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Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Castle: The Detective Card Game in Tabletop Games
Jul 17, 2021
Let’s talk about TV for a second.What would be your all-time favorite TV show? For me, that answer is Castle. I had never heard of it until college, when it was already in its 5th season, but I instantly loved it. I may or may not have gone out and bought all of the seasons to binge watch, and now own all 8 seasons of the show. If you ask me, the series ended too soon, but that’s a conversation for another forum. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, games. One wonderful Christmas morning, I opened up a present under the tree and found myself face to face with a Castle card game! I didn’t even know that one existed, but I was so eager to play! Does this game based around my favorite TV show actually play well, or does the attempt to turn this show into a game fall flat?
In Castle: The Detective Card Game (referred to as just Castle for the rest of this review) is a murder-mystery card game in which players assume the role of a character from the show, and work to gather evidence and conduct investigations in order to solve the murder at hand! To set up a game, give every player a Character card that represents one of the main characters from the show. Each Character card has a unique Special Ability to be used during play. Shuffle the Suspect cards, and randomly draw five to be placed face-up in the middle of the table. Select one Guilty token and four Not Guilty tokens – shuffle them together face-down and then place one token on each of the Suspect cards. Shuffle the deck of Investigation cards, deal 3 to each player, place the remaining cards into a Draw deck, and the game is ready to begin!
Moving in clockwise order, players will take turns performing one of the following actions: Draw a card, Discard one card to draw two cards, Play a Special Text card, Use your Special Ability, or Confront a Suspect. The first two actions regarding drawing cards are pretty self-explanatory. Throughout the game, you might draw into your hand an Investigation card with Special Text. You may play a Special Text card, and perform the specified action on your turn. Each Character has a Special Ability that can be used once per game, so plan wisely and use it appropriately! The last action, Confront a Suspect, is what the entire game is leading to. In order to Confront a Suspect, you must have the three Investigation cards listed on the bottom of the Suspect card in hand. When performing this action, you will reveal the three requisite Investigation cards, and then you flip the token on that Suspect card. If the token reads Guilty, then you have won the game! If the token reads Not Guilty, perform the action listed on the token, remove that Suspect and token from the game, discard your used Investigation cards, and play continue with a narrowed Suspect pool! The goal is to be the first player to find the Guilty party before the Draw deck runs out of cards.
Pretty straight-forward, right? I think so, and that’s one of the things I really like about this game. The gameplay is fast and simple, and makes for a quick little set collection game. Another neat element of this game is that although it is based around the Castle TV show, you do not need to have watched any of the show to play. Anyone can play and not feel like they are missing any vital information if they haven’t seen the show, and that makes it accessible to all players, not just fans of the show.
Even though I love the show, I have to admit that the gameplay, although fast and simple, is heavily dependent on the luck of the draw. Throughout the game, you are working to collect sets of the necessary Investigation cards for individual suspects, but the only way in which cards are distributed is through drawing them from the deck. There isn’t an offering that you ‘pay’ certain resources for coveted cards, there’s no real way to know in advance what card you are going to draw, etc. It really depends on how the deck was shuffled whether you will be successful or not. There are no real opportunities to strategize, and that keeps the overall gameplay kind of stagnant. Yes, there are Special Text cards and each Character has a unique ability, but deciding when to use them is kind of a shot in the dark due to the dependence on luck.
Let’s talk components for a minute. All of the Investigation and Character cards use photos or stills from the actual TV show. Again, you need not have watched it to play, but the use of the stills makes the game more immersive and nostalgic for those that have seen it. I love looking at the cards and trying to remember from which episode each still is, and if I remember who the killer was in that specific scenario. It’s just a fun little thing. The cards are all of good sturdy quality and will hold up decently in the long run. The Guilty/Not Guilty tokens in this game are some thick and heavy poker chips and they are AWESOME. They are so high quality, I just love to manipulate them, and they add some cool ‘bling’ to the game.
All in all, is Castle a great card game? No, not necessarily. It is a fun little murder mystery game, but not one that requires and real strategy or brain power to successfully play. Do I like it though? Absolutely, because it is based on my favorite show! If you’re looking for a nice filler game, or a game that doesn’t require too much focus, give Castle: The Detective Card Game a shot. That being said, I feel like only fans of the show will be trying this game, but I guess you can prove me wrong! Purple Phoenix Games give this a mischievous 6 / 12.
In Castle: The Detective Card Game (referred to as just Castle for the rest of this review) is a murder-mystery card game in which players assume the role of a character from the show, and work to gather evidence and conduct investigations in order to solve the murder at hand! To set up a game, give every player a Character card that represents one of the main characters from the show. Each Character card has a unique Special Ability to be used during play. Shuffle the Suspect cards, and randomly draw five to be placed face-up in the middle of the table. Select one Guilty token and four Not Guilty tokens – shuffle them together face-down and then place one token on each of the Suspect cards. Shuffle the deck of Investigation cards, deal 3 to each player, place the remaining cards into a Draw deck, and the game is ready to begin!
Moving in clockwise order, players will take turns performing one of the following actions: Draw a card, Discard one card to draw two cards, Play a Special Text card, Use your Special Ability, or Confront a Suspect. The first two actions regarding drawing cards are pretty self-explanatory. Throughout the game, you might draw into your hand an Investigation card with Special Text. You may play a Special Text card, and perform the specified action on your turn. Each Character has a Special Ability that can be used once per game, so plan wisely and use it appropriately! The last action, Confront a Suspect, is what the entire game is leading to. In order to Confront a Suspect, you must have the three Investigation cards listed on the bottom of the Suspect card in hand. When performing this action, you will reveal the three requisite Investigation cards, and then you flip the token on that Suspect card. If the token reads Guilty, then you have won the game! If the token reads Not Guilty, perform the action listed on the token, remove that Suspect and token from the game, discard your used Investigation cards, and play continue with a narrowed Suspect pool! The goal is to be the first player to find the Guilty party before the Draw deck runs out of cards.
Pretty straight-forward, right? I think so, and that’s one of the things I really like about this game. The gameplay is fast and simple, and makes for a quick little set collection game. Another neat element of this game is that although it is based around the Castle TV show, you do not need to have watched any of the show to play. Anyone can play and not feel like they are missing any vital information if they haven’t seen the show, and that makes it accessible to all players, not just fans of the show.
Even though I love the show, I have to admit that the gameplay, although fast and simple, is heavily dependent on the luck of the draw. Throughout the game, you are working to collect sets of the necessary Investigation cards for individual suspects, but the only way in which cards are distributed is through drawing them from the deck. There isn’t an offering that you ‘pay’ certain resources for coveted cards, there’s no real way to know in advance what card you are going to draw, etc. It really depends on how the deck was shuffled whether you will be successful or not. There are no real opportunities to strategize, and that keeps the overall gameplay kind of stagnant. Yes, there are Special Text cards and each Character has a unique ability, but deciding when to use them is kind of a shot in the dark due to the dependence on luck.
Let’s talk components for a minute. All of the Investigation and Character cards use photos or stills from the actual TV show. Again, you need not have watched it to play, but the use of the stills makes the game more immersive and nostalgic for those that have seen it. I love looking at the cards and trying to remember from which episode each still is, and if I remember who the killer was in that specific scenario. It’s just a fun little thing. The cards are all of good sturdy quality and will hold up decently in the long run. The Guilty/Not Guilty tokens in this game are some thick and heavy poker chips and they are AWESOME. They are so high quality, I just love to manipulate them, and they add some cool ‘bling’ to the game.
All in all, is Castle a great card game? No, not necessarily. It is a fun little murder mystery game, but not one that requires and real strategy or brain power to successfully play. Do I like it though? Absolutely, because it is based on my favorite show! If you’re looking for a nice filler game, or a game that doesn’t require too much focus, give Castle: The Detective Card Game a shot. That being said, I feel like only fans of the show will be trying this game, but I guess you can prove me wrong! Purple Phoenix Games give this a mischievous 6 / 12.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated A Time For Murder in Books
Nov 27, 2019
Jessica’s First Murder Mystery Comes Back to Haunt Her
When Jessica Fletcher sits down to be interviewed by a student from Cabot Cove High School, she is surprised to find the student bringing up Jessica’s first time solving a murder. No, it wasn’t at the launch party of her first book, but it was twenty-five years ago when she, her husband Frank, and their nephew Grady were living in Appleton, Maine. The principal where Jessica was a substitute English teacher was murdered, and Jessica helped solve the case. Jessica usually doesn’t talk about it, and she deflects again, but when she goes to apologize to the student later, she discovers that the woman who interviewed her wasn’t a student at the high school at all. Who interviewed her? What is her interest in the case?
Going into this book, I was concerned that this book was going to contradict things established in the pilot episode of the TV show, but it does a good job of explaining things so that this doesn’t happen. We do spend part of the book in the past, and all the transitions are easy to follow. I found both mysteries, past and present, to be very compelling, and I couldn’t put the book down until I reached the climax. Unfortunately, the climax is a bit over the top, which has happened in the books I’ve read in the series. Likewise, I did find that Jessica, Mort, and Seth spent more time sniping at each other than I remembered from most episodes of the show. On the other hand, Jessica has stopped swearing, which was a welcome return to normalcy for the character. This book is the fiftieth novel based on the show, and as a result manages to work in a few Easter Eggs that fans will enjoy. If you are a fan, you’ll enjoy this entry.
Going into this book, I was concerned that this book was going to contradict things established in the pilot episode of the TV show, but it does a good job of explaining things so that this doesn’t happen. We do spend part of the book in the past, and all the transitions are easy to follow. I found both mysteries, past and present, to be very compelling, and I couldn’t put the book down until I reached the climax. Unfortunately, the climax is a bit over the top, which has happened in the books I’ve read in the series. Likewise, I did find that Jessica, Mort, and Seth spent more time sniping at each other than I remembered from most episodes of the show. On the other hand, Jessica has stopped swearing, which was a welcome return to normalcy for the character. This book is the fiftieth novel based on the show, and as a result manages to work in a few Easter Eggs that fans will enjoy. If you are a fan, you’ll enjoy this entry.
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Bong Mines Entertainment (15 KP) rated Something New - Single by Ollie Gabriel in Music
Jul 10, 2019
Ollie Gabriel is a talented soul singer and songwriter based in Los Angeles, California. Not too long ago, he released an adorable music video for his “Something New (From “Songland”)” single.
“We’re living in a world so fast. Not a lot of things that last. But there’s one thing that’s gon stay. I still got that old kind of loving. The kind that don’t leave, that don’t bend, that don’t break. I still got that old kinda loving.” – lyrics
‘Something New’ tells an evergreen tale of a young guy who cherishes an idealistic moment shared between him and his significant other.
While looking into her beautiful eyes, he reveals that his love for her will remain until they are old and grey. Therefore, they should close their eyes, take their time, and hang on to every second like it’s their last.
Later, he admits that a love like theirs doesn’t come around every day, so that’s why they should try something new and bring back that old thing again.
‘Something New’ contains a timeless love story and ear-welcoming vocals. Also, the lovable tune possesses lush instrumentation flavored with R&B and classic soul ingredients.
Ollie Gabriel, a Louisiana native, was introduced to the American public by way of NBC’s new groundbreaking series, entitled, Songland.
During the show, five songwriters competed and performed their original song for the chance to have it recorded by a celebrity artist.
Long-story-short, Gabriel performed and pitched his original song to John Legend, and the rest is history.
Ollie Gabriel’s inspirational debut single, “Running Man”, has over 22M streams online via Spotify.
He has performed around the world, televised to millions and to concert audiences of 40,000+ fans. Also, he’s a talented producer with over 500 sync placements in film and tv since 2009.
His music has been featured on Grey’s Anatomy, Ray Donovan, Shameless, and Deadliest Catch to name a few.
“In 2017, Ollie Gabriel married his longtime girlfriend who inspired the song he performed on NBC’s Songland.”
“We’re living in a world so fast. Not a lot of things that last. But there’s one thing that’s gon stay. I still got that old kind of loving. The kind that don’t leave, that don’t bend, that don’t break. I still got that old kinda loving.” – lyrics
‘Something New’ tells an evergreen tale of a young guy who cherishes an idealistic moment shared between him and his significant other.
While looking into her beautiful eyes, he reveals that his love for her will remain until they are old and grey. Therefore, they should close their eyes, take their time, and hang on to every second like it’s their last.
Later, he admits that a love like theirs doesn’t come around every day, so that’s why they should try something new and bring back that old thing again.
‘Something New’ contains a timeless love story and ear-welcoming vocals. Also, the lovable tune possesses lush instrumentation flavored with R&B and classic soul ingredients.
Ollie Gabriel, a Louisiana native, was introduced to the American public by way of NBC’s new groundbreaking series, entitled, Songland.
During the show, five songwriters competed and performed their original song for the chance to have it recorded by a celebrity artist.
Long-story-short, Gabriel performed and pitched his original song to John Legend, and the rest is history.
Ollie Gabriel’s inspirational debut single, “Running Man”, has over 22M streams online via Spotify.
He has performed around the world, televised to millions and to concert audiences of 40,000+ fans. Also, he’s a talented producer with over 500 sync placements in film and tv since 2009.
His music has been featured on Grey’s Anatomy, Ray Donovan, Shameless, and Deadliest Catch to name a few.
“In 2017, Ollie Gabriel married his longtime girlfriend who inspired the song he performed on NBC’s Songland.”