Smashbomb

Search

Search results

All (5000)

Content

A Bibliophagist (113 KP) rated Suburbia in Tabletop Games

Feb 5, 2020 (Updated Feb 5, 2020)

Suburbia

2012 | City Building, Economic

8.0

(9 Ratings)

Tabletop Game Rating

Replayability (2 more)

Multiple strategies

Easy to play

Seems complex (1 more)

Very similar to Castles of the Madking Ludwig

More simple than it seems

I've been wanted this game for years, however after being terrible at the app versiom, I was worried it'd be too complex. However, I got it as part of BGG's secret santa and finally got around to playing it.
At first I was overwhelmed by just how many components there are, and how complex the rules were, but once I got playing and saw how it was just Castles of the Madking Ludwig and even had similarities to the house favorite Terraforming Mars, it became extremely simple. This is definitely a play to learn game, as we played it got easier and easier. My partner and I adopted different strategies and it's the first time I've seen him be such a poor loser (I did destroy him).

Unlike Castles, the players are building a town buying properties from the board (each property rejected gets cheaper each round) and creating combos that benifet the plauers end goals and the boards end goals. The players try and raise (or lower) their reputation and towns population while generating enough income for growth. It really tickled my management game itch, as I love those silly kairosoft games and played SimTower like it was noones business back in the day. Striving to not just reach my goals but create a realistic town. My partner and I found ourselves roleplaying a little, making jokes as he placed his trailer park by the city dump, or how he sectioned his wealthy side off from the unsavory side with a series of lakes. We really got into it and I look forward to playing it again! Also, I promise, it's not nearly as complex as it looks!

Kudos

Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Winter Stroll in Books

Mar 19, 2020

Winter Stroll

Elin Hilderbrand | 2020 | Fiction & Poetry

7.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

I read this ages ago, it seems, back in April while on vacation in snowy Vermont. I've been on an Elin Hilderbrand kick all year. Even though this series actually takes place in Nantucket, somehow reading this Christmas-themed novel in snow-covered Vermont seemed appropriate.

In book two (don't keep reading if you don't want spoilers!), Kelley Quinn is still running the Winter Street Inn in Nantucket. He's now single and actually on better terms with his first wife, Margaret, the mother of his first three children. One of them, Kevin, has a new baby, Genevieve, with his girlfriend, Isabelle. More worrisome is the fact that Kelley's youngest son--with his second ex-wife, Mitzi--is still deployed.

This is typical enjoyable fare from Elin Hilderbrand--I love this entire series. In this book, we hear from Mitzi's point of view, as well as Drake, Margaret's boyfriend. Each book is told from various viewpoints (usually just the Quinn family), so it was nice to expand whom we hear from. Ava, Kelley's only daughter, is her usual mess, even though she's dating someone supposedly more stable. And Kelley's son Patrick, is in jail, causing much turmoil for his wife, Jennifer (whom we also get to hear from) and the entire family.

I found this to be an easy read--I read it in a day on vacation and it's really fun. What isn't delightful about the messed up lives of other, fictional people? Even better is that Hilderbrand writes these as a series, so you really get to know the family and their issues. I can get lost in their lives. This was the perfect Vermont vacation read. 3.5 stars.