Automania

New game to me seems very under rated

1 play / 3 players

LIKE: Although a lighter game, does manage to keep some crunchy thinking in the later rounds. Smooth play. Seemingly good balance in the tiles. I liked the asymmetric boards. I also liked the ladder-placing in the different boats for choices at the end of the round.

DISLIKE: Potential kingmaking in last round for most money. I think this has low replayability since the random elements are low and not a lot to explore in the game. Not sure about scaling, 4 players would make the game tighter (which I prefer).

OVERALL: A light game with some competitive edge to it. I enjoyed it, it is a good family game, but may be too light for me to return to it often. Not quite enough tension for me.

TRADED

Game is pretty bland but has interesting mechanics.

I3

Very nice and streamlined workers placement game.

1st play: This game is the poster-child for exceeding expectations. Looking at the art initially, and not recognizing the publisher, I came into this with no expectations. Automobiles was not my cup of tea and Kanban looked needlessly heavy so I was prepared to not enjoy this one either. What a pleasant game instead - the selling mechanic is fun, the car paths allow for flexibility and crunchy optimizations, and the changing priorities in the markets mean that you have to balance current turn goals with future turn goals, and knowing when to move on to the new trend. Pimping out your cars and getting specialists to work for you are all good ideas too. While the art didn't give me any expectations, it was very pleasant, upbeat, and refreshing. Even though someone in my game group owns this, if it plays well at 4 as it does with 2 I might just have to pick it up.

2nd play: Enjoyed it the second time. It played similar to the first time with some increased tightness due to 3p. I'm looking forward to trying it with 4 as I imagine it gets even tighter. It was harder to build the perfect car, but also more satisfying when you pull off a 16 point sale. The art and design is still a big plus for me.

Dezember 2016