On Radar

It's getting to be that time again where I make my next big order.

Mr. Jack: Due out very soon. This was going to trigger my next order, but I don't know any more...

1960: The Making of the President: I've been watching for the rules since I first heard of this cousin to Twilight Struggle. It's now firmly on my want list, and I may even delay my next order. Twilight Struggle is #4 on BGG, and I see 1960 making it close to that very quickly. It's faster to play, has a less extreme CP/event/rest card-driven system, has elements of Die Macher, and the board is less busy during play because of the "only one color on a state" mechanism.

King of Siam: I stumbled onto this on the Essen 2007 Geeklist. It's light and plays quickly, but hints of a Martin Wallace design.

Lifeboat: Each player plays a person stranded on a lifeboat, and has a secret love and a secret enemy. Players score points if they live, if their loved one lives, and if their enemy dies. If your secret love is yourself, you are a narcissist and score double if you live. If your secret enemy if yourself, you are a sociopath and score points for everyone who dies. It's the perfect filler for 6 players.

Lord of the Rings: Friends and Foes: We love the original, and I think this expansion (of the 3 available) adds to the base system without really changing the game into something else.

Ponte del Diavolo: There's more to this than you might expect from looking at it. I didn't get a chance to play it at Unity Games, but I have tried it a couple of times on Yucata. It's very cool and very nasty. Sometimes, you don't even know your opponent has been nasty to you until later.

Babel: Another interesting stumble-onto game. This is why I love just "surfing the Geek". Babel may be even more nasty than the previous game, but I haven't actually played it yet. A friend will be bringing it to next week's game night.

Cold War: CIA vs KGB: I know almost nothing about this game, but if it's a non-collectible card game with some good planning, secret missions, and take that, then I'm interested.