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Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Chronicles of Crime in Tabletop Games
Jul 1, 2021
Find the murderer, the weapon, and the location. That’s Clue/Cluedo right? Yes. Find the priceless artifact that was stolen from the museum while other complications arise is Chronicles of Crime, and specifically the Curse of the Pharaohs case. Do you have what it takes to solve this crime, and more importantly, do you have a cell phone or tablet??
Chronicles of Crime is an app-driven storytelling, deduction, adventure board game that can be played solo or cooperatively. Players will be assuming the mantles of London detectives attempting to solve difficult cases at Scotland Yard. As it is a cooperative game players will win or lose together, but the game itself will be helping players along the way.
To setup, place the Evidence Board on the table and surround it with these components: Location Boards in a stack, but Scotland Yard attached to the bottom of the Evidence Board, Character and Special Items cards in face-down stacks, Evidence Category cards face-up, and the four Forensic Contact cards nearby as well. Open the app, choose the scenario to play, and let the app guide you through the introduction to the game.
As there are no real “turns” Chronicles of Crime allows freedom for players to essentially roam around London’s sectors looking for clues to whatever crime has taken place, interrogating suspects, asking the Forensics Contacts team for support when encountering people or items, and finally attempting the solve the case. I cannot really go into much more detail in word or photo, as I wish to avoid all spoilers, but the app will guide players and assist in gentle nudges along the way. The app will be heavily used as players will need to scan the QR codes on several components in order to interact with them, and scannable components may not always be assigned the same roles in other scenarios. Once players have explored as much as they deem necessary, they may claim the group is ready to connect the dots and win the game. Players win or lose by visiting Scotland Yard to solve the case successfully or otherwise.
Components. All of the physical components included in the box are incredible. The cards feature great artwork, the components are wonderful quality, and everything has unique QR codes to scan in the app. The box insert is cleverly-designed and certainly ready to accept expansion materials. The greatest component, however, is the Chronicles of Crime companion app. This app is simply amazing. It is absolutely necessary for play, but once downloaded it requires no Internet access (unless you decide to download additional materials or scenarios). The app is so well-designed and engaging, and the music is minimal but certainly mood-setting. I can clearly see why using an app is essential here, and allows the team to add more and more content without having to alter the physical components at all. A stroke of genius, in my mind!
All in all I was, and still am, blown away by Chronicles of Crime. The marriage of board game and digital app is something I was leery of at first because I much prefer board games, but this simply works. And works quite well. I love being able to travel to a location, check it out, interrogate any persons of interest there, and try to assemble the story in my mind. I want to play all of the scenarios with different groups of people to see if that will change anything, but currently during COVID it’s a no-go.
Chronicles of Crime may never break into my Top 10 Games of All Time, but I will not be moving it out of my collection ever. Well, unless Lucky Duck Games decides to remove the app or something weird like that. I don’t have many board/digital hybrid games in my collection, and if I never add another I will still be happy with this one (ahem, keep your eyes peeled for the Chronicles of Crime: 1400 preview I will be doing soon – or will have done depending on when you read this review). Purple Phoenix Games gives Chronicles of Crime an enthusiastically shifty-eyed 11 / 12. I think you might get bonus VPs at the end of the game for putting on a British accent when you play. I’ll have to scour the rules for that one…
Chronicles of Crime is an app-driven storytelling, deduction, adventure board game that can be played solo or cooperatively. Players will be assuming the mantles of London detectives attempting to solve difficult cases at Scotland Yard. As it is a cooperative game players will win or lose together, but the game itself will be helping players along the way.
To setup, place the Evidence Board on the table and surround it with these components: Location Boards in a stack, but Scotland Yard attached to the bottom of the Evidence Board, Character and Special Items cards in face-down stacks, Evidence Category cards face-up, and the four Forensic Contact cards nearby as well. Open the app, choose the scenario to play, and let the app guide you through the introduction to the game.
As there are no real “turns” Chronicles of Crime allows freedom for players to essentially roam around London’s sectors looking for clues to whatever crime has taken place, interrogating suspects, asking the Forensics Contacts team for support when encountering people or items, and finally attempting the solve the case. I cannot really go into much more detail in word or photo, as I wish to avoid all spoilers, but the app will guide players and assist in gentle nudges along the way. The app will be heavily used as players will need to scan the QR codes on several components in order to interact with them, and scannable components may not always be assigned the same roles in other scenarios. Once players have explored as much as they deem necessary, they may claim the group is ready to connect the dots and win the game. Players win or lose by visiting Scotland Yard to solve the case successfully or otherwise.
Components. All of the physical components included in the box are incredible. The cards feature great artwork, the components are wonderful quality, and everything has unique QR codes to scan in the app. The box insert is cleverly-designed and certainly ready to accept expansion materials. The greatest component, however, is the Chronicles of Crime companion app. This app is simply amazing. It is absolutely necessary for play, but once downloaded it requires no Internet access (unless you decide to download additional materials or scenarios). The app is so well-designed and engaging, and the music is minimal but certainly mood-setting. I can clearly see why using an app is essential here, and allows the team to add more and more content without having to alter the physical components at all. A stroke of genius, in my mind!
All in all I was, and still am, blown away by Chronicles of Crime. The marriage of board game and digital app is something I was leery of at first because I much prefer board games, but this simply works. And works quite well. I love being able to travel to a location, check it out, interrogate any persons of interest there, and try to assemble the story in my mind. I want to play all of the scenarios with different groups of people to see if that will change anything, but currently during COVID it’s a no-go.
Chronicles of Crime may never break into my Top 10 Games of All Time, but I will not be moving it out of my collection ever. Well, unless Lucky Duck Games decides to remove the app or something weird like that. I don’t have many board/digital hybrid games in my collection, and if I never add another I will still be happy with this one (ahem, keep your eyes peeled for the Chronicles of Crime: 1400 preview I will be doing soon – or will have done depending on when you read this review). Purple Phoenix Games gives Chronicles of Crime an enthusiastically shifty-eyed 11 / 12. I think you might get bonus VPs at the end of the game for putting on a British accent when you play. I’ll have to scour the rules for that one…
Fireyjack (2 KP) rated Virus (2005) in Movies
Dec 11, 2017
Contains spoilers, click to show
This film is stupid Russian ship intercepts a signal from the space station which has an intelligent being in the signal then slaughters the whole crew by building robots then some fishermen find the Russian ship board it and then chaos happens as they try to survive the whole objective of this film from the alien point of view is to get the ship to port so it can spread which if the alien entity did not go around killing people in the first place it would of reached its objective anyway as the fishermen where trying to salvage the ship most of the crew die except for two
Akward (448 KP) rated The Pursuit of Happiness in Tabletop Games
Feb 6, 2019 (Updated Feb 8, 2019)
The theme is fun and nostolgic (2 more)
Gameplay is enjoyable
Difficult to master
Takes a long time (2 more)
Basically single player
Difficult to teach
Life for Adults
This is the spirtual successor to The Game of Life. Unlike Life, you have choices. You choose a career, parterner, hobbies, and interests. Your job is to manage the finite time that humans have to harness the maximum possible happiness. Maybe you do that with a parter, who makes you happy, but takes your time? Maybe you forget about friends and family and pursue the maximum possible posessions.
If you can handle the steep learning curve and long game times, this is a fun deviation from the standard board game theme.
If you can handle the steep learning curve and long game times, this is a fun deviation from the standard board game theme.
Dean (6927 KP) rated Murder Mystery Mansion in Tabletop Games
Mar 29, 2018 (Updated Mar 29, 2018)
Guess Who the Murderer is?
I stumbled across this board game in the pub and had high hopes of some sort of Cluedo with a twist type game. Unfortunately it's pretty much like Guess Who. One player picks a suspect, method, location and a motive card at random and hides them behind the Mansion art work.
The other player has so many steps to guess all four right. There are only about 6 choices for each category to choose from. For a longer game I think you can say the person has so many of the 4 guesses right without saying which. Given the title I hoped for more than a guessing game.
The other player has so many steps to guess all four right. There are only about 6 choices for each category to choose from. For a longer game I think you can say the person has so many of the 4 guesses right without saying which. Given the title I hoped for more than a guessing game.
Nicole Hadley (380 KP) rated Where Is My Coat? Farm Animals in Books
Jun 18, 2018
Where Is My Coat? Farm Animals by Anita Bijsterbosch is a cute board book for very young children who like to play fun and simple guessing games with pictures of cozy-colored animals at play. It is a a pleasant and easy read.
Animal shapes are shown and you are asked what they are. It is very interactive. Kids will need to use their visual skills to figure out what type of animal is depicted. The illustrations are super cute and the colors draw you in. This is a good book to use for teaching animals to small children.
I received this ARC from Clavis Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Animal shapes are shown and you are asked what they are. It is very interactive. Kids will need to use their visual skills to figure out what type of animal is depicted. The illustrations are super cute and the colors draw you in. This is a good book to use for teaching animals to small children.
I received this ARC from Clavis Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Erika (17789 KP) rated How to Stop Time in Books
Jul 26, 2018
How to Stop Time wasn't released in the US until February of this year, but I had been reading on websites since the previous year that this was a must read, and amazing. Well... I think it suffered from too much hype, and I'm glad I borrowed it from the library instead of buying it full price.
The story was a perfectly good premise, however, none of it was really fleshed out. And then, out of nowhere, bam, it ended. I liked it, but I wish it was so much better than it was.
On a side note, this would definitely make a good movie, so I'm all on board with that.
The story was a perfectly good premise, however, none of it was really fleshed out. And then, out of nowhere, bam, it ended. I liked it, but I wish it was so much better than it was.
On a side note, this would definitely make a good movie, so I'm all on board with that.
Great potential (3 more)
Friendly user base
lots of varieties of things to review
a good database of items
needs a bit of updating (thats where we come in) (2 more)
Needs a few more reviewers.
Addictive
Smashbomb is the only reviewing app I look forward to using. I could spend hours on it, which is why I have to limit the time I spend on here. It has so many things, I have used peoples reviews here to help me pick the next board game/ book I will read. It helps me be more analytical on what makes something good by asking me to supply good and bad points to everything. I can't wait to see how it grows
Kevin Phillipson (10072 KP) rated Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) in Movies
Nov 7, 2019
Linda Hamilton (4 more)
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Natalie Reyes
Gabriel Luna
Mackenzie Davis
Finally a terminator sequel that's actually a good movie up there with T2 and the original after bad sequels I actually loved this movie the effects the stunts everything about this movie was what I wanted out of terminator movie with James Cameron on board I knew we would get a better sequel as T2 will always be my favourite of all the movies this one is really close to that one. Gabriel Luna as the new terminator is amazing shouldn't mention I've met him twice in the last two year's at conventions. Anyway good movie recommend to anyone to see the movie
Charlotte Ozanne (108 KP) rated Exploding Kittens in Tabletop Games
Nov 10, 2019
Fun for the whole family (1 more)
Easy to pick up
I was introduced to this game by my uncle a couple of years ago. When he first tried explaining the gameplay to me I was extremely confused... But I persisted and played a game. It only took me one game to pick up the rules completely and I was loving it. The game is very fun and you find yourself wanting to sabotage your family members so you can be crowned champion!! I hear the expansion pack also brings added comedic value in the form of a Cone of Shame. Would highly recommend as an icebreaker game or to kick start an evening of board games shenanigans.
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