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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.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated The GemShine Pylons in Tabletop Games
Mar 17, 2021
The empire needs power, and you’ve landed a job constructing gem-powered Pylons to harness and distribute that power. Different colored gems will provide power of varying levels, and the more power you can deliver will earn you rewards within the empire. Oh, also, we don’t want those Pylons to be eyesores, so if you can add some decorations to them to make them more attractive, that would be rewarded as well! Can you build the best, most powerful, and most attractive Pylons? Put yourself to the challenge!
Disclaimer: We were provided with a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this preview. This is not a production copy of the game. The game also came with rules for solo play and cooperative play, but this preview will be covering the base rules of competitive play. I will be providing a general overview of the gameplay, and will not be rehashing the entire rulebook in this preview! -L
The GemShine Pylons is an economic game of hand management in which players are trying to build, power, and decorate Pylons in an effort to earn the most end-game points. To setup the game, shuffle the deck of Pylon cards, deal 1 face-down to each player as their starting Pylon, and deal 5 face-up next to the deck to serve as the market. Place the Timing Card at the bottom of the Pylon deck, with the appropriate player-count side face-up. Place the Setup card at the end of the market line, and place a random gem from the bag onto the empty gem slot. Above the market line, create 4 piles of Decoration cards, based on the number of Representatives on each card. Each player receives 4 random gems to their personal supply, a starting player is selected, and the game is ready to begin! The setup should look similar to the picture below.
The GemShine Pylons is played over a series of rounds in which players take turns performing actions. On your turn, you will perform one of three actions: Purchase a Card, Gather Gems, or Build a Pylon. To Purchase a Card, you will select a card from the market and pay its cost. There are 3 different costs for purchasing cards – leave 1 gem, leave 2 gems, or discard 1 Pylon. To leave 1 or 2 gems, you will select a gem (or 2) from your personal supply and place it in the spot emptied by the card you have purchased. When you discard a Pylon, you will take a Pylon from your tableau and discard it in order to purchase said card. Once a card has been purchased, you resolve the effect shown. These effects could be: gaining gems, placing gems onto Pylons/Decorations, gaining Pylons, or ‘purchasing’ Decorations. You may choose to not perform any/all effects on a card. Certain market cards have a number/color of Representatives on the bottom, and those are used to purchase Decorations. Every Decoration has a Representative cost, and you must discard cards from your hand with the matching color Representatives equal to the Representative cost. After performing the action on the card, it now goes into your hand.
To Gather Gems, you will take all the gems that are present in the market line, including the gem on the Setup card. These gems go directly into your personal supply. Any cards that were left in the market line are discarded, and the market is filled with 5 new cards from the Pylon deck. Select a random gem to be placed on the Setup card. To Build a Pylon, you will select a card from your hand and place it face-down in your tableau – it is now a Pylon. Play continues in this fashion, alternating turns, until the Pylon deck is depleted and the Timing Card is revealed. The game ends at the end of the current round. Points are now tallied – from Decorations and gems in slots. Players count up their points from any Decoration cards in their tableau. All players then reveal the cards in their hands, and the total number of Representatives for each color – blue, red, and white – are counted. The color that has the highest number of Representatives across all players combined is worth 4 points, the next highest is worth 2 points, and the lowest is worth 1 point. Players will then go through their gems in slots, counting up points based on the color majorities. Only gems in slots earn end-game points – any gems in your personal supply are not counted. Add up gem points and Decoration points, and the player with the highest score wins!
I know that may seem like a lot, but I do have to say that once you get going, the gameplay is pretty streamlined and straightforward. You only have 3 main action options each turn. If you purchase a card from the market, there are essentially 4 different effect options on each card. That being said, the small number of actions/effects do not stop the gameplay from being strategic. Most cards in the market require you to pay 1 or 2 gems, leaving them in the market line and available for your opponents to collect. How badly do you need that effect, and which color gem do you give up? Maybe the available cards only have blue Representatives but you only need 1 more red Representative to claim a Decoration – should you snag that blue in hopes of using it later in the game? Or do you go for a card that allows you to place gems, thus powering your Pylons and earning you points at the end of the game. But if you wait too long, your opponent may just buy the Decoration you were saving towards – seems to happen to me every time! It is also important to note that when you buy a Decoration, it can only be attached to a gem-powered Pylon. So you’ve got to balance having enough gems to power your Pylons, as well as having enough gems to purchase cards from the market. AND the different colored gems will earn varying amounts of points at the end of the game – do you want to risk going all in on red gems in hopes of scoring big, or should you try to collect gem colors evenly and spread those points around. There’s no single right way to play, and your strategy must be evolving constantly as the market line and available Decorations change throughout play.
Let me touch on components for a moment. Although we received a prototype copy of the game, the artwork is finalized and ready for production. The art style is relatively simple, yet nice to look at and thematically appropriate. I want to applaud the iconography on the cards as well, as it is very straight-forward and easy to understand. The cards have no text on them at all, but the consistency of the icons and simplicity of their explanations make them very easy to comprehend. The gems themselves are chunky and fun to play with, and make the game feel a little more immersive!
Overall, I really like The GemShine Pylons. The gameplay is straightforward, relatively simple, yet requires a decent amount of strategy. Every game feels exciting and unique, as everyone really is at the mercy of the deck shuffle. The artwork is thematic, the iconography is simple and clear, and the gameplay feels fresh. Even though this is only a prototype copy of the game, I am excited to have it in my collection, and am already thinking about my strategy for my next play. I am eager to try out the solo and cooperative modes as well, but the competitive rules themselves are engaging and entertaining. If you’re looking forward to a strategic, yet quick game, give The GemShine Pylons a try. I look forward to following this Kickstarter campaign and seeing what other goodies Game Elemental has in store!
Disclaimer: We were provided with a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this preview. This is not a production copy of the game. The game also came with rules for solo play and cooperative play, but this preview will be covering the base rules of competitive play. I will be providing a general overview of the gameplay, and will not be rehashing the entire rulebook in this preview! -L
The GemShine Pylons is an economic game of hand management in which players are trying to build, power, and decorate Pylons in an effort to earn the most end-game points. To setup the game, shuffle the deck of Pylon cards, deal 1 face-down to each player as their starting Pylon, and deal 5 face-up next to the deck to serve as the market. Place the Timing Card at the bottom of the Pylon deck, with the appropriate player-count side face-up. Place the Setup card at the end of the market line, and place a random gem from the bag onto the empty gem slot. Above the market line, create 4 piles of Decoration cards, based on the number of Representatives on each card. Each player receives 4 random gems to their personal supply, a starting player is selected, and the game is ready to begin! The setup should look similar to the picture below.
The GemShine Pylons is played over a series of rounds in which players take turns performing actions. On your turn, you will perform one of three actions: Purchase a Card, Gather Gems, or Build a Pylon. To Purchase a Card, you will select a card from the market and pay its cost. There are 3 different costs for purchasing cards – leave 1 gem, leave 2 gems, or discard 1 Pylon. To leave 1 or 2 gems, you will select a gem (or 2) from your personal supply and place it in the spot emptied by the card you have purchased. When you discard a Pylon, you will take a Pylon from your tableau and discard it in order to purchase said card. Once a card has been purchased, you resolve the effect shown. These effects could be: gaining gems, placing gems onto Pylons/Decorations, gaining Pylons, or ‘purchasing’ Decorations. You may choose to not perform any/all effects on a card. Certain market cards have a number/color of Representatives on the bottom, and those are used to purchase Decorations. Every Decoration has a Representative cost, and you must discard cards from your hand with the matching color Representatives equal to the Representative cost. After performing the action on the card, it now goes into your hand.
To Gather Gems, you will take all the gems that are present in the market line, including the gem on the Setup card. These gems go directly into your personal supply. Any cards that were left in the market line are discarded, and the market is filled with 5 new cards from the Pylon deck. Select a random gem to be placed on the Setup card. To Build a Pylon, you will select a card from your hand and place it face-down in your tableau – it is now a Pylon. Play continues in this fashion, alternating turns, until the Pylon deck is depleted and the Timing Card is revealed. The game ends at the end of the current round. Points are now tallied – from Decorations and gems in slots. Players count up their points from any Decoration cards in their tableau. All players then reveal the cards in their hands, and the total number of Representatives for each color – blue, red, and white – are counted. The color that has the highest number of Representatives across all players combined is worth 4 points, the next highest is worth 2 points, and the lowest is worth 1 point. Players will then go through their gems in slots, counting up points based on the color majorities. Only gems in slots earn end-game points – any gems in your personal supply are not counted. Add up gem points and Decoration points, and the player with the highest score wins!
I know that may seem like a lot, but I do have to say that once you get going, the gameplay is pretty streamlined and straightforward. You only have 3 main action options each turn. If you purchase a card from the market, there are essentially 4 different effect options on each card. That being said, the small number of actions/effects do not stop the gameplay from being strategic. Most cards in the market require you to pay 1 or 2 gems, leaving them in the market line and available for your opponents to collect. How badly do you need that effect, and which color gem do you give up? Maybe the available cards only have blue Representatives but you only need 1 more red Representative to claim a Decoration – should you snag that blue in hopes of using it later in the game? Or do you go for a card that allows you to place gems, thus powering your Pylons and earning you points at the end of the game. But if you wait too long, your opponent may just buy the Decoration you were saving towards – seems to happen to me every time! It is also important to note that when you buy a Decoration, it can only be attached to a gem-powered Pylon. So you’ve got to balance having enough gems to power your Pylons, as well as having enough gems to purchase cards from the market. AND the different colored gems will earn varying amounts of points at the end of the game – do you want to risk going all in on red gems in hopes of scoring big, or should you try to collect gem colors evenly and spread those points around. There’s no single right way to play, and your strategy must be evolving constantly as the market line and available Decorations change throughout play.
Let me touch on components for a moment. Although we received a prototype copy of the game, the artwork is finalized and ready for production. The art style is relatively simple, yet nice to look at and thematically appropriate. I want to applaud the iconography on the cards as well, as it is very straight-forward and easy to understand. The cards have no text on them at all, but the consistency of the icons and simplicity of their explanations make them very easy to comprehend. The gems themselves are chunky and fun to play with, and make the game feel a little more immersive!
Overall, I really like The GemShine Pylons. The gameplay is straightforward, relatively simple, yet requires a decent amount of strategy. Every game feels exciting and unique, as everyone really is at the mercy of the deck shuffle. The artwork is thematic, the iconography is simple and clear, and the gameplay feels fresh. Even though this is only a prototype copy of the game, I am excited to have it in my collection, and am already thinking about my strategy for my next play. I am eager to try out the solo and cooperative modes as well, but the competitive rules themselves are engaging and entertaining. If you’re looking forward to a strategic, yet quick game, give The GemShine Pylons a try. I look forward to following this Kickstarter campaign and seeing what other goodies Game Elemental has in store!
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Nyctophobia: Vampire Encounter in Tabletop Games
Jun 12, 2019
When it comes to board gaming, there are many tried and true mechanics that appear in most games. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? That being said, it’s always neat when a game creates an entirely new mechanic that has never been seen before. Nyctophobia is one of those games. When I heard about it, I knew I had to try it. It’s quite a clever idea and it makes for a unique and fun game!
DISCLAIMER: There are technically 2 versions of this game – the OG version and the Vampire version. Thematically, they may be different, but mechanically and gameplay-wise, they’re the same! For the purposes of this review, we will be playing the Vampire Encounter version. -L
A lighthearted trip to the woods has taken a startling turn when you and your friends come across a Vampire! And to make things worse, the Vampire has managed to lure one of your buddies deep into the woods with him! You can’t just turn tail and run – you’ve gotta save your friend! The sun has set, though, and the woods are way more ominous than you thought. You and your friends must cooperate to carefully and quietly navigate in total darkness to avoid disclosing your position to the Vampire while searching for your friend. Will you manage to not only find your buddy, but make it back to the car for your getaway? Or will the Vampire manage to pick you all off, one by one, as he creeps around in the darkness waiting for the opportunity to pounce?
Nyctophobia: Vampire Encounter is a semi-cooperative 1-vs-All memory game with a twist – all players (except for the Vampire player) must wear black-out glasses and cannot see the board. All turns and movement are taken based on feel. You ARE in the dark woods after all – it’s not like you can see your surroundings. Basically how it works is that the Vampire player kind of acts as a GM for the game. They can see the board, and help guide the players’ hands to their pieces and move the player pieces as requested. The players are blind and must rely on feeling their way around the board (avoiding trees and the Vampire!) and communicating the perceived layout to their comrades. The Vampire player then sneaks around the board, silently trying to corner the other players and abduct them. Each player gets a special ability to use on their turns, and there’s a small combat element involved if a player ever runs into the Vampire. The goal of the game, for regular players, is to work with your friends to find the kidnapped NPC (represented by a cardboard standee) and get back to the car to escape. The goal of the game for the Vampire player is to pick off all other players until none remain.
I think this is a super neat game. It’s pretty unique and it’s fun to play! You’re trying to cooperate with your friends to create a strategy for a board that you can’t see. It’s definitely a challenge, but it’s presented in such a novel way that makes it enjoyable. The overall atmosphere of the game is great. The nerves and pressure can really get to the players as they are (quite literally) flailing around in the dark. The Vampire player can have a lot of fun as the GM – do you taunt your players and make them second-guess every move, or do you lay low and stay quiet until juuuust the right moment? Nyctophobia feels like more than just a game while you’re playing, and that is what makes it so exciting.
The only real issue I’ve run into with this game has to do with the components themselves. The board is an 8×8 grid, with the layout set up in secret by the Vampire player. On a regular player turn, you can feel up to 1 space in each adjacent direction to your current location. The only issue is that sometimes, unless the player is diligent, they could accidentally (or purposefully?) feel too many spaces than are allowed – either diagonally or 2 or more spaces away, for example. The way I’ve come up with to alleviate this issue is to have players use only 1 finger when interacting with their piece/the board. That way there can be no extra feeling. And I also, as the Vampire player, will move player pieces for them – the player tells me in which direction to move and I move the piece before guiding their hand back. Maybe if the board were a little larger, this problem would be eliminated? I’m really not sure, but the method I’ve come up with to combat it has worked well so far!
Overall, I enjoy Nyctophobia. It’s a neat game with a unique mechanical aspect and fun player interactions. Is it my favorite game to play? No. But it’s one that I like breaking out for newer gamers and for some lighthearted fun! If you haven’t done so already, give Nyctophobia a try because it’s a refreshingly new take on the modern board game. Purple Phoenix Games gives it a haunting 15 / 18.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/05/14/nyctophobia-review/
DISCLAIMER: There are technically 2 versions of this game – the OG version and the Vampire version. Thematically, they may be different, but mechanically and gameplay-wise, they’re the same! For the purposes of this review, we will be playing the Vampire Encounter version. -L
A lighthearted trip to the woods has taken a startling turn when you and your friends come across a Vampire! And to make things worse, the Vampire has managed to lure one of your buddies deep into the woods with him! You can’t just turn tail and run – you’ve gotta save your friend! The sun has set, though, and the woods are way more ominous than you thought. You and your friends must cooperate to carefully and quietly navigate in total darkness to avoid disclosing your position to the Vampire while searching for your friend. Will you manage to not only find your buddy, but make it back to the car for your getaway? Or will the Vampire manage to pick you all off, one by one, as he creeps around in the darkness waiting for the opportunity to pounce?
Nyctophobia: Vampire Encounter is a semi-cooperative 1-vs-All memory game with a twist – all players (except for the Vampire player) must wear black-out glasses and cannot see the board. All turns and movement are taken based on feel. You ARE in the dark woods after all – it’s not like you can see your surroundings. Basically how it works is that the Vampire player kind of acts as a GM for the game. They can see the board, and help guide the players’ hands to their pieces and move the player pieces as requested. The players are blind and must rely on feeling their way around the board (avoiding trees and the Vampire!) and communicating the perceived layout to their comrades. The Vampire player then sneaks around the board, silently trying to corner the other players and abduct them. Each player gets a special ability to use on their turns, and there’s a small combat element involved if a player ever runs into the Vampire. The goal of the game, for regular players, is to work with your friends to find the kidnapped NPC (represented by a cardboard standee) and get back to the car to escape. The goal of the game for the Vampire player is to pick off all other players until none remain.
I think this is a super neat game. It’s pretty unique and it’s fun to play! You’re trying to cooperate with your friends to create a strategy for a board that you can’t see. It’s definitely a challenge, but it’s presented in such a novel way that makes it enjoyable. The overall atmosphere of the game is great. The nerves and pressure can really get to the players as they are (quite literally) flailing around in the dark. The Vampire player can have a lot of fun as the GM – do you taunt your players and make them second-guess every move, or do you lay low and stay quiet until juuuust the right moment? Nyctophobia feels like more than just a game while you’re playing, and that is what makes it so exciting.
The only real issue I’ve run into with this game has to do with the components themselves. The board is an 8×8 grid, with the layout set up in secret by the Vampire player. On a regular player turn, you can feel up to 1 space in each adjacent direction to your current location. The only issue is that sometimes, unless the player is diligent, they could accidentally (or purposefully?) feel too many spaces than are allowed – either diagonally or 2 or more spaces away, for example. The way I’ve come up with to alleviate this issue is to have players use only 1 finger when interacting with their piece/the board. That way there can be no extra feeling. And I also, as the Vampire player, will move player pieces for them – the player tells me in which direction to move and I move the piece before guiding their hand back. Maybe if the board were a little larger, this problem would be eliminated? I’m really not sure, but the method I’ve come up with to combat it has worked well so far!
Overall, I enjoy Nyctophobia. It’s a neat game with a unique mechanical aspect and fun player interactions. Is it my favorite game to play? No. But it’s one that I like breaking out for newer gamers and for some lighthearted fun! If you haven’t done so already, give Nyctophobia a try because it’s a refreshingly new take on the modern board game. Purple Phoenix Games gives it a haunting 15 / 18.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/05/14/nyctophobia-review/
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Cult of the Deep in Tabletop Games
Feb 24, 2021
You see that cultist in the foreground of the box art about to dab? If I knew being in a cult was THIS cool… Well, I have never been in a cult. At least not that I am aware. However, if I ever were to be in a cult, I certainly wouldn’t wish it to be one that is intent on reviving or calling upon the scourges of the earth. I would rather be in one of those happy cults that take wisdom from a prophet and make delicious breads or something. But how does the Cult of the Deep operate and would I want to join?
Cult of the Deep is a dice-driven, fantasy horror, hidden role game with similarities to some classic games. In it players will be donning the personas (personae?) of cultists with different roles and agendas. Players will be forming alliances with other cultists of unknown roles and possibly having their character perish and return to play as a Wraith with a totally new agenda. Each cultist’s role will have their own victory conditions to fulfill and the game ends once a player (or players) have fulfilling their victory conditions.
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
Setup involves placing out the Altar Boards and Ritual Cards upon them. Players will also receive one Role, Character, Sigil, and Reference Card to use during play. Players will reveal their Character Cards and collect enough Life Tokens to equal what is shown upon these cards. Each set of dice and the coins are to be set on the table within reach. The player who received the High Priest Role Card reveals it, takes extra Life Counters, and becomes the first player. They take five Cultist Dice and the game may begin!
Each turn is divided into four phases: Roll, Commit, Response, Resolve. During the Roll phase the active player will roll five dice, and any dice may be re-rolled another two times. Once all re-rolls are complete or the player decides to stop, they will take each die and Commit them to other players, altars, or themselves. For example, if the player rolls two blood drop icons they may wish to heal themselves by two, so they can commit these dice to themselves. Should this player also have rolled any dagger icons they may commit these dice to other players in order to attack them for one life per icon. If any player has a special ability that can be enacted during the Response phase, they must now use it. One such ability may be turning a one-dagger icon into a two-dagger icon, or other abilities. Once all players have had a chance to activate any abilities during this phase, the dice must now be Resolved in any order of the active player’s choosing. So now the player can regain life counters (or even surpass their starting life total), attack other players’ life points, or activate any Altar abilities if dice were placed on Ritual Cards on altars.
The Resolve phase is where the action happens, and can lead to some serious actions. Players can be killed, Rituals can be activated, and players can be healed. If a Ritual is completed (no more activation slots remaining) during this phase, the active player becomes the Keeper of the Ritual and collects its card from the altar to be used for an immediate effect, or an ongoing effect for the rest of the game. Should a player be slain, they may return to the game as a Wraith, and thus draws a Wraith card (shown below) to now represent their altered state. Wraiths play the game differently, as they will not be able to commit any dice during their turn, but rather have their dice to be used during other cultists’ Response phases.
Play continues in this fashion of taking turns around the table until victory conditions have been met for a player or group of players. The game may be over, but the lasting effects of the results will remain in each player’s heart for some time.
Components. Again, this is a prototype copy of the game, so not all components are as they will be in the finished version. That said, we received an excellent prototype copy of the game. The cards are great, the cardboard components are equally great, and I know we were provided with examples of the Kickstarter exclusive add-on metal coins, but I certainly would spring for them. These coins are the real deal and just feel amazing to handle. I know the dice will be different upon a successful campaign, as stickered dice simply will not hold up to many plays (and I see on the KS page that the d4s will have numbers ON TOP, which is where they should be). So once all is said and done, I believe this will be a beautiful, if not dark, game with excellent components and art style.
I mentioned in my open that this game reminds me of bits of other classic games. Perhaps you were able to discern these in my description, but here are my thoughts. I enjoy dice-based hidden-role games like BANG! The Dice Game. Cult of the Deep feels similar in that players may suss out roles of other players simply by attacking them until roles are revealed or cultists slain. This is not the ideal strategy, as I have been repeatedly told by my wife, but it certain is effective. What is improved here is that players come back as Wraiths and really are not ever out of the game. This is very good, as I usually am the player who is ganged up on and first to exit any game of this type.
Secondly, rolling dice and then committing them to certain areas of the game feels extremely reminiscent of the classic Biblios. Biblios uses cards and each turn the different areas MUST be committed to, but here again Cult of the Deep improves on this mechanic by allowing the player to choose every location to which they wish to commit their dice. Maybe every turn a player will commit daggers to one player (more than likely the High Priest), or certain dice faces to heal another player, but it is not necessary, and always being aware of what faces the Rituals need to progress will also dissuade players from ganging on one player each turn.
I didn’t mention it in my description, but each player is also given a Sigil card that can be used once per game, and they are especially powerful. Having so many choices available during a turn, or even during other players’ turns makes this game unique and incredibly enjoyable.
If you are looking for a game that has that Cthulhu-esque theme, hints of other classic game mechanics, and a deluxe look, then Cult of the Deep is certainly highly recommended. It is a notch more difficult than BANG! The Dice Game, and utilizes Biblios’s resource allocation mechanic better, thus creating a great blend of each. I do think you should check out the Kickstarter campaign ending Wednesday, March 3, 2021 to back it and add it to your collection. Obviously, this isn’t for everyone, but if you have read this far, I will assume at least a small measure of interest. I believe it will be a great game to have available for the right group of people who can handle the theme and don’t mind dying and becoming a character in Lord of the Rings.
Cult of the Deep is a dice-driven, fantasy horror, hidden role game with similarities to some classic games. In it players will be donning the personas (personae?) of cultists with different roles and agendas. Players will be forming alliances with other cultists of unknown roles and possibly having their character perish and return to play as a Wraith with a totally new agenda. Each cultist’s role will have their own victory conditions to fulfill and the game ends once a player (or players) have fulfilling their victory conditions.
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
Setup involves placing out the Altar Boards and Ritual Cards upon them. Players will also receive one Role, Character, Sigil, and Reference Card to use during play. Players will reveal their Character Cards and collect enough Life Tokens to equal what is shown upon these cards. Each set of dice and the coins are to be set on the table within reach. The player who received the High Priest Role Card reveals it, takes extra Life Counters, and becomes the first player. They take five Cultist Dice and the game may begin!
Each turn is divided into four phases: Roll, Commit, Response, Resolve. During the Roll phase the active player will roll five dice, and any dice may be re-rolled another two times. Once all re-rolls are complete or the player decides to stop, they will take each die and Commit them to other players, altars, or themselves. For example, if the player rolls two blood drop icons they may wish to heal themselves by two, so they can commit these dice to themselves. Should this player also have rolled any dagger icons they may commit these dice to other players in order to attack them for one life per icon. If any player has a special ability that can be enacted during the Response phase, they must now use it. One such ability may be turning a one-dagger icon into a two-dagger icon, or other abilities. Once all players have had a chance to activate any abilities during this phase, the dice must now be Resolved in any order of the active player’s choosing. So now the player can regain life counters (or even surpass their starting life total), attack other players’ life points, or activate any Altar abilities if dice were placed on Ritual Cards on altars.
The Resolve phase is where the action happens, and can lead to some serious actions. Players can be killed, Rituals can be activated, and players can be healed. If a Ritual is completed (no more activation slots remaining) during this phase, the active player becomes the Keeper of the Ritual and collects its card from the altar to be used for an immediate effect, or an ongoing effect for the rest of the game. Should a player be slain, they may return to the game as a Wraith, and thus draws a Wraith card (shown below) to now represent their altered state. Wraiths play the game differently, as they will not be able to commit any dice during their turn, but rather have their dice to be used during other cultists’ Response phases.
Play continues in this fashion of taking turns around the table until victory conditions have been met for a player or group of players. The game may be over, but the lasting effects of the results will remain in each player’s heart for some time.
Components. Again, this is a prototype copy of the game, so not all components are as they will be in the finished version. That said, we received an excellent prototype copy of the game. The cards are great, the cardboard components are equally great, and I know we were provided with examples of the Kickstarter exclusive add-on metal coins, but I certainly would spring for them. These coins are the real deal and just feel amazing to handle. I know the dice will be different upon a successful campaign, as stickered dice simply will not hold up to many plays (and I see on the KS page that the d4s will have numbers ON TOP, which is where they should be). So once all is said and done, I believe this will be a beautiful, if not dark, game with excellent components and art style.
I mentioned in my open that this game reminds me of bits of other classic games. Perhaps you were able to discern these in my description, but here are my thoughts. I enjoy dice-based hidden-role games like BANG! The Dice Game. Cult of the Deep feels similar in that players may suss out roles of other players simply by attacking them until roles are revealed or cultists slain. This is not the ideal strategy, as I have been repeatedly told by my wife, but it certain is effective. What is improved here is that players come back as Wraiths and really are not ever out of the game. This is very good, as I usually am the player who is ganged up on and first to exit any game of this type.
Secondly, rolling dice and then committing them to certain areas of the game feels extremely reminiscent of the classic Biblios. Biblios uses cards and each turn the different areas MUST be committed to, but here again Cult of the Deep improves on this mechanic by allowing the player to choose every location to which they wish to commit their dice. Maybe every turn a player will commit daggers to one player (more than likely the High Priest), or certain dice faces to heal another player, but it is not necessary, and always being aware of what faces the Rituals need to progress will also dissuade players from ganging on one player each turn.
I didn’t mention it in my description, but each player is also given a Sigil card that can be used once per game, and they are especially powerful. Having so many choices available during a turn, or even during other players’ turns makes this game unique and incredibly enjoyable.
If you are looking for a game that has that Cthulhu-esque theme, hints of other classic game mechanics, and a deluxe look, then Cult of the Deep is certainly highly recommended. It is a notch more difficult than BANG! The Dice Game, and utilizes Biblios’s resource allocation mechanic better, thus creating a great blend of each. I do think you should check out the Kickstarter campaign ending Wednesday, March 3, 2021 to back it and add it to your collection. Obviously, this isn’t for everyone, but if you have read this far, I will assume at least a small measure of interest. I believe it will be a great game to have available for the right group of people who can handle the theme and don’t mind dying and becoming a character in Lord of the Rings.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Sheepy Time in Tabletop Games
May 27, 2021
Have you ever had trouble falling asleep? One method that supposedly helps lull you into a gentle slumber is counting sheep – imagine sheep prancing across a field and jumping over a fence. What seems like a simple and mundane task to us is actually a full-time job for these Dream Sheep! So put on your PJ’s, lace up your slippers (?), and clock in for a night of fence-jumping, all while avoiding the spooky Nightmares that will try to scare you awake!
Disclaimer: We were provided with a copy of Sheepy Time for the purposes of this preview. What you see pictured below are the retail components. -L
Sheepy Time is a push-your-luck game in which players take on the roles of Dream Sheep, tasked with helping humans fall asleep. Played over a series of rounds, players will take turns racing their Sheep around the board, using special Dream powers, and avoiding the Nightmare that lurks around the board. The player that earns the most points (as described in the rules) will be declared the dreamiest sheep of all! To setup for a game, place the board within reach of all players and attach the Fence between spaces 10 and 1. Place the scoreboard and Pillow Reference tile nearby, and give all players a Sheep, Wink, Pillow, and Zzz tokens in their chosen color. Select one of the three provided Nightmares to use this game, shuffle their cards into the deck of Sheep cards, and place the Nightmare meeple in the center of the board. Shuffle the Dream tiles, drawing and placing one randomly on spaces 1 and 5 of the board, and reveal four more tiles to create a market. Place all Pillow tokens on the 40 Winks space of the scoreboard, choose a starting player, and the game is ready to begin!
Each round of Sheepy Time is broken into two phases: the Racing phase, and the Resting phase. To begin the Racing phase, all players will draw 2 cards into their hand. A turn consists of 4 steps: Play a card, Use Dream tiles, Resolve Fence crossing, and Draw cards. The first action you will take on your turn is to play a card from your hand. Most cards will have you move your Sheep around the board a set number of spaces, or will give you the option to ‘Catch some Zzz’s’ (place one of your Zzz tokens on a Dream tile in play). The next step, if applicable, is to use Dream tiles. Dream tiles provide special/extra abilities that can be beneficial to you. In order to use a Dream tile, however, you must have a Zzz token on it – remove your Zzz token from the tile to use its power. So you’ve got to decide when to move your Sheep, or when it’s necessary to Catch some Zzz’s! The third step is to resolve Fence crossing, if applicable. If a cards movement causes your Sheep to cross the Fence, you immediately gain 5 Winks (on the Scoreboard), and decide whether to keep playing this round or ‘Call it a Night.’ If you decide to keep playing, you move to step 4, and draw a new card into your hand. If you Call it a Night, you will discard your hand, and sit out for the remainder of this Racing phase.
If at any point in the Racing phase, you draw a Nightmare card, it must immediately be revealed and resolved. The Nightmare moves around the board, much like the Sheep, but it will Scare any Sheep that it passes! Being Scared once is ok, but if you were to be Scared AGAIN, you get Woken Up, lose all Winks for this round, and are out of the Racing phase. If the Nightmare completes a lap of the board and crosses the Fence before all players have Called it a Night, the remaining players get Woken Up. How risky are you willing to be once the Nightmare comes into play? That’s for you to decide. Once all players have either Called it a Night or been Woken Up, the Racing phase ends. Check the scoreboard for a winner – when a player earns enough Winks in the Racing phase to surpass their Pillow token. If nobody has met that requirement, players will lower their Pillow tokens by the amount specified on the Pillow Reference tile. The lower you can get your Pillow token, the fewer Winks you need to get to win in future rounds! When all Pillow tokens have been adjusted, the game moves to the Resting phase. In this phase, each player will have the choice to either add a new Dream tile to the board, or to Catch 2 Zzz’s. In turn order, players can select one of the Dream tiles from the market to place on an open space of the board, or place 2 Zzz tokens on Dream tiles in play. When everyone has performed their action, the round ends and a new Racing phase begins. Play continues in this manner until one player has been declared the winner!
I’m not typically a fan of push-your-luck games, but Sheepy Time really surprised me! Yes, that mechanic is definitely present in the gameplay, but there is also quite a bit of strategic variability that makes turns feel a little more controlled. The Dream tiles in play will always be different, providing unique abilities to help give you a strategic boost during play. And you always have 2 cards to decide between to play – you are not limited to only one course of action each turn. So yes, there is a riskiness involved with how many laps you think you can get, can you avoid the Nightmare, etc. But there is also a light element of strategy that makes the game more exciting for me. The gameplay itself is also very smooth and intuitive. The turn order makes sense and the flow of the game is pretty seamless. It is fast to teach and learn, and even though the box says 30-45 minutes, it feels fast to play.
Let me touch on components for a minute. As I said earlier, this is a retail copy of the game, and the production quality is great. The cardboard components are nice and thick, the wooden meeples are large and cute, and the overall art style reflects the theme and lightness of the game well. I want to mention that the insert is nice as well – I know it doesn’t effect the gameplay, but it makes set-up/tear-down quick and efficient. AEG definitely knocked it over the fence (get it?) with the production of this game!
So where does Sheepy Time fit into my collection? I think it’s a great game to use to introduce newer gamers to the hobby. The rules and gameplay are not overwhelming, but they offer more of a modern gaming feel than some of the older classics. I would even say that this game can be used with younger gamers as well – take out the Dream tile powers, and just race to see who can earn the most Winks before the Nightmare gets them, or something like that! It is really accessible for everyone, and that earns a big thumbs up from me. So if you’re not quite sure what to think of this game based on the theme/art style, I can assure you that the gameplay is quite excellent. When Sheepy Time hits retail, make sure you jump at the chance to play this game. Definitely don’t sleep on it.
Disclaimer: We were provided with a copy of Sheepy Time for the purposes of this preview. What you see pictured below are the retail components. -L
Sheepy Time is a push-your-luck game in which players take on the roles of Dream Sheep, tasked with helping humans fall asleep. Played over a series of rounds, players will take turns racing their Sheep around the board, using special Dream powers, and avoiding the Nightmare that lurks around the board. The player that earns the most points (as described in the rules) will be declared the dreamiest sheep of all! To setup for a game, place the board within reach of all players and attach the Fence between spaces 10 and 1. Place the scoreboard and Pillow Reference tile nearby, and give all players a Sheep, Wink, Pillow, and Zzz tokens in their chosen color. Select one of the three provided Nightmares to use this game, shuffle their cards into the deck of Sheep cards, and place the Nightmare meeple in the center of the board. Shuffle the Dream tiles, drawing and placing one randomly on spaces 1 and 5 of the board, and reveal four more tiles to create a market. Place all Pillow tokens on the 40 Winks space of the scoreboard, choose a starting player, and the game is ready to begin!
Each round of Sheepy Time is broken into two phases: the Racing phase, and the Resting phase. To begin the Racing phase, all players will draw 2 cards into their hand. A turn consists of 4 steps: Play a card, Use Dream tiles, Resolve Fence crossing, and Draw cards. The first action you will take on your turn is to play a card from your hand. Most cards will have you move your Sheep around the board a set number of spaces, or will give you the option to ‘Catch some Zzz’s’ (place one of your Zzz tokens on a Dream tile in play). The next step, if applicable, is to use Dream tiles. Dream tiles provide special/extra abilities that can be beneficial to you. In order to use a Dream tile, however, you must have a Zzz token on it – remove your Zzz token from the tile to use its power. So you’ve got to decide when to move your Sheep, or when it’s necessary to Catch some Zzz’s! The third step is to resolve Fence crossing, if applicable. If a cards movement causes your Sheep to cross the Fence, you immediately gain 5 Winks (on the Scoreboard), and decide whether to keep playing this round or ‘Call it a Night.’ If you decide to keep playing, you move to step 4, and draw a new card into your hand. If you Call it a Night, you will discard your hand, and sit out for the remainder of this Racing phase.
If at any point in the Racing phase, you draw a Nightmare card, it must immediately be revealed and resolved. The Nightmare moves around the board, much like the Sheep, but it will Scare any Sheep that it passes! Being Scared once is ok, but if you were to be Scared AGAIN, you get Woken Up, lose all Winks for this round, and are out of the Racing phase. If the Nightmare completes a lap of the board and crosses the Fence before all players have Called it a Night, the remaining players get Woken Up. How risky are you willing to be once the Nightmare comes into play? That’s for you to decide. Once all players have either Called it a Night or been Woken Up, the Racing phase ends. Check the scoreboard for a winner – when a player earns enough Winks in the Racing phase to surpass their Pillow token. If nobody has met that requirement, players will lower their Pillow tokens by the amount specified on the Pillow Reference tile. The lower you can get your Pillow token, the fewer Winks you need to get to win in future rounds! When all Pillow tokens have been adjusted, the game moves to the Resting phase. In this phase, each player will have the choice to either add a new Dream tile to the board, or to Catch 2 Zzz’s. In turn order, players can select one of the Dream tiles from the market to place on an open space of the board, or place 2 Zzz tokens on Dream tiles in play. When everyone has performed their action, the round ends and a new Racing phase begins. Play continues in this manner until one player has been declared the winner!
I’m not typically a fan of push-your-luck games, but Sheepy Time really surprised me! Yes, that mechanic is definitely present in the gameplay, but there is also quite a bit of strategic variability that makes turns feel a little more controlled. The Dream tiles in play will always be different, providing unique abilities to help give you a strategic boost during play. And you always have 2 cards to decide between to play – you are not limited to only one course of action each turn. So yes, there is a riskiness involved with how many laps you think you can get, can you avoid the Nightmare, etc. But there is also a light element of strategy that makes the game more exciting for me. The gameplay itself is also very smooth and intuitive. The turn order makes sense and the flow of the game is pretty seamless. It is fast to teach and learn, and even though the box says 30-45 minutes, it feels fast to play.
Let me touch on components for a minute. As I said earlier, this is a retail copy of the game, and the production quality is great. The cardboard components are nice and thick, the wooden meeples are large and cute, and the overall art style reflects the theme and lightness of the game well. I want to mention that the insert is nice as well – I know it doesn’t effect the gameplay, but it makes set-up/tear-down quick and efficient. AEG definitely knocked it over the fence (get it?) with the production of this game!
So where does Sheepy Time fit into my collection? I think it’s a great game to use to introduce newer gamers to the hobby. The rules and gameplay are not overwhelming, but they offer more of a modern gaming feel than some of the older classics. I would even say that this game can be used with younger gamers as well – take out the Dream tile powers, and just race to see who can earn the most Winks before the Nightmare gets them, or something like that! It is really accessible for everyone, and that earns a big thumbs up from me. So if you’re not quite sure what to think of this game based on the theme/art style, I can assure you that the gameplay is quite excellent. When Sheepy Time hits retail, make sure you jump at the chance to play this game. Definitely don’t sleep on it.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated The Quest Kids: Matching Adventure in Tabletop Games
Mar 25, 2021
Those of you with kids: you know how you are just aching for a good game to come out that will satisfy your 3-year-old’s interest, keep their attention throughout, and even get them talking about board games afterward? At least a game that isn’t super-basic and boring? Well have I a treat for you today. I may have just found the game for us!
The Quest Kids: Matching Adventure (can I please just call it MA from here please?) is a tile matching game based off the old evergreen Memory mechanic. However, this isn’t your gramma’s Memory. In it players are recruiting The Quest Kids to scare off the silly bad guys by matching tiles and collecting treasures. The player with the most stars at the end of the game will be the winner! But in actuality, all the players will be winners because all will have had a great time.
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, shuffle the brown tiles, forest tiles, and river tiles separately. Lay out the brown treehouse tiles face-down into a 5 x 4 grid. Around these brown tiles will be placed the river tiles and forest tiles, the numbers of which are dependent upon how lengthy the players wish the game to be. Add the appropriate types of treasure tokens to the provided treasure chest and the game is ready to begin! We ALWAYS let our little go first. They like that.
On a turn each player will attempt to recruit a Quest Kid Hero from the brown treehouse tiles. Once a match has been found the player may begin taking their hero on an adventure! Adventures can only be attempted when a player has matched two Hero tiles from the treehouse. An adventure consists of finding a matching pair of bad guys, one each from the forest and river. For example, in order to find the matching Honey Beard bad guy tiles a Hero would need to search the river for one tile AND the forest for its match.
When bad guys are matched they provide the player with a certain number of treasures, as printed on their tile. The player reaches into the treasure chest and pulls out the correct number of treasures (my son’s favorite part). These treasures provide a number of stars (VP) depending on whether the player has matched a specific hero or not. Less stars are awarded if the appropriate hero is absent, more stars if that hero has been matched by the player.
Some treehouse tiles contain Quest Kid Allies. These Allies provide stars, but also very helpful special abilities to be used on a future turn. When these Allies are matched, the active player keeps the tile with stars and gives away the matching tile to another player. So that other player may also use the Ally for its special ability on a future turn. Alliances with a 3-year-old? I can dig it! Alliances that do not involve said 3-year-old? Watch out for the forthcoming tantrum.
Play continues in this fashion of matching tiles, scaring away bad guys and receiving treasures, and utilizing Ally special abilities until all tiles have been matched and claimed. Players all add up their stars on their collected tiles and treasures, and the most stars collected wins the game!
Components. This game is a ton of tiles and treasure tokens. That equates to, well, a whole bunch of thick cardboard in a box. The material quality is very good, but I am most impressed with the art style. I love game art that can be cartoony while also being interesting and detailed. Such is the art here. The characters are really well illustrated and each have their own personality. I have one gripe about the components: the treasure tokens feature a small picture of the Hero that allows it to be worth more stars. That Hero picture is very very tiny and details do not really transfer well to the small space, so it IS difficult to know which Kid will power up the treasure. I did find a workaround if players are not colorblind: each Hero is featured along with a color. That same color is used as the token icon and can more easily be matched to the Hero. It may save some headache if players are able to use the color as the indicator instead of the tiny picture.
In a nutshell this is Memory with strategy. The main game mechanic is memory – matching up the tiles in order to collect them. However, by throwing in the randomness of treasure token pulls and the Ally special abilities, MA just becomes a thousand percent more compelling for children and adults alike. At the end of the game my son is having a great time and almost always asks to play again. The adults are also impressed that Memory can be so much fun!
So if you are looking for that game to introduce to your youngster that actually challenges their little minds, then I strongly recommend The Quest Kids: Matching Adventure. Yes, it’s Memory, but it’s Memory that is actually fun. It’s Memory with a theme, and a kid-based theme at that. It gives the littles an opportunity to look up to these kid heroes and lets them imagine being heroes themselves. Any game that helps to empower my children will definitely be a well-loved addition to my collection. Purple Phoenix Games (well, my wife, my son, and I) give this one a victoriously heroic 16 / 18. I won’t say that I will beat you every time, but my son may. I dare you to play against him. Just make sure you throw all your extra Allies to him or he will get real mad real quick.
The Quest Kids: Matching Adventure (can I please just call it MA from here please?) is a tile matching game based off the old evergreen Memory mechanic. However, this isn’t your gramma’s Memory. In it players are recruiting The Quest Kids to scare off the silly bad guys by matching tiles and collecting treasures. The player with the most stars at the end of the game will be the winner! But in actuality, all the players will be winners because all will have had a great time.
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, shuffle the brown tiles, forest tiles, and river tiles separately. Lay out the brown treehouse tiles face-down into a 5 x 4 grid. Around these brown tiles will be placed the river tiles and forest tiles, the numbers of which are dependent upon how lengthy the players wish the game to be. Add the appropriate types of treasure tokens to the provided treasure chest and the game is ready to begin! We ALWAYS let our little go first. They like that.
On a turn each player will attempt to recruit a Quest Kid Hero from the brown treehouse tiles. Once a match has been found the player may begin taking their hero on an adventure! Adventures can only be attempted when a player has matched two Hero tiles from the treehouse. An adventure consists of finding a matching pair of bad guys, one each from the forest and river. For example, in order to find the matching Honey Beard bad guy tiles a Hero would need to search the river for one tile AND the forest for its match.
When bad guys are matched they provide the player with a certain number of treasures, as printed on their tile. The player reaches into the treasure chest and pulls out the correct number of treasures (my son’s favorite part). These treasures provide a number of stars (VP) depending on whether the player has matched a specific hero or not. Less stars are awarded if the appropriate hero is absent, more stars if that hero has been matched by the player.
Some treehouse tiles contain Quest Kid Allies. These Allies provide stars, but also very helpful special abilities to be used on a future turn. When these Allies are matched, the active player keeps the tile with stars and gives away the matching tile to another player. So that other player may also use the Ally for its special ability on a future turn. Alliances with a 3-year-old? I can dig it! Alliances that do not involve said 3-year-old? Watch out for the forthcoming tantrum.
Play continues in this fashion of matching tiles, scaring away bad guys and receiving treasures, and utilizing Ally special abilities until all tiles have been matched and claimed. Players all add up their stars on their collected tiles and treasures, and the most stars collected wins the game!
Components. This game is a ton of tiles and treasure tokens. That equates to, well, a whole bunch of thick cardboard in a box. The material quality is very good, but I am most impressed with the art style. I love game art that can be cartoony while also being interesting and detailed. Such is the art here. The characters are really well illustrated and each have their own personality. I have one gripe about the components: the treasure tokens feature a small picture of the Hero that allows it to be worth more stars. That Hero picture is very very tiny and details do not really transfer well to the small space, so it IS difficult to know which Kid will power up the treasure. I did find a workaround if players are not colorblind: each Hero is featured along with a color. That same color is used as the token icon and can more easily be matched to the Hero. It may save some headache if players are able to use the color as the indicator instead of the tiny picture.
In a nutshell this is Memory with strategy. The main game mechanic is memory – matching up the tiles in order to collect them. However, by throwing in the randomness of treasure token pulls and the Ally special abilities, MA just becomes a thousand percent more compelling for children and adults alike. At the end of the game my son is having a great time and almost always asks to play again. The adults are also impressed that Memory can be so much fun!
So if you are looking for that game to introduce to your youngster that actually challenges their little minds, then I strongly recommend The Quest Kids: Matching Adventure. Yes, it’s Memory, but it’s Memory that is actually fun. It’s Memory with a theme, and a kid-based theme at that. It gives the littles an opportunity to look up to these kid heroes and lets them imagine being heroes themselves. Any game that helps to empower my children will definitely be a well-loved addition to my collection. Purple Phoenix Games (well, my wife, my son, and I) give this one a victoriously heroic 16 / 18. I won’t say that I will beat you every time, but my son may. I dare you to play against him. Just make sure you throw all your extra Allies to him or he will get real mad real quick.
Josh Burns (166 KP) rated Spartacus: A Game of Blood and Treachery in Tabletop Games
Jun 20, 2019
Easy to learn but a ton of fun (1 more)
Great strategy and combat
I had my eye on this game for a while before finally pulling the trigger and ordering it a few years ago. I had little faith in a game based on a tv show, but I love gladiator games and there aren't many to choose from.
The base game is 3-4 players, there are expansions that increase that, but I'm sticking with the base game for this review. Each player controls a different House, which have their own stats, abilities, and alternate objectives, with the main objective being to reach 10 influence.
The game plays basically as follows:
Upkeep phase: collect money, try to heal wounded gladiators, and reactivate slaves that were used.
Market: A number of cards are drawn and placed face down, then one card is flipped. It could be a gladiator, a slave (can earn you money and may have abilities that are useful outside the arena) or gear for your gladiators. All players choose how many coins to bid and keep them in a closed fist until everyone is ready, then everyone reveals their bid. Whoever was highest wins. You then repeat till each card is flipped. You can also put your own cards up for auction or offer trades.
the arena: after this, 2 players chosen by another player have to either fight each other, pitting a slave or gladiator against the oppents, or forfeit at the cost of Influence. Players may place bets on who will win and if the loser will be killed, or badly injured.
The game is basically 2 games in 1: outside the arena and in it.
Outside: It is primarily about making deals, lying, setting each other up, making temporary allies and backstabbing. Literally the only rule in the actual rulebook about how to go about this is: "Don't be a dick. " It actually says that, and says they mean keep it fun, don't actually try to be a spiteful douche. There is nothing directing you when to lie or be honest, if you have to keep promises, etc.
In the arena: Combat is fun and simple. Not all fighters are equal but I have seen weak ones overcome the odds. If you're a fan of the show you will recognize many names. As a quick sidenote, an expansion can turn these fights from 1 vs 1 to 2 vs 2. I've won hard fought games, and I've lost on purpose to win a bet or fulfill a deal. Your fighter may or may not die or be injured. The player who chose the participants also decides the fate of the losing fighter (if they didn't die fighting) with a thumbs up or down. The player with the losing fighter can plead for the fighters survival or bribe, or maybe the player chosing wants the losing player to owe them a favor. There is never a clear cut choice.
In conclusion: This is a favorite of mine. It is unbelievably fun making deals (whether you keep them or not) bribing, setting players against each other etc. The combat is fun and easy to learn and the other players are typically screaming at whoever they want to win if they aren't doing well (in good fun, not actual anger). I can't think of anything to not like about it. If you like the show you'll love references such as the "Jupiter's Cock" card and seeing all the characters (slaves, gladiators, and dominas). If you don't like the show, it's still a hell of a game and you don't need to watch the show to know what's going on.
The base game is 3-4 players, there are expansions that increase that, but I'm sticking with the base game for this review. Each player controls a different House, which have their own stats, abilities, and alternate objectives, with the main objective being to reach 10 influence.
The game plays basically as follows:
Upkeep phase: collect money, try to heal wounded gladiators, and reactivate slaves that were used.
Market: A number of cards are drawn and placed face down, then one card is flipped. It could be a gladiator, a slave (can earn you money and may have abilities that are useful outside the arena) or gear for your gladiators. All players choose how many coins to bid and keep them in a closed fist until everyone is ready, then everyone reveals their bid. Whoever was highest wins. You then repeat till each card is flipped. You can also put your own cards up for auction or offer trades.
the arena: after this, 2 players chosen by another player have to either fight each other, pitting a slave or gladiator against the oppents, or forfeit at the cost of Influence. Players may place bets on who will win and if the loser will be killed, or badly injured.
The game is basically 2 games in 1: outside the arena and in it.
Outside: It is primarily about making deals, lying, setting each other up, making temporary allies and backstabbing. Literally the only rule in the actual rulebook about how to go about this is: "Don't be a dick. " It actually says that, and says they mean keep it fun, don't actually try to be a spiteful douche. There is nothing directing you when to lie or be honest, if you have to keep promises, etc.
In the arena: Combat is fun and simple. Not all fighters are equal but I have seen weak ones overcome the odds. If you're a fan of the show you will recognize many names. As a quick sidenote, an expansion can turn these fights from 1 vs 1 to 2 vs 2. I've won hard fought games, and I've lost on purpose to win a bet or fulfill a deal. Your fighter may or may not die or be injured. The player who chose the participants also decides the fate of the losing fighter (if they didn't die fighting) with a thumbs up or down. The player with the losing fighter can plead for the fighters survival or bribe, or maybe the player chosing wants the losing player to owe them a favor. There is never a clear cut choice.
In conclusion: This is a favorite of mine. It is unbelievably fun making deals (whether you keep them or not) bribing, setting players against each other etc. The combat is fun and easy to learn and the other players are typically screaming at whoever they want to win if they aren't doing well (in good fun, not actual anger). I can't think of anything to not like about it. If you like the show you'll love references such as the "Jupiter's Cock" card and seeing all the characters (slaves, gladiators, and dominas). If you don't like the show, it's still a hell of a game and you don't need to watch the show to know what's going on.
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Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Gorinto in Tabletop Games
Mar 2, 2020
I have been noticing that as I do more and more reviews and previews I am learning to absolutely adore abstract strategy games. Like, I LOVE them now. So when a call for reviewers came out for a new abstract game with art by Josh Cappel, I was immediately intrigued. I love games with an Asian style (even if loosely themed), and games that reward players for thinking ahead and maximizing their turns. Wait, it plays in 30-60 minutes too? I’m a fan.
A “gorinto” is a Japanese five-tier pagoda tower where each tier is representative of something of religious importance. In this game, each tier is representative of one of the elements: fire, water, wind, earth, and void. In this prototype version, the season tracking pawn is a representative gorinto. To gain deeper understanding of these elements and attain ultimate Wisdom is the goal of the game of Gorinto.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and the final components will be different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game. You are invited to download the rulebook, back the game through the Kickstarter campaign running until March 4, 2020, or purchase through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
To setup, each player will choose a color, take the play mat of matching color, and place their score marker on the score board. The season tracker will be placed on the scoreboard as well, along with the randomized Goal cards and end-of-game element scoring cards. The main play board will be populated with randomized element tiles pulled from the bag in the shape of a mountain, with 10 tiles placed along the side and top edges of the built mountain of tiles. Determine the first player and the game is ready to be played.
On a player’s turn they will choose one of these outlying tiles to move onto the board. Once placed, the player will choose tiles, based on the placed tile’s power, from the board. For example, “fire spreads tall,” so if a Fire tile is placed on the board, a player may choose any tile from the column where it was placed two spaces above or below the placed tile. The number of tiles that can be plucked from the board depends on the player’s “understanding” of the element (the number of tiles of that type on the player’s board +1). With two tiles on a player’s personal board, they can choose three tiles when moving that type of tile, in the example – fire.
Tiles moved from the left side of the mountain can only move horizontally in their row and tiles moved from the top of the mountain can only move vertically in their column. With each of the elements possessing different ways tiles can be chosen from the mountain, and understanding of each element affecting how many tiles can be chosen, players need to plan ahead for their turns… except that other players will be doing the same and planning their own strategies to destroy their opponents’ plans.
When there are fewer tiles to be moved outside the mountain than there are players, the season (round) ends. At this point, players will score the Goal cards before setting up for the next season.
Each season the Goal cards will be scored – so players will know throughout the game upon what they should be concentrating their efforts. Examples of these Goal cards are: score your tallest stack (1 point per tile), then score your shortest stack (0 points if no tiles on a stack); score your stacks with odd number of tiles twice; score the stack with the median number of tiles three times. By being able to manipulate and keep track of the tile stacks players can be planning their scores ahead of time for each season.
Components. Again, this is a prototype copy of the game, but already one can see the direction this game is headed, and it’s glorious! I have seen the Kickstarter page, and am super excited about seeing nearly every component get a fantastic upgrade. The art direction is incredible, the physical components are plastic and cardboard heaven. I am even pretty happy with this prototype copy. Yeah, the tiles are squarish wooden tiles with stickers, and the retail copy will have sexy interlocking plastic tokens, and the player boards in prototype are rectangular, but the retail copy will have a fancy contoured edge. Even so! The game looks amazing on the table, and will be even more so once it goes to manufacturing in earnest.
I mentioned in my intro that I am falling more in love with abstracts the more I play them. Has it just been that abstracts have been getting better and better lately, or am I leveling up as a gamer? I don’t know and I don’t care. Abstracts hold a very special place in my heart now, and this one is one of the best I have played. Most abstracts get a bad rap for being themeless and boring to look at, but Gorinto brings it and I’m totally diggin’ it. I love games like Gekitai, Calico, Elementos, Hive, and Onitama, and now there’s another to add to my display case of amazing abstracts.
If you enjoy themed abstract strategy games, games that make you think without bogging you down, and games that make you smile even when you lose simply because you enjoyed the experience, you should check this one out. There is still time to back it through Kickstarter, but the campaign ends on Wednesday, March 6. At the time of writing, the campaign is funded at over 500%.
A “gorinto” is a Japanese five-tier pagoda tower where each tier is representative of something of religious importance. In this game, each tier is representative of one of the elements: fire, water, wind, earth, and void. In this prototype version, the season tracking pawn is a representative gorinto. To gain deeper understanding of these elements and attain ultimate Wisdom is the goal of the game of Gorinto.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and the final components will be different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game. You are invited to download the rulebook, back the game through the Kickstarter campaign running until March 4, 2020, or purchase through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
To setup, each player will choose a color, take the play mat of matching color, and place their score marker on the score board. The season tracker will be placed on the scoreboard as well, along with the randomized Goal cards and end-of-game element scoring cards. The main play board will be populated with randomized element tiles pulled from the bag in the shape of a mountain, with 10 tiles placed along the side and top edges of the built mountain of tiles. Determine the first player and the game is ready to be played.
On a player’s turn they will choose one of these outlying tiles to move onto the board. Once placed, the player will choose tiles, based on the placed tile’s power, from the board. For example, “fire spreads tall,” so if a Fire tile is placed on the board, a player may choose any tile from the column where it was placed two spaces above or below the placed tile. The number of tiles that can be plucked from the board depends on the player’s “understanding” of the element (the number of tiles of that type on the player’s board +1). With two tiles on a player’s personal board, they can choose three tiles when moving that type of tile, in the example – fire.
Tiles moved from the left side of the mountain can only move horizontally in their row and tiles moved from the top of the mountain can only move vertically in their column. With each of the elements possessing different ways tiles can be chosen from the mountain, and understanding of each element affecting how many tiles can be chosen, players need to plan ahead for their turns… except that other players will be doing the same and planning their own strategies to destroy their opponents’ plans.
When there are fewer tiles to be moved outside the mountain than there are players, the season (round) ends. At this point, players will score the Goal cards before setting up for the next season.
Each season the Goal cards will be scored – so players will know throughout the game upon what they should be concentrating their efforts. Examples of these Goal cards are: score your tallest stack (1 point per tile), then score your shortest stack (0 points if no tiles on a stack); score your stacks with odd number of tiles twice; score the stack with the median number of tiles three times. By being able to manipulate and keep track of the tile stacks players can be planning their scores ahead of time for each season.
Components. Again, this is a prototype copy of the game, but already one can see the direction this game is headed, and it’s glorious! I have seen the Kickstarter page, and am super excited about seeing nearly every component get a fantastic upgrade. The art direction is incredible, the physical components are plastic and cardboard heaven. I am even pretty happy with this prototype copy. Yeah, the tiles are squarish wooden tiles with stickers, and the retail copy will have sexy interlocking plastic tokens, and the player boards in prototype are rectangular, but the retail copy will have a fancy contoured edge. Even so! The game looks amazing on the table, and will be even more so once it goes to manufacturing in earnest.
I mentioned in my intro that I am falling more in love with abstracts the more I play them. Has it just been that abstracts have been getting better and better lately, or am I leveling up as a gamer? I don’t know and I don’t care. Abstracts hold a very special place in my heart now, and this one is one of the best I have played. Most abstracts get a bad rap for being themeless and boring to look at, but Gorinto brings it and I’m totally diggin’ it. I love games like Gekitai, Calico, Elementos, Hive, and Onitama, and now there’s another to add to my display case of amazing abstracts.
If you enjoy themed abstract strategy games, games that make you think without bogging you down, and games that make you smile even when you lose simply because you enjoyed the experience, you should check this one out. There is still time to back it through Kickstarter, but the campaign ends on Wednesday, March 6. At the time of writing, the campaign is funded at over 500%.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Evolution in Tabletop Games
Sep 12, 2019
I very much have a science-based mind. I like facts, figures, data, charts, timelines, etc. Yes, I can be a dreamer, too, but at the end of the day, I need verification to really believe in something. That’s why I’ve always been on Team Evolution vs. Team Creationism. It fascinates me how these huge beings like dinosaurs (oh yeah, I love dinosaurs a lot, too) could be preserved in time well past their deaths. But it leads to questions like, “What happened to them? Why couldn’t they make it in the end?” And the game Evolution by North Star Games attempts to answer those.
Disclaimer: There are several expansions to this game, but we are not reviewing them at this time. Should we review them in the future we will either update this review or post a link to the new material here. Furthermore, I do not intend to cover every single rule included in the rule book, 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 from the publisher directly or from your FLGS. – B
You start the game in control of one species of animal. One non-descript, traitless species that you will slowly (or maybe quickly) build up to be something bigger and better. You evolve it. (Huh.) You’ll start each round by contributing plant food to the watering hole. Each card in your hand is worth a certain amount of plant food. Once that food is in the watering hole, it’s fair game for anyone to eat. Depending on your strategy, you may want a lot of food in that watering hole, or you may want to starve your opponents out (some cards are even worth negative food!). Once all the food is in the watering hole, it’s time to evolve your critters. The cards in your hand have unique traits on them. To imbue your species with that trait, simply place the card next to your species’ gameboard and voila! You now have horns, or intelligence, or the ability to forage, or many other possibilities. You may also take this opportunity to evolve your creature into a carnivore (more on that later). At this point in the game, you may also discard cards in order to increase the population of your species, or to increase the body size of your cute little guys. This will be important later. You can also discard a card to create a whole new species. There’s no limit to how many species you can have, but there is a limit to the available food, so be wise with the number of species you create.
After everyone has evolved, it’s time to feed! You’ll take turns taking plant food from the watering hole. Yummy! You want to eat enough food to sustain your whole population size (1 piece of food per population). If not, your population size will decrease, meaning your species is dying. If you are unable to sustain the last remaining member of your species, that species will become extinct for eternity. Sad face. But don’t worry. You’ll get a new species for free at the beginning of your next turn. Once everyone is fed and happy, the round is over and you start a new round. The winner of the game goes to whoever has eaten the most food because, just like in real life, the success of your population is based on its ability to sustain itself, which, in this case, means eating the proper amount of food.
It SOUNDS simple, but I haven’t told you about all the curveballs yet. As stated before, you may choose to make your species a carnivore, which means that you will no longer take plant food from the watering hole. In order to eat, you have to attack another species! You can only attack other species who have smaller body sizes than you (I told you body size would be important. It’s your first means of defense against predators!). But some of those smaller species might have evolved some defensive traits, like a hard shell or the ability to burrow underground or to climb trees and taunt their predators from on high. This is the beauty of the game. How well can you evolve your herbivore creature in order to keep it well-fed and also free from predators? If you’re a carnivore, how well can you adapt to your surroundings and your ever-evolving prey before you can no longer feed on them? (I should also mention that you may find yourself in the truly depressing situation where all of your opponents have out-evolved your carnivores and the only other option left to feed them is to attack one of YOUR other species. The rules clearly state that every species MUST feed if able to, so you may have to sacrifice your other friends. VERY sad face.)
Components: Evolution comes in a standard cardboard box containing lots of high-quality trait cards, plant and meat food tokens and a large watering hole token (on which you put the plant food tokens). It also comes with cardboard food screens so you can conceal how much food your little (or maybe not so little) critters have eaten. You’ll get a stack of thick, double-sided species boards for you to keep track of your body size and population. I love that they’re double-sided because it gives you the flexibility to change their orientation (portrait or landscape) to save on table space. Body size and population are tracked using little brown and green cubes, which fit nicely in little holes on your species board. And to top it all off, the first player token is a a very large dinosaur-shaped meeple. Adorbs. The cards do tell you how to use them, but the rulebook has extra clarification for each card in case you need it. The cards are even color-coded so you’ll know if the trait is used for defense or eating, or maybe only usable by carnivores. Everything is very top-notch quality and the artwork is quite beautiful, creating new creatures and using bright, vivid colors. The artwork alone drew me to the box in the first place.
I really love this game. The theme is very on-brand for me, but I also really like that it’ll take a bit of luck (by hopefully drawing usable cards) and a ton of strategy to try to outwit your opponents. It’ll never be played the same way twice. Evolution is so spot-on, in fact, that it’s actually been used in the evolutionary biology department of the University of Oxford, so come on. It’s fun AND educational. I’ve also downloaded and quickly become obsessed with the mobile version, which is available on Google Play, in the App Store and on Steam. As of this writing, there are two expansions available: Flight and Climate, but there’s also a Climate stand-alone game, and an Evolution: The Beginning game, which is suitable for our younger friends. I own the Flight expansion but have yet to play it and I can’t wait to change that! Give this game a go. You’ll be happy you did. In the words of esteemed Dr. Ian Malcolm, “Life, uh, finds a way.” Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a (r)evolutionary 13 / 18.
Disclaimer: There are several expansions to this game, but we are not reviewing them at this time. Should we review them in the future we will either update this review or post a link to the new material here. Furthermore, I do not intend to cover every single rule included in the rule book, 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 from the publisher directly or from your FLGS. – B
You start the game in control of one species of animal. One non-descript, traitless species that you will slowly (or maybe quickly) build up to be something bigger and better. You evolve it. (Huh.) You’ll start each round by contributing plant food to the watering hole. Each card in your hand is worth a certain amount of plant food. Once that food is in the watering hole, it’s fair game for anyone to eat. Depending on your strategy, you may want a lot of food in that watering hole, or you may want to starve your opponents out (some cards are even worth negative food!). Once all the food is in the watering hole, it’s time to evolve your critters. The cards in your hand have unique traits on them. To imbue your species with that trait, simply place the card next to your species’ gameboard and voila! You now have horns, or intelligence, or the ability to forage, or many other possibilities. You may also take this opportunity to evolve your creature into a carnivore (more on that later). At this point in the game, you may also discard cards in order to increase the population of your species, or to increase the body size of your cute little guys. This will be important later. You can also discard a card to create a whole new species. There’s no limit to how many species you can have, but there is a limit to the available food, so be wise with the number of species you create.
After everyone has evolved, it’s time to feed! You’ll take turns taking plant food from the watering hole. Yummy! You want to eat enough food to sustain your whole population size (1 piece of food per population). If not, your population size will decrease, meaning your species is dying. If you are unable to sustain the last remaining member of your species, that species will become extinct for eternity. Sad face. But don’t worry. You’ll get a new species for free at the beginning of your next turn. Once everyone is fed and happy, the round is over and you start a new round. The winner of the game goes to whoever has eaten the most food because, just like in real life, the success of your population is based on its ability to sustain itself, which, in this case, means eating the proper amount of food.
It SOUNDS simple, but I haven’t told you about all the curveballs yet. As stated before, you may choose to make your species a carnivore, which means that you will no longer take plant food from the watering hole. In order to eat, you have to attack another species! You can only attack other species who have smaller body sizes than you (I told you body size would be important. It’s your first means of defense against predators!). But some of those smaller species might have evolved some defensive traits, like a hard shell or the ability to burrow underground or to climb trees and taunt their predators from on high. This is the beauty of the game. How well can you evolve your herbivore creature in order to keep it well-fed and also free from predators? If you’re a carnivore, how well can you adapt to your surroundings and your ever-evolving prey before you can no longer feed on them? (I should also mention that you may find yourself in the truly depressing situation where all of your opponents have out-evolved your carnivores and the only other option left to feed them is to attack one of YOUR other species. The rules clearly state that every species MUST feed if able to, so you may have to sacrifice your other friends. VERY sad face.)
Components: Evolution comes in a standard cardboard box containing lots of high-quality trait cards, plant and meat food tokens and a large watering hole token (on which you put the plant food tokens). It also comes with cardboard food screens so you can conceal how much food your little (or maybe not so little) critters have eaten. You’ll get a stack of thick, double-sided species boards for you to keep track of your body size and population. I love that they’re double-sided because it gives you the flexibility to change their orientation (portrait or landscape) to save on table space. Body size and population are tracked using little brown and green cubes, which fit nicely in little holes on your species board. And to top it all off, the first player token is a a very large dinosaur-shaped meeple. Adorbs. The cards do tell you how to use them, but the rulebook has extra clarification for each card in case you need it. The cards are even color-coded so you’ll know if the trait is used for defense or eating, or maybe only usable by carnivores. Everything is very top-notch quality and the artwork is quite beautiful, creating new creatures and using bright, vivid colors. The artwork alone drew me to the box in the first place.
I really love this game. The theme is very on-brand for me, but I also really like that it’ll take a bit of luck (by hopefully drawing usable cards) and a ton of strategy to try to outwit your opponents. It’ll never be played the same way twice. Evolution is so spot-on, in fact, that it’s actually been used in the evolutionary biology department of the University of Oxford, so come on. It’s fun AND educational. I’ve also downloaded and quickly become obsessed with the mobile version, which is available on Google Play, in the App Store and on Steam. As of this writing, there are two expansions available: Flight and Climate, but there’s also a Climate stand-alone game, and an Evolution: The Beginning game, which is suitable for our younger friends. I own the Flight expansion but have yet to play it and I can’t wait to change that! Give this game a go. You’ll be happy you did. In the words of esteemed Dr. Ian Malcolm, “Life, uh, finds a way.” Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a (r)evolutionary 13 / 18.