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Joe Goodhart (27 KP) rated DC Universe: Rebirth #1 in Books
Nov 30, 2020
When I still had my physical comic colletion, this had been one of the last ones purchased before making the change over to digital only, selling off the physical copies. That was then, this is now. Long story short, this review is based off of a re-read as part of my "Marvel's Making Some Dumb AF Decisions of Late, Let's Go With DC Instead" Tour!
Let me just say I remember much of it, but it still hit me hard at the end of it! Just lots and lots of SUPER-feels (is that even a word/thing? Oh well, if not, it is now! lol)! Having the story told from Wally West's POV really helped to drive the overall feeling home.
Unfortunately (and this did not necessarily wreck my enjoyment), this re-reading helped to fuel my desire for DOOMSDAY CLOCK to just finish up already! Still not sure on how you can solicit something without it even being close to completely finished! Or better still how Windows 10 can be ready for release, yet every other week there's a new patch or update for it! :S
There was a lot of set-up for what was to come in the DCU, as well as some nods to things past (including WATCHMAN and CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS) and the New 52 (which, for the longest time, I hated with a passion)! You don't have to be a pro at "Where's Waldo?" or even Sherlock Holmes, you just need to be alert and taking in everything with a careful eye.
Speaking of attention to detail... Let me give a shout to all the artists involved in this undertaking: Gary Frank (I love the man's art, but his slowness as far as DOOMSDAY CLOCK is frustrating. Clearly, as this book indicates, he is better at illustrating shorter vignettes, rather than epic 12-issue maxi-series!), Ethan Van Sciver (love or hate, you gotta appreciate his art! Bee-yoo-ti-ful!), Phil Jimenez (always love me some Jimenez pencilling!), and Ivan Reis (never a disappointment). And as important as the artists were, it would be unfair of me not to also acknowledge the inkers and colorists on this: Brad Anderson, Jason Wright, and Joe Prado. So, a big ol' panda-rific round of applause and adulation for the art teams for all their hard work! You guys are all aces!
Over the years, DC has published a more than fair amount of solid events and single issues. Is this the best book they've ever published? I wouldn't go that far, but it a damned good one! And at the end of the day, that's what it really comes down to: whether it's a good or a bad one, hence the name of this pretty cool less-FB-ish social media site! :)
Let me just say I remember much of it, but it still hit me hard at the end of it! Just lots and lots of SUPER-feels (is that even a word/thing? Oh well, if not, it is now! lol)! Having the story told from Wally West's POV really helped to drive the overall feeling home.
Unfortunately (and this did not necessarily wreck my enjoyment), this re-reading helped to fuel my desire for DOOMSDAY CLOCK to just finish up already! Still not sure on how you can solicit something without it even being close to completely finished! Or better still how Windows 10 can be ready for release, yet every other week there's a new patch or update for it! :S
There was a lot of set-up for what was to come in the DCU, as well as some nods to things past (including WATCHMAN and CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS) and the New 52 (which, for the longest time, I hated with a passion)! You don't have to be a pro at "Where's Waldo?" or even Sherlock Holmes, you just need to be alert and taking in everything with a careful eye.
Speaking of attention to detail... Let me give a shout to all the artists involved in this undertaking: Gary Frank (I love the man's art, but his slowness as far as DOOMSDAY CLOCK is frustrating. Clearly, as this book indicates, he is better at illustrating shorter vignettes, rather than epic 12-issue maxi-series!), Ethan Van Sciver (love or hate, you gotta appreciate his art! Bee-yoo-ti-ful!), Phil Jimenez (always love me some Jimenez pencilling!), and Ivan Reis (never a disappointment). And as important as the artists were, it would be unfair of me not to also acknowledge the inkers and colorists on this: Brad Anderson, Jason Wright, and Joe Prado. So, a big ol' panda-rific round of applause and adulation for the art teams for all their hard work! You guys are all aces!
Over the years, DC has published a more than fair amount of solid events and single issues. Is this the best book they've ever published? I wouldn't go that far, but it a damned good one! And at the end of the day, that's what it really comes down to: whether it's a good or a bad one, hence the name of this pretty cool less-FB-ish social media site! :)
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Sky Sharks (2020) in Movies
Aug 29, 2020
Fright Fest kicked off with a film that I absolutely had to see... Nazi zombies and flying sharks? No brainer.
A team of arctic explorers uncover an old Nazi lab that was developing ways to help them conquer the world. The team unwittingly let loose their two most powerful experiments that unleashes a swarm of flying sharks flown by unstoppable pilots.
Despite this having the word "sharks" in the title (and my love of shark films) I do have to be a buzzkill and say that this is not a shark film. I'd happily categorise it in zombie film territory, but the quality is way too good for this to be classified as a shark film. I don't want to take away from these fantastic flying finned devils though, they're brilliant and super happy looking.
It has the ridiculous ideas that make for an entertaining watch. but I can't help but think that a good budget actually had a negative effect. Once you get to a certain level of production value it goes against the nature of the story and "traditions".
With sky based villains you would obviously get something involving airplanes, but from the early action sequence I got heavy Sharknado 2 vibes. I don't want to ruin this bit for you so I'll just say that it's got the requisite amount of scientific impossibilities and graphic violence.
The CGI is a little hit and miss, the sharks are pretty good and I'm convinced have sneaky smiles on their faces, but the zombie aspects are a little ropey whenever they pop up.
When it comes to acting the cast deliver exactly what you'd expect from this sort of film, over the top when needed, dramatic in both serious and ridiculous ways, and I really hope that some of the female cast were appropriately compensated from some of their truly over the top scenes. You expect nudity because that's what these things do, but my goodness did they go to town with it.
Nazi scientists with extraordinary plans is a great storyline, you can take it in so many directions. I can't help but feel that Sky Sharks suffers from over complications. Discovery, accidental release followed by solution... that simple formula is cluttered with a lot of back story that could easily be cut back and made easier to follow, a fair amount seemed to have no purpose.
Even with all of this it's still something daft to enjoy, probably when drunk. I'm not sure if it's for zombie fans or shark fans, it doesn't quite fit in either classification properly but for those who want to free their brains from thinking then it's probably going to work for that.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/08/sky-sharks-movie-review.html
A team of arctic explorers uncover an old Nazi lab that was developing ways to help them conquer the world. The team unwittingly let loose their two most powerful experiments that unleashes a swarm of flying sharks flown by unstoppable pilots.
Despite this having the word "sharks" in the title (and my love of shark films) I do have to be a buzzkill and say that this is not a shark film. I'd happily categorise it in zombie film territory, but the quality is way too good for this to be classified as a shark film. I don't want to take away from these fantastic flying finned devils though, they're brilliant and super happy looking.
It has the ridiculous ideas that make for an entertaining watch. but I can't help but think that a good budget actually had a negative effect. Once you get to a certain level of production value it goes against the nature of the story and "traditions".
With sky based villains you would obviously get something involving airplanes, but from the early action sequence I got heavy Sharknado 2 vibes. I don't want to ruin this bit for you so I'll just say that it's got the requisite amount of scientific impossibilities and graphic violence.
The CGI is a little hit and miss, the sharks are pretty good and I'm convinced have sneaky smiles on their faces, but the zombie aspects are a little ropey whenever they pop up.
When it comes to acting the cast deliver exactly what you'd expect from this sort of film, over the top when needed, dramatic in both serious and ridiculous ways, and I really hope that some of the female cast were appropriately compensated from some of their truly over the top scenes. You expect nudity because that's what these things do, but my goodness did they go to town with it.
Nazi scientists with extraordinary plans is a great storyline, you can take it in so many directions. I can't help but feel that Sky Sharks suffers from over complications. Discovery, accidental release followed by solution... that simple formula is cluttered with a lot of back story that could easily be cut back and made easier to follow, a fair amount seemed to have no purpose.
Even with all of this it's still something daft to enjoy, probably when drunk. I'm not sure if it's for zombie fans or shark fans, it doesn't quite fit in either classification properly but for those who want to free their brains from thinking then it's probably going to work for that.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/08/sky-sharks-movie-review.html
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated The Die of Death in Books
Oct 2, 2020
The Die of Death is the second book from The Great Devil War Series, written by Kenneth B. Andersen. If you have read my review of the first book, The Devil’s Apprentice, you would be familiar with Philip.
Philip is a good boy, but he ends up in Hell by mistake. And on top of that, he is chosen to be the Devil’s Apprentice. Even though he’s always be good, he is not good at being bad. A danger occurs in Hell and the Devil is dying. When Philip solves the mystery, he returns on Earth to continue his normal life.
But when the future of the underworld is threatened once again, they need Philip’s help. Death’s Die has been stolen, the one that decides when each person is going to die. Because of that, immortality is now spreading. Philip goes back to hell to solve the mystery, but during his adventures he discovers some horrible truths…
I really have no clue why it took me quite a long time to get to the second book, but I am so happy that I finally got to read it, and endeavour this story.
It is so unique and I am in love!
The chapters just flow through – even better than the first book – and within minutes you are captured in this world, full of good and evil, or decisions being made that question your moral time and time again, in a very understandable way for young adults as well.
The story of the Die of Death, and the scenes related to it were my favourite. I love what Kenneth created, and how Death rolls a dice at the beginning of each life, that determines how many years each person gets to live. I loved how everyone had their own hourglasses and the mysterious snake that guards them.
We get to see the Purgatory in this book too. Only for a moment, but it was wonderful to read about it. It reminded me so much of Dante’s inferno, and I loved it! There was also the theory of reincarnation, told by a dog – a scene that was quite powerful! We even got a glimpse of Heavan, a few mentions here and there, that made me want to know more.
I like Philip as a character, but Satina was my hero! She has the best comment on everything, and they make such a good team with Philip. Also – did you know Hell has its own newspaper? It’s called Hell Times! So cool!
I loved this book. I cherish it. And I can’t wait to see what happens next and I highly recommend it to you – especially this month, as it’s Spooky October already!
Philip is a good boy, but he ends up in Hell by mistake. And on top of that, he is chosen to be the Devil’s Apprentice. Even though he’s always be good, he is not good at being bad. A danger occurs in Hell and the Devil is dying. When Philip solves the mystery, he returns on Earth to continue his normal life.
But when the future of the underworld is threatened once again, they need Philip’s help. Death’s Die has been stolen, the one that decides when each person is going to die. Because of that, immortality is now spreading. Philip goes back to hell to solve the mystery, but during his adventures he discovers some horrible truths…
I really have no clue why it took me quite a long time to get to the second book, but I am so happy that I finally got to read it, and endeavour this story.
It is so unique and I am in love!
The chapters just flow through – even better than the first book – and within minutes you are captured in this world, full of good and evil, or decisions being made that question your moral time and time again, in a very understandable way for young adults as well.
The story of the Die of Death, and the scenes related to it were my favourite. I love what Kenneth created, and how Death rolls a dice at the beginning of each life, that determines how many years each person gets to live. I loved how everyone had their own hourglasses and the mysterious snake that guards them.
We get to see the Purgatory in this book too. Only for a moment, but it was wonderful to read about it. It reminded me so much of Dante’s inferno, and I loved it! There was also the theory of reincarnation, told by a dog – a scene that was quite powerful! We even got a glimpse of Heavan, a few mentions here and there, that made me want to know more.
I like Philip as a character, but Satina was my hero! She has the best comment on everything, and they make such a good team with Philip. Also – did you know Hell has its own newspaper? It’s called Hell Times! So cool!
I loved this book. I cherish it. And I can’t wait to see what happens next and I highly recommend it to you – especially this month, as it’s Spooky October already!
Kyera (8 KP) rated A Court of Thorns and Roses in Books
Jan 31, 2018
After reading the Throne of Glass series, I didn't think that I could love SJM's next series as much. How could it compare? It doesn't, but not in a bad way. While it's also a book about the Fae, a Court of Thorns and Roses is set in an entirely different world with its own set of unique characters. It is also vaguely a retelling, or reimagining, of the Beauty and the Beast fairytale, which I loved. The human and Fae worlds are separated by an invisible wall and a Treaty that was crafted after a brutal war which took place 500 years earlier.
We are first introduced to Feyre, a girl who tries to take care of her family as best she can despite being the youngest. It is on one of her trip into the forest to feed her family when she stumbles across the path of a wolf whilst hunting a deer. After shooting and killing both animals, she skins the wolf and carries the deer home for food. Unfortunately for her, the wolf was actually a Fae male and her actions force her to make a choice. Either be killed or live forevermore in the Fae realm.
It is not much of a choice and Feyre chooses to go with Tamlin to his estate in Prythian, the land of the Fae. Tamlin, she later discovers is not only a High Fae, but the Lord of the Spring Court and much more powerful than she realized. He is joined by Lucien, another High Fae who is originally from the Autumn Court and not much else besides a few workers. The large estate seems empty and a little bit sad.
As one can expect from a Beauty and the Beast retelling, the girl must fall in love with the shapeshifting Fae beast to break a curse. the curse is not known to the reader or Feyre until the end of the book. She must fight to prove her love under the most harrowing of situations and trials.
A must read, especially if you wish to find out what happens. Highly recommended for teen/young adult readers who like fantasy, supernatural creatures and magic. The world building is amazing, the magic is awe inspiring and the lands are populated by a variety of characters from the heroes to the villains, the cowards, the friends and the just plain misunderstood.
Reread Feelings:
Slight spoiler warning for ACOTAR and ACOWAR.
A second read-through of a Court of Thornes and Roses let me to notice a lot more details that I had missed during my first introduction to the world. The inspiration that the novel drew from Beauty and the Beast was also more prevalent than I had realized. Her family life and desire to protect those she loves is directly pulled and inspired by the original novel. Tamlin’s beast form and temper are also reminiscent of the Beast in the story.
Knowing how the book ends and what happens in ACOMAF, you can more clearly see the actions and personality of Tamlin. He is very protective of Feyre and a little bit controlling, but without any direct threat to her life it is not as apparent. The events that occurred Under the Mountain pushed him over the edge and turned that protectiveness dark. It became corrupted and too strong to be overlooked. He also has an explosive temper and anger, but you see it less frequently as the book goes on. That doesn’t mean it goes away, so his personality in the second book is not as surprising as I thought it was my first time reading the series. It still like him in this series, but I don’t love him as much as I did during the first read through.
The incredible world of Prythian is just so packed with different faeries, Courts, and intense story that you can’t focus on everything the first time you read it. You discover more magic the second, or third, time you read through the book because you know the story and can now also focus on the read of the world building and character development. To me, that is fantastic writing when you can always discover something new hidden in a book you love.
I fell in love with the series even more on the second read-through, especially Rhysand. You truly appreciate just how much he did for Feyre, not just healing her arm when she was on death’s door but mentally and emotionally supporting her when she was ready to give up. He puts on a dark front, but his every action belies his true feelings. Rhys lies to Amarantha about the identity of Tamlin’s human love, even though it could mean his end and his people’s if she discovers the truth. On multiple occasions, he plays the bad guy to maintain a façade but secretly does good. I appreciated and recognized his acts a lot more the second time reading, and it made me fall in love with his character even more.
Even though I know what happens in the book, the emotions are still so prevalent. You ride the story’s highs and lows, feel yourself filling with light when there is goodness, and fear for the dark. I can’t even describe my feelings. I was walking around my room reading the final pages as Feyre is being hurt – and someone calls out her name. I just sort of collapsed to the ground, with my hand on my heart and my feelings bursting from my chest about that particular Fae male. You could almost hear the pain and horror in his voice as he cried out for her, and it destroyed me. The final moments of the book were so beautiful and made me a little teary.
We are first introduced to Feyre, a girl who tries to take care of her family as best she can despite being the youngest. It is on one of her trip into the forest to feed her family when she stumbles across the path of a wolf whilst hunting a deer. After shooting and killing both animals, she skins the wolf and carries the deer home for food. Unfortunately for her, the wolf was actually a Fae male and her actions force her to make a choice. Either be killed or live forevermore in the Fae realm.
It is not much of a choice and Feyre chooses to go with Tamlin to his estate in Prythian, the land of the Fae. Tamlin, she later discovers is not only a High Fae, but the Lord of the Spring Court and much more powerful than she realized. He is joined by Lucien, another High Fae who is originally from the Autumn Court and not much else besides a few workers. The large estate seems empty and a little bit sad.
As one can expect from a Beauty and the Beast retelling, the girl must fall in love with the shapeshifting Fae beast to break a curse. the curse is not known to the reader or Feyre until the end of the book. She must fight to prove her love under the most harrowing of situations and trials.
A must read, especially if you wish to find out what happens. Highly recommended for teen/young adult readers who like fantasy, supernatural creatures and magic. The world building is amazing, the magic is awe inspiring and the lands are populated by a variety of characters from the heroes to the villains, the cowards, the friends and the just plain misunderstood.
Reread Feelings:
Slight spoiler warning for ACOTAR and ACOWAR.
A second read-through of a Court of Thornes and Roses let me to notice a lot more details that I had missed during my first introduction to the world. The inspiration that the novel drew from Beauty and the Beast was also more prevalent than I had realized. Her family life and desire to protect those she loves is directly pulled and inspired by the original novel. Tamlin’s beast form and temper are also reminiscent of the Beast in the story.
Knowing how the book ends and what happens in ACOMAF, you can more clearly see the actions and personality of Tamlin. He is very protective of Feyre and a little bit controlling, but without any direct threat to her life it is not as apparent. The events that occurred Under the Mountain pushed him over the edge and turned that protectiveness dark. It became corrupted and too strong to be overlooked. He also has an explosive temper and anger, but you see it less frequently as the book goes on. That doesn’t mean it goes away, so his personality in the second book is not as surprising as I thought it was my first time reading the series. It still like him in this series, but I don’t love him as much as I did during the first read through.
The incredible world of Prythian is just so packed with different faeries, Courts, and intense story that you can’t focus on everything the first time you read it. You discover more magic the second, or third, time you read through the book because you know the story and can now also focus on the read of the world building and character development. To me, that is fantastic writing when you can always discover something new hidden in a book you love.
I fell in love with the series even more on the second read-through, especially Rhysand. You truly appreciate just how much he did for Feyre, not just healing her arm when she was on death’s door but mentally and emotionally supporting her when she was ready to give up. He puts on a dark front, but his every action belies his true feelings. Rhys lies to Amarantha about the identity of Tamlin’s human love, even though it could mean his end and his people’s if she discovers the truth. On multiple occasions, he plays the bad guy to maintain a façade but secretly does good. I appreciated and recognized his acts a lot more the second time reading, and it made me fall in love with his character even more.
Even though I know what happens in the book, the emotions are still so prevalent. You ride the story’s highs and lows, feel yourself filling with light when there is goodness, and fear for the dark. I can’t even describe my feelings. I was walking around my room reading the final pages as Feyre is being hurt – and someone calls out her name. I just sort of collapsed to the ground, with my hand on my heart and my feelings bursting from my chest about that particular Fae male. You could almost hear the pain and horror in his voice as he cried out for her, and it destroyed me. The final moments of the book were so beautiful and made me a little teary.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Fantasy Ranch in Tabletop Games
Jun 12, 2019 (Updated Jun 12, 2019)
Little known fact: my family used to be involved with local harness racing and horse training. Not much actually rubbed off on me, personally, but I do remember going to the stables to visit with the horses, and I was even allowed to ride the stable goat since I wasn’t yet big enough to get on the horses. Ahh, memories. So when I heard that a game existed with a horse ranching theme, I just HAD to get it to the table. Is it a good game though? Let’s find out! (spoilers: IT’S EXCELLENT!)
DISCLAIMER: The game comes with three modes of difficulty AND an included children’s game that also can be played on three modes of difficulty. For this review we are concentrating only on adult mode two. We felt mode one was too introductory, but we did not want to go all in right away on mode three. -T
As with most board games, you are trying to amass trophies (VP) and the winner at the end of five rounds is the rancher with the most trophies. On your turn you can take one Limited (standard) Action and as many Free Actions as you would like. Limited Actions include: buy a horse, buy a location on your ranch board, or farm your ranch for goods. Free Actions include: sell a horse, move horses to/from your home area to/from a different area on your ranch board, or trade goods at a 2:1 ratio. Once every player has taken their turn, you enter a show using the horses you have collected.
Buying a horse requires different amounts of food (in carrots) that you gain from different actions (farming your ranch, selling a horse). Luckily, spending food is a one-time action and you don’t have to feed your horses every turn. A great improvement over other “feed your villagers” games, in my opinion – yeah, I said it. Buying a location on your ranch board/playmat requires “tack,” which is symbolized by boot tokens (as seen below). You can always get more food and tack by farming your ranch, and you receive six goods of any combination, but that’s a Limited Action and prevents you from doing the other actions.
Selling a horse is easy, yet the separation anxiety is real, as you simply discard the horse for the amount of food it costs to purchase. Moving horses is easy too – your Home area of your ranch/playmat can only hold so many horses, so you will need to move horses of certain types to unlocked (purchased) matching areas on your ranch. This is important, as you cannot keep buying red horses or you will certainly run out of room for them, even if you unlock the red area on your ranch board. Plus unlocking sections of your ranch provides you with trophies at game end. The last free action is trading goods, which you do at a 2:1 ratio. So trade in two food for a tack or vice versa.
At shows you use horses for their specific specialty skills plus a die roll. Each horse has specialty in one area, and some skill in other areas. The number associated with a skill icon indicates the starting skill “strength” that you will add to your die roll. You roll all three dice of your color, take the highest result from the roll, and add the skill strength of the horse skill. That’s your score for the show. The highest number is awarded 1st place and the rewards printed, and so on and so forth for the other placing horses. This could result in more food or tack, or even your choice of horses for free from the sales barn.
On the very last turn of the game you will compete in three shows (instead of the normal two shows at the end of each turn) and can only use World Class horses, or buy your way into the show with food. The show process is the same, but it is the final push to earn as many trophies as possible before game end. And that’s it!
Components: This game is FULL of components. It’s a pretty stocked and heavy box, but still only the size of a Ticket to Ride box. The playmats, game boards, and cardboard chits are all of really great quality. The cards are great quality as well with photos of real existing horses (as well as the photos of real existing ranches on the giant ranch cards that are essentially beautiful player reference cards and resource holders). The best components of the game are the super cute little horeeples (oh no, that can’t possibly be correct). Horse-meeples. They come in different colors to match the areas on your ranch that you need to unlock and move them into so you don’t overcrowd your Home area. Even though my copy came with a green horse who lost his front legs, we know that he competes hard and lives his best life. The art is really really great and, though busy on the board at times, the game looks really good on the table. No qualms with the components on this one at all.
Here’s what I really like about this one. It’s a euro through and through, but it’s a euro that is actually exciting, with a unique theme, and one that I genuinely cannot wait to play again. I want to try mode three as soon as I can, and I really want to introduce my son to the game as soon as he is able to handle it. I am finding it really really hard to think of a game that comes ready to play three ways for adults, has components included to play the game three ways with children, and is actually super fun. I can’t think of any. This game is truly in a class by itself.
I love that no matter how tactical you play or how strategic you want to make it, sometimes the dice love/hate you and it could make all the difference. As you can see in the scores, we all love it (with the exception of my cousin Tony who rated it a three because of the dice – WHICH is odd because it is his father that was the harness racing jockey of the family). This review would have been live a week ago, but immediately after playing last weekend Josh said he would like to bring it home to play with his family. His wife is from Kentucky, and they kinda like horses and horse racing there. Well, his wife and son also rated this game out of 6. His wife gave Fantasy Ranch a 15 and his son rated it a 16. As that completely throws off my rating scale I did not add them, but as you can see we at Purple Phoenix Games give this one a very boot-kickin’ 19 / 24. If only we hadn’t invited Tony over to destroy the scores… We highly recommend you check this winner out. Seriously, it’s great.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/06/04/fantasy-ranch-review/
DISCLAIMER: The game comes with three modes of difficulty AND an included children’s game that also can be played on three modes of difficulty. For this review we are concentrating only on adult mode two. We felt mode one was too introductory, but we did not want to go all in right away on mode three. -T
As with most board games, you are trying to amass trophies (VP) and the winner at the end of five rounds is the rancher with the most trophies. On your turn you can take one Limited (standard) Action and as many Free Actions as you would like. Limited Actions include: buy a horse, buy a location on your ranch board, or farm your ranch for goods. Free Actions include: sell a horse, move horses to/from your home area to/from a different area on your ranch board, or trade goods at a 2:1 ratio. Once every player has taken their turn, you enter a show using the horses you have collected.
Buying a horse requires different amounts of food (in carrots) that you gain from different actions (farming your ranch, selling a horse). Luckily, spending food is a one-time action and you don’t have to feed your horses every turn. A great improvement over other “feed your villagers” games, in my opinion – yeah, I said it. Buying a location on your ranch board/playmat requires “tack,” which is symbolized by boot tokens (as seen below). You can always get more food and tack by farming your ranch, and you receive six goods of any combination, but that’s a Limited Action and prevents you from doing the other actions.
Selling a horse is easy, yet the separation anxiety is real, as you simply discard the horse for the amount of food it costs to purchase. Moving horses is easy too – your Home area of your ranch/playmat can only hold so many horses, so you will need to move horses of certain types to unlocked (purchased) matching areas on your ranch. This is important, as you cannot keep buying red horses or you will certainly run out of room for them, even if you unlock the red area on your ranch board. Plus unlocking sections of your ranch provides you with trophies at game end. The last free action is trading goods, which you do at a 2:1 ratio. So trade in two food for a tack or vice versa.
At shows you use horses for their specific specialty skills plus a die roll. Each horse has specialty in one area, and some skill in other areas. The number associated with a skill icon indicates the starting skill “strength” that you will add to your die roll. You roll all three dice of your color, take the highest result from the roll, and add the skill strength of the horse skill. That’s your score for the show. The highest number is awarded 1st place and the rewards printed, and so on and so forth for the other placing horses. This could result in more food or tack, or even your choice of horses for free from the sales barn.
On the very last turn of the game you will compete in three shows (instead of the normal two shows at the end of each turn) and can only use World Class horses, or buy your way into the show with food. The show process is the same, but it is the final push to earn as many trophies as possible before game end. And that’s it!
Components: This game is FULL of components. It’s a pretty stocked and heavy box, but still only the size of a Ticket to Ride box. The playmats, game boards, and cardboard chits are all of really great quality. The cards are great quality as well with photos of real existing horses (as well as the photos of real existing ranches on the giant ranch cards that are essentially beautiful player reference cards and resource holders). The best components of the game are the super cute little horeeples (oh no, that can’t possibly be correct). Horse-meeples. They come in different colors to match the areas on your ranch that you need to unlock and move them into so you don’t overcrowd your Home area. Even though my copy came with a green horse who lost his front legs, we know that he competes hard and lives his best life. The art is really really great and, though busy on the board at times, the game looks really good on the table. No qualms with the components on this one at all.
Here’s what I really like about this one. It’s a euro through and through, but it’s a euro that is actually exciting, with a unique theme, and one that I genuinely cannot wait to play again. I want to try mode three as soon as I can, and I really want to introduce my son to the game as soon as he is able to handle it. I am finding it really really hard to think of a game that comes ready to play three ways for adults, has components included to play the game three ways with children, and is actually super fun. I can’t think of any. This game is truly in a class by itself.
I love that no matter how tactical you play or how strategic you want to make it, sometimes the dice love/hate you and it could make all the difference. As you can see in the scores, we all love it (with the exception of my cousin Tony who rated it a three because of the dice – WHICH is odd because it is his father that was the harness racing jockey of the family). This review would have been live a week ago, but immediately after playing last weekend Josh said he would like to bring it home to play with his family. His wife is from Kentucky, and they kinda like horses and horse racing there. Well, his wife and son also rated this game out of 6. His wife gave Fantasy Ranch a 15 and his son rated it a 16. As that completely throws off my rating scale I did not add them, but as you can see we at Purple Phoenix Games give this one a very boot-kickin’ 19 / 24. If only we hadn’t invited Tony over to destroy the scores… We highly recommend you check this winner out. Seriously, it’s great.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/06/04/fantasy-ranch-review/
A Chakra Meditation by Glenn Harrold
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A Chakra Meditation is a superb high quality hypnotherapy App by the multi-million selling...
Showa Candy Shop 2
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9.0
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Back by popular demand! The sequel to Showa Candy Shop! Experience nostalgia with a Japanese twist...
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated The Leveller (The Leveller, #1) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<b>I really enjoyed <i>The Leveller</i> on two things: the concept and the writing.</b> But of course, the concept is why I actually read many books. Whether it's good or bad, I have no clue until I actually crack open the book and actually read it.
In a virtual reality gaming world called MEEP, Nixy Bauer helps parents get their wayward kids back from spending too much time in the MEEP quickly and efficiently. Soon enough, she gets a job from the developer and founder of MEEP himself, whose only son has disappeared in the gaming world for several days, leaving behind a suicide note and world filled with horrifying challenges.
I will fully admit <b>I'm a huge fan of technology and cool gadgets</b>, and I honestly loved the technology <i>The Leveller</i> uses. It's <b>quite similar to <i><a title="Grid Seekers by Logan Byrne" href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/2015/07/dnf-review-grid-seekers-by-logan-byrne/"; target="_blank" rel="noopener">Grid Seekers</a></i> but in a gaming direction rather than an everyday-use direction.</b> Durango explains MEEP simply and straightforward: it's a virtual reality where players can create their own worlds with their minds. Like any game, there are little cheats and codes. <b>Durango's explanation of how MEEP works isn't <a title="A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray" href="http://www.bookwyrmingthoughts.com/audiobook-review-a-thousand-pieces-of-you-by-claudia-gray"; target="_blank" rel="noopener">written in a complicated and really scientific way</a></b> helpful for all of us who haven't actually taken physics (or ever will/did).
I am, however, still confused. <b>What is the Black, and what is levelling? I have an idea, but I think I want an official definition of what the Black is, and what levelling is.</b> Especially on levelling, because <b>if I formulate my own definition, I'm pretty sure I'll butcher it</b> and Durango will facepalm.
<b>Her writing is also quite entertaining</b> it's fun, but it has puns in there that are sometimes so bad (read: common), it's good. There's <b>not really a dull moment</b> in <i>The Leveller</i>. It's not completely action, action, action, but I just like Durango's writing (then again, <a title="Released by Megan Duncan" href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/dnf-review-released-by-megan-duncan/"; target="_blank" rel="noopener">nonstop action can totally backfire</a> unless you have breathers. You'll have to be like <a title="Killer of Enemies by Joseph Bruchac" href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-killer-of-enemies-by-joseph-bruchac/"; target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joseph Bruchac</a>.).
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="http://bookwyrmingthoughts.bookblog.io/wp-content/uploads/sites/317/2015/07/giphy28129.gif"; border="0" /></div>
<b>But the names. I'm quite horrified.</b> It might be as bad as making <a title="Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay" href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-princess-of-thorns-by-stacey-jay/"; target="_blank" rel="noopener">a sad effort of being creative by drawing out letters</a> (except that one you could literally tell it was a sad effort).
<b>What kind of name is MEEP?</b> MeaParadisus isn't exactly complicated (though it's a mouthful), but <b>while MEEP sounds all adorable, it just... doesn't sound like something you would name a virtual reality gaming world unless there's a really cute world. I'm expecting chibi people now.</b>
<b>Nixy. Why Nixy?</b> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1251670967?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1"; target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Contrary to what Ella thinks (she thinks it's lizard-like)</a>, <b>Nixy sounds like Trixie.</b> What does Trixie sound like? A cute dog name that does cute tricks. Oh, and that dog had better be oozing in cuteness.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="http://bookwyrmingthoughts.bookblog.io/wp-content/uploads/sites/317/2015/07/giphy.gif"; width="320" height="179" border="0" /></div>
There are <b>so many nicknames used here by Durango I swear I need a notebook to keep track of who's who at this rate.</b> I mean, there's Nixy, Moose, Chang, Mama Beti, etc. Since <i>The Leveller</i> is the first in a series, <b>there are bound to be more nicknames in the future</b> as Durango introduces us to more characters. I'll have to <b>keep track what's not a nickname, what's a nickname and who it belongs to, blah blah blah.</b>
<b>The ending was a bit of a downfall.</b> It wouldn't be a downfall if I didn't read this in one day, but <b>Durango throws in hints early on in the book that she uses in the end.</b> Everything was going pretty well, but how the story plays out in the very end is <b>predictable if you pay an ounce of attention.</b> How the second book will play out, on the other hand, isn't too predictable yet. <i>The Leveller</i> ends on a solid note, so I'm looking forward to what Durango actually comes up with in the sequel.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-the-leveller-by-julia-durango/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
In a virtual reality gaming world called MEEP, Nixy Bauer helps parents get their wayward kids back from spending too much time in the MEEP quickly and efficiently. Soon enough, she gets a job from the developer and founder of MEEP himself, whose only son has disappeared in the gaming world for several days, leaving behind a suicide note and world filled with horrifying challenges.
I will fully admit <b>I'm a huge fan of technology and cool gadgets</b>, and I honestly loved the technology <i>The Leveller</i> uses. It's <b>quite similar to <i><a title="Grid Seekers by Logan Byrne" href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/2015/07/dnf-review-grid-seekers-by-logan-byrne/"; target="_blank" rel="noopener">Grid Seekers</a></i> but in a gaming direction rather than an everyday-use direction.</b> Durango explains MEEP simply and straightforward: it's a virtual reality where players can create their own worlds with their minds. Like any game, there are little cheats and codes. <b>Durango's explanation of how MEEP works isn't <a title="A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray" href="http://www.bookwyrmingthoughts.com/audiobook-review-a-thousand-pieces-of-you-by-claudia-gray"; target="_blank" rel="noopener">written in a complicated and really scientific way</a></b> helpful for all of us who haven't actually taken physics (or ever will/did).
I am, however, still confused. <b>What is the Black, and what is levelling? I have an idea, but I think I want an official definition of what the Black is, and what levelling is.</b> Especially on levelling, because <b>if I formulate my own definition, I'm pretty sure I'll butcher it</b> and Durango will facepalm.
<b>Her writing is also quite entertaining</b> it's fun, but it has puns in there that are sometimes so bad (read: common), it's good. There's <b>not really a dull moment</b> in <i>The Leveller</i>. It's not completely action, action, action, but I just like Durango's writing (then again, <a title="Released by Megan Duncan" href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/dnf-review-released-by-megan-duncan/"; target="_blank" rel="noopener">nonstop action can totally backfire</a> unless you have breathers. You'll have to be like <a title="Killer of Enemies by Joseph Bruchac" href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-killer-of-enemies-by-joseph-bruchac/"; target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joseph Bruchac</a>.).
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="http://bookwyrmingthoughts.bookblog.io/wp-content/uploads/sites/317/2015/07/giphy28129.gif"; border="0" /></div>
<b>But the names. I'm quite horrified.</b> It might be as bad as making <a title="Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay" href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-princess-of-thorns-by-stacey-jay/"; target="_blank" rel="noopener">a sad effort of being creative by drawing out letters</a> (except that one you could literally tell it was a sad effort).
<b>What kind of name is MEEP?</b> MeaParadisus isn't exactly complicated (though it's a mouthful), but <b>while MEEP sounds all adorable, it just... doesn't sound like something you would name a virtual reality gaming world unless there's a really cute world. I'm expecting chibi people now.</b>
<b>Nixy. Why Nixy?</b> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1251670967?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1"; target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Contrary to what Ella thinks (she thinks it's lizard-like)</a>, <b>Nixy sounds like Trixie.</b> What does Trixie sound like? A cute dog name that does cute tricks. Oh, and that dog had better be oozing in cuteness.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="http://bookwyrmingthoughts.bookblog.io/wp-content/uploads/sites/317/2015/07/giphy.gif"; width="320" height="179" border="0" /></div>
There are <b>so many nicknames used here by Durango I swear I need a notebook to keep track of who's who at this rate.</b> I mean, there's Nixy, Moose, Chang, Mama Beti, etc. Since <i>The Leveller</i> is the first in a series, <b>there are bound to be more nicknames in the future</b> as Durango introduces us to more characters. I'll have to <b>keep track what's not a nickname, what's a nickname and who it belongs to, blah blah blah.</b>
<b>The ending was a bit of a downfall.</b> It wouldn't be a downfall if I didn't read this in one day, but <b>Durango throws in hints early on in the book that she uses in the end.</b> Everything was going pretty well, but how the story plays out in the very end is <b>predictable if you pay an ounce of attention.</b> How the second book will play out, on the other hand, isn't too predictable yet. <i>The Leveller</i> ends on a solid note, so I'm looking forward to what Durango actually comes up with in the sequel.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-the-leveller-by-julia-durango/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Deep Blue in Tabletop Games
Mar 17, 2022
A couple of months ago, Travis was in town, so he and I went over to Josh’s place to get a day of gaming in. It was an awesome time to play together, and to get to experience some new games for each of us. While we were there, we got to talking about some of the games in Josh’s collection, and he pulled out Deep Blue. He’d had it for a while, but had since gotten another game that he felt did the same things but better. So he asked if either of us wanted to take it off his hands. I said sure, as I’d never played the game before. Now that it’s a part of my collection, is it going to stay there? Or will my feelings mirror Josh’s with regards to the gameplay?
Deep Blue is a nautical game for 2-5 players of deck building, hand management, and a bit of push your luck. In it, players take on the roles ship Captains who are racing to collect treasures from undersea wrecks. Players will be hiring Crew members, sailing across the sea, and sending divers down to wrecks to salvage any valuables. The race is on, though, because you are not the only Captain on this treasure hunt… Throughout the game, players will stumble across 4 Wrecks that make up a Sunken City. Once all 4 areas of the Sunken City have been discovered and searched, the game ends. The player who earns the most VP from their collected treasures by the end of the game is declared the winner!
To setup for a game, follow the instructions in the rulebook – there are simply too many to detail here. The basic gist of setup is to create a market of Crew cards, shuffle and randomly distribute Wreck tiles across the board, and create a Gem pool. Each player will receive a player mat and starting cards in their chosen color, as well as 2 ships to be placed on the starting space of the board. Players will also get a treasure chest, in which they will keep their VP throughout the game. Set the Dive Site board, Gem bag, and VP tokens off to the side. Select a starting player, deal out starting tokens accordingly, and the game is ready to begin! Pictured below is the setup for a 3-player game.
On your turn, you will take one of four possible actions: Recruit a Crew Member, Sail, Rest, or Dive. Throughout the game you will be building your personal deck by Recruiting Crew Members. These new Crew offer unique abilities and scoring powers to be used during Dives. In order to recruit a Crew Member, you must pay the corresponding cost listed by its location in the market. To do so, you will play cards from your hand with $ symbols that equal the required cost. Once you play a card from your hand, it goes facedown onto the Rest area of your player mat. Take the Crew Member you just hired directly into your hand, and move the Market cards down to fill in the empty space, drawing a new card for the final slot. If you choose to Sail, you will play a number of cards from your hand with the Propeller icon. The number of icons dictates how many spaces you may sail. You can use all of your movement on one of your ships, or you can break movement across both ships. If you end a move on a face-up Wreck tile, you will ‘anchor’ your boat to one of the open scouting spots. These scouting spots offer special scoring benefits during the Dive on this tile. If you end movement on a face-down Wreck tile, first you will flip it face-up, and then anchor your boat. When landing on a buoy or an empty dive site, nothing happens.
On any turn, you may instead choose to Rest. To perform this action, you will shuffle all cards that reside on the Rest area of your player mat, and then draw only the 3 topmost cards into your hand. This is the action that allows you to refresh your hand, as you play more cards and your hand starts to dwindle. The final action choice is to Dive. This action is the crux of the game. When you have a boat on a Wreck tile, you may choose to start a Dive. The first step is to declare your Dive – decide which Wreck to Dive if your boats are on different Wreck tiles. Before the Dive begins, any opponents who have boats on adjacent Wreck tiles may move their boats to your Wreck in hopes of also profiting from the Dive. When all eligible boats have been moved to the Wreck, you will then officially begin the Dive. Take the Gem bag and Dive Site board. You will then draw Gems out of the bag, one-by-one, resolving them as necessary. Red, Gold, Silver, Green, and Purple gems are treasures, and can earn you VP. Blue and Black gems are Hazards that must be defended against in order to continue the Dive.
After a Gem is drawn and placed on the Dive Site board, players may choose to play a Crew Member to increase their VP earned. For example, one card allows you to earn 8 VP for a Green gem, instead of 0. To defend against hazards, players may play Crew from their hands who have the ability to negate the hazard, or may use the special ability of their scouting spot on the Wreck tile. If you are unable to defend against a hazard, you are forced to resurface and leave the Dive. The Dive continues in this fashion, until either the active player decides to end the Dive, or when they no longer have the ability to defend against hazards. Any players who still have boats at the Dive Site will collect VP from Crew cards they played, as well as a base amount of VP for the different Gems that were drawn. Once a Dive has been performed at a Wreck, that tile is removed from the game, leaving an empty dive site behind. If players have performed a Dive at one of the 4 Sunken City tiles, it is removed from the board, but placed on its corresponding space in the corner of the board. After all 4 Sunken City tiles have been moved to the corner of the board, the game immediately ends. Players will count up all the VP collected throughout the game, and the player with the highest score is declared the winner!
So how do I feel about Deep Blue overall? I would have to say that it’s fine. Just fine. There are some elements that I really enjoy, but others that kind of frustrate me. What I enjoy – the bits of strategy involved, and the awesome components. What I don’t enjoy – the pacing of the game and the imbalance of actions. To touch on the pros first, this game does require some strategy. You have to decide where to Sail, which Crew to recruit, which Crew to play and when to play them, etc. VP are earned by participating in Dives, so you want to make sure you can be at as many Dives as possible. That means keeping ships close to opponents to profit from any dives they may choose to initiate. Another interesting strategic element is the Rest action. You shuffle your discard pile, but then only draw the 3 topmost cards into your hand. You might not always draw what you were wanting, but you are always allowed to take a Rest action, regardless of how many cards are in your discard. There is no hand limit in this game, so do you rest every other turn to ensure you have almost all cards in your hand? Or do you dwindle your hand down in order to perform other actions instead? It’s all about your strategy, and you never quite know what your opponents are trying to do.
Now for the cons. The pacing of the gameplay feels really slow to me. You are only allowed to perform 1 action per turn, so it seems like the game takes a while to really get going. At first, everyone is going to be wanting to Sail, as all players start in the same starting area of the board. You want to get your ships out there ASAP. But then you run out of cards, so you have to take a turn to Rest and get those cards back. You’re taking a bunch of little turns to accomplish any one bigger thing, and that bogs down the gameplay for me. If you were able to perform 2 actions per turn, that would probably alleviate some of this frustration, as it would allow you to progress more quickly than by taking only a single action. Another aspect I mentioned is the imbalance of actions. The Recruit, Sail, and Rest actions all feel to me like they are on the same level, but the Dive action is different. Which in and of itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But the process of the Dive action is vastly different than any of the other actions, to the point that it kind of feels like a different game to me. For half of the game, you’re playing this game of strategy, deck building, and optimizing placement across the board. But for the other half, it turns into a push-your-luck frenzy that seems disjointed from the rest of the game to me. No matter how strategic and careful you are with your actions, it ultimately comes down to the luck of the draw.
To touch on components for a minute – the production quality of this game is awesome. The board, Dive Site board, and VP tokens are nice chunky cardboard. The cards are colorful, have cool artwork, and are sturdy. And the treasure chests are awesome little plastic chests that definitely are holding up well. The Wreck tiles are big and thick, the Gems are cute, and the ships are fun to play with. So overall, this game is made very well.
You can probably tell by now that I have mixed feelings about Deep Blue. There are aspects that I like, but other aspects that negate some of those positive attributes. I was psyched for a cool nautical deck builder where I could really flex my strategy, but got more push-your-luck than I was anticipating. Deep Blue will probably stick around in my collection for the time being. But, like Josh, I will probably find something that gives me the same vibes but done better. It’s a game that I’ll pull out from time to time, but definitely not one that’s going to break into my Top 10. With that said, Purple Phoenix Games gives it a sunken 4 / 6.
Deep Blue is a nautical game for 2-5 players of deck building, hand management, and a bit of push your luck. In it, players take on the roles ship Captains who are racing to collect treasures from undersea wrecks. Players will be hiring Crew members, sailing across the sea, and sending divers down to wrecks to salvage any valuables. The race is on, though, because you are not the only Captain on this treasure hunt… Throughout the game, players will stumble across 4 Wrecks that make up a Sunken City. Once all 4 areas of the Sunken City have been discovered and searched, the game ends. The player who earns the most VP from their collected treasures by the end of the game is declared the winner!
To setup for a game, follow the instructions in the rulebook – there are simply too many to detail here. The basic gist of setup is to create a market of Crew cards, shuffle and randomly distribute Wreck tiles across the board, and create a Gem pool. Each player will receive a player mat and starting cards in their chosen color, as well as 2 ships to be placed on the starting space of the board. Players will also get a treasure chest, in which they will keep their VP throughout the game. Set the Dive Site board, Gem bag, and VP tokens off to the side. Select a starting player, deal out starting tokens accordingly, and the game is ready to begin! Pictured below is the setup for a 3-player game.
On your turn, you will take one of four possible actions: Recruit a Crew Member, Sail, Rest, or Dive. Throughout the game you will be building your personal deck by Recruiting Crew Members. These new Crew offer unique abilities and scoring powers to be used during Dives. In order to recruit a Crew Member, you must pay the corresponding cost listed by its location in the market. To do so, you will play cards from your hand with $ symbols that equal the required cost. Once you play a card from your hand, it goes facedown onto the Rest area of your player mat. Take the Crew Member you just hired directly into your hand, and move the Market cards down to fill in the empty space, drawing a new card for the final slot. If you choose to Sail, you will play a number of cards from your hand with the Propeller icon. The number of icons dictates how many spaces you may sail. You can use all of your movement on one of your ships, or you can break movement across both ships. If you end a move on a face-up Wreck tile, you will ‘anchor’ your boat to one of the open scouting spots. These scouting spots offer special scoring benefits during the Dive on this tile. If you end movement on a face-down Wreck tile, first you will flip it face-up, and then anchor your boat. When landing on a buoy or an empty dive site, nothing happens.
On any turn, you may instead choose to Rest. To perform this action, you will shuffle all cards that reside on the Rest area of your player mat, and then draw only the 3 topmost cards into your hand. This is the action that allows you to refresh your hand, as you play more cards and your hand starts to dwindle. The final action choice is to Dive. This action is the crux of the game. When you have a boat on a Wreck tile, you may choose to start a Dive. The first step is to declare your Dive – decide which Wreck to Dive if your boats are on different Wreck tiles. Before the Dive begins, any opponents who have boats on adjacent Wreck tiles may move their boats to your Wreck in hopes of also profiting from the Dive. When all eligible boats have been moved to the Wreck, you will then officially begin the Dive. Take the Gem bag and Dive Site board. You will then draw Gems out of the bag, one-by-one, resolving them as necessary. Red, Gold, Silver, Green, and Purple gems are treasures, and can earn you VP. Blue and Black gems are Hazards that must be defended against in order to continue the Dive.
After a Gem is drawn and placed on the Dive Site board, players may choose to play a Crew Member to increase their VP earned. For example, one card allows you to earn 8 VP for a Green gem, instead of 0. To defend against hazards, players may play Crew from their hands who have the ability to negate the hazard, or may use the special ability of their scouting spot on the Wreck tile. If you are unable to defend against a hazard, you are forced to resurface and leave the Dive. The Dive continues in this fashion, until either the active player decides to end the Dive, or when they no longer have the ability to defend against hazards. Any players who still have boats at the Dive Site will collect VP from Crew cards they played, as well as a base amount of VP for the different Gems that were drawn. Once a Dive has been performed at a Wreck, that tile is removed from the game, leaving an empty dive site behind. If players have performed a Dive at one of the 4 Sunken City tiles, it is removed from the board, but placed on its corresponding space in the corner of the board. After all 4 Sunken City tiles have been moved to the corner of the board, the game immediately ends. Players will count up all the VP collected throughout the game, and the player with the highest score is declared the winner!
So how do I feel about Deep Blue overall? I would have to say that it’s fine. Just fine. There are some elements that I really enjoy, but others that kind of frustrate me. What I enjoy – the bits of strategy involved, and the awesome components. What I don’t enjoy – the pacing of the game and the imbalance of actions. To touch on the pros first, this game does require some strategy. You have to decide where to Sail, which Crew to recruit, which Crew to play and when to play them, etc. VP are earned by participating in Dives, so you want to make sure you can be at as many Dives as possible. That means keeping ships close to opponents to profit from any dives they may choose to initiate. Another interesting strategic element is the Rest action. You shuffle your discard pile, but then only draw the 3 topmost cards into your hand. You might not always draw what you were wanting, but you are always allowed to take a Rest action, regardless of how many cards are in your discard. There is no hand limit in this game, so do you rest every other turn to ensure you have almost all cards in your hand? Or do you dwindle your hand down in order to perform other actions instead? It’s all about your strategy, and you never quite know what your opponents are trying to do.
Now for the cons. The pacing of the gameplay feels really slow to me. You are only allowed to perform 1 action per turn, so it seems like the game takes a while to really get going. At first, everyone is going to be wanting to Sail, as all players start in the same starting area of the board. You want to get your ships out there ASAP. But then you run out of cards, so you have to take a turn to Rest and get those cards back. You’re taking a bunch of little turns to accomplish any one bigger thing, and that bogs down the gameplay for me. If you were able to perform 2 actions per turn, that would probably alleviate some of this frustration, as it would allow you to progress more quickly than by taking only a single action. Another aspect I mentioned is the imbalance of actions. The Recruit, Sail, and Rest actions all feel to me like they are on the same level, but the Dive action is different. Which in and of itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But the process of the Dive action is vastly different than any of the other actions, to the point that it kind of feels like a different game to me. For half of the game, you’re playing this game of strategy, deck building, and optimizing placement across the board. But for the other half, it turns into a push-your-luck frenzy that seems disjointed from the rest of the game to me. No matter how strategic and careful you are with your actions, it ultimately comes down to the luck of the draw.
To touch on components for a minute – the production quality of this game is awesome. The board, Dive Site board, and VP tokens are nice chunky cardboard. The cards are colorful, have cool artwork, and are sturdy. And the treasure chests are awesome little plastic chests that definitely are holding up well. The Wreck tiles are big and thick, the Gems are cute, and the ships are fun to play with. So overall, this game is made very well.
You can probably tell by now that I have mixed feelings about Deep Blue. There are aspects that I like, but other aspects that negate some of those positive attributes. I was psyched for a cool nautical deck builder where I could really flex my strategy, but got more push-your-luck than I was anticipating. Deep Blue will probably stick around in my collection for the time being. But, like Josh, I will probably find something that gives me the same vibes but done better. It’s a game that I’ll pull out from time to time, but definitely not one that’s going to break into my Top 10. With that said, Purple Phoenix Games gives it a sunken 4 / 6.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2662 KP) rated Death Waits in the Dark in Books
Apr 3, 2019
Don’t Wait in the Dark, Start Reading This Book
Summer has come to Blue Lake, Indiana, and with it the heat. Lena London and her mentor, bestselling author Camilla Graham, are trying to finish their latest manuscript, but the heat is making it hard to concentrate. However, a visit from Jane Wyland doesn’t prove to be a welcome distraction. Jane and Camilla were acquainted when Camilla first moved to the United States from England, but the two haven’t spoken in decades. Jane arrives to tell Camilla that she knows the secret the Graham family has been hiding, and Jane is going to share it with the world if Camilla doesn’t step up and acknowledge it first.
The trouble is, Camilla doesn’t know what secret Jane is talking about even when Jane implies that it is something from Camilla’s husband’s past. The next day, Camilla and Lena go to try to get more information from Jane so they can figure out what has the woman so upset. However, when they arrive, they discover that Jane has been murdered. What was this secret from the past, and did it get Jane killed?
As much as I enjoyed the first three books in this series, it was nice to see the plot move away from Lena’s boyfriend and focus on another character. This change also allowed the book to have even more of a gothic feel to it than the first three. While I’m not super familiar with that genre, I was definitely able to recognize elements of it as the book unfolded, and I enjoyed seeing how it was combined seamlessly with elements of a cozy mystery. The result works and we get a story that drew me in each time I picked up the book and made it hard to put down. The usual cast of characters are still here, and it was great to see them. The suspects didn’t get much page time, but they work perfectly for the story as it is told here since the main drive was to figure out what secret from the past upset Jane so much. This is a fun twist on the cozy mystery, and if you are looking for something slightly different, be sure to pick it up.
The trouble is, Camilla doesn’t know what secret Jane is talking about even when Jane implies that it is something from Camilla’s husband’s past. The next day, Camilla and Lena go to try to get more information from Jane so they can figure out what has the woman so upset. However, when they arrive, they discover that Jane has been murdered. What was this secret from the past, and did it get Jane killed?
As much as I enjoyed the first three books in this series, it was nice to see the plot move away from Lena’s boyfriend and focus on another character. This change also allowed the book to have even more of a gothic feel to it than the first three. While I’m not super familiar with that genre, I was definitely able to recognize elements of it as the book unfolded, and I enjoyed seeing how it was combined seamlessly with elements of a cozy mystery. The result works and we get a story that drew me in each time I picked up the book and made it hard to put down. The usual cast of characters are still here, and it was great to see them. The suspects didn’t get much page time, but they work perfectly for the story as it is told here since the main drive was to figure out what secret from the past upset Jane so much. This is a fun twist on the cozy mystery, and if you are looking for something slightly different, be sure to pick it up.