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Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Cosmic Run: Express in Tabletop Games
Oct 27, 2021
Components are obviously an integral part of games. Some games are beasts when it comes to components – boasting large numbers of included components to bolster the gameplay. And then you have games that have mastered the art of gameplay utilizing a minimal number of components. Cosmic Run: Express is one of these games, consisting of only 25 cards. But does the gameplay hold up for such a physically small game? Read on to find out!
The latest game in Dr. Finn’s Cosmic Run universe, Cosmic Run: Express pits two players against each other, racing to be the first to reach 3 new planets. It is a game of area influence and simultaneous action selection played over a series of rounds in which players are playing cards to the 3 planets to advance their movement trackers the necessary 12 points to reach the planets. To setup the game, place the 3 planet cards in numerical order between the two players. Each player takes a set of 3 movement trackers in their chosen color and places one on their side of each planet card. All of the movement trackers are set to 0 for the start of the game. Players are dealt 6 ship cards, and the game is ready to play!
To begin a round, players look at their hand of 6 cards and choose 2 to pass to their opponent. Taking the new cards into your hand, you can decide to discard 1 card and draw a new card. This is not required, but can be performed by each player in each round. Next, players will simultaneously choose a card from their hand to be played face-up next to any planet, beneath their corresponding movement tracker. You can only play a maximum of 2 cards per planet.. If the color of the card you play at a planet matches the color at the top of your movement tracker, you may immediately move your tracker up by 1. Play continues, simultaneously playing cards, until all 6 cards in hand have been played and each movement tracker has 2 cards next to it.
Now we move to the scoring/movement phase. Starting with Planet 1, compare the 2-card hands and determine which player played the best hand. The hierarchy for determining best hand is described in the rules, and that player earns 2 movement points for that planet, and adjusts their tracker accordingly. After scoring best hand, players score arrows. Underneath the number on each card is an arrow pointing either left or right, with a corresponding color. Beginning with the player who did not win best hand, look at the arrows on their 2-card hand, and score movement points if the arrows match any cards in their adjacent planets. Repeat these scoring steps for Planets 2 and 3. If, by the end of scoring, a player has earned 12 movement points and reached all 3 planets, that player is the winner! If not all 3 planets have been reached, collect all the cards, shuffle them, deal 6 to each player, and begin a new round. Rounds continue until one player has reached all 3 planets.
As a fan of the Cosmic Run universe, I was excited when I saw Cosmic Run: Express on Kickstarter. It seemed light, simple, and in the same universe as other games I loved, so I decided to back it. How does it fare? I think it’s great! For starters, I really appreciate that it is a small, portable game that can be played virtually anywhere. Lots of games these days are real table-hogs, and I enjoy the minimalistic approach of this game. Getting into the gameplay – it requires way more strategy than you initially think. There are 3 different ways in which you can score movement points (color matching, best hand, and arrow scoring) and you need to utilize all 3 for success. You are constantly evaluating your hand of cards and trying to determine which placements will yield the most points for you. Maybe you don’t have a color match, but the arrow on that card could make up for that and earn you up to 2 movement points. Another neat strategic point is that you have to pay attention to your opponent as well. The best hand points are a direct head-to-head between players, so not only do you have to maximize your own strategic points with card placement, you have to watch your opponent’s card placements and see if you can get a better hand than they do for a given planet. You are constantly engaged in this game, and that’s what I love about it.
Another great thing about Cosmic Run: Express is that it plays so quickly and effortlessly. Yes, at first there’s a tiny bit of a learning curve to remember the hierarchy for best hand, but after a couple of rounds the game flow is streamlined. It only takes 10-15 minutes to play, so it is easy to play “just one more” when you’re done. It’s light and fast enough to be a great filler between games, but it is also strategic enough to hold its own in a full game night.
So overall, how do we feel about this game? For being a nice and small 2-player game, it packs quite a punch! I was very pleasantly surprised by the amount of engagement and strategy in this game, and it is definitely one that I want to play multiple times in a row. So mission accomplished, Dr. Finn – in this case, less IS more. It’s a great little card game, and I highly recommend giving it a shot if you’re looking for something small but mighty. Purple Phoenix games gives Cosmic Run: Express a stellar 9 / 12.
The latest game in Dr. Finn’s Cosmic Run universe, Cosmic Run: Express pits two players against each other, racing to be the first to reach 3 new planets. It is a game of area influence and simultaneous action selection played over a series of rounds in which players are playing cards to the 3 planets to advance their movement trackers the necessary 12 points to reach the planets. To setup the game, place the 3 planet cards in numerical order between the two players. Each player takes a set of 3 movement trackers in their chosen color and places one on their side of each planet card. All of the movement trackers are set to 0 for the start of the game. Players are dealt 6 ship cards, and the game is ready to play!
To begin a round, players look at their hand of 6 cards and choose 2 to pass to their opponent. Taking the new cards into your hand, you can decide to discard 1 card and draw a new card. This is not required, but can be performed by each player in each round. Next, players will simultaneously choose a card from their hand to be played face-up next to any planet, beneath their corresponding movement tracker. You can only play a maximum of 2 cards per planet.. If the color of the card you play at a planet matches the color at the top of your movement tracker, you may immediately move your tracker up by 1. Play continues, simultaneously playing cards, until all 6 cards in hand have been played and each movement tracker has 2 cards next to it.
Now we move to the scoring/movement phase. Starting with Planet 1, compare the 2-card hands and determine which player played the best hand. The hierarchy for determining best hand is described in the rules, and that player earns 2 movement points for that planet, and adjusts their tracker accordingly. After scoring best hand, players score arrows. Underneath the number on each card is an arrow pointing either left or right, with a corresponding color. Beginning with the player who did not win best hand, look at the arrows on their 2-card hand, and score movement points if the arrows match any cards in their adjacent planets. Repeat these scoring steps for Planets 2 and 3. If, by the end of scoring, a player has earned 12 movement points and reached all 3 planets, that player is the winner! If not all 3 planets have been reached, collect all the cards, shuffle them, deal 6 to each player, and begin a new round. Rounds continue until one player has reached all 3 planets.
As a fan of the Cosmic Run universe, I was excited when I saw Cosmic Run: Express on Kickstarter. It seemed light, simple, and in the same universe as other games I loved, so I decided to back it. How does it fare? I think it’s great! For starters, I really appreciate that it is a small, portable game that can be played virtually anywhere. Lots of games these days are real table-hogs, and I enjoy the minimalistic approach of this game. Getting into the gameplay – it requires way more strategy than you initially think. There are 3 different ways in which you can score movement points (color matching, best hand, and arrow scoring) and you need to utilize all 3 for success. You are constantly evaluating your hand of cards and trying to determine which placements will yield the most points for you. Maybe you don’t have a color match, but the arrow on that card could make up for that and earn you up to 2 movement points. Another neat strategic point is that you have to pay attention to your opponent as well. The best hand points are a direct head-to-head between players, so not only do you have to maximize your own strategic points with card placement, you have to watch your opponent’s card placements and see if you can get a better hand than they do for a given planet. You are constantly engaged in this game, and that’s what I love about it.
Another great thing about Cosmic Run: Express is that it plays so quickly and effortlessly. Yes, at first there’s a tiny bit of a learning curve to remember the hierarchy for best hand, but after a couple of rounds the game flow is streamlined. It only takes 10-15 minutes to play, so it is easy to play “just one more” when you’re done. It’s light and fast enough to be a great filler between games, but it is also strategic enough to hold its own in a full game night.
So overall, how do we feel about this game? For being a nice and small 2-player game, it packs quite a punch! I was very pleasantly surprised by the amount of engagement and strategy in this game, and it is definitely one that I want to play multiple times in a row. So mission accomplished, Dr. Finn – in this case, less IS more. It’s a great little card game, and I highly recommend giving it a shot if you’re looking for something small but mighty. Purple Phoenix games gives Cosmic Run: Express a stellar 9 / 12.
Nick Friesen (96 KP) rated Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015) in Movies
Jul 20, 2017
Taron Egerton Excels in the Lead Role (3 more)
Samuel Jackson Makes a Memorable Villain
Stylized Action & Humor Abounds
Intriguing, Well-Written Story
R-Rated Homage to Classic James Bond
If you've ever thought that only problem with James Bond is a lack of black humor and bloody violence, then Kingsman: The Secret Service. Essentially, it does for the spy genre what Kick-Ass did for the superhero genre (oddly enough, Mark Strong stars in both movies). It's a wild and very fun ride; each scene feels fun and exciting. One in particular is most memorable to me, where graphic violence is used to an extreme inside a Westboro Baptist-type Church. I do feel a bit bad for anyone drawn in by the promise of Colin Firth alone though (particularly older folks), they may be more than a little shocked by what they witness.
These are some inspiring mittens! Everyone probably knows by now that I have a fetish for mittens. Well this book makes my fingers itch. I love them and cannot wait to make them all.
There are very good color photos, good instructions, and variations for many of the patterns. In the back there are basic instructions, although I would not recommend this book to beginners who do not already have a good knitting foundation. Mittens are easy, but not for a first-time project.
My only complaint is that some of the photos are very artistic and show off the mittens/gloves pretty well, but I can’t see the whole mitten. That gets a little annoying… but it’s not really that big of a deal and I’ve had no problem envisioning the finished product.
Recommendation: Intermediate/Advanced knitters
**review copy provided by the publisher**
There are very good color photos, good instructions, and variations for many of the patterns. In the back there are basic instructions, although I would not recommend this book to beginners who do not already have a good knitting foundation. Mittens are easy, but not for a first-time project.
My only complaint is that some of the photos are very artistic and show off the mittens/gloves pretty well, but I can’t see the whole mitten. That gets a little annoying… but it’s not really that big of a deal and I’ve had no problem envisioning the finished product.
Recommendation: Intermediate/Advanced knitters
**review copy provided by the publisher**
Fench Fletcher (5 KP) rated DRAGON QUEST III in Apps
Apr 29, 2019
This is probably my favorite game of all time, I played it first on the Gameboy Color when I was a kid. It has great story telling, interesting monsters, and a diverse set of character types you can have in your team. Its very challenging unless you overlevel your characters before moving to a new area. That being said, leveling up can get tedeous, and even a little boring (you can only beat up slimes so many times before it becomes mind numbingly repetitive). When you are in an area that is your level, or even slightly higher, it can be very rewarding to beat a tough enemy. Its also a fairly long game, especially for a game that started on the NES. I highly recommend this game, if you only play one Dragon Quest game, this is the one you should pick up.
Mekkin B. (122 KP) rated The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in Books
Feb 16, 2018
The Absurdist Sci-Fi Novel at the End of the Universe
I will be the first to admit that I am biased in the case of this book. It's been one of my absolute favorites ever since my father gave me a copy of the full omnibus edition at the age 12 or 13. I've lost the dust jacket, the pages are beginning to go off color, and the cover's bright blue has faded and worn, but I still return to it over a decade later.
Douglas Adams writes the kind of humorous prose that stands the test of time. His characters are explosively large in their personalities (and appearances), and every adventure is fresh and surprising.
I will say, the plot does tend to ramble and there's not really much in the way of tight narrative arcs, but to my mind, they aren't missed.
Douglas Adams writes the kind of humorous prose that stands the test of time. His characters are explosively large in their personalities (and appearances), and every adventure is fresh and surprising.
I will say, the plot does tend to ramble and there's not really much in the way of tight narrative arcs, but to my mind, they aren't missed.
Dana (24 KP) rated The Throne of Glass Coloring Book in Books
Mar 23, 2018
Oh my goodness the illustrations are so freaking beautiful in this coloring book! I am so glad they finally released it because I don't know how long I could have waited to get my hands on it!
I am currently in the middle of coloring the pages, some of them are very intricate and I want to take my time on it! The coolest part of this is that it has the passages where the image comes from on the opposite page, so if there are any character descriptions you may want to follow, they are right there!! You don't have to go and look them up in your books!
I never really realized how relaxing it is to just sit down and color. I spent like three hours on one of the pages and I didn't even realize it until I was done and the sun had gone down!!
I am currently in the middle of coloring the pages, some of them are very intricate and I want to take my time on it! The coolest part of this is that it has the passages where the image comes from on the opposite page, so if there are any character descriptions you may want to follow, they are right there!! You don't have to go and look them up in your books!
I never really realized how relaxing it is to just sit down and color. I spent like three hours on one of the pages and I didn't even realize it until I was done and the sun had gone down!!
BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated The Night Before Christmas in Books
Jan 2, 2019
With Christmas fast approaching I realised that we don't own a copy of The Night Before Christmas. Therefore I began my hunt for a copy that my three year old would enjoy. I wanted something with vivid color and interaction. The pages are very busy and there is something new to see each time we open the pages. The traditional poem has always been one of my favorites. The illustrations add life to the words. My son loves it and keeps asking to "Read Santa!" and he goes around saying "Dash away! Dash away!" If you too are on the hunt for The Night Before Christmas, I recommend this copy. Eventually I would like a classic hard copy of this poem to own, but this year I am settling for a digital copy of this version that I found through our local library. May your season be filled with Christmas cheer!
Veronica Pena (690 KP) rated The Great Gatsby (2013) in Movies
Mar 21, 2020
waste. of. time.
I cannot believe I sat through two and a half hours of nothingness. Of bad characters, bad plot, bad music. The best part about this film was the color that they used. They had such vibrant shades and beautiful sets - that's the only positive. DiCaprio is a great actor, I've loved him in most all his films. This one is just not it. I had no clue Tobey Maguire was in this film and I think he was just as bad. I thought Joel Edgerton was fine.
The movie is as pointless as the book, if not more so. Nothing happened for an hour and a half. It's a 200-page book and they made a 2 and a half hour movie. I don't understand. This film is so bad. SO boring. Not worth the time or energy to keep your eyes open.
The movie is as pointless as the book, if not more so. Nothing happened for an hour and a half. It's a 200-page book and they made a 2 and a half hour movie. I don't understand. This film is so bad. SO boring. Not worth the time or energy to keep your eyes open.
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