November 2023

Welcome board game fans!  This month we bring you a guide to choosing a board game to give as a present.  We review two games (one old, one new) from our recently played list: Ark Nova and Planet Unknown.   Lastly we bring you news of our upcoming Black Friday event and provide our newsletter and blog readers with an early-bird black Friday discount code you can use throughout the month!  

Finding the perfect board game to give as a gift

With two paydays left before Christmas, we thought we would bring you some ideas on how to choose that perfect board game gift.  Of course, “perfect” in this context means best suited to your gaming group / friends / family’s interests so there’s no substitute for doing your homework to find out their  likes, dislikes and gaming habits.  

So, what are some factors to consider when buying for your friends?

1.Interests and Hobbies:  Do they enjoy strategy games, solving puzzles, word play and storytelling, or perhaps a dexterity based game involving flicking, stacking or quick reflexes? Are they into sport, fantasy, history, or science fiction? These days there’s a game for every theme you care to imagine.

2.Experience & Exposure to modern board games:  Are they new to board games or are they experienced gamers? Some games have simple rules while others will require some time investment to learn.   Modern board games also offer a variety of different mechanics and play styles to enjoy (e.g. deck-building, worker placement, tile-laying, card drafting, resource management, or a combination of mechanics).

3.Gaming context and number of players:  Consider where and how many people your friend usually plays games with. Some games are really great for solo play, some work best in a small groups, while others are great for larger gatherings or parties.

4.Game duration:  This can range from a quick 30 minute to multiple hours or even days in the case of “Campaign Games” that are specifically designed to be played over several gaming sessions.  

5.Replayability:  A good board game is often one that can be played multiple times without becoming stale, so look for games that offer variable strategy, customisable set-up and have different possible ways of winning. (Note:  An exception to this are some “legacy” or “escape room” style games which are excellent and designed to be played once only)

Finally a word on factors such as the age of the game, the artwork,  overall theme / story, as well as community reviews.  These can contribute to overall enjoyment but we advise caution not to let these factors prejudice your selection.  Reviews are always subjective and many of the old games are excellent to play while some of the latest releases don’t always measure up.  Also,  some great game experiences have rather boring art work (Castles of Burgandy, Ethnos, Concordia) or only the most tenuous link to a theme (Splendor, Century Spice Road, Dominion) and some excellent games have a theme that may not initially draw you in (“herding cattle” in Great Western Trail or “bird-watching” in WingSpan or building a power grid” in Power Grid). So generally it is best to keep an open mind when it comes to age, artwork colour and theme.

My Board Game Library offers a free personal shopper service.   Just email us your boardgame likes, dislikes and budget and we’ll get back to you with a list of recommended available board games we think meet your criteria together with pricing, links to more information and how-to-play videos to help you decide.

Selling out fast :  2023 Exit Advent Calendars

We still have a few copies of this year’s Advent Calendar so place your orders to avoid disappointment.  We’re hoping to get more stock in but our suppliers tell us they are selling faster than expected so don't miss out,  order your copy today.

Now in its third instalment,  the Exit Advent Calendars are great fun for the festive season, mixing escape-room style puzzle solving with an exciting adventure story.  

This year’s calendar “The Silent Storm” has you, as one of Santa’s toy makers, suddenly find yourself locked in the workshop during a storm…can you escape and find Santa in time to save Christmas (again!) ?

In addition to The Silent Storm,  prior editions of the Exit: Advent Calendars (The Mystery of the Ice Cave and The Hunt for the Golden Book) can also be purchased on backorder.

Exit The Game Advent Calendar :  The Silent Storm is available to purchase from our online shop.

Ark Nova

Mathias Wigge

1-4 Players

90-120 minutes

Ark Nova is a fairly heavy-weight strategy game which sees players competing to plan and build the most successful modern, scientifically managed zoo.  Points are scored in two ways:  firstly by making your zoo attractive to visitors and secondly for supporting a variety of conservation projects and activities during the game and players have to strategically invest in increasing both scientific reputation and the popular appeal of their zoo.

The game does take some time to learn (and even more to master) but this initial hurdle is well worth it as the game offers a rich game play experience with high degree of replayablitly as the more you play the game the better you understand it and appreciate the layers to the strategy which will let you come up with new and interesting strategies to apply in the next game.

Ark Nova also uses an original action selection system where player actions are determined by five action cards but the strength of each action is determined by the slot the card occupies in the actions track,  with cards becoming more powerful the longer you wait to use them and resetting once you take the action.  Players must therefore balance using an action for a quick instant benefit or delaying for perhaps a bigger payoff later on in the game.

Easily one of the best games to come out in the last three years Ark Nova hits the sweet spot of strategy,  variety and fun in a game that does take a couple of hours to play but will have you wanting to go again next time!

(Ark Nova is available to buy from our online shop or rent from our rental library.)

Planet Unknown

Ryan Lambert, Adam Rehberg

1-6 Players

60 minutes

In Planet Unknown players compete to each terraform a different planet to make it ready for colonization.  This is achieved by placing polyomino tiles onto their planet board with each tile making two resources available and advancing the player up the corresponding resources tech-tree.     As players lay down more resources they unlock bonus actions, combo-effect or additional tiles to help them build their planet but can also trigger meteors which prevent scoring unless cleared.

The active player can choose a tile from any pair of tiles using a revolving tray, the other players forced to chose one of two tiles available to them that round.  So until it is your turn you have to make the most of the choices you are presented with.   Play proceeds until a player can no longer place any available tile on his planet then scores are tallied based on the progress each player has made.

Planet unknown  is one of the best polyomino based games (fans of Patchwork, My City and Isle of Cats will feel right at home here!) and is great fun to play. The game is easy to teach and learn and relatively quick to play as turns are simultaneous. It also scores high on replayability as players can choose different planet boards and corporation tracks which reward different styles of play or can add in the optional event cards for an extra challenge.

(Planet Unknown  is currently available to rent from our rental library.)