In the Year of the Dragon

BGA

Provisional rating based on 1 play. The game is simpler than it looks to learn and play. But more complex than it looks to play well! It is also a lot more vicious than it appears.

I love the mechanics in this game and they fit together really well.

The theme also works well - it is really cool to see that all of you face the same challenges/opportunities (effectively playing against the game) but then there are not enough solutions (in a 5 player game) for everyone to get through unscathed.

My favourite game from 2007 and while it may get overlooked a lot these days, it is still easy to recognise a fantastic design when you see one. It's very much a eurogame but at the gamers end of the scale and more interaction than most eurogames. Several strategies to adopt and all plays out in 90 mins. But the game system punishes you and recognising that you are going to take some hits and planning for it is key.

I'm terrible at this game.

I need to re-play it. A bit depressing with all those disasters

My highest rated game based on BGA plays alone. Fascinating decisions, seems to have good depth yet easy to learn and flows really nicely. I don't understand the "too harsh" view on this game that some have - the player who weathers the storms the best might come dead last! The disasters are constraints within which you have to work to get the most VP, and chances are if you're not losing people you're falling behind the 'greedier' players.

Second Feld game I've played, second 9 I've given him - will have to try more of his work...

Only played with 2. Excellent, brutal game but there's no coming back from a big early mistake.

Fine game with clear rules nice length of play.

A great, tense resource management game. I love that there is a high attrition rate no matter how well you manage your actions and workers, so losing them has to fit into your planning. I also like the mechanic for turn order, very different than other games I've played.

Crisis management with a victory point engine humming along.

Seems to scale well, definitely a gamer's game, not sure if fun is a word I would use, but interesting to play. Some variability each game with the order of events for the game, and the order of actions each round. Need to always manage your money, resources, workers, homes, and point collecting.

One complaint is the terrible components- tiny, junk quality cards (!!!), and surprisingly flimsy action tiles. A bit surprising after the solid components in Notre Dame (by the same designer, company). It's also worth noting that while Notre Dame is definitely a different game, there is a slightly similar flavor here, although in Notre Dame it's more "fun" to be constantly staving off disaster.

Own the [boardgame=165348]Great Wall & Events[/boardgame] mini-expansion from the [boardgame=40688]Treasure Chest[/boardgame].