Augustus

Review: Augustus

We like to think of SU&SD as one big family. Sadly, according to GOV.UK that’s wrong, and a family needs at least 2 children, 1 drinking problem and (at least) 1 farting dog.

But that wasn’t going to stop us from reviewing the year’s hottest new family board game! Augustus is a simulation of dispatching Roman legions to different corners of the earth that recently got nominated for a very prestigious German award. Also, Quinns is back with another hot Netrunner tip. Have you heard of Netrunner? It’s really good. You should play it.

Paul: Yes, yes, we have a seventh podcast for you, for all of you, even you there, at the back. Please form an orderly queue here and pick up your free copy. In this podcast we bounce from topic to topic like kangaroos on trampolines in an earthquake, touching on the glorious Galaxy Trucker, the … Read more

In Augustus, you will vie with your fellow players to complete “objective” cards for special powers and ultimately for victory points. Each card has 2-6 symbols which you must populate with legionnaire meeples in order to complete the card. These symbols are drawn one at a time from a bag, with all player gaining the benefit equally, but interestingly, there are more of some symbols than others.

So the pivotal skill you’ll deploy is in making your choice of which three objectives you’ll start the game with (you’re dealt six) — balancing potential difficulty of completion against value of the reward — and then which of five available objectives you’ll add to your plate each time you complete one of your three. The game ends when someone completes seven. So there’s real strategy but the game is still ruled by luck of the draw.

Beautifully illustrated, about 30 minutes to play, and already a favorite for many families, Augustus is one of the nominees for the 2013 Spiele des Jahres.

Quinns: Where would we be without Board Game Geek News? Ah, such dark questions aren’t fit for such a sunny morning. Much better to locate the nearest croissant and insert it, slowly, into your mouth while enjoying SU&SD’s weekly news roundup.

The BIG news this week is that the 2013 nominees for the German Spiel des Jahres prize have been announced. This is hot business, as the winner will go on to sell some 300,000 to 500,000 copies. Absorb that figure. Now, here’s another one- many of the board games we look at will never break five figures.

These nominees are… well, I mean, you’ve probably noticed they’re sat at the top of the post. Spoiler!

Review: Augustus

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