As we near the end of our ‘PnP Summer Series’ choosing what games to finish has been challenging in the sense there are still many fine games in the PnP box.
But, this week it had to be Blorg In the Midwest from New Zealand designer John Kean. Kean is rather well-respected in PnP circles with games such as Black Sonata and The Shooting Party.
Blorg – released in 2018 – is a super little solo game.
The theme is pretty cool to start with. You are an alien who has crashed your ship on a Midwest farm – somewhere outside Melville maybe – and you are trying to find a way home.
You can get home by collecting a variety of things from a nearby farm to fix your ship, or maybe you build a transmitter to flag down a passing spaceship.
It sounds easy but some angry cows and dogs and housewives and authorities can all thwart your plans.
It sounds like a lot going on but Kean has it all contained in nine double-sided cards, so this is a tiny build.
The art by Kean – very Farside by Gary Larson-inspired – is great and is in black and white so it is the lower-cost print option too.
In the game, you move around various locations gathering items and hopefully avoiding discovery.
It plays quickly, but there are some neat decisions as you manipulate the cards as best you can to achieve your goal.
The rules also note some optional ways to make the game more challenging – it’s not easy at any point – so there is surprising replayability for such a small-footprint game.
A definite gem.
And, even better poor Blorg was caught in a time warp in 2021 and ended up crashing yet again. This time Kean has Blog In the Wild West, where you must again fashion your escape. Again only nine double-sided pages, so another easy recommendation especially if you like the original – and you will.
About Author
Calvin Daniels is a Saskatchewan-born, self-taught journalist. He is currently Editor of Yorkton This Week, with 35-years in the newspaper business.
Calvin’s Commentaries: Be an alien; find your way home
But, this week it had to be Blorg In the Midwest from New Zealand designer John Kean. Kean is rather well-respected in PnP circles with games such as Black Sonata and The Shooting Party.
Blorg – released in 2018 – is a super little solo game.
The theme is pretty cool to start with. You are an alien who has crashed your ship on a Midwest farm – somewhere outside Melville maybe – and you are trying to find a way home.
You can get home by collecting a variety of things from a nearby farm to fix your ship, or maybe you build a transmitter to flag down a passing spaceship.
It sounds easy but some angry cows and dogs and housewives and authorities can all thwart your plans.
It sounds like a lot going on but Kean has it all contained in nine double-sided cards, so this is a tiny build.
The art by Kean – very Farside by Gary Larson-inspired – is great and is in black and white so it is the lower-cost print option too.
In the game, you move around various locations gathering items and hopefully avoiding discovery.
It plays quickly, but there are some neat decisions as you manipulate the cards as best you can to achieve your goal.
The rules also note some optional ways to make the game more challenging – it’s not easy at any point – so there is surprising replayability for such a small-footprint game.
A definite gem.
And, even better poor Blorg was caught in a time warp in 2021 and ended up crashing yet again. This time Kean has Blog In the Wild West, where you must again fashion your escape. Again only nine double-sided pages, so another easy recommendation especially if you like the original – and you will.
About Author
Calvin Daniels
Calvin Daniels is a Saskatchewan-born, self-taught journalist. He is currently Editor of Yorkton This Week, with 35-years in the newspaper business.
See author's posts