D&D PvP (Dungeon Mayhem)

Hello, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to a brand new episode of DUNGEON MAYHEM!  Who will stand on top, will it be the strong, ferocious Barbarian?  Will the mighty Paladin shine on top?  Does magic find its purchase here with the Wizard, or shadows with the Rogue?  Find out in Dungeon Mayhem!  



BACKGROUND: Dungeon Mayhem is a card game designer by Jordan Comar, Roscoe Wetlaufer, and Kyle Ferrin.  It was published by Wizards of the Coast (Yeah, that one) in 2018.  Players take the role of 1 of 4 different D&D themed characters and fight each other until the last one is standing.

GAMEPLAY:  Each players starts with a health tracker at 10, and a hand of 3 and their dungeon deck and reference card.  Each turn, a player plays 1 card from their hand.  Depending on the symbols in the top left, players do different effects.  Crossed swords mean that player can attack another player with a card, whereas lightning bolts allow for more cards played.  Each deck has its own individual effects, such as attacking everybody, or ignoring effects for a turn.



WINNING:  Each time a player's life hits 0, they are eliminated.  The winner is the last player standing.

CONCLUSION: Dungeon Mayhem is a simple game to understand that can be a quick game to enjoy.  Games generally don't last longer than 20 minutes, even when you're starting to learn the game.  Due to the simplicity of the game, you can also pull it out and just play a couple rounds with a group anywhere.  It might be a bit too luck driven if you're looking for a game primary on strategy, but there's enough actual strategy to still enjoy the game for most people.  This is one dungeon you should definitely crawl.

WILSON! (Hellapogos)

When you and your friends were first stranded on this island, your first thought was hey, I was in scouts, we can survive here.  Well, that fell apart when half the people ended up sick from either food poisoning or snake bites, and the fishing was terrible.  Water only happens when it rains, which either leads to a flood or a drought.  As the night draws close, you stand at the campfire, and proclaim the name of this island:
"Hellapogos"



BACKGROUND:  Heellapagos is a "co-opetition" board game for 3-12 players and designed by  Laurence Gamelin and Philippe Gamelin and published by Gigamic.  Players try to work together to get as many as 1 player off a deserted island by building a raft and gathering food and supplies.  However, be careful, as if you don't have enough food or water, someone might die.

GAMEPLAY:  The game takes place in days, starting with the Leader.  First, the Weather changes by flipping over a weather card.  Each player takes one action during their turn.  Finally, drop the Food and Water trackers by the number of players, and pass the Leader token to the next player.  Players also have a hand of cards to play at any time.



ACTIONS:
1. Gathering Wood-Advance the Wood tracker on the board by one stage, then randomly draw from the bag to gather extra wood.  Every brown ball will add 1 to the track, but if the player doesn't stop drawing before the black ball is drawn, they get a Sick card and no extra wood.
2. Collecting Water:  Advance the Water track according to the number on the Weather
3. Go Fishing:  Draw a ball from the bag.  Raise the food tracker by the number of fish on the ball.
4. Salvage:  Draw a card from the deck, located in the Ship stand.



SICK & DYING:  If at any time the Food or Water tracker would hit below 0, it stops and a vote happens.  The leader counts to 3, and each player chooses any player (including themselves) to be chosen to die.  A player can survive if chosen to be eliminated by discarding a card of the missing resource.  After the vote, only a number of players equal to the number of available
rations remain, while the others die.  If a resource is ever at 0 during collection, all players will die unless they discard to same themselves.  If a player gets a Sick card, they cannot vote, play cards, or take an action during the next round.

WINNING:  At the end of a round, players check after decreasing the Food and Water tracker to see if victory is met.  To win, there must be a number of Seats on the raft equal to players and an amount of Food and Water equal to the number of players.  Whenever the wood tracker hits 6, add a Seat to the raft, and reset to 0.  However, if the Hurricane card is flipped, the rounds end, and players must eliminate players until either victory is met or everyone is dead.

CONCLUSION:  Hellapogos is hard.  There's a certain level of strategy and planning that can be screwed up by a lack of drawing good cards or enough fish.  This is really a game about struggling to find a solution when the odds are against you.  That's fine, but the level of RNG can be frustrating when you know that you're close to finishing, and there's that brick wall in the way.  Also, this is a game about communication, so make sure to talk to your players or you could end up dead very quickly.  Heck, because of the gun and bullet cards, you can end up dead quickly regardless, depending on if the players are going for one strategy and you're going for another.  If you have ever wanted to see how hard it would be for your friends to survive a shipwreck on an island, and who would die first, play this.  If you like high levels of difficulty, play this.  If it isn't your forte, however, then just sail past this island.

To Boldly Go (Star Trek Panic)

Captain's Log: Stardate -304110.774.  We have become stranded in the past, during the time that humans used to call Thanksgiving.  We have been invited to stay for the holiday, and until we can find a way back, I don't see that we have much a choice to blend in. I personally have talked with the youngest of the family, who seems fascinated with board games, especially one titled Star Trek Panic, a game that somehow dictates Captain James Kirk's adventures in the future.



BACKGROUND:  Star Trek Panic is a board game for 1-6 players, designed by Justin De Witt and published by Fireside Games and USAopoly in 2016.  Players take the role of a member of the NCC-1701 Enterprise from The Original Series, and do the same missions that Kirk and his crew did in the series.

GAMEPLAY:  This game is based on Castle Panic, and uses the same turn order.  Players start their turn by first drawing Enterprise cards, then trade cards with each other.  The turn player plays cards to deal with any threats on the board, then when they are done, the 'monsters' or ships move, damaging the 'walls' or shields, and the ship itself.  Finally, the player draws 2 new threats before passing the turn, rolling and placing them on the board, with some threats having special effects.

DIFFERENCES:  There are a few major differences, however.  Before you trade, you draw a Mission card.  The Mission cards determine what your goal is and how many turns you have to finish. The Enterprise can also Maneuver during Play Cards phase.  Unlike Castle Panic, which is divided into color rings, the Enterprise cards are based on position.  You can move one section left or right, or "Move Forward", i.e., move all ships in front of Enterprise towards the ship.



WINNING:  To beat Castle Panic, you had to slay all the monsters.  To beat Star Trek Panic, you must complete a predetermined number of missions, but failing is easy.  Failing a mission just requires you to go to the next mission.  If the Enterprise loses 3 sections of its hull, it can't Maneuver, and losing all 6 sections destroys the ship and ends the game.

CONCLUSION:  Star Trek Panic feels like a natural evolution to Castle Panic.  The ability to move and adapt to the board makes a strong mechanic to an already great game, and help suppliment the randomness of the cards.  Obviously, there's still a chance of random element, but it doesn't punish as bad as it could.  The missions can range from easy to impossible, depending on the ship's condition.  The ability to adjust the length and the ability to use character abilities during your card play phase adds another strong element.  Really, what can I say but I suggest you go where no one has gone before, and pick up Star Trek Panic if you're a fan of the original game or the original series.

Hope You Have the Time of Your Life (Timelines)

History, the thing which makes up our past.  That which defines our generation, and generations to come.  The subject that a lot of high school students struggled in.  We know that so many people try to know their history, or be doomed to repeat it, but how many can be sure when the steam engine was exactly invented?  What about Big Ben, or the date Sputnik was shot into space?  Guess, or know, the Timeline is waiting for you.



BACKGROUND:  Timelines is a card game designed by Frédéric Henry, and published by Asmodee in 2012.  Players try to be the first to guess when various inventions were created, and when certain events happened.

GAMEPLAY:  Each player is dealt a hand of cards with various events and objects, the side with the year face-down.  A single card is placed between all players, with the date side face-up, as the start of the "timeline". Each turn, a player chooses a card in front of them, and places it somewhere in the timeline, in front of or behind any cards in the row, and then flip the card. 



WINNING:  If the date lines up appropriately, place the card in the line.  If it doesn't, they discard the card and draw a new one.  A player wins by getting rid of all the cards in their hand in a round.  In the case of multiple players going out in a round, those players are dealt another card, and keep playing until a winner is decided.

CONCLUSION:  Timelines is a game about dates and history.  This is going to put a lot of people off, and I can't say I blame them.  However, the difficulty of the game is well balanced by the simplicity of the game mechanics.  I've seen and reviewed too many games that are too difficult for players because they don't know how to balance the mechanics and the subject matter.  Timelines knows this, so for a game that can be incredibly difficult to know the answers to, it simplifies the gameplay, allowing for a smoother, more stream-lined experience.  There's quite a few editions of this game, so there's quite a bit of variety for each group.  If you enjoy history or simpler games mechanically, follow the timeline and play it for yourself

Fake Out Your Friends (Truth Be Told)

Question:  On a desert island, if it really came down to it, which friend would you eat first?  Who needs to be saved?  Another one:  Which limb would you chop off?  Truth Be Told, I don't know if I could answer either of these questions, but you can sure try.



BACKGROUND:  Truth Be Told is a party game for 3-8 players and was published by Buffalo Games.  Players attempt to guess from a clue how the player answered, either by writing or drawing.

GAMEPLAY:  Each turn, a player reads a question from the list of the card chosen.  The player reading writes their answer on the Fill in the Blank card as truthfully as possible, while every other player then writes what they think would mislead players into guessing their clue on their Fill in the Blank card.  They are all kept face-down and shuffled.  Once all players submit answers, the reader reads all the answers.



WINNING:  Players then write on their paddle what they think the answer is.  The player who read the clue gets a point for every correct vote, and each player guessing the correct answer gets a point.  Players also get 1 point for each vote their fake answer received.  The first player to 15 points wins, with any ties going to a final round.

CONCLUSION:  This is one of the more simple party games, that really only needs a rule set and scraps of paper, and a list of random questions.  I can see this as an easy ice-breaker game, or maybe if you really want to get to know your friends, but there are so many better games that do that, and are a lot more fun.  This is the game that everyone is too hot or tired to play something better.

The Final Fantasy of Theme Month (Chocobo's Crystal Hunt)

Welcome back to the final week of Theme Month: Classics with a twist.  This one will actually be posted on the 1st of November, as the last day is Halloween.  
So for the finale, I thought what better way than to review a version on what is probably the simplest and, really, most boring game I could think of.  The game in question: Old Maid, to be rivaled with War.  The game, Chocobo's Crystal Hunt.  Let's see where the hunt takes us.



BACKGROUND: Chocobo's Crystal Hunt is a card game for 3-5 players, and was designed by Yoshihiro and published by Square Enix.  Chocobo's come from the game franchise, Final Fantasy, and are a staple in the game.  Players use these creatures to find crystals, but must look out for monsters.

GAMEPLAY:  Each player starts with a Fat (white) Chocobo, 1 elemental Crystal of their type, and one random card from the deck.  Each turn, a player draws a card, and reveals either a Fat Chocobo or Yellow Chocobo to look at a card in the opponents hand.  If it's a Crystal, the player takes it.  If the Yellow Chocobo was played, the player may continue attempting to find Crystals in any players hand.  If a Chocobo is revealed, the turn ends, and the Chocobo is discarded if it was Yellow, or returns to the hand if it was Fat.



MONSTERS:  There are 2 Monster cards to trigger if revealed.  The fiery Bomb forced the turn player to place a Crystal on the bottom of the deck.  The two one-eyed Ahriman forces the player to reveal their hand to the player that was attacked.

WINNING:  A round ends once any player gathers either all 4 different Crystal Elements, or 6 Crystals.  The player is granted a Victory Token, marked with a crown.  The first player to get to two Victory Tokens wins.

CONCLUSION:  Despite its colorful box, gorgeous artwork, and attempt at something different, this is Old Maid.  That being said, it does try to do something unique and original with its good, bad, and win scenario.  As with any Final Fantasy work, the strongest point is the art.  Square Enix has always pushed the visual aspect of every Final Fantasy piece, and this is no different.  Chocobo's Crystal Hunt is a game that I can enjoy in small bursts with young people, or those who love Final Fantasy, but don't expect this game to blow your mind.  But every once in a while, it's fine to just put on some To Zanarkand, pour a glass of cider, and play something nice and chill.

Who Ordered Dominoes? (Pip)

Welcome to the next week of Theme Month.  This time we look into a variation of one of the most well-known games, Dominoes.  Now, there are more variations of Dominoes then there are of almost any game, such as Spinners, Forth-Two, and Threes and Fives, so I had to really narrow it down to the one I thought had the most impact on me, or the one I played more recently, Pip!



BACKGROUND:  Pip is a tile game published in 1991 by Puremco.  It is a variation on the game of dominoes, with a few new twists thrown in.

GAMEPLAY:  Just like in Dominoes, players start with a hand of 9 tiles (15 for 2 players), while the rest remain face-down. The turn plays along the chain of dominoes by matching the same number of dots, or pips, on both sides.  If a player cannot play, they draw from the stock pile, and then must either play a tile or pass to the next player clockwise.

SPECIAL:  Unlike most Dominoes, there are 5 special tiles, which have effects when played, but which still must be matched:

• Pip: Represented by a P with 3 arrows on the bottom, is a wild and can represent any tile.
• S: Skip the next player
• R: Reverses play order
• A: Gives that player an additional turn.
• D:  The next player draws a tile from the stock pile. If there's none in the stock pile, the player using the D tile passes a tile from their hand to the next player.

STARTING:  The game starts by any player first playing either the double 1 tile, or the double "Pip" tile, which turns into double ones.  If neither is drawn, one player draws from the stock, and the next player draws until a tile can be placed.  The next player then starts with either a 1 or a pip horizontal to the tile.  The next players then play on either the un-played side of the original domino, or on the previously played domino.  Players are free to play on either side of any domino, or on the top and bottom of the starting tile once both sides of the starting tile have had play.

DOUBLES:  When a Double is played, it is placed vertical to the tile.  Then, unless it is the starting tile, the next three plays must be played on the double using either a corresponding number tile or a wild-pip tile, until it makes a three tile path, which any player may play on.

WINNING:  The round is over when any player runs out of tiles in their hand, or when no player can place a tile from his hand, and the stock pile has been depleted, called blocked.  Players then score the tiles in their hand, with Pips being their number, Specials (besides Pip) worth 25, single Pips worth 20, and double Pips worth 50.  If a player ended with 0 tiles in hand, they score -10 points, to a minimum score of 0. The next round starts with either a double Pip or double 2, with the starting tile being the round number.  The player with the lowest score at the end of the 9th round wins.

CONCLUSION:  Pip is a Dominoes game.  Shocking, I know, but let me explain what I mean.  At the end of the day, even with it's special center piece holder, or its weird tiles, or even its ability to play more tiles, it is Dominoes.  Sure, it may look flashier, but unlike the other games I've reviewed this month, there's not a lot that changes it from just playing Dominoes.  Now, does that mean that you shouldn't play it, that it's just the same game with another skin, like most 'versions' of Monopoly?  Not necessarily.  While it is true that Pip is just Dominoes, it does have enough to be surprising, to stand out that it really is worth a look.  Just, if you want to try it, expect it to be Dominoes, and nothing else.

Sorry, Not Sorry (Jokers and Marbles)

Welcome back to Flipping the Table: classics with a twist.  Tonight we'll be looking at the board/card combination game Jokers and Marbles, and then at 5, I will put on a purple thing and dance around.  At 6 o'clock with the news, then at 9, 4 hours of utter black paired with Gregorian chanting.  Ladies and Gentlemen, the game.

BACKGROUND: Jokers and Marbles is a board and card game for 3-8 players.  Originally published sometime in the 1970's, it shares features with Aggrevation and Sorry.  Players move their characters from their start around the board.

GAMEPLAY:  Each player starts with 5 marbles in their home and a hand of 5 cards.  Each turn, the player draws and plays a card.  Players must play a card if they are able, and discard one if they cannot.  Players may never have their pawns pass another pawn they control, but other players pawns are fine.



MOVEMENT:  Aces and face cards (J,Q,K) allows the player to move out of their start.  Ace through 6 moves 1 through 6 spaces, respectively.  7 can move one pawn forward, or split the movement between two pawns to total 7 spaces moved.  8 moves backwards, 9 splits movement like 7, but moves one pawn backwards, and one forwards.  10 and face cards also allow you to move forward 10, and Jokers swap spaces between the turn players pawn and another players.  If a pawn is swapped from Start, however, that other players pawn is sent back to their Start.

TEAMS:  There is also a team mode.  Play normally, with players only worrying about their pawns.  The catch is once a player gets all their pawns to their Home, they now start moving their teammates pawns with their cards.

WINNING:  Just like Sorry, players win by getting their pieces into the Home first, but make sure to be accurate, you can't pass your own pieces in Home either.

CONCLUSION:  Jokers and Marbles has a lot of really strong points going for it, especially when compared to its counterpart, Sorry.  By having a hand, customizable boards to fit up to 8 players, and the ability to play with teammates, their are a lot of options and ways to strategize here.  I do have two points of contention, however.  The first is that if you truly dislike Sorry, I wouldn't hold much hope here, but you should still give it a chance to see just how different it is.  The second is the inability to pass pawns.  Now, while I know the other games do that too, I still think it reduces your ability to play cards, and therefore your options decrease.  Even with that said, I think it's a solid game, and a great replacement to the same game nights.

Own the Mushroom Kingdom (Monopoly Gamer)

Oh, hello!  This week we look at both this month's theme, and a previous theme.  By coming both Video Games and Oldies with a Twist, we get the all-powerful Gamer Monopoly!  



BACKGROUND:  Gamer Monopoly is a board game for 2-4 players, and was produced in 2017 by Hasbro and Nintendo.  Players take control of Mario and his friends to run around the board a la Monopoly, and fight the bosses, including King Koopa AKA Bowser.

GAMEPLAY:  Like traditional Monopoly, you roll and move your character from the start to buy property with Gold Coins, or other effects based on the board space.  However, players now roll both the regular movement six sided die, and the ability die, which gives them an effect according to the character card.



PROPERTIES:  Landing on a property still requires the player to pay the owner the amount indicated on the card.  Another unique feature is the lack of hotels and mortgage.  Instead of hotels, if a player lands on another players property, they are merely paid double. If a player runs out of coins, they either sell property back to the bank or to other players for a price.  If a player has neither coins nor property, they lose, and are removed from the game.

BOSSES:  Once a player lands on or passes GO, that player flips a Boss card and may fight the Boss by paying its roll cost.  If the player does not meet or beat the number, they lose and pass the opportunity to fight the boss to the next player.  If any player does manage to beat or hit the number, they collect the Boss card.  However, if all players pass and no one manages to beat the Boss, the Boss is removed from the game.

WINNING:  Each property and Boss card has a point value at the end.  When Bowser is either defeated or flees, the game is over.  Players total up their point values on the cards, with every 5 coins worth 10 points.  The winner is the player with the most points at the end, with ties going to the player with more property.

CONCLUSION:  I hate Monopoly.  That might seem like rather harsh thing to say, but if there is a game I dislike over all games, it's Monopoly.  It's long, dull, and uninteresting.  So, when Monopoly Gamer came out, I was...skeptical.  After all, almost all other versions of Mario are the same with a new skin, so why should this one be different.  There's even a previous Monopoly Super Mario Bros.  After playing it, I can say that this version of Mario is enjoyable.  There's a set gameplay end, so I never felt like my time was wasted waiting for 1 player to just finally win with their massive lead.  The elimination rule is also helpful, as is the lack of punishing players with mortgages and hotels.  If there's one problem I have, it's that, in the end, it's still Monopoly.  Sure, it's been vastly improved, but Monopoly is Monopoly, warts and all.  It's still unbalanced, unfair, with uninspired gameplay.  Still, if you are a video gamer turned board gamer, just recognize the theme, or you don't and this sounds good, give it a play.  This is one game that surpasses its brothers by a large degree.

Not One, But Two (DOS)

Welcome back to theme month!  This months going to be a little different, so hang on to your butts!  The theme this October is Classics with a Twist.  We'll look at variations of games I normally wouldn't review.  The point of this blog is to get people into games that aren't seen in everyone's closet.  This month, I hope that people can find fun alternatives to those games, and the first one is Dos, the sequel to Uno.



BACKGROUND:  Dos is a card game published in 2018 as a variation on the classic Uno, designed by Nick Hayes for 2-4 players.

GAMEPLAY:  Dos starts with 2 cards in the "center row", rather than just 1 pile.  On their turn, players match either one or both cards in their hand to the cards in the center.  Cards can be matched by Number, with any color, or by Addition, which requires two cards that add up to the top card.  Wild Dos cards count as any colored 2, and # cards count as any number of that color

BONUS:  If a player manages to match both number and color, they play an additional card into the center row.  If a players plays two cards that add up to a number and both match the color, they play a card in the center and all other players draw an additional card.



WINNING:  The first player to get rid of all the cards in their hand wins the round and all point values in each players hand.  Similar to Uno, a player must call Dos when they have exactly 2 cards in their hand, or draw 2 cards as a penalty if another player calls it out on them.

CONCLUSION:  Dos is obviously an attempt to capitalize on Uno's success, like SkipBo or It Came To Pass.  However, the complexity in the rules has changed.  Complex rules, however, do not a good board game make.  The rules feel unnecessarily complicated, especially if they wanted to evoke a game like Uno.  I applaud Mattel for trying something different, and expanding what they're known for, but really, Dos just feels like a flop.  Uno has stayed a staple of card games for a reason, it's simple to learn even at a young age, but Dos isn't, and I don't expect many to enjoy this once-off game.

Ninja Pirate vs Zombie Robot (Smash Up)

The Wizard-Ninja snuck into the base, their wands and shuriken ready to deal with any foes that might pop up.  After dealing with the Ghost-Aliens, They knew the Super Spy Geeks and the C'thulhu Cultist Killer Plants were next.  And then they saw them, the dreaded Kaiju Teddy Bears.  If this sounds like bad fan fiction, you're not half wrong.  It's Smash Up, where 2 become one, even if they're as silly as Giant Ant Grannies.  Smash Up the world!



BACKGROUND: Smash Up is a card game for 2-4 players, and was designed by Paul Peterson and published by Alderac Entertainment Group. It describes itself as a "shufflebuilding", where players take 2 seperate types of characters, like Faries and Dinosaurs, and shuffles them together to invade locations and prove they are the best pair of all.

GAMEPLAY:  Each player chooses 2 factions and shuffles their decks together.  Then the number of players +1 Bases are put out in the center of the table.  Each turn, a player may play up to 1 Minion on a base, and up to one Action card.  Minions are always played on a base, whereas Action cards may be played on a Minion, a Base, or just played.  Some cards may be played in addition to these actions, such as discarding them to give their effect, and some have Talents, which can be used once per turn during the card play phase.  Any card still not in play is discarded.



BASES:  Bases have 3 large numbers in the center, and a smaller number in the top left, as do minions.  At the end of a players turn, when the number on all the Minions in a base are equal to or higher than the bases smaller number, the base is discarded, generally with the player with the higher number total on the base scoring Victory Points (VP) equal to the left large number, the 2nd most scoring the middle number, the 3rd scoring the right number, and other players scoring nothing.  Some bases have effects which change the play style.  Finally, the base is discarded and replaced, and all cards on the base are sent to their players' respected discard piles.



WINNING:  The first player to get 15 or more VP ends the game, with the winner being the player with the most VP.

CONCLUSION:  Smash Up is probably one of the hardest games to both explain and get a good grasp on in terms of card games.  There's a huge, complex, delicate strategy constantly going on may an usually will need to be changed in the drop of a hat.  Even in the base form, it can be a struggle to get your plans to work, not to mention that with the inclusion of close to 15 expansions and 60 separate factions, there's a lot to play with and remember.  Smash Up can still be quite enjoyable, but this is the game that you play with your gaming friends on a Friday night, not your relatives who are just starting to learn board games, or the ones whose most advanced game is Dominoes.  Still, it's a lot of fun to Smash Up a few factions and see which ones come out on top.

Matching Shoes (Spot It)

Hey kids!
Have you ever wanted to play a game?  How about a game that your parents will think is both fun and educational?  Well, try Spot It!  Spot It in your local game store! (Batteries not required)



BACKGROUND: Spot It or Dobble is a card game for 2-8 players, originally created in 2009.  Spot it is a matching game with multiple game modes.

MODES:  There are 5 different ways to play Spot it, each one being some kind of matching game:

• TOWER:  Each player starts with 1 card, and tries to find a symbol from the card on top of the center pile to put on top of their pile.  Once the pile runs out, the player with the most cards wins.
• WELL:  The Tower in reverse.  Players start with a pile of face-down cards, with one in the center face-up.  Flip the top one over, trying to put their card on the top of the pile in the center.  The player to get rid of their cards wins.
• HOT POTATO:  Each player has a card flat in their hand, and tries to give their card(s) to another player by matching a symbol.  The round ends when only one player has all the players cards.  The winner is the player with the least amount of cards in a set amount of turns.
• POISONED GIFT:  Each player starts with 1 card.  Players try to match the center pile card with another players card.  The player with the fewest number of cards wins the game. 
• TRIPLET: Place the cards in a 3x3 grid.  Then, players try to find a symbol on 3 cards to collect, and replace those with 3 new cards from the deck.  The player to collect the most cards when there are fewer than 9 cards left wins.

CONCLUSION:  Spot It is a good pattern matching game.  It is a simple, light game that allows for players who don't like one mode to just ignore entirely.  The problem is that most of the modes are basically remixes of the other modes.  This game is great for families or people who prefer lighter games that don't require a ton of strategy or complexity, or for those whose game night requires a small break.  It can get competitive and people have been known to be accidentally hit during this game.  Still, this is one that if you can Spot It, you should get it.

Where Have All The Chickens Gone? (Chupacabra: Survive the Night)

There are those who stalk the night, rumored to be created when one betrays another.  They travel alone, with glowing red eyes and long, sharp teeth.  Their claws are stronger than bone, and they are faster than any beast.  You know they are around when the cries of your goats are silenced, and when the blood is gone from them.  They are El Chupacarbas, the Chupacabra.  And there's one BEHIND YOU!



BACKGROUND:  Chupacabra: Survive the Night is a dice game for 2-4 players.  It was designed by David Blanchard, Brian Frodema, John Jacobsen, and artist Alex Fernandez, and was published by Steve Jackson Games.  Players take the role of a Chupacabra and attempt to steal other players dice and eat all the cattle.

GAMEPLAY:  Each turn, all players roll their dice, and sort them into types.  Starting with the first player and going clockwise, each player with a pair of red eyes, or a Chupacabra, attacks.  It takes 2 Chupacabra to take 1 Bull, or 1 Chupacabra to take 1 Goat or 2 Chickens.  Groups, or Herds, may never be broken apart, so in order to steal a whole Herdfrom one player, the player must use the equivalent number of Chupacabras, i.e., rolling 2 Chupacabras can be used to steal 4 Chickens from a player, if they have 3 or 4, but may not be used to steal if they have more Chickens.  Players may also not steal dice if they have already been stolen from another player.



LOCO:  Once all players have either attacked or passed, all players roll both their stolen and their remaining dice, and attack again with the next player going first.  If a player ever ends up rolling all Chupacabras, they go Loco!  They can now steal any Herd, regardless of size.

WINNING:  Once a player is out of dice, they are eliminated.  The winner is the last player with all the dice.

CONCLUSION:  Chupacabra is a typical Jackson dice game.  Simple, easy, and to the point, there's a good amount going for it to help break up a typical game night.  Just like C'thulhu and Zombie Dice, it's a game entirely build on luck.  Surprisingly, the biggest weakness I have with the game is not in the mechanics, but the dice themselves.  This is designed to be a dice game that glows in the dark.  Now while that sounds like a really clever and neat idea, in practice it's far more underwhelming.  The dice really are too small for the paint to hold much of a charge, especially the red eyes, so it can e hard to identify what is which animal.  The paint itself can fade pretty quickly, making it hard to know what the animal was to begin with even in the light.  So while the game is fine, I would suggest that if it interests you, buy the game and make your own dice that don't rub off. 

Best of the Worst (Disney's Villainous)

Aladdin, Ariel, Hercules.  At one time or another, we've imagined being a hero like these in a story, to emuate their strength, or their courage.  But how often have we imagined taking the role of the villains? How we love to hate them, with their flair for the dramatic, and their utter presence in every scene.  A hero is good, but a villain is grand!  To take their roles and prove we could succeed where they failed would be truly Villainous. 



BACKGROUND:  Villainous is a card game for 2-6 players, designed by Prospero Hall and published by Wonder Forge, where you take the role of a famous Disney villain to thwart both fate and canon and become the ruler of your realm.

GAMEPLAY:  During their turn, a player moves into any unlocked space on their board.  Some locations, like the Cave of Wonder, are locked until a card is played, but others, like Prince Eric's Palace in Ursula's Realm, must be moved to simulate transforming from land dweller to sea dweller.  Each Location in the Realm determines what actions you can take on your turn, with any others unavailable to use that turn.  Some actions grant you Power, which is used to play certain cards and abilties, discard cards, or even to play a card or move cards to an adjacent Location.  Turns end by drawing up to 4 cards.  If either the colored Villain deck or the white Fate deck runs out, shuffle the discard into a new deck.



FATE:  Whenever a person uses a Fate action, they reveal 2 cards from another players Fate deck.  The player doing the action chooses one and applies its effects, and the other is discarded.  If it is a Hero, it is placed in the targeted players Realm, usually covering certain Actions so that players may not use those being covered.  In 5-6 player games, the Fate token is given to a player so that they may not be targeted by the Fate action twice in a row.  Multiple Heroes may be in the same location, but multiple Heroes may not be Vanquished with a single Vanquish action.  Only one may be Vanquished with one action.



VANQUISH:  Vanquish is a action applying to Heroes and Allies.  Allies are generally used to Vanquish a Hero in their Realm.  Certain Items can be equipped to Allies to raise the power of the Allies.  The Power of both Heroes and Allies are located in the bottom left.  To Vanquish a hero, the Ally or Allies must be in the same location as the Hero, and Heroes are discarded from the Realm until their Strength matches or exceeds the Hero, then the Hero is discarded.

WINNING:  A player wins when certain conditions are met on their board.  Some must start their turn with their objectives, while others merely need to meet those objectives.

CONCLUSION:  This game has some really unique, interesting things going for it that make it both worthy of praise and a detriment.  The theme is both original and exciting, which is also how I would describe the game.  The fact that affecting a player and slowing them down only occurs indirectly is fascinating, and leads to some really interesting maneuvers, without sacrificing the theme of the game.  However, that also means that you once a player starts to get the pieces they need for victory, it can snowball, i.e., it can make it really hard to stop them from winning.  Some of the Villains win conditions seem a little unbalanced, like Prince John's, but after playing it a few times, it is possible for any player to win.  The biggest drawback is the turn length's, which takes longer for newer players as it's mechanically so different, and the card system.  Like every other card game, it is really easy to just have no cards that work for you, and because discarding is an action you have to land on to use, it makes a dead hand that much worse.  Still, if you want an interesting, quirky, and uniquely solid game, make a wish and become Villainous.

But She Don't Care (Ticket to Ride)

All aboard!  All aboard!  
Tickets, please!  Thank you, sir or madame, and welcome to the Moon, one of the most luxurious and prestigious inter-continental trains to exist.  It may not be the fastest, but it's one of the best, if I do say so myself.  Well, on to the next car, must check everyone has their Ticket to Ride.  Tickets, please!



BACKGROUND:  Ticket to Ride is a board game for 2-5 players, published by Days of Wonder and designed by Alan R. Moon.  Connect the cities of North America with the most modern and convenient way of traveling, the steam powered engine.

GAMEPLAY:  Each player starts with being dealt 3 Destination Tickets secretly, which determine what routes a player must take over the course of the game.  A player may keep either 2 or 3 tickets, with any not kept placed at the bottom of the Destination deck.  A player may take only one of three actions on their turn, Draw Train Car cards, Claim a Route, or Draw Destination Tickets.



DRAW TRAIN CAR:  Each player gets a hand of various colored Train Car cards.  Each turn, a player may either claim a combination of 2 solid colored cards from the 5 cards in the stockpile and/or draw blindly from the deck, or 1 rainbow colored Locomotive.  Players may not take a Locomotive if they claimed a Train Car card.  If 3 or more Locomotives are ever in the stockpile, shuffle the stockpile into the deck, and reveal 5 new cards, repeat as necessary

CLAIM A ROUTE:  Instead of drawing cards, players may instead claim a route on the board.  To do so, players must discard a number of matching colored train cards equal to the number of spaces between two connecting cities that hasn't been claimed, then place their trains onto that route.  Some are grey, and can be claimed with any trains, but some routes are colored, and can only be claimed with matching colors.  If there are any two wide, the player only claims one of those sides, so a 2 by 4 would only require 2 cards, and connect a straight line to the next city.  Locomotives count as any color.



DESTINATIONS:  Each Destination card has a set of two cities that players must make an unbroken line of trains from.  Any pathway may be used, but a set of trains must go from one city to the other in a continuous path with no breaks.  Each Destination has a number of points to score in the bottom right if a player makes that destination, or deduct if they fail that destination at the end of the game.  If a player chooses to Draw Destination Tickets, that player draws 3 Destination cards.  They must keep at least 1 card, but can keep 2 or all 3.  Any not kept go to the bottom of the Destination deck.

WINNING:  Each time a route is claimed, the player scores based on the length of the route, kept track of on the sides of the board.  Once a player is down to 2 or fewer trains, every player gets 1 more turn.  Then, points for the longest unbroken route and all successful and unsuccessful Destinations are scored after the last players turn. The player with the most points wins.

CONCLUSION:  Ticket to Ride is surprisingly easy to learn, and I've always had fun playing it.  It allows for strategy without being overly complicated.  It is no surprise, then, that this game has had the lasting power it has, with over 20 expansions and stand alone variations.  With all these versions, the base game can seem a little tame and bland by comparison, with many players I've seen preferring an alternate version or adding expansions.  It also is never a short game.  With each player getting 45 trains to place down, even an ideally quick game is still going to last a half hour or so.  Still, it never really outstays its welcome, even if things can seem to get a little tedious towards the end.  There is also the point that once you have an idea of where players are going, it's possible to slow down or even prevent players from succeeding on their tickets.  Overall, this is a strong game that deserves the recognition it has.  If you haven't tried this, find some friends and catch this train.

I'm Floating in a Most Peculiar Way (Jim Henson's Labyrinth: The Board Game)

"Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to this castle."  This was the line that started the character Sarah through a voyage that I would never forget.  Normally this part would be a funny little blurb, but allow me to indulge a little, as I tell you of two movies that helped shape my life and the path that led me here, both influenced by a man named Jim Henson.  The first was the Dark Crystal, a fantasy world that showed me the light and dark that must exist in everyone, and the Labyrinth, which helped me understand how stories flow, and find my love with the utter bizarre.  Today, I'll be looking at the game of the latter.  This...is Labyrinth.



BACKGROUND:  Labyrinth: The Board Game is a roll and push for 2-4 players, or 5 if one takes the role of Jareth.  It was designed by Alessio Cavatore and published by River Horse Ltd.  Players take the roles of the 4 main characters Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Diddymus, and of course Sarah, from the movie Labyrinth to get Sarah's baby back from the Goblin King.

GAMEPLAY:  Unlike most games, players move in a set pattern: 1st is Hoggle, then Sir Diddymus, Ludo, and then Sarah. After Sarah moves, the clock advances by 1.  Each turn, a player may either move, or rest.  To determine Speed, roll the die indicated on the card, and move either left or right.  Once a player or players land on an empty space, they draw a Labyrinth card.

LABYRINTH:  Once a Labyrinth card is drawn, follow the effect of the card.  Some will grant the player a 1 time use ability, in addition to their characters own 1 time use ability.  Others will be challenges.  Challenges can take the form of rolling a stat vs another die and beating or tying the number, or even fulfilling movie quotes.  Each challenge has a success and fail condition on the card.  Failure usually causes the characters Willpower to decrease.

GROUP:  If 2 or more characters share a space when a player starts their turn, the turn player may do a group movement, or group rest. When moving as a group, roll the die with the fewest number between the shared group.  Players may also lay down and rest.  A card is not drawn, and roll the 6 sided die.  If it lands on a 4, 5, or 6, any one player in the space gains a Willpower up to their maximum of 6.  However, if players move as a group, those players may all roll for any challenge, unless otherwise stated.  All players roll, and if any succeed, all players succeed.  If all players fail, every player takes the penalty.



UNDESIRABLE:  There are 2 Undesirable square spaces players may land on: the Oubliette, and the Bog of Eternal Stench.  The Oubliette causes a forced Rest on their turn, and any player whose Willpower hits 0 will start their turn there, but you do not roll to get a Willpower back, instead just gaining one when your turn starts.  The Bog forces the player to roll their speed die, with a 1 or a 2 causing the player to lose a Willpower and gain a Smells Bad token, which prevents you from working with a group unless you meet a specific roll.

GOBLIN CITY:  The players are trying to find the gate to the goblin city, which is going to be at least 20 cards down. Once drawn, characters may enter the city and challenge the Goblin Defense Obstacles. , then she goes to the Oubliette or rolls again. If she wins a roll then she recites the spell and the players win the game.

WINNING:  If the clock goes from 13 back to 1, the players lose.  Sarah is the only one that can enter the maze in the castle and test wits against Jared rolling her Wits vs Blue die.  Each time she fails, the clock advances, and she rolls again on her turn.  When she succeeds, the player recites the quote Sarah said to the Goblin King.  If successful, the players win.

CONCLUSION:  I'm going to start this with the games 2 biggest weaknesses.  First, this is obviously a movie tie-in product, but the game emphasizes that with both the win condition, and certain challenges.  If you want to know what the game's like, watch the movie before you play, and if you don't like the movie, you won't enjoy the game.  Second, this game is hard a lot of the time.  I get that it emphasizes the struggle between Sarah and Jareth in the movie, but that doesn't make the game less diffiicult and based on die rolls.  Now, with that out of the way, my final feelings is that if you enjoy the movie like I did, it won't matter as much.  It is a game that is still fairly fun, and really brings out its theme.  I won't say it's the best, but there are a lot worse games out there than something like this.  Just like the movie, it's a decent romp through an interesting world.  The long and the short, consider playing if you liked the movie.

Shaken, not Stirred (Shifty Eyed Spies)

Agent Stephens reporting:
I have successfully made my way to downtown Paris, where my contact is supposedly meeting me, if I deciphered the clues correctly.  We at S.E.S are known to hire the best spies of the business, but even the best of us get caught and intercepted, or misinterpret our contacts.  That seems to be my contact with the red umbrella.  Agent Stephens, out.



BACKGROUND:  Shifty Eyed Spies is a hidden role card game for 4-8 players designed by Prospero Hall and published by Big G Creative.  Players attempt to deliver intel to other players at various locations.

GAMEPLAY:  Each player has 2 cards at all times, a Deliver Intel card with a characters face on it who is in the game, and a Receive Intel location which is somewhere on the table.  Spies wink at other spies to indicate they have their characters Deliver card.  Once winked at, the spy winks at the location to indicate that they are meeting at that location

SCORING:  Each player may attempt their mission or pass with "I'm lying low".  To attempt a mission, the spy places the Deliver card face-up on the table, and announce where their meeting at.  If unsuccessful, they say that the location is wrong, but is not revealed.  The player discards their Deliver card, and play passes.  However, if successful, reveal both cards, and pass and score them.



INTERCEPT:  Each player starts with 3 Intercept binocular tokens.  If a player believes they know who or where the players are meeting, they may use an Intecept token and call out the player or location on the card.  If incorrect, the player who revealed the card scores the point.  If correct, the intercepter scores the card.

WINNING:  Each card scored is worth 1 point.  Points are indicated by placing the card under one of the 5 sides.  The game cannot be won by Interception.  Once two players have scored at least 5 points and filled each side of their card, they win.  If a player ever scores more than 5, the cards are stacked.

CONCLUSION:  Shifty Eyed Spies is a twist on the classic hidden roles game.  You have a player you have to find, but you don't know which player that is.  However, unlike some games that try this attempt, this is one that manages to both simultaneously hit the mark AND manages to utilize a smaller group, something that games like Secret Hitler and Werewolf struggle with.  The spotting mechanic allows for the smaller groups to work out well, without punishing the max 8 players available.  My biggest critique, however, is that once you know who your spy and location are, it makes the game feel slower, so I would, oddly enough, suggest playing with no more than 6 players, but 8 is still enjoyable.  If you want to try a really solid hidden role game, I solidly recommend Shifty Eyed Spies.

You Never Split the Party (Order of the Stick Adventure Game: The Dungeon of Dorukan)

A motley band of adventurers, with different philosophies, motivations, and competencies.  They do, however, all have one thing in common.  They are united to slay the evil lich Xykon.  Some do it for honor, some for greed, and some for the thrill of the fight, but they will all fight (with Xykon's minion and with each other) in the Dungeon of Dorukan!



BACKGROUND:  The Dungeon of Dorukan is a card based board game for 2-6 players published by APE Games and designed by Rich Burlew and Kevin Brusky.  Based on the web-comic Order of the Stick, players take the role of a member of the titular party and travel down to fight the lich Xykon, fighting both monsters and each other.

SET-UP:  Each player begins with a hand of 7 Battle Deck and specific Shticks from the players Shtick deck, indicated on the character card.  Each player starts in the Dungeon Entrance.

GAMEPLAY: On their turn, a player may move up to 3 rooms from their starting space.  If the player moves into an empty room, players draw a Dungeon Room card.  Then, starting with the next player, they place a monster down.  If the player is on a deeper floor, the players continue playing monsters in order equal to the level the player is on.



FIGHTING:  Whenever a player enters a room, they defend from the "closest" i.e., first monster played.  That player uses a Shtick to fight, and roll the blue die, and add the number on the shield to the number rolled.  If the number is higher than the number on the sword of that creature, apply the effect of the Shtick by the purple flag.  If the creatures Wounds become 0, they die and are removed from the room and added to your stash, they drop and Loot indicated on their card in that room, and now the player may continue to fight using any available Shtick, but may choose either attack or defense, and roll the red or blue die respectively.  If a player loses a fight, the fights are over, and they take a Wound.

SHTICK:  Shticks are bonuses to add to combat, and determine the effect of the battle.  Some cause a Draw, which nothing happens even if you win, while others cause Wounds.  You may discard Loot with a total of 3 faces, or 3 monsters to draw a Shtick card.

LOOT:  Once there are no monsters in a room, players may take up to 1 loot in that room, 2 if they defeated that monster or are resting.  During combat, Loot may be given to a player on the same floor to add 2 to that fight for each face of that character.  Loot may also be equipped by any player with their face on it, which allows them to enter Xykon's lair.



WOUNDS:  Each player is at max health, indicated on their character card.  Whenever players take a Wound, the marker goes down.  When a player gets to the bottom most Wound, the player unequips all Loot, and on each of their turns, drops a random Loot in their room, and must run back to the Dungeon Entrance.  Players may forgo their attacking or moving to Rest.  The player may still draw, trade, equip loot, or be fought by other players with a -4 penalty, and ask for assistance when defending.

STAIRS:  Each turn, a non resting player may roll to find stairs for the next floor, with a success hit on a 1, 2, or 3.  The number of floors is chosen at the beginning.  In order to enter the Xykon's Lair, players must have a minimum number of Shticks and Loot.  Then, players only fight in Xykon's Lair by drawing from Xykon's deck.  Eventually, players fight Xykon.



WINNING:  Once Xykon is discovered and defeated, the dungeon starts collapsing.  At the end of each turn, the player removes rooms from the dungeon, starting from the lowest level and the right or left most card and working in, with the room with the stairs collapsing last.  Players in a collapsing room are moved to the next available room.  Players then gain points, or Bragging Rights.  Each player gets 1 point for each their face on their Loot, each Schtick in play, 1 point for each player in the dungeon when you leave, and 2*number of floors if you defeated Xykon.  The player with the most Bragging Rights wins.

CONCLUSION:  This is an RPG in a box, and as such, this game is LOOONG!  The minimum amount of time I have managed to play this in was 2 hours.  Keep in mind that this was without the expansions, we all had played before, and this was the shortest session.  I have found that this game can be quite enjoyable, especially with a group that loves longer games, but let's be honest, that's usually a smaller group.  The humor is on point for Order of the Stick's early work, and if you don't take it too seriously, it can be a lot of fun.  As a note of caution, this game will eat up a lot of time, especially if you want to play for longer period of time.  The biggest strengths of this game are, unexpectedly, the rules and, more expectedly, the humor.  This is not a game you can pull out at every game night, but the few times you can are generally pretty fun if you give it a chance and know what you're getting into.

Tale of the Cowardly Knights (I Would Fight The Dragon)

The King of Dukesonberg has called his best and bravest knights together to go and fight the dragon that has been harassing the locals.  Unfortunately, the best and bravest were all eaten.  So, he called the last reserves.  The only way out?  Hide all the Armor, the Shields, the Horses, anything that would be required to go be a knight and fight that hideous, terrifying beast.  Any excuse to say: "I Would Fight the Dragon, buuuut..."



BACKGROUND:  I Would Fight the Dragon is a card game for 3 to 8 players, and was designed by Talon Coleman and published by Black Monk.  Players take the role of "brave" knights to go fight the dragon, but seemed to have misplaced their items.

GAMEPLAY:  Each round, all players start with 4 cards in hand.  Then, a player will start by putting an item in the pot, and claiming that they are missing something, like a weapon or helmet.  The next player continues by adding another card in and claiming something.  At any point, the next player may believe they are lying, and the claimed card is in the stack.

CHALLENGE:  At this point, it the accused believes that item isn't in the stack, they may call Stiff Upper Lip.

• NO STIFF LIP: If the item is in the stack, it is placed in front of them.  If it is not in the stack, the accused player takes an item from the pile and puts in front of the accusing player.  Players may never call items that are in front of them.
• STIFF LIP:  If the item is in the stack, the accusing player puts that item plus 1 other item from the pot or their hand in front of the accused player.  If the item isn't in the stack, the accused may either give them 2 items from either the stack or hand (in any combination), or give them an item from in front of themselves.  Any items given must be different.

LOSING:  Unlike most games, rather than a winner, there is 1 loser. The player that collects all 5 separate types of cards must go and die...I mean, fight the dragon.

CONCLUSION:  Half bluffing game, half luck, there's a certain charm and fun to be had with a group that is willing to be silly and take this game to its extreme.  This might be a decent cleanser game in between your session of Gloomhaven and Betrayal at the House on the Hill, but only if the people you're playing with are willing to be silly with it.  Mechanically, there's some neat ideas, but they are, like all card games, bogged down with luck and card counting, especially for this game.  I Would Go Fight the Dragon, but there are a lot of games to play, and this one is just alright.

It's What You Say (Utter Nonsense)

You do these little flavor intros for so long, that after awhile you can come up with some funny bits here.  But then there's games like this.  Games that are so focused on the spoken word that the written word is just...lacking.  Incomplete.  Well, ladies and gentlemen, the reviews must continue, and so I, without a chance to warm you up, introduce Utter Nonsense.  (Voice in the key of Batman)



BACKGROUND:  Utter Nonsense is a card game for 4-20 players, published and created by Tim Swindle and Dave Mazurek.  It is a game of silly voices, silly sentences, and laughter.

GAMEPLAY:  Each turn,  a judge is selected, and players a dealt a hand of seven sentence cards.  Then, an accent card is revealed, and each player chooses a sentence from their hand to read using that accent.



WINNING:  The player who reads their sentence best or most humourous wins the point, indicated by the accent card.  The judge is then passed to the next player, and the first player which collects a determined number of points wins.

CONCLUSION:  Like Snake Oil, Apples to Apples, or Joking Hazard, this is a party game meant as a palette cleanser game.  It's designed to be funny, but not taken seriously.  There is even a game similar to this I reviewed called Moods.  The major difference is that in Moods while everyone is saying the same thing in the same mood, this game lets you attempt to be funny rather than accurate by choosing what to say.  I think something like that helps to make a game be more original and have more of an identity than just a "Silly Voices" game.  That being said, it's still a "Silly Voices" party game, so go in expecting that.

High on Mt. Olympus (Zeus on the Loose)

Theseus, Achilles, Hercules.
The great heroes climb higher and higher.  It is said Icarus flew too close to the sun, and lost his wings, but heroes always are remembered, and none come close to the ones who captured Zeus.  After all, if Zeus is on the Loose, is it not our responsibility to return him to his home?



BACKGROUND:  Zeus on the Loose is a card game for 2-5 players pubished by Gamewright.  Players climb Mt Olympus with numbers to take Zeus, while meeting other Greek gods along the way.

GAMEPLAY:  Players put down a card on the number stack on their turn, adding that number or effect to the stack, and drawing back to 4 cards.  At any point, a player may take the figurine of Zeus if a card is played that either says Steal Zeus or puts the total number into a multiple of 10.  If a player puts down a number, any other player may put down the same number, adding it to the total, and play continues from the last player to play a card.



WINNING:  When a player makes the total hit 100 or more, or the deck runs out of cards, the player with Zeus scores a point.  Zeus can be stolen if the total hits 100 exactly, or a player plays a matching number to make the total match or exceed 100.  The player with 4 points wins.

CONCLUSION:  This is a shorter, simple game that all ages can still enjoy.  It's a great tool to teach kids to add, and there's a kids version to simplify the game.  That being said, with the whole rules, this game can become interesting with older people.  This is one of those games that can be used as a 'cleanser' game in between more intense games, or even as a game to introduce to other people who maybe aren't into more crazy board games.  Overall, I would say that I'm glad that Zeus is on the loose.