Not so much a marathon, but rather a sprint towards a cliff’s precipitous edge. Orichalcum is more like watching a 4X game online for a minute before cranking it up to max speed. The 4X feels are in the air, but without the sort of commitment often demanded by 4X affairs. I say 4X ish because players will rather loosely and lightheartedly explore their new island, expand their presence, exploit their territory for gain, and exterminate… mythical creatures. Designed by Bruno Cathala ( Five Tribes, Kingdomino) and Johannes Goupy, Orichalcum sets players as Atlantean explorers in search of a new island to replace their home, which has a slight flooding problem. Orichalcum, a 4Xish experience from Pandasaurus Games, takes the opposite approach, promoting the same race intensity, but with full visibility. In Catan, as the modern classic example, you’re in the dark regarding the Development cards in hand, so you’re never quite comfortable that the settler in the next chair isn’t wheeling and dealing to steal away the longest road and, subsequently, the game (along with your hopes and dreams). The intrigue of the sudden ending is amplified by a bit of secret knowledge. Every now and then, though, a game goes back to the jaw-busting uppercut conclusion-and with it the elevated heartbeat and excitement of knowing the end is nigh. The modern shift toward victory points and the grand reveal has made the soft ending far more common. Classic games often progress with a clear tension and end with a knockout blow. There is nothing strange about this notion of a race. Only a sudden winner and an indeterminate number of non-winners. A lesser percentage of games forgo the warning signal in favor of simply springing the immediate end. These are the telltale signs of a player on the verge of ending the game.Įvery game has a trigger of some sort-an action that declares: this will be your final turn, or perhaps, that was your final turn. Skill, pace and fun will only take him so far if he learns to win his fair share of board battles and apply his open-ice intensity and relentlessness to his board game, Barkey could top out as a top-six seat-filler in the NHL.A slight fidget in the chair. He pursues pucks relentlessly in open ice, where he is relatively safe from hard hits, but he shows restraint in his board play involvement. He chains together his tools in ways that contribute to positive results, making him more than the sum of his parts.īarkey is limited in his capacity to contribute defensively, however, by a frail body and a tendency to shy away from contact. He blends head fakes with hip-pocket handling to misdirect defenders, drag pucks between his own legs, stop and curl up on a dime using his polished edgework, and open up passing lanes using his above-average intelligence. The Newmarket, Ontario-native’s skillset, however, transcends those coaching limitations. He oscillates between the second and third line, while mostly seeing second-wave power play minutes. His production is far from elite, but Barkey isn’t tasked with the highest minutes. The 5-foot-8, 170-pound center is plying his trade with the OHL’s London Knights, and is just below a point-per-game pace in 28 games, with seven goals and 20 assists. Every time he gets the puck, his eyes light up, he explodes into his top gear, and he finds increasingly creative ways to advance play towards the opponent’s end. Pat Quinnĭecember 2023 – In a word, Denver Barkey is fun. June 2023 – Barkley was selected 95th overall by the Flyers. Easy to push off pucks and can skate himself into trouble at times, but could top out as a top-six forward if refined properly. Incredibly fun, skilled and shifty undersized forward with high-end playmaking abilities, a constant motor, and an inside-driven mindset. Team: Philadelphia Flyers Courtesy of GameDay London
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