Game Order Arrived

The games arrived today. I have opened them all, punched counters, counted bits, and inspected boards. Once again, I am happy to report that there was not a single piece missing. But, as usual, I have a few things to say about the components...

Colossal Arena: Standard small FFG Silver Line box. The cards are nice but completely uncoated. The betting markers are much nicer than they could have been. Rating: C

Gloria Mundi: The box and insert are ridiculous. The board and cards are very nice. The wooden bits are miniscule. I am surprised a RGG game uses hollow plastic pawns. Shame on you. Rating: B

Himalaya: Thick cardboard counters, nicely punched. The wooden cubes are a slight step down from normal painted cubes. A reasonable board. Two small cloth bags and a bunch of plastic ones. It's going to take some work to get all the plastic bits off the frames. Rating: B+

Mission: Red Planet: There was a lot of fuss on BGG over the quality of this one. All of the complaints are manifest in the game, but not to the degree I expected. The one real bummer is the insert; I hate throwing them away, but there's no saving this one; there's just too much stuff to fit into the ridiculously designed compartment. I think the boards are going to rip apart some day soon. The wooden discs are the same size as those in Gloria Mundi: miniscule. Rating: B-

Taj Mahal: Fortunately, the one game I've been waiting for for over 2 years is the best. The only criticism I have is that the space for the octagonal numbered tiles (1-12) is too shallow to fit all 12. The insert was custom made for the game, so I can only assume the cardboard ended up being thicker than they expected. Rating: A


Taj Mahal image by garyjames