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Great! Feng Shui HD
Lifestyle and Education
App
Feng Shui is the study of chi (or ki) energy; how it flows, how it interacts with other energies,...
Opus 80: Oswald Mathias Ungers, Haus Belvederestrasse 60, Koln-Mungersdorf
Book
A house is a representation of the idea of the world, of life, of existence. For the Cologne...
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Big Sick (2017) in Movies
Jul 11, 2019
Kumail (Kumail Nanjiani) is a young Pakistani American trying to make it as a stand-up comic. He spends his free time making extra money as an Uber driver and getting set up with Pakistani women by his family, in an attempt to arrange a marriage for him. Then his life changes one night when he meets an American girl named Emily (Zoe Kazan). After hooking up the night they meet they start a whirlwind relationship. But Kumail is hiding this relationship from his family, because they would disown him if they found out, and still meeting with the young women who he could potentially marry. When Emily finds this out she confronts Kumail and they break up. Kumail is depressed but felt he had to choose his family and tradition over his feelings for Emily. Then a while later he gets a frantic call in the middle of the night from one of Emily’s friends asking him to go to the Emergency Room and wait with her. When he arrives doctors are wanting to put Emily into an induced coma. With no one else around Kumail stays with Emily. Emily’s parents (played by Ray Romano and Holly Hunter) show up and know everything that happened between Kumail and Emily. It is uncomfortable but Kumail feel like he needs to stay. He is now struggling with is feelings for Emily and his culture.
The Big Sick is a film telling the real-life story of courtship of Kumail and his real life wife Emily V. Gordon, both of whom wrote screenplay. The Michael Showatler (Hello My Name is Doris) directed film is very funny and smartly paced. There is a good balance of comedy and the serious situations, including dealing with trauma and overcoming cultural differences. The cast is really good, from Hunter and Romano to comedians Aidy Bryant and Kurt Braunohler the supporting roles are really well cast and performed. Zoe Kazan was really good during her time on screen. There were times when I could tell that the dialogue was dubbed over and it was a little distracting, but only a handful of times. I also appreciated the side story of the life of a young comic. It was not a focal point of the movie but it definitely showed how Kumail struggled to become a comic and how life and his family culture sometimes got in the way of his ambition, in both good and bad ways.
Heartwarming and funny this film is original and fun to watch. It was definitely nice to be caught off guard by some really funny moments in the middle of serious situations. It has a run time of 2 hours and 4 minutes with is a little longer than average but really doesn’t feel that long.
The Big Sick is a film telling the real-life story of courtship of Kumail and his real life wife Emily V. Gordon, both of whom wrote screenplay. The Michael Showatler (Hello My Name is Doris) directed film is very funny and smartly paced. There is a good balance of comedy and the serious situations, including dealing with trauma and overcoming cultural differences. The cast is really good, from Hunter and Romano to comedians Aidy Bryant and Kurt Braunohler the supporting roles are really well cast and performed. Zoe Kazan was really good during her time on screen. There were times when I could tell that the dialogue was dubbed over and it was a little distracting, but only a handful of times. I also appreciated the side story of the life of a young comic. It was not a focal point of the movie but it definitely showed how Kumail struggled to become a comic and how life and his family culture sometimes got in the way of his ambition, in both good and bad ways.
Heartwarming and funny this film is original and fun to watch. It was definitely nice to be caught off guard by some really funny moments in the middle of serious situations. It has a run time of 2 hours and 4 minutes with is a little longer than average but really doesn’t feel that long.
Geocam Pro
Photo & Video and Utilities
App
Geocam by Wazar is the leading geophoto and video application for smartphones. It uses augmented...
Gira HomeServer/FacilityServer
Lifestyle and Productivity
App
Gira HomeServer/FacilityServer A simple and elegant way of operating complex building technology...
EvidenceCam for iPad
Photo & Video and Productivity
1.0
Rate It
App
1. Header of photo contains GPS coordinates, street address (street name can be turned off for...
EvidenceCamphoto - evidence for iPhone & iPod
Photo & Video and Utilities
App
1. Header of photo contains GPS coordinates, street address (street name can be turned off for...
SwimHero RA
Sports and Health & Fitness
App
Capture a wealth of data from your swims and cut your swim times with SwimHero RA. Our simple,...
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Mitropia in Tabletop Games
Apr 21, 2020
Have you ever had a crush on someone and just wanted to surround them with your presence? Too creepy? Okay, have you ever been at odds with your sworn enemies and learned to settle your differences by transporting yourselves to the plane of the gods to engage in a battle of strategic placement and enveloping in order to determine supremacy? Too specific? Well, the latter is the premise for the game Mitropia.
Mitropia is an area majority game that can end in several fashions. To setup your first game, please use the setup instructions in the rule book to form the playing area. However, the more you play, the more you might like to change it up and try out some wacky board formations. Every player receives a player mat featuring a tribe with different special abilities. They will each also receive the matching colored warrior tokens (and bag if present), cards from the two decks according to the setup in the rules. Each player will place their chieftan (two stacked warrior tokens) on the board. The game is ready to be played!
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a near-retail prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and I know the final components will be a little different from these shown (upgrades!). Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game – and the rules will certainly be tweaked from this version and the rules we used to play it. You are invited to download the rulebook from the publisher’s website, back the game through the Kickstarter campaign running April 16 – May 17, 2020, purchase it from your FLGS, or through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
Game play is relatively simple. Players are attempting to score points by occupying and/or surrounding terrain tiles. Some tiles are worth more points than others depending on tribe abilities and other factors. The game ends once there are no more legal plays, all players have passed, or a chieftan has been captured by an opponent. Points are then tallied and a victor is determined.
On a turn, a player will make a “move,” which is a strange term as the player is actually placing out a warrior token. The placement of the warrior is dependent upon a move pattern card that is showing on the player mat, or one from the player’s hand to be discarded. These move cards show where the warrior can be placed (like Onitama‘s movement cards). Move cards can be combined with special action cards to make interesting warrior placement upon the board. Again, the goal of the game is to encompass as much terrain as possible, and surround your opponents to capture their warrior tokens.
In addition to simply placing out new warriors to claim lands and surround opponents, using terrain types to their fullest is a strategy not to be ignored. Wormholes are teleport locations, and mountains are impassable. Using just these features can wreak havoc on unsuspecting opponents. Mountains can especially be brutal when being used as an obstacle to facilitate surrounding enemies. When you play Mitropia be warned: mind the mountains.
Play continues in turns until a win condition or game end condition has been met. The players tally points to declare a victor, and then setup to play again for the player will definitely want to play another.
Components. Again, this is a near-retail prototype copy, so the components are very close to what will be available and in each box upon a successful Kickstarter campaign. That said, these components are amazing! I told the publisher the day after receiving the game that I was very impressed with what was packed in the box. Now, I haven’t been able to Tetris the components back in the box and have the cover fit flush since I opened it, but what is inside the box truly is wonderful. The player discs are all nicely-painted wood bits. The player mats, cards, and terrain tiles are all great quality. The art on everything is super stellar, and I just love playing with everything! You know the feeling when you’re playing a game that just has that perfect tactile quality? That’s Mitropia. And this copy isn’t even upgraded!
So here are my thoughts on this beast. I have never played Go, and I’m not really sure I want to after having Mitropia in my hands. I probably will play Go sometime, but I can only picture myself wishing I had been playing Mitropia. There is just something about having special abilities and slight differences that really improves my enjoyment. I love being able to see my turns several rounds in advance, but then having to switch tactics because an opponent has thwarted my evil plan at the last moment. I love being able to sit and think about my plays. I do not suffer from analysis paralysis, and this is a caveat I have for the game – do NOT play with AP-prone opponents. There is a lot going on here and so many options on a turn. AP sufferers can just stare at the board frightened of playing the wrong move or deciding whether or not to play a special ability card. However, I think this is a fantastic game with an excellent theme overlaid. If you are looking for a thematic game of Go that looks beautiful, is colorful instead of boring, allows players to have special powers and abilities, card play similar to the award-winning Onitama, then you certainly owe it to yourself to give a look at Mitropia. Please head over to the Kickstarter campaign that ends May 17, 2020 and check it out to learn even more and see what others are saying about it. I will be guarding my copy like you wouldn’t believe.
Mitropia is an area majority game that can end in several fashions. To setup your first game, please use the setup instructions in the rule book to form the playing area. However, the more you play, the more you might like to change it up and try out some wacky board formations. Every player receives a player mat featuring a tribe with different special abilities. They will each also receive the matching colored warrior tokens (and bag if present), cards from the two decks according to the setup in the rules. Each player will place their chieftan (two stacked warrior tokens) on the board. The game is ready to be played!
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a near-retail prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and I know the final components will be a little different from these shown (upgrades!). Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game – and the rules will certainly be tweaked from this version and the rules we used to play it. You are invited to download the rulebook from the publisher’s website, back the game through the Kickstarter campaign running April 16 – May 17, 2020, purchase it from your FLGS, or through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
Game play is relatively simple. Players are attempting to score points by occupying and/or surrounding terrain tiles. Some tiles are worth more points than others depending on tribe abilities and other factors. The game ends once there are no more legal plays, all players have passed, or a chieftan has been captured by an opponent. Points are then tallied and a victor is determined.
On a turn, a player will make a “move,” which is a strange term as the player is actually placing out a warrior token. The placement of the warrior is dependent upon a move pattern card that is showing on the player mat, or one from the player’s hand to be discarded. These move cards show where the warrior can be placed (like Onitama‘s movement cards). Move cards can be combined with special action cards to make interesting warrior placement upon the board. Again, the goal of the game is to encompass as much terrain as possible, and surround your opponents to capture their warrior tokens.
In addition to simply placing out new warriors to claim lands and surround opponents, using terrain types to their fullest is a strategy not to be ignored. Wormholes are teleport locations, and mountains are impassable. Using just these features can wreak havoc on unsuspecting opponents. Mountains can especially be brutal when being used as an obstacle to facilitate surrounding enemies. When you play Mitropia be warned: mind the mountains.
Play continues in turns until a win condition or game end condition has been met. The players tally points to declare a victor, and then setup to play again for the player will definitely want to play another.
Components. Again, this is a near-retail prototype copy, so the components are very close to what will be available and in each box upon a successful Kickstarter campaign. That said, these components are amazing! I told the publisher the day after receiving the game that I was very impressed with what was packed in the box. Now, I haven’t been able to Tetris the components back in the box and have the cover fit flush since I opened it, but what is inside the box truly is wonderful. The player discs are all nicely-painted wood bits. The player mats, cards, and terrain tiles are all great quality. The art on everything is super stellar, and I just love playing with everything! You know the feeling when you’re playing a game that just has that perfect tactile quality? That’s Mitropia. And this copy isn’t even upgraded!
So here are my thoughts on this beast. I have never played Go, and I’m not really sure I want to after having Mitropia in my hands. I probably will play Go sometime, but I can only picture myself wishing I had been playing Mitropia. There is just something about having special abilities and slight differences that really improves my enjoyment. I love being able to see my turns several rounds in advance, but then having to switch tactics because an opponent has thwarted my evil plan at the last moment. I love being able to sit and think about my plays. I do not suffer from analysis paralysis, and this is a caveat I have for the game – do NOT play with AP-prone opponents. There is a lot going on here and so many options on a turn. AP sufferers can just stare at the board frightened of playing the wrong move or deciding whether or not to play a special ability card. However, I think this is a fantastic game with an excellent theme overlaid. If you are looking for a thematic game of Go that looks beautiful, is colorful instead of boring, allows players to have special powers and abilities, card play similar to the award-winning Onitama, then you certainly owe it to yourself to give a look at Mitropia. Please head over to the Kickstarter campaign that ends May 17, 2020 and check it out to learn even more and see what others are saying about it. I will be guarding my copy like you wouldn’t believe.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Similo: Spookies in Tabletop Games
Mar 11, 2022
Anyone who knows my gaming preferences will tell you that I am not at all a fan of many party games. I just find them less that gratifying, with usually little to no skill or strategy involved, and also typically invites lewd and disgusting suggestions and behaviors. No thanks. However, upon seeing many reviewers that I trust showing off their hauls from recent conventions including games from the Similo series, I just had to find out why. Have I been missing out, or is this just another lame excuse for a “party game?”
Similo: Spookies (which I will just call Similo from here on out, as they are all basically the same, but with different themes) is a party card game where one player knows information and attempts to persuade the other players to choose the correct character SILENTLY. One game lasts five rounds or less, and many times players will want to play multiple games in a row.
To setup, shuffle the deck of cards and place it face-down on the table. The player chosen to be the “Clue Giver” will then secretly look at the top card. This card will be the secret character for the entire game. Along with this card, the Clue Giver will draw an additional 11 cards and shuffle them. Next, lay out the 12 characters face-up in a 4×3 grid, so that all players can see. Finally, the Clue Giver draws another five cards to act as their starting hand of clues. The game may now begin in earnest!
The game lasts no more than five rounds, and each round is played mostly the same. During the first round the Clue Giver will place a card from their hand onto the table in either Portrait or Landscape mode (I know there are different words to describe these orientations, but they are failing me now). When a card is in Portrait mode, the Clue Giver is letting the players know that the secret character has similarities to the played card. Landscape placement means that the secret character has differences from the card played.
At the end of the first round, the other players must discuss and decide one card from the grid to remove from play, based on the Clue Giver’s information. If the card removed is the secret character (or at any time the secret character is removed in this way) the players all immediately lose the game. However, if the players have removed an appropriate character card, then the game moves to the second round. Each subsequent round is played exactly the same way, except the number of cards removed will match the round number being played. For example, during the third round three cards will be removed. The only exception here is the very last fifth round. During this round there will only be two cards remaining, and the players will need to choose the correct one to win the game. Win or lose, all players will most likely request to play another game with a different Clue Giver.
Components. This game is 30 cards in a tuckbox. The cards are all great quality with excellent linen finish. They each have the character’s name on the upper left corner and a small thematic quip on the lower right corner. The big thing here is the utterly amazing character art by Naiade (Seasons, Tokaido, Isla Dorada, etc). They are each so wonderfully illustrated, and they have to be, considering the entire game is based on the similarity or differences of each card. I was so very pleasantly surprised to see this beautiful set of cards pop out of the box when I opened it. Zero issues with components here.
This game is low-key a thinking person’s puzzle. How can I get the group to exclude one card specifically and throw away all the others? What the heck is this Clue Giver trying to tell us? What exactly is an Oni? With the right group of gamers, especially those that share many inside jokes and experiences, this could be a nightly hit. Now, determining the difference between Frankenstein’s Monster and a Zombie may be harder than you thought, so do be careful with those technicalities.
This one really reminds me of a much more compact version of Deception: Murder in Hong Kong. There is a silent Clue Giver in both trying to guide the other players to the right answer using cards. If I can get the same feeling from a game featuring 30 cards versus about 300 I might have a replacement situation on my hands here.
For its tiny table presence, excellent artwork, and overall game play, Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a bone-chilling 4 / 6. I know at this very second that my score is hanging in the balance. I want it to be a 5 so very badly, and I feel that it may actually get there, assuming I can play with larger groups of people and a variety of types of gamers. For now, I am happy with the 4 it is assigned. If you are like me and didn’t know you needed a smaller game in your collection that can give similo experiences to bigger boxes, give this one a shot.
Oh PS – You can also combine the different sets into a larger and more chaotic game. I’m not sure I have the huevos for that quite yet, but I think a good counterpart to this Halloween-themed set may be the Fables or Myths sets. Let me know if you have combined these two and if my hunch is correct. I’m going to go fanboy over Naiade’s art now.
Similo: Spookies (which I will just call Similo from here on out, as they are all basically the same, but with different themes) is a party card game where one player knows information and attempts to persuade the other players to choose the correct character SILENTLY. One game lasts five rounds or less, and many times players will want to play multiple games in a row.
To setup, shuffle the deck of cards and place it face-down on the table. The player chosen to be the “Clue Giver” will then secretly look at the top card. This card will be the secret character for the entire game. Along with this card, the Clue Giver will draw an additional 11 cards and shuffle them. Next, lay out the 12 characters face-up in a 4×3 grid, so that all players can see. Finally, the Clue Giver draws another five cards to act as their starting hand of clues. The game may now begin in earnest!
The game lasts no more than five rounds, and each round is played mostly the same. During the first round the Clue Giver will place a card from their hand onto the table in either Portrait or Landscape mode (I know there are different words to describe these orientations, but they are failing me now). When a card is in Portrait mode, the Clue Giver is letting the players know that the secret character has similarities to the played card. Landscape placement means that the secret character has differences from the card played.
At the end of the first round, the other players must discuss and decide one card from the grid to remove from play, based on the Clue Giver’s information. If the card removed is the secret character (or at any time the secret character is removed in this way) the players all immediately lose the game. However, if the players have removed an appropriate character card, then the game moves to the second round. Each subsequent round is played exactly the same way, except the number of cards removed will match the round number being played. For example, during the third round three cards will be removed. The only exception here is the very last fifth round. During this round there will only be two cards remaining, and the players will need to choose the correct one to win the game. Win or lose, all players will most likely request to play another game with a different Clue Giver.
Components. This game is 30 cards in a tuckbox. The cards are all great quality with excellent linen finish. They each have the character’s name on the upper left corner and a small thematic quip on the lower right corner. The big thing here is the utterly amazing character art by Naiade (Seasons, Tokaido, Isla Dorada, etc). They are each so wonderfully illustrated, and they have to be, considering the entire game is based on the similarity or differences of each card. I was so very pleasantly surprised to see this beautiful set of cards pop out of the box when I opened it. Zero issues with components here.
This game is low-key a thinking person’s puzzle. How can I get the group to exclude one card specifically and throw away all the others? What the heck is this Clue Giver trying to tell us? What exactly is an Oni? With the right group of gamers, especially those that share many inside jokes and experiences, this could be a nightly hit. Now, determining the difference between Frankenstein’s Monster and a Zombie may be harder than you thought, so do be careful with those technicalities.
This one really reminds me of a much more compact version of Deception: Murder in Hong Kong. There is a silent Clue Giver in both trying to guide the other players to the right answer using cards. If I can get the same feeling from a game featuring 30 cards versus about 300 I might have a replacement situation on my hands here.
For its tiny table presence, excellent artwork, and overall game play, Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a bone-chilling 4 / 6. I know at this very second that my score is hanging in the balance. I want it to be a 5 so very badly, and I feel that it may actually get there, assuming I can play with larger groups of people and a variety of types of gamers. For now, I am happy with the 4 it is assigned. If you are like me and didn’t know you needed a smaller game in your collection that can give similo experiences to bigger boxes, give this one a shot.
Oh PS – You can also combine the different sets into a larger and more chaotic game. I’m not sure I have the huevos for that quite yet, but I think a good counterpart to this Halloween-themed set may be the Fables or Myths sets. Let me know if you have combined these two and if my hunch is correct. I’m going to go fanboy over Naiade’s art now.
