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Lanterns

8/17/2017

25 Comments

 
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Opening the Box

It almost sounds like too simple a task to write about, but if I am to be honest about this whole experience, it's a big, exciting, somewhat stressful adrenaline rush to open the first of what I hope will be many, new games.  I tore off the cellophane, opened the beautiful blue box, and found the instruction booklet on top.   It is pictured on the left.  If your reading glasses are not nearby, let me save you the trouble of retrieving them.  You are not seeing things- the instruction booklet is 11 pages long with an appendix! (Entry Level?)  
I shrugged off the intimidation factor, and was somewhat relieved to see illustrations accompanying the directions.  They seemed easy to follow, so I looked at the rest of the box, and immediately began separating the cards from the perforated sheets of cardboard. 

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Set Up
The cardboard is thick enough to separate the cards and pieces easily without bending, and the various colors are attractive. That was the easy part.  Once I had all these neatly stacked piles or cards, and a small mound of wooden tokens laid out before me, I opened the instruction booklet.  Pep and I read the overview of the game out loud: The Harvest is in, and now its time to celebrate! Players act as artisans decorating the palace lake with floating lanterns. The player who earns the most honor before the festival begins wins the game. 
So we were artisans.  We could do this! 

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So we continued to the set up instructions, and made our first attempt  at setting up the play space.  (I am using the term 'play space' rather than 'board' because technically there is no actual board to this board game,  just cards and game pieces. Perhaps, if I ever have the mind to, I will address this, but for now I'd rather get back to the review.)  Once the play space was set up, we compared our version to the picture in the instruction booklet. 

Here is the picture of our first attempt, Pep checking the book for accuracy, then the reset to match the booklet.  (Thank you, Pep, for being a visual person)
Once we got the play space set up properly, it was time to figure out what we were doing.  We went through the pieces, and got used to the names of each: lake tiles, lantern cards, dedication tokens, favor tokens, and a start player marker (which we never used).
Playing the Game
It took going through and really reading the instruction booklet, but the game was relatively easy to grasp (surprise, you have to read directions to know what you're doing) Once we got the basic concept (collect lantern cards and trade them in for honor tokens) it became easy and very playable.  It took us playing almost halfway through the first game to realize the strategy involved, rather than just going through the motions, playing a game of chance.  But once we did, (well, technically Pep figured out the strategy... I was a bit slow on the uptake), the competitiveness in both of us surfaced, and we began to really have fun.   It was close, but I won.

Rematch? Of course! Since we were "pros," the second game took on a much more lively feel, and since Pep was out for revenge, he wasn't quite so forgiving when I accidentally put down the wrong lake tile.  "Forget it!, You already let go of it! Too bad!" (So much for 37 years of helping-each-other- out, marriage. )  As fate would have it however, and despite occasionally laying down the wrong lake tiles, I managed to win game 2 as well.  I'm not saying Pep is a sore loser, but that was the end of that game for the night! 

This is a great entry level game for anyone looking to enter into the "golden age of board games." It's simple enough to understand quickly, but complex enough to keep it interesting and engaging.  This one has earned a place on the game shelf!  
​
Rating-  Instructions, simplicity and coherency: 6 out of 10
                Visual Appeal: 9 out of 10
                Enjoyable: 8 out of 10
                Overall: Made it to the game closet.
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25 Comments
Benjamin Ho
8/22/2017 06:46:37 am

I was brought here by your son's post on the Reddit board games forum. I'm really enjoying your writing so far, and I'm excited to hear about modern board gaming from a different perspective. Keep up the great work!

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Chris M
8/22/2017 07:59:01 am

I was also brought here by your son's post on Reddit. I enjoyed your review and it's nice to see the experience of a new gamer from their point of view.

I just had one suggestion. Put the max number of points that a game can get in a review. So instead of just 5, say "5 out of 10" or "5/5". Not everyone uses the same scale, so that will avoid confusion.

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Justin Munyer
8/22/2017 08:39:46 am

I too was brought by your son's Reddit post. This is absolutely a beautiful read. Welcome to the realm of modern board games!

As visual learners, it might be more difficult to go by the instruction sheets as you start playing more complex games. Not all instruction sheets give great illustrations. Luckily, there are lots of people who put up videos teaching how to play on Youtube. My personal favorite channel for this is https://www.youtube.com/user/WatchItPlayed.

I'm excited to see your writeup of Kingdomino, it's one of my personal favorites that I love playing with my 7 year old.

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Cory Roman
8/22/2017 08:55:13 am

Don't forget you can look these games up on YouTube and see them played and reviewed. It may be helpful for your visual learner. In my house, I usually be read instructions while my husband watches the video.

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Martin
8/22/2017 09:46:54 am

Yes, this is an excellent idea. However, some videos are better than others! If a video is too confusing, try a different one; some of these "game explainers" make the game more confusing, not less!

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Daijo
8/22/2017 09:25:05 am

Another Redditor here. I love reading your journey and the discovery that the shift from one golden age to the next is a chasm that can be crossed. I bond with people over games in a way that talking about my day can't accomplish. Usually. I'll keep reading, and I can't wait to see how your tastes develop. Let us know when you hit your first convention ;)

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Joshua Hutchins
8/22/2017 10:02:27 am

Also from Reddit.

This was a joy to read and incredibly nostalgic of my experience getting into board games. I hope your experience with the gaming community is always helpful and enjoyable, because it ought to be.

small note - I believe you have a typo in your description, I'm assuming you meant to have: "...exploring the next generation OF board games."

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Jason
8/22/2017 11:43:45 am

Hi, I came from reddit too. It was wonderful to read about your journey into modern gaming. I know it looks daunting at first, and the truth is that it can be. There are so many games, so many new terms. But a little persistence goes a long way, especially when you see the looks of excitement on the kids' faces. I hope you stick with it! As someone else mentioned, there's a great channel on YouTube called Watch It Played, hosted by a man named Rodney Smith. He teaches games step by step, which I find much easier than trying to read rulebooks. I usually watch his videos first, then read the rulebooks to make sure everything stuck.

On a side note, Top Deck is a great store with wonderful staff. I used to live near the store and would visit often. I highly recommend continuing to support their location when you can. You can also speak to them about game nights, sometimes people go to stores to play games casually during the week, similar to your son's experience with Magic back in the day.

Have a great time with your new hobby, and keep us posted on your progress!

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Sara
8/22/2017 12:45:15 pm

Love your writing style!! My fiance grew up very much like your son and also enjoyed playing the classics you mentioned in your introductory. It was so easy to get into your story and your reasoning behind venturing to your LFGS (Local Friendly Game Store) is exactly what I think this new golden age (and the old one) is all about; family and fun! Good luck with your new adventure and I can't wait to read more of your reviews :)

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Austin
8/22/2017 01:55:23 pm

Lot's of people from reddit on here. I am as well! Thank you for writing about your experiences and allowing us to follow along with you. I really enjoyed it and I hope to read more in the future. Good luck with finding games you like!

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Max Alexander
8/22/2017 02:06:02 pm

Thank you so much for starting this site! Wonderful to read and a great encapsulation of what makes modern board gaming so great -- please keep it up. If nothing else, I'm sure you'll inspire others to share something they love with those closest to them.

Good luck, and have fun!

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Lucas
8/22/2017 05:40:51 pm

Yours is a very valuable perspective - it's really cool to be able to see things through your eyes. We have all kinds of reviews from folks like Tom Vasel, who have lived and breathed modern board games, but you've got a cool angle and a great writing style. Thanks, and keep up the reviews!!

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Ben link
8/22/2017 07:08:53 pm

Wonderful site and welcome to modern board gaming. It seems like you're well on your way to exploring the best this hobby has to offer. Through me (via my kids) my mom has also been pulled into the hobby. It remains, as it always was, a great way to pass time with friends and family while letting your mind get a little exercise. I hope you keep this blog going. I've shared the link with my mom, who might become a regular reader as well!

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Patrick
8/22/2017 07:42:27 pm

Yet another from Reddit. I have to say, I love the Blog title as well. My wife and I got started with Catan and Ticket to Ride. Ticket to Ride has been my go-to for getting people addicted for years, and I would heartily recommend it as an easy, fun game. I'm really happy that you are trying out new games. My own family seems to treat any games more complicated than Scrabble as insulting.

Keep up the great work, and I loo forward to reading more!

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Chris C
8/22/2017 07:50:27 pm

Thanks for reviewing Lanterns, glad you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed designing it :D

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Jennifer
8/22/2017 09:55:26 pm

Another redditor checking in. I love reading your perspective on games. We brought my parents into gaming about 10 years ago and even though they struggled at first, now they play all of our new games with us and we have monthly game nights with all of all relatives that live near by. It has really brought us closer together as a family.

I've bookmarked your blog so I can check back as you explore other games. I'm looking forward to seeing what you like and maybe even getting some ideas for our next game night ;) Like others have said, how to play videos are one of the best ways to learn a new game. You may have already found it, but if you have not, the site boardgamegeek or bgg as it is known was the best resource I found when getting in to board games. You can search about any game and find rules clarifications, and links to various videos on how to play.

Happy Gaming!

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jake frydman
8/23/2017 12:07:49 pm

Great review. Looking forward to more.

Sharing with my mother and grandmother.

-Joe 4 :P

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Nolan K
8/27/2017 11:52:25 am

Great review of a great game. I'm a fan of Lanterns and play it often with people who are new to the hobby. One thing that modern games do that didn't happen so much before is putting the designers name on the box. Combine that with smaller publishing companies and we really get people devoted to designing and manufacturing games. Renegade games has several entry level titles I would recommend. I'll be curious to find out who your favorite designers will be.

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Fredlobster
8/27/2017 01:16:09 pm

Welcome to the hobby!

A recommendation for a two player game my wife and I love, Santorini! The rules are even simpler than lanterns and the game is quite a spectacle on the table! In addition it has a basic and advanced game that would ease you into some of the more complicated "modern" game mechanics.

Anyhow love the blog, Good Luck, Have Fun (GGHF)!

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Jozraell
9/25/2017 11:45:35 am

Thumbs up on Santorini!

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    Linda Pepe

    A life-long Scrabble lover, exploring the next generation of board games.

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