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Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Morels in Tabletop Games
Jul 12, 2019
Ahh mushrooms. Such a wonderful foodstuff that I am trying to teach myself to enjoy. I just have never really liked them. Imagine my surprise when several years ago this game about mushrooms was causing some buzz and after some research decided I absolutely had to have it. Back then my wife and I played games together a lot. So 2-player games were our jam. Now we have kids, and we game with more people usually. But, I still never forgot about this little card game, and if you play it, you won’t either.
Imagine yourself hiking in the forest with your loved one or a friend, or straight up mushroom hunting like Josh enjoys. You come across many species of fungus, and that makes you super hungry. Well, why not collect those mushrooms and cook them into a delightful little snack for you and your traveling partner? This is the premise of the game Morels.
DISCLAIMER – The focus of this review is for vanilla base game Morels. Should we add in the “Foray” expansion in the future we will add that information here, or add a link to the expansion material review. -T
I do not intend to paraphrase the entire rulebook here, but will hit on some of important factors so my readers can get a sense of how the game plays. A row of cards will be splayed out in the middle of the table to create the walking path you will traverse. On your turn you may collect one of the cards closest to the draw deck, play a card from your hand, exchange like mushroom cards for walking sticks, cook like mushrooms (adding any butter or cider you may have), or collect all the cards from the decay pile. Only cards that you cook will score at the end of the game, so be mindful to collect enough frying pans and bonus cards to improve your scores. WATCH OUT for the Destroying Angels that temporarily poison you and need to work their way through your camp. If you can make it through the forest with the highest quality snacks being cooked you win!
Components. This game consists of a giant pile of cards that barely fit back in the box when sleeved, and some cardboard chips. Honestly, I have had my copy of the game sleeved for so long I do not remember the quality of the cards, but I am sure they are great. The cardboard chips are fine. I got rid of my insert from my box so that I can use my sleeves and arrange it the way I want – actually, I am thinking of crafting my own foamcore insert for this game too. The art is good. It straddles the line between realistic and quasi-cartoony but I like it all the same. Iconography is clear and the night-time cards are especially fun to inspect.
The game play is simple card drafting, set collection, and hand management, but it’s a light game to be enjoyed by two players with minimal direct interaction. I do love the weight of the game. It is light, but you also have to think and make some very difficult decisions. Do you grab the decay that has two Morels and a Destroying Angel? It could definitely be worth it if you can stomach having that Angel in your camp. Should you bolster up on frying pans or maybe you should sell those other shrooms for walking sticks so you can choose better cards from the path. It’s really a great game that I am very happy to still have in my collection. With that said, Purple Phoenix Games (with an assist from my wife, Kristin), give this one a relaxing, but not really delicious to me yet, rating of 13 / 18.
Imagine yourself hiking in the forest with your loved one or a friend, or straight up mushroom hunting like Josh enjoys. You come across many species of fungus, and that makes you super hungry. Well, why not collect those mushrooms and cook them into a delightful little snack for you and your traveling partner? This is the premise of the game Morels.
DISCLAIMER – The focus of this review is for vanilla base game Morels. Should we add in the “Foray” expansion in the future we will add that information here, or add a link to the expansion material review. -T
I do not intend to paraphrase the entire rulebook here, but will hit on some of important factors so my readers can get a sense of how the game plays. A row of cards will be splayed out in the middle of the table to create the walking path you will traverse. On your turn you may collect one of the cards closest to the draw deck, play a card from your hand, exchange like mushroom cards for walking sticks, cook like mushrooms (adding any butter or cider you may have), or collect all the cards from the decay pile. Only cards that you cook will score at the end of the game, so be mindful to collect enough frying pans and bonus cards to improve your scores. WATCH OUT for the Destroying Angels that temporarily poison you and need to work their way through your camp. If you can make it through the forest with the highest quality snacks being cooked you win!
Components. This game consists of a giant pile of cards that barely fit back in the box when sleeved, and some cardboard chips. Honestly, I have had my copy of the game sleeved for so long I do not remember the quality of the cards, but I am sure they are great. The cardboard chips are fine. I got rid of my insert from my box so that I can use my sleeves and arrange it the way I want – actually, I am thinking of crafting my own foamcore insert for this game too. The art is good. It straddles the line between realistic and quasi-cartoony but I like it all the same. Iconography is clear and the night-time cards are especially fun to inspect.
The game play is simple card drafting, set collection, and hand management, but it’s a light game to be enjoyed by two players with minimal direct interaction. I do love the weight of the game. It is light, but you also have to think and make some very difficult decisions. Do you grab the decay that has two Morels and a Destroying Angel? It could definitely be worth it if you can stomach having that Angel in your camp. Should you bolster up on frying pans or maybe you should sell those other shrooms for walking sticks so you can choose better cards from the path. It’s really a great game that I am very happy to still have in my collection. With that said, Purple Phoenix Games (with an assist from my wife, Kristin), give this one a relaxing, but not really delicious to me yet, rating of 13 / 18.
Hazel (1853 KP) rated The Poisoning Angel in Books
Dec 17, 2018
<i>I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.</i>
Some people may already know of the prolific French serial killer of the 1800s. Hélène Jégado, over a lengthy period of forty years, is thought to have murdered at least thirty-six people, most likely more, in the region of Brittany. By being hired as a cook in a wide range of establishments throughout her life gave her the opportunity to poison people through their meals, predominantly with arsenic. Jean Teulé, a French novelist, combines his own imagination with the historical statistics in order to create an insight to the tale of this infamous poisoner.
The tale begins at the beginning of the nineteenth century, when Hélène is only seven years old, in the small hamlet town Kerhordevin, Plouhinec. Nicknamed Thunderflower by her mother, a name that she is often referred as throughout the narrative, she becomes fascinated with superstitious stories about Death’s henchman, Ankou. In order to extinguish her fears of this formidable character – something she later claims – she decides to become Ankou beginning with the poisoning of her own mother. Soon after she sets off on her first of many journeys to work as a cook, where her killing spree begins.
It may seem surprising that she were not caught earlier on in her murderous career, especially with entire households succumbing to their deaths, but - at least in Teulé’s telling - the Breton’s still held strong belief in their old Celtic superstitions and altered between worshipping Hélène as a saint for not dying herself, or accusing her of witchcraft and bringing misfortune wherever she went. It is not until Hélène is approaching the age of fifty that the police begin to investigate, arrest and finally send her to the guillotine.
Each chapter begins with a map, detailing Hélène’s journey through Brittany so that the reader can see just how many places she went doing Ankou’s work. Teulé also turns this disturbing historical novel into a black comedy with the inclusion of two wig makers from Normandy who happen to go where Hélène goes, although are completely unconnected to, to whom bizarre misfortunes constantly fall.
<i>The Poisoning Angel</i> is an interesting tale and absurdly fascinating at times. From time to time it could fall a bit dull with the repetitiveness, but in a way it could not be helped, as it remains a fact that Hélène Jégado poisoned a large number of people. Melanie Florence must be commended for her translation from the original French, something that is by no means an easy feat.
Some people may already know of the prolific French serial killer of the 1800s. Hélène Jégado, over a lengthy period of forty years, is thought to have murdered at least thirty-six people, most likely more, in the region of Brittany. By being hired as a cook in a wide range of establishments throughout her life gave her the opportunity to poison people through their meals, predominantly with arsenic. Jean Teulé, a French novelist, combines his own imagination with the historical statistics in order to create an insight to the tale of this infamous poisoner.
The tale begins at the beginning of the nineteenth century, when Hélène is only seven years old, in the small hamlet town Kerhordevin, Plouhinec. Nicknamed Thunderflower by her mother, a name that she is often referred as throughout the narrative, she becomes fascinated with superstitious stories about Death’s henchman, Ankou. In order to extinguish her fears of this formidable character – something she later claims – she decides to become Ankou beginning with the poisoning of her own mother. Soon after she sets off on her first of many journeys to work as a cook, where her killing spree begins.
It may seem surprising that she were not caught earlier on in her murderous career, especially with entire households succumbing to their deaths, but - at least in Teulé’s telling - the Breton’s still held strong belief in their old Celtic superstitions and altered between worshipping Hélène as a saint for not dying herself, or accusing her of witchcraft and bringing misfortune wherever she went. It is not until Hélène is approaching the age of fifty that the police begin to investigate, arrest and finally send her to the guillotine.
Each chapter begins with a map, detailing Hélène’s journey through Brittany so that the reader can see just how many places she went doing Ankou’s work. Teulé also turns this disturbing historical novel into a black comedy with the inclusion of two wig makers from Normandy who happen to go where Hélène goes, although are completely unconnected to, to whom bizarre misfortunes constantly fall.
<i>The Poisoning Angel</i> is an interesting tale and absurdly fascinating at times. From time to time it could fall a bit dull with the repetitiveness, but in a way it could not be helped, as it remains a fact that Hélène Jégado poisoned a large number of people. Melanie Florence must be commended for her translation from the original French, something that is by no means an easy feat.
Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated Angel Has Fallen (2019) in Movies
Jul 7, 2020
Not The Best In The Series But A Good Farewell
Angel Has Fallen is a 2019 action/thriller movie directed by Ric Roman Waugh with screenplay written by Waugh, Robert Mark Kamen and Matt Cook from story by Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt. Producers on the film included Gerard Butler, Alan Siegel, Matt O'Toole, John Thompson, Les Weldon, and Yariv Lerner. It was produced by Millennium Media, G-Base and distributed by Lionsgate. The film stars Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman, Jada Pinkett Smith, Piper Perabo, and Lance Reddick.
Undergoing training at a private military facility, Secret Service agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) finds himself hiding the fact that he's suffering from migraines, insomnia and self-medicating to deal with severe back pain. He is nominated by the President Alan Trumbull (Morgan Freeman), for the position of Secret Service Director to replace retiring Director David Gentry (Lance Reddick). An assassination attempt occurs during the President's fishing trip and his security detail is killed by armed drones, leaving only himself and Banning the sole survivors. Banning is arrested by FBI Agent Helen Thompson (Jada Pinkett Smith) after finding substantial evidence that Banning is responsible for the attack. After escaping from his captors Banning must evade his own agency and the FBI to find the real threat to the President. To save the country from imminent danger he must turn to unlikely allies and uncover the truth to clear his name.
This movie was all over the place but it was good. I think i liked it better than the last one which was London Has Fallen, but not as much as the original movie Olympus Has Fallen. It was refreshing to see Gerard Butler's character Mike Banning humanized a bit in this film. The plot was a little predictable but I enjoyed the whole man on the run while trying to still do his job angle to it. Like I said the movie was kind of all over the place and didn't have the action scenes as tight as in the other films especially in the middle of the movie but it didn't matter too much overall. Fairly entertaining, it was a good movie to end the summer action movies off with. I give it a 7/10.
Undergoing training at a private military facility, Secret Service agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) finds himself hiding the fact that he's suffering from migraines, insomnia and self-medicating to deal with severe back pain. He is nominated by the President Alan Trumbull (Morgan Freeman), for the position of Secret Service Director to replace retiring Director David Gentry (Lance Reddick). An assassination attempt occurs during the President's fishing trip and his security detail is killed by armed drones, leaving only himself and Banning the sole survivors. Banning is arrested by FBI Agent Helen Thompson (Jada Pinkett Smith) after finding substantial evidence that Banning is responsible for the attack. After escaping from his captors Banning must evade his own agency and the FBI to find the real threat to the President. To save the country from imminent danger he must turn to unlikely allies and uncover the truth to clear his name.
This movie was all over the place but it was good. I think i liked it better than the last one which was London Has Fallen, but not as much as the original movie Olympus Has Fallen. It was refreshing to see Gerard Butler's character Mike Banning humanized a bit in this film. The plot was a little predictable but I enjoyed the whole man on the run while trying to still do his job angle to it. Like I said the movie was kind of all over the place and didn't have the action scenes as tight as in the other films especially in the middle of the movie but it didn't matter too much overall. Fairly entertaining, it was a good movie to end the summer action movies off with. I give it a 7/10.