Search
Search results
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Cthulhu Realms in Tabletop Games
Jun 12, 2019
Cthulhu – a theme that is deeply rooted in the board gaming world. There are SO MANY Cthulhu-based games and spin-offs of standard games. Some people really dig the theme, and some people really don’t. So where does this particular game fall on the spectrum? Keep reading to find out!
In Cthulhu Realms, a deck-building game, you are a Cthulhu cultist that is trying to drive your rivals literally insane. By gathering followers, collecting artifacts, and discovering new locations, you will gain enough power to influence the sanity of those who would oppose you! On your turn, you will play cards from your hand to Conjure (acquire new cards from the communal pool), Draw/Discard cards, Gain/Lose Sanity, or Abjure (permanently discard cards from the game). The game ends when a player is reduced to zero sanity – and the player who has retained their sanity is the winner!
I love deck-building games. I really do. I think it’s a neat mechanic that allows you to customize your strategy with every play. So I enjoy playing Cthulhu Realms because of that element. And that’s kind of where my enjoyment ends with this game. Don’t get me wrong – it’s a decent game. I just have a couple of issues with the actual cards and abilities. The cards themselves are very reliant on iconography to communicate powers/abilities. Props to the player boards for having a quick reference for the basic actions, but I still always keep the rule sheet on hand for the in-depth explanation as I play. And even then, the rule sheet still has a bit of ambiguity on how some of the powers work. I wish they’d provided a couple of examples because sometimes I still get confused by certain combinations of icons. Just a little more detail in the rule sheet could alleviate some of the ambiguity of the icon abilities.
For card abilities, each individual card can have anywhere from 1-3 special abilities. The tricky thing is that the abilities do not all have to be used at the same time. So I could use 1 ability from a card, use an ability from a different card, and then come back to my first card and use another of it’s printed abilities. And with a hand of 5 cards every turn (not counting additional cards you may draw…), it can be hard to keep track of which abilities you’ve already used that turn. On top of that, many of the abilities have prerequisites – you can’t use that specific ability unless you’ve already played/have in play the requisite card. Some abilities only have 1 prerequisite, but some have 2, which just adds another layer of bookkeeping to your turns. Not only are you trying to remember which card abilities you’ve already used, but you’re also trying to keep track of your cards/actions that turn that could unlock other card abilities. The rule sheet suggests sliding a card to one side of your play area once you’ve used one of its powers. But again, if it has more than 1 ability on it, you’ve got to remember which ones you’ve used/haven’t used yet, regardless of where they are in your play area. This is a competitive game overall, but with all of these elements to track on your turns, it saps the tension from the game and makes it feel a little more luck-based than strategic.
To alleviate some of my grievances, I think the game could just have more cards with fewer abilities on each. That would make it much easier to execute all of your turns. And eliminate some of the ability prerequisites – having them on most of the abilities just adds another element for you to keep track of, and it feels a little unnecessary. If the turns were a little more clear and concise, I would like this game a lot more. It’s not bad, it just gets bogged down a little bit with too much action on your turns. That’s why Purple Phoenix Games gives Cthulhu Realms a 6/12.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/03/22/cthulhu-realms-review/
In Cthulhu Realms, a deck-building game, you are a Cthulhu cultist that is trying to drive your rivals literally insane. By gathering followers, collecting artifacts, and discovering new locations, you will gain enough power to influence the sanity of those who would oppose you! On your turn, you will play cards from your hand to Conjure (acquire new cards from the communal pool), Draw/Discard cards, Gain/Lose Sanity, or Abjure (permanently discard cards from the game). The game ends when a player is reduced to zero sanity – and the player who has retained their sanity is the winner!
I love deck-building games. I really do. I think it’s a neat mechanic that allows you to customize your strategy with every play. So I enjoy playing Cthulhu Realms because of that element. And that’s kind of where my enjoyment ends with this game. Don’t get me wrong – it’s a decent game. I just have a couple of issues with the actual cards and abilities. The cards themselves are very reliant on iconography to communicate powers/abilities. Props to the player boards for having a quick reference for the basic actions, but I still always keep the rule sheet on hand for the in-depth explanation as I play. And even then, the rule sheet still has a bit of ambiguity on how some of the powers work. I wish they’d provided a couple of examples because sometimes I still get confused by certain combinations of icons. Just a little more detail in the rule sheet could alleviate some of the ambiguity of the icon abilities.
For card abilities, each individual card can have anywhere from 1-3 special abilities. The tricky thing is that the abilities do not all have to be used at the same time. So I could use 1 ability from a card, use an ability from a different card, and then come back to my first card and use another of it’s printed abilities. And with a hand of 5 cards every turn (not counting additional cards you may draw…), it can be hard to keep track of which abilities you’ve already used that turn. On top of that, many of the abilities have prerequisites – you can’t use that specific ability unless you’ve already played/have in play the requisite card. Some abilities only have 1 prerequisite, but some have 2, which just adds another layer of bookkeeping to your turns. Not only are you trying to remember which card abilities you’ve already used, but you’re also trying to keep track of your cards/actions that turn that could unlock other card abilities. The rule sheet suggests sliding a card to one side of your play area once you’ve used one of its powers. But again, if it has more than 1 ability on it, you’ve got to remember which ones you’ve used/haven’t used yet, regardless of where they are in your play area. This is a competitive game overall, but with all of these elements to track on your turns, it saps the tension from the game and makes it feel a little more luck-based than strategic.
To alleviate some of my grievances, I think the game could just have more cards with fewer abilities on each. That would make it much easier to execute all of your turns. And eliminate some of the ability prerequisites – having them on most of the abilities just adds another element for you to keep track of, and it feels a little unnecessary. If the turns were a little more clear and concise, I would like this game a lot more. It’s not bad, it just gets bogged down a little bit with too much action on your turns. That’s why Purple Phoenix Games gives Cthulhu Realms a 6/12.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/03/22/cthulhu-realms-review/
Away ~ Meditation & mindfulness to sleep, relax, focus, breathe
Health & Fitness and Lifestyle
App
Those days when your night was shorter than anything you can measure. Those moments when you'd love...
SaleWhale -weekly grocery flyers & recipes
Shopping and Lifestyle
App
Save up to 50% on groceries with SaleWhale's new weekly flyer app! With more than 100 popular...
Flipflop Solitaire
Games
App
From the creator of Sage Solitaire, comes a new Solitaire variant that breaks all the rules! Like...
games
Best of Italy
Book
This is an irresistible collection of recipes from Italy's sundrenched regions. You can: enjoy the...
SnapShove Pro
Productivity
App
Become a short stack poker expert with this calculator and training app! The only mobile all-in...
Marber Plays: v. 1: After Miss Julie; Closer; Dealer's Choice
Book
Marber Plays: 1 brings together three of this award-winning playwright's first plays produced at the...
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Dog Days (2018) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
Not writing this review after seeing the film was a mistake. It's only been 8 days and yet I can't remember much about it, which probably sounds like it isn't a recommendation. I know I enjoyed it, there were touching moments and funny bits. It might not change your life but it'll make you feel good.
There are lots of faces you'll recognise. Some to love and some to hate. Jon Bass is the human star of this one for me. Adorable, funny and the great double act with Gertrude is delightful. She also rocks a super cool doggy wardrobe. Mabel is probably my favourite canine character. A coach to 5k success story line that got me in the feels.
It's another one of those films that's pretty predictable though. Characters end up where you expect them to be, and the dogs (for the most part) make you smile. Nice film, but probably not worth a full price ticket.
As an after thought, there is one moment I can specifically remember, and it left me puzzled. The dog walker sets up in a client's home while he's not there and then at the end of the film she's dating the materialistic vet... was it his house? I don't remember seeing anything about it other than those two scenes and it left me confused.
There are lots of faces you'll recognise. Some to love and some to hate. Jon Bass is the human star of this one for me. Adorable, funny and the great double act with Gertrude is delightful. She also rocks a super cool doggy wardrobe. Mabel is probably my favourite canine character. A coach to 5k success story line that got me in the feels.
It's another one of those films that's pretty predictable though. Characters end up where you expect them to be, and the dogs (for the most part) make you smile. Nice film, but probably not worth a full price ticket.
As an after thought, there is one moment I can specifically remember, and it left me puzzled. The dog walker sets up in a client's home while he's not there and then at the end of the film she's dating the materialistic vet... was it his house? I don't remember seeing anything about it other than those two scenes and it left me confused.
James Koppert (2698 KP) rated The Possession (The Anomaly Files #2) in Books
Nov 3, 2019
Great follow on from the previous book (1 more)
Don't have to have read the previous book
For the fans of Coast to Coast AM etc
When I reviewed Michael Rutger's previous novel; The Anomaly I said that this was a novel for those of us who love the strange paranormal, supernatural woo woo of things like Fortean Times magazine, Coast to Coast AM, Astonishing Legends and Lore and I am going to say the same thing for The Possession. The title lets it down a little. This isn't some girl gets possessed by a daemon and gets exorcised run of the mill story, Rutger is far more interesting than that.
The story centres round the Berkeley Mystery Walls, strange walls in California that are ancient and don't seem to be marking territory and whom no one knows who built them and what their purpose is, and the disappearance of a girl. Nolan Moore and his Anomaly Files crew turn up to investigate and things start getting more and more strange, creepy and out of this world as they go along.
Do you have to have read the previous book to get any of this? Not at all, you can jump straight into this as a separate story although after reading the Anomaly I was really keen to get The Possession and I wasn't disappointed. It is a tense thrilling hell ride from start to finish with no simple answers and solutions, just the great characters from the first book back bumbling through as best they can to try and save the world. Its great fun, full of well researched strange events and massive adventure. Its refreshing to have a voice in horror that throws away the cliches and instead makes a modern story entirely of their own. Lets hope there are many more novels to come.
The story centres round the Berkeley Mystery Walls, strange walls in California that are ancient and don't seem to be marking territory and whom no one knows who built them and what their purpose is, and the disappearance of a girl. Nolan Moore and his Anomaly Files crew turn up to investigate and things start getting more and more strange, creepy and out of this world as they go along.
Do you have to have read the previous book to get any of this? Not at all, you can jump straight into this as a separate story although after reading the Anomaly I was really keen to get The Possession and I wasn't disappointed. It is a tense thrilling hell ride from start to finish with no simple answers and solutions, just the great characters from the first book back bumbling through as best they can to try and save the world. Its great fun, full of well researched strange events and massive adventure. Its refreshing to have a voice in horror that throws away the cliches and instead makes a modern story entirely of their own. Lets hope there are many more novels to come.
ClareR (6256 KP) rated The Western Wind in Books
Mar 28, 2021
I loved the setting of this book, and with the excellent narration of Nyasha Hatendi, I was immersed in the life of a 15th century Somerset village. I could feel the damp and chill of life at the start of Lent, and I was fascinated by the traditions surrounding people during this period.
The book works backwards from the time that a wealthy landowner, Thomas Newman, is seen floating, assumed drowned, in the river. The rural Dean arrives and advises the village priest, John Reve, to find the murderer or find proof that Newman has passed through purgatory - all before Lent begins.
There are a lot of confessions in this book. Villagers come to church to confess before the start of Lent, but none have the necessary information to tell Reve what happened. The Dean is a pretty unpleasant character: he pushes Reve to find a murderer, when it’s not really known whether Newman has been murdered at all.
John Reve appears to know and care for all of his parishioners. When two of them try to admit to Newman’s murder, Reve will not let them stand up and say that they’ve done it - and it does seem unlikely that they have. One, Sarah, a seriously ill woman, sees her confession as a way of escaping from her life of illness and pain.
This is a gentle, moving, descriptive book. There’s no fast action or tumultuous love affairs. This is the story of a priest who is doing his best for his parishioners. He takes his job seriously - it really is his calling. And there’s no earth shattering ending either. If you like a beautifully written book, then this will be the book for you.
The book works backwards from the time that a wealthy landowner, Thomas Newman, is seen floating, assumed drowned, in the river. The rural Dean arrives and advises the village priest, John Reve, to find the murderer or find proof that Newman has passed through purgatory - all before Lent begins.
There are a lot of confessions in this book. Villagers come to church to confess before the start of Lent, but none have the necessary information to tell Reve what happened. The Dean is a pretty unpleasant character: he pushes Reve to find a murderer, when it’s not really known whether Newman has been murdered at all.
John Reve appears to know and care for all of his parishioners. When two of them try to admit to Newman’s murder, Reve will not let them stand up and say that they’ve done it - and it does seem unlikely that they have. One, Sarah, a seriously ill woman, sees her confession as a way of escaping from her life of illness and pain.
This is a gentle, moving, descriptive book. There’s no fast action or tumultuous love affairs. This is the story of a priest who is doing his best for his parishioners. He takes his job seriously - it really is his calling. And there’s no earth shattering ending either. If you like a beautifully written book, then this will be the book for you.