tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6932441.post8749583732824154573..comments2023-06-13T06:15:10.688-04:00Comments on WAGS Chronicles II : The WAGSENING: The "War and Peace" of Eurogames (Die Macher) 8098Shemp Duchamphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12143427949411525615noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6932441.post-14945808008938516582007-07-25T11:53:00.000-04:002007-07-25T11:53:00.000-04:00A very intricate and elegant game which manages to...A very intricate and elegant game which manages to be challenging, thematic and well-balanced at the same time.<BR/><BR/>But... I wouldn't buy it.<BR/><BR/>I think I need two or three more play throughs (I've played a 5 round and a 7 round game thus far) before I can put my finger on it, but something rubs me the wrong way about the game, and it isn't just Valley Games' lackluster production design.<BR/><BR/>It's difficult - like trying to explain that you don't like something pretty classic, like the <I>Godfather</I> or Shakespeare or... I dunno... Chess.<BR/><BR/>I was about to write about how I couldn't exactly explain my dislike for the game, but when I wrote "chess" above, I realized that's another classic game that I dislike, not because of its design, which is pretty much perfect, but because of the type of gameplay it requires: deep, strategic, long-term planning.<BR/><BR/>I am, I think, a pretty decent tactician... above average in some respects. I think that's why I tend to do well in games that the group is being introduced to for the first time - I can quickly spot tactics and use them effectively.<BR/><BR/>Where I fall down (and why I have never recovered my early dominance in El Grande) is my strategic thinking. I'm just not very good at strategy.<BR/><BR/>That said, I need to get better at strategy, so games like Die Macher are ideal for that. I figure it's like sit-ups for the gaming brain - things I dislike doing but good for me nonetheless.<BR/><BR/>Die Macher is well tuned and there's nothing in the design I can immediately point to in order to critique it. The graphics that Easy mention (especially Nuclear Power and Industry policies) are annoying but not deal-breakers.<BR/><BR/>My opinion is still out on the random nature of the initial policy deal and the opinion poll cards, but for now I can see arguments for and against.<BR/><BR/>I won't turn down a game, but this isn't one I'll clamour for in the future. Like El Grande, this is a well-themed, well-designed game which I can't really find fault with, but at the same time I can't make myself <I>like</I> it.Kozurehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01441385217527761214noreply@blogger.com