Underground Gamers Board Game Reviews

Key Largo is a game about diving in the sea, hmm doesn’t sound that great dose it?  Well add in shipwrecks, drinking, thievery, hurricanes and some rather weird looking divers (I always name mine Muff) and things sure get more fun.
The year is 1899 and your working on a Caribbean island. You could spend your summer taking tourists to watch the dolphins everyday, its risk free and you will earn a little cash. The trouble is there is always a hurricane at the end off the season so if you want to make some real money your going to have to hire a diver or two and get wet! Again you could just search the shallows, not much chance of being eaten by a sea monster but not much treasure either so why not tool up with a fork n’ hose (don’t say that to fast)  and go explore the deep?

The game is played over 10 days so you get 2 weekends to make a little more money if you want to go dolphin watching which will get you some useful cards to mess up other people’s strategy. Each day you choose what you will do in the morning and afternoon then everyone reveals at the same time. You could go to the tavern where you can hire a diver or a thief, you could even buy a round of drinks to find out what wrecks are best to search. There is a shop where you can buy your deep sea diving equipment and a market to sell your treasures. Sometimes you need others in the market with you to increase your cash but generally the less people that are in the same location as you the better as prices generally rise if there is more demand. The main point of the game is to search the wrecks there are shallow, medium and deep sea’s to search with more treasure but more monsters the deeper you go. Protecting yourself with a trident is the best way to search the deep but if you don’t have the time or money to buy one then take a chance you can always hire another diver at the tavern!
The game is fast and simple to pick up with great art work (although the monsters could be varied)  and plays well with 3-5 players. It normally will take under an hour to play and is a much better game if you play the added rules which give you more chance to mess with the other players.

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Mystery at the Abbey is a bit like Marmite some gamers will love it others will hate it, I myself have always loved the black sticky stuff and in the same way as eating hot crumpets on a Sunday evening covered in marmite this game goes down a treat.

Each player plays a medieval monk investigating a brutal murder at the Templers Abbey and one of the Monks is guilty, this is determined by shuffling the suspect cards and taking one at random without any players looking at it and placing it under the game board, then all starting players start with a small hand of suspect cards all with different character traits such as hooded or non hooded, clean shaven or bearded, fat or thin, and his title/order.

Each player then takes a turn and moves his Monk Pawn one or two spaces within the abbey looking for clues and asking other players questions before all Monks are called for Mass. By asking questions the players can start to eliminate the other suspects until they are convinced they know who the murderer is i.e. that card under the board, a player may ask a question such how many hooded fat monks have you crossed of your list, the other player may answer and in return can ask a question back or he can take a vow of silence. Also players can go to various parts of the board like the Parlor and pick up a free suspect card or go to the Scriptorium or Library and take a special book card which may aid them in their search or contain forbidden knowledge.

When the Monks are called for Mass all players return back to the starting Chapel, then depending on what Mass is on, suspect cards are passed between players to help them cross of their list of suspects and a special event takes place which may help or hinder the players.

Once you have narrowed down your list of dodgy Monks you may go to the Chapter Hall and make either a Revelation stating a fact about the murderer you think is true i.e. the murderer was a Hooded Franciscan, this is noted down for later and if correct may score you points at the end of the game. You may also make an Accusation revealing who you think the guilty Monk is, but beware, get this wrong and you will suffer Penance, lose points later and miss a turn, but if right ends the game and scores you points. Once the guilty Monk is revealed scores are totalled and players score positive points for every correct Revelation or Accusation and negative points for every wrong one, the Winning player will have highest score.

This is another great game from Days of Wonders, they have really nailed the whole Catholic Medieval theme, with the various rooms and chambers on the board marked down in Latin and you even have a little bell to ring when the Mass is called. You may think this game sounds a little dull, but believe me when you have narrowed down your list of suspects and are rushing against the other players to get to the Chapter Hall and make an Accusation it really gets you going, also it can be pretty funny asking each other how many fat bearded Monks you have in your hand!.

This game is great fun but like I said at the beginning may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but with the right group of players it will nicely kill an hour or two, also quite good for novice gamers who have tired of Cludo.

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Incan Gold is a simple fast paced game in which you gamble on the time you spend in an Incan temple. With the flip of a card you could face mummies, giant spiders or even become rich beyond your wildest dreams.

The game can be played by up to eight players which can make it great fun and useful if your in a group or club. It’s a fast game to play normally no more than 30 mins.

There are 5 rounds to the game and you must decide if you should risk each rounds collected treasure to stay in the temple and collect more. The less people stay in the temple the bigger the share of gems you receive but sometimes if you’re the only one to leave you can pick up special artifacts as well as any treasure others have left behind.

I love this game as it is simple enough for everyone to enjoy instantly and can be played by most age groups, I’ve played it with my niece and nephew as well as other club members and everyone thinks it’s a great game, even my wife enjoyed it!