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ClareR (5726 KP) rated The Night Ship in Books
Dec 12, 2022
The Night Ship is a wonderful story told from two different perspectives: Mayken is travelling to the Dutch East Indies on board the Batavia in 1629; in 1989, Gil is sent to live with his grandfather after he death of his mother. Gil finds out about the shipwreck of the Batavia when he meets some archaeologists, and becomes really interested in what happened.
The story switches between the two children, and I couldn’t wait to read about each perspective. Mayken is a happy, curious child, who is desperate to explore the world below decks - which due to her status, she isn’t supposed to do. So she enlists the help of a cabin boy and disguises herself. Mayken searches for a monster below decks, the Bullebak, as things start to go wrong on the ship. But it soon becomes apparent that the threat doesn’t come from a monster.
Gil doesn’t want to live with his uncommunicative, distant grandfather. He doesn’t want to fish with him either. And her certainly doesn’t want to talk about what happened with his mother. He finds solace in his friendships with an ancient tortoise called Enkidu, and Silvia Zanetti, the wife and mother of his grandfathers enemies, Frank and Roper (the latter sounds like he should be locked up, to be honest).
I absolutely loved this book. Mayken and Gil are both such tragic characters who only need someone to care for them. It’s a magical story, made more so by the imaginations of the two children. It’s a shame that the real world has to encroach on them.
Highly recommended.
The story switches between the two children, and I couldn’t wait to read about each perspective. Mayken is a happy, curious child, who is desperate to explore the world below decks - which due to her status, she isn’t supposed to do. So she enlists the help of a cabin boy and disguises herself. Mayken searches for a monster below decks, the Bullebak, as things start to go wrong on the ship. But it soon becomes apparent that the threat doesn’t come from a monster.
Gil doesn’t want to live with his uncommunicative, distant grandfather. He doesn’t want to fish with him either. And her certainly doesn’t want to talk about what happened with his mother. He finds solace in his friendships with an ancient tortoise called Enkidu, and Silvia Zanetti, the wife and mother of his grandfathers enemies, Frank and Roper (the latter sounds like he should be locked up, to be honest).
I absolutely loved this book. Mayken and Gil are both such tragic characters who only need someone to care for them. It’s a magical story, made more so by the imaginations of the two children. It’s a shame that the real world has to encroach on them.
Highly recommended.
Debbiereadsbook (1202 KP) rated The Final Hunt in Books
Jun 20, 2022
3 good, but not for me, stars
Independent reviewer for Arcaheolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is the second book of Cole's I've read, and I think, the last. I had pretty much the same feeling about this one as I had about the other book I read.
Cameron is mourning her husband and finds a memory stick that sends her life into a tailspin. Finding out your husband is a serial killer is bad enough, but thinking he might not actually be dead and that he implicated her? She knows what she needs to do.
Sometimes, you need a book that has everything laid out for you very early on, and you can see exactly where it's gonna go, what's gonna happen and it veers very little from that long straight road. And I think, that this is such a book.
You put everything together quickly enough, putting all the pieces on the board and watching them do their thing. There was a few minor twists and turns, but none that were total shockers.
I did like the way Cameron dealt with the situation she found herself in, and that little bit at the end that did actually leave me wondering!
I can't say it was a Nice book, because of the subject matter, but it really is a relatively easy read that wiled away a few hours. I'm just sorry it really wasn't one for me.
While it isn't for me, what is here is well written, well delivered and well edited.
3 good, but not for me, stars.
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
This is the second book of Cole's I've read, and I think, the last. I had pretty much the same feeling about this one as I had about the other book I read.
Cameron is mourning her husband and finds a memory stick that sends her life into a tailspin. Finding out your husband is a serial killer is bad enough, but thinking he might not actually be dead and that he implicated her? She knows what she needs to do.
Sometimes, you need a book that has everything laid out for you very early on, and you can see exactly where it's gonna go, what's gonna happen and it veers very little from that long straight road. And I think, that this is such a book.
You put everything together quickly enough, putting all the pieces on the board and watching them do their thing. There was a few minor twists and turns, but none that were total shockers.
I did like the way Cameron dealt with the situation she found herself in, and that little bit at the end that did actually leave me wondering!
I can't say it was a Nice book, because of the subject matter, but it really is a relatively easy read that wiled away a few hours. I'm just sorry it really wasn't one for me.
While it isn't for me, what is here is well written, well delivered and well edited.
3 good, but not for me, stars.
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Merissa (12069 KP) rated Anonymous Alpha (Bangers & Mash #7) in Books
Jun 19, 2023
ANONYMOUS ALPHA is the seventh book in the Bangers & Mash series although I didn't know this when I started reading it. It can absolutely be read as a standalone although I am now curious as to the other couples, some of which I think we met in here.
Anyway, this is Sable and Evan's story. Sable is an Alpha who can be contracted to help with an Omega's heat - all above board, nothing to worry about. Evan is an Omega nearing his heat who hires Sable. He is a pop star nearing the end of his contract with his label and his manager. The manager wants to stick around and isn't afraid of using threats to try and get his own way. Seeing where things are going??
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Yes, it was obvious who it was, and obvious where the help was going to come from, but, you know what? None of that spoilt the story! It was steamy and sensual, with Sable giving Evan both freedom to be who he needed to be and the support he wanted. The steamy scenes nearly set fire to my Kindle, so fair warning!
It was smoothly written and character led making this a brilliant story. I'm definitely interested in the next book in the series, but I'm also very interested in the ones that have come before. Definitely recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jun 19, 2023
Anyway, this is Sable and Evan's story. Sable is an Alpha who can be contracted to help with an Omega's heat - all above board, nothing to worry about. Evan is an Omega nearing his heat who hires Sable. He is a pop star nearing the end of his contract with his label and his manager. The manager wants to stick around and isn't afraid of using threats to try and get his own way. Seeing where things are going??
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Yes, it was obvious who it was, and obvious where the help was going to come from, but, you know what? None of that spoilt the story! It was steamy and sensual, with Sable giving Evan both freedom to be who he needed to be and the support he wanted. The steamy scenes nearly set fire to my Kindle, so fair warning!
It was smoothly written and character led making this a brilliant story. I'm definitely interested in the next book in the series, but I'm also very interested in the ones that have come before. Definitely recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jun 19, 2023
Merissa (12069 KP) rated Ballsy (Breakers Hockey #4) by Elise Faber in Books
Apr 26, 2022 (Updated Jun 24, 2023)
BALLSY is the fourth book in the Breakers Hockey series and we meet Kailey and Connor (Smitty). One is an anxiety-ridden introvert; one is loud and brash. These two will never get on, right?
Wrong! They are two halves of a perfect jigsaw. Both of them need the other, giving them the strength to deal with whatever is going on in their lives. And I loved that. I really did! Because it wasn't all one-sided. Smitty had his issues to deal with, the same as Kailey did. And together, they dealt with it all. Just proving that everyone has something to cope with, even those that are loud and ballsy!
Perfectly paced, Kailey and Smitty's story moves fast. He knows what he wants but won't walk all over Kailey to get it. Once she gets on board - that's it. Game over. Except it's not because there is so much going on. All of which is designed to keep me engrossed and turning the pages.
The storyline with Monica I could see happening, like a train wreck in front of me. Raph's story is next though and I can't wait to read it! I also hope Brandon gets a story though. He may not be part of the Breakers family, but he's had his heart broken too.
A brilliant addition to the series and definitely recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 22, 2022
Wrong! They are two halves of a perfect jigsaw. Both of them need the other, giving them the strength to deal with whatever is going on in their lives. And I loved that. I really did! Because it wasn't all one-sided. Smitty had his issues to deal with, the same as Kailey did. And together, they dealt with it all. Just proving that everyone has something to cope with, even those that are loud and ballsy!
Perfectly paced, Kailey and Smitty's story moves fast. He knows what he wants but won't walk all over Kailey to get it. Once she gets on board - that's it. Game over. Except it's not because there is so much going on. All of which is designed to keep me engrossed and turning the pages.
The storyline with Monica I could see happening, like a train wreck in front of me. Raph's story is next though and I can't wait to read it! I also hope Brandon gets a story though. He may not be part of the Breakers family, but he's had his heart broken too.
A brilliant addition to the series and definitely recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 22, 2022
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Macaron in Tabletop Games
Oct 20, 2020
The only game I have ever been able to play with my extended family on a regular basis, and provided us an excuse to get together every Sunday, is Euchre. My family loves Euchre. It took me a long time to finally learn it, and I did so on a tour bus traveling from Paris to Barcelona. I played so much Euchre on that tour. I still play Euchre somewhat regularly with my wife and in-laws. What does this all have to do with a delicious-looking game about difficult to nail baked goods? Well, I described Macaron to my wife as, “A more intense Euchre with a baking theme, where the bowers may actually kill someone.”
Macaron is a baked goods-themed trick-taking card game for one to five players. In it players are bakers in medieval France trying to become the favored royal baker to the king and his family. The player who can earn the most VP by delivering the tastiest macarons to the royal family will be victorious and will then bake the other players a box of macarons to take home (I added that last part, but Ta-Te Wu should consider adding it to the rules).
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and I know for sure the final components will be slightly different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, as there are just too many. You are invited to download the rulebook, back the game through the Kickstarter campaign, or through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
For this preview I am tackling the solo rule-set provided and my AI opponent is named Emma (per the rules). Multiplayer games will be played somewhat similarly, but against normal-intelligenced real people. Duh.
To setup a solo game, place the Score board in the middle of the table on whichever side is decided – one side allows up to 20 points, and the other up to 30. Place the first three Group boards (A with Almond and Pistachio, B with Strawberry and Blueberry, and C with just one Green Tea macaron upon it) somewhere near the Score board to denote the flavors being played. Remove all cards from the deck picturing Earl Grey and Chocolate flavored macarons. Shuffle the remaining macaron cards and deal the solo player 13 of them. Deal Emma one random card from the deck under each flavor on the Group board as shown below. These random cards will take on the flavor of whichever stack to which it now belongs. Continue dealing Emma eight cards to her stacks, but match them to their flavors – the 4 of Pistachio under Pistachio, etc. Emma should now have 13 cards in total, but each flavor stack should be shuffled and arranged as shown below. Choose a color for the player and for Emma, place one of each meeple on the Score board to track final scores, and the other meeples on the Gift Box tracker in the middle. Analyze each of Emma’s stacks to determine which Group contains the most cards. These flavors will be given the Royal token (I used the purple star) and are considered the trump suits this round. Flip over the top card of the deck that remains, and place the Allergen token (I used the tall goldenrod piece) upon the matching flavor. The game may now begin!
The solo player is always the starting player, so they will open the first trick by playing a card from hand. As in most card games, whichever flavor (suit) is led will need to be followed by Emma, if possible. The rulebook gives the player a nice turn-flow summary for Emma based on which player leads and which type of card is played.
As in Euchre, suit must be followed. If a player is unable to follow, they may play a Royal (trump) card to win the trick or any other non-Royal card. The Royal flavors are both flavors that belong to the same Group, or Green Tea, as it is its own Group. For each trick won, the player will advance their meeple on the Gift Box track to denote number of tricks won. Some card rules adjust the scoring. For example, should a value 1 card win the trick the winning player will increase their number of Gift Boxes three spaces instead of one. Should a trick include an Allergen flavor the winning player will still lead the next trick but will not advance their Gift Box meeple, as Allergens make the royal family sick. However, should a trick contain a value 2 card in it, the 2 cancels the Allergen and the winner may advance their Gift Box meeple as normal.
The round ends when a player, or Emma, has finished their hand of 13 cards played or reaches eight or more Gift Boxes (won tricks). Setup for a new round as the game was initially setup with dealing cards to each player and determining Royal and Allergen flavors. Play continues in this fashion until the player or Emma has reached the pre-determined score of 10, 20, or 30. The winner must now get to baking (again, I added that, but it REALLLLLY needs to happen, I think)!
Components. Again, this is a prototype copy of the game (though still pretty good) and the final components will certainly be different than the ones shown here. That said, the art style is simply wonderful and incredibly enjoyable. Yes, the Score board is a little busy, but it’s functional and fun. The art on the cards is very good, colorblind-friendly with icons in addition to colors, and the art doesn’t get in the way of playing tricks at all. All the other components used in the game will probably be different upon a successful Kickstarter campaign, and though I haven’t seen the proposed components, I am sure they will match the theme and be great to handle.
So as a lover of Euchre, am I also a lover of Macaron? ABSOLUTELY! It takes everything I enjoy about Euchre and somehow simplifies AND complexifies it. Teaching Euchre to new players can be a chore when they don’t latch onto the fact that the highest cards in the game are the Jacks of the same color of trump, but one is higher than the other. It can be awkward at first. Here, there are one or two flavors that are trump suits. It makes sense to be able to visualize a bit easier, and to be able to relate to flavors. In fact, my 4-year-old son wanted to “play” it earlier this morning, so I took out the Allergen mechanic and just did straight suit-following with trumps and he understood it. So, I guess by house-ruling a little you can also play this with children who are learning games for the first time, learning their numbers, or learning trick-taking games. That’s a fun hidden side quest!
Now, I can see how people will totally dig Macaron as a multiplayer game, but I am previewing this as a solo game. Is it just as good? Yep! I like being able to play the game whenever I want, and using another mechanic I didn’t describe earlier – Betting. Having to bet upon how many Gift Boxes you will score for the round adds another layer of analyzation I particularly enjoy. If you guess correctly you score an additional two Gift Boxes. If you’re wrong Emma scores two Boxes. Couple this with Emma’s unpredictable card play and you have an interesting AI player that you may never be able to “figure out” and beat methodically. I like that randomness from Emma. She has made a few games close, but ultimately has lost every game against me.
Macaron is a cute little Euchre-style card game that can be played well solo and multiplayer, and features wonderful style. I love the theme, and I seem to be attracted to food games; I love Bohnanza, Morels, Happy Salmon (my favorite fish to eat), Sushi Go!, Coconuts, and The Three Little Pigs (ok that one was mean, but hey, I love pork)! If you also enjoy food-related games, or trick-taking games, or just fun little card games you can play solo or with other people, please consider backing Macaron via their Kickstarter campaign launching soon. Tell them Purple Phoenix Games sent you and I will share my Gift Box of Macarons with you**. You will have to let me know your food allergies prior, though.
** I don’t actually have a Gift Box of Macarons. That was a lie, and I apologize for that.
Macaron is a baked goods-themed trick-taking card game for one to five players. In it players are bakers in medieval France trying to become the favored royal baker to the king and his family. The player who can earn the most VP by delivering the tastiest macarons to the royal family will be victorious and will then bake the other players a box of macarons to take home (I added that last part, but Ta-Te Wu should consider adding it to the rules).
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and I know for sure the final components will be slightly different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, as there are just too many. You are invited to download the rulebook, back the game through the Kickstarter campaign, or through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
For this preview I am tackling the solo rule-set provided and my AI opponent is named Emma (per the rules). Multiplayer games will be played somewhat similarly, but against normal-intelligenced real people. Duh.
To setup a solo game, place the Score board in the middle of the table on whichever side is decided – one side allows up to 20 points, and the other up to 30. Place the first three Group boards (A with Almond and Pistachio, B with Strawberry and Blueberry, and C with just one Green Tea macaron upon it) somewhere near the Score board to denote the flavors being played. Remove all cards from the deck picturing Earl Grey and Chocolate flavored macarons. Shuffle the remaining macaron cards and deal the solo player 13 of them. Deal Emma one random card from the deck under each flavor on the Group board as shown below. These random cards will take on the flavor of whichever stack to which it now belongs. Continue dealing Emma eight cards to her stacks, but match them to their flavors – the 4 of Pistachio under Pistachio, etc. Emma should now have 13 cards in total, but each flavor stack should be shuffled and arranged as shown below. Choose a color for the player and for Emma, place one of each meeple on the Score board to track final scores, and the other meeples on the Gift Box tracker in the middle. Analyze each of Emma’s stacks to determine which Group contains the most cards. These flavors will be given the Royal token (I used the purple star) and are considered the trump suits this round. Flip over the top card of the deck that remains, and place the Allergen token (I used the tall goldenrod piece) upon the matching flavor. The game may now begin!
The solo player is always the starting player, so they will open the first trick by playing a card from hand. As in most card games, whichever flavor (suit) is led will need to be followed by Emma, if possible. The rulebook gives the player a nice turn-flow summary for Emma based on which player leads and which type of card is played.
As in Euchre, suit must be followed. If a player is unable to follow, they may play a Royal (trump) card to win the trick or any other non-Royal card. The Royal flavors are both flavors that belong to the same Group, or Green Tea, as it is its own Group. For each trick won, the player will advance their meeple on the Gift Box track to denote number of tricks won. Some card rules adjust the scoring. For example, should a value 1 card win the trick the winning player will increase their number of Gift Boxes three spaces instead of one. Should a trick include an Allergen flavor the winning player will still lead the next trick but will not advance their Gift Box meeple, as Allergens make the royal family sick. However, should a trick contain a value 2 card in it, the 2 cancels the Allergen and the winner may advance their Gift Box meeple as normal.
The round ends when a player, or Emma, has finished their hand of 13 cards played or reaches eight or more Gift Boxes (won tricks). Setup for a new round as the game was initially setup with dealing cards to each player and determining Royal and Allergen flavors. Play continues in this fashion until the player or Emma has reached the pre-determined score of 10, 20, or 30. The winner must now get to baking (again, I added that, but it REALLLLLY needs to happen, I think)!
Components. Again, this is a prototype copy of the game (though still pretty good) and the final components will certainly be different than the ones shown here. That said, the art style is simply wonderful and incredibly enjoyable. Yes, the Score board is a little busy, but it’s functional and fun. The art on the cards is very good, colorblind-friendly with icons in addition to colors, and the art doesn’t get in the way of playing tricks at all. All the other components used in the game will probably be different upon a successful Kickstarter campaign, and though I haven’t seen the proposed components, I am sure they will match the theme and be great to handle.
So as a lover of Euchre, am I also a lover of Macaron? ABSOLUTELY! It takes everything I enjoy about Euchre and somehow simplifies AND complexifies it. Teaching Euchre to new players can be a chore when they don’t latch onto the fact that the highest cards in the game are the Jacks of the same color of trump, but one is higher than the other. It can be awkward at first. Here, there are one or two flavors that are trump suits. It makes sense to be able to visualize a bit easier, and to be able to relate to flavors. In fact, my 4-year-old son wanted to “play” it earlier this morning, so I took out the Allergen mechanic and just did straight suit-following with trumps and he understood it. So, I guess by house-ruling a little you can also play this with children who are learning games for the first time, learning their numbers, or learning trick-taking games. That’s a fun hidden side quest!
Now, I can see how people will totally dig Macaron as a multiplayer game, but I am previewing this as a solo game. Is it just as good? Yep! I like being able to play the game whenever I want, and using another mechanic I didn’t describe earlier – Betting. Having to bet upon how many Gift Boxes you will score for the round adds another layer of analyzation I particularly enjoy. If you guess correctly you score an additional two Gift Boxes. If you’re wrong Emma scores two Boxes. Couple this with Emma’s unpredictable card play and you have an interesting AI player that you may never be able to “figure out” and beat methodically. I like that randomness from Emma. She has made a few games close, but ultimately has lost every game against me.
Macaron is a cute little Euchre-style card game that can be played well solo and multiplayer, and features wonderful style. I love the theme, and I seem to be attracted to food games; I love Bohnanza, Morels, Happy Salmon (my favorite fish to eat), Sushi Go!, Coconuts, and The Three Little Pigs (ok that one was mean, but hey, I love pork)! If you also enjoy food-related games, or trick-taking games, or just fun little card games you can play solo or with other people, please consider backing Macaron via their Kickstarter campaign launching soon. Tell them Purple Phoenix Games sent you and I will share my Gift Box of Macarons with you**. You will have to let me know your food allergies prior, though.
** I don’t actually have a Gift Box of Macarons. That was a lie, and I apologize for that.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Dodos Riding Dinos in Tabletop Games
Apr 7, 2020
Ahh dinosaurs. One of my favorite themes! What’s this? Dodos on top of dinosaurs? And they seem to be running away from something? Well now I’m just intrigued. Oh, they’re running from THE meteor and you are trying to sabotage your opponents so they get destroyed first, and this is a race to see who is destroyed last? Ok I’m in.
Dodos Riding Dinos is a hand management, dexterity, racing card game where if while you are playing it you don’t feel like you have portaled into a prehistoric Mario Kart board game, you have missed the point.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and I know the final components will be a little different from these shown (upgrades!). Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game. You are invited to download the rulebook, back the game through the Kickstarter campaign beginning April 28, 2020, purchase it from your FLGS, or through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
To setup, lay out the board in the middle of the table. Randomly deal each player a Dodo/Dino team card, give them the corresponding team player dodineeple, and deal each six cards. Place the meteoreeple, eggeeple, and bananeeple (jeepers) within reach. Determine the starting player order, placing the dodineeples on the corresponding hexes behind the starting line. The game can now begin!
Dodos Riding Dinos is played over a series of rounds until one player has either surpassed the finish line or is the furthest past the finish line at the end of the round. To accomplish this, Dinos will be moved using the cards dealt at the beginning of the game and that are drawn from the deck during play. There are three colors (types) of cards: blue (normal), red (aggressive), and green (fast). During a round, players will choose a red or blue card to be played. Once all have chosen, the cards are revealed simultaneously. Whomever has the active player marker will resolve their card first, moving their dino the number shown on the top of the card and resolving any special abilities on the bottom of the card. The round will continue this way around the table until every player has resolved their card.
That is, unless two or more players have revealed red cards during the round. When this happens, these dinos are enraged and can only move, canceling out any special abilities printed on the bottom of the cards. If a red card gets through, however, get ready for the crux of the game.
Usually these cards are those that introduce the dexterity element of the game. If a card mentions throwing a banana “with a damage of 2,” then the player will grab the bananeeple, anchor their elbow to the table, and try to throw the banana onto their opponents with a wrist flick. Those that are hit will take 2 damage, where damage is discarding cards from their hand. Should a player enact a card involving throwing the eggeeple, the player will move their piece aside, place the egg there, and flick the egg to the opponents without the assistance of thumb resistance. And finally, the meteor. To unleash the meteor’s fury, the player will hold the meteoreeple in their fist, hold their arm parallel to the game board at least 1ft above the surface, and drop the meteoreeple onto unsuspecting foes causing massive damage.
Play continues in this fashion until only one player has crossed the finish line at the end of a round or the winner is the player who is furthest past the finish line when the round is over.
Components. Again, this is a prototype that was sent to us so I cannot rightfully comment on the quality of components, but I can on the art style and direction. So I really love the presentation of the components. The game is colorful, and the art is cartoony and super-quirky, a style of which I am always a fan. I’m excited to see how these components will be upgraded as a result of a successful Kickstarter campaign, but even as is, the game is gorgeous and the components are fun to handle.
It is probably no surprise that I love this one. It is super simple to learn, gives the players tons of choices per round, and perfecting the meteor drop or egg flick is going to take lots of plays, so that’s a big winner for me. I was telling the publisher that even though the box recommends ages 8+ to play, we were able to fashion some house rules to allow our 3 year old to play and have fun with it. Simply play open-handed, with no special dino abilities, and give them endless mulligans. Works for us, but the original rules are even better for adults.
So if you are a fan of games where dinosaurs are involved, or dodos, or animals riding other animals, or dexterity games, then definitely check out Dodos Riding Dinos on Kickstarter. I think that I will be backing the deluxe version because I’m a sucker for KS upgrades and content. It’s a great game as long as you don’t take yourself too seriously and just have a great time flicking eggs and meatball meeples at each other.
Dodos Riding Dinos is a hand management, dexterity, racing card game where if while you are playing it you don’t feel like you have portaled into a prehistoric Mario Kart board game, you have missed the point.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and I know the final components will be a little different from these shown (upgrades!). Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game. You are invited to download the rulebook, back the game through the Kickstarter campaign beginning April 28, 2020, purchase it from your FLGS, or through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
To setup, lay out the board in the middle of the table. Randomly deal each player a Dodo/Dino team card, give them the corresponding team player dodineeple, and deal each six cards. Place the meteoreeple, eggeeple, and bananeeple (jeepers) within reach. Determine the starting player order, placing the dodineeples on the corresponding hexes behind the starting line. The game can now begin!
Dodos Riding Dinos is played over a series of rounds until one player has either surpassed the finish line or is the furthest past the finish line at the end of the round. To accomplish this, Dinos will be moved using the cards dealt at the beginning of the game and that are drawn from the deck during play. There are three colors (types) of cards: blue (normal), red (aggressive), and green (fast). During a round, players will choose a red or blue card to be played. Once all have chosen, the cards are revealed simultaneously. Whomever has the active player marker will resolve their card first, moving their dino the number shown on the top of the card and resolving any special abilities on the bottom of the card. The round will continue this way around the table until every player has resolved their card.
That is, unless two or more players have revealed red cards during the round. When this happens, these dinos are enraged and can only move, canceling out any special abilities printed on the bottom of the cards. If a red card gets through, however, get ready for the crux of the game.
Usually these cards are those that introduce the dexterity element of the game. If a card mentions throwing a banana “with a damage of 2,” then the player will grab the bananeeple, anchor their elbow to the table, and try to throw the banana onto their opponents with a wrist flick. Those that are hit will take 2 damage, where damage is discarding cards from their hand. Should a player enact a card involving throwing the eggeeple, the player will move their piece aside, place the egg there, and flick the egg to the opponents without the assistance of thumb resistance. And finally, the meteor. To unleash the meteor’s fury, the player will hold the meteoreeple in their fist, hold their arm parallel to the game board at least 1ft above the surface, and drop the meteoreeple onto unsuspecting foes causing massive damage.
Play continues in this fashion until only one player has crossed the finish line at the end of a round or the winner is the player who is furthest past the finish line when the round is over.
Components. Again, this is a prototype that was sent to us so I cannot rightfully comment on the quality of components, but I can on the art style and direction. So I really love the presentation of the components. The game is colorful, and the art is cartoony and super-quirky, a style of which I am always a fan. I’m excited to see how these components will be upgraded as a result of a successful Kickstarter campaign, but even as is, the game is gorgeous and the components are fun to handle.
It is probably no surprise that I love this one. It is super simple to learn, gives the players tons of choices per round, and perfecting the meteor drop or egg flick is going to take lots of plays, so that’s a big winner for me. I was telling the publisher that even though the box recommends ages 8+ to play, we were able to fashion some house rules to allow our 3 year old to play and have fun with it. Simply play open-handed, with no special dino abilities, and give them endless mulligans. Works for us, but the original rules are even better for adults.
So if you are a fan of games where dinosaurs are involved, or dodos, or animals riding other animals, or dexterity games, then definitely check out Dodos Riding Dinos on Kickstarter. I think that I will be backing the deluxe version because I’m a sucker for KS upgrades and content. It’s a great game as long as you don’t take yourself too seriously and just have a great time flicking eggs and meatball meeples at each other.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated ICECOOL in Tabletop Games
Jun 25, 2019 (Updated Aug 13, 2020)
Moving components around the board/play area is a staple of most board games. As board games have evolved, that mechanic has maintained an integral role in many games. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? Well just because it’s not broken, doesn’t mean it can’t use a little innovation….and that’s where ICECOOL comes into play.
You and your Penguin buddies are so hungry that you decide to skip out on class early to go grab some snacks. But you’ve forgotten about the Hall Monitor! Their mission is to catch any unauthorized hall wanderers and send them back to class. Can you outmaneuver the Hall Monitor, or will you be caught and forced to go hungry until the end of class?
Disclaimer: I do not intend to rehash the rulebook in its entirety in this review, but rather provide a general overview of the rules and gameplay. To read the rules more in-depth, grab a copy of the game from your FLGS! -L
ICECOOL is a dexterity game in which players are trying to amass the most points over a number of rounds. Here’s how a round plays out. Select one player to be the Hall Monitor (called the Catcher) for the first round, and place their Penguin pawn in the kitchen box. All other players, aka the Runners, take their 3 colored fish tokens and attach them to the three corresponding doorways, and begin with their Penguin pawns in the classroom box. As a Runner, your goal is to collect your 3 fish tokens from their doorways. How do you do that? Flick your Penguin through a fish doorway to collect your snack. Yes, you read that right – flick. In this game, all movement is achieved by literally flicking your pieces throughout the boxes. To collect a fish, you must pass through the corresponding doorway completely in one single flick. Each time you collect a fish, draw the top card from the fish deck and keep it hidden from your opponents. Your other goal? Avoid the Catcher. If at any point, your Penguin comes into contact with the Catcher, you must forfeit your Hall Pass to the Catcher.
As the Catcher, your goal is to collect the Hall Pass of every other player. You achieve this goal by flicking your Penguin into any of the Runners. Turn order is as follows: Runners-Catcher, Runners-Catcher, etc., until the end of the round is triggered. The round is over when the Catcher has collected Hall Passes from every other player, or any Runner has collected all 3 of their fish. At the end of the round, each player collects 1 fish card per Hall Pass in their possession. So if you were caught by the Catcher, you’re outta luck! For the next round a new player is selected to be the Catcher, and play continues as above. The game ends once every player has taken a turn as the Catcher. Count up the points from your collected fish cards, and the player with the most points wins!
So a game of flicking Penguins around some boxes – sounds pretty simple, right? Yes and no. ICECOOL admittedly does not really require any serious strategy. Yes, you are trying to collect all 3 of your fish, but you’re mainly playing keep-away from the Catcher. And as the Catcher, you’re “It” in this quasi-game of Tag. So strategic, this is not. On the other hand, mastering the art of flicking your Penguin is a long and arduous process. Ok, it’s not arduous, but it is tricky to master! ICECOOL really puts your dexterity to the test to see if you have the proper form and control to move your Penguin to exactly where you want it to go. Half of the fun of this game is all the whiffed flicks and the comically accidental misdirections. The rulebook offers some flicking techniques to try out before your first game, and they are actually pretty helpful. I’ve not yet been able to achieve the jumping flick, but maybe one day I will rise to that level.
One other super neat thing about ICECOOL is the game setup. You’re playing with boxes of varying sizes. But here’s the kicker: they all nest into each other!!! So for storing, it looks like you just have one box. But in reality, there are 4 other boxes hidden inside. This concept is not one I’ve seen before in any other game, so that just makes ICECOOL a little bit more unique and interesting for me. Since I’m talking about the boxes, let me touch on components. The boxes are all of great quality, and are sturdy enough to hold up to clashing penguins. The Penguins themselves are good solid plastic, and I know they will last forever. Be careful though, flicking too hard might hurt your fingers! The deck of fish cards are a standard card quality. The artwork of the game is cute and thematic, and overall it’s a fun, immersive experience.
ICECOOL is not a game that I pull off the shelf at every game night. But it is one that is light enough, and entertaining enough, that it certainly gets a good amount of gameplay from my collection. Whether you are using it as a nice, short filler game, or you’re playing with some young’uns, it makes for a happy atmosphere full of energy and happiness. And that’s why Purple Phoenix Games gives ICECOOL a brrrrrrrrrilliant 18 / 24.
You and your Penguin buddies are so hungry that you decide to skip out on class early to go grab some snacks. But you’ve forgotten about the Hall Monitor! Their mission is to catch any unauthorized hall wanderers and send them back to class. Can you outmaneuver the Hall Monitor, or will you be caught and forced to go hungry until the end of class?
Disclaimer: I do not intend to rehash the rulebook in its entirety in this review, but rather provide a general overview of the rules and gameplay. To read the rules more in-depth, grab a copy of the game from your FLGS! -L
ICECOOL is a dexterity game in which players are trying to amass the most points over a number of rounds. Here’s how a round plays out. Select one player to be the Hall Monitor (called the Catcher) for the first round, and place their Penguin pawn in the kitchen box. All other players, aka the Runners, take their 3 colored fish tokens and attach them to the three corresponding doorways, and begin with their Penguin pawns in the classroom box. As a Runner, your goal is to collect your 3 fish tokens from their doorways. How do you do that? Flick your Penguin through a fish doorway to collect your snack. Yes, you read that right – flick. In this game, all movement is achieved by literally flicking your pieces throughout the boxes. To collect a fish, you must pass through the corresponding doorway completely in one single flick. Each time you collect a fish, draw the top card from the fish deck and keep it hidden from your opponents. Your other goal? Avoid the Catcher. If at any point, your Penguin comes into contact with the Catcher, you must forfeit your Hall Pass to the Catcher.
As the Catcher, your goal is to collect the Hall Pass of every other player. You achieve this goal by flicking your Penguin into any of the Runners. Turn order is as follows: Runners-Catcher, Runners-Catcher, etc., until the end of the round is triggered. The round is over when the Catcher has collected Hall Passes from every other player, or any Runner has collected all 3 of their fish. At the end of the round, each player collects 1 fish card per Hall Pass in their possession. So if you were caught by the Catcher, you’re outta luck! For the next round a new player is selected to be the Catcher, and play continues as above. The game ends once every player has taken a turn as the Catcher. Count up the points from your collected fish cards, and the player with the most points wins!
So a game of flicking Penguins around some boxes – sounds pretty simple, right? Yes and no. ICECOOL admittedly does not really require any serious strategy. Yes, you are trying to collect all 3 of your fish, but you’re mainly playing keep-away from the Catcher. And as the Catcher, you’re “It” in this quasi-game of Tag. So strategic, this is not. On the other hand, mastering the art of flicking your Penguin is a long and arduous process. Ok, it’s not arduous, but it is tricky to master! ICECOOL really puts your dexterity to the test to see if you have the proper form and control to move your Penguin to exactly where you want it to go. Half of the fun of this game is all the whiffed flicks and the comically accidental misdirections. The rulebook offers some flicking techniques to try out before your first game, and they are actually pretty helpful. I’ve not yet been able to achieve the jumping flick, but maybe one day I will rise to that level.
One other super neat thing about ICECOOL is the game setup. You’re playing with boxes of varying sizes. But here’s the kicker: they all nest into each other!!! So for storing, it looks like you just have one box. But in reality, there are 4 other boxes hidden inside. This concept is not one I’ve seen before in any other game, so that just makes ICECOOL a little bit more unique and interesting for me. Since I’m talking about the boxes, let me touch on components. The boxes are all of great quality, and are sturdy enough to hold up to clashing penguins. The Penguins themselves are good solid plastic, and I know they will last forever. Be careful though, flicking too hard might hurt your fingers! The deck of fish cards are a standard card quality. The artwork of the game is cute and thematic, and overall it’s a fun, immersive experience.
ICECOOL is not a game that I pull off the shelf at every game night. But it is one that is light enough, and entertaining enough, that it certainly gets a good amount of gameplay from my collection. Whether you are using it as a nice, short filler game, or you’re playing with some young’uns, it makes for a happy atmosphere full of energy and happiness. And that’s why Purple Phoenix Games gives ICECOOL a brrrrrrrrrilliant 18 / 24.
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Stranger Things - Season 2 in TV
Dec 28, 2017
Exciting once it gets going (1 more)
SFX are on point
Back To Hawkins
I loved the first season of Stranger Things and season 2 was one of my most anticipated shows of this year. While I don’t feel that season 2 surpassed the preceding season of the show, it is another solid chapter in what is fixing to be a pretty epic saga. The show takes a while to find its feet; some unorthodox structural choices cause the series to begin on a fairly unfocused note. It is revealed in the first episode that Eleven has been in hiding and living with Hopper since the events at the end of season 1 and once that cliffhanger from the last season is addressed, everything else is pretty hunky dory. Will is still tripping out and seeing the upside down every now and again, but that is expected to pass and we aren’t presented with any real conflict until a few episodes into the new season. The first season opened with the disappearance of Will and we were immediately on board with the goals of every character in the show, whereas the first few episodes of this season feel unfocused and there isn’t really any sense of purpose felt.
Once the plot gets going and the season finds its feet, the show definitely become more enjoyable and exciting and that pace and sense of intrigue continues all the way through until the end of the season, other than episode 7 that is. Overall though, I did enjoy this season and am very excited to see the future seasons in this story play out. 8/10
Once the plot gets going and the season finds its feet, the show definitely become more enjoyable and exciting and that pace and sense of intrigue continues all the way through until the end of the season, other than episode 7 that is. Overall though, I did enjoy this season and am very excited to see the future seasons in this story play out. 8/10
Clare Parrott (294 KP) created a post
Jul 25, 2017
Simon Theo Cutter (2 KP) rated Alita: Battle Angel (2019) in Movies
Feb 10, 2019
Amazing world building (1 more)
Jaw dropping special effects
A master class in science fiction
So I saw this movie Friday and I loved it ,this is the kind of movie you have to see on the biggest screen possible ,and beautiful to look at ,I completely forgot that the character of ALITA is completely rendered in I computer there are times where you swear that ALITA is a real human being ,the action is top notch it has some of the most exciting action set pieces I've seen in a movie period especially the motor ball scene ,it was a joy to watch that entire scene play out and my mouth was on the floor the entire time ,that scene alone is worth the ticket admission,the acting is great across the board you could tell that everyone involved was passionate about this project and they wanted to make the best movie possible ,there is however an aspect of this movie I thought didn't work and that was the love story it felt it was unnecessary but it did pay off in the end ,I'm not going to go into spoilers because I believe the best way to see this spectacular movie is to go in knowing next to nothing and just experience it ,I will say this Alita battle angel is a fast paced ,epic ,science fiction adventure and I came out of the screening wanting more ,this movie is a passion project for James Cameron and you can really tell ,after seeing this I can't wait to see what he brings to the table with his avatar sequels..I loved this movie !!!!