244: Wandering Towers | Nature | Organized Crime

What this episode covers

Welcome to Which Game First where we boldly explore the hilariously huge world of board games. Did we unearth any hidden treasures you’ve been missing out on? Let’s find out! First: We race our wizards and make our potions in Wandering TowersNext: We try to keep our herds fed, and our enemies at bay in NatureLastly: We call this meeting to order because even criminals must have rules in Organized Crime Wandering Towers Designed by: Michael Kiesling, Wolfgang KramerPublished by: ABACUSSPIELE, Capstone Games (2023)Players: 1 – 6Ages: 10 & upPlaying time: 30 minutes Each year, the graduating classes of the Ravenrealm Magic School compete to demonstrate their mastery of magic. For the final exam, all the wizards of each class must assemble at the legendary Ravenskeep… but every last one of them has procrastinated, distracted by learning new spells. They’ve also used all their potions—they can’t show up unprepared, with empty potion bottles! Help your wizards get to Ravenskeep as quickly as possible. Using their magic they could even move the very towers atop which they stand to get there more easily! But how can they refill their potion bottles along the way? Well, here’s a little secret: Trapping wizards allows you to capture some of their magical essence in a bottle… In the board game Wandering Towers, players are wizards racing to get all their wizards into the central “Black Castle” before anyone else. They do this by moving their wizards and the towers on the board. A key mechanic is that wizards can hide inside towers, and when a tower moves, all wizards inside it move with it, leading to a dynamic and ever-changing board state. Nature Designed by: Dominic CrapuchettesPublished by: North Star Games (2025)Players: 1 – 4 (up to 6 in deluxe)Ages: 10 & upPlaying time: 30 – 45 minutes Nature is a redesign of the blockbuster Evolution to be more streamlined, more forgiving, and seamlessly expandable. The secret sauce is a modular system that allows players to create and explore a unique ecosystem each time they play. Nature is a card-driven tableau-builder played over four rounds. In Nature, players act as naturalists, creating and evolving their own species in a shared ecosystem. The goal is to grow your species’ population, give them beneficial traits, and ensure they get enough food to survive each round. Players can choose to forage for plant-based food from the central “watering hole,” or evolve their species to become predators and hunt other players’ species to gain food. The game features a modular system, allowing players to add various expansion modules like “Flight” or “Jurassic” to create unique ecosystems and experiences. Organized Crime Designed by: James KoplowPublished by: Koplow Games (1974)Players: 4 to 2Ages: 14 & upPlaying time: (not listed) Organized Crime is a negotiation and strategy game where players assume the roles of mob bosses vying for control of a city. The objective is to be the last player standing by eliminating the other bosses. Players move “Hit-Men” around a circular board to build influence through illegal activities, corrupt politicians, and business investments. The game involves a significant amount of negotiation, as players can use cards, money, and promises to strike deals with one another, all while trying to “rub out” the competing mob bosses.

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