Blue Moon City Board Game

When Thurn and Taxis won the Spiel des Jahres in 2006, I have to admit that I was a bit surprised. While I thought that the game was simple enough to have won the award, it wasn't that much "fun", and I wondered a bit about the runner up - Blue Moon City (Fantasy Flight Games, 2006 - Reiner Knizia). The board game is based on the Blue Moon card game (one that I have yet to warm to), so I wasn't really interested in it until I heard about its nomination. Then I had to play it to see why Thurn and Taxis was better, and why Knizia once again did not win the highest award in boardgamedom. Well, if I was one of the voters for the Spiel des Jahres, I would certainly have chosen Blue Moon City. The theme is fairly strong in this game, which is unusual for a Knizia game. It is a light, easy to play game that still offers a good deal of choices and some strategy. In fact, Blue Moon City hits that certain niche - a game that's extremely easy to teach and learn, but offers much more than meets the eye. Playing well with two and better with three and four, Blue Moon City may easily be one of the most accessible and fun games of the year. I have a strong feeling that Blue Moon City is going to be played for many years, on the basis of how easy it is to get involved with the game, and the intrigue of possible strategies. It's what I would classify as a "medium" weight game and can be played with most people in casual settings for a fulfilling, entertaining experience. The tremendous components certainly are a plus, and the way the buildings interact with each other is intuitive, as are the multi-purpose cards. I really wasn't expecting to like Blue Moon City as much as I do - and award or not, I expect to draw a lot of folk into gaming with it. Tom Vasel "Real men play board games"