By this point, there have been a shocking number of Pandemic games. Some slightly vary the original formula, while others move increasingly far away. We expect to look at most of them over time, because variations to an an existing system are one of the most intriguing ways to examine the evolution of a game…
Author: Meeples Together
Case Study: Onirim
We analyzed co-op games small and large while working on Meeples Together. Onirim was one of the smallest: a 78-card game for just two players in a teeny little card box. But size can be deceiving … Onirim by Shadi Torbey Publisher: Z-Man Games (2010, 2014) Cooperative Style: True Co-op Play Style: Card Management, Set…
Case Study: The Captain is Dead — Lockdown
The Captain is Dead, which we studied two weeks ago, has a sequel, “Lockdown”, a standalone game that uses the same core system. However, whereas we thought the design of The Captain is Dead was wildly successfully (in large part due to its great theming), we found Lockdown lacking (in large part due to its…
Case Study: The Captain is Dead
One of the more notable traditional co-ops of recent years was The Captain is Dead, a bright and evocative science-fiction game that followed in traditional design patterns. It’s since been followed by Lockdown (2018), which will be the topic of the next case study. The Captain is Dead by Joe Price & JT Smith Publisher: AEG…
Competitive Case Study: Oar Else!
When is a co-op not a co-op? When it subverts its own framing. Nonetheless, there are lessons to be learned in this competitive game. Oar Else! by Jason Fleming, Bob Heubel & Julia Huff Publisher: Flatcar6 Studios (2013) Cooperative Style: Faux Cooperative Play Style: Card Management, Take That Overview Oar Else! is a competitive game…
Case Study: Pathfinder ACG Core Set
One of the exciting new releases of 2019 is a pair of new supplements for the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Core Set and Curse of the Crimson Throne. Together, they notably renovate the original game. Pathfinder ACG Core Set by Mike Selinker Publisher: Paizo Publishing (2019) Cooperative Style: True Co-Op…
Case Study: Just One
The SdJ nominees for 2019 were announced last month and were full of entrants of interest to co-op fans. The traditional SdJ award, which runs pretty light nowadays, nominated Just One (a true co-op, sort of) and Werewords (a hidden traitor game). Then the heftier Kennerspiel award nominated Detective (another true co-op). It was a…
Team Study: Bang! The Dice Game
Two weeks ago, we discussed Bang!, one of the foundational teamplay games of the ’00s. Today we’re following up with a look at Bang! The Dice Game, which followed in its footsteps by offering a variant of Bang!’s teamplay with dramatically simplified game mechanics. Bang! The Dice Game by Michael Palm & Lukas Zach Publisher:…
Team Study: Bang!
The 21st century has seen a number of pivotal cooperative games, such as Lord of the Rings (2000), Shadows over Camelot (2005), and Pandemic (2008). However, the adjacent teamplay space has seen several games that were just as foundational. One of the earliest was Bang! (2003), which brought the idea of hidden teams into the…
Case Study: Police Precinct
One of the interesting results of the success of Pandemic (2008) was that a subset of co-op games came out that used Pandemic’s design as a starting place. Some were very obviously influenced, such as Richard Launius’ Defenders of the Realm (2010), but others went further afield, but still maintained a similar foundation of modern…