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Mitropia
Mitropia
2020 | Ancient, Mythology
Have you ever had a crush on someone and just wanted to surround them with your presence? Too creepy? Okay, have you ever been at odds with your sworn enemies and learned to settle your differences by transporting yourselves to the plane of the gods to engage in a battle of strategic placement and enveloping in order to determine supremacy? Too specific? Well, the latter is the premise for the game Mitropia.

Mitropia is an area majority game that can end in several fashions. To setup your first game, please use the setup instructions in the rule book to form the playing area. However, the more you play, the more you might like to change it up and try out some wacky board formations. Every player receives a player mat featuring a tribe with different special abilities. They will each also receive the matching colored warrior tokens (and bag if present), cards from the two decks according to the setup in the rules. Each player will place their chieftan (two stacked warrior tokens) on the board. The game is ready to be played!

DISCLAIMER: We were provided a near-retail 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 – and the rules will certainly be tweaked from this version and the rules we used to play it. You are invited to download the rulebook from the publisher’s website, back the game through the Kickstarter campaign running April 16 – May 17, 2020, purchase it from your FLGS, or through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T

Game play is relatively simple. Players are attempting to score points by occupying and/or surrounding terrain tiles. Some tiles are worth more points than others depending on tribe abilities and other factors. The game ends once there are no more legal plays, all players have passed, or a chieftan has been captured by an opponent. Points are then tallied and a victor is determined.

On a turn, a player will make a “move,” which is a strange term as the player is actually placing out a warrior token. The placement of the warrior is dependent upon a move pattern card that is showing on the player mat, or one from the player’s hand to be discarded. These move cards show where the warrior can be placed (like Onitama‘s movement cards). Move cards can be combined with special action cards to make interesting warrior placement upon the board. Again, the goal of the game is to encompass as much terrain as possible, and surround your opponents to capture their warrior tokens.

In addition to simply placing out new warriors to claim lands and surround opponents, using terrain types to their fullest is a strategy not to be ignored. Wormholes are teleport locations, and mountains are impassable. Using just these features can wreak havoc on unsuspecting opponents. Mountains can especially be brutal when being used as an obstacle to facilitate surrounding enemies. When you play Mitropia be warned: mind the mountains.

Play continues in turns until a win condition or game end condition has been met. The players tally points to declare a victor, and then setup to play again for the player will definitely want to play another.

Components. Again, this is a near-retail prototype copy, so the components are very close to what will be available and in each box upon a successful Kickstarter campaign. That said, these components are amazing! I told the publisher the day after receiving the game that I was very impressed with what was packed in the box. Now, I haven’t been able to Tetris the components back in the box and have the cover fit flush since I opened it, but what is inside the box truly is wonderful. The player discs are all nicely-painted wood bits. The player mats, cards, and terrain tiles are all great quality. The art on everything is super stellar, and I just love playing with everything! You know the feeling when you’re playing a game that just has that perfect tactile quality? That’s Mitropia. And this copy isn’t even upgraded!

So here are my thoughts on this beast. I have never played Go, and I’m not really sure I want to after having Mitropia in my hands. I probably will play Go sometime, but I can only picture myself wishing I had been playing Mitropia. There is just something about having special abilities and slight differences that really improves my enjoyment. I love being able to see my turns several rounds in advance, but then having to switch tactics because an opponent has thwarted my evil plan at the last moment. I love being able to sit and think about my plays. I do not suffer from analysis paralysis, and this is a caveat I have for the game – do NOT play with AP-prone opponents. There is a lot going on here and so many options on a turn. AP sufferers can just stare at the board frightened of playing the wrong move or deciding whether or not to play a special ability card. However, I think this is a fantastic game with an excellent theme overlaid. If you are looking for a thematic game of Go that looks beautiful, is colorful instead of boring, allows players to have special powers and abilities, card play similar to the award-winning Onitama, then you certainly owe it to yourself to give a look at Mitropia. Please head over to the Kickstarter campaign that ends May 17, 2020 and check it out to learn even more and see what others are saying about it. I will be guarding my copy like you wouldn’t believe.
  
Dice Throne
Dice Throne
2018 | Card Game, Dice Game, Fantasy, Fighting
Artwork, Cards, and dice all in one game (0 more)
Combat dice
Let's start with the artwork. It is beautifully designed with unique characters that are easily remembered. If you enjoy rolling dice and grew up playing yahtzee this is the game for you. Think of it as strictly combat yahtzee you have your variety of different characters that do different skills and spells and your main goal is to defeat the other opponent(s). This can be played 1v1 2v2 3v3 or free for all. The good thing about this game is it recently had a new season with even more characters that can be added. And soon to be on kickstarters a dice throne adventures which is told to be cooperative. Stay tuned for a full review on the game as well as a deeper tutorial on gameplay for people that has never played.
  
Quarriors!
Quarriors!
2011 | Dice Game, Fantasy, Fighting
A unique spin on the "deck builder". I like that instead of building a deck of cards, you are building a bag of dice. Each die has a different "spell" with a different power depending on how you roll. The game has the potential to be different every time you play, depending on the expansions you have. The fighting mechanic is well done and easy to maneuver. I would suggest using the "mat" included on the back of the instructions as sometimes it is hard to remember what has been spent and what is locked or on deck.

If you like to have complete sets of games and own all the expansions (like my friends and I do), it's good to know that the Light and Dark expansion doesn't really play well when mixed with the rest of the game. It does work as a stand alone though.
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated Casino Royale (2006) in Movies

Feb 21, 2018 (Updated Feb 21, 2018)  
Casino Royale (2006)
Casino Royale (2006)
2006 | Action, Mystery
Urbane Legend XXI
Bold hard reboot of the Bond series that took it closer to the novels than it had been in generations. Newly-licensed 007 uncovers terrorist financier, beats him at cards, takes a terrible belting in the gentleman's department (emotionally and physically).

Very refreshing (at least at the time) for blowing the barnacles off Bond and going back to source, more or less; Daniel Craig seems to be the first replacement Bond not to on some level be constantly thinking about Sean Connery. Unusually tough and naturalistic, but with the expected (high quality) fights and chases grafted onto Fleming's story. Even at the time one wondered just where this new take on Bond could possibly go next (not terribly far, as it turned out: at least not while staying interesting), but on its own terms this is a thrilling reinvention and a great, credible thriller.
  
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Akward (448 KP) rated BANG! in Tabletop Games

Jul 20, 2018  
BANG!
BANG!
2002 | American West, Bluff, Card Game, Deduction, Fighting
Bang is social deduction, for people who don't like social deduction. It becomes fairly obvious early on who is on which team, and that might be something that some people like. Beyond the first round, there is virtually no lieing.

Thankfully, the game makes up for this with the other mechanics. As long as you have the expansions, there is enough variety for the game to be fun. Without the expansions, the cards are very bland.

Speaking of expansions, the High Noon expansion is necessary if you want to play more than one game. It adds variety to each round, and is actually what differentiates Bang from other social deduction games for us.

Overall, if you are looking for a social deduction game, this is probably not what you want. But we still find the game is fun, and does occasionally make it to our table.
  
Silent Movie (1976)
Silent Movie (1976)
1976 | Classics, Comedy
9
8.2 (6 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Cast (3 more)
Use of speech
Originality
Jokes
Brooks almost at his finest!
Contains spoilers, click to show
Not Brooks best, but I'd say his 3rd best, just after Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein.

The film follows Brooks character, a moviemaker with an original idea, a new silent movie with some of the biggest stars of the 70s. The film is mainly based around hiring the cast and saving the studio from being bought by an evil conglomerate.

Despite the movie being completely silent apart from a single word, the jokes in the title cards are hilarious, and the return of traditional slapstick comedy is somehow very comforting.

The cast is what really makes this film. The comedic talents of Mel Brooks, Dom Deluise, Marty Feldman and Sid Caesar are brilliant, with hilarious cameos from 70s stars Burt Reynolds, Paul Newman, Marcel Marceau and Liza Minelli, this film is perfect for the whole family!
  
Fog of Love
Fog of Love
2017 | Bluff, Card Game, Deduction
Unique (1 more)
Fun
Low replayability (0 more)
This is unlike any other game we play, it involves a bit of roleplay and gives you the chance to create some ridiculous characters, so we have had a lot of fun with it. I really like the tutorial element to this game as it allows you to play through it immediately - as someone who usually loses the will to live halfway though being told the rules, it is a breath of fresh air just being able to get on with things. The same scenario cards do start popping up after a couple of replays, which is to be expected, but if you're imaginative and getting into different characters each time then it might not be too much of a problem.
Some reviewers advise against playing this with a spouse, but happily our marriage has (so far) been able to withstand playing Fog of Love.
  
King of Tokyo
King of Tokyo
2011 | Dice Game, Entertainment, Fighting, Science Fiction
Short-medium length (3 more)
Skill/Luck Combo
Different strategies can win
Excellent theme
This is a game I consistently come back to as a lightweight game to spice up a hohum evening. I love the theme of this game and how the cards that you are able to buy play so well into the theme and add tremendous amounts of replayability to it. The mechanics in the game are super simple and I have no problem brining it to the table for gamers and non-gamers alike. Pertaining to it's wide assessibility, this game scales so well for all of its player counts. I've even been able to play a four monster game with 2 and 3 people. Lastly, this game was one of my first Yahtzee style, dice manipulation games, but due to my fiance and my enjoyment of the game, we've been excited to try more with the same mechanism.