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Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Aristotle's Elements and Space in Tabletop Games
Nov 5, 2020
The Cosmos! So many of us dream of flying up into space to enjoy the views and hopes of a better life on another planet. Some would like to study space more closely to unravel its mysteries. Still others would think it’s just kinda cool to be weightless and IN SPACE! I’m a mixture of all these, so when I heard a call for reviewers for a game whose title includes a major philosopher, elements of all matter, AND SPACE I just had to know more and play it. Would Aristotle take pride in this card game’s premise or has it shot for the moon and is now drifting among the space junk?
Aristotle’s Elements and Space is a party style card game for three to five players. Players will be attempting to play elements to triumph over their opponents by using tried and true rock-paper-scissors style play.
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 stock the token bag (not pictured) with tokens according to the rulebook suggestions for number of players. Each player will blindly choose three tokens from the bag to place in front of themselves within reach of all players. Shuffle the element cards and deal each player seven. Determine the first Aristotle player and place the Aristotle card facing that player. Shuffle and deal out three Element of Surprise cards face-down within reach of all players. The game may now begin!
Each game lasts seven rounds. At the start of each round players will secretly choose a card from hand to play to the table face down. Once all players are ready all players must simultaneously say out loud, “Aristotle,” while flipping over their cards. When all cards are revealed the Aristotle player will compare cards with the player on their left. Whichever element card played triumphs over the other will win that battle and continue onward clockwise to battle the other players. This continues until one player has triumphed all the cards and taken the trick. The Aristotle card is then given to the next player in clockwise seating to begin a new round. This is how a basic game is played.
More advanced games will include Power Up Tokens and the Element of Surprise Cards. In order to use a Power Up Token a player would first need to have successfully stolen another player’s token during a round of play. To successfully steal a token the player will physically take a token from another player without being touched by that player. Should the defending player touch or slap the offensive player’s hand during the theft, the heist is unsuccessful. Once stolen a token may be used on a subsequent round.
The Power Up Tokens increase the number of elements that may be triumphed using a particular element. For instance, Fire typically triumphs over Earth and Wind, but with the Power Up Token also applied the Fire triumphs over Earth, Wind, AND Water. A most welcome twist! Also, during a round in which a player is acting as Aristotle they may, once cards are revealed, call, “Element of Surprise!,” and choose a face-down card to read aloud to the group. These cards add a goofy rule that must be thenceforth followed, gives prompts for the players to discuss, or has players searching the room/house/wherever for items to bring back to the table first.
Play continues in this fashion until the last round, where triumph rules are reversed. When all cards have been played the winner is the player who won the most tricks.
Components. Again, this is a prototype version of the game. That said, what we received was a bunch of cards and the Power Up Tokens. The tokens are fine – laser cut plywood discs painted on both sides to match the elements they modify. The cards are glossy and feature unique art. The art is, well, just okay for me. It’s not terribly exciting, but it is very colorful and not bad, necessarily. I feel like the art could be improved some, but art is always a personal preference.
The gameplay itself is certainly a hodge-podge of mechanics from other games that, for the most part, are well-used for a very light trick-taking card game. I enjoy playing it using the Power Up Tokens, but for me and my group, we passed on the Element of Surprise cards. They add a different twist to the game that isn’t necessarily Quelf-ish, but also doesn’t add much to the game. They merely add a distraction from the game. I can see many people totally diggin’ those cards, and I probably would use them if converting a game-noob, but for more serious gamers, just leave them out.
If you are looking for a very light and different trick-taking card game, check out Aristotle’s Elements and Space. I am not entirely sure if any components will be updated before going to retail, but even if not, they are pretty decent. The gameplay is quick and easy to teach; I think I will try it with my 4-year-old as well. This is a decent gateway filler that could fit very well in many collections. Give it a look!
Aristotle’s Elements and Space is a party style card game for three to five players. Players will be attempting to play elements to triumph over their opponents by using tried and true rock-paper-scissors style play.
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 stock the token bag (not pictured) with tokens according to the rulebook suggestions for number of players. Each player will blindly choose three tokens from the bag to place in front of themselves within reach of all players. Shuffle the element cards and deal each player seven. Determine the first Aristotle player and place the Aristotle card facing that player. Shuffle and deal out three Element of Surprise cards face-down within reach of all players. The game may now begin!
Each game lasts seven rounds. At the start of each round players will secretly choose a card from hand to play to the table face down. Once all players are ready all players must simultaneously say out loud, “Aristotle,” while flipping over their cards. When all cards are revealed the Aristotle player will compare cards with the player on their left. Whichever element card played triumphs over the other will win that battle and continue onward clockwise to battle the other players. This continues until one player has triumphed all the cards and taken the trick. The Aristotle card is then given to the next player in clockwise seating to begin a new round. This is how a basic game is played.
More advanced games will include Power Up Tokens and the Element of Surprise Cards. In order to use a Power Up Token a player would first need to have successfully stolen another player’s token during a round of play. To successfully steal a token the player will physically take a token from another player without being touched by that player. Should the defending player touch or slap the offensive player’s hand during the theft, the heist is unsuccessful. Once stolen a token may be used on a subsequent round.
The Power Up Tokens increase the number of elements that may be triumphed using a particular element. For instance, Fire typically triumphs over Earth and Wind, but with the Power Up Token also applied the Fire triumphs over Earth, Wind, AND Water. A most welcome twist! Also, during a round in which a player is acting as Aristotle they may, once cards are revealed, call, “Element of Surprise!,” and choose a face-down card to read aloud to the group. These cards add a goofy rule that must be thenceforth followed, gives prompts for the players to discuss, or has players searching the room/house/wherever for items to bring back to the table first.
Play continues in this fashion until the last round, where triumph rules are reversed. When all cards have been played the winner is the player who won the most tricks.
Components. Again, this is a prototype version of the game. That said, what we received was a bunch of cards and the Power Up Tokens. The tokens are fine – laser cut plywood discs painted on both sides to match the elements they modify. The cards are glossy and feature unique art. The art is, well, just okay for me. It’s not terribly exciting, but it is very colorful and not bad, necessarily. I feel like the art could be improved some, but art is always a personal preference.
The gameplay itself is certainly a hodge-podge of mechanics from other games that, for the most part, are well-used for a very light trick-taking card game. I enjoy playing it using the Power Up Tokens, but for me and my group, we passed on the Element of Surprise cards. They add a different twist to the game that isn’t necessarily Quelf-ish, but also doesn’t add much to the game. They merely add a distraction from the game. I can see many people totally diggin’ those cards, and I probably would use them if converting a game-noob, but for more serious gamers, just leave them out.
If you are looking for a very light and different trick-taking card game, check out Aristotle’s Elements and Space. I am not entirely sure if any components will be updated before going to retail, but even if not, they are pretty decent. The gameplay is quick and easy to teach; I think I will try it with my 4-year-old as well. This is a decent gateway filler that could fit very well in many collections. Give it a look!
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated SYNK! in Tabletop Games
Apr 27, 2021
I like to think of myself as a somewhat intelligent person. I can occasionally ‘win’ a game of Jeopardy while watching on tv…..ok, so maybe it’s just during Kids Week, but that’s gotta count for something, right?! Anyway, word games and trivia have always entertained me. So when I heard about Synk! – a game that involves both of those elements – I knew I had to try it out. Does this party game really put your knowledge to the test, or does it sink to the bottom of the stack? Keep reading to find out!
Disclaimer: We were provided with a copy of SYNK! for the purposes of this review. The components you see pictured might not be the finalized version, and could change after a successful Kickstarter campaign. -L
SYNK! is a party card game in which players will be mixing their knowledge of wordplay with a bit of trivia. The game is played over a series of rounds until one player has earned a total of 3 cards to win. Here’s how you setup the game: put the deck of cards facedown within reach of all players. Yep, that’s it. How you play is a little more involved…
First thing first – pick a starting player. That person will draw a card from the deck. On said card there will be a secret word, as well as its definition. Next, the player will reveal the first letter of the secret word. All others will then think of any word that begins with that first letter. When someone thinks they’ve come up with a good option, they say, “I’ve got it!” and will take a moment to describe their word to the group – giving the definition, providing an example, relying on someone’s specific knowledge, etc. Once another player thinks they know what word is being described, they will shout out “Synk!” These two players will countdown from 3 and say their words together, in hopes that they match. If their words do indeed match, then the keeper of the secret word will reveal the next letter. The process starts again, but now players must think of words that begin with the first AND second letter of the secret word. The round continues in this fashion until a player manages to guess the secret word and Synk it with another player. They win the card, and become the next secret word keeper.
What happens if you don’t Synk with someone? Then the next letter is not revealed, and the process starts again with the same letter(s) as before. If ever the game reaches a standstill and nobody has any ideas, the secret word keeper must reveal the word’s definition. Once the definition has been read, any player can shout out “Synk!” and guess the word immediately – you only get one guess though, so make it count! That all seems great for the players, but what about the secret word keeper? There’s a twist in the game to keep them engaged too! At the end of a Synk countdown, the card keeper is allowed to guess the described word too. If their guess is correct, no new letters are revealed. And as an added bonus, if another player guesses the correct secret word, but doesn’t Synk it with someone else, the card keeper wins the round and keeps that card for themselves! Play keeps going as described until one player has collected a total of 3 cards, thus winning the game.
I know that sounds like kind of a lot, but I promise that the gameplay is pretty intuitive and simple once you get going. And actually, although the physical gameplay may be simple, Synk! stretches your brain quite a bit. At the beginning of a round, with only 1 or 2 letters revealed, coming up with words is a piece of cake! But as the round progresses and more letters are revealed, it becomes more challenging than you might think to come up with words that use those specific letters in that specific order. And remember, this is a game after all – so speed is of the essence! Think too slowly and you’ll get left in the dust. As the secret word keeper, you get off the hook a little bit, since you don’t have to come up with words. But the ability to guess another player’s word at the end of a countdown allows the card keeper to stay engaged throughout the entire game. A neat little twist that adds another layer of strategy to the game.
To touch on components – this game is literally a giant deck of cards. Again, I am not sure if this is a finalized version of the game, but the quality of the box and cards is pretty great. There really is no artwork, but this isn’t that type of game, so it doesn’t detract at all from the gameplay. The text is large and clear, making for quick reading and understanding. All in all, already a great quality game.
Where does Synk! sit on my list of party games? Well, it depends on the group of players. This game has a suggested age of 14+, and I think that’s appropriate. Players have to have some decent knowledge of words/spelling to play, but aren’t expected to have a MENSA-level IQ. Some people love wordplay, and others don’t. But with the right group of gamers, I would absolutely pull this out on occasion. Synk! is more of a ‘thinky’ party game, and I really have never played a party game like it before. It fills a hole in my collection, and it will definitely be played with the right group. If you’re into word games, but are looking for something a little more fast-paced, consider backing Synk! on Kickstarter! The campaign goes live on May 18th, 2021!
Disclaimer: We were provided with a copy of SYNK! for the purposes of this review. The components you see pictured might not be the finalized version, and could change after a successful Kickstarter campaign. -L
SYNK! is a party card game in which players will be mixing their knowledge of wordplay with a bit of trivia. The game is played over a series of rounds until one player has earned a total of 3 cards to win. Here’s how you setup the game: put the deck of cards facedown within reach of all players. Yep, that’s it. How you play is a little more involved…
First thing first – pick a starting player. That person will draw a card from the deck. On said card there will be a secret word, as well as its definition. Next, the player will reveal the first letter of the secret word. All others will then think of any word that begins with that first letter. When someone thinks they’ve come up with a good option, they say, “I’ve got it!” and will take a moment to describe their word to the group – giving the definition, providing an example, relying on someone’s specific knowledge, etc. Once another player thinks they know what word is being described, they will shout out “Synk!” These two players will countdown from 3 and say their words together, in hopes that they match. If their words do indeed match, then the keeper of the secret word will reveal the next letter. The process starts again, but now players must think of words that begin with the first AND second letter of the secret word. The round continues in this fashion until a player manages to guess the secret word and Synk it with another player. They win the card, and become the next secret word keeper.
What happens if you don’t Synk with someone? Then the next letter is not revealed, and the process starts again with the same letter(s) as before. If ever the game reaches a standstill and nobody has any ideas, the secret word keeper must reveal the word’s definition. Once the definition has been read, any player can shout out “Synk!” and guess the word immediately – you only get one guess though, so make it count! That all seems great for the players, but what about the secret word keeper? There’s a twist in the game to keep them engaged too! At the end of a Synk countdown, the card keeper is allowed to guess the described word too. If their guess is correct, no new letters are revealed. And as an added bonus, if another player guesses the correct secret word, but doesn’t Synk it with someone else, the card keeper wins the round and keeps that card for themselves! Play keeps going as described until one player has collected a total of 3 cards, thus winning the game.
I know that sounds like kind of a lot, but I promise that the gameplay is pretty intuitive and simple once you get going. And actually, although the physical gameplay may be simple, Synk! stretches your brain quite a bit. At the beginning of a round, with only 1 or 2 letters revealed, coming up with words is a piece of cake! But as the round progresses and more letters are revealed, it becomes more challenging than you might think to come up with words that use those specific letters in that specific order. And remember, this is a game after all – so speed is of the essence! Think too slowly and you’ll get left in the dust. As the secret word keeper, you get off the hook a little bit, since you don’t have to come up with words. But the ability to guess another player’s word at the end of a countdown allows the card keeper to stay engaged throughout the entire game. A neat little twist that adds another layer of strategy to the game.
To touch on components – this game is literally a giant deck of cards. Again, I am not sure if this is a finalized version of the game, but the quality of the box and cards is pretty great. There really is no artwork, but this isn’t that type of game, so it doesn’t detract at all from the gameplay. The text is large and clear, making for quick reading and understanding. All in all, already a great quality game.
Where does Synk! sit on my list of party games? Well, it depends on the group of players. This game has a suggested age of 14+, and I think that’s appropriate. Players have to have some decent knowledge of words/spelling to play, but aren’t expected to have a MENSA-level IQ. Some people love wordplay, and others don’t. But with the right group of gamers, I would absolutely pull this out on occasion. Synk! is more of a ‘thinky’ party game, and I really have never played a party game like it before. It fills a hole in my collection, and it will definitely be played with the right group. If you’re into word games, but are looking for something a little more fast-paced, consider backing Synk! on Kickstarter! The campaign goes live on May 18th, 2021!
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Abyss in Tabletop Games
Aug 5, 2021
I am not a great swimmer. For several years of my life I would avoid water at all costs. I have since grown to love it, but would still freak out a bit if a crab came towards me. I’m kind of a baby like that. I do so love underwater scenes and the wildlife, so I was bound to enjoy Abyss. Throw in some of the most amazing artwork in all of gaming and you have a hit, right?
Abyss is a push your luck, set collection, hand management, fantasy card drafting game for two to four players. In it players are attempting to gain the most Influence Points to rule the underwater kingdom by recruiting allies and Lords, and controlling locations. The game ends once a player recruits their seventh Lord or if the Lords cards run out before the Court can be refilled.
To setup, lay out the board, shuffle the Exploration cards (starfish backs) and place in the upper left corner. Shuffle the Lord cards (trident backs) and place the deck in the lower left corner. Reveal Lords to each of the spaces drawn to the right of the deck. This is the Court. Shuffle the Monster tokens and place in a messy pile near the board. Next to these place all the Key tokens. Display the Threat Tracker board with the Threat token on the first space. Shuffle the Location tiles into a stack and reveal the first one. Give each player a pearl in a shell cup and the game is ready to begin!
On a player’s turn they will follow the basic structure of Plotting at Court (by spending pearls to reveal more Lords), Taking One Action (by Exploring the Depths, Requesting Support from the Council, or Recruiting a Lord), and Controlling a Location.
Plotting at Court is simply paying pearls to reveal more Lords at Court.
The action choices begin with Exploring the Depths. This is the push your luck portion of the game where players will reveal cards from the top of the Exploration deck one by one, offer the card to their opponents for purchase (payable to the active player in pearls), and then deciding to continue or take into hand. These cards include members of five allied races of underwater species numbered in strength from one to five and monsters. Fighting monsters is an auto-win and the spoils are what is reflected on the Threat Tracker. If players decide to pass, they will move the Threat token down by one level and improve the treasure won when destroying a monster. Any allies that are undrafted will be sorted by family and placed on the appropriate space on the board.
To Request Support from the Council players will take the entire stack from one family on the board. Again, these are made up of the cards that were undrafted from previous Exploring the Depths actions.
Finally, Recruiting a Lord players will be spending their Exploration cards to combine strength values and family types to appease the Lords they wish to recruit. Players will analyze the strength needed on the bottom left of the Lord card along with the number and color of bubbles above the strength number to determine from which families cards will need to be paid. Lords will have special powers that can be used throughout the game until you use them to Control Locations.
Lords and monster tokens afford players keys, and once players accumulate three keys they MUST Control a Location. To Control a Location players will draft a face-up Location tile or draw one to four tiles and draft one of them. Also, players will sacrifice their Lords (and their special powers) to, well, lord over Locations as super powerful property managers. This is done by covering up the special Lord powers with the Location tiles.
Play continues in this fashion of quick turns until a player recruits their seventh Lord or if the Lords cards run out before the Court can be refilled during a Plot at Court action.
Components. As I mentioned in my open, Abyss boasts some of the most magnificent art ever to grace a board game. The aesthetic coupled with the theme makes for a gorgeous game on the table. The cardboard is all good quality and thick, the cards are good quality as well. The black plastic shells and pearls they hold are so nice to play with and I find myself rolling those pearls as fast as I can within the shells and inevitably spilling them everywhere.
The game play is also quite solid. I like drafting games quite a bit and this delivers a lot of drafting in different locations. You draft Exploration cards and Location tiles to beef up your mini empire. Using the Lords as special power cards but having to cover them up to help control a Location is a clever mechanic and helps with any sort of runaway leader issue. I did not touch on a couple rules because they can be a little confusing to new players (ie the affiliation of allies), but even new gamers can appreciate what Abyss does and how beautifully it accomplishes its task.
I cannot overstate how gorgeous this game is and how much I enjoy being able to pull it off the shelf and set it up to people who have never seen it. I mean, even just the box cover, which is a giant face and no text, is very impressive and helps set the tone for the dark but interesting experiences held within. Purple Phoenix Games gives Abyss a boding 14 / 18. Pick it up, post a picture of which box cover you received, and tag us in the post so we can compare.
Abyss is a push your luck, set collection, hand management, fantasy card drafting game for two to four players. In it players are attempting to gain the most Influence Points to rule the underwater kingdom by recruiting allies and Lords, and controlling locations. The game ends once a player recruits their seventh Lord or if the Lords cards run out before the Court can be refilled.
To setup, lay out the board, shuffle the Exploration cards (starfish backs) and place in the upper left corner. Shuffle the Lord cards (trident backs) and place the deck in the lower left corner. Reveal Lords to each of the spaces drawn to the right of the deck. This is the Court. Shuffle the Monster tokens and place in a messy pile near the board. Next to these place all the Key tokens. Display the Threat Tracker board with the Threat token on the first space. Shuffle the Location tiles into a stack and reveal the first one. Give each player a pearl in a shell cup and the game is ready to begin!
On a player’s turn they will follow the basic structure of Plotting at Court (by spending pearls to reveal more Lords), Taking One Action (by Exploring the Depths, Requesting Support from the Council, or Recruiting a Lord), and Controlling a Location.
Plotting at Court is simply paying pearls to reveal more Lords at Court.
The action choices begin with Exploring the Depths. This is the push your luck portion of the game where players will reveal cards from the top of the Exploration deck one by one, offer the card to their opponents for purchase (payable to the active player in pearls), and then deciding to continue or take into hand. These cards include members of five allied races of underwater species numbered in strength from one to five and monsters. Fighting monsters is an auto-win and the spoils are what is reflected on the Threat Tracker. If players decide to pass, they will move the Threat token down by one level and improve the treasure won when destroying a monster. Any allies that are undrafted will be sorted by family and placed on the appropriate space on the board.
To Request Support from the Council players will take the entire stack from one family on the board. Again, these are made up of the cards that were undrafted from previous Exploring the Depths actions.
Finally, Recruiting a Lord players will be spending their Exploration cards to combine strength values and family types to appease the Lords they wish to recruit. Players will analyze the strength needed on the bottom left of the Lord card along with the number and color of bubbles above the strength number to determine from which families cards will need to be paid. Lords will have special powers that can be used throughout the game until you use them to Control Locations.
Lords and monster tokens afford players keys, and once players accumulate three keys they MUST Control a Location. To Control a Location players will draft a face-up Location tile or draw one to four tiles and draft one of them. Also, players will sacrifice their Lords (and their special powers) to, well, lord over Locations as super powerful property managers. This is done by covering up the special Lord powers with the Location tiles.
Play continues in this fashion of quick turns until a player recruits their seventh Lord or if the Lords cards run out before the Court can be refilled during a Plot at Court action.
Components. As I mentioned in my open, Abyss boasts some of the most magnificent art ever to grace a board game. The aesthetic coupled with the theme makes for a gorgeous game on the table. The cardboard is all good quality and thick, the cards are good quality as well. The black plastic shells and pearls they hold are so nice to play with and I find myself rolling those pearls as fast as I can within the shells and inevitably spilling them everywhere.
The game play is also quite solid. I like drafting games quite a bit and this delivers a lot of drafting in different locations. You draft Exploration cards and Location tiles to beef up your mini empire. Using the Lords as special power cards but having to cover them up to help control a Location is a clever mechanic and helps with any sort of runaway leader issue. I did not touch on a couple rules because they can be a little confusing to new players (ie the affiliation of allies), but even new gamers can appreciate what Abyss does and how beautifully it accomplishes its task.
I cannot overstate how gorgeous this game is and how much I enjoy being able to pull it off the shelf and set it up to people who have never seen it. I mean, even just the box cover, which is a giant face and no text, is very impressive and helps set the tone for the dark but interesting experiences held within. Purple Phoenix Games gives Abyss a boding 14 / 18. Pick it up, post a picture of which box cover you received, and tag us in the post so we can compare.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Taco Ninja Adventure in Tabletop Games
Feb 15, 2021
Hello, my name is Travis Lopez. I review board games. I am half Mexican and half European mutt. I like tacos. I like ninjas. I like adventures. That all said, I knew I had to try a game entitled Taco Ninja Adventure right away, just because I like all those things mentioned. Did this one bring the salsa, or did it leave me with a soggy bottom mess?
Taco Ninja Adventure is a card battling game for two to six players where each player will control at least one Taco Ninja. It’s a taco head with a bipedal humanoid body. And they know ninjutsu. These ninjas duke it out on the battlefield to display the greatest technical skills and the Taco Ninja team that can deliver the final bite to the opponents will be the winner.
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 team (in my case I played two player so we each controlled two Taco Ninjas) will choose their Taco Ninjas in alternating fashion and begin the game in the Battlefield (near each other on the table). The Item and Attack card decks are to be shuffled and the first three Attack card revealed to create a market row. Each player draws two Item cards to be kept secret from the opposing team and a life tracker with the cube on 30 HP. The death battle may now begin!
On a turn the player will decide whether they would like to stay on the Battlefield to fight or retreat to the Dojo to retool. If they remain on the Battlefield the active Taco Ninja will choose an opponent also on the Battlefield to target. Three Yahtzee-style dice rolls later the attacking Taco Ninja will either deliver damage to the opponent, heal themselves, or draw an Item card to be used on a later turn. Each of these results are compared against a reference card that shows successful attacks for 3 of a Kind, 4 of a Kind, Full House, and 5 of a Kind for maximum damage. Rolling two pairs yields an Item card and either 4 or 5 in a row yields healing to the active Taco Ninja.
Should the Taco Ninja wish to retreat to the Dojo they may instead draw either an Item card, one of the face-up Attack cards, or an Attack card blindly from the top of the deck. Item cards can be played on the owner’s turn or out of turn in some cases. Attack cards usually will add damage to successful attacks if its specific dice roll requirement is met.
Once a Taco Ninja is knocked out from sustaining too much damage they are sent to the Afterlife. While a Taco Ninja exists in the Afterlife they will still take turns rolling. They can roll certain results to heal their teammate still on Earth or even reincarnate if the correct result is rolled.
When one team has sent both of their Taco Ninjas to the Afterlife they are finished and the winning team may devour their remains. If these are actually cannibalistic anthropomorphic tacos.
Components. This game is mostly cards with a few cubes, five dice, and a cloth drawstring bag. The cards are all fine, the cubes of normal quality and brown and orange in color, and the dice are the small dice (maybe 12mm?). The art style throughout is obviously cartoony tacos, so it invokes a feeling of silliness that I appreciate. I do not really know what the bag is for other than to protect the cubes and dice in the box? In the rules it mentions a first-player marker, which I found none of in the box, so I used the bag as that marker. It’s a nice bag. No problems with the components from me.
I do have a slight grumble with the name of the game, however. This is a head-to-head card and dice-based deathmatch. Unfortunately the Taco Ninjas do not actually go out adventuring, just battling and dying. So I think a more apropos title could have been Taco Ninja Crunchfest or On Eating Taco Ninjas. That’s ridiculous and I am sorry for making you read this paragraph.
All in all the game is actually quite a good time. It is very light and simple to learn, but strategizing attacks and when to retreat to grab more Item and Attack cards is great. Yes, at the end of the day all turns are decided by dice rolls, so no amount of strategy should logically work fully, but it is still fun to just roll dice and demolish some tacos in the process. Please do not expect anything more than a nice little filler game here. A game night probably will not revolve around Taco Ninja Adventure, but perhaps several games using different characters or a round-robin tournament could be enjoyable.
That said, Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a delicious 8 / 12. It is highly portable, very light, appetizingly fun, and has a unique theme. If you are looking for a good solid filler game that is a bit different in style and theme than most, I would have you take a look at Taco Ninja Adventure. It might just be the cardboard antipasto you have been seeking.
Taco Ninja Adventure is a card battling game for two to six players where each player will control at least one Taco Ninja. It’s a taco head with a bipedal humanoid body. And they know ninjutsu. These ninjas duke it out on the battlefield to display the greatest technical skills and the Taco Ninja team that can deliver the final bite to the opponents will be the winner.
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 team (in my case I played two player so we each controlled two Taco Ninjas) will choose their Taco Ninjas in alternating fashion and begin the game in the Battlefield (near each other on the table). The Item and Attack card decks are to be shuffled and the first three Attack card revealed to create a market row. Each player draws two Item cards to be kept secret from the opposing team and a life tracker with the cube on 30 HP. The death battle may now begin!
On a turn the player will decide whether they would like to stay on the Battlefield to fight or retreat to the Dojo to retool. If they remain on the Battlefield the active Taco Ninja will choose an opponent also on the Battlefield to target. Three Yahtzee-style dice rolls later the attacking Taco Ninja will either deliver damage to the opponent, heal themselves, or draw an Item card to be used on a later turn. Each of these results are compared against a reference card that shows successful attacks for 3 of a Kind, 4 of a Kind, Full House, and 5 of a Kind for maximum damage. Rolling two pairs yields an Item card and either 4 or 5 in a row yields healing to the active Taco Ninja.
Should the Taco Ninja wish to retreat to the Dojo they may instead draw either an Item card, one of the face-up Attack cards, or an Attack card blindly from the top of the deck. Item cards can be played on the owner’s turn or out of turn in some cases. Attack cards usually will add damage to successful attacks if its specific dice roll requirement is met.
Once a Taco Ninja is knocked out from sustaining too much damage they are sent to the Afterlife. While a Taco Ninja exists in the Afterlife they will still take turns rolling. They can roll certain results to heal their teammate still on Earth or even reincarnate if the correct result is rolled.
When one team has sent both of their Taco Ninjas to the Afterlife they are finished and the winning team may devour their remains. If these are actually cannibalistic anthropomorphic tacos.
Components. This game is mostly cards with a few cubes, five dice, and a cloth drawstring bag. The cards are all fine, the cubes of normal quality and brown and orange in color, and the dice are the small dice (maybe 12mm?). The art style throughout is obviously cartoony tacos, so it invokes a feeling of silliness that I appreciate. I do not really know what the bag is for other than to protect the cubes and dice in the box? In the rules it mentions a first-player marker, which I found none of in the box, so I used the bag as that marker. It’s a nice bag. No problems with the components from me.
I do have a slight grumble with the name of the game, however. This is a head-to-head card and dice-based deathmatch. Unfortunately the Taco Ninjas do not actually go out adventuring, just battling and dying. So I think a more apropos title could have been Taco Ninja Crunchfest or On Eating Taco Ninjas. That’s ridiculous and I am sorry for making you read this paragraph.
All in all the game is actually quite a good time. It is very light and simple to learn, but strategizing attacks and when to retreat to grab more Item and Attack cards is great. Yes, at the end of the day all turns are decided by dice rolls, so no amount of strategy should logically work fully, but it is still fun to just roll dice and demolish some tacos in the process. Please do not expect anything more than a nice little filler game here. A game night probably will not revolve around Taco Ninja Adventure, but perhaps several games using different characters or a round-robin tournament could be enjoyable.
That said, Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a delicious 8 / 12. It is highly portable, very light, appetizingly fun, and has a unique theme. If you are looking for a good solid filler game that is a bit different in style and theme than most, I would have you take a look at Taco Ninja Adventure. It might just be the cardboard antipasto you have been seeking.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Tiny Epic Dinosaurs in Tabletop Games
Jul 13, 2021
Come on, we have all seen the Jurassic Park movies, or at least one of them. And let’s also admit that we think it would be pretty cool to work at a dinosaur theme park. However, when dino droppings hit the fan, we want it to happen on our off day. Welcome to Nondescript Dinosaur Theme Park Ranch, where we grow ’em, breed ’em, and sell them to the highest bidders!
Tiny Epic Dinosaurs (TEDinos) is the latest release in the Tiny Epic line from Gamelyn Games and is a worker placement game of dinosaur enclosure, husbandry, and contract fulfilling for up to four enterprising ranchers. Players will be acquiring dinosaurs and barriers, feeding them, breeding them, and attempting to fulfill public and private contracts for maximum VP gains.
DISCLAIMER: I will be presenting this as a Solo Chronicles, where I will be using the Solo Rules included in the TEDinos rulebook. Also, I will not be covering every rule, as there are just too many to describe, but will give a general flow and feeling of the game to help inform your purchasing decision. -T
To setup TEDinos, follow all setup rules in the rulebook until you have something that looks like the photo above. All of the setup, save a few steps, is exactly like setting up for a multiplayer game, and the solo player will be playing the game exactly as if it were multiplayer.
The game lasts six rounds and each round is comprised of seven phases. The phases contain actions to be taken like Collect Resources (plants, meat, and supply boxes), Assign Ranchers (the meat of the worker placement game where your rancheeples and Lead Tomvaseleeple will be placed on action spaces), Retrieve Ranchers (to use them again next round), Arrange Ranch (to place your dinos in different enclosures), Feed Dinosaurs (obvious), Breed Dinosaurs (every like pair of dinos make a like dino), Refresh for Next Round (resetting card stacks and offers).
Again, I won’t go into detail about these phases, but will detail how the solo game differs a bit from the multiplayer. The Rival Rancher (AI player) will be taking actions in the second phase of every round, Assign Ranchers, but will do it using a card deck specific to the Rival Rancher. Initially the Rival Rancher will be 1st Player, so they will play a card from their deck during Assign Ranchers that will claim all of the action spaces on one of the Action Mats and give them a dineeple. For the player, should they wish to claim a spot on the same Action Mat that the Rival Rancher is sitting on, it will count as a meeple being there, so the player will need to expend their Lead Rancher or two normal Ranchers to claim a space.
This simulates another player claiming a space prior to the player’s turn, and spaces are still available, but with the added challenge of holding the Rival Rancher’s meeple. Play continues in this fashion until the end of the sixth round where player and Rival Rancher alike will add up VP to determine the winner.
Components. Like all Tiny Epic games, there are a TON of components packed into a tiny box. That is both a great thing and a challenging thing. TEDinos takes up about half of my dining table when all setup and played. So it does sprawl a little. However, many of the components are very very small and for big oaf-hands, the pieces can be fragile and cumbersome. It looks great on the table as the color palette used is fantastic (especially against a purple play surface), and the art is superb. All the components are great quality, but the meeples suffer a bit as they are so small; my copy came with several dineeples being damaged or headless or tailless or legless. That doesn’t necessarily bother me too much so I won’t bellyache about it. All in all the components are what we now expect from the Tiny Epic line.
The solo gameplay is really good and really REALLY difficult. I feel that if you don’t go into the game with a strategy ready to go you will flounder and be overwhelmed by the prowess of the AI Rival Rancher. I was the first time and I thought I would never be able to even come close to winning. But, the more I play the more I recognize different tactics to use in-game to help benefit my ranch effectively. Each AI player can use a different mat that offers different AI strategies and those are found on the back of the normal multiplayer mats. This is a phenomenal idea and offers great replayability, even for the solo plays.
Though the solo rules of TEDinos allow the AI player to be super tough, I find this to be one of the best in the Tiny Epic line. Tiny Epic Galaxies may still be my favorite, but I think TEDinos might be right behind. I can’t wait until this dino dropping-like virus is eradicated so I can play with my homies again, because I will certainly be pulling this one out quite a bit. I keep a spreadsheet of all my games in order of preference, and I admit that TEDinos has easily whomped its way into my Top 100, but will it get to Top 10 Games of All Time along with Tiny Epic Galaxies? I don’t know. Want to play and find out where it lands with you? Pick up a copy and have at it!
PS – I’m not one to shout out to other reviewers usually, but if you get a chance, do check out the Watch It Played video of this one. Rodney does a great job (as always) and helped me clear up some questions I had after reading the rule book.
Tiny Epic Dinosaurs (TEDinos) is the latest release in the Tiny Epic line from Gamelyn Games and is a worker placement game of dinosaur enclosure, husbandry, and contract fulfilling for up to four enterprising ranchers. Players will be acquiring dinosaurs and barriers, feeding them, breeding them, and attempting to fulfill public and private contracts for maximum VP gains.
DISCLAIMER: I will be presenting this as a Solo Chronicles, where I will be using the Solo Rules included in the TEDinos rulebook. Also, I will not be covering every rule, as there are just too many to describe, but will give a general flow and feeling of the game to help inform your purchasing decision. -T
To setup TEDinos, follow all setup rules in the rulebook until you have something that looks like the photo above. All of the setup, save a few steps, is exactly like setting up for a multiplayer game, and the solo player will be playing the game exactly as if it were multiplayer.
The game lasts six rounds and each round is comprised of seven phases. The phases contain actions to be taken like Collect Resources (plants, meat, and supply boxes), Assign Ranchers (the meat of the worker placement game where your rancheeples and Lead Tomvaseleeple will be placed on action spaces), Retrieve Ranchers (to use them again next round), Arrange Ranch (to place your dinos in different enclosures), Feed Dinosaurs (obvious), Breed Dinosaurs (every like pair of dinos make a like dino), Refresh for Next Round (resetting card stacks and offers).
Again, I won’t go into detail about these phases, but will detail how the solo game differs a bit from the multiplayer. The Rival Rancher (AI player) will be taking actions in the second phase of every round, Assign Ranchers, but will do it using a card deck specific to the Rival Rancher. Initially the Rival Rancher will be 1st Player, so they will play a card from their deck during Assign Ranchers that will claim all of the action spaces on one of the Action Mats and give them a dineeple. For the player, should they wish to claim a spot on the same Action Mat that the Rival Rancher is sitting on, it will count as a meeple being there, so the player will need to expend their Lead Rancher or two normal Ranchers to claim a space.
This simulates another player claiming a space prior to the player’s turn, and spaces are still available, but with the added challenge of holding the Rival Rancher’s meeple. Play continues in this fashion until the end of the sixth round where player and Rival Rancher alike will add up VP to determine the winner.
Components. Like all Tiny Epic games, there are a TON of components packed into a tiny box. That is both a great thing and a challenging thing. TEDinos takes up about half of my dining table when all setup and played. So it does sprawl a little. However, many of the components are very very small and for big oaf-hands, the pieces can be fragile and cumbersome. It looks great on the table as the color palette used is fantastic (especially against a purple play surface), and the art is superb. All the components are great quality, but the meeples suffer a bit as they are so small; my copy came with several dineeples being damaged or headless or tailless or legless. That doesn’t necessarily bother me too much so I won’t bellyache about it. All in all the components are what we now expect from the Tiny Epic line.
The solo gameplay is really good and really REALLY difficult. I feel that if you don’t go into the game with a strategy ready to go you will flounder and be overwhelmed by the prowess of the AI Rival Rancher. I was the first time and I thought I would never be able to even come close to winning. But, the more I play the more I recognize different tactics to use in-game to help benefit my ranch effectively. Each AI player can use a different mat that offers different AI strategies and those are found on the back of the normal multiplayer mats. This is a phenomenal idea and offers great replayability, even for the solo plays.
Though the solo rules of TEDinos allow the AI player to be super tough, I find this to be one of the best in the Tiny Epic line. Tiny Epic Galaxies may still be my favorite, but I think TEDinos might be right behind. I can’t wait until this dino dropping-like virus is eradicated so I can play with my homies again, because I will certainly be pulling this one out quite a bit. I keep a spreadsheet of all my games in order of preference, and I admit that TEDinos has easily whomped its way into my Top 100, but will it get to Top 10 Games of All Time along with Tiny Epic Galaxies? I don’t know. Want to play and find out where it lands with you? Pick up a copy and have at it!
PS – I’m not one to shout out to other reviewers usually, but if you get a chance, do check out the Watch It Played video of this one. Rodney does a great job (as always) and helped me clear up some questions I had after reading the rule book.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Extraordinary Adventures: Pirates in Tabletop Games
Jul 16, 2021
I feel like I try to open pirate-themed games with silly faux pirate talk and it’s getting old. So I won’t do that this time. What I will do is start by saying we reviewed another Forbidden Games title (Raccoon Tycoon) to very high praise, so we expect nothing but greatness now. Does Extraordinary Adventures: Pirates! (or from now on just Pirates) match the quality we enjoy in Raccoon Tycoon? Yarr.
Pirates is a piratey, deck-building, racing game for two to six players attempting to reach Trinidad with the most VP and greatest booty (interpret that as you will). To setup, lay the humongous board on the table and populate the merchant ship locations with the appropriate number of supply crates pulled blindly from the bag. Each player will place one of their ships on the starting locations of each of the three tracks upon the board. Shuffle the Merchant Deck and place it in its position on the board face-down. Shuffle the Port Deck and set it near the board face-down but reveal the top three cards as the offer. Shuffle the treasure tiles and reveal a number of them equal to three times the number of players plus one more. Give each player their starting deck to shuffle and then draw five as a starting hand. The race may now begin!
On a player’s turn they will play three cards from their hand and “move their ships accordingly” says the rulebook. Initially we were not sure if that meant movement cards could all be played to the same ship or each of the three cards needed to be assigned to each of the player ships on the three different tracks so we decided to use the latter rule logic. Cards will contain a number in the lower right hand corner to signify how many spaces a ship may move this turn. Some cards will also have a special power written beside the movement number that may be used instead of the movement. The starting deck contains one card that will be able to thin the deck using this type of special power.
When a player’s ship meets either a Merchant ship or moves into a Port the movement ends immediately to resolve these encounters. When plundering a Merchant ship players will simply swipe the supply crates from the board and draw a Merchant card to their discard pile. When in Port, players will be able to draw one of the face-up Port cards in the offer or the top card from the face-down draw deck. In addition, players will be able to use the supply crates collected as currency to purchase the revealed treasure tiles near the board for VP at game end. Once all card have been played and subsequent actions played as a result the next player takes their turn. Play continues in this fashion until one ship reaches Trinidad and ends the game. The pirate captain with the most VP from cards, treasure tiles, and placement on each track will be the winner with the greatest booty (not in the rules, but I like to play that way).
Components. We were impressed with the components in Raccoon Tycoon, but Pirates scores well above it in component impressiveness. The board is massive and features incredible art. It looks just like a map and it’s simply gorgeous. The cards are all fine quality and the art on them is very good. The true component stars in this game are the supply crates and the player ships. Okay, so I love playing games that feel deluxe. I’m sure I’m not alone with that statement, but when I tell you that these little crates are amazing I meant it. How easy would it have been to just throw in a bunch of colored wooden cubes like 98% of games and call it a day? Easy peasy. But no, not good enough. Pirates goes the extra mile and gives us molded plastic (or resin, idk I’m not a chemist) boxes that look like supply boxes. And the pirate ships? The same super incredibly quality. They are minis where standees could have worked just fine. And they are DETAILED. I love them so much. Components score a big time happy face from us.
But the gameplay. Components are great but make the game they do not. However, having these great components only enhance the already wonderful gameplay here. I love deck-building games and it might be my favorite style of game. I also genuinely love when games throw in additional styles to complement the deck-building. Don’t get me wrong, we all love our Legendary: Marvel DBG (it’s a Golden Feather Award winner after all), but that’s just straight up deck-building. I quite enjoy another little deck-builder that adds a map and an additional way to use the deck-building cards in harmony: Trains. In Pirates we have deck-building paired with racing on a giant board. It just fits the piratey theme so well and combines deck-building with what I love from the game Jamaica.
It’s no surprise that I personally rated this quite high. Though not all our team has had a chance to play it yet, I believe they would all love it as much as I do. Purple Phoenix Games gives Extraordinary Adventures: Pirates! a plunderingly wunderful (I did that on purpose) 11 / 12. Want to add to your deck-building experience with a race using excellent components and art? Pick up a copy from your FLGS today!
Pirates is a piratey, deck-building, racing game for two to six players attempting to reach Trinidad with the most VP and greatest booty (interpret that as you will). To setup, lay the humongous board on the table and populate the merchant ship locations with the appropriate number of supply crates pulled blindly from the bag. Each player will place one of their ships on the starting locations of each of the three tracks upon the board. Shuffle the Merchant Deck and place it in its position on the board face-down. Shuffle the Port Deck and set it near the board face-down but reveal the top three cards as the offer. Shuffle the treasure tiles and reveal a number of them equal to three times the number of players plus one more. Give each player their starting deck to shuffle and then draw five as a starting hand. The race may now begin!
On a player’s turn they will play three cards from their hand and “move their ships accordingly” says the rulebook. Initially we were not sure if that meant movement cards could all be played to the same ship or each of the three cards needed to be assigned to each of the player ships on the three different tracks so we decided to use the latter rule logic. Cards will contain a number in the lower right hand corner to signify how many spaces a ship may move this turn. Some cards will also have a special power written beside the movement number that may be used instead of the movement. The starting deck contains one card that will be able to thin the deck using this type of special power.
When a player’s ship meets either a Merchant ship or moves into a Port the movement ends immediately to resolve these encounters. When plundering a Merchant ship players will simply swipe the supply crates from the board and draw a Merchant card to their discard pile. When in Port, players will be able to draw one of the face-up Port cards in the offer or the top card from the face-down draw deck. In addition, players will be able to use the supply crates collected as currency to purchase the revealed treasure tiles near the board for VP at game end. Once all card have been played and subsequent actions played as a result the next player takes their turn. Play continues in this fashion until one ship reaches Trinidad and ends the game. The pirate captain with the most VP from cards, treasure tiles, and placement on each track will be the winner with the greatest booty (not in the rules, but I like to play that way).
Components. We were impressed with the components in Raccoon Tycoon, but Pirates scores well above it in component impressiveness. The board is massive and features incredible art. It looks just like a map and it’s simply gorgeous. The cards are all fine quality and the art on them is very good. The true component stars in this game are the supply crates and the player ships. Okay, so I love playing games that feel deluxe. I’m sure I’m not alone with that statement, but when I tell you that these little crates are amazing I meant it. How easy would it have been to just throw in a bunch of colored wooden cubes like 98% of games and call it a day? Easy peasy. But no, not good enough. Pirates goes the extra mile and gives us molded plastic (or resin, idk I’m not a chemist) boxes that look like supply boxes. And the pirate ships? The same super incredibly quality. They are minis where standees could have worked just fine. And they are DETAILED. I love them so much. Components score a big time happy face from us.
But the gameplay. Components are great but make the game they do not. However, having these great components only enhance the already wonderful gameplay here. I love deck-building games and it might be my favorite style of game. I also genuinely love when games throw in additional styles to complement the deck-building. Don’t get me wrong, we all love our Legendary: Marvel DBG (it’s a Golden Feather Award winner after all), but that’s just straight up deck-building. I quite enjoy another little deck-builder that adds a map and an additional way to use the deck-building cards in harmony: Trains. In Pirates we have deck-building paired with racing on a giant board. It just fits the piratey theme so well and combines deck-building with what I love from the game Jamaica.
It’s no surprise that I personally rated this quite high. Though not all our team has had a chance to play it yet, I believe they would all love it as much as I do. Purple Phoenix Games gives Extraordinary Adventures: Pirates! a plunderingly wunderful (I did that on purpose) 11 / 12. Want to add to your deck-building experience with a race using excellent components and art? Pick up a copy from your FLGS today!
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Arcane Arena in Tabletop Games
Jan 23, 2021
The Tournament of Champions is coming! The Tournament of Champions is coming! The bravest fighters must prepare themselves to face-off in a three-round arena match to determine the ultimate warrior. There is no time to waste learning finishing moves here. Combatants will only have three rounds to prove they are superior in this all-out brawl!
Arcane Arena is an arena-style fighting card game. In it players will take on the mantle of a warrior competing in this brutal last-man-standing battle royale. They will need to train and learn new techniques and then show their opponents all they have learned. The game takes place over three rounds of increasing actions and, truly, the last warrior standing will be crowned Champion!
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, refer to the rules to deal each player their starting deck of Buy, Move, and Attack cards. Remove all Focus and Wound cards and make a stack for each on the side of the play area. Shuffle the remaining “Trainer” cards and create a market of six cards to be purchased. Set the arena board on the table and populate it with player tokens and Favor tokens (glass beads in this prototype). Each player shuffles their starting deck and draws four cards to create their starting hand. The tournament is now prepared for warriors.
Arcane Arena features three rounds of two phases each. The first round has players limited to three turns during the first training phase and 10 hit points for the second phase of the game.
The first phase of each round is the Training Phase. During this phase players are able to use their four cards “as a buy” for their purchasing power. The player lays a card, announces it is as a buy, tallies the currency to be spent, and then purchases a card from the collection of six cards in the offer or one Focus card from its stack. Once completed with their Training Phase, the player will restock the trainer pool of cards for purchase. It is then the next player’s turn to complete their Training Phase.
Once all players have had their Training Phase, the Combat Phase begins with the active player. The active player must play cards for either their Move, Effect, or Attack keywords. Each card will instruct the player the amount of Move they can use, which Effect can be used and how, and how many Attack points of damage they inflict on a target within range.
Play continues in this fashion with each player playing as many cards from their hand of four as they wish until only one player remains with hit points. If it is the third such round of Combat Phase (5 turns at the Training Phase and 20 HP during Combat) then the last player standing is the winner!
Components. Again, this is a prototype copy of the game, so some components will be different from the finished version. That said, this game has decent components planned and the art style is interesting, with hints of a more ancient style. The iconography on the cards is okay: I did find myself trying to figure out what the icon for “purchase” actually was, so it threw me off a couple times. Similarly, the effect bar on the card is very small and can easily be overlooked if the players are not constantly checking for that bar for information.
Gameplay for Arcane Arena is something with which I am struggling to describe. I have always been poor with arena-style games that have players moving around and attacking. It is so difficult for me to abandon my Barbarian-style of just blocking movement and wailing on a stationary enemy. Once movement is expected I am a fish out of water. That is not at all a knock on Arcane Arena, but on my style of play. However, if I belong to a group of gamers with similar style be warned: there’s a lot of opportunity for movement here and it may be uncomfortable at first.
I do like the theme of the game and its implementation. I can understand the premise and relate it to the gameplay. I like that it is split between two distinct phases and having cards with multiple usage is a positive for me. I also enjoy that every time a new phase begins all players combine their cards, shuffle, and draw a hand of four cards. This is new for me, as in typical deckbuilders the card just purchased usually goes directly into the discard pile only to be drawn on much later turns. Such is not with this one. A card just purchased may be drawn immediately in the next Combat Phase, depending on luck of the shuffle and draw.
So while I do not enjoy the moving around the arena aspect of the game, all else is good for me. If you are similar to me I would say give it a shot, but it may be difficult to be successful if, like me, you plan to be a stalwart rock instead of a nimble wisp. If Arcane Arena sounds like your cup of tea, do check it out when it comes available!
Arcane Arena is an arena-style fighting card game. In it players will take on the mantle of a warrior competing in this brutal last-man-standing battle royale. They will need to train and learn new techniques and then show their opponents all they have learned. The game takes place over three rounds of increasing actions and, truly, the last warrior standing will be crowned Champion!
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, refer to the rules to deal each player their starting deck of Buy, Move, and Attack cards. Remove all Focus and Wound cards and make a stack for each on the side of the play area. Shuffle the remaining “Trainer” cards and create a market of six cards to be purchased. Set the arena board on the table and populate it with player tokens and Favor tokens (glass beads in this prototype). Each player shuffles their starting deck and draws four cards to create their starting hand. The tournament is now prepared for warriors.
Arcane Arena features three rounds of two phases each. The first round has players limited to three turns during the first training phase and 10 hit points for the second phase of the game.
The first phase of each round is the Training Phase. During this phase players are able to use their four cards “as a buy” for their purchasing power. The player lays a card, announces it is as a buy, tallies the currency to be spent, and then purchases a card from the collection of six cards in the offer or one Focus card from its stack. Once completed with their Training Phase, the player will restock the trainer pool of cards for purchase. It is then the next player’s turn to complete their Training Phase.
Once all players have had their Training Phase, the Combat Phase begins with the active player. The active player must play cards for either their Move, Effect, or Attack keywords. Each card will instruct the player the amount of Move they can use, which Effect can be used and how, and how many Attack points of damage they inflict on a target within range.
Play continues in this fashion with each player playing as many cards from their hand of four as they wish until only one player remains with hit points. If it is the third such round of Combat Phase (5 turns at the Training Phase and 20 HP during Combat) then the last player standing is the winner!
Components. Again, this is a prototype copy of the game, so some components will be different from the finished version. That said, this game has decent components planned and the art style is interesting, with hints of a more ancient style. The iconography on the cards is okay: I did find myself trying to figure out what the icon for “purchase” actually was, so it threw me off a couple times. Similarly, the effect bar on the card is very small and can easily be overlooked if the players are not constantly checking for that bar for information.
Gameplay for Arcane Arena is something with which I am struggling to describe. I have always been poor with arena-style games that have players moving around and attacking. It is so difficult for me to abandon my Barbarian-style of just blocking movement and wailing on a stationary enemy. Once movement is expected I am a fish out of water. That is not at all a knock on Arcane Arena, but on my style of play. However, if I belong to a group of gamers with similar style be warned: there’s a lot of opportunity for movement here and it may be uncomfortable at first.
I do like the theme of the game and its implementation. I can understand the premise and relate it to the gameplay. I like that it is split between two distinct phases and having cards with multiple usage is a positive for me. I also enjoy that every time a new phase begins all players combine their cards, shuffle, and draw a hand of four cards. This is new for me, as in typical deckbuilders the card just purchased usually goes directly into the discard pile only to be drawn on much later turns. Such is not with this one. A card just purchased may be drawn immediately in the next Combat Phase, depending on luck of the shuffle and draw.
So while I do not enjoy the moving around the arena aspect of the game, all else is good for me. If you are similar to me I would say give it a shot, but it may be difficult to be successful if, like me, you plan to be a stalwart rock instead of a nimble wisp. If Arcane Arena sounds like your cup of tea, do check it out when it comes available!
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Bandada in Tabletop Games
Jan 19, 2021
Though I may not look it, I am indeed half Mexican. That said, the word, “Bandada,” means, “Flock.” I don’t really get to flex my Spanish skills often, and it shows. I definitely looked up the word Bandada before reading the rules this time. In any case, as gamers we all belong to the same nerdy flock of people who just like to have a great time with friends, family, and some colorful cardboard and plastic. Birds and other flying creatures have been all the rage recently, but will I be adding this one to my flock of gems?
In Bandada players are attempting to catch and return birds that have escaped from the local zoo. These birds are attracted to different food morsels (namely black, blue, and yellow dice) and by manipulating the food source players may be able to catch all the right birdies and score tons of points.
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
Disclaimer the second: I am previewing this using the Solo Adventure Variant, which uses many of the same rules as the main multiplayer rules with a few twists.
To setup the solo player will roll all 12 dice and sort them by color. Shuffle the bird cards and reveal three cards face-up in a market row. Grab a scoring cube for the score card, and choose which location card to play. Select (randomly or not) a bonus scoring card and the game may begin!
There are other optional variant rules that can be added to the adventure, but I will not be detailing those here.
Turns are divided into two phases: the Drafting phase and the Cleanup phase. During the Drafting phase the player will choose one of the face-up bird cards to be added to their personal bandada, perform the action described on the top of the card, and then add it to their bandada (personal tableau).
After drafting and bandada-ing the player will perform the Cleanup phase by scoring points based on the bird card abilities printed on the bottom, discarding the remaining face-up cards, and then adding three new birds cards to that market row. This phase differs from the multiplayer rules in that birds are scored once added to the bandada in multiplayer and then again during the Cleanup phase. In the solo mode they are scored only once at the end of the Cleanup phase.
The bird cards all have actions printed at the top that will manipulate the food dice in some way. Actions could simply give the birds a specific number of colored dice and adjust the value up or down. Some abilities will have the player flipping the dice to the opposite side, or adjusting multiple dice by splitting a positive or negative value. Of note in this game is that dice values wrap around the die. For example to increase the value of a 6 die it then wraps around to become a value 1. Manipulation of these food dice will make or break the game success, as I found in all my plays.
The game continues in this fashion until after the fourth full round. The player then totals their score on the score card, adds the points from the bonus card chosen at the beginning, and checks for the victory condition on the location card (the rules suggest starting in Africa). If the player has met the victory condition, the trip was a success! If, like me, the player fails to make 35 points in Africa every time, they must play again!
Components. Again, this is a prototype copy of the game, but I have to say that this is a beautiful minimalistic game. It consists of primarily dice and cards. The dice are translucent and good quality, though translucent yellow with white pips can be hard to read at times. The cards are good quality as well and feature breathtaking avian art. It really does look great on the table and doesn’t take up a ton of room, so I have very few negatives here.
Gameplay is super speedy and agonizing for a solo player. Maximizing points on every turn and having to consider specific win conditions makes for a crunchy little card game that takes about 10 minutes to play. It is definitely something I will be reaching for whenever I have a spare 15 minutes. With setup and teardown I am looking at a fulfilling, if not frustrating, card game experience that can be both anxiety-triggering and also quite calming. I was not sure what to expect when I opened the box, but boy am I glad I have this little gem.
If you are in the market for a great little solo game that can also play multiplayer, looks amazing, and is quick to complete, then look no further. If you are an avian aficionado and need your board and card game collection to reflect this, check out Bandada. I need you all to also promise to write me back once you figure out how to succeed in Africa, as I just plum can’t do it. But I am going to keep trying. As I always say, a game that makes you want to play it more is a mark of a great game, and I think a great game comes in this little box.
In Bandada players are attempting to catch and return birds that have escaped from the local zoo. These birds are attracted to different food morsels (namely black, blue, and yellow dice) and by manipulating the food source players may be able to catch all the right birdies and score tons of points.
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
Disclaimer the second: I am previewing this using the Solo Adventure Variant, which uses many of the same rules as the main multiplayer rules with a few twists.
To setup the solo player will roll all 12 dice and sort them by color. Shuffle the bird cards and reveal three cards face-up in a market row. Grab a scoring cube for the score card, and choose which location card to play. Select (randomly or not) a bonus scoring card and the game may begin!
There are other optional variant rules that can be added to the adventure, but I will not be detailing those here.
Turns are divided into two phases: the Drafting phase and the Cleanup phase. During the Drafting phase the player will choose one of the face-up bird cards to be added to their personal bandada, perform the action described on the top of the card, and then add it to their bandada (personal tableau).
After drafting and bandada-ing the player will perform the Cleanup phase by scoring points based on the bird card abilities printed on the bottom, discarding the remaining face-up cards, and then adding three new birds cards to that market row. This phase differs from the multiplayer rules in that birds are scored once added to the bandada in multiplayer and then again during the Cleanup phase. In the solo mode they are scored only once at the end of the Cleanup phase.
The bird cards all have actions printed at the top that will manipulate the food dice in some way. Actions could simply give the birds a specific number of colored dice and adjust the value up or down. Some abilities will have the player flipping the dice to the opposite side, or adjusting multiple dice by splitting a positive or negative value. Of note in this game is that dice values wrap around the die. For example to increase the value of a 6 die it then wraps around to become a value 1. Manipulation of these food dice will make or break the game success, as I found in all my plays.
The game continues in this fashion until after the fourth full round. The player then totals their score on the score card, adds the points from the bonus card chosen at the beginning, and checks for the victory condition on the location card (the rules suggest starting in Africa). If the player has met the victory condition, the trip was a success! If, like me, the player fails to make 35 points in Africa every time, they must play again!
Components. Again, this is a prototype copy of the game, but I have to say that this is a beautiful minimalistic game. It consists of primarily dice and cards. The dice are translucent and good quality, though translucent yellow with white pips can be hard to read at times. The cards are good quality as well and feature breathtaking avian art. It really does look great on the table and doesn’t take up a ton of room, so I have very few negatives here.
Gameplay is super speedy and agonizing for a solo player. Maximizing points on every turn and having to consider specific win conditions makes for a crunchy little card game that takes about 10 minutes to play. It is definitely something I will be reaching for whenever I have a spare 15 minutes. With setup and teardown I am looking at a fulfilling, if not frustrating, card game experience that can be both anxiety-triggering and also quite calming. I was not sure what to expect when I opened the box, but boy am I glad I have this little gem.
If you are in the market for a great little solo game that can also play multiplayer, looks amazing, and is quick to complete, then look no further. If you are an avian aficionado and need your board and card game collection to reflect this, check out Bandada. I need you all to also promise to write me back once you figure out how to succeed in Africa, as I just plum can’t do it. But I am going to keep trying. As I always say, a game that makes you want to play it more is a mark of a great game, and I think a great game comes in this little box.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
A film for all those women who dream of chivalry, but want to kick some ass.
Contains spoilers, click to show
"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains."
A mysterious plague has fallen across England. The countryside is a relative haven, where the city has become a playground for unmentionables. The oriental arts have become the fashion and a desirable young lady no longer needs to be the prim and proper wife, unless your name is Mr Collins.
The Bennet's lovely daughters, beautiful and strong of body and mind are accustomed to a regimented life of training, until the handsome stranger Mr Bingley comes to the country. A whirlwind of romance and the undead lead them into a battle for family and love.
Heaving bosoms, country estates. Brain eating corpses and assorted weaponry. Everything you'd expect when the undead meets Jane Austen. As if on cue my playlist has shuffled to Zombie by The Cranberries. I can't deny enjoying this film, I should point out that I was always going to enjoy it, be it Oscar or Razzie worthy. It definitely had the potential to be an epic re-watchable classic or the B-movie winner that shone from the book.
When it was first published I picked it up almost instantly and soon found Quirk Books and other crossover books developing a little shrine-like area. [Now given pride of place in my nerd room.] Having a dislike of classics embedded in me from school and enjoying the general kick-assery of action films, it was a great crossover to bring those classics back into my life.
Admission time, while I've read the book I can't actually remember when, it was dozens of books ago. I loved it but not everyone did. I'm going to make a big sweeping statement. [Sorry, not sorry] It's not a Jane Austen book people, get over it. "He's ruined Elizabeth Bennet!" No he's taken a strong minded female character and put her in a new fantasy setting. I'm sure there would have been less objections if all the names were different (and the title too) and it was just described as "loosely based on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice". But swings and roundabouts, because it probably wouldn't have been as popular if it wasn't called Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.
Sam Riley's Mr Darcy was no Colin Firth, but it was still very good. It did kind of seem like they threw him in a lake because they felt they should pay homage to Firth's dunking.
Note to those who see the film, Liz Bennet's heaving bosom is seen on a regular basis and is entirely distracting. I'm not sure there's a plot line linked to them, they're just always there, they probably should have got their own credit for the part.
I think my favourite scene was where Darcy came to Elizabeth to proclaim his love... and then they proceed to beat each other with sticks, books, basically whatever is to hand. Heated and packed with sexual tension it made for entertaining viewing. It also reminded me of the scene in Buffy where the slayer and Spike fight in an abandoned building, and the amount of sexual tension between the pair results in breaking the building, amongst other things... but those other things probably wouldn't work so well in Austen's time.
Even with all the bits that brought a smile to my face and made for enjoyable watching, there were some things I couldn't help but be annoyed with.
Firstly, Matt Smith, my dear number 11... [insert long silence here] I know Mr Collins is there for the annoying comic relief and awkwardness but oh my god. It was too much and I was overcome with annoyance. The cast is made up of relatively unknown people, with the exceptions of Charles Dance, Sally Phillips and Matt Smith. I can't help but wonder if Mr Collins would have been easier to deal with if he was an unknown actor.
The camera work had its own peculiarities. Some shots were taken from the zombies point of view. They were blurred and frustrating to watch, I can't really tell what it added. I'm sure it would have added a bit more drama if you'd seen the potential victim being run at. Again, I'm not an expert in showbiz filming but I'm fairly certain that making your audience want to throw up is not the idea. Right near the end there is a shot that perfectly portrays the devastation of the situation...
"How should we get across the devastation of the city and cut out to the next scene?"
"Spin the camera round until people want to vomit?"
"GENIUS!"
I sat there feeling a bit woozy, trying to avoid looking at the screen for the whole thing. I'm not sure either of the fancy styles really improved anything.
My only other wonder about the film is whether it should have gone all out spoof. This was a sensible spoof [relatively speaking], in that it wasn't made specifically for laughs. It did have some, but there were also some moments of emotion too. Should they have played the film out for more comedy? Who knows, but I feel the scene where Darcy and Elizabeth are stabbing a field to kill zombies that are buried underneath was completely wasted in a sensible spoof!
All in all I did enjoy it, but for those of you looking to see it at the cinema I'm not sure it's worth a £10 ticket. Well worth it if you have an offer of some description though. Just remember going in to it that it isn't Jane Austen, it's just your run of the mill zombie period drama... wow, never thought I'd say that sentence.
A mysterious plague has fallen across England. The countryside is a relative haven, where the city has become a playground for unmentionables. The oriental arts have become the fashion and a desirable young lady no longer needs to be the prim and proper wife, unless your name is Mr Collins.
The Bennet's lovely daughters, beautiful and strong of body and mind are accustomed to a regimented life of training, until the handsome stranger Mr Bingley comes to the country. A whirlwind of romance and the undead lead them into a battle for family and love.
Heaving bosoms, country estates. Brain eating corpses and assorted weaponry. Everything you'd expect when the undead meets Jane Austen. As if on cue my playlist has shuffled to Zombie by The Cranberries. I can't deny enjoying this film, I should point out that I was always going to enjoy it, be it Oscar or Razzie worthy. It definitely had the potential to be an epic re-watchable classic or the B-movie winner that shone from the book.
When it was first published I picked it up almost instantly and soon found Quirk Books and other crossover books developing a little shrine-like area. [Now given pride of place in my nerd room.] Having a dislike of classics embedded in me from school and enjoying the general kick-assery of action films, it was a great crossover to bring those classics back into my life.
Admission time, while I've read the book I can't actually remember when, it was dozens of books ago. I loved it but not everyone did. I'm going to make a big sweeping statement. [Sorry, not sorry] It's not a Jane Austen book people, get over it. "He's ruined Elizabeth Bennet!" No he's taken a strong minded female character and put her in a new fantasy setting. I'm sure there would have been less objections if all the names were different (and the title too) and it was just described as "loosely based on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice". But swings and roundabouts, because it probably wouldn't have been as popular if it wasn't called Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.
Sam Riley's Mr Darcy was no Colin Firth, but it was still very good. It did kind of seem like they threw him in a lake because they felt they should pay homage to Firth's dunking.
Note to those who see the film, Liz Bennet's heaving bosom is seen on a regular basis and is entirely distracting. I'm not sure there's a plot line linked to them, they're just always there, they probably should have got their own credit for the part.
I think my favourite scene was where Darcy came to Elizabeth to proclaim his love... and then they proceed to beat each other with sticks, books, basically whatever is to hand. Heated and packed with sexual tension it made for entertaining viewing. It also reminded me of the scene in Buffy where the slayer and Spike fight in an abandoned building, and the amount of sexual tension between the pair results in breaking the building, amongst other things... but those other things probably wouldn't work so well in Austen's time.
Even with all the bits that brought a smile to my face and made for enjoyable watching, there were some things I couldn't help but be annoyed with.
Firstly, Matt Smith, my dear number 11... [insert long silence here] I know Mr Collins is there for the annoying comic relief and awkwardness but oh my god. It was too much and I was overcome with annoyance. The cast is made up of relatively unknown people, with the exceptions of Charles Dance, Sally Phillips and Matt Smith. I can't help but wonder if Mr Collins would have been easier to deal with if he was an unknown actor.
The camera work had its own peculiarities. Some shots were taken from the zombies point of view. They were blurred and frustrating to watch, I can't really tell what it added. I'm sure it would have added a bit more drama if you'd seen the potential victim being run at. Again, I'm not an expert in showbiz filming but I'm fairly certain that making your audience want to throw up is not the idea. Right near the end there is a shot that perfectly portrays the devastation of the situation...
"How should we get across the devastation of the city and cut out to the next scene?"
"Spin the camera round until people want to vomit?"
"GENIUS!"
I sat there feeling a bit woozy, trying to avoid looking at the screen for the whole thing. I'm not sure either of the fancy styles really improved anything.
My only other wonder about the film is whether it should have gone all out spoof. This was a sensible spoof [relatively speaking], in that it wasn't made specifically for laughs. It did have some, but there were also some moments of emotion too. Should they have played the film out for more comedy? Who knows, but I feel the scene where Darcy and Elizabeth are stabbing a field to kill zombies that are buried underneath was completely wasted in a sensible spoof!
All in all I did enjoy it, but for those of you looking to see it at the cinema I'm not sure it's worth a £10 ticket. Well worth it if you have an offer of some description though. Just remember going in to it that it isn't Jane Austen, it's just your run of the mill zombie period drama... wow, never thought I'd say that sentence.
