This week Michael discovers a game that puts the recent Spiel des Jahres to shame.
Date: Thursday, July 02, 2009
Author: Michael Barnes
As far as I am aware, the game is currently only available through the Driftwood Games website. It is kind of a shame that a game this good is flying dangerously under the radar- it’s as good as anything put out this year by the majors and although I’d love to see the game with the big-budget Fantasy Flight style treatment, I actually find the independent, do-it-yourself vibe of laserjet-printed rules and Saran-wrapped card decks refreshing and heartfelt. Don’t be put off by the homemade production values or the fact that some gamers will inevitably cite that the game is somehow not as “deep” or “sophisticated” as DOMINION. For all of its scrappy charm and looser gameplay, ARCTIC SCAVENGERS is definitely the better title as a whole, and of the two games it is the one that I’m going to be keeping in my collection and playing regularly regardless of the higher profile game’s widespread accolades and promises of practically endless expansions.
Volume One of this series of books does a grand job of introducing gaming to the masses, but offers a lot of familar information for gamers already in the know.
