Pixies is a new release that will fight for table time among the dozen ofiller’s games that seem to be popping up these days.
It makes some sense that quick games are popular – it’s the 30-second online video idea in gaming terms. Play one and kill an hour, then move on to something else.
Honestly, I understand the squirrel gamer, I can be one myself. I like new games.
That said I could play many games all evening – although my taste in those games runs a bit askew to the general Meeple Guild members.
But that is a digression. We are here to discuss Pixies from designer Johannes Goupy and publisher Bombyx.
It’s a small box card game where you are selecting cards from a trio offered, and placing them into a 3×3 grid – the cards are numbered 1-to-9 to make placement arbitrary.
You hope of course to score points at the game’s end, and there are several ways to achieve this. Some cards are automatic points.
Another mechanic has you need to ‘activate’ the card – accomplished by placing another card under it. You want to concentrate on the higher number cards because they will score face value if ‘activated’. It is not forced on the player but it’s folly not to focus on high numbers.
There are also points for orthogonal connections of colored cards. This one is the big scorer, especially in the third round of the game, and because of that it is largely a forced strategy.
Some wild cards fit for any color so those are highly valuable.
The multiple ways to score do suggest lots of choices here, but there are some rather obvious strategies to score well so choices are ultimately limited.
The game plays over three rounds and that allows some ‘comeback’ potential, and the game remains brisk.
The art by Sylvain Trabut is what is maybe most interesting in Pixies. Some are going to see the little critters here as rather ugly, of that there is no doubt.
But, in general, ‘whimsical’ or ‘cute’ or ‘charming’ seem more appropriate for reviewing the art, at least from this writer’s perspective.
This game retails for under $15 and that helps make it a recommendation. At a low cost, you don’t need to play this one 100 times to get good value. It can be that fun filler when needed, and in that role, it works well.
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Calvin’s Commentaries: Calvin’s Commentaries: Pixies
It makes some sense that quick games are popular – it’s the 30-second online video idea in gaming terms. Play one and kill an hour, then move on to something else.
Honestly, I understand the squirrel gamer, I can be one myself. I like new games.
That said I could play many games all evening – although my taste in those games runs a bit askew to the general Meeple Guild members.
But that is a digression. We are here to discuss Pixies from designer Johannes Goupy and publisher Bombyx.
It’s a small box card game where you are selecting cards from a trio offered, and placing them into a 3×3 grid – the cards are numbered 1-to-9 to make placement arbitrary.
You hope of course to score points at the game’s end, and there are several ways to achieve this. Some cards are automatic points.
Another mechanic has you need to ‘activate’ the card – accomplished by placing another card under it. You want to concentrate on the higher number cards because they will score face value if ‘activated’. It is not forced on the player but it’s folly not to focus on high numbers.
There are also points for orthogonal connections of colored cards. This one is the big scorer, especially in the third round of the game, and because of that it is largely a forced strategy.
Some wild cards fit for any color so those are highly valuable.
The multiple ways to score do suggest lots of choices here, but there are some rather obvious strategies to score well so choices are ultimately limited.
The game plays over three rounds and that allows some ‘comeback’ potential, and the game remains brisk.
The art by Sylvain Trabut is what is maybe most interesting in Pixies. Some are going to see the little critters here as rather ugly, of that there is no doubt.
But, in general, ‘whimsical’ or ‘cute’ or ‘charming’ seem more appropriate for reviewing the art, at least from this writer’s perspective.
This game retails for under $15 and that helps make it a recommendation. At a low cost, you don’t need to play this one 100 times to get good value. It can be that fun filler when needed, and in that role, it works well.
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First Comics News
Your First Place For Comics News since October 18, 1998
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