Smash Up
If you like the card game you will probaly like this game as well. It is a great “port” and the artwork is beautiful as always. I really hope the developers keep adding expansions. At the moment only the base game and awesome level 9000 are included. Please give me my sharknado!
The AI is pretty good and can be quite challenging to everyone but really experienced players. But it is of course way more fun to play other people and I hope this game grows so you can just queue up for a game.
If a developer randomly reads this I have some suggestions for UI improvements:
– Real player with 213.9 hrs in game
Read More: Best Board Game Strategy Games.
Smash Up is an excellent card game, and the digital version is fun, but imperfect. The bot AI strikes a nice balance between competence and efficiency, leading to challenging but not impossible games without the frustrating wait times for AI pondering that some other games suffer from.
The UI design prioritizes streamlined gameplay over clarity, so it takes some getting used to to understand what’s going on. It also is not a 100% bug-free game. Both of these issues are manageable, but definitely take some getting used to… don’t turn off the Proceed button, make sure to check the log if something happens you don’t understand, keep an eye on the scrolling text at the bottom of the screen, quit+save+restart+continue if a technical glitch occurs, and if all else fails, ask for help in the forums.
– Real player with 46.9 hrs in game
Here Be Dragons
An unexpectedly wonderful game
Although not perfect, this game is wonderful! However, it may not be what you expect. This is not the (satyrical true!) story of how Christopher Columbus reached the New World, but the (indeed satyrical true!) telling of the events which led to his protagonism. While the former make us think this is a traditional RPG, with exploration, battles and a progression system consisting of evolving one or few characters until the end, the latter gives room to what it really is: a combat-only game with many characters, each of which protagonist in their own short campaigns, and where character progression starts after the first battle of the campaign and ends just before the last. What really progresses throughout all the game is combat complexity and the greater scheme which ties all campaigns together. So let’s dive deeper into both aspects.
– Real player with 20.2 hrs in game
Read More: Best Board Game Strategy Games.
There were two good things in this game that made me complete the game: battle mechanics and solid visual style during battles. But other elements of the game must be rewritten from the scratch:
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dialogs - thay are boooring; guys, please don’t try to do all the pieces of the game by yourselves, find good writer. Alternatively make an option “skip dialogs” to save time
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technically I don’t understand why 2D game had been made using Unity. It’s huge overkill, there’re many crossplatform libraries and frameworks for 2D games that can be run anywhere. Because of your poor decision the game doesn’t run on Linux
– Real player with 12.9 hrs in game
Paper Pirates
A great social deduction game to play with friends or family. Lots of fun and easy to pick up no matter what age the players are. The artwork is a delight and it has a huge number of customisation options to make your pirate your own.
There are different game modes which allow you to vary the difficulty - scored games adding that extra challenge with secret objectives; is that player a ghost or are they just a bad human trying to max out their points? The daily voyage is a nice way to try out different modes and you can fill the boat with cute bots if you are playing solo. You can earn achievements to unlock cool hats for your pirates and the events change things up including the option of an audience mode for people who don’t want to play . The audience can vote to influence what events take place. It’s a nice touch that really does make this a very inclusive game. Iteration games has stepped things up a notch with the current Halloween event. Who wouldn’t want to play as a skeleton or pumpkin pirate! Highly recommended.
– Real player with 149.5 hrs in game
Read More: Best Board Game Party Game Games.
Iteration Games clearly understands the Social Deduction genre very well, and the result is Paper Pirates sidestepping a majority of the problems I find in other similar games.
Paper Pirates succeeds at both being a game that’s simple enough to convince your friends to pick up, yet has enough mechanical depth and just the right pinch of randomness to keep the suspense high all the way until the last treasure falls overboard, or everyone gets home.
Things like traditional mafia/werewolf’s follow the cop strategies, Town of Salem’s vulnerability to mass-claiming, and the rigidity of Secret Hitler’s mechanics in general lead to a highly-optimized “metagame” (a specific strategy that most players familiar with a game employ almost always due to how extremely effective it is) that doesn’t really appeal to everyone, and can be especially grating to newcomers. Not to mention how being voted out in all of the above means you’re forced into the role of spectator for the rest of the game, and the first person eliminated essentially doesn’t get to play at all. Paper Pirates solves this by instead demoting players voted out to the rank of stowaway; you cannot win as the stowaway, but all it takes to escape the dreaded barrel is for another player to go overboard and fill it in your stead. And believe me, plenty of pirates will be getting flung off this paper ship.
– Real player with 19.9 hrs in game
Sink Again
If you want light-weight pirate-y fare with a primitive economic model coupled with a bunch of turn-based mini dungeon crawls and disconnected scenarios that have you starting from scratch after each mission, then this game is for you!
If you’re not looking for all that, you might still get your money’s worth out of the game. I’ve only completed a few of the scenarios and yet there is enough meat here that I’ve got over 20 hours in, and the rewards for each scenario are interesting enough that I want to see what the next batch will add to my arsenal.
– Real player with 52.6 hrs in game
Nice little game. Not very complicated as turn-based / strategy game, and it tends toward grinding, but it manages to keep me busy and interested. Also, the silly slapstick jokes make me smile. If you ever wanted to play as a gorilla bashing pirates with an anchor…
The game comes with a good number of “scenarios”. Start a scenario, you get a (very) small ship and 2000 gp, and a selection of 3 to 5 pirates to hire in the nearby tavern. First hire is free, and is usually the one you pick as the captain of your crew - at start, anyway, you can change your captain later.
– Real player with 39.0 hrs in game
Captain Backwater
Pretty fun little puzzle game so far, I’m about a quarter of the way through. Only drawback I see is there are no targets for the number of moves so you don’t really know how well you did on each level. You can replay to beat your own score but it would be nice to have some indication of the minimum number of moves required to complete each level. I recommend but I got this in a bundle for a buck and a half. Doubt I’d recommend it at the 8.99 price.
– Real player with 5.8 hrs in game
Captain Backwater:
Sailors, avast ye (pay attention)! See this old scroll in my hand . . . can someone tell me why sailor Sean is looking at my hook? Oh, shiver me timbers - this scroll is the map of the archipelago right in front of us! One hundred islands in total and all have a cross on them! That’s right me hearties, each hold exceptional booty for the taking. Arrgh, now seriously . . . does anyone on board have half a brain? “Yo Ho Ho” the entire crew screamed! “Oh boy, it’s going to be a long treasure hunt”, thought Captain Backwater.
*– [Real player with 5.5 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198003030375)*
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## Table of Tales: The Crooked Crown
Having a narrator for a game can go so wrong …
But this game does it well! Charming narrator, music, and table-full of scenery and figures.
Excellent, excellent game if you worry about motion sickness (VR sickness). No chance of that at all.
This is not a full-body participation game. But as a game laid out in front of you to sit at and control -- I find it one of the best! I forgot I was in VR, and the index controls are intuitive (close your hand to grab; open hand to let go). This is like playing a pirate-themed D&D game, moving figures, rolling dice, but it all happens beautifully and automatically in front of you. Pieces get knocked over -- sometimes by other pieces taking their turn. But everything rights itself moments later. Even that part is funny and charming to watch.
*– [Real player with 25.7 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198193604541)*
Great and charming D&D tabletop RPG.
Could be compared with Demeo, as this is also 3rd person, turn based, grid movement, with cards to use on each turn… but its plenty different with ToT being clearly superior in a lot of ways, but also not without its drawbacks.
Table of Tales is a bit different, a bit more in depth story and mechanics wise.... its Narrator tells a story, and voices different characters, there is a bigger story than "big bad lives there, kill it because reasons".
A full playthrough took me ~4hrs listening to all the dialogue (that can be advanced by pressing grip) and it has some replayeability, as there are a bunch of choices during the adventure that change the storyline.
*– [Real player with 16.2 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198251382648)*
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## Old Salt
Players begin the game as one of six factions with control of three islands, a fleet of ships and a handful of gold.
A player obtains victory over the other players by controlling 6 islands or being the last ship sailing. There are many routes to that victory but the journey will without a doubt involve sailing your ships, firing cannons, seizing islands, and using faction abilities.
#### **Sail ships**
Players can move up to 3 ships on their turn and are able to move a ship up to 3 tiles unless aided by Known Tradewinds
Ships are able to turn in any direction players desire. Think of the movie Pirates of the Caribbean where they dropped anchor and drift a U-turn and outmaneuvered the Black Pearl.
#### **Fire cannons**
Step one of firing your epic cannons, count the number of tiles to the target. That is the minimum you need to roll to hit the target.
Step two, pay your crew to load and fire that cannon! 1 coin to fire a single shot. Roll to see if it is successful.
If successful, place a damage token under the target, if unsuccessful, roll better next time.
#### **Seize islands**
When seizing an island, a player must first be adjacent to the island they would like to control. Once in position, pay 2 coins for the island along with a mast that belongs to the faction you are wrestling island control from.
Seizing an island that is defended is very costly. For each enemy ship that controls that island within 2 tiles adds 1 coin to the overall cost of seizing the island.
#### **Use faction abilities**
When playing with faction abilities, each player selects 1 of the 6 factions to be. Each faction comes with 3 exciting and unique abilities that no one else has access to. These will help players turn the tide of war.
Abilities can cost coins to use or be limited on when you can use them, such as on your turn or when you seize an island.
On the left side of each faction card is an illustration, some adjectives to describe the faction and a quote the faction can be heard saying from time to time.
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## Nantucket
I bought this game as a fan of adventure games, trading games and turn based combat. I also enjoy games with unique and beautiful artwork. This game did not disappoint me by any means. A big shout out to the store, second video. It has to be one of the best advertisements for a game I’ve ever seen on Steam and definitely encouraged me to buy the game as looked a great adventure! I did not know anything of Moby Dick since before this game but it raised my interest in learning the history behind whaling and also the fiction of Moby Dick (I was on YouTube videos for quite a while, watching some very interesting documentaries!). Another big shout out for the soundtrack in this game, it’s very similar to the second video in the store with sea shanty’s at various points in the game, very unique and enjoyable to listen to, to provide a highly immersive experience.
*– [Real player with 30.1 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198015017512)*
### Sorry, this turned out way longer than I anticipated. TL:DR - It's good.
Nantucket is a strategy RPG set in the time of whaling – we are searching for the infamous Moby Dick (steam censors that, apparently) of Melville fame, but have to start at the bottom and steadily but surely build up our crew and ship until we have the strength needed to wreak vengeance. Coated in blood and blubber, my ship sails into port, my crew heading to the tavern to spend their violent gains whilst I stock and supply the boat, fix the sails and upgrade the cannons. There is an authentic aesthetic and atmosphere to this game as well as a delightful attention to detail. You’ll get sea shanties galore and for those who are interested in whaling and historical sea-faring, this game offers an insight into a historical period that’s not well explored in gaming. Sure, pirates games are everywhere and I understand why – but the whaling industry was an interesting time where brutal danger and economics merged, which is reflected well whilst playing.
*– [Real player with 26.4 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198018483984)*
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