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    Qwixx

    Qwixx

    7.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

    Tabletop Game

    Qwixx is a quick-playing dice game in which everyone participates, no matter whose turn it is. Each...

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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Feb 26, 2022  
Read up on the cozy mystery novel OUT OF TEMPER by Amber Royer Author on my blog, and check out all the awesome places that Amber's had some good coffee in her scrapbook page. Enter the giveaway for a chance to win a signed copy of her book and a chocolate bar from French Broad Chocolates!

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2022/02/book-blog-tour-and-giveaway-out-of.html


**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
Felicity Koerber's bean to bar chocolate shop on Galveston's historic Strand has been the scene of two murders - both of which she has been instrumental in helping solve. So when she gets invited to demo her chocolate skills aboard a cruise ship sailing out of the local port, she's excited at the chance to get away from the shop long enough to regain her equilibrium. She even brings her best friend along and makes plans for time at the spa. But when she gets on board, she finds out that she's been booked for a mystery-themed cruise, and said best friend, Autumn, has to finally deal with the real reasons she quit writing mysteries. Only - if that wasn't stressful enough - it doesn't take long before there's a real murder on the cruise, and someone Felicity knows becomes the prime suspect. When said suspect asks her for help, she can't exactly say no, can she?

Felicity finds herself surrounded by cruise goers who all had connections to the victim - and finds that both Logan (her business partner, whom she recently kissed) and Arlo (the cop who was once Felicity's first boyfriend, before she moved away from Galveston) are dealing with the case until more official help can arrive. How will Felicity survive the ensuing awkwardness?

One thing that helps: the retired police dog turned therapy dog she meets on board. Satchmo helps Felicity deal with being back on the water after tragedy in her past - and also helps her uncover a vital clue to the case. Can Felicity unmask the killer and keep a friend from being framed before all the suspects leave the ship?
     
Around The World in 80 Days
Around The World in 80 Days
Michael Palin | 2009 | Travel
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Diary of a Great Adventure
It's easy to take for granted the shrinking of our world but Palin's book reinforced the need for us to appreciate first hand the connections between nations, and the people that maintain them.

The trip was intended to follow the route traveled by Phileas Fogg in Jules Verne's novel from 1872. The self-imposed rule was that airplane travel was not allowed so only trains, buses, ships and cars could be used. This was problematic for Michael Palin because in 1872 there were many passenger ship lines, while in 1988 there were almost none because of air travel. As a result he had to obtain passage on various cargo and container ships that normally don't accept passengers.

The large amount of sea travel is a negative aspect because it's limited how many interesting things can be done aboard a container ship, for example. In fact, a significant number of the 80 days are spent on board ships, and it gets rather boring.

However, it is a very human account of a famous journey.
  
Labyrinth
Labyrinth
1986 | Abstract Strategy, Fantasy, Maze
Frustrating but lots of fun
I've seen this game a lot in shops but it never jumped out at me enough to buy. However having been roped into playing it by my nephews, I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun it was.

At first when the rules were explained I got a little confused, but you soon get the hang of it when actually playing. Its a highly entertaining strategy based game with a unique board that gets very competitive and frustrating when people keep preventing you from reaching your items! It's even fun as a team based game, and it actually potentially helps to discuss strategy with a team member rather than play on your own. The only criticism I have of this is that some of the artwork and graphics are a little basic and not as good as you would expect.

I would definitely recommend playing this game, although maybe not after sitting out in the sun all day with some alcoholic beverages - you need to be fairly alert and on the ball to play this!
  
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The Marinated Meeple (1853 KP) May 7, 2018

nice, I haven't played this one yet... thanks for the review.

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Sam (74 KP) rated Kill The Boyband in Books

Mar 27, 2019  
Kill The Boyband
Kill The Boyband
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I’ve never read a book with dark humour quite like this. It was brilliant. The jokes are definitely inappropriate, and that’s why I loved them so much. It’s unusual to get humour like this in YA so it was definitely worth it. The only bit of humour I wasn’t completely on board with were the sexual harassment jokes, but it did fit the theme of teenage fantasies so I’m not going to complain too much about that.

It is definitely written for the boy band generation, which I somehow sort of managed to avoid. I say ‘sort of’ because I’ve still gone through that phase of obsessing over a band. I just love the way it portrays crazy fan girls.

It could easily be One Direction fanfiction with how bizarre it is, but I’m not complaining about that! It just made it even more funny and painfully relatable.

I started this book expecting not to like it, and I finished loving it! I just wish it had a nicer cover!
  
Star Wars: Imperial Assault
Star Wars: Imperial Assault
2014 | Adventure, Entertainment, Fighting, Miniatures, Science Fiction
Star Wars: Imperial Assault: The Kotaku Review
Imperial Assault is a board game that was released in late 2014. I only got around to playing it over the weekend, and I already count those months between as wasted.

Having made a ton of money off their excellent X-Wing game before moving onto capital ship battles, Imperial Assault is Fantasy Flight’s shot at moving Star Wars into more traditional tabletop territory.

If you’ve ever played HeroQuest, Space Crusade or even XCOM, you’ll be familiar with the basics here: players take control of a character and take turns to move about a grid-based battlefield, using terrain as cover as they battle enemies and complete objectives.

It’s designed for 2-5 players, but shines brighter the closer you get to the latter. A single player—basically the dungeon master—takes control of all Imperial forces, while everyone else selects a single Rebel character, choosing from a stable of RPG class stalwarts (support, sniper, etc).

Reviewer: Luke Plunkett
Read the full review here: https://kotaku.com/star-wars-imperial-assault-the-kotaku-review-1734772222
  
Xia: Legends of a Drift System
Xia: Legends of a Drift System
2014 | Adventure, Exploration, Fighting, Miniatures, Science Fiction
So Much Sand in Space
A board game billing itself as a ‘sandbox’ is always going to be a little bit clunky, and Xia Legends of a Drift System is no exception. There are plenty of different systems for new players to learn and you will have to be patient when teaching the game. Xia Legend sof a Drift System isn’t particularly heavy, but there are many moving parts. A smarter person than me might have been able to figure out a way of sanding down Xia’s rough edges to make a more elegant experience, but I can’t honestly recommend better ways to implement its systems.

Ultimately, Xia’s dice rolling and the inherent meanness of blowing up your rivals and disrupting their turns, will be deal breakers for some. But if you invite people into your sandbox that won’t take themselves too seriously, there are plenty of toys to go around. I highly recommend you pick up Xia Legends of a Drift System.

Original Score: 4.4/5
Reviewer: John Severn
Read the full review here: https://www.gamesquest.co.uk/blog/xialegendsofadriftsystem/