support and now onward to tonight's game review.

For fans of Michael Schacht's Coloretto, this is a no brainer. Zooloretto uses the same concept from Coloretto to acquire animals for your zoo. In your zoo, you have multiple areas where you can show off your animals, but keep in mind that you still only have limited room to keep the animals. If you find yourself with too many animals of one kind, or you see yourself with a little flamingo with no where to go, these animals stay in your barn (where for each kind of animal in the barn, you get -2 points). The game has vendor stalls to help you get points at the end of the game where you may not be able to otherwise, and they give you a +2 points for each different type in your zoo. Some animals are in the mood for love and will supply you with a little baby if you are ready for one or not! Zooloretto mixes the best elements from Coloretto and presents the same concept in a fun theme for all ages. Zooloretto is made for 2 to 5 players and takes about 40 minutes to play. There are a lot of expansions for Zooloretto as well as a stand alone/expansion called Aquaretto (look for the game with the dolphin on the front). You can't go wrong with any of these games from Michael Schacht and that is just How Lou Sees It.

The Royal Miserables

Day 32 - Royal Palace
Designed by Xavier Georges

To establish oneself in a point of influence in a royal palace can get very complicated and it makes for a great game. While playing this game, I thought about all of the movies that have a royal palace or court atmosphere and the movie The Three Musketeers especially (there is a Cardinal in this game as well). A great game for a French themed evening in fact. Would be nice for a French Club activity. Anyway, this game is for 2 to 4 players and takes a little over an hour to play. The game pieces are of a very nice quality and the rules are very well written. The object of the game is simple enough - have the most victory points at the end of the game. To accomplish that object is made difficult by how many things you need to keep track of and the numerous things you are trying to do. For a beginner gamer this game is just too much. The first time you play this game (like a lot of other games) you definitely are spending a bit of time trying to figure out the best way to play. The game relies heavily on the placement of your servants which determines the amount of other servants you can place, how many spaces you can move, how many nobles you can obtain, and how many cards you can get. The game is great and I really enjoyed it, but if your looking for a relaxing Sunday afternoon game, you may want to go with something else a little bit less busy and that is How Lou Sees It.

Les Miserables

While the Royal Palace is hopping with servants, out on the streets of France the peasants are revolting. Lou and I are VERY excited for the upcoming Les Miserables film scheduled to premiere on Friday, December 14 of this year. The musical, based on the moving book by Victor Hugo, is awe-inspiring, and this movie is bound to be a tremendous event you won't want to miss. Enjoy the first official trailer.

Cheers!

The Wife

Coloretto

Day 8 - Coloretto
Designed by Michael Schacht
Guest Reviewer: The Wife

While Lou is off buying me delicious fro-yo as my consolation prize, I thought I'd take this opportunity to try my hand at the game reviewing business. Coloretto is one of my favorite quick card games that we own. It is meant for 2-5 players, ages 8 and up, and takes about 20 minutes to play. Tonight we played the two player version; however, it is equally as delightful with more players. Game play goes as follows: each player starts with one of the six colors (different from other players) lying in front of you, the objective is to score the most points by collecting the most of three colors (or there is a version of game play where the optimum number of cards in one color is 3 and more than that is worth fewer points). Any other colors collected will be subtracted from your score. A typical turn consists of drawing a card and adding it to one of the three reserve piles, when playing with two players. One reserve pile holds one card, the next holds two, and the final pile holds three cards though it isn't required for the pile to reach its limit before taking it. (When playing with more than 2 players the number of reserve piles equals the number of players and each pile can hold up to three cards) If you want the cards in one of the reserve piles for your own then you forfeit the opportunity to draw a card and simply take the pile from the center. This ends your game play in that round. The person who took a reserve pile last starts the next round. (When I say pile, I mean cards that are laid out and you can clearly see each one, perhaps pile isn't the best word...) Anyway, the game ends after there are 15 cards left in the deck and then every one proceeds to finish out taking a reserve pile in the center. We usually play best of 3 games or to a pre-determined point value.

(Note: Things get tricky when other people are collecting the same colors as you or decide they can afford one minus point if it means you obtain more... it depends on how vindictive your opponents are.)

All and all, this is a happy game where you collect chameleons. Play the game in the airport while you are waiting for a plane and need a quick distraction or have a continuous tournament going for the rest of your lives, Coloretto is the game for any time frame and many ages. And that is How The Wife Sees It.