boardgaming in photos: #25 in the world?

I have been wanting to bring Faiyum to the table again for some time. Finally I did a 2-player game with younger daughter Chen Rui. She absolutely slaughtered me, even though it was her first play. She went into building and using workshops, and I didn't. There seemed to be few workshops so I thought it wasn't worthwhile to get into. I really enjoy how differently each game of Faiyum can develop. It depends a lot of which are the cards purchased by players, and how they collectively build on the map. 

Chen Rui likes the crocodiles in the game and can't help but play with the components. This above looks like some dark magic ritual, or maybe a zoo. 

She played crocodile stacking on the side

This is a more normal shot of the game

I have not started using the expansion yet. Even the base game offers much variability. 

I taught Shee Yun and Chen Rui Take Time. It is still very enjoyable, and sometimes still pretty tough to beat. We played Levels 1 and 2, and then skipped to try some missions in Level 5, and then Level 10. 

At Level 5, every segment must have exactly two cards. That is certainly restrictive and challenging. It is important to discuss a general strategy before every game. Once you start playing, you can't discuss strategy or cards anymore. 

It is nice that the game comes with card sleeves, and very pretty ones. I think these are promo items. I use them, but they don't seem to be very sturdy. They are already showing signs of wear and tear. If this gets worse and cards become marked, I will have to remove the sleeves and just switch to regular transparent sleeves. Well, I probably shouldn't be complaining about a free gift. The publisher spent money to give buyers something extra. 

I played Attika with Chen Rui again. We used to play this game a lot. I wondered why this 2003 title has not been reprinted, only to find out that it has actually been reprinted in 2018 as U.S. Telegraph. I like the original art much more. 

This is Guru Guru Labyrinth from Japan. You are dungeon explorers. You will go on three expeditions. Each trip you try to bring back treasures. You can do that only when you are able to defeat all monsters along the way. 

A round of play is set up like this. You create many stacks of just two cards. Cards can be good or bad. There are treasures which are worth points. There are monsters which will try to hurt you. There are also heroes who will fight the monsters. On your turn, you examine a stack of cards, and decide whether you want to take it. If the heroes in the stack are able to defeat all the monsters in the stack, you will score points based on the treasures and defeated monsters. If you can't overpower the monsters, you will leave empty handed. So normally you'd only take a stack if it is worth points. If you don't claim the stack, you don't place it back into the circle. Instead you distribute the cards to the subsequent stacks, like playing Mancala / Congkak, one card each. The cards must be distributed in ascending order, and the last card being distributed is turned face-up. The number of stacks in play will dwindle. The stacks combine to form larger stacks. You want to find and claim a high valued stack before time runs out. When there are too few stacks left, you will be forced to claim a stack. 

Blue cards are heroes, red cards monsters, yellow cards treasures. 

As a round progresses, you will get more and more information about the stacks in the game. There is a reference sheet listing the cards and their numbers. When cards are distributed, it must be done in ascending order. Based on the last card which is revealed, you have some idea what the other cards that have been distributed might be. There is a memory element in the game. 

This is a stack that will give points. There are five swords, which is enough to defeat that monster of five skulls. The monster is worth 10 points, and the gold coins 2 points. 

That large white marker is for marking where you have taken a stack from. If you decide to decline, it reminds you from where you should start distributing cards. 

I found the game so so. I think it's because I don't like memory games. There is some push-your-luck in this game. The longer you stay, the bigger the stacks become. But will you be able to find a lucrative stack before time runs out? Or will you end up stuck with no good stack? 

Mythic Battles: Ragnarok is a 2-player tactical battle game. You have a team of various Norse gods, mythical creatures and fighters. You win by defeating the boss of the enemy team, or by having your boss grab and consume four runes. 

Playing on BGA is much less sexy than playing the physical copy. The physical game has many pretty miniatures. 

Characters in the game have different stats and special abilities. As a character takes damage, their ability weakens. You slide that marker piece downwards to indicate damage taken. Characters are activated through card play. You need to have the right cards to activate a character. Some cards are not character specific and can be used in many ways. You need to use them wisely. 

This is a minor fighter

There are many characters in the game, and you can form many different types of teams. All characters are unique, and finding synergy between those you recruit to your team is important. In the game I played, I decided to focus on absorbing runes. I thought I did pretty well, but I was careless and my boss (the god) got himself surrounded and killed. Oops. 

I found out that that my blog on BGG is ranked #25 among all BGG blogs worldwide, according to this blog post: https://bgg.cc/blog/1412/blogpost/190594/bgg-blogs-circulation-2026. I have been blogging on boardgames since 2007, but always on Blogspot. I created a blog on BGG many years ago, but I did not use it. My blog serial number is 27. I started using my BGG blog only in Jan 2025. I post the same content from my Blogspot blog there. I decided to do this because I wanted to reach out to a wider audience. I think Blogspot is pretty obscure by now. I should go where the readers are. 

This blog ranking is calculated based on number of posts multiplied by number of subscribers. I am pretty sure I am ranked high mostly because of my number of posts. Indeed I have been writing a lot for the past year. Well, let's see if this analysis post helps to bring some attention to my blog, and I get a boost in readership. If you enjoy what I share on BGG and have not subscribed, please support me by subscribing.