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Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Goblin Teeth in Tabletop Games
Nov 5, 2019
You know a game is going to be great when you actually enjoy reading the rules. Please take a moment to consider what I just wrote. I *enjoyed* reading the rules to a game. To this game. Why? Well, the intro to the rules that introduces the setting of the game, is written in the voice of a goblin. For those of you who may uninitiated into fantasy lore, goblins are small, gross humanoids that are greedy and not at all known for their academic prowess. Ok, so the rules started out pretty entertaining. Did this set us up for an entertaining game or a boring slug… er, slog? I have high expectations from Jellybean Games now, so will this be a winner as well?
Goblin Teeth is a fantasy take-that, auction, set collection, dice and card game. Each player is a goblin attempting to impress the goblin boss enough to become the right hand gobbie by offering a collection of items that the boss enjoys.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. As this is a preview copy of the game, I do not know if the final rules or components will be similar or different to what we were provided. -T
To setup, create the offering mat by randomly drawing a red and blue offering card to be placed in their respective locations. Shuffle the Cheat cards and Item cards into separate decks. Each goblin player chooses a set of three matching dice they will use throughout the game. Give each goblin one Cheat card to begin their collection. From the Item cards, place as many Items face-up as the number of players and one more face-down at the end of the row near where the sacrifice altar will be placed. You now have your offer row for the first round and are ready to play.
Before the round begins, all players will roll all three of their dice simultaneously. These dice represent your bid amounts for the Item cards on display (including the face-down Item). Whomever is in possession of the first-player marker will take their turn first. This goblin may choose to play any number of Cheat cards in their hand, and then must place a die on an Item card or into the altar. These Item cards feature items to be collected and used to satisfy an Offering card – like skulls, goblin teeth, glow worms, and others. By placing a die on an Item card, a goblin is casting their bid. By placing a die into the sacrificing altar, the goblin is instead giving up a bid die in exchange for drawing a Cheat card (which can be very powerful). Once the die is placed, the next goblin in clockwise order can take their turn following the same order of operations. The goblin who wins the face-down Item card becomes the new first player and receives the first player token. A new round can now begin by laying out new Items and rolling all dice simultaneously.
The game continues in this fashion until one sneaky goblin has all the Items they need to satisfy one of the Offering cards (or the pre-printed space on the Offering mat). There are dice placement rules and Cheats-a-plenty that I did not describe at all, but per the disclaimer, you can back the game or purchase from your favorite board game retailer (naturally, your FLGS). All goblins then tear each other to shreds over jealousy and greed. Ok, I added that last bit myself, but it should go into the rules. Just sayin’.
Components. Again, this is a prototype version of the game and some components may (and probably will) change over the course of a successful Kickstarter campaign. That said, I will comment on what I can here. The physical components themselves are fine for a prototype game. The cards are big tarot cards that are fun to handle. I hope they keep that size. The first player token in this is a green translucent plastic meeple that I’m sure they will be upgrading during the campaign. Similarly, the dice will more than likely see an upgrade (I am totally projecting here, I have no information on any future plans for components). What needs very little upgrading is the art on the cards. The card backs for the Cheat and Item cards feature an excellent logo (I hope) for the game, and the art on the Item cards are clear and really really good. I hope the art style doesn’t change as the art is amazing here. The Cheat cards look good, are clear, and although they feature several different fonts, I was not at all ever turned off by the presentation.
So here are my thoughts. Goblin Teeth is an excellent game of outbidding your opponents, double-think, and Cheating your way to victory! I absolutely adore this game. Without those Cheat cards it would still be decent, but those Cheats are what make this game special. Being able to play as many Cheat cards as you want on your turn, with some of them being good and some bad, but being able to place them on yourself or your opponents is just gold. I cannot wait to see this game go to Kickstarter and just kill it. Seriously, it’s an amusing, frustrating, beautiful game that I cannot wait to own in its full glory. If you enjoy experiences that pit you against your opponents and you find yourself giggling at thwarting their plans, this is the game for you.
Goblin Teeth is a fantasy take-that, auction, set collection, dice and card game. Each player is a goblin attempting to impress the goblin boss enough to become the right hand gobbie by offering a collection of items that the boss enjoys.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. As this is a preview copy of the game, I do not know if the final rules or components will be similar or different to what we were provided. -T
To setup, create the offering mat by randomly drawing a red and blue offering card to be placed in their respective locations. Shuffle the Cheat cards and Item cards into separate decks. Each goblin player chooses a set of three matching dice they will use throughout the game. Give each goblin one Cheat card to begin their collection. From the Item cards, place as many Items face-up as the number of players and one more face-down at the end of the row near where the sacrifice altar will be placed. You now have your offer row for the first round and are ready to play.
Before the round begins, all players will roll all three of their dice simultaneously. These dice represent your bid amounts for the Item cards on display (including the face-down Item). Whomever is in possession of the first-player marker will take their turn first. This goblin may choose to play any number of Cheat cards in their hand, and then must place a die on an Item card or into the altar. These Item cards feature items to be collected and used to satisfy an Offering card – like skulls, goblin teeth, glow worms, and others. By placing a die on an Item card, a goblin is casting their bid. By placing a die into the sacrificing altar, the goblin is instead giving up a bid die in exchange for drawing a Cheat card (which can be very powerful). Once the die is placed, the next goblin in clockwise order can take their turn following the same order of operations. The goblin who wins the face-down Item card becomes the new first player and receives the first player token. A new round can now begin by laying out new Items and rolling all dice simultaneously.
The game continues in this fashion until one sneaky goblin has all the Items they need to satisfy one of the Offering cards (or the pre-printed space on the Offering mat). There are dice placement rules and Cheats-a-plenty that I did not describe at all, but per the disclaimer, you can back the game or purchase from your favorite board game retailer (naturally, your FLGS). All goblins then tear each other to shreds over jealousy and greed. Ok, I added that last bit myself, but it should go into the rules. Just sayin’.
Components. Again, this is a prototype version of the game and some components may (and probably will) change over the course of a successful Kickstarter campaign. That said, I will comment on what I can here. The physical components themselves are fine for a prototype game. The cards are big tarot cards that are fun to handle. I hope they keep that size. The first player token in this is a green translucent plastic meeple that I’m sure they will be upgrading during the campaign. Similarly, the dice will more than likely see an upgrade (I am totally projecting here, I have no information on any future plans for components). What needs very little upgrading is the art on the cards. The card backs for the Cheat and Item cards feature an excellent logo (I hope) for the game, and the art on the Item cards are clear and really really good. I hope the art style doesn’t change as the art is amazing here. The Cheat cards look good, are clear, and although they feature several different fonts, I was not at all ever turned off by the presentation.
So here are my thoughts. Goblin Teeth is an excellent game of outbidding your opponents, double-think, and Cheating your way to victory! I absolutely adore this game. Without those Cheat cards it would still be decent, but those Cheats are what make this game special. Being able to play as many Cheat cards as you want on your turn, with some of them being good and some bad, but being able to place them on yourself or your opponents is just gold. I cannot wait to see this game go to Kickstarter and just kill it. Seriously, it’s an amusing, frustrating, beautiful game that I cannot wait to own in its full glory. If you enjoy experiences that pit you against your opponents and you find yourself giggling at thwarting their plans, this is the game for you.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Beatdown: Streets of Justice in Tabletop Games
Nov 12, 2019
Ever wanted to be a street level thug? Or the hero that fights said thugs? I haven’t really. But! I did used to love playing the Street Fighter games growing up. Now, you cannot Hadouken in real life (right?) and take out E. Honda, but you CAN fight thugs in the street… if you really wanted. You know what? I’m just gonna stick to fighting via card play. Wanna help?
Beatdown: Streets of Justice is a cooperative, push-your-luck, fighting card game that pits you and your team of heroes against waves of thugs and a boss fight. As it is cooperative, the players win by beating the boss (typically in the third wave of fights), or lose by being all knocked out. Silly heroes.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. This is a retail copy of the game, so what you see in these photos is exactly what would be received in your box. I do not intend to cover every single rule included in the rulebook, but will describe the overall game flow and major rule set so that our readers may get a sense of how the game plays. For more in depth rules, you may purchase a copy online or from your FLGS. -T
To setup, each player takes a player mat, chooses a hero to play, and takes the dice of matching color to use during the game. Shuffle all the different decks of cards and place them on the table within easy reach of all players. The Attacks deck will include the base attack cards plus all cards that match the players in the game (like Invicta’s attack cards if she is in the game). Place tiny clear cubes on your starting health, as well as the starting health for the thugs you will be fighting in Wave 1, and you are ready to play!
Beatdown: Streets of Justice (or just Beatdown from now on) is played over three waves of fights where the heroes will play cards and do their fighting and then the bad guys will take their turns to fight. Generally, play will go like this: on a player’s turn they will play a card from their hand or one blindly from the top of the Attack deck. This is the opening to their “combo.” The Attack cards will typically have a damage amount and a combo rating number. In order to play more cards to the combo, the player will need to roll their d10 and roll a number equal to or higher than their accumulated combo rating (the little numbers showing in the green arrows of cards played + the green arrow number on the hero card). A combo can continue as long as the player can roll higher than their combo rating, but a failed roll doesn’t necessarily mean c-c-c-combo breaker, but rather that the hero has left themselves open for attack by the thugs. I won’t go into any more detail on fighting, as the rules are a little complex and I will let you discover those for yourselves.
After the heroes have taken all their turns, if thugs are still on the battlefield, they will now take their fighting turns. Flip over an Enemy Attack card from the deck for each enemy and resolve it against the heroes. Each baddie will make their attacks and if heroes are still conscious another round of the wave will begin. New thugs do not enter play, as they only populate at the beginning of a Wave. The thugs are no joke, and the bosses are even rougher. Can you be defeated? Yes. I was defeated in my first game. Can you be revived? Yes. Between Waves the players can participate in a Shopping Phase where they can use trophies (the cards of enemies they have defeated) to purchase health back, revive a fallen hero, or purchase a revealed Loot card to help in future fights. Play continues in this fashion for three Waves until the heroes complete the Boss Wave (by defeating all enemies) or all the heroes are knocked out.
Components. I have some good news and bad news here. Good news first. The dice are great. The tiny clear cubes are… tiny and clear. And they are just fine. The cards are good quality, as are the cardboard mats and tokens. The card layout is good too. The bad news: the rulebook is a little confusing for the first couple read-throughs and the art style does nothing for me. I appreciate the way the rules are very informal and make several chuckle-worthy jokes, but I feel like it could flow different and more efficiently. Similarly, in an industry where art can really make a good game great, this one is lacking. It’s really a shame, because everything else about the game is really good quality. The iconography is… fine, but the character art in-game is an issue I have with this.
Beatdown is actually a really decent game once you are playing. The rulebook needs work, and the art needs an update, but those grievances aside, Beatdown is an enjoyable experience at the table. I usually play pretty conservatively in push-your-luck games, but I went all out with this one and was more often than not rewarded handsomely for it. If your group enjoys cooperative, push-your-luck, fighting, card games give this one a look. Just don’t pay attention to the character art. This all said Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a 6 / 12. Improve the rulebook and art and that rating improves.
Beatdown: Streets of Justice is a cooperative, push-your-luck, fighting card game that pits you and your team of heroes against waves of thugs and a boss fight. As it is cooperative, the players win by beating the boss (typically in the third wave of fights), or lose by being all knocked out. Silly heroes.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. This is a retail copy of the game, so what you see in these photos is exactly what would be received in your box. I do not intend to cover every single rule included in the rulebook, but will describe the overall game flow and major rule set so that our readers may get a sense of how the game plays. For more in depth rules, you may purchase a copy online or from your FLGS. -T
To setup, each player takes a player mat, chooses a hero to play, and takes the dice of matching color to use during the game. Shuffle all the different decks of cards and place them on the table within easy reach of all players. The Attacks deck will include the base attack cards plus all cards that match the players in the game (like Invicta’s attack cards if she is in the game). Place tiny clear cubes on your starting health, as well as the starting health for the thugs you will be fighting in Wave 1, and you are ready to play!
Beatdown: Streets of Justice (or just Beatdown from now on) is played over three waves of fights where the heroes will play cards and do their fighting and then the bad guys will take their turns to fight. Generally, play will go like this: on a player’s turn they will play a card from their hand or one blindly from the top of the Attack deck. This is the opening to their “combo.” The Attack cards will typically have a damage amount and a combo rating number. In order to play more cards to the combo, the player will need to roll their d10 and roll a number equal to or higher than their accumulated combo rating (the little numbers showing in the green arrows of cards played + the green arrow number on the hero card). A combo can continue as long as the player can roll higher than their combo rating, but a failed roll doesn’t necessarily mean c-c-c-combo breaker, but rather that the hero has left themselves open for attack by the thugs. I won’t go into any more detail on fighting, as the rules are a little complex and I will let you discover those for yourselves.
After the heroes have taken all their turns, if thugs are still on the battlefield, they will now take their fighting turns. Flip over an Enemy Attack card from the deck for each enemy and resolve it against the heroes. Each baddie will make their attacks and if heroes are still conscious another round of the wave will begin. New thugs do not enter play, as they only populate at the beginning of a Wave. The thugs are no joke, and the bosses are even rougher. Can you be defeated? Yes. I was defeated in my first game. Can you be revived? Yes. Between Waves the players can participate in a Shopping Phase where they can use trophies (the cards of enemies they have defeated) to purchase health back, revive a fallen hero, or purchase a revealed Loot card to help in future fights. Play continues in this fashion for three Waves until the heroes complete the Boss Wave (by defeating all enemies) or all the heroes are knocked out.
Components. I have some good news and bad news here. Good news first. The dice are great. The tiny clear cubes are… tiny and clear. And they are just fine. The cards are good quality, as are the cardboard mats and tokens. The card layout is good too. The bad news: the rulebook is a little confusing for the first couple read-throughs and the art style does nothing for me. I appreciate the way the rules are very informal and make several chuckle-worthy jokes, but I feel like it could flow different and more efficiently. Similarly, in an industry where art can really make a good game great, this one is lacking. It’s really a shame, because everything else about the game is really good quality. The iconography is… fine, but the character art in-game is an issue I have with this.
Beatdown is actually a really decent game once you are playing. The rulebook needs work, and the art needs an update, but those grievances aside, Beatdown is an enjoyable experience at the table. I usually play pretty conservatively in push-your-luck games, but I went all out with this one and was more often than not rewarded handsomely for it. If your group enjoys cooperative, push-your-luck, fighting, card games give this one a look. Just don’t pay attention to the character art. This all said Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a 6 / 12. Improve the rulebook and art and that rating improves.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Of Knights & Ninjas in Tabletop Games
Jan 23, 2020
Little-known factoid about me: I am a Knight. Not from England, and not due to my daring heroics in war, but a Knight Templar of the Grand Commandery in the York Rite of Freemasonry. Politics and conspiracy theories aside, becoming a Knight was a highlight of my life, and something I will forever treasure. And speaking of treasure and Knights Templar (read your history, kids), we all know that one of the biggest foes of the Knights in olden times were the nefarious Ninjas. Or maybe it’s just fun to think about and play a game where these factions are represented.
Of Knights & Ninjas is a card game about claiming enough treasure to ascend to kinghood and rule all the lands. You can accomplish this by sending forces to your opponents’ realms and stealing their glorious gems. The first lord to amass 10 gems will have sufficient wealth to assume the kinghood and rule all realms!
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and the final components may be different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, but to give our readers an idea of how the game plays. If you would like to read the rulebook in full, you may visit the publisher’s website, purchase the game through the publisher, back the game through the Kickstarter campaign, or through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
To setup, each player will take five gems of their preferred color in front of them. Shuffle the large deck of cards, and deal each player four cards (this rule was updated after our play-throughs). You are now ready to play!
On your turn, you will draw two cards from the deck (unless it’s the first draw of the game – that player will draw just one). You must now play a card to the table or discard a card from your hand. Cards that you can play from your hand will each have different abilities, and thankfully the designer will be providing a reference sheet for these, as there are many cards with wildly different abilities. This is also why I will not be explaining the entire rulebook.
Typically you will be able to play Fortify cards (castles, archers), Attack cards (knights, ninjas, etc), Respond cards, and Special cards (minstrels, jesters, etc). Fortify cards protect your gems from certain Attack cards, like an Archer only being able to attack another Archer, or a Dragon being able to attack a Castle – but not if an Archer is stationed there (logic). Although, a Ninja can scale a Castle wall, and a Catapult can destroy a Castle altogether (but not that pesky Archer that happens to be sitting on top)…
Attack cards are just that: they Attack. Each Attack card will show a number in a starburst icon in the upper right hand corner that signifies how many gems they are able to steal. Once an opponent is declared and an Attack card played, let’s say a 1-power Peasant, the defender may then play a card with the Respond keyword (which will also have a starburst number) to offset the number of stolen gems. If the attacker chooses, they may continue playing Attack cards against the same opponent in order to draw out all the Respond cards and come away with some sweet, sweet gems.
But maybe once all is said and done, and gems are about to change hands, another opponent plays a Special card – a Highwayman, for example. These characters will steal all the gems that are about to change hands (as if he was robbing the gem carriage en route to the new owner). But then again, perhaps yet ANOTHER opponent plays a Highwayman as well, and steals those gems a second time! You just never know when these Special cards will come out and how they may affect the best laid plans.
Play continues in this fashion until one player has amassed the 10 gems they require to win the game!
Components. Again, we were provided a prototype copy of this game, and we understand that components can change during the course of a successful Kickstarter campaign. That said, this game is a ton of cards and some plastic gem pieces. The art is stellar – cartoony, but whimsical and fun. The card layouts make sense and are very easy to read and understand. The gems are colorful and fun to play with. I only have one concern/suggestion/wish for the components here. I wish the individual card’s abilities were somehow printed on the cards themselves. That would alleviate the need for a reference sheet, but it would then detract from the cute art on the cards. So, maybe that wouldn’t be so great after all. I’m torn on that.
All in all, this game is super fun to play. It will be chaotic one moment, and strategically tense the next. Being able to whittle an opponent’s hand down to nothing and then slapping them with a King card to steal a huge chunk of gems is just so sneakily satisfying. Or sending your Ninja to infiltrate their unArchered (I know it’s not a word) Castle and slither away with the goods. Don’t get too attached to your gems, because you may find yourself without for several rounds. You can always rebuild, but make haste as your opponents will keep you down if you let them.
If you are a fan of games that are cute, fun, and relatively quick with a quirky, but light-hearted theme, then definitely check this one out.
Of Knights & Ninjas is a card game about claiming enough treasure to ascend to kinghood and rule all the lands. You can accomplish this by sending forces to your opponents’ realms and stealing their glorious gems. The first lord to amass 10 gems will have sufficient wealth to assume the kinghood and rule all realms!
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and the final components may be different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, but to give our readers an idea of how the game plays. If you would like to read the rulebook in full, you may visit the publisher’s website, purchase the game through the publisher, back the game through the Kickstarter campaign, or through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
To setup, each player will take five gems of their preferred color in front of them. Shuffle the large deck of cards, and deal each player four cards (this rule was updated after our play-throughs). You are now ready to play!
On your turn, you will draw two cards from the deck (unless it’s the first draw of the game – that player will draw just one). You must now play a card to the table or discard a card from your hand. Cards that you can play from your hand will each have different abilities, and thankfully the designer will be providing a reference sheet for these, as there are many cards with wildly different abilities. This is also why I will not be explaining the entire rulebook.
Typically you will be able to play Fortify cards (castles, archers), Attack cards (knights, ninjas, etc), Respond cards, and Special cards (minstrels, jesters, etc). Fortify cards protect your gems from certain Attack cards, like an Archer only being able to attack another Archer, or a Dragon being able to attack a Castle – but not if an Archer is stationed there (logic). Although, a Ninja can scale a Castle wall, and a Catapult can destroy a Castle altogether (but not that pesky Archer that happens to be sitting on top)…
Attack cards are just that: they Attack. Each Attack card will show a number in a starburst icon in the upper right hand corner that signifies how many gems they are able to steal. Once an opponent is declared and an Attack card played, let’s say a 1-power Peasant, the defender may then play a card with the Respond keyword (which will also have a starburst number) to offset the number of stolen gems. If the attacker chooses, they may continue playing Attack cards against the same opponent in order to draw out all the Respond cards and come away with some sweet, sweet gems.
But maybe once all is said and done, and gems are about to change hands, another opponent plays a Special card – a Highwayman, for example. These characters will steal all the gems that are about to change hands (as if he was robbing the gem carriage en route to the new owner). But then again, perhaps yet ANOTHER opponent plays a Highwayman as well, and steals those gems a second time! You just never know when these Special cards will come out and how they may affect the best laid plans.
Play continues in this fashion until one player has amassed the 10 gems they require to win the game!
Components. Again, we were provided a prototype copy of this game, and we understand that components can change during the course of a successful Kickstarter campaign. That said, this game is a ton of cards and some plastic gem pieces. The art is stellar – cartoony, but whimsical and fun. The card layouts make sense and are very easy to read and understand. The gems are colorful and fun to play with. I only have one concern/suggestion/wish for the components here. I wish the individual card’s abilities were somehow printed on the cards themselves. That would alleviate the need for a reference sheet, but it would then detract from the cute art on the cards. So, maybe that wouldn’t be so great after all. I’m torn on that.
All in all, this game is super fun to play. It will be chaotic one moment, and strategically tense the next. Being able to whittle an opponent’s hand down to nothing and then slapping them with a King card to steal a huge chunk of gems is just so sneakily satisfying. Or sending your Ninja to infiltrate their unArchered (I know it’s not a word) Castle and slither away with the goods. Don’t get too attached to your gems, because you may find yourself without for several rounds. You can always rebuild, but make haste as your opponents will keep you down if you let them.
If you are a fan of games that are cute, fun, and relatively quick with a quirky, but light-hearted theme, then definitely check this one out.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Cooking Customers in Tabletop Games
Feb 4, 2020
Raise your hand if you have ever worked in the food industry. Okay, I see a few hands. Now raise your hand if you have ever been so torqued by a customer that you wanted to cook them in a pie. Oh, thanks for your hand Mrs. Lovett. Good to know. Well this game is an experience of getting your money and getting out. Fastest one to do so will win, and if you have to stew a few eyeballs in the process, more power to you.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. This is a retail copy of the game, so what you see in these photos is exactly what would be received in your box. I do not intend to cover every single rule included in the rulebook, but will describe the overall game flow and major rule set so that our readers may get a sense of how the game plays. For more in depth rules, you may purchase a copy online or from your FLGS. -T
Cooking Customers is a card and dice game where the first player to amass $20 in “tips” will be crowned the winner. Players earn tips by serving enough meals to customers at each table. Players can receive meals by rolling them on dice, or by card manipulation. Let me explain.
To setup, place the meals (black discs) in the middle of the table for all to reach. Similarly, place all the dice nearby. These dice have three sides: FIRED, MEAL, and a blank side. Shuffle the mighty deck of cards and deal five to each player, placing the rest of the deck in the middle of the table. Finally, shuffle the Table cards and place somewhere near the other components. Players are now ready to begin!
On a player’s turn, they will first draw the topmost Table card to be placed in front of themselves. This card will show how many meals need to be served to it to be satisfied and earn tips. The Table cards will mostly just sit there in front of players collecting meal discs for the game’s duration. Once a Table card is drawn (and only one Table per player, please) the active player may then play cards from hand. A player may play one or two cards, but only one card may be played to the active player’s tableau, and only one card may be played on an opponent. Should a player not wish to play a card to anyone’s tableau, they must discard a card to the middle of the table. Then the active player will draw back to the hand size of five cards.
Cards played to other players are usually bad, Munchkin-esque cards that halt progression or just cause mayhem for their designs. I will not go into detail on these, as half the fun of this game is the Take-That of these cards. Cards played to a player’s own tableau can be a myriad choices: Cooks, Helpers, Kitchen Supplies, etc. The most important are the Cook cards. A player will need to have a Cook “hired” in front of them in order to participate in the next phase of the game: rolling dice. Players can have Helper cards (sous chefs) and Kitchen Supplies active without a Cook, but the player may not roll dice or serve meals without a Cook. Cooks and Helpers will dictate how many dice are rolled in the next phase of a turn, and rolling more dice is always better.
Once all cards have been played on a player’s turn, they may now roll the dice (though for a game with such a dark theme I say we use the “Roll Them Bones” colloquialism). When the dice are rolled, players are hoping for MEAL to show up on all dice. This is how a meal can be collected and served to the Table cards. However, if at any time all dice read FIRED then the player’s Cook is fired and they may not continue rolling dice. The Cook is discarded and play is forfeited to the next player. #cheflife amirite?
Once a Table card has all the meals it needs to be satisfied, the player may score it by flipping it over to reveal the amount in tips they have earned. Play continues in this fashion until one player has earned $20 in tips. They can then taunt the other players with their superiority.
Components. Cooking Customers is a BUNCH of cards, some painted wooden discs, and some embossed dice. The cards are good quality, the discs are good as well, and the dice are great. All the components are pretty darn good. The art, though gross at times, is really well-done (see what I did there) and kept us laughing throughout our plays.
I do have one qualm about this game: the rulebook. Though only six pages long and with lots of illustrations throughout, I found that reading it made me more confused than it should have. I did take the rulebook’s advice to go to the publisher’s website, goodenoughgames.com, and watch the rules explanation and playthrough. That helped immensely to clear up what the rulebook did to my brain.
All in all, we had a great time playing this one. We all like Munchkin, and though it is NOT Munchkin, Cooking Customers delivers a take-that dice and card game that really is worth checking out. If you are looking for something with a new theme that plays quickly and has some meat on its bones (and there), then we certainly recommend Cooking Customers. Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a hearty (food puns are too easy) 13 / 18. You can purchase a copy at goodenoughgames.com currently. While you’re there please watch the video.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. This is a retail copy of the game, so what you see in these photos is exactly what would be received in your box. I do not intend to cover every single rule included in the rulebook, but will describe the overall game flow and major rule set so that our readers may get a sense of how the game plays. For more in depth rules, you may purchase a copy online or from your FLGS. -T
Cooking Customers is a card and dice game where the first player to amass $20 in “tips” will be crowned the winner. Players earn tips by serving enough meals to customers at each table. Players can receive meals by rolling them on dice, or by card manipulation. Let me explain.
To setup, place the meals (black discs) in the middle of the table for all to reach. Similarly, place all the dice nearby. These dice have three sides: FIRED, MEAL, and a blank side. Shuffle the mighty deck of cards and deal five to each player, placing the rest of the deck in the middle of the table. Finally, shuffle the Table cards and place somewhere near the other components. Players are now ready to begin!
On a player’s turn, they will first draw the topmost Table card to be placed in front of themselves. This card will show how many meals need to be served to it to be satisfied and earn tips. The Table cards will mostly just sit there in front of players collecting meal discs for the game’s duration. Once a Table card is drawn (and only one Table per player, please) the active player may then play cards from hand. A player may play one or two cards, but only one card may be played to the active player’s tableau, and only one card may be played on an opponent. Should a player not wish to play a card to anyone’s tableau, they must discard a card to the middle of the table. Then the active player will draw back to the hand size of five cards.
Cards played to other players are usually bad, Munchkin-esque cards that halt progression or just cause mayhem for their designs. I will not go into detail on these, as half the fun of this game is the Take-That of these cards. Cards played to a player’s own tableau can be a myriad choices: Cooks, Helpers, Kitchen Supplies, etc. The most important are the Cook cards. A player will need to have a Cook “hired” in front of them in order to participate in the next phase of the game: rolling dice. Players can have Helper cards (sous chefs) and Kitchen Supplies active without a Cook, but the player may not roll dice or serve meals without a Cook. Cooks and Helpers will dictate how many dice are rolled in the next phase of a turn, and rolling more dice is always better.
Once all cards have been played on a player’s turn, they may now roll the dice (though for a game with such a dark theme I say we use the “Roll Them Bones” colloquialism). When the dice are rolled, players are hoping for MEAL to show up on all dice. This is how a meal can be collected and served to the Table cards. However, if at any time all dice read FIRED then the player’s Cook is fired and they may not continue rolling dice. The Cook is discarded and play is forfeited to the next player. #cheflife amirite?
Once a Table card has all the meals it needs to be satisfied, the player may score it by flipping it over to reveal the amount in tips they have earned. Play continues in this fashion until one player has earned $20 in tips. They can then taunt the other players with their superiority.
Components. Cooking Customers is a BUNCH of cards, some painted wooden discs, and some embossed dice. The cards are good quality, the discs are good as well, and the dice are great. All the components are pretty darn good. The art, though gross at times, is really well-done (see what I did there) and kept us laughing throughout our plays.
I do have one qualm about this game: the rulebook. Though only six pages long and with lots of illustrations throughout, I found that reading it made me more confused than it should have. I did take the rulebook’s advice to go to the publisher’s website, goodenoughgames.com, and watch the rules explanation and playthrough. That helped immensely to clear up what the rulebook did to my brain.
All in all, we had a great time playing this one. We all like Munchkin, and though it is NOT Munchkin, Cooking Customers delivers a take-that dice and card game that really is worth checking out. If you are looking for something with a new theme that plays quickly and has some meat on its bones (and there), then we certainly recommend Cooking Customers. Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a hearty (food puns are too easy) 13 / 18. You can purchase a copy at goodenoughgames.com currently. While you’re there please watch the video.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Cleocatra in Tabletop Games
Mar 3, 2020
It is said, and now generally accepted, that Cleopatra and ancient Egyptians revered and respected cats so much that they would include them in the burial sites of pharaohs as protectors of the bodies. Cats can protect the dead from mice and snakes and the like, but I have seen cats. They probably just sat there indifferent and annoyed until they were hungry and then scavenged for food. Some protectors. In any case, I am a sucker for a punny title, and thus our relationship with Sunrise Tornado Game Studio came into being for a preview of their upcoming game Cleocatra.
In Cleocatra players are, “saving cats in the pyramids.” Once these cats are saved and the pyramids cleared (scored) inspectors can sweep through to confirm they have been cleared. While points do not equate to number of cats saved, the first player to earn 23 points will signify the final round of play.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and the final components will probably be different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, as there are just too many. You are invited to back the game through the Kickstarter campaign, order from your FLGS, or purchase through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
To setup, place the score card on the table somewhere in view of all players. The score card will track, well, scoring as well as be a handy reference sheet for all. Shuffle and stack all triangular cat tiles according to the rulebook and place somewhere within reach of all players. Each player will choose a color, place their score cube on the score card, and take their matching meeples. Keep the brown inspector cubes nearby to be used in play. Per the rules, in turn order, each player will flip a tile from the stack and place one of their meeples upon it. The game may now begin in earnest!
A player will have many choices upon the start of a turn, but a turn must include two total actions: a Tile action and a Rescuer action OR two Rescuer actions. Tile actions include Scout and Search. To Scout, simply turn over the top tile from the stack and place it adjacent to an existing tile on the table. A Search action requires an unoccupied existing tile to be moved from one location to another. Similar to movement in Hive, a Search action must not cause the pyramids structure to break into pieces nor move a completely surrounded tile.
Rescuer actions include Dispatch, Team Up, and Rescue (score). When a player uses Dispatch, they place a meeple on a tile they just previously moved in the Search action. To Team Up, simply place a new meeple on a tile adjacent to another tile with one of that player’s meeples… creating a small team. When a player Rescues, they score for a meeple on a tile according to the rulebook – points are tallied based on different cat tile types being adjacent, with additional points for having team members in adjacent spaces. After a Rescue action is taken, remove the meeple from the tile that was scored and replace it with one of the brown inspector cubes. The inspectors prevent tiles from being moved on future turns until they are placed elsewhere.
Play continues in this fashion until a player has earned or surpassed 23 points. At that time, the current round finishes and the game immediately ends. The player with the most points at the end of the final tally wins and is given a pet cat as a result! Ok, our games have never ended that way, but I would totally give away my cat if I had one.
Components. Again, this is a prototype copy of the game, and it is scheduled to hit Kickstarter soon. However, the art style on this one is super cute. The other components (meeples, inspector cubes, etc) may end up being different and be better color-matched, but for a prototype, they were just fine. I have not yet seen any concept art or anything to comment on, so for components, I have little to say, other than the box art is great, as is the art for the cat tiles. So if that style continues and is stretched to the other components, this is going to be VERY cute.
This one came as a shock to me. So few components, but a lot to think about. Should I bring out a new tile or move the existing ones to create a long string of different cats to score big? Should I put out a new helper? I should put out a new helper. I think the best part about this game for me is the fact that I never really felt like any option was a poor option. I mean, you can definitely tank this one and not get much out of it, but then why play anything? Cleocatra is certainly a game that rewards you for continual plays. The more you play, the better you become. I guess that goes for anything in life, really. The rewards come to those who practice. The game is light, but not light-hearted. If you enjoy the tile movement of Hive, but bugs are too icky, try Cleocatra. If you like small games that can fit on an airplane tray but still give you a challenge, try Cleocatra. If you enjoy games with cats, try Cleocatra.
If this is your kind of game, consider backing it on Kickstarter when it launches on March 11. If you want more information, please visit the game’s website, where you can find downloadable rules and print-n-play files. Tell ’em ol Travis from Purple Phoenix Games sent ya.
In Cleocatra players are, “saving cats in the pyramids.” Once these cats are saved and the pyramids cleared (scored) inspectors can sweep through to confirm they have been cleared. While points do not equate to number of cats saved, the first player to earn 23 points will signify the final round of play.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and the final components will probably be different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, as there are just too many. You are invited to back the game through the Kickstarter campaign, order from your FLGS, or purchase through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
To setup, place the score card on the table somewhere in view of all players. The score card will track, well, scoring as well as be a handy reference sheet for all. Shuffle and stack all triangular cat tiles according to the rulebook and place somewhere within reach of all players. Each player will choose a color, place their score cube on the score card, and take their matching meeples. Keep the brown inspector cubes nearby to be used in play. Per the rules, in turn order, each player will flip a tile from the stack and place one of their meeples upon it. The game may now begin in earnest!
A player will have many choices upon the start of a turn, but a turn must include two total actions: a Tile action and a Rescuer action OR two Rescuer actions. Tile actions include Scout and Search. To Scout, simply turn over the top tile from the stack and place it adjacent to an existing tile on the table. A Search action requires an unoccupied existing tile to be moved from one location to another. Similar to movement in Hive, a Search action must not cause the pyramids structure to break into pieces nor move a completely surrounded tile.
Rescuer actions include Dispatch, Team Up, and Rescue (score). When a player uses Dispatch, they place a meeple on a tile they just previously moved in the Search action. To Team Up, simply place a new meeple on a tile adjacent to another tile with one of that player’s meeples… creating a small team. When a player Rescues, they score for a meeple on a tile according to the rulebook – points are tallied based on different cat tile types being adjacent, with additional points for having team members in adjacent spaces. After a Rescue action is taken, remove the meeple from the tile that was scored and replace it with one of the brown inspector cubes. The inspectors prevent tiles from being moved on future turns until they are placed elsewhere.
Play continues in this fashion until a player has earned or surpassed 23 points. At that time, the current round finishes and the game immediately ends. The player with the most points at the end of the final tally wins and is given a pet cat as a result! Ok, our games have never ended that way, but I would totally give away my cat if I had one.
Components. Again, this is a prototype copy of the game, and it is scheduled to hit Kickstarter soon. However, the art style on this one is super cute. The other components (meeples, inspector cubes, etc) may end up being different and be better color-matched, but for a prototype, they were just fine. I have not yet seen any concept art or anything to comment on, so for components, I have little to say, other than the box art is great, as is the art for the cat tiles. So if that style continues and is stretched to the other components, this is going to be VERY cute.
This one came as a shock to me. So few components, but a lot to think about. Should I bring out a new tile or move the existing ones to create a long string of different cats to score big? Should I put out a new helper? I should put out a new helper. I think the best part about this game for me is the fact that I never really felt like any option was a poor option. I mean, you can definitely tank this one and not get much out of it, but then why play anything? Cleocatra is certainly a game that rewards you for continual plays. The more you play, the better you become. I guess that goes for anything in life, really. The rewards come to those who practice. The game is light, but not light-hearted. If you enjoy the tile movement of Hive, but bugs are too icky, try Cleocatra. If you like small games that can fit on an airplane tray but still give you a challenge, try Cleocatra. If you enjoy games with cats, try Cleocatra.
If this is your kind of game, consider backing it on Kickstarter when it launches on March 11. If you want more information, please visit the game’s website, where you can find downloadable rules and print-n-play files. Tell ’em ol Travis from Purple Phoenix Games sent ya.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Yes! Broccoli! in Tabletop Games
Mar 25, 2020
I’m sure you saw the title of this review and thought I had lost my mind. Well, I thought I had lost my mind when I saw the description of this one and immediately was excited to play it. Not that broccoli is my favorite food, but I do love it. My son, however, loves broccoli. Wait, he LOVES broccoli. Hopefully now you can understand why I would be excited to play a card game about health food geared toward children to teach them about good vs bad food items. I love my kids, and I love games. When I can combine those, I am a happy guy.
Yes! Broccoli! is a card game for 2-5 players that incorporates blind bidding, special player powers (in advanced games), and drafting elements. The hidden benefit from this game is that healthy food cards are worth more points while the junk food cards are worth negative points (boo and hiss).
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. This is a retail copy of the game, so what you see in these photos is exactly what would be received in your box. I do not intend to cover every single rule included in the rulebook, but will describe the overall game flow and major rule set so that our readers may get a sense of how the game plays. For more in depth rules, you may purchase a copy online from the publisher directly, or from your FLGS if stocked. -T
To setup a basic game, each player will take a personal deck of cards numbered 1-8 of the same color border (I choose orange or purple). These are the cards that will be used during the game. Shuffle the large stack of food cards as a draw deck. Draw a number of cards equal to the number of players, determine the starting player and the game is ready to be consumed!
The players will all choose one of their bid cards from their hand and place them face-down in front of them. Once all have chosen, all bid cards will be revealed simultaneously. The highest-bid card’s player will then choose one of the drawn food cards to take into their score pile. That winning player now acts as the dealer and will draw and reveal the next set of cards upon which the players will bid. As the players play all their numbered cards, they may win food cards worth many points, or they may be saddled with negative values as well. These are the junk food cards that nobody wants. Except my son, who wanted all the Candy T-Rex cards, even knowing that it will affect his score. Some people play to win. Others play to have a good time. I admire that about him. Play continues in this fashion until all bid cards have been played. Count up the points won/gathered and determine a winner! This is the basic game to be played with new players or young children.
To play a more advanced game, setup will be the same, except each player will also be dealt two special ability cards to be used during the game. These cards are very powerful, and can only be used once during the game. As this adds a new and thinky layer to the basic game, it is only recommended for older children or adult play. Examples of these special abilities are having the lowest-bid card win instead of highest card, or doubling a bid amount, or adding/subtracting three to/from a current bid.
Components. This game is a big stack of cards in a small (but appropriately-sized) box. The cards are great, and while I would prefer plastic cards for my young kids, children who can respect game components will be just fine. The art on these cards is super cute and I found myself just smiling while I was playing because not only is this game educational for youngsters, but it’s fun to look at while playing too. I made a parenthetical comment about the box being appropriately-sized, and I mean it. I appreciate when a game doesn’t try to be bigger on the shelf for that extra “presence” at the game store. When I open a box and more than 50% is air, it is very irksome to me. How wasteful. Well, not here. We have nothing bad to say about these components at all.
So while most kids may not appreciate the backstabbiness of the special abilities, adults certainly will. That said, when playing with the intended audience of children, we found that Yes! Broccoli! was a huge hit! We are still working on the younger kids and breaking them of the, “yes, the cake princess is very pretty, but you really don’t want to take her into your score pile.” Winning and losing really doesn’t matter much in the Lopez household, but gaming experiences do, and though my son doesn’t win this one ever, he loves it, and I love playing it with him. So I consider this a win, and though our official Purple Phoenix Games rating has a caloric value of 8 / 12, I do believe you will enjoy this little card game – ESPECIALLY if there are little ones in your life. Purchase it directly from the publisher at Gangway Games. You can use it as a precursor to Munchkin and Cutthroat Cavern, or as a stepstone to bidding games like Biblios and No Thanks!
Yes! Broccoli! is a card game for 2-5 players that incorporates blind bidding, special player powers (in advanced games), and drafting elements. The hidden benefit from this game is that healthy food cards are worth more points while the junk food cards are worth negative points (boo and hiss).
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. This is a retail copy of the game, so what you see in these photos is exactly what would be received in your box. I do not intend to cover every single rule included in the rulebook, but will describe the overall game flow and major rule set so that our readers may get a sense of how the game plays. For more in depth rules, you may purchase a copy online from the publisher directly, or from your FLGS if stocked. -T
To setup a basic game, each player will take a personal deck of cards numbered 1-8 of the same color border (I choose orange or purple). These are the cards that will be used during the game. Shuffle the large stack of food cards as a draw deck. Draw a number of cards equal to the number of players, determine the starting player and the game is ready to be consumed!
The players will all choose one of their bid cards from their hand and place them face-down in front of them. Once all have chosen, all bid cards will be revealed simultaneously. The highest-bid card’s player will then choose one of the drawn food cards to take into their score pile. That winning player now acts as the dealer and will draw and reveal the next set of cards upon which the players will bid. As the players play all their numbered cards, they may win food cards worth many points, or they may be saddled with negative values as well. These are the junk food cards that nobody wants. Except my son, who wanted all the Candy T-Rex cards, even knowing that it will affect his score. Some people play to win. Others play to have a good time. I admire that about him. Play continues in this fashion until all bid cards have been played. Count up the points won/gathered and determine a winner! This is the basic game to be played with new players or young children.
To play a more advanced game, setup will be the same, except each player will also be dealt two special ability cards to be used during the game. These cards are very powerful, and can only be used once during the game. As this adds a new and thinky layer to the basic game, it is only recommended for older children or adult play. Examples of these special abilities are having the lowest-bid card win instead of highest card, or doubling a bid amount, or adding/subtracting three to/from a current bid.
Components. This game is a big stack of cards in a small (but appropriately-sized) box. The cards are great, and while I would prefer plastic cards for my young kids, children who can respect game components will be just fine. The art on these cards is super cute and I found myself just smiling while I was playing because not only is this game educational for youngsters, but it’s fun to look at while playing too. I made a parenthetical comment about the box being appropriately-sized, and I mean it. I appreciate when a game doesn’t try to be bigger on the shelf for that extra “presence” at the game store. When I open a box and more than 50% is air, it is very irksome to me. How wasteful. Well, not here. We have nothing bad to say about these components at all.
So while most kids may not appreciate the backstabbiness of the special abilities, adults certainly will. That said, when playing with the intended audience of children, we found that Yes! Broccoli! was a huge hit! We are still working on the younger kids and breaking them of the, “yes, the cake princess is very pretty, but you really don’t want to take her into your score pile.” Winning and losing really doesn’t matter much in the Lopez household, but gaming experiences do, and though my son doesn’t win this one ever, he loves it, and I love playing it with him. So I consider this a win, and though our official Purple Phoenix Games rating has a caloric value of 8 / 12, I do believe you will enjoy this little card game – ESPECIALLY if there are little ones in your life. Purchase it directly from the publisher at Gangway Games. You can use it as a precursor to Munchkin and Cutthroat Cavern, or as a stepstone to bidding games like Biblios and No Thanks!
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Cybermancy: Virtual Arena in Tabletop Games
Mar 31, 2020 (Updated Mar 31, 2020)
I know there are several games out there that pit literary characters against each other, or figures from actual history. But have you ever wanted to assemble a team with the likes of Joan of Arc, Mulan, Pancho Villa, and Vlad the Impaler vs undead opponents like Sid Viscous, Max Lemmon, DJ Jazzy Deth, and football star Tom Brainy? Well now you can. This is Cybermancy: Virtual Arena.
A game of Cybermancy: Virtual Arena (which I will refer to as simply Cybermancy from here on out) is a player-to-player dueling card game where one Cybermancer is attempting to lower the other Cybermancer’s health points (HP) to zero using summoned creatures from their hand. Will you be able to defeat your opponent before they can setup any defenses or enough firepower to punish your HP? Get out there, Cybermancer!
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and I do not know for sure if the final components will be any different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, as there are just too many. You are invited to download the rulebook, back the game through the Kickstarter campaign beginning April 1, 2020, purchase it from your FLGS, or through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
There is quite a bit of setup to Cybermancy if you care to assemble your team yourself. The rulebook has a number of starter deck suggestions. Players will need to assemble a team of 30 creatures for their deck. From this, draw seven cards to begin. Each player will need to draw five cards each of CPU and RAM cards – these are the currency of the game and what is needed to summon creatures from hand. Each player will need a health tracker and a CPU/RAM tracker. The game is now setup and ready to play!
Cybermancy is a dueling game played over rounds, and each round will follow the same general structure, but may not exactly mimic each other during play. The phases are: Main, Discard, Draw, Refresh, and Advance Power Marker. Generally, the main action of the game takes place during the aptly-named Main phase. This is where players will spend the CPU/RAM cards they have drawn to summon and attack with their creatures. Not all creatures can be summoned and attack in the same round, and creatures can only be summoned if the player spends enough in cards while also respecting the maximum CPU/RAM limitations set in the CPU/RAM tracker. Example: during the first round, only creatures with a 1 CPU / 1 RAM strength can be summoned from hand because the CPU/RAM tracker begins the game at 1 / 1. The last phase of the round is Advance Power Marker (only one), so this is the way CPU/RAM maximum limits are increased.
After the Main phase, the power cards (CPU/RAM) used, and the destroyed creatures will be discarded. The next phase is Drawing one card from each deck (Creature Draw, CPU, RAM) to be added to the players’ pools. To Refresh during the next phase, all Buffered (kneeling) creatures will be stood up to be used next round. Advance the Power token of your choice and you are ready to play the next round.
Rounds continue in this fashion until one Cybermancer has reduced their opponent’s HP to zero and immediately proclaims victory!
Components. Again, this is a prototype copy of the game, so the components may not be 100% similar to what would be shipped as a result of a successful Kickstarter campaign. That said, the first thing I want to do is shout out to the art in this game. The card art is absolutely stellar and engaging. I find myself paying more attention to the art than I should while playing, and to me, that’s not a bad thing. The cards are good quality, the cardboard chits to track buffs and debuffs are okay, and the card layout is mostly good. I say mostly because as I read the summon costs for the creatures, I read them left to right on the top of the creature card, which is CPU then RAM. However, the CPU/RAM tracking card has RAM on top and CPU on bottom. I am already trying my best to strategize for victory, I wish I didn’t have to think about which power is which on that card. The health tracking cards are good, and similar to what you find in Star/Hero Realms and various others. So components are great, aside from my one qualm.
The game is good. You can strategize all you want, but ultimately your turns are limited by the power costs of the creatures and which creatures you have drawn. At the beginning of the game if you do not like what you have drawn for a starting hand a re-draw is possible for all decks. That ability is one and done though, and sometimes it would be helpful to have a flush of the hand and a redraw, or a way to otherwise rid yourself of cards you cannot use yet or just don’t like.
That said, I like Cybermancy quite a bit. I feel like I am playing a video game when I play this game. The art is amazing, the concept and theme are attractive. Being able to invoke the powers of d’Artagnan to combat zombified Kurt Cobain is just so satisfying. If you enjoy dueling card games, or games where you can employ beings of literary and actual history, then this game is certainly for you. Do check out the Kickstarter campaign that is starting April 1, 2020. I am really looking forward to seeing how far this one goes!
A game of Cybermancy: Virtual Arena (which I will refer to as simply Cybermancy from here on out) is a player-to-player dueling card game where one Cybermancer is attempting to lower the other Cybermancer’s health points (HP) to zero using summoned creatures from their hand. Will you be able to defeat your opponent before they can setup any defenses or enough firepower to punish your HP? Get out there, Cybermancer!
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and I do not know for sure if the final components will be any different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, as there are just too many. You are invited to download the rulebook, back the game through the Kickstarter campaign beginning April 1, 2020, purchase it from your FLGS, or through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
There is quite a bit of setup to Cybermancy if you care to assemble your team yourself. The rulebook has a number of starter deck suggestions. Players will need to assemble a team of 30 creatures for their deck. From this, draw seven cards to begin. Each player will need to draw five cards each of CPU and RAM cards – these are the currency of the game and what is needed to summon creatures from hand. Each player will need a health tracker and a CPU/RAM tracker. The game is now setup and ready to play!
Cybermancy is a dueling game played over rounds, and each round will follow the same general structure, but may not exactly mimic each other during play. The phases are: Main, Discard, Draw, Refresh, and Advance Power Marker. Generally, the main action of the game takes place during the aptly-named Main phase. This is where players will spend the CPU/RAM cards they have drawn to summon and attack with their creatures. Not all creatures can be summoned and attack in the same round, and creatures can only be summoned if the player spends enough in cards while also respecting the maximum CPU/RAM limitations set in the CPU/RAM tracker. Example: during the first round, only creatures with a 1 CPU / 1 RAM strength can be summoned from hand because the CPU/RAM tracker begins the game at 1 / 1. The last phase of the round is Advance Power Marker (only one), so this is the way CPU/RAM maximum limits are increased.
After the Main phase, the power cards (CPU/RAM) used, and the destroyed creatures will be discarded. The next phase is Drawing one card from each deck (Creature Draw, CPU, RAM) to be added to the players’ pools. To Refresh during the next phase, all Buffered (kneeling) creatures will be stood up to be used next round. Advance the Power token of your choice and you are ready to play the next round.
Rounds continue in this fashion until one Cybermancer has reduced their opponent’s HP to zero and immediately proclaims victory!
Components. Again, this is a prototype copy of the game, so the components may not be 100% similar to what would be shipped as a result of a successful Kickstarter campaign. That said, the first thing I want to do is shout out to the art in this game. The card art is absolutely stellar and engaging. I find myself paying more attention to the art than I should while playing, and to me, that’s not a bad thing. The cards are good quality, the cardboard chits to track buffs and debuffs are okay, and the card layout is mostly good. I say mostly because as I read the summon costs for the creatures, I read them left to right on the top of the creature card, which is CPU then RAM. However, the CPU/RAM tracking card has RAM on top and CPU on bottom. I am already trying my best to strategize for victory, I wish I didn’t have to think about which power is which on that card. The health tracking cards are good, and similar to what you find in Star/Hero Realms and various others. So components are great, aside from my one qualm.
The game is good. You can strategize all you want, but ultimately your turns are limited by the power costs of the creatures and which creatures you have drawn. At the beginning of the game if you do not like what you have drawn for a starting hand a re-draw is possible for all decks. That ability is one and done though, and sometimes it would be helpful to have a flush of the hand and a redraw, or a way to otherwise rid yourself of cards you cannot use yet or just don’t like.
That said, I like Cybermancy quite a bit. I feel like I am playing a video game when I play this game. The art is amazing, the concept and theme are attractive. Being able to invoke the powers of d’Artagnan to combat zombified Kurt Cobain is just so satisfying. If you enjoy dueling card games, or games where you can employ beings of literary and actual history, then this game is certainly for you. Do check out the Kickstarter campaign that is starting April 1, 2020. I am really looking forward to seeing how far this one goes!
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated X-Men: First Class (2011) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
When the “X-Men:The Last Stand” failed to score big with critics and audiences in 2006, many fans began to wonder if they would ever see their favorite mutant superhero team on screen anytime soon. Despite mixed reviews, 2009’s standalone film “Wolverine“, did sufficient box office numbers to warrant a sequel which is currently in development, indicating that the likely future of the series was with standalone character films.
Then 20th Century Fox decided to tell a team-based origin story that focuses on the early days of the X-Men and how they became the team that they are today. This is a bit of a controversial move as it involves recasting several roles to play younger versions of beloved characters.
The result is X-Men: First Class which stars Scottish actor James McAvoy as Charles Xavier, a brilliant young academic who hides his unique and amazing telepathic gifts from the world. When a chance encounter proves to Charles that there are others in the world who share his gifts he dedicates his studies to unlocking the mysteries of genetic mutations and their possibilities.
At the same time a young man named Eric Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender), has embarked on a path of destruction and revenge against those who wronged and tormented him and his family during the Nazi occupation of their native Poland. Eric’s main target is man who now calls himself Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon), who has surrounded himself with a team of skilled mutants and is manipulating US and Russia to the brink of nuclear war, for his own evil purposes.
When CIA Agent MacTaggart (Rose Byrne), learns of Shaw’s plans, she recruits Xavier, not knowing that he and his friend Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) are mutants themselves, with the hopes of understanding their new enemy and mounting a proper defense.
When the truth of his true nature is revealed, Charles teems with MacTaggart and scientist Hank McCoy (Nicholas Hoult), to locate and recruit other gifted individuals to their cause. Fate steps in when Erik and Charles meet and eventually become friends over there mutual pursuit of Shaw. Despite a great deal of understanding between the two individuals, Eric is intent upon killing Shaw. He warns his new friend not to trust humans, as his time under Nazi control taught him that it’s only a matter of time until he and his fellow mutants are targeted for extinction by the world. Despite this the Eric and Charles recruit and train a team to prepare to face Shaw and his followers, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance.
The film starts off well and it was very enjoyable to see a deeper side of the characters. From young Charles hitting on women in bars and making jokes about losing his full head of hair to the deadly side of Eric and his abilities as well as the early relationship between the iconic characters. Somewhere along the way the film loses its initial momentum as the plot of the film takes a while to get going. As good as the cast is, they need something to do and after numerous debates and a few training and recruitment segments the film became somewhat boring. There simply was not a lot of action to sustain the plot.
Kevin Bacon was an interesting choice for the villain. He did a good job, although watching him strut around I kept expecting him to break into dance at any moment. Another issue I had was that some of the supporting characters were basically throwaway as I cared little about their stories and outcomes. Only the characters of Raven, Eric, and Charles held any real interest for me and watching their interplay with one another was one of the strong points of the film.
As the film move toward the finale there were several things about it that did not work for me starting with the makeup for The Beast. Complete with spectacles it was almost a laughable look that brought to mind Jason Bateman in “Teen Wolf 2“. The fact that the character was annoying as well did very little to help.
The biggest issue I had with the film was that after all this buildup the finale was actually very ho-hum and while it did contain some visually nice moments, I do not feel the action balanced with the storytelling, certainly not to the extent that audiences expect from nor require of a summer blockbuster.
There are a couple of moments in the film that will certainly be questioned by fans of the series as well as scenes which conflict with information from the earlier films in the series. It seems certain elements of continuity have been omitted for creative license. I will not spoil those here but suffice it to say that if my wife, who is a casual fan of the series, was able to note conflicts and discrepancies between this film and a previous film, then certainly hard-core fans may have some real issues.
The film does a good job with explaining the origin and nature of the characters, but fails to provide an adventure worthy of the effort and instead plays out in a very underwhelming fashion. Director Matthew Vaughn proved himself highly adept with adventure films when he produced “Kick Ass“, and other action-oriented films. He is clearly a fan of comics and action and I would love to have seen what could’ve resulted had he been given carte blanche with the film.
In the end, “X-Men: First Class“, for me was more entertaining than the previous ensemble films, but fails to live up to its potential and severely lacks enough action to sustain the early momentum of the film.
Then 20th Century Fox decided to tell a team-based origin story that focuses on the early days of the X-Men and how they became the team that they are today. This is a bit of a controversial move as it involves recasting several roles to play younger versions of beloved characters.
The result is X-Men: First Class which stars Scottish actor James McAvoy as Charles Xavier, a brilliant young academic who hides his unique and amazing telepathic gifts from the world. When a chance encounter proves to Charles that there are others in the world who share his gifts he dedicates his studies to unlocking the mysteries of genetic mutations and their possibilities.
At the same time a young man named Eric Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender), has embarked on a path of destruction and revenge against those who wronged and tormented him and his family during the Nazi occupation of their native Poland. Eric’s main target is man who now calls himself Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon), who has surrounded himself with a team of skilled mutants and is manipulating US and Russia to the brink of nuclear war, for his own evil purposes.
When CIA Agent MacTaggart (Rose Byrne), learns of Shaw’s plans, she recruits Xavier, not knowing that he and his friend Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) are mutants themselves, with the hopes of understanding their new enemy and mounting a proper defense.
When the truth of his true nature is revealed, Charles teems with MacTaggart and scientist Hank McCoy (Nicholas Hoult), to locate and recruit other gifted individuals to their cause. Fate steps in when Erik and Charles meet and eventually become friends over there mutual pursuit of Shaw. Despite a great deal of understanding between the two individuals, Eric is intent upon killing Shaw. He warns his new friend not to trust humans, as his time under Nazi control taught him that it’s only a matter of time until he and his fellow mutants are targeted for extinction by the world. Despite this the Eric and Charles recruit and train a team to prepare to face Shaw and his followers, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance.
The film starts off well and it was very enjoyable to see a deeper side of the characters. From young Charles hitting on women in bars and making jokes about losing his full head of hair to the deadly side of Eric and his abilities as well as the early relationship between the iconic characters. Somewhere along the way the film loses its initial momentum as the plot of the film takes a while to get going. As good as the cast is, they need something to do and after numerous debates and a few training and recruitment segments the film became somewhat boring. There simply was not a lot of action to sustain the plot.
Kevin Bacon was an interesting choice for the villain. He did a good job, although watching him strut around I kept expecting him to break into dance at any moment. Another issue I had was that some of the supporting characters were basically throwaway as I cared little about their stories and outcomes. Only the characters of Raven, Eric, and Charles held any real interest for me and watching their interplay with one another was one of the strong points of the film.
As the film move toward the finale there were several things about it that did not work for me starting with the makeup for The Beast. Complete with spectacles it was almost a laughable look that brought to mind Jason Bateman in “Teen Wolf 2“. The fact that the character was annoying as well did very little to help.
The biggest issue I had with the film was that after all this buildup the finale was actually very ho-hum and while it did contain some visually nice moments, I do not feel the action balanced with the storytelling, certainly not to the extent that audiences expect from nor require of a summer blockbuster.
There are a couple of moments in the film that will certainly be questioned by fans of the series as well as scenes which conflict with information from the earlier films in the series. It seems certain elements of continuity have been omitted for creative license. I will not spoil those here but suffice it to say that if my wife, who is a casual fan of the series, was able to note conflicts and discrepancies between this film and a previous film, then certainly hard-core fans may have some real issues.
The film does a good job with explaining the origin and nature of the characters, but fails to provide an adventure worthy of the effort and instead plays out in a very underwhelming fashion. Director Matthew Vaughn proved himself highly adept with adventure films when he produced “Kick Ass“, and other action-oriented films. He is clearly a fan of comics and action and I would love to have seen what could’ve resulted had he been given carte blanche with the film.
In the end, “X-Men: First Class“, for me was more entertaining than the previous ensemble films, but fails to live up to its potential and severely lacks enough action to sustain the early momentum of the film.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Gekitai in Tabletop Games
Feb 20, 2020
We have all played Chess, Checkers, Go, and even more recent abstracts like Azul, Patchwork, and Blokus, right? Most abstract strategy games are loosely themed, if themed at all, have perfect information, and offer very little luck factors. Furthermore, classic abstracts feature that familiar grid-board with moving pieces we all grew up learning with our grandparents. Right, we all have played and loved these. So when my friend posted PNP files online for his new game featuring a grid-board and pieces that move around it, I said, “Great. I just printed another PNP game and now I need to do another one!” But instead, the designer, Scott, messaged me and let me know he had a copy for me… which he hand-delivered to me at a high school concert I was attending. Then he taught it to me there.
Gekitai is an abstract strategy game with very minimal rules. The phrase, “easy to learn, but hard to master” is very overdone, but it certainly applies here. For those that are wondering, the term, “Gekitai” is Japanese for “Repel.” You will see why this nomenclature is perfect for this game soon.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. Though I know the designer personally, I will be reviewing this game as an impartial judge. -T
Normally I like to include setup instructions here in this paragraph for my reviews, so I shall do that now. To setup, place the board between the two players and give each player their eight matching pieces. In my game, they are red and black glass beads. For convenience I will refer to the red ones as apples and the black ones as 8-balls. That’s it. You’re setup to play.
The object of Gekitai is to fulfill one of two victory conditions: play until one player has three of their pieces in a row (diagonally OR orthogonally) or finish their turn with all eight of their pieces on the board. Easy, right? It most certainly is! Oh, you want the catch? Ok then, here’s the catch: while players can place any piece on any empty square, once placed the pieces will repel all other adjacent pieces away from itself. This includes their own pieces.
So let’s say you start the game and place your first 8-ball in a corner closest to you. Great opening noob. I mean move. You see, I would just place one of my apples adjacent to your 8-ball and repel it right off the board. That doesn’t mean that I have captured your 8-ball or anything like that. You would be able to use it again next turn if you like, but this is the danger of outside spaces. When repelled, a piece (your 8-ball) continues one space in the direction away from the most recently-placed piece (my apple). So diagonally if diagonal from the just-placed apple, or orthogonally otherwise. Again, this would affect all pieces that are adjacent, not just your opponent’s. Think of placing a piece as someone doing a cannonball in an infinity pool. Everyone already in the pool will get pushed away from the point of impact and may even fall out of the pool, but be able to hop back in soon.
One note about pushing other pieces. One piece can only push one other piece. Here’s what I mean. When my apple is placed near another 8-ball or apple, it repels it, right? Well, a piece may only be repelled if there is an empty space for it to go. If another apple is blocking the pathway of an affected apple or 8-ball, no movement happens. The pieces has been blocked. In this way strategy plays in integral part in Gekitai – you must always be thinking about 10 turns in the future. Play continues in this fashion until a player has achieved three-in-a-row or placed all of their pieces on the board.
Components. Again, we are playing with a PNP prototype game package. Granted, this PNP is assembled by the designer and looks WAAAY better than if I had tried to assemble it myself, so we do take that into consideration. Components aside (because unless you order a copy from the designer via Etsy in the future, you will probably download the files and play on a sheet of paper with coins or other stand-ins), this is a typical, classic abstract strategy-style game. The board can look any way you like in a 6×6 board and you can you use any bits for your game. Heck, you could even play with real apples and 8-balls. But what we were provided is excellent and looks great on the table.
But gameplay. Like I mentioned earlier, I know the designer and his family and they are wonderful people. Luckily that makes no difference here because the game itself is absolutely wonderful! My wife typically kicks my booty in all abstracts. Ok fine, usually in all games. BUT! After playing Gekitai lots with her, she has only beaten me once! When we do play it she asks for rematches several times over and I just love being able to have a go-to game for when we have a few minutes between running around with the kids. I love it. She loves it. We at Purple Phoenix Games, with an enthusiastic guest score from my wife, give Gekitai a cannonball-esque 11 / 12. We suggest you go to the BGG page where the PNP files can be printed. You will want this in your collection.
Gekitai is an abstract strategy game with very minimal rules. The phrase, “easy to learn, but hard to master” is very overdone, but it certainly applies here. For those that are wondering, the term, “Gekitai” is Japanese for “Repel.” You will see why this nomenclature is perfect for this game soon.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. Though I know the designer personally, I will be reviewing this game as an impartial judge. -T
Normally I like to include setup instructions here in this paragraph for my reviews, so I shall do that now. To setup, place the board between the two players and give each player their eight matching pieces. In my game, they are red and black glass beads. For convenience I will refer to the red ones as apples and the black ones as 8-balls. That’s it. You’re setup to play.
The object of Gekitai is to fulfill one of two victory conditions: play until one player has three of their pieces in a row (diagonally OR orthogonally) or finish their turn with all eight of their pieces on the board. Easy, right? It most certainly is! Oh, you want the catch? Ok then, here’s the catch: while players can place any piece on any empty square, once placed the pieces will repel all other adjacent pieces away from itself. This includes their own pieces.
So let’s say you start the game and place your first 8-ball in a corner closest to you. Great opening noob. I mean move. You see, I would just place one of my apples adjacent to your 8-ball and repel it right off the board. That doesn’t mean that I have captured your 8-ball or anything like that. You would be able to use it again next turn if you like, but this is the danger of outside spaces. When repelled, a piece (your 8-ball) continues one space in the direction away from the most recently-placed piece (my apple). So diagonally if diagonal from the just-placed apple, or orthogonally otherwise. Again, this would affect all pieces that are adjacent, not just your opponent’s. Think of placing a piece as someone doing a cannonball in an infinity pool. Everyone already in the pool will get pushed away from the point of impact and may even fall out of the pool, but be able to hop back in soon.
One note about pushing other pieces. One piece can only push one other piece. Here’s what I mean. When my apple is placed near another 8-ball or apple, it repels it, right? Well, a piece may only be repelled if there is an empty space for it to go. If another apple is blocking the pathway of an affected apple or 8-ball, no movement happens. The pieces has been blocked. In this way strategy plays in integral part in Gekitai – you must always be thinking about 10 turns in the future. Play continues in this fashion until a player has achieved three-in-a-row or placed all of their pieces on the board.
Components. Again, we are playing with a PNP prototype game package. Granted, this PNP is assembled by the designer and looks WAAAY better than if I had tried to assemble it myself, so we do take that into consideration. Components aside (because unless you order a copy from the designer via Etsy in the future, you will probably download the files and play on a sheet of paper with coins or other stand-ins), this is a typical, classic abstract strategy-style game. The board can look any way you like in a 6×6 board and you can you use any bits for your game. Heck, you could even play with real apples and 8-balls. But what we were provided is excellent and looks great on the table.
But gameplay. Like I mentioned earlier, I know the designer and his family and they are wonderful people. Luckily that makes no difference here because the game itself is absolutely wonderful! My wife typically kicks my booty in all abstracts. Ok fine, usually in all games. BUT! After playing Gekitai lots with her, she has only beaten me once! When we do play it she asks for rematches several times over and I just love being able to have a go-to game for when we have a few minutes between running around with the kids. I love it. She loves it. We at Purple Phoenix Games, with an enthusiastic guest score from my wife, give Gekitai a cannonball-esque 11 / 12. We suggest you go to the BGG page where the PNP files can be printed. You will want this in your collection.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Aldabas: Doors of Cartagena in Tabletop Games
May 16, 2021
I’m just going to come right out with it so I can get it out of the way. This game has some really nice knockers. Yes, it is kid-friendly – I am referencing the door knockers that adorn the Doors of Cartagena. These ornate knockers have historically signified professions held by the residence’s inhabitants and can still be found in this Colombian city today. So how does this translate into a board game? Well, let’s dive into the world of Aldabas: Doors of Cartagena.
In Aldabas, players are (loose) urban planners in historic Cartagena attempting to build their city block with the most influential people in town. By drafting the most strategic door cards the winning player is they who scores the most points at the end of the game.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and I do not know for sure if the final components will be any different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, as there are just too many. You are invited to download the rulebook, back the game through the Kickstarter campaign, or through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
To setup, place out 12 coins per player on the table, create the door offer dock, shuffle the Doors deck, and give each player five Doors and one Vault board. Each player then chooses one card from their hand to secretly place under their vault for endgame scoring. Place the shuffled Doors deck next to the Dock and deal one card to each space beneath the Dock. The game is now setup and ready to play!
On a turn the active player will take two actions. The actions are: Take Two Coins, Buy One Door, and Place One Door. Obviously, the first action has the player adding two coins from the supply to their play area (called the purse). To Buy One Door the player simply chooses one of the Door cards from the Dock area and pays its cost to the supply. The two cards on the leftmost spaces of the Dock are free, while the other cards cost coins according to their placement at the Dock. Once a card has been purchased, a new card is revealed and added to the rightmost space, sliding all other Doors cards to the left.
To Place One Door, the active player will choose a Doors card from their hand and place it on their block they are building in front of them. The Vault card acts as the bottom leftmost space, with the block encompassing a 4×3 grid above it and to the right (as shown below). Once the Door is placed, any special power it offers is triggered immediately, as are the Doors cards’ powers adjacently below and beside the newly placed Door card.
The catch here is that when placing Doors, it is illegal to place them orthogonally adjacent to Doors of the same color, and the spaces both below and to the left of the placed Door cannot be empty. Essentially, Doors need to be placed in a cone starting from the Vault. Play continues in this fashion with players taking turns until either the supply runs out of coins, a player fills up their 4×3 grid with Doors, or the Dock cannot be refilled because the Doors deck is empty. Then final scoring occurs, which is based on individual cards as well as any suit-specific bonuses offered.
Components. Again, this is a prototype copy of the game, so final components may be different in many different ways upon a successful Kickstarter campaign. That said, this game looks GORGEOUS on the table. The colors are all super vibrant, and the great knockers really pop. Excellent theme and art here carry an already-spiffy game. The game is basically a bunch of cards and some coin tokens. They are all fine quality, especially for a prototype. I have no issues at all. I love the way this looks!
So I love the way it looks, but do I love the way it plays? I think it’s a good little game. It reminds me a little of Viceroy with the color combinations and placement rules. While Viceroy is good, Aldabas is much better in almost all ways. Aldabas plays quicker and has more easily digestible rules. If you check Viceroy’s profile on BGG you will see that many users enjoy it, and it currently sits just above rank 1000. So when I say Aldabas gives a similar feel but delivers a more enjoyable game experience, I expect Aldabas to perform better in the BGG rankings, if that’s your thing.
The special powers on the Doors cards, though I didn’t really mention them, range from VPs at game end, to moving coins to and from the Vault onto Doors to make them more valuable, to gaining coins from the supply or stealing them from other players, to offering discounts on purchasing Doors from the Dock. There are some other fun rules used in scoring, but I will let you experience those on your own with your backed copy.
So final word from me on this one is that I highly recommend it and hope you give it a shot. It offers lots of strategic game play with a medium-sized table footprint, but boy it looks great on that table! Turns are fast, and everyone is in the game until end scoring, so I never felt there was a runaway winner issue. If you are like me, you will definitely want to be adding this to your collection. Big recommendations from me, I know you will enjoy it.
In Aldabas, players are (loose) urban planners in historic Cartagena attempting to build their city block with the most influential people in town. By drafting the most strategic door cards the winning player is they who scores the most points at the end of the game.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and I do not know for sure if the final components will be any different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, as there are just too many. You are invited to download the rulebook, back the game through the Kickstarter campaign, or through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
To setup, place out 12 coins per player on the table, create the door offer dock, shuffle the Doors deck, and give each player five Doors and one Vault board. Each player then chooses one card from their hand to secretly place under their vault for endgame scoring. Place the shuffled Doors deck next to the Dock and deal one card to each space beneath the Dock. The game is now setup and ready to play!
On a turn the active player will take two actions. The actions are: Take Two Coins, Buy One Door, and Place One Door. Obviously, the first action has the player adding two coins from the supply to their play area (called the purse). To Buy One Door the player simply chooses one of the Door cards from the Dock area and pays its cost to the supply. The two cards on the leftmost spaces of the Dock are free, while the other cards cost coins according to their placement at the Dock. Once a card has been purchased, a new card is revealed and added to the rightmost space, sliding all other Doors cards to the left.
To Place One Door, the active player will choose a Doors card from their hand and place it on their block they are building in front of them. The Vault card acts as the bottom leftmost space, with the block encompassing a 4×3 grid above it and to the right (as shown below). Once the Door is placed, any special power it offers is triggered immediately, as are the Doors cards’ powers adjacently below and beside the newly placed Door card.
The catch here is that when placing Doors, it is illegal to place them orthogonally adjacent to Doors of the same color, and the spaces both below and to the left of the placed Door cannot be empty. Essentially, Doors need to be placed in a cone starting from the Vault. Play continues in this fashion with players taking turns until either the supply runs out of coins, a player fills up their 4×3 grid with Doors, or the Dock cannot be refilled because the Doors deck is empty. Then final scoring occurs, which is based on individual cards as well as any suit-specific bonuses offered.
Components. Again, this is a prototype copy of the game, so final components may be different in many different ways upon a successful Kickstarter campaign. That said, this game looks GORGEOUS on the table. The colors are all super vibrant, and the great knockers really pop. Excellent theme and art here carry an already-spiffy game. The game is basically a bunch of cards and some coin tokens. They are all fine quality, especially for a prototype. I have no issues at all. I love the way this looks!
So I love the way it looks, but do I love the way it plays? I think it’s a good little game. It reminds me a little of Viceroy with the color combinations and placement rules. While Viceroy is good, Aldabas is much better in almost all ways. Aldabas plays quicker and has more easily digestible rules. If you check Viceroy’s profile on BGG you will see that many users enjoy it, and it currently sits just above rank 1000. So when I say Aldabas gives a similar feel but delivers a more enjoyable game experience, I expect Aldabas to perform better in the BGG rankings, if that’s your thing.
The special powers on the Doors cards, though I didn’t really mention them, range from VPs at game end, to moving coins to and from the Vault onto Doors to make them more valuable, to gaining coins from the supply or stealing them from other players, to offering discounts on purchasing Doors from the Dock. There are some other fun rules used in scoring, but I will let you experience those on your own with your backed copy.
So final word from me on this one is that I highly recommend it and hope you give it a shot. It offers lots of strategic game play with a medium-sized table footprint, but boy it looks great on that table! Turns are fast, and everyone is in the game until end scoring, so I never felt there was a runaway winner issue. If you are like me, you will definitely want to be adding this to your collection. Big recommendations from me, I know you will enjoy it.
