Well, thanks to Brian, I’ve found BretSpielWelt.  A German site that has versions of all of the above mentioned games and many more.  Stone Age, Settlers of Catan, Dominion, all can be found and played easily through your browser.

One suggestion, don’t use Google Chrome for this site.  Sure it’s fast, but I don’t think the creators of BretSpielWelt have optimized for Chrome.  I’ve had no trouble with Firefox though.

Related Posts

No related posts were found, so here's a consolation prize: Carcassonne: Traders And Builders.

As we mentioned in our review a few weeks ago, Liv and I have been playing a lot of Carcassonne lately.  Well, one night we wanted to get a game going with more than just the two of us, and it was too late to call any friends, so we did what anyone with an blog about board games would, we looked for an alternative online.

And a simple Google search lead us to AsoBrain Games, and more specifically their version of Carcassonne (or as they call it, Toulouse.)  It’s pretty much like the offline version, and you even have the ability to use a few of the expansions, specifically Traders and Builders and “The Expansion.”  “The Expansion” is merely the addition of a large Meeple with the strength of 2 normal sized Meeples.

The game play follows the same rules, but tends to be a great deal faster than the offline game.  One thing I love about the online version over the offline, is the automatic score talley.  I don’t have to think about who scored this turn, or how many points that ginormous city is.  It’s all done for me automatically.

In many ways, however, the online game lacks in comparison to its physical predecessor.  My first issue with the online version is the lack of expansion options.  I would really like to be able to add the “River” at least, and I think the “Count” would make for a great openning to the game (and would probably be better online than off.)

All in all, the online version is pretty fun, and worth wasting an hour on here and there, but I don’t think it will replace the original version anytime soon.  I do think the potiential is there, it just hasn’t been fulfilled yet.

Related Posts

1. Play Diplomacy Online
2. Carcassonne: The Abbey And The Mayor
3. Carcassonne: Traders And Builders

For our first review of an online game, I’d like to go over one I’ve been signed up with since it began its Beta testing period. The game, as the title most obviously states, is Diplomacy, and it is based off the board game of the same title (yeah, original, I know.)

The Diplomacy Board Game was originally created by Allan B. Calhamer in 1954 and released publically in 1959. The play feels like a combination of both chess and Parker Brother’s Risk, with a map based on Europe circa WWI or some time around then.

Game play of the online game follows the same rules and goals as those set out by the original. There are, however, some additional options that the online game allows for that the board game does not refer to in its rule book. These alterations to the gameplay are available only if you are a Premium member, but in my opinion, they’re worth it.

Overall I really enjoy playing Diplomacy both in person and online. I usually have a few games going and when one ends I start looking for another. My favorite part of the online version is the ability to find games that work around your life. The options for the games allow you to choose the time frame you want to use when playing the game, and even allow you to suspend play on certain holidays, weekends, etc. For those of us who can’t use the Internet at work or are only able to log in at certain times this is a great option to have.

The online game allows for you to send messages to your opponents and make (and break) alliances with any or all the other players in the games you’re playing. The “Shoutbox” option allows you to publish something to the group both naming your country or anonymously (to protect yourself when you say something rude or just stupid, as we all have done.)

Turns are emailed to you when they’ve finished and a new phase has begun, and this is where I have one small issue right now. I would really like to have a notification when someone from a game I’m playing messages me within the game. I realize that this might put a load on the mail server, but there have been times when I missed an important message until after the move was complete and the phase was over.

One of the better aspects of Play Diplomacy is the publication of the moves that were made at any point in history over the game. All moves for all players are pubished, so you can see if the alliance Russia has with Turkey was almost broken when they foolishly attempted to move into Rumania.

Overall, the games you play will be as fun and exciting as if you were in the same room as the people you were playing with. I personally like it a little more, as I can keep some deals secret and don’t have to worry about Brian realizing that I just pulled Olivia into the kitchen to attempt to sway her next moves to help me.

I would recommend you sign up at Playdiplomacy.com and start playing as a basic user. When you feel that you’re ready for a little bit of a different game, go for the Premium package, it adds a lot and lets you choose some options that really make it a different game. However if you’re still not into this whole Internet thing (in which case how are you reading this?) then go and buy the game, grab 6 of your friends and have fun.

Related Posts

1. Dominion: Random Thoughts
2. The Making Of A Game Review
3. The Time And Games Are Flying