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A Very Woodsy Murder
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Perseverance: Castaway Chronicles
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Caught in an enigmatic storm, a modern-day luxury ocean liner crashes ashore on an otherworldly...
The Fourth Talisman
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Nocturne, a wilderness of eternal night. Solis, a wasteland of endless day. It’s been a...
Shelter: Getaway Series Book 2
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Sutton Warner is a mess. Everything in his life feels like it’s unraveling. He’s let a lot of...
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The Quest Classic Gold
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* For new players we recommend The Quest! * You can now have The Quest Classic, Island of Ice and...
go! Kruger
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go! Kruger guide South Africa’s Kruger National Park offers tourists an unforgettable wildlife...
Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated The Never Game in Books
May 22, 2019
A student kidnapped from the park.
Nineteen-year-old Sophie disappears one summer afternoon. She wakes up to find herself locked inside a derelict warehouse, surrounded by five objects. If she uses them wisely, she will escape her prison. Otherwise she will die.
An investigator running out of time.
Sophies distraught father calls in the one man who can help find his daughter: unique investigator Colter Shaw. Raised in the wilderness by survivalist parents, he is an expert tracker with a forensic mind trained to solve the most challenging cases. But this will be a test even for him.
A killer playing a dangerous game.
Soon a blogger called Henry is abducted left to die in the dark heart of a remote forest and the whole case gets turned on its head. Because this killer isn't following the rules; hes changing them. One murder at a time
The Never Game is the first book in Jefferry Deaver's new series. There is a prequel novella that introduces our new lead Colter Shaw; the novella is called "Captivated".
I have to say this is just as good as the Lincoln Rhyme books.
Colter Shaw is someone who earns reward money for a living. In this story her is tracing a missing girl for her father.
We do get a bit of back story in this one about our new lead man which is good.
The story is a great thrilling suspenseful plot. Fast paced and keeps you gripped throughout.
Loving the new characters and can't wait to see their development in further novels.
Really enjoyed this and would give more than 5* if I could.
Highly recommend.
My thanks to publisher Harper Collins for my copy via NetGalley. This is my honest voluntary review.
Nineteen-year-old Sophie disappears one summer afternoon. She wakes up to find herself locked inside a derelict warehouse, surrounded by five objects. If she uses them wisely, she will escape her prison. Otherwise she will die.
An investigator running out of time.
Sophies distraught father calls in the one man who can help find his daughter: unique investigator Colter Shaw. Raised in the wilderness by survivalist parents, he is an expert tracker with a forensic mind trained to solve the most challenging cases. But this will be a test even for him.
A killer playing a dangerous game.
Soon a blogger called Henry is abducted left to die in the dark heart of a remote forest and the whole case gets turned on its head. Because this killer isn't following the rules; hes changing them. One murder at a time
The Never Game is the first book in Jefferry Deaver's new series. There is a prequel novella that introduces our new lead Colter Shaw; the novella is called "Captivated".
I have to say this is just as good as the Lincoln Rhyme books.
Colter Shaw is someone who earns reward money for a living. In this story her is tracing a missing girl for her father.
We do get a bit of back story in this one about our new lead man which is good.
The story is a great thrilling suspenseful plot. Fast paced and keeps you gripped throughout.
Loving the new characters and can't wait to see their development in further novels.
Really enjoyed this and would give more than 5* if I could.
Highly recommend.
My thanks to publisher Harper Collins for my copy via NetGalley. This is my honest voluntary review.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Animal Empire in Tabletop Games
Jul 2, 2020
The age of humans is in its prime, and our civilizations keeps evolving every day. Have you ever wondered what comes after us though? The answer is the animals – at least, it is according to Animal Empire. Over time, animals have gained enough sentience to rise up and overthrow the humans! The animal kingdom is thriving as the different species learn to coexist in peace. However, the carnivorous animals are thirsting for more power and the delicate balance of peace has been upended! The game is afoot, and any species can come out victorious – can you lead your armies to victory and power over the Animal Empire?
Disclaimer: We were provided with a copy of this game for the purposes of this preview. I do not intend to rehash the entire rulebook, but rather provide the general rule set and overall flow of the game. The components pictured are final. Feel free to reach out to the publisher to snag your own copy! -L
Animal Empire is a card game of hand management, area majority, battling, and a bit of negotiation in which players are trying to be the first to gain control over 9 of the 16 Kingdoms. How? By deploying your armies, defeating your opponents, and maintaining control over your captured Kingdoms. Set up the game as described in the rulebook, and take the starting cards into your own hand and play area. Your starting Kingdom (marked by your Crown card) is placed face-up in front of you, and your Army and Wilderness cards are hidden from opponents in your hand.
Animal Empire is played over a series of turns, and on your turn you may take up to two Actions by using your Army cards. Each Army card can only perform one action per turn, unless it has a Specialty or you use a Wilderness card to affect your action. Actions that can be performed are: March, Capture, Battle, Use Specialty, Seize Crown, or Manage Vassal. Most of the actions are straight-forward – March allows you to move an Army to any Kingdom (either in the Play Area or one controlled by an opponent), Capture allows you to take a Kingdom (if you have majority presence on the card or if your Armies are unopposed), and Battle allows you to fight off rival Armies inhabiting the same Kingdom card as you. Seize Crown and Manage Vassal are the most unique. If you capture an opponent’s starting Kingdom (thereby Seizing the Crown), you take their Crown card and they are now your Vassal. They belong to your Kingdom, and must work to help you win – their Kingdom cards count with yours towards the majority total. If you have Vassals, you can use an action to Manage Vassal, which allows you to either give or take a Kingdom card from your Vassal. When you capture a new Kingdom, you also gain a new Army that matches your newest acquisition. Wilderness cards can be used at any time, and they can affect you or your opponents, depending on the card text. Play continues, with players taking turns, battling, and influencing Kingdoms until a player has captured a total of 9 Kingdoms. The game then ends and they are declared the winner!
So how does this game of ruling the animal kingdom actually fare? Pretty well for the most part, if you ask me! The basis of the game is simple – capture the majority of the Kingdoms. The execution of that goal is what takes Animal Empire to the next level for me. The amount of strategy required for success is beyond what you originally think. No matter how many Armies or Wilderness cards you have at your disposal, you only get a maximum of 2 actions per turn. That means that you really have to strategize which cards and actions to use and when. You are trying to amass a majority of Kingdoms, but just because you capture a Kingdom doesn’t mean it’s safe! Opponents can try to steal your Kingdoms, as you can theirs, so you have to find a good balance of offense and defense to ensure that your majority claim is not being compromised. Your strategy must be adaptable to respond to the actions of your opponents, and you have to be constantly engaged and alert to the playing field. Just be ready for some confrontation though – this game pits you directly against your opponents.
The only components in Animal Empire are cards, and they are a good quality and pretty sturdy. The artwork is really detailed and unique, and I find myself admiring the artwork almost as much as I spend strategizing. The trickiest part for me regarding components is that beyond the Crown cards, nothing is colored according to Crowns. All of the artwork is unique across all cards, and some cards of different types share the same base color – so you have to make sure to remember who played which card where to ensure no accidental confusion. The way I found to circumvent that was for all players to play their cards oriented towards them, so it was more clear to see which cards belonged to which players. I would’ve also liked to see Player Reference Cards detailing the different card Specialties – just to minimize the amount of time referring back to the rulebook for clarification.
All in all, I think that Animal Empire is a solid little card game. I like the strategic elements and that it keeps all players engaged throughout the entire game. I would definitely recommend it at the mid- to higher player counts though, because at only 2 player it feels like it kind of drags on in a back-and-forth battle for majority. With more players, there are more strategic implications, more options to deal with, and a little more chaos for everyone. If you’re looking for a fun little game of head-to-head battling, check out Animal Empire!
Disclaimer: We were provided with a copy of this game for the purposes of this preview. I do not intend to rehash the entire rulebook, but rather provide the general rule set and overall flow of the game. The components pictured are final. Feel free to reach out to the publisher to snag your own copy! -L
Animal Empire is a card game of hand management, area majority, battling, and a bit of negotiation in which players are trying to be the first to gain control over 9 of the 16 Kingdoms. How? By deploying your armies, defeating your opponents, and maintaining control over your captured Kingdoms. Set up the game as described in the rulebook, and take the starting cards into your own hand and play area. Your starting Kingdom (marked by your Crown card) is placed face-up in front of you, and your Army and Wilderness cards are hidden from opponents in your hand.
Animal Empire is played over a series of turns, and on your turn you may take up to two Actions by using your Army cards. Each Army card can only perform one action per turn, unless it has a Specialty or you use a Wilderness card to affect your action. Actions that can be performed are: March, Capture, Battle, Use Specialty, Seize Crown, or Manage Vassal. Most of the actions are straight-forward – March allows you to move an Army to any Kingdom (either in the Play Area or one controlled by an opponent), Capture allows you to take a Kingdom (if you have majority presence on the card or if your Armies are unopposed), and Battle allows you to fight off rival Armies inhabiting the same Kingdom card as you. Seize Crown and Manage Vassal are the most unique. If you capture an opponent’s starting Kingdom (thereby Seizing the Crown), you take their Crown card and they are now your Vassal. They belong to your Kingdom, and must work to help you win – their Kingdom cards count with yours towards the majority total. If you have Vassals, you can use an action to Manage Vassal, which allows you to either give or take a Kingdom card from your Vassal. When you capture a new Kingdom, you also gain a new Army that matches your newest acquisition. Wilderness cards can be used at any time, and they can affect you or your opponents, depending on the card text. Play continues, with players taking turns, battling, and influencing Kingdoms until a player has captured a total of 9 Kingdoms. The game then ends and they are declared the winner!
So how does this game of ruling the animal kingdom actually fare? Pretty well for the most part, if you ask me! The basis of the game is simple – capture the majority of the Kingdoms. The execution of that goal is what takes Animal Empire to the next level for me. The amount of strategy required for success is beyond what you originally think. No matter how many Armies or Wilderness cards you have at your disposal, you only get a maximum of 2 actions per turn. That means that you really have to strategize which cards and actions to use and when. You are trying to amass a majority of Kingdoms, but just because you capture a Kingdom doesn’t mean it’s safe! Opponents can try to steal your Kingdoms, as you can theirs, so you have to find a good balance of offense and defense to ensure that your majority claim is not being compromised. Your strategy must be adaptable to respond to the actions of your opponents, and you have to be constantly engaged and alert to the playing field. Just be ready for some confrontation though – this game pits you directly against your opponents.
The only components in Animal Empire are cards, and they are a good quality and pretty sturdy. The artwork is really detailed and unique, and I find myself admiring the artwork almost as much as I spend strategizing. The trickiest part for me regarding components is that beyond the Crown cards, nothing is colored according to Crowns. All of the artwork is unique across all cards, and some cards of different types share the same base color – so you have to make sure to remember who played which card where to ensure no accidental confusion. The way I found to circumvent that was for all players to play their cards oriented towards them, so it was more clear to see which cards belonged to which players. I would’ve also liked to see Player Reference Cards detailing the different card Specialties – just to minimize the amount of time referring back to the rulebook for clarification.
All in all, I think that Animal Empire is a solid little card game. I like the strategic elements and that it keeps all players engaged throughout the entire game. I would definitely recommend it at the mid- to higher player counts though, because at only 2 player it feels like it kind of drags on in a back-and-forth battle for majority. With more players, there are more strategic implications, more options to deal with, and a little more chaos for everyone. If you’re looking for a fun little game of head-to-head battling, check out Animal Empire!
Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated Black Mirror - Season 2 in TV
Mar 3, 2020
Be Right Back - 8
Hayley Atwell, best known as Captain America’s squeeze in the MCU, Carries the emotional weight of this episode in beguiling style. Not for the last time Black Mirror enters the territory of death, grief, loneliness and questions of a tech-aided afterlife. If it were possible to bring a loved one back in physical form, even though we knew it wasn’t really them, would we be tempted to do it? Entirely believable as a concept, considering the amount of data we are storing about ourselves on social media and in other digital ways. Although any kind of clone as good as Domhnall Gleason is a bit far fetched for now. What works here is realising that no matter how good a facsimile is, it is the myriad of tiny details that make a person that we miss the most, even the imperfections. Genuinely moving in its best moments, and a strong start to season 2 in 2013.
White Bear - 7.5
White Bear, the first of the “blind” episodes, where we as viewer are thrown into a situation with no explanation or context, was the first Black Mirror episode I ever watched. I remember being blown away by the dark concept, compelling nature of the minimal narrative, the cunning twist, and the boldness of the statement seemingly being made. So many themes are going on at the same time here: true crime as voyeuristic entertainment; the moral idea of an eye for an eye, brainwashing, and whether torture under any circumstance can be justified, for starters. Looking back, it isn’t the most rounded tale in the canon, or the best acted, but it is certainly very memorable. It also saw the birth of the White Bear symbol, which pops up in other episodes regularly, if paying attention. What is its meaning? The jury is still out!
The Waldo Moment - 6
The political apathy of a nation, and hatred of the personality flaws of our politicians could lead to a figurehead without real policies being elected and revered – it isn’t a very strange idea in 2020 at all. Many younger voters have been incited to demand change, without any idea of what that change should entail. So, in concept, this episode is right on the money. Trouble is it isn’t well written enough to sustain the drama or intrigue in the way the best of the canon do. The shock value is low, and therefore the reaction is “meh, fair enough”. For me, the first real blip in quality control for the series.
White Christmas - 8.5
This was the transition episode that saw Black Mirror make the big money move from Channel 4 to Netflix. Although now bundled into series two, it was a 21 month wait after The Waldo Moment before over 2 million of us settled down to this Christmas gift in 2014. It comes over as an anthology within an anthology, with John Hamm and Rafe Spall telling tales in front of the fire whilst on a “job” together in the cold wilderness of an unknown location. It is laden with ideas of technology back-firing, and is very satisfying in how quickly it moves through the plot points. The chemistry of the two lead men is great; the arrogance of one and the nervousness of the other allowing for some beautiful twists and turns. Essentially, the whole thing is either a re-working of ideas already used, or a precursor to future ideas that will be more fleshed out. Not that it really matters. This is the highest rated individual episode on IMDb, and the reason for that has to be its accessibility. The balance between being creeped out and entertained is just about perfect.
Hayley Atwell, best known as Captain America’s squeeze in the MCU, Carries the emotional weight of this episode in beguiling style. Not for the last time Black Mirror enters the territory of death, grief, loneliness and questions of a tech-aided afterlife. If it were possible to bring a loved one back in physical form, even though we knew it wasn’t really them, would we be tempted to do it? Entirely believable as a concept, considering the amount of data we are storing about ourselves on social media and in other digital ways. Although any kind of clone as good as Domhnall Gleason is a bit far fetched for now. What works here is realising that no matter how good a facsimile is, it is the myriad of tiny details that make a person that we miss the most, even the imperfections. Genuinely moving in its best moments, and a strong start to season 2 in 2013.
White Bear - 7.5
White Bear, the first of the “blind” episodes, where we as viewer are thrown into a situation with no explanation or context, was the first Black Mirror episode I ever watched. I remember being blown away by the dark concept, compelling nature of the minimal narrative, the cunning twist, and the boldness of the statement seemingly being made. So many themes are going on at the same time here: true crime as voyeuristic entertainment; the moral idea of an eye for an eye, brainwashing, and whether torture under any circumstance can be justified, for starters. Looking back, it isn’t the most rounded tale in the canon, or the best acted, but it is certainly very memorable. It also saw the birth of the White Bear symbol, which pops up in other episodes regularly, if paying attention. What is its meaning? The jury is still out!
The Waldo Moment - 6
The political apathy of a nation, and hatred of the personality flaws of our politicians could lead to a figurehead without real policies being elected and revered – it isn’t a very strange idea in 2020 at all. Many younger voters have been incited to demand change, without any idea of what that change should entail. So, in concept, this episode is right on the money. Trouble is it isn’t well written enough to sustain the drama or intrigue in the way the best of the canon do. The shock value is low, and therefore the reaction is “meh, fair enough”. For me, the first real blip in quality control for the series.
White Christmas - 8.5
This was the transition episode that saw Black Mirror make the big money move from Channel 4 to Netflix. Although now bundled into series two, it was a 21 month wait after The Waldo Moment before over 2 million of us settled down to this Christmas gift in 2014. It comes over as an anthology within an anthology, with John Hamm and Rafe Spall telling tales in front of the fire whilst on a “job” together in the cold wilderness of an unknown location. It is laden with ideas of technology back-firing, and is very satisfying in how quickly it moves through the plot points. The chemistry of the two lead men is great; the arrogance of one and the nervousness of the other allowing for some beautiful twists and turns. Essentially, the whole thing is either a re-working of ideas already used, or a precursor to future ideas that will be more fleshed out. Not that it really matters. This is the highest rated individual episode on IMDb, and the reason for that has to be its accessibility. The balance between being creeped out and entertained is just about perfect.
Secret Files: Sam Peters
Games and Entertainment
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[ The acclaimed point and click adventure Secret Files Sam Peters has now found its way back onto...