New Amsterdam

EvEvanstar4,6

This is a very tough game. Players bid at the start of each round for not only turn order, but the actions they are allowed to resolve. The bid is really interesting in that you can spend even resources on the bid, which means you could easily get the actions you need but find you've overspent and then you might not be able to resolve those actions properly. I'm not sure how getting a big early corn production isn't the best move all the time, as it not only fuels your other goals, but since you can bid with it, you can win whichever auctions you want. Of course if several players realize that, then they'll bid more aggressively for it and turn order so maybe that self balances? The game is unique in that I can't easily describe it to someone using the generic terms we have for mechanisms. This to me is a really good thing. The problem with the game is that it feels very feast or famine. Either you have more than you can use of something, or you don't have any. It's extremely punishing for players who make mistakes, and at the end, win or lose, you don't really get the satisfying feeling of having built or accomplished something. It feels close to greatness, but it's just lacking some crucial magic. ★ Art, Iconography and components functional ★ Clever or interesting mechanisms ★ Reasonably low downtime between turns with mildly AP players ★ Multiple plays stay interesting ★ Low or mitigatable luck elements ★★☆☆☆ Raw enjoyment

Supstar8,3

Sleeved