The Reiner Knizia winning streak continues as another one of his designs -
Babylonia - is a hit with the family. It's a combination of a bunch of his earlier designs - Through the Desert, Samurai, Tigris & Euphrates, Blue Lagoon - but it all hangs together really well.
My Christmas gift to myself this year was
Struggle of Empires Deluxe, a handsome box of empire-building goodness. The game is always a hit when we can get the 6-7 players together, but the chintzy components - especially the tiny board - let it down. Now the components match the ambition of the design.