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Handbook of Spine Surgery
Ali A. Baaj, Praveen V. Mummaneni, Juan S. Uribe and Alexander R. Vaccaro
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The editors and contributors should be highly commended for this very valuable contribution in the...
Dinos Not Assembled
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In Dinos Not Assembled, you and your fellow players are paleontologists compete for a contract by a...
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In Underwater Cities, which takes about 30-45 minutes per players, players represent the most...
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Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Tsuro: Phoenix Rising in Tabletop Games
Oct 6, 2021
When we decided to start this board game review group, coming up with a name was definitely a challenge. We threw out so many ideas, my head was spinning with the possibilities! In our name search, someone suggested Purple Phoenix Games. It sounds cool, we all like the color purple, and it was a name upon which we could all finally agree! Ever since settling on our name, I have taken a keen interest in any game that has any mention of Phoenix, so when Travis backed Tsuro: Phoenix Rising on Kickstarter, I knew I’d have to play it. Does the game meet our expectations, or does this Phoenix struggle to rise from the ashes?
Tsuro: Phoenix Rising (referred to as just Tsuro for the remainder of this review) is a game of tile placement and network building in which players will each guide their Phoenix across the night sky to find Lanterns and collect Stars. To setup for a game, assemble the board and give each player a Life token and a Phoenix pawn in their chosen color. Each player will then place their Phoenix next to one of the empty Edge spaces of the board. Now shuffle and populate the Center tiles as described in the rules, place Lanterns on their specified tiles, deal each player 2 Edge tiles, and you are ready to begin.
Played over a series of rounds, players will take turns placing tiles and moving their Phoenix pawns along the paths that have been created. On your turn, you will perform the following actions: Create your path, Travel your path, and Prepare for your next turn. To Create your path, you will either play a tile from your hand, or you will flip/rotate a tile. To play a tile from your hand, the space in front of your Phoenix must be empty. Select one of the two tiles from your hand, add it to the board in an orientation that continues your current path, and discard the remaining tile. If the space in front of your Phoenix is already occupied by a tile, you will either flip or rotate that tile to extend your path.
Once your path has been Created, you will Follow it. Move your Phoenix along your new path until you either reach a dead end or are forced to leave the board – by following a path off of the board, colliding with another Phoenix, or entering an endless loop. During this step of your turn is when Stars will be created and earned. If during your movement your Phoenix enters and exits a tile with a Lantern on it, place a Star token onto that tile. Once your movement has ended, for each tile with a Star, you must move that Lantern to a different tile with its corresponding icon. Collect the Stars you created, and they are immediately scored. If, as a result of someone else’s turn, the path for your Phoenix has been extended, you will move your Phoenix along that new path after the active player has completed scoring any Stars. An important note – you can also earn Stars through this out-of-turn movement!
The last step of your turn is to Prepare for your next turn. Draw 2 new tiles from the draw stack if the space in front of your Phoenix is empty, otherwise draw no tiles. Play then continues on to the next player in turn order. If at any point in the game, your Phoenix has been forced off the board, you may spend your Life token on your next turn to Rise from the Ashes. This can only be performed if there is at least one empty space on the board with no tile on it. After a certain amount of time, the board will be completely filled and your opportunity to Rise from the Ashes will be gone! Rounds continue in the above fashion until one player has scored at least 7 Stars. Players will complete the current round, and then the game ends. OR if there comes a time during the game in which only 1 Phoenix pawn remains on the board, the game ends and that remaining player is declared the winner.
All in all, I really enjoy playing Tsuro, and not only because of our Phoenix connection. For such a seemingly simple game – create a path and move on it – the gameplay requires a good amount of strategy. The ability to rotate, and even flip, tiles adds so many strategic possibilities that really elevates the gameplay from that of the original. Also, with the addition of the Lanterns and Stars, the game offers another focus instead of simple player elimination. Strategies can, and will, vary between players, and that makes the game more engaging for all involved. Add in the fact that your Phoenix will move if another player has extended your path on their turn, and you’ve got all players playing on every turn of the game.
Another aspect of Tsuro that I really like is the addition of the Life token and the opportunity to Rise from the Ashes. Just because an opponent forces you off the board does not necessarily mean that you are out of the game for good. The chance to Rise is a unique second chance for players to stay involved in the game. I think it works well because of its limited timing. If there are no open spaces on the board, you are out of luck! It really ups the ante and keeps players on their toes.
Let’s touch on components for a minute. They are pretty stellar in this game. The board is nice and sturdy, the cardboard tiles are thick, the Stars and Lanterns are of excellent quality, and the Phoenix pawns are nicely detailed and just plain fun to look at. No complaints about components from me in this game!
Compared to the original, I think that Tsuro: Phoenix Rising really lives up to its name. The gameplay is definitely elevated with new strategic options, and I believe that it does rise above the OG Tsuro. If you’ve never played either version, I highly recommend Phoenix Rising. It is entertaining, engaging, and has more to it than meets the eye. Purple Phoenix Games gives Tsuro: Phoenix Rising a mighty 11 / 18.
Tsuro: Phoenix Rising (referred to as just Tsuro for the remainder of this review) is a game of tile placement and network building in which players will each guide their Phoenix across the night sky to find Lanterns and collect Stars. To setup for a game, assemble the board and give each player a Life token and a Phoenix pawn in their chosen color. Each player will then place their Phoenix next to one of the empty Edge spaces of the board. Now shuffle and populate the Center tiles as described in the rules, place Lanterns on their specified tiles, deal each player 2 Edge tiles, and you are ready to begin.
Played over a series of rounds, players will take turns placing tiles and moving their Phoenix pawns along the paths that have been created. On your turn, you will perform the following actions: Create your path, Travel your path, and Prepare for your next turn. To Create your path, you will either play a tile from your hand, or you will flip/rotate a tile. To play a tile from your hand, the space in front of your Phoenix must be empty. Select one of the two tiles from your hand, add it to the board in an orientation that continues your current path, and discard the remaining tile. If the space in front of your Phoenix is already occupied by a tile, you will either flip or rotate that tile to extend your path.
Once your path has been Created, you will Follow it. Move your Phoenix along your new path until you either reach a dead end or are forced to leave the board – by following a path off of the board, colliding with another Phoenix, or entering an endless loop. During this step of your turn is when Stars will be created and earned. If during your movement your Phoenix enters and exits a tile with a Lantern on it, place a Star token onto that tile. Once your movement has ended, for each tile with a Star, you must move that Lantern to a different tile with its corresponding icon. Collect the Stars you created, and they are immediately scored. If, as a result of someone else’s turn, the path for your Phoenix has been extended, you will move your Phoenix along that new path after the active player has completed scoring any Stars. An important note – you can also earn Stars through this out-of-turn movement!
The last step of your turn is to Prepare for your next turn. Draw 2 new tiles from the draw stack if the space in front of your Phoenix is empty, otherwise draw no tiles. Play then continues on to the next player in turn order. If at any point in the game, your Phoenix has been forced off the board, you may spend your Life token on your next turn to Rise from the Ashes. This can only be performed if there is at least one empty space on the board with no tile on it. After a certain amount of time, the board will be completely filled and your opportunity to Rise from the Ashes will be gone! Rounds continue in the above fashion until one player has scored at least 7 Stars. Players will complete the current round, and then the game ends. OR if there comes a time during the game in which only 1 Phoenix pawn remains on the board, the game ends and that remaining player is declared the winner.
All in all, I really enjoy playing Tsuro, and not only because of our Phoenix connection. For such a seemingly simple game – create a path and move on it – the gameplay requires a good amount of strategy. The ability to rotate, and even flip, tiles adds so many strategic possibilities that really elevates the gameplay from that of the original. Also, with the addition of the Lanterns and Stars, the game offers another focus instead of simple player elimination. Strategies can, and will, vary between players, and that makes the game more engaging for all involved. Add in the fact that your Phoenix will move if another player has extended your path on their turn, and you’ve got all players playing on every turn of the game.
Another aspect of Tsuro that I really like is the addition of the Life token and the opportunity to Rise from the Ashes. Just because an opponent forces you off the board does not necessarily mean that you are out of the game for good. The chance to Rise is a unique second chance for players to stay involved in the game. I think it works well because of its limited timing. If there are no open spaces on the board, you are out of luck! It really ups the ante and keeps players on their toes.
Let’s touch on components for a minute. They are pretty stellar in this game. The board is nice and sturdy, the cardboard tiles are thick, the Stars and Lanterns are of excellent quality, and the Phoenix pawns are nicely detailed and just plain fun to look at. No complaints about components from me in this game!
Compared to the original, I think that Tsuro: Phoenix Rising really lives up to its name. The gameplay is definitely elevated with new strategic options, and I believe that it does rise above the OG Tsuro. If you’ve never played either version, I highly recommend Phoenix Rising. It is entertaining, engaging, and has more to it than meets the eye. Purple Phoenix Games gives Tsuro: Phoenix Rising a mighty 11 / 18.
RəX Regent (349 KP) rated Triangle (2009) in Movies
Mar 7, 2019
Warped
Contains spoilers, click to show
This was an interesting, small budget Sci Fi/Horror flick. It is revealed at an early point during the story that this is primarily a time bending loop narrative, following a small group of people who board an apparently abandoned ocean liner after a storm.
There is some set up at the beginning which introduces the star, Melissa George as she makes her way to meet the rest of the group. Once they board the ship they are fighting for their lives, with varied levels of success and the a time loop takes hold.
This is a well told, acted and directed Twilight Zone episode that just about manages not to out stay it's welcome. The premise is simple but the execution is a little more complex and to an extent, this borders on contrived but overall this an effective thriller.
The twists and turns, though for the most part expected, are generally delivered well and there are certainly memorable moments. Recommended.
There is some set up at the beginning which introduces the star, Melissa George as she makes her way to meet the rest of the group. Once they board the ship they are fighting for their lives, with varied levels of success and the a time loop takes hold.
This is a well told, acted and directed Twilight Zone episode that just about manages not to out stay it's welcome. The premise is simple but the execution is a little more complex and to an extent, this borders on contrived but overall this an effective thriller.
The twists and turns, though for the most part expected, are generally delivered well and there are certainly memorable moments. Recommended.
Gonzocawn (6 KP) rated Monopoly gamer in Tabletop Games
Mar 31, 2019 (Updated Mar 31, 2019)
Shorter and more likeable
Mario monopoly is a game that shortens the regular version of monopoly down into only 10 times of passing Go. It replaces the standard currency with Mario coins making you feel fully encompassed by the game and has all your favorite characters to play as. Every character has their own unique special ability that can be used when landing on star spaces, and the game keeps everyone involved whether you want to stash coins, go for beating bosses, own property sets, or even just run around the board as fast as you can. All are viable options of winning. Great game, better when played with at least 3 people, but can be challenging if trying to add more than 5.
Entertainment Editor (1988 KP) rated Ticket to Ride: Europe in Tabletop Games
Mar 7, 2018
I have owned Ticket to Ride: Europe for a long time and it’s not a game that I will be removing from my collection anytime soon. The first time I played the game I was amazed at how quickly the rules could be learned. It takes little time for you to start understanding the nuances of this game. Whenever I teach any edition of Ticket to Ride to someone who hasn’t played board games for years, I tell them that I can get them to completely understand this game in three rounds. I have yet to fail at doing so. The game doesn’t bog down with complicated calculations or actions. With four simple choices for actions each turn, game play moves at a lightning pace. I have found very few people that don’t like the game after playing it numerous times. This is a great accomplishment for any game.
Reviewer: Tyler Nichols
Read the full review here: https://www.boardgamequest.com/ticket-to-ride-europe-board-game-review/
Reviewer: Tyler Nichols
Read the full review here: https://www.boardgamequest.com/ticket-to-ride-europe-board-game-review/
The Marinated Meeple (1853 KP) rated Carcassonne in Tabletop Games
Mar 8, 2018
simple (3 more)
Elegant
Quick Turns
makes an interesting looking board when you are done.
A great gateway game for new boardgamers involving Tile Laying and Area Control, building castles can be contentious
I enjoy this one, and there are tons of expansions to go with it if you are looking to up the complexity level. This is the kind of game you can play with kids and also adults that don't play many games. I have the big box and if you add in all the expansions it can double and triple the playing time. but does add some fun rules, and new funky tiles. best to pick and choose a few and implement then without all doing all of them. This game is simple, elegant, has quick turns and is really easy to teach. If you are looking to dip your toe in the water of board games, this isn't a bad one to try out. also try ticket to ride and catan.
The Marinated Meeple (1853 KP) rated Beyond Balderdash in Tabletop Games
Mar 29, 2018
Great Party and drinking game... ignore the board and the pieces
How good are you at bullsh#tting? can you make up weird random stuff on the fly? Can you make your friends laugh? this is the game for you.... the actual point of the game doesn't matter. You're supposed to guess what the actual thing is, but no one knows these things, it's way past trivial pursuit.... So instead you make something up and hope someone votes for it to be the actual answer. I always got votes for originality rather than guessing what's right, which encourages others to out do me, which is when the fun really starts.
If you play the game as intended this is a 4 or 5 review... if you play my way this is an 8 or 9 depending on the people you are around. Hence the 7 score.
If you play the game as intended this is a 4 or 5 review... if you play my way this is an 8 or 9 depending on the people you are around. Hence the 7 score.