Which Game First: A Board Game Podcast

Which Game First: A Board Game Podcast


Clear the Decks! | Lords of Waterdeep | CIA

September 09, 2019

First up, we’re the boys that fear no noise whilst the thundering cannons roar in Clear the The Decks.Next, we kick back in our posh liars as we get other adventures to quest for us as Lords of Waterdeep.Lastly, we gather intel to quell conflicts, crush coups and undermine uprisings in CIA: Collect It All.

Clear the Decks!

Designed by: Chris PinyanPublished by: Crispy Games (2019)Players: 1 – 4Ages: 10 & upPlaying time: 30 – 90 min

In Clear the Decks! Each player manages their own gun deck of three cannons using a hand of cards that includes ammunition, officers, marines and tactics. 

Depending on the difficulty setting, The Enemy ship is created using a deck of cannon, structure, crew and event cards, which will attack your ship every turn based on what cards are on deck!

You must work together to sink the enemy ship before it sinks you!

Lords of Waterdeep

Designed by: Peter Lee, Rodney ThompsonPublished by: Wizards of the Coast (2012)Players: 2 – 5Ages: 12 & upPlaying time: 60 – 120 min

In Lords of Waterdeep, you are powerful lords vying for control of the City of Splendors. 

You recruit adventurers to go on quests on your behalf, earning rewards and increasing your influence over the city. Purchase new buildings to expand the city and open up new actions on the board.  You may hinder – or help – the other lords by playing Intrigue cards as they fall for your carefully laid plans.

After 8 rounds of play, the player who has accrued the most victory points wins the game.

CIA: Collect It All

Designed by: Randy Lubin, Michael MasnickPublished by: Diegetic Games (2018)Players: 2 – 5Ages: 14 & upPlaying time: 30 min

In CIA: Collect It All, players take on the role of agents who are collecting intelligence and tackling security threats over multiple rounds.

Players start each round with a hand of Intelligence Techniques and Reality Checks.

Ten crisis cards are laid out in the center of the table, which have different aspects and difficulty ratings.

On their turn, a player can attempt to overcome a crisis by playing a number of Techniques that match the crisis’s difficulty and aspects. Then, their opponents have a chance to play Reality Check cards that increase the difficulty of the crisis. The initial player can adapt by playing more cards from their hand. If they still have enough Techniques to overcome the crisis, they take crisis card and earn victory points equal to the number of Techniques used. 

The game ends when a player has accumulated 10 victory points.