There’s a divide between many board gamers: Euro style or American style. Personally, I fall solidly… in the middle. But lately I’ve been playing a few Asian games, Crows Overkill and Kanagawa specifically. Both of these games are Japanese in their location and story.
In Crows Overkill, you try to scare away – or kill, depending on your translation of the translation – all the birds in front of you before they “cry” or make noise which signals the end of your romantic rendezvous. It’s a fun and fast game. Everyone takes a turn drawing and playing cards to discard or pawn off their birds onto other players in a multi-way “hot potato.”
I love some good lore or quirky aspects in games. This one is based on a 160 year old song sung by Takasugi Shinsaku, a central figure in the early Meiji Revolution and frequent visitor to the red-light district, sooo, mission accomplished.
Kanagawa is about Japanese art students making prints and improving their studios to accumulate points. The rulebook is short but still is a tough read. Once you get past that, though, the game is pretty simple and straightforward. I’ve never had any talent for art so any game that has me creating beautiful artwork gets bonus points from me! The fun part about Kanagawa is all the combos that you can make with your painting and studio to score points. There’s also a “push your luck” element where you can score low points quickly or lock yourself out of that in the hopes of higher points later.
In life I’m drawn to new experiences and perspectives as far from my own as possible. Music, movies, art and of course board games. These two aren’t the heaviest or most engrossing games but they are unique. Yes, I agree that pretty much every game is unique, BUT I think these are worth a play.
Domo arigato!