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Six Ages: Ride Like the Wind
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Life between myths. Clans, cows, choices. The spiritual successor to King of Dragon Pass, Six...
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Lost Frontier
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Lost Frontier is a turn-based strategy game, brought to you from the creators of the Battleheart and...
Metal Crusher - Monster Truck Battle Online
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WARNING: Here comes the monster! Take a battle with a 3D armed truck right now! Combined with racing...
XCOM®: Enemy Within
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***NOTE: Compatible with iPad 3, iPad mini 2, iPhone 5 and up. WILL NOT be able to run on earlier...
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Darkest Night (First edition) in Tabletop Games
Jun 12, 2019
One of the best parts of the board gaming experience is finding a fun group of people with whom to play! Sometimes, though, coordinating a game night is easier said than done. We all must occasionally forego the group experience and face the world as the Lonely Only. But fear not! The world of solo-play is a vast and exciting realm! What follows is a chronicle of my journey into the solo-playing world – notes on gameplay, mechanics, rules, difficulty, and overall experience with solo variations of commonly multiplayer games! I hope this will provide some insight as you continue to grow your collection, or explore your already owned games!
Once prosperous, your kingdom has fallen victim to a powerful Necromancer who has shrouded the realm in darkness. His minions traverse the land doing his bidding, and his army, as well as his powers, continue to grow. All hope is lost….or is it? Four heroes band together in a final attempt to defeat this evil being. Each brings unique powers and strategies to the table, and success will come in one of two ways – by defeating the Necromancer in direct combat, or by gathering Holy Relics and performing a ritual to undo his powers. But be warned: the Necromancer grows stronger with every passing moment, so be sure your chosen strategy is the right one. Otherwise you too will fall victim to the Necromancer’s might.
Darkest Night is a cooperative game where players take on the role of the heroes attempting to defeat the Necromancer. Each turn has 4 steps – Perform any start-of-turn actions, draw/resolve an Event card, perform one action, and defend against Blights (monsters). Each equipped with a unique set of powers, the heroes must work together to search the land for Holy Relics and destroy Blights before the kingdom is overrun. Once all of the heroes have had their turn, the Necromancer gets his turn, which entails advancing the Darkness track, moving towards the closest detected hero, and creating more Blights. Victory comes in two forms – ritual or combat. If the heroes collectively uncover three Holy Relics, they can use them in a ritual to break the Necromancer’s powers. Or if a hero gets strong enough, they could directly fight the Necromancer. If, at any point, the Monastery is overrun by Blights, the game ends in failure and the kingdom has fallen into darkness.
DISCLAIMER – This review is for the Darkest Night (First Edition) base game. There is a second edition, and several expansions, but I have not had experience with any of those, so my thoughts are solely based on the First Edition base game. -L
I’m just going to be up-front and let you know that I am not a huge fan of this game solo. The main reason is that this game is for four heroes, regardless of actual player count. So playing solo means that I have to control all four heroes. Controlling one hero, I can do. Controlling two heroes takes more focus, but is usually manageable. But controlling four heroes at once? Madness! At least for me it is. There is so much more for a single person to keep track of, and it can be pretty overwhelming. There are so many variables to keep track of, I often end up making mistakes – forgetting to draw Event cards, accidentally using one hero’s ability when it is a different hero’s turn, forgetting to give one hero a turn in a round because I thought they already had one, etc. If I am lucky, I will catch a mistake in-progress, or one turn later, and can rectify it. But to be honest, of all the mistakes I make while playing Darkest Night, I probably won’t catch 25% of them. Which can either make a game super easy, or super brutal. You might tell me, “Focus!” or “Pay better attention!” but believe me, I’m trying! I just feel like four heroes for one person is too much.
Patience is a virtue, but apparently I have none when it comes to this game. And by that, I mean that I feel like it takes an eternity to accomplish anything in this game. On your turn, you only get one single action. And movement is an action. Picture this – I am trying to move my hero to the opposite end of the kingdom (at least 2 spaces away). I am going to have to spend 2 complete rounds (active hero turn, other hero turns, Necromancer turn, x2) just to get there. And then once I finally get there, I have to wait for the 3rd round to even do anything in that location! I just get frustrated at the fact that something as simple as moving a few spaces takes multiple rounds to accomplish. Since everything takes so long to do, you have to be thinking so far into the future with every turn. That makes it difficult for me to strategize, and the game just feels so inefficient, especially in solo play, when you have to control all of the heroes. It can be tricky enough planning a few turns in advance for a single hero, but being in charge of all heroes just makes the job more complicated. And maybe I’m just not patient enough for this game, but I think that if every hero got two actions per turn, the game would be a lot more manageable.
This will come as no surprise to you, but I enjoy this game more in a group rather than solo. This game is cooperative, and I like being able to talk strategy with my fellow gamers, rather than trying to figure everything out for each of the four heroes by myself. Group play also allows me to focus my attention on one single hero instead of multiple, which makes the game feel less overwhelming to me. And perhaps the second edition or expansions address some of the issues I have with the game, but for the time being, Darkest Night is low on my list of solo games.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/01/04/solo-chronicles-darkest-night/
Once prosperous, your kingdom has fallen victim to a powerful Necromancer who has shrouded the realm in darkness. His minions traverse the land doing his bidding, and his army, as well as his powers, continue to grow. All hope is lost….or is it? Four heroes band together in a final attempt to defeat this evil being. Each brings unique powers and strategies to the table, and success will come in one of two ways – by defeating the Necromancer in direct combat, or by gathering Holy Relics and performing a ritual to undo his powers. But be warned: the Necromancer grows stronger with every passing moment, so be sure your chosen strategy is the right one. Otherwise you too will fall victim to the Necromancer’s might.
Darkest Night is a cooperative game where players take on the role of the heroes attempting to defeat the Necromancer. Each turn has 4 steps – Perform any start-of-turn actions, draw/resolve an Event card, perform one action, and defend against Blights (monsters). Each equipped with a unique set of powers, the heroes must work together to search the land for Holy Relics and destroy Blights before the kingdom is overrun. Once all of the heroes have had their turn, the Necromancer gets his turn, which entails advancing the Darkness track, moving towards the closest detected hero, and creating more Blights. Victory comes in two forms – ritual or combat. If the heroes collectively uncover three Holy Relics, they can use them in a ritual to break the Necromancer’s powers. Or if a hero gets strong enough, they could directly fight the Necromancer. If, at any point, the Monastery is overrun by Blights, the game ends in failure and the kingdom has fallen into darkness.
DISCLAIMER – This review is for the Darkest Night (First Edition) base game. There is a second edition, and several expansions, but I have not had experience with any of those, so my thoughts are solely based on the First Edition base game. -L
I’m just going to be up-front and let you know that I am not a huge fan of this game solo. The main reason is that this game is for four heroes, regardless of actual player count. So playing solo means that I have to control all four heroes. Controlling one hero, I can do. Controlling two heroes takes more focus, but is usually manageable. But controlling four heroes at once? Madness! At least for me it is. There is so much more for a single person to keep track of, and it can be pretty overwhelming. There are so many variables to keep track of, I often end up making mistakes – forgetting to draw Event cards, accidentally using one hero’s ability when it is a different hero’s turn, forgetting to give one hero a turn in a round because I thought they already had one, etc. If I am lucky, I will catch a mistake in-progress, or one turn later, and can rectify it. But to be honest, of all the mistakes I make while playing Darkest Night, I probably won’t catch 25% of them. Which can either make a game super easy, or super brutal. You might tell me, “Focus!” or “Pay better attention!” but believe me, I’m trying! I just feel like four heroes for one person is too much.
Patience is a virtue, but apparently I have none when it comes to this game. And by that, I mean that I feel like it takes an eternity to accomplish anything in this game. On your turn, you only get one single action. And movement is an action. Picture this – I am trying to move my hero to the opposite end of the kingdom (at least 2 spaces away). I am going to have to spend 2 complete rounds (active hero turn, other hero turns, Necromancer turn, x2) just to get there. And then once I finally get there, I have to wait for the 3rd round to even do anything in that location! I just get frustrated at the fact that something as simple as moving a few spaces takes multiple rounds to accomplish. Since everything takes so long to do, you have to be thinking so far into the future with every turn. That makes it difficult for me to strategize, and the game just feels so inefficient, especially in solo play, when you have to control all of the heroes. It can be tricky enough planning a few turns in advance for a single hero, but being in charge of all heroes just makes the job more complicated. And maybe I’m just not patient enough for this game, but I think that if every hero got two actions per turn, the game would be a lot more manageable.
This will come as no surprise to you, but I enjoy this game more in a group rather than solo. This game is cooperative, and I like being able to talk strategy with my fellow gamers, rather than trying to figure everything out for each of the four heroes by myself. Group play also allows me to focus my attention on one single hero instead of multiple, which makes the game feel less overwhelming to me. And perhaps the second edition or expansions address some of the issues I have with the game, but for the time being, Darkest Night is low on my list of solo games.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/01/04/solo-chronicles-darkest-night/
Small World 2
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This game is like risk, but Faster, Funnier, and more fun. "One of the most compelling games for...
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Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Fossilis in Tabletop Games
Feb 17, 2021
Whether it lasted for days, months, or years, I’m willing to bet that you all have had some minor (or maybe even major) fascination with dinosaurs at some point in your life. I am definitely no exception to that statement. When I was younger, I absolutely went through a paleontology phase, and the “Jurassic Park” movies have kept that love of dinosaurs alive. So when I saw KTBG was coming out with a game about excavating dinosaur bones, I was immediately sold. Did it live up to my childhood expectations, or was this excavation a bust?
Fossilis is a game of set collection and tile placement in which players are working to excavate and collect sets of dinosaur bones for display in museums across the world. To setup for a game, prepare the dig site as described in the rulebook. Populate the Score Track board with 9 random Skill tokens, 3 face-down randomly selected Event cards, and a Plaster pool based on the player count. Create a Market of Tool and Supply cards, as well as a Dinosaur Display. Each player receives a mat, Paleontologist meeple, and score marker in their chosen color. Pick a starting player, and in reverse turn order, players place their Paleontologists onto a corner tile of the dig site. The game is now ready to begin!
Every players’ turn has 3 steps: Actions, Market, and Lab. At the start of your turn, you have 4 Energy to spend on Actions. The available action choices are: Gain 1 Plaster (from the Plaster pool), Move up to 2 spaces (orthogonally or diagonally), Climb onto the Dig Site (if your Paleontologist was knocked off the board), Place 1 Sand tile (anywhere on the Dig Site), Dig 1 tile (slide a terrain tile 1 space in any direction), or Extract (excavate a bone/hammer). With the exception of Digging, all other Actions cost 1 Energy to perform. Digging 1 tile costs energy dependent on the type of terrain tile being moved. To dig Sand is 1 Energy, Clay is 2, and Stone is 3. To Dig, you select 1 tile that is orthogonally adjacent to your Paleontologist, and slide it 1 space in any direction you wish. Tiles that are pushed off the edge are claimed by that player, and can be used to purchase cards from the Market. It is possible for a Paleontologist to be pushed off the Dig Site, so watch out! To perform the Extract action, you will excavate a bone or hammer from an open pit orthogonally adjacent to your Paleontologist. Extraction costs Plaster dependent on the type of bone being collected. For example, extracting a tooth costs 2 Plaster, while a skull costs 6. Extracting hammers has no cost, and you immediately trade the hammer for one of the available Skill tokens in play. The Skill tokens provide benefits for the remainder of the game. Once a player has spent their Energy, they move to the next phase.
On your turn, you may buy 1 card from the Market: either a Tool or Supply card. These are purchased using the icons on any tiles you collected during the Action phase. Supply cards gain you immediate resources, while Tool cards are saved for use during a future Action step. After the Market phase is the Lab phase. You may claim a Dinosaur from the Display if you have at least one of the required bones for that Dinosaur. You can only ever have 1 Dinosaur in your Lab at a time, so strategize carefully. At any point during a turn, you can score the Dinosaur in your lab – either for full points if all required bones are present on the card, or partial points if you only have some of the required bones.
Events are triggered 3 times throughout the game when the Plaster pool has been depleted. The active player draws the top Event card, and follows the instructions on the card. Once an Event has been performed, the Plaster pool is refilled and play continues with the next player. After the 3rd event has been triggered, the Plaster pool is refilled one last time. When the last Plaster pool is depleted for this final time, the game ends. Players count up all their points, and the player with the highest score wins!
At first it may seem overwhelming, like there is a lot going on, but after a couple of turns the gameplay feels intuitive and streamlined. There are quite a few aspects to keep track of, but the overall flow of the game makes it feel clear and concise. During my plays, I have never once felt lost or confused as to what the next turn step is. The tight gameplay also lends itself to providing a variety of strategic options for players. Do you want to go for all the highest-scoring Dinosaurs, even though their bones take longer to collect? Or maybe you want to snag as many lower-scoring Dinosaurs as possible, since they should be faster to collect. You can earn end-game points based on Characteristic sets of Dinosaurs (carnivorous, herbivore, etc), so maybe you decide to focus on those sets. Or if you’re in a particularly confrontational mood, maybe you want to knock opposing Paleontologists off the Dig Site, causing them to ‘waste’ an Energy on a future turn just to climb back on into the play area. There really is no right answer as to what strategy is a sure-win, and I like that I can choose and adapt my strategies based on the current standings in the game.
Probably my favorite innovative mechanic in Fossilis is the 3D terrain and ‘digging’ actions. When setting up the game, bones and hammers are randomly scattered and distributed around the Dig Site before terrain tiles are added. So there is absolutely no way to know where you should dig for what you want! Just like a real paleontologist, you’ve got to give it your best guess. I have had some frustrating turns, spending lots of Energy to dig a tile just to find the space to be empty! Or maybe you dig and hit the motherlode, which just means you’ll probably have to fight off other paleontologists for the bones that you need. The 3D board adds another element of strategy that heightens the gameplay and makes it more immersive.
Let’s touch on components for a moment. They are AWESOME. Admittedly, I have the Kickstarter version, but I just love how well-produced this game is. The terrain tiles are nice and thick bakelite-esque tiles, and they are just dang fun to manipulate. The plaster and bones are small, but pretty detailed and sturdy for their size. The artwork on the cards is colorful and clear, the Paleontologist meeples are cute little wooden bits, and the cardboard bits are all good quality. Excellent production quality all around.
It should come as no surprise, based on my score, that I love this game. The gameplay is immersive and engaging, the mechanics add a neat twist to your normal set collection/tile placement game, and the ability to adapt strategy on the fly means that nobody is truly out of the game because of one bad turn. Purple Phoenix Games gives Fossilis a roaring 11 / 12. If you’re looking for a good dinosaur game, look no further. Yeah, they’re technically just bones here, but it still counts!
Fossilis is a game of set collection and tile placement in which players are working to excavate and collect sets of dinosaur bones for display in museums across the world. To setup for a game, prepare the dig site as described in the rulebook. Populate the Score Track board with 9 random Skill tokens, 3 face-down randomly selected Event cards, and a Plaster pool based on the player count. Create a Market of Tool and Supply cards, as well as a Dinosaur Display. Each player receives a mat, Paleontologist meeple, and score marker in their chosen color. Pick a starting player, and in reverse turn order, players place their Paleontologists onto a corner tile of the dig site. The game is now ready to begin!
Every players’ turn has 3 steps: Actions, Market, and Lab. At the start of your turn, you have 4 Energy to spend on Actions. The available action choices are: Gain 1 Plaster (from the Plaster pool), Move up to 2 spaces (orthogonally or diagonally), Climb onto the Dig Site (if your Paleontologist was knocked off the board), Place 1 Sand tile (anywhere on the Dig Site), Dig 1 tile (slide a terrain tile 1 space in any direction), or Extract (excavate a bone/hammer). With the exception of Digging, all other Actions cost 1 Energy to perform. Digging 1 tile costs energy dependent on the type of terrain tile being moved. To dig Sand is 1 Energy, Clay is 2, and Stone is 3. To Dig, you select 1 tile that is orthogonally adjacent to your Paleontologist, and slide it 1 space in any direction you wish. Tiles that are pushed off the edge are claimed by that player, and can be used to purchase cards from the Market. It is possible for a Paleontologist to be pushed off the Dig Site, so watch out! To perform the Extract action, you will excavate a bone or hammer from an open pit orthogonally adjacent to your Paleontologist. Extraction costs Plaster dependent on the type of bone being collected. For example, extracting a tooth costs 2 Plaster, while a skull costs 6. Extracting hammers has no cost, and you immediately trade the hammer for one of the available Skill tokens in play. The Skill tokens provide benefits for the remainder of the game. Once a player has spent their Energy, they move to the next phase.
On your turn, you may buy 1 card from the Market: either a Tool or Supply card. These are purchased using the icons on any tiles you collected during the Action phase. Supply cards gain you immediate resources, while Tool cards are saved for use during a future Action step. After the Market phase is the Lab phase. You may claim a Dinosaur from the Display if you have at least one of the required bones for that Dinosaur. You can only ever have 1 Dinosaur in your Lab at a time, so strategize carefully. At any point during a turn, you can score the Dinosaur in your lab – either for full points if all required bones are present on the card, or partial points if you only have some of the required bones.
Events are triggered 3 times throughout the game when the Plaster pool has been depleted. The active player draws the top Event card, and follows the instructions on the card. Once an Event has been performed, the Plaster pool is refilled and play continues with the next player. After the 3rd event has been triggered, the Plaster pool is refilled one last time. When the last Plaster pool is depleted for this final time, the game ends. Players count up all their points, and the player with the highest score wins!
At first it may seem overwhelming, like there is a lot going on, but after a couple of turns the gameplay feels intuitive and streamlined. There are quite a few aspects to keep track of, but the overall flow of the game makes it feel clear and concise. During my plays, I have never once felt lost or confused as to what the next turn step is. The tight gameplay also lends itself to providing a variety of strategic options for players. Do you want to go for all the highest-scoring Dinosaurs, even though their bones take longer to collect? Or maybe you want to snag as many lower-scoring Dinosaurs as possible, since they should be faster to collect. You can earn end-game points based on Characteristic sets of Dinosaurs (carnivorous, herbivore, etc), so maybe you decide to focus on those sets. Or if you’re in a particularly confrontational mood, maybe you want to knock opposing Paleontologists off the Dig Site, causing them to ‘waste’ an Energy on a future turn just to climb back on into the play area. There really is no right answer as to what strategy is a sure-win, and I like that I can choose and adapt my strategies based on the current standings in the game.
Probably my favorite innovative mechanic in Fossilis is the 3D terrain and ‘digging’ actions. When setting up the game, bones and hammers are randomly scattered and distributed around the Dig Site before terrain tiles are added. So there is absolutely no way to know where you should dig for what you want! Just like a real paleontologist, you’ve got to give it your best guess. I have had some frustrating turns, spending lots of Energy to dig a tile just to find the space to be empty! Or maybe you dig and hit the motherlode, which just means you’ll probably have to fight off other paleontologists for the bones that you need. The 3D board adds another element of strategy that heightens the gameplay and makes it more immersive.
Let’s touch on components for a moment. They are AWESOME. Admittedly, I have the Kickstarter version, but I just love how well-produced this game is. The terrain tiles are nice and thick bakelite-esque tiles, and they are just dang fun to manipulate. The plaster and bones are small, but pretty detailed and sturdy for their size. The artwork on the cards is colorful and clear, the Paleontologist meeples are cute little wooden bits, and the cardboard bits are all good quality. Excellent production quality all around.
It should come as no surprise, based on my score, that I love this game. The gameplay is immersive and engaging, the mechanics add a neat twist to your normal set collection/tile placement game, and the ability to adapt strategy on the fly means that nobody is truly out of the game because of one bad turn. Purple Phoenix Games gives Fossilis a roaring 11 / 12. If you’re looking for a good dinosaur game, look no further. Yeah, they’re technically just bones here, but it still counts!
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Apotheca in Tabletop Games
Jun 12, 2019
In the fantasy world, Witches and Wizards get all the credit for magical feats. But if it weren’t for the proverbial ‘man behind the curtain,’ those feats wouldn’t be possible! Who am I talking about? Apothecaries, of course! Yes, maybe a Wizard single-handedly defeated a dragon, but only after drinking a healing potion to recover some strength. And maybe a Witch was able to sneak past some henchmen after drinking a potion of invisibility. The list goes on! The point is, apothecaries can do some cool magical stuff too. So keep crushing it out there, apothecaries – this game is for you!
After years of study, you have finally become a master apothecary, and making magic potions is your passion. You buy all of your ingredients in a secret marketplace with no problem until one day, you come across another apothecary trying to buy all of the same ingredients as you! Who does this person think they are?? Using your quick wit, and some sleight of hand, you manage to scatter the ingredients around the marketplace to hide them from your rival. Now all you’ve got to do is give them the slip so you can go pick up the ingredients. Be careful, though – you’re rival is as sly as you are, and is scouring the marketplace to find them first!
In Apotheca, players are racing to create three magic potions before their opponents do. To craft a magic potion, players must make a match of three potions of the same color in a row. Played on a 4×4 grid, potions are manipulated by apothecary powers from recruited apothecary cards in a manner similar to movement in chess, or better yet – Onitama. Complete three matches, and you win! As a whole, I could describe Apotheca as chess with a helping of tic-tac-toe.
One thing I really like about this game is that it’s a game of semi-hidden information. Some things are hidden and some things are not. You do know the apothecary power(s) your opponent has, but you don’t know the color of the potions they put into play. Based on how they use their powers to manipulate potions, both face-up and face-down, you must deduce their strategy and thwart their attempts at making a match! Of course, they are doing the exact same thing to you – only you know the color of potions you place, but your power is known to your opponent. It’s a unique game of deduction and deception that requires more strategy than meets the eye.
Apotheca can be played with 1-4 players, but I think the best player count is 2. In a 3-4 player game, it can be difficult to build a concrete strategy because the board can significantly change between your turns. In a 2-player game, the board changes as well, but not nearly as quickly since it is just a back-and-forth with turn order. Also, more players means more hidden information – it can be tedious trying to remember who performed what action and who has what powers as you try to deduce everyone’s strategy. I don’t mind Apotheca as a 3-4 player game, but I would certainly prefer to play it as a 2-player game.
As you can see by our individual ratings, we are a little split on this game. It requires a decent amount of strategy and deduction, which work well together in this game. Apotheca was one of the first games in my collection, and it’s one that will stay there. Overall, Purple Phoenix Games gives Apotheca a sneaky 12 / 18.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/02/01/apotheca-review/
After years of study, you have finally become a master apothecary, and making magic potions is your passion. You buy all of your ingredients in a secret marketplace with no problem until one day, you come across another apothecary trying to buy all of the same ingredients as you! Who does this person think they are?? Using your quick wit, and some sleight of hand, you manage to scatter the ingredients around the marketplace to hide them from your rival. Now all you’ve got to do is give them the slip so you can go pick up the ingredients. Be careful, though – you’re rival is as sly as you are, and is scouring the marketplace to find them first!
In Apotheca, players are racing to create three magic potions before their opponents do. To craft a magic potion, players must make a match of three potions of the same color in a row. Played on a 4×4 grid, potions are manipulated by apothecary powers from recruited apothecary cards in a manner similar to movement in chess, or better yet – Onitama. Complete three matches, and you win! As a whole, I could describe Apotheca as chess with a helping of tic-tac-toe.
One thing I really like about this game is that it’s a game of semi-hidden information. Some things are hidden and some things are not. You do know the apothecary power(s) your opponent has, but you don’t know the color of the potions they put into play. Based on how they use their powers to manipulate potions, both face-up and face-down, you must deduce their strategy and thwart their attempts at making a match! Of course, they are doing the exact same thing to you – only you know the color of potions you place, but your power is known to your opponent. It’s a unique game of deduction and deception that requires more strategy than meets the eye.
Apotheca can be played with 1-4 players, but I think the best player count is 2. In a 3-4 player game, it can be difficult to build a concrete strategy because the board can significantly change between your turns. In a 2-player game, the board changes as well, but not nearly as quickly since it is just a back-and-forth with turn order. Also, more players means more hidden information – it can be tedious trying to remember who performed what action and who has what powers as you try to deduce everyone’s strategy. I don’t mind Apotheca as a 3-4 player game, but I would certainly prefer to play it as a 2-player game.
As you can see by our individual ratings, we are a little split on this game. It requires a decent amount of strategy and deduction, which work well together in this game. Apotheca was one of the first games in my collection, and it’s one that will stay there. Overall, Purple Phoenix Games gives Apotheca a sneaky 12 / 18.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/02/01/apotheca-review/
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Tokyo Highway in Tabletop Games
Oct 30, 2021
Living in Iowa/Illinois, the saying is that we only have 2 seasons: winter and road construction. Our winters can certainly be brutal, and our road workers and civil engineers deserve major props for the work they do for our communities! Let’s put ourselves in their shoes for a minute. Can you design a structurally secure overpass? How about figuring out the logistics to create an underpass? If a part of your roadway is damaged, can you fix it without causing further harm? These are all things that you must consider in the minimalistic game of Tokyo Highway.
Tokyo Highway is a dexterity game of route building in which players are trying to create a roadway on which their cars will travel. The first player to place all of their cars on the highway is the winner. Originally, Tokyo Highway was for only 2 players, but an expansion has come out to accommodate up to 4 players. This review will address all player counts! To begin the game, hand out components and set up as described in the rulebook for your chosen player count. Select a starting player, and you are ready to begin.
On your turn, you will perform 3 actions: build a column, build a road, and place a car. When building a column, there are 2 things to remember – the column must create a continuation of your existing road, and it must be built exactly 1 level above or 1 level below the column from which it is based. For example, to play off of a column with a height of 2, you must either play a height of 1 or a height of 3. To build a road, take one of your road sticks and place it on the columns so it connects the newly built column to its predecessor. The last part of your turn is to place a car on your road stick, if you have met the placement requirements. The requirements for placing a car are that your new section of road must cross an opponent’s road, either by being the first road to cross over it, or being the first road to cross under it. You may place additional cars on your road stick for additional roads that your segment crosses above/below.
There are a couple of twists in the game, though! First, each player begins the game with a certain amount of Junctions. When you choose to play a Junction, you are allowed to create a column of any height, regardless of the height of its predecessor. Another special power of Junctions is that once you place a Junction, you have the option to branch 2 roads from that single point, instead of only 1 like with regular columns. The other twist? If at any point during your turn, you knock over an opponents’ cars, roads, or columns, you are penalized and must give that opponent the number of equivalent pieces that were toppled from your own personal supply. You then fix the damage, and continue your turn as normal. The game end is triggered when either 1 player has placed all of their cars, or when a player runs out of construction components. The player who places all of their cars first is the winner, or a player that runs out of components loses the game and the other players continue until the game end is triggered again.
For such a seemingly simple game, Tokyo Highway challenges players on 2 fronts: dexterity and strategy. Obviously, your dexterity is put to the test as you try to move steadily, build secure roads, and not topple over any other components in play. It really is harder than it looks, and creates a good physical challenge for players. Strategy comes into play because you have to plan turns in advance and try to anticipate your opponent’s movements in order to create opportunities to place your cars. You’ve got to strategize where you want to build under or over, and then set yourself up for those builds. But you’ve also got to keep an eye on your opponent, because they might unknowingly (or purposefully…) disrupt your strategy with a placement of their own. Players are never idle in this game, everyone is engaged throughout as they plan ahead for success.
My biggest qualm with Tokyo Highway are the rules regarding knocking down roadways on your turn. According to the rules, if you knock anything down, you forfeit components from your supply, and then rebuild the destroyed area. However, as the game progresses and gets more intricate, with roads crossing very tightly together, one misstep could destroy nearly the entire structure. And it is difficult to rebuild since the highway placements vary with literally every turn, and unless you take a picture after every turn, chances are you can’t recreate it from memory. At that point, continuing the game is futile, and then who wins? You either have to restart the game, or just call it then and end it.
The components of Tokyo Highway are pretty great. Everything is sturdy and wooden, and will definitely withstand the test of time. They feel great in hand and are simply just fun to fiddle with between turns! It is a simple and minimalistic game overall, and the components reflect that wonderfully.
So overall, how is Tokyo Highway? I think it is a game with a nearly perfect balance of dexterity and strategy. You must employ both of those to succeed, because focusing on only one will get you nowhere. It definitely offers more than meets the eye, and that is a fun surprise. There is no set game board or layout, so literally every game will be different, allowing for seemingly infinite replayability. It is definitely a game that keeps players engaged and on their toes. Although there are a few issues regarding dexterity ‘accidents,’ the gameplay overall flows well and is logical. Purple Phoenix Games gives Tokyo Highway a speedy 8 / 12.
Tokyo Highway is a dexterity game of route building in which players are trying to create a roadway on which their cars will travel. The first player to place all of their cars on the highway is the winner. Originally, Tokyo Highway was for only 2 players, but an expansion has come out to accommodate up to 4 players. This review will address all player counts! To begin the game, hand out components and set up as described in the rulebook for your chosen player count. Select a starting player, and you are ready to begin.
On your turn, you will perform 3 actions: build a column, build a road, and place a car. When building a column, there are 2 things to remember – the column must create a continuation of your existing road, and it must be built exactly 1 level above or 1 level below the column from which it is based. For example, to play off of a column with a height of 2, you must either play a height of 1 or a height of 3. To build a road, take one of your road sticks and place it on the columns so it connects the newly built column to its predecessor. The last part of your turn is to place a car on your road stick, if you have met the placement requirements. The requirements for placing a car are that your new section of road must cross an opponent’s road, either by being the first road to cross over it, or being the first road to cross under it. You may place additional cars on your road stick for additional roads that your segment crosses above/below.
There are a couple of twists in the game, though! First, each player begins the game with a certain amount of Junctions. When you choose to play a Junction, you are allowed to create a column of any height, regardless of the height of its predecessor. Another special power of Junctions is that once you place a Junction, you have the option to branch 2 roads from that single point, instead of only 1 like with regular columns. The other twist? If at any point during your turn, you knock over an opponents’ cars, roads, or columns, you are penalized and must give that opponent the number of equivalent pieces that were toppled from your own personal supply. You then fix the damage, and continue your turn as normal. The game end is triggered when either 1 player has placed all of their cars, or when a player runs out of construction components. The player who places all of their cars first is the winner, or a player that runs out of components loses the game and the other players continue until the game end is triggered again.
For such a seemingly simple game, Tokyo Highway challenges players on 2 fronts: dexterity and strategy. Obviously, your dexterity is put to the test as you try to move steadily, build secure roads, and not topple over any other components in play. It really is harder than it looks, and creates a good physical challenge for players. Strategy comes into play because you have to plan turns in advance and try to anticipate your opponent’s movements in order to create opportunities to place your cars. You’ve got to strategize where you want to build under or over, and then set yourself up for those builds. But you’ve also got to keep an eye on your opponent, because they might unknowingly (or purposefully…) disrupt your strategy with a placement of their own. Players are never idle in this game, everyone is engaged throughout as they plan ahead for success.
My biggest qualm with Tokyo Highway are the rules regarding knocking down roadways on your turn. According to the rules, if you knock anything down, you forfeit components from your supply, and then rebuild the destroyed area. However, as the game progresses and gets more intricate, with roads crossing very tightly together, one misstep could destroy nearly the entire structure. And it is difficult to rebuild since the highway placements vary with literally every turn, and unless you take a picture after every turn, chances are you can’t recreate it from memory. At that point, continuing the game is futile, and then who wins? You either have to restart the game, or just call it then and end it.
The components of Tokyo Highway are pretty great. Everything is sturdy and wooden, and will definitely withstand the test of time. They feel great in hand and are simply just fun to fiddle with between turns! It is a simple and minimalistic game overall, and the components reflect that wonderfully.
So overall, how is Tokyo Highway? I think it is a game with a nearly perfect balance of dexterity and strategy. You must employ both of those to succeed, because focusing on only one will get you nowhere. It definitely offers more than meets the eye, and that is a fun surprise. There is no set game board or layout, so literally every game will be different, allowing for seemingly infinite replayability. It is definitely a game that keeps players engaged and on their toes. Although there are a few issues regarding dexterity ‘accidents,’ the gameplay overall flows well and is logical. Purple Phoenix Games gives Tokyo Highway a speedy 8 / 12.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Tetris: The Card Game in Tabletop Games
Jul 2, 2020
One of the first video games I can remember playing is Tetris. The colorful Tetrominoes, the catchy theme music, the excitement (and anxiety!) as the speed gradually increases – what isn’t there to love? Tetris is an addicting game that has withstood the test of time, so I was extremely excited when I was gifted Tetris: The Card Game. Does the card version have a foothold in the Tetris fandom? Or does it fail to complete any rows in the matrix? (Haha, see what I did there?)
Tetris: The Card Game is a game of hand management and pattern recognition in which players are racing to be the first to earn 10 points. Setup is simple – shuffle the entire deck of cards, and deal 10 to each player. The cards are double-sided, with one side depicting a Tetris Matrix, and the other depicting a specific Tetromino. Arrange your cards in a 2×5 grid, with the Tetromino side facing up. This grid will act as your personal scoring track. Place the remaining cards, Matrix-side up, in a draw deck in the center of the table. Deal 1 additional card to each player, to go in hand, and the game is ready to begin! You will be using your hand of cards, Tetromino side, to complete the Matrix side of the top card of the draw deck.
A round of play is pretty straight-forward: draw one card, play one card. At the start of your turn, draw the top card from the draw deck. This will reveal a new Matrix on the next card of the draw pile. Choose one of your two cards in hand to complete at least 1 row in the revealed Matrix. Play the card, showing your opponents how it would fit into the Matrix, and score points. You score 1 point per row completed, so if your piece completes 2 rows, you would score 2 points. To track your points, you flip over cards in your 2×5 grid to their Matrix sides, to represent your scored points. If on your turn, you are unable to complete a Matrix line with either of your cards in hand, you must discard one card, and are also penalized by having to forfeit one of your earned points, flipping that card back to its Tetromino side. There are also a handful of Special cards that can be used to manipulate play, whether Reversing the play direction, or forcing a player to lose a point, and that adds a new little twist to the game. The game ends when one player has scored all 10 points and is declared the winner!
Probably the best things about Tetris: The Card Game, is that it is so simple to learn and play. The simplicity brings back the nostalgia of the original game to the extreme. It’s a super light game that can be used as a filler/palate cleanser between bigger games, or just as a game to toss on the table when you’ve got 5 free minutes. Another added bonus of its simplicity is that it is pretty friendly for younger/newer gamers. Looking to get your young’uns into the hobby, or just spreading some happiness with friends and colleagues? This is a good introductory game that is light-hearted, although not a complete brain burner.
Now, on the flip side, there are some drawbacks to this game. The first and biggest being that it is entirely based upon the luck of the draw. There is pretty much no strategy involved, because you are at the mercy of the draw deck. You really can’t set up a game strategy that can be adapted throughout a play because the game is so dependent upon luck. Depending on the current Matrix in play, certain Tetrominos could not be used at all to complete a row, so you end up having to burn a turn (and losing a point) to discard a card. And then you have to hope for the best next turn. Another drawback of this version of Tetris is the hand limit of 2 cards. That severely limits your options each turn, and can turn the game from light-hearted to frustrating because of a lack of choices. This hand limit also limits any strategic options. Certain Matrices can only be completed by certain Tetrominos, so unless you have those in hand, you’re stuck wasting a turn. The Special cards included in the game add a twist to the gameplay, but are a little too ‘take that’ for my taste. But without them, there is no player interaction at all. So it’s kind of a lose-lose situation for me in that regard.
Ultimately, I would say that the OG Tetris is still king. This game attempts to encompass the atmosphere and enjoyability of the video game, but it just falls flat for me. It is too dependent upon luck, and doesn’t offer enough strategic choices for players, so it ends up feeling bland and unengaging. Am I happy with this game? Honestly, no. But playing this with the right group of people could still result in some entertainment and good times. If luck-based games are your thing, then definitely consider this game. But if not, let OG Tetris be your go-to game to fulfill your tile-dropping, row-completing urges. Purple Phoenix Games gives Tetris: The Card Game a blocky 4 / 12.
Tetris: The Card Game is a game of hand management and pattern recognition in which players are racing to be the first to earn 10 points. Setup is simple – shuffle the entire deck of cards, and deal 10 to each player. The cards are double-sided, with one side depicting a Tetris Matrix, and the other depicting a specific Tetromino. Arrange your cards in a 2×5 grid, with the Tetromino side facing up. This grid will act as your personal scoring track. Place the remaining cards, Matrix-side up, in a draw deck in the center of the table. Deal 1 additional card to each player, to go in hand, and the game is ready to begin! You will be using your hand of cards, Tetromino side, to complete the Matrix side of the top card of the draw deck.
A round of play is pretty straight-forward: draw one card, play one card. At the start of your turn, draw the top card from the draw deck. This will reveal a new Matrix on the next card of the draw pile. Choose one of your two cards in hand to complete at least 1 row in the revealed Matrix. Play the card, showing your opponents how it would fit into the Matrix, and score points. You score 1 point per row completed, so if your piece completes 2 rows, you would score 2 points. To track your points, you flip over cards in your 2×5 grid to their Matrix sides, to represent your scored points. If on your turn, you are unable to complete a Matrix line with either of your cards in hand, you must discard one card, and are also penalized by having to forfeit one of your earned points, flipping that card back to its Tetromino side. There are also a handful of Special cards that can be used to manipulate play, whether Reversing the play direction, or forcing a player to lose a point, and that adds a new little twist to the game. The game ends when one player has scored all 10 points and is declared the winner!
Probably the best things about Tetris: The Card Game, is that it is so simple to learn and play. The simplicity brings back the nostalgia of the original game to the extreme. It’s a super light game that can be used as a filler/palate cleanser between bigger games, or just as a game to toss on the table when you’ve got 5 free minutes. Another added bonus of its simplicity is that it is pretty friendly for younger/newer gamers. Looking to get your young’uns into the hobby, or just spreading some happiness with friends and colleagues? This is a good introductory game that is light-hearted, although not a complete brain burner.
Now, on the flip side, there are some drawbacks to this game. The first and biggest being that it is entirely based upon the luck of the draw. There is pretty much no strategy involved, because you are at the mercy of the draw deck. You really can’t set up a game strategy that can be adapted throughout a play because the game is so dependent upon luck. Depending on the current Matrix in play, certain Tetrominos could not be used at all to complete a row, so you end up having to burn a turn (and losing a point) to discard a card. And then you have to hope for the best next turn. Another drawback of this version of Tetris is the hand limit of 2 cards. That severely limits your options each turn, and can turn the game from light-hearted to frustrating because of a lack of choices. This hand limit also limits any strategic options. Certain Matrices can only be completed by certain Tetrominos, so unless you have those in hand, you’re stuck wasting a turn. The Special cards included in the game add a twist to the gameplay, but are a little too ‘take that’ for my taste. But without them, there is no player interaction at all. So it’s kind of a lose-lose situation for me in that regard.
Ultimately, I would say that the OG Tetris is still king. This game attempts to encompass the atmosphere and enjoyability of the video game, but it just falls flat for me. It is too dependent upon luck, and doesn’t offer enough strategic choices for players, so it ends up feeling bland and unengaging. Am I happy with this game? Honestly, no. But playing this with the right group of people could still result in some entertainment and good times. If luck-based games are your thing, then definitely consider this game. But if not, let OG Tetris be your go-to game to fulfill your tile-dropping, row-completing urges. Purple Phoenix Games gives Tetris: The Card Game a blocky 4 / 12.
