Vox Republica 116: North Wind (Is Totally Not A Pirate Game)

Vox Republica: Podcast of The Cardboard Republic

Episode 116: North Wind (Is Totally Not A Pirate Game)

Length: 1:18:17

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DESCRIPTION: This week, Erin and Ryan review the game North Wind - which is absolutely not a pirate game. They also dive into the cesspool that is sexism in gaming, but then shine some positive light on the hobby with a discussion of a recent gaming charity event!

GUEST: None

RECENTLY PLAYED GAMES - (01:03):

• Apotheca by Knapsack Games & Renegade Game Studios
• Odin's Ravens by Osprey Games
• Mottainai by Asmadi Games
• ETI: Estimated Time to Invasion by Eye-Level Entertainment
• The Grizzled by Cool Mini Or Not

QUICK TOPICS - (24:45):

• We address the recent ongoing issues regarding harassment in gaming. Hold on to your hats.
• But to make up for it, we recap our time at the Home Away Boston gaming charity day. There is hope!
• Plus we mention our next convention appearances.

REVIEW - (43:25):

• This week we wade right in to the lightweight but super visually-appealing sailing game North Wind by Z-Man Games. In this 2-4 player game, each person is the admiral of a ship - who are totally not pirates - looking to help a trio of pirate-ransacked islands get back on their feet. Each island comes with its own set of needs, from money and wine, to basic foods, to the capturing of the very pirates responsible for their plight. Your goal is to be the first ship to successfully complete 8 or 10 tasks, depending on player size. To do this, you take turns sailing around the waters of these different islands (each represented by a stack of randomly assigned tiles). Each tile allows you to buy and sell the game's five basic resources or purchase equipment to upgrade your 3-D ship with more crew, faster sails, and more cannons - all of which fit right on the ship itself. Of course, you can also run into the pirates themselves, which results in a battle of a few success/fail dice roll. With excellent component quality, striking table presence, straightforward rules, and copious replayability, we dive into why North Wind is such a successful hour of casual gaming entertainment.

One possible tile assortment for the Fort Haven stack This tile allows you to buy or sell up to 2 grain resources for 3 gold each This Lookout spies island tiles and adventure! Red is heading into port well stocked with two crew, four commodities, and a captured pirate captain White is the winner, having placed all 10 of their task cubes first. I'm selling two...pineapples...and broccoli?

PLUGS - (1:17:23):

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Audio Credits: Intro music track is "Swing!" by Bargo!, used under Creative Commons license.