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Castles of Mad King Ludwig

In the tile-laying game Castles of Mad King Ludwig, players are tasked with building an amazing, extravagant castle for King Ludwig II of Bavaria…one room at a time. You see, the King loves castles, having built Neuschwanstein (the castle that inspired the Disney theme park castles) and others, but now he’s commissioned you to build the biggest, best castle ever — subject, of course, to his ever-changing whims. Each player acts as a building contractor who is adding rooms to the castle he’s building while also selling his services to other players.

In the game, each player starts with a simple foyer. One player takes on the role of the Master Builder, and that player sets prices for a set of rooms that can be purchased by the other players, with him getting to pick from the leftovers after the other players have paid him for their rooms. When a room is added to a castle, the player who built it gains castle points based on the size and type of room constructed, as well as bonus points based on the location of the room. When a room is completed, with all entranceways leading to other rooms in the castle, the player receives one of seven special rewards.

After each purchasing round, a new player becomes the Master Builder who sets prices for a new set of rooms. After several rounds, the game ends, then additional points are awarded for achieving bonus goals, having the most popular rooms, and being the most responsive to the King’s demands, which change each game. Whoever ends up with the most castle points wins.

In Victorian England, the profits of the Industrial Revolution have given rise to a wealthy upper class of English ladies and gentlemen. Sadly, you are not among them. But you do have a rich uncle, recently departed, who decided on his death bed to leave all his money to the relative who will enjoy it the most. To find out who that is, you and your cousins will each be given a substantial sum of money. Whoever can spend it the fastest will inherit all your uncle’s wealth.

Last Will is a race to bankruptcy. In each round, you choose a plan for the day, which determines how many options you will have available and how much time you will have for them. If you don’t give yourself enough options, you might find yourself with nothing left to do after attending the theatre. If you don’t set aside enough time, you might have to forgo dinner prepared by London’s most famous chef or a carriage ride with a charming guest. And don’t neglect your property investments. Or rather, do neglect them: Once your properties depreciate, you can sell them for a pittance, bringing you that much closer to bankruptcy. The upper class lifestyle provides you many opportunities to spend your uncle’s money. Just be sure to spend it fast.

A luxurious life of fabulous wealth is within your grasp. With your uncle’s Last Will, bankruptcy leads to riches!

It is now upon you – the best architects – to honor him by building the most extravagant pagodas in this game of tactics. Show your opponent who truly is the best architect of all!Pagoda_tower

Pagoda combines simple rules with tricky decisions and brings with its short playtime the best entertainment for two players. Featuring stunning components, players build up six pagodas represented by three dimensional towers. The player who uses the available resources and tactics to score the most points wins the game!

In Last Will: Getting Sacked, the lawyers have found a hidden clause in your uncle’s last will. Spending money faster than all your relatives will not be enough. To inherit your Uncle’s fortune, you must also lose your job! After all, your Uncle’s heritage can’t go to someone who’s employed!

You will also have a chance to find yourself a good, demanding wife. A wedding is such a romantic way to spend piles of money in a hurry, right? The expansion has 6 nuptial cards. So get down on one knee and ask the question!

Also, with this expansion, each game can have a different planning board to bring additional variety to the game. When you set up the game boards, you randomly select the 8 plan tiles that will be used in the game.

Podcast #24: On Poor Quality Property

Oho! What’s this? Board gaming’s most excitable hour of chatter is back, as Matt and Quinns discuss everything they played and saw over the New Year, including a visit to London’s first board game cafe. After that, this one’s all about crap houses. The boys discuss the terrible property investments they made in Last Will and the Getting Sacked expansion, Matt makes fun of Quintin’s horrible estate in Castles of Mad King Ludwig, before finally the boys discuss how being tall makes it harder to build pagodas in Pagoda.

Quinns: Some things are just better together! Chocolate and peanut butter. Head injuries and medical care. Tigris & Euphrates.

This week, board games’ dignified finishing school of Fantasy Flight announced a new version of the European classic. For the uninitiated, Tigris & Euphrates sees 2-4 players each in control of a civilization in ancientest Mesopotamia, and accurately depicts how these factions would conquer one another by covering the desert in big square tiles and sometimes an intimidatingly chunky pyramid.

I’ve actually played Tigris & Euphrates. The short version of that story is that, like a lot of Reiner Knizia games, it made me wish I was outside climbing a tree. The even shorter version is that it is pretty good, if you like that kind of thing (read: tiles, Mesopotamians).

Space Cadets: Resistance Is Mostly Futile is the first expansion for the original Space Cadets game.

A variety of new missions, map obstacles, and enemies are included to challenge both novice and veteran crews. Even missions for just two players! Blast parasites, save a space station and stop the mighty Star Kraken, an enemy unlike any you have faced before.

Also Cadets, be sure to welcome your new crew mate, the Science Officer! Any difficulty can be bested with one of his helpful inventions… If only they weren’t made of parts of the ship.

Survive lasers and tentacles and the well-meaning Science Officer tearing apart your ship and prove that you deserve the title of a true Space Cadet!

Your Guide to Space Cadets: Resistance is Mostly Futile

Quinns: Last year we floated the idea of “Expansion January” or “Expansionanuary”, where we’d start the year by revisiting old favourites and seeing how they’ve been updated. Since you guys weren’t entirely repelled by the concept, welcome to the FIRST EVER Shut Up & Sit Down Expansionanuary.

We’re kicking it off with what’s being called the “first” expansion for Space Cadets, Resistance is Mostly Futile. Remember how we first covered Space Cadets with an itemised guide as to why your friends are going to do a terrible job of flying a spaceship together (and then later demonstrated it in a Let’s Play)?

Let’s give you a guide to the new terrors in the expansion! Starting with a new job that nobody’s going to want to do: the Science Station.

Quinns: GOOOOD MORNING TABLE GAMERS!

Welcome to the official start of SU&SD’s year! We’ve been up to all kinds of unofficial business while you’ve been away, of course. Yesterday I had some friends over to try the print’n’play version of Spyfall, and the week before Matt experienced Fluxx for the first time. He didn’t have to tell us. When we saw him he had tears streaking his face, and kept asking “Why?” over and over, looking for meaning in his shattered life. It was Pirate Fluxx, too. Do leave him some kind words in the comments.

But you’re not here for news about us, are you? About us and our lives and the inescapable entropy afflicting our corporeal forms? You’re here for the hottest scoops in board gaming news and I, for one, wouldn’t dare to waste your time.

Quinns: And so, like the sun disappearing over the horizon or a Christmas pudding slipping down your uncle’s gullet, Shut Up & Sit Down enters it’s holiday hibernation. I’ll abandon the Christmas pudding analogy when I say that we’ll be returning to the world on January 5th. Eat some fibre, Uncle.

It’s been a fantastic year, thanks entirely to the donors who’ve allowed us not just to survive, but grow and plan for the future. Don’t just take my word for it. Behold! A list of the content in 2014 that we’re proudest of, some of which may have slipped you by.

Castles of Mad King Ludwig

Last Will

Pagoda

Last Will: Getting Sacked

Podcast #24: On Poor Quality Property

Games News! 5 Star edition

Space Cadets: Resistance is Mostly Futile

Your Guide to Space Cadets: Resistance is Mostly Futile

Games News! Pingo Pingo Edition

…And that’s it for 2014!

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