Category: Syndicated

I love the golden ages, but I think some parts are a bit limited if you look at it with the 4x perspective – there is no real epic feel especially to the exterminate and explore parts. It does very well if you just go for “civ builder in 2 hours”, though. It is – to me – more akin to Scythe and other civ-like euro games. As said, I love to play it, but I think someone explicitly asking for a 4X best-of game might feel that it is a bit lacking.

I really enjoy it and more importantly: my wife does, too. So it actually, gets a chance to hit the table. The end scoring being a bit obtuse was already mentioned by others, so the only thing I would like to add (and what prevents it from getting an even higher rating from me) is that the advanced cards you buy are mostly the same stuff you have. Sure, there are some differences, but still, it feels samey, I would have liked some more different ones in there. But that doesn’t keep me from enjoying the game at all.

well, yes. The effect in The Godfather is that you lose control over a worker spot or lose control over the area end of round (especially the latter with car bomb where you wipe out all of a family in an area). Since that control is what allows preparation of multi-same-ressource jobs (since otherwise you usually have a hard time to come by 3 same ressources), which are usually the ones with most impact on other players, this is quite some mean – it can make or break one of those plans.

Not saying that The Godfather is the ends-all of interactive or mean. By far not, quite a bunch of COIN games are much more interactive in what you do, since all actions will allways directly impact other players, but I’m saying that I fail to see where Carson City is more interactive or more mean than a game where you take out area control with one job, possibly robbing them of some large amount of end-game VPs, or directly grabbing three money cards from their coffers, which is directly taking VPs from another player (with right timing this can be as high as 15 VPs). But well, each to their own, if someone finds Carson City mean, so be it. I just found it amusing to be blasted with “you haven’t played many” and then reading about Carson City 😉

Pray tell how Carson City – a game of city building cute cowboys with silly hats – is more interactive and more mean than The Godfather. Don’t tell me about the worker shootouts when you want a worker place that is taken. Killing other players workers is just one of many things you regularily do in The Godfather.

Just recently came out: The Godfathr: Corleone’s Empire by Eric Lang. In my collection by far the meanest and most interactive worker placement cum area control cum set collection game.