Sparta

1. Introduction: This is Through The Ages Smoooooooth !!
2. Weight: Heavy
3. Audience: This is for a gamer. It is not a light or medium game however because it is one of the best games that scales from 1 to 5 players and in difficulty I recommend it as a gateway game from medium to heavy.
4. Sweet Spot: After six plays from 1 to 5 players I like the 4 and 5 player. My preference is the 4 player because it is less long
5. Solitaire: yes
6. Bits: 8/10
7. The rules are concise and fairly clear. There are a few FAQs that I have sought but for the most part the rules are well written.
8. Setup: 10-15 min
9. Game Flow: There are eight rounds with practically no down time. The flow is smooth, fast and engaging with the other players. There is no fiddly aspects to the game. This is Through the ages Elegant because it takes half the time to play, players can only take one action on their turns and mechanics like WAR and EVENTS have been improve in such a way that the game is smooth. Did I mention the game is very smooth yet?
10. Randomness: Open card drafting based on turn order that you can influence during the game. There is relatively no luck in this game in comparison with TTA. By the way I will never play Through the Ages again because of this game. I own 2 copies of Through the Ages and they are for sale if someone wants to offer me a reasonable price.
11. Player Interaction: There is enough player interaction in this game of the type a gamer will appreciate. Choices will deny cards, cause your opponents to be affected by WARS and EVENTS. The player interaction is excellent.
12. Downtime: Between turns there is virtually no downtime compared to Through the Ages. There you can play a game in one night.
13. Fun: The game is very addictive because there are so many paths to victory and your own worse enemy in this game is yourself. You really feel that you are building a NATION and the road to the last round of the game will be memorable enough that you will be talking about the strategy, the path you and others took in the game. Very enjoyable experience every time I play because you do not notice the time fly by.
14. Theme: There is a story in each game you play because every game will be significantly different since you never play with all the cards like in Through the Ages. Building different empires each game makes each session completely different from the next. There is ownership of an empire and I had to struggle to manage 6 different resources, etc etc.
15. Recommendation: This game will appeal to civ lovers and gamers and is a must for their collections. Because this game can be played in one session, the randomness is minimal and the mechanics are smooth I recommend this game as a gateway civ game from medium to heavy.
 
Final Comments: This is the best civ game I have played and after 43 plays of Through the Ages can 6 plays of Nations can say that it is easily a better game than Through the Ages (TTA). So much so that I will never play TTA again and will both of my copies
 
Prediction: Game of the Year and will rise to the top 10 on BGG. I boldly predict it will overtake Through the Ages and be the number 1 game on BGG.
 
Cheers
 
Sparta
 
PS: Did I mention it was smoooooth!!
 
 
 

1. Introduction: This is Through The Ages Smoooooooth !!
2. Weight: Heavy
3. Audience: This is for a gamer. It is not a light or medium game however because it is one of the best games that scales from 1 to 5 players and in difficulty I recommend it as a gateway game from medium to heavy.
4. Sweet Spot: After six plays from 1 to 5 players I like the 4 and 5 player. My preference is the 4 player because it is less long
5. Solitaire: yes
6. Bits: 8/10
7. The rules are concise and fairly clear. There are a few FAQs that I have sought but for the most part the rules are well written.
8. Setup: 10-15 min
9. Game Flow: There are eight rounds with practically no down time. The flow is smooth, fast and engaging with the other players. There is no fiddly aspects to the game. This is Through the ages Elegant because it takes half the time to play, players can only take one action on their turns and mechanics like WAR and EVENTS have been improve in such a way that the game is smooth. Did I mention the game is very smooth yet?
10. Randomness: Open card drafting based on turn order that you can influence during the game. There is relatively no luck in this game in comparison with TTA. By the way I will never play Through the Ages again because of this game. I own 2 copies of Through the Ages and they are for sale if someone wants to offer me a reasonable price.
11. Player Interaction: There is enough player interaction in this game of the type a gamer will appreciate. Choices will deny cards, cause your opponents to be affected by WARS and EVENTS. The player interaction is excellent.
12. Downtime: Between turns there is virtually no downtime compared to Through the Ages. There you can play a game in one night.
13. Fun: The game is very addictive because there are so many paths to victory and your own worse enemy in this game is yourself. You really feel that you are building a NATION and the road to the last round of the game will be memorable enough that you will be talking about the strategy, the path you and others took in the game. Very enjoyable experience every time I play because you do not notice the time fly by.
14. Theme: There is a story in each game you play because every game will be significantly different since you never play with all the cards like in Through the Ages. Building different empires each game makes each session completely different from the next. There is ownership of an empire and I had to struggle to manage 6 different resources, etc etc.
15. Recommendation: This game will appeal to civ lovers and gamers and is a must for their collections. Because this game can be played in one session, the randomness is minimal and the mechanics are smooth I recommend this game as a gateway civ game from medium to heavy.
 
Final Comments: This is the best civ game I have played and after 43 plays of Through the Ages can 6 plays of Nations can say that it is easily a better game than Through the Ages (TTA). So much so that I will never play TTA again and will both of my copies
 
Prediction: Game of the Year and will rise to the top 10 on BGG. I boldly predict it will overtake Through the Ages and be the number 1 game on BGG.
 
Cheers
 
Sparta
 
PS: Did I mention it was smoooooth!!
 
 
 

I went to Monopolatte last week. It is located at the corner of Broson and Somerset. It has a max capacity of 40 players sitting at 7-8 tables. The menu is well priced and the coffee is gooood! It was mainly a university crowd that was there. I was there at around 8pm and the place was full and people were waiting at the door for tables. As I was checking out the place Yves and Yannick arrived to play some games. The place is air conditioned. Monopolatte is in an old house that has been renovated and the atmosphere is warm because it feels like your in a house not a café. Steve the owner lives on the second floor which means at the end of the day he just shuts the lights and goes upstairs.
 
As people were learning rules to games like Peurto Rico, Pandemic, etc I couldn't help think this is a really a good addition to the Outaouais area because it is going to give a lot of exposure to our hobby as well as increase the number of gamers.
 
John Dx