Pardon my ignorance of all things relating to Reiner Knizia, which it's now transpired that I should be ashamed to admit. Seems that there's quite alot of board games designed by him now ported to iOS, and they're all supposed to be excellent turn-based strategy games. But with so many to bite into, which one would you say should be the first one to get me hooked? I don't mind paying more money if one thoroughly deserves it, but would appreciate comparative feedback between these Knizia games from those who've experienced the games (either board game or iOS versions). I love playing TBS games, and can quite regularly win on Deity level in Civ Rev... but that's probably not saying much here! My only requirements are that the game runs stable, bug-free on iOS 4.1, and has offline single-player mode. Thanks!
The best Knizia game today is Samurai. I hope to see in this game with real multitasking as Carcassone has (I mean, if I go out of the app, and it's my turn again, I have to start the game and Log In again. In Carcassone it's immediate)
Samurai is a must-buy, but I can't compare to the other ones available as I don't have any of the others (yet). I'd be more inclined to buy the others if they added the same online multiplayer design as Samurai has. I agree that I'd like fast app switching in the game. Hopefully they'll add that soon. Also, once Carcassonne and Samurai get their iPad HD updates, I'm going to find it awfully difficult to resist buying an iPad.
Thirded! With all these thoughts about RK and Carc, it would be nifty if Carc: The Castle would be released as a variant as that's one of my wife and I's favorite boardgames. (Think 2-player Carc.)
Yeah, fourthed. I'd say Samurai is my favorite of the pack at the moment. However, I also really enjoy 2 of the card games (Money and High Society), and find them easier to pick up and play in short bursts than Samurai. Of course you can do that with Samurai as well, but I find that if I leave it for too long, I can't remember what the hell my strategy was in the first place. I have a soft spot for "Money" as it was my first real exposure to Knizia games, and I still enjoy playing it. High Society as well, as it still baffles me (I honestly find that one the most difficult of all the Knizia games... something about the conflicting goals I can't quite wrap my head around consistantly). I also really enjoy Medici. However, in terms of presentation and depth of strategy, I think Samurai is the best out there at the moment. I believe it's also the only one to have an online element.
Samurai If you do not physically close the app in os4, it does remain open. Warning: in a lot of my games, one or even two players have walked away and then you have to "simulate" their moves with AI. Sucks if you ask me.
Speaking of which, I just noticed there's an actual Board Game Section on the app store, but why are there only 16 games shown? There's TONS of board games across all idevices, yet iTunes displays 16 main stream (chess, shanghai, yatzee, scrabble, etc.. you get the picture). I understand if they want to 'highlight' a chunk at a time, but after the first 16, let us hit continue to see the vast amount of other board games. There are many small developers that have amazing board games and you can't find them! One day they'll get the sorting and organization right.
It is a good port of a simple yet 'deep' board game, which is kinda-sorta like Go. On top of that, the AI is very good, which is unusual for computer versions of board games. It is not as good as a short casual game, some of the iPhone versions of RK's games might be better for that. But if you have the time to sit and play, this is excellent. Yes, that list is pretty sad - often their features have around 20-30 games, so I'm kinda surprised they didn't list a few more. Are Yahtzee and Boggle even board games?
LOL - don't think so. Table top I guess, but technically, not board. ;-) BTW (off topic): Is your screen name based on the old Synapse game for the 8-bit computers - because Drelbs was one of my all time favorites (Synapse was the best during that period)!
Wow, thanks for the feedback guys! Really appreciate it. Looks like it's going to be either Samurai or Money to start on. Off-topic: JCat, I thought I recognised that "drelbs" title....! Now I know where from!
I actually went and bought the cheapie $0.99 Robot Master game. It's a card game based on a 5x5 grid, and cards numbered 0-5. The very simple rules deceptively hide a really strategic game that is quickly won and lost, and victory can be turned around with a clever placement! VERY clever! I think I'm a fan of Knizia games now Thanks to all for getting me intrigued!
All of Knizia games are amazing, but my personal favorite is Roto, then it goes Robot Master, and Keltis (both type).
You honestly can't go wrong with any of them. I've got them all (I'm on my second Knizia folder on my phone!) and there isn't a bad one in the bunch. Even the earliest (Poison, Knights of Charlemagne, etc.) are very good, and there are nice representations of different Knizia game types. I think the only ones so far that were specifically designed for the iDevices (no board/card game equivalent) are Roto, Monumental, and Topas which are all variations on match-3 play. Here's my order of enjoyment for the moment (it changes): 1. Medici 2. High Society 3. Samurai 4. Keltis 5. Monumental 6. Ingenious 7. Roto 8. Money 9. Keltis Oracle 10. Robot Master 11. Poison 12. Topas 13. Knights of Charlemagne They're all recommended.
I'll throw my vote in for Samurai. So far it's my only Knizia game but it is very easy to learn and quite fun. You can't go wrong.
I love Samurai and I'm always thinking about what I should be getting next. No online multiplayer often impedes me from getting any of them though. I have been looking at Medici for some time, and I know Ra is coming soon and sounds like it'll be quite good. Just for clarity sake though, which of Keltis/Keltis Oracle is better, and why?
I like Keltis quite a bit better. It is a deeper game, especially if you go the DLC route, and I think the presentation is better as well.
