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Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Labyrinthos in Tabletop Games
Feb 10, 2021
Greek mythology has always fascinated me. The adventures are awesome, the heroes are mighty, and the creatures are awe-inspiring. I often wonder what it would have been like to live in those ancient times, hearing those stories firsthand, and experiencing the excitement associated with such feats. Well, I may not have a time machine. But I do have a board game table. And on it is Labyrinthos.
Disclaimer: I do not intend to rehash the entire rulebook in this review, but rather provide an overview of the rules and game flow. -L
Labyrinthos is a game of action and adventure in which players are exploring the famed Labyrinth of Daedalus, searching for the 4 secret keys that will let them escape! All this while avoiding traps, their competitors, and the deadly Minotaur who seemingly lurks around every corner. To setup for a game, create the Labyrinth as described in the rules – in the end it will be a 7×7 tile grid. Each player receives a Player Board, Standee, 4 Desperation cards, 7 Action tokens (3 Hand tokens and 4 Feet tokens for the first turn). The remaining Desperation cards and tokens are placed to the side of the play area, along with the Key tokens. Select a starting player, and the game is ready to begin!
Over a series of rounds, players will take turns performing various actions, exploring the Labyrinth, searching for Keys, and avoiding the Minotaur. On your turn, you will be spending Action tokens to perform various actions, like: Move (to an adjacent tile), Explore (flip over an adjacent face-down tile and move to it), Discover Key (gain the corresponding Key token to your Player board), Desperate Action (play a Desperation card), and a handful of other actions. Each action has a token cost associated with it, and you must pay it in order to perform the action. Each different Player Board also has a unique Special Ability that is active during the game. Once you have taken as many actions as you can/want to take, you will return any unused Action tokens to the supply, and then choose a combination of 7 new Action tokens to be used on your next turn. Then, you will refresh your hand – drawing or discarding Desperation cards so your hand limit is 4 minus the number of Key tokens you possess.
The final step of your turn is to roll the Minotaur die and resolve his movement/actions. The movement of the Minotaur is similar to the movement rules of players, and some results on the Minotaur die activate special abilities. If the Minotaur ever enters a tile occupied by a player, he immediately Attacks! The controlling player rolls the Blood die, and the attacked hero gains that number of Wounds to their Player Board. A Wound on your Player Board will cover one of your turn actions, prohibiting you from performing that action until you spend Action tokens to Heal. Certain tiles of the Maze have special symbols that will immediately affect the gameplay. For example, any time a player moves onto a Trap tile, they immediately take a Wound. When a player is on a Hide tile, they cannot be Attacked by the Minotaur. Play continues in this fashion, alternating turns, until a player has collected all 4 Key tokens and made their way back to the starting Door tile. That player has successfully escaped, and all others remain trapped in the Labyrinth!
I know that may seem like a lot, but the gameplay itself is actually pretty streamlined and intuitive. The action descriptions on the Player Boards are clear and concise, acting as a player reference sheet in a way. I appreciate the Player Boards SO much because it keeps me from having to continually refer to the rulebook for any action questions. The action options themselves are simple to understand and perform, but the strategy required for overall success is trickier to master. This truly is an exploration game – the 7×7 grid is created anew every game, and chances are you will never play with the same grid layout twice. The Key tiles could be anywhere, and you have to try to get to them before your opponents. The different tile symbols offer some risk/reward decisions. Do you risk turning over an undiscovered tile in hopes that it gets you across this gap? It could be a Trap! Or it could be a Secret Passage that allows you to move elsewhere. You’ll never know if you don’t try it!
I also really like the mechanic of the Minotaur in this game. At the end of your turn, you roll the Minotaur die and resolve it. That means the Minotaur is essentially controlled by all players. It becomes a sort of tug-of-war, if you will, as players try to get the Minotaur to attack opponents, while hopefully also staying out of his range for the next player’s turn. Another neat thing about Labyrinthos is that when you collect a Key token, it actually provides you with an action and is added to your Player Board, covering an existing action. Through the use of actions and Desperation cards, you could be able to move Keys around on your Player Board too. Maybe its initial placement doesn’t fit the situation anymore, and you need that covered power back! The opportunities to strategize with your actions are endless, and that keeps the gameplay engaging. One last cool thing I want to mention is the selection of new Action tokens at the end of each turn. Certain actions require Hand, Feet, or both types of tokens, and having the ability to choose the combination of those for yourself feels pretty powerful. It could also quickly backfire, if suddenly you find yourself needing Feet tokens, but you only have Hands left! It’s another layer to the strategy, and it helps up the excitement of play.
Components. The components of this game are great. The maze tiles are nice and sturdy, the symbolism clean and clear. The Desperation cards have some cool flavor text, and their actions are straightforward. All of the Standees, tokens, and dice are good quality that will hold up to lots of handling. All in all, great production quality!
I am extremely happy that I decided to back Labyrinthos on Kickstarter. For being a seemingly simple game of maze exploration and movement, there is definitely a lot more to it than meets the eye. Players have to manage resources and plan ahead for what they need in subsequent turns. Desperation cards can affect the gameplay, and can sometimes even be used during an opponent’s turn. The ability of Key tokens to cover existing abilities really makes players think about what their strategy is moving forward. All of these aspects put into one game make for a fun and immersive experience. Purple Phoenix Games gives it an a-maze-ing 10 / 12. Also, special shout-out to the all-female team behind this great game!! It is really cool to see how women are moving up in the gaming industry, and becoming prominent players across game design, art, production, and media content realms within this hobby. Kudos to you ladies! I am very much looking forward to supporting your games in the future!
Disclaimer: I do not intend to rehash the entire rulebook in this review, but rather provide an overview of the rules and game flow. -L
Labyrinthos is a game of action and adventure in which players are exploring the famed Labyrinth of Daedalus, searching for the 4 secret keys that will let them escape! All this while avoiding traps, their competitors, and the deadly Minotaur who seemingly lurks around every corner. To setup for a game, create the Labyrinth as described in the rules – in the end it will be a 7×7 tile grid. Each player receives a Player Board, Standee, 4 Desperation cards, 7 Action tokens (3 Hand tokens and 4 Feet tokens for the first turn). The remaining Desperation cards and tokens are placed to the side of the play area, along with the Key tokens. Select a starting player, and the game is ready to begin!
Over a series of rounds, players will take turns performing various actions, exploring the Labyrinth, searching for Keys, and avoiding the Minotaur. On your turn, you will be spending Action tokens to perform various actions, like: Move (to an adjacent tile), Explore (flip over an adjacent face-down tile and move to it), Discover Key (gain the corresponding Key token to your Player board), Desperate Action (play a Desperation card), and a handful of other actions. Each action has a token cost associated with it, and you must pay it in order to perform the action. Each different Player Board also has a unique Special Ability that is active during the game. Once you have taken as many actions as you can/want to take, you will return any unused Action tokens to the supply, and then choose a combination of 7 new Action tokens to be used on your next turn. Then, you will refresh your hand – drawing or discarding Desperation cards so your hand limit is 4 minus the number of Key tokens you possess.
The final step of your turn is to roll the Minotaur die and resolve his movement/actions. The movement of the Minotaur is similar to the movement rules of players, and some results on the Minotaur die activate special abilities. If the Minotaur ever enters a tile occupied by a player, he immediately Attacks! The controlling player rolls the Blood die, and the attacked hero gains that number of Wounds to their Player Board. A Wound on your Player Board will cover one of your turn actions, prohibiting you from performing that action until you spend Action tokens to Heal. Certain tiles of the Maze have special symbols that will immediately affect the gameplay. For example, any time a player moves onto a Trap tile, they immediately take a Wound. When a player is on a Hide tile, they cannot be Attacked by the Minotaur. Play continues in this fashion, alternating turns, until a player has collected all 4 Key tokens and made their way back to the starting Door tile. That player has successfully escaped, and all others remain trapped in the Labyrinth!
I know that may seem like a lot, but the gameplay itself is actually pretty streamlined and intuitive. The action descriptions on the Player Boards are clear and concise, acting as a player reference sheet in a way. I appreciate the Player Boards SO much because it keeps me from having to continually refer to the rulebook for any action questions. The action options themselves are simple to understand and perform, but the strategy required for overall success is trickier to master. This truly is an exploration game – the 7×7 grid is created anew every game, and chances are you will never play with the same grid layout twice. The Key tiles could be anywhere, and you have to try to get to them before your opponents. The different tile symbols offer some risk/reward decisions. Do you risk turning over an undiscovered tile in hopes that it gets you across this gap? It could be a Trap! Or it could be a Secret Passage that allows you to move elsewhere. You’ll never know if you don’t try it!
I also really like the mechanic of the Minotaur in this game. At the end of your turn, you roll the Minotaur die and resolve it. That means the Minotaur is essentially controlled by all players. It becomes a sort of tug-of-war, if you will, as players try to get the Minotaur to attack opponents, while hopefully also staying out of his range for the next player’s turn. Another neat thing about Labyrinthos is that when you collect a Key token, it actually provides you with an action and is added to your Player Board, covering an existing action. Through the use of actions and Desperation cards, you could be able to move Keys around on your Player Board too. Maybe its initial placement doesn’t fit the situation anymore, and you need that covered power back! The opportunities to strategize with your actions are endless, and that keeps the gameplay engaging. One last cool thing I want to mention is the selection of new Action tokens at the end of each turn. Certain actions require Hand, Feet, or both types of tokens, and having the ability to choose the combination of those for yourself feels pretty powerful. It could also quickly backfire, if suddenly you find yourself needing Feet tokens, but you only have Hands left! It’s another layer to the strategy, and it helps up the excitement of play.
Components. The components of this game are great. The maze tiles are nice and sturdy, the symbolism clean and clear. The Desperation cards have some cool flavor text, and their actions are straightforward. All of the Standees, tokens, and dice are good quality that will hold up to lots of handling. All in all, great production quality!
I am extremely happy that I decided to back Labyrinthos on Kickstarter. For being a seemingly simple game of maze exploration and movement, there is definitely a lot more to it than meets the eye. Players have to manage resources and plan ahead for what they need in subsequent turns. Desperation cards can affect the gameplay, and can sometimes even be used during an opponent’s turn. The ability of Key tokens to cover existing abilities really makes players think about what their strategy is moving forward. All of these aspects put into one game make for a fun and immersive experience. Purple Phoenix Games gives it an a-maze-ing 10 / 12. Also, special shout-out to the all-female team behind this great game!! It is really cool to see how women are moving up in the gaming industry, and becoming prominent players across game design, art, production, and media content realms within this hobby. Kudos to you ladies! I am very much looking forward to supporting your games in the future!
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Fossilis in Tabletop Games
Feb 17, 2021
Whether it lasted for days, months, or years, I’m willing to bet that you all have had some minor (or maybe even major) fascination with dinosaurs at some point in your life. I am definitely no exception to that statement. When I was younger, I absolutely went through a paleontology phase, and the “Jurassic Park” movies have kept that love of dinosaurs alive. So when I saw KTBG was coming out with a game about excavating dinosaur bones, I was immediately sold. Did it live up to my childhood expectations, or was this excavation a bust?
Fossilis is a game of set collection and tile placement in which players are working to excavate and collect sets of dinosaur bones for display in museums across the world. To setup for a game, prepare the dig site as described in the rulebook. Populate the Score Track board with 9 random Skill tokens, 3 face-down randomly selected Event cards, and a Plaster pool based on the player count. Create a Market of Tool and Supply cards, as well as a Dinosaur Display. Each player receives a mat, Paleontologist meeple, and score marker in their chosen color. Pick a starting player, and in reverse turn order, players place their Paleontologists onto a corner tile of the dig site. The game is now ready to begin!
Every players’ turn has 3 steps: Actions, Market, and Lab. At the start of your turn, you have 4 Energy to spend on Actions. The available action choices are: Gain 1 Plaster (from the Plaster pool), Move up to 2 spaces (orthogonally or diagonally), Climb onto the Dig Site (if your Paleontologist was knocked off the board), Place 1 Sand tile (anywhere on the Dig Site), Dig 1 tile (slide a terrain tile 1 space in any direction), or Extract (excavate a bone/hammer). With the exception of Digging, all other Actions cost 1 Energy to perform. Digging 1 tile costs energy dependent on the type of terrain tile being moved. To dig Sand is 1 Energy, Clay is 2, and Stone is 3. To Dig, you select 1 tile that is orthogonally adjacent to your Paleontologist, and slide it 1 space in any direction you wish. Tiles that are pushed off the edge are claimed by that player, and can be used to purchase cards from the Market. It is possible for a Paleontologist to be pushed off the Dig Site, so watch out! To perform the Extract action, you will excavate a bone or hammer from an open pit orthogonally adjacent to your Paleontologist. Extraction costs Plaster dependent on the type of bone being collected. For example, extracting a tooth costs 2 Plaster, while a skull costs 6. Extracting hammers has no cost, and you immediately trade the hammer for one of the available Skill tokens in play. The Skill tokens provide benefits for the remainder of the game. Once a player has spent their Energy, they move to the next phase.
On your turn, you may buy 1 card from the Market: either a Tool or Supply card. These are purchased using the icons on any tiles you collected during the Action phase. Supply cards gain you immediate resources, while Tool cards are saved for use during a future Action step. After the Market phase is the Lab phase. You may claim a Dinosaur from the Display if you have at least one of the required bones for that Dinosaur. You can only ever have 1 Dinosaur in your Lab at a time, so strategize carefully. At any point during a turn, you can score the Dinosaur in your lab – either for full points if all required bones are present on the card, or partial points if you only have some of the required bones.
Events are triggered 3 times throughout the game when the Plaster pool has been depleted. The active player draws the top Event card, and follows the instructions on the card. Once an Event has been performed, the Plaster pool is refilled and play continues with the next player. After the 3rd event has been triggered, the Plaster pool is refilled one last time. When the last Plaster pool is depleted for this final time, the game ends. Players count up all their points, and the player with the highest score wins!
At first it may seem overwhelming, like there is a lot going on, but after a couple of turns the gameplay feels intuitive and streamlined. There are quite a few aspects to keep track of, but the overall flow of the game makes it feel clear and concise. During my plays, I have never once felt lost or confused as to what the next turn step is. The tight gameplay also lends itself to providing a variety of strategic options for players. Do you want to go for all the highest-scoring Dinosaurs, even though their bones take longer to collect? Or maybe you want to snag as many lower-scoring Dinosaurs as possible, since they should be faster to collect. You can earn end-game points based on Characteristic sets of Dinosaurs (carnivorous, herbivore, etc), so maybe you decide to focus on those sets. Or if you’re in a particularly confrontational mood, maybe you want to knock opposing Paleontologists off the Dig Site, causing them to ‘waste’ an Energy on a future turn just to climb back on into the play area. There really is no right answer as to what strategy is a sure-win, and I like that I can choose and adapt my strategies based on the current standings in the game.
Probably my favorite innovative mechanic in Fossilis is the 3D terrain and ‘digging’ actions. When setting up the game, bones and hammers are randomly scattered and distributed around the Dig Site before terrain tiles are added. So there is absolutely no way to know where you should dig for what you want! Just like a real paleontologist, you’ve got to give it your best guess. I have had some frustrating turns, spending lots of Energy to dig a tile just to find the space to be empty! Or maybe you dig and hit the motherlode, which just means you’ll probably have to fight off other paleontologists for the bones that you need. The 3D board adds another element of strategy that heightens the gameplay and makes it more immersive.
Let’s touch on components for a moment. They are AWESOME. Admittedly, I have the Kickstarter version, but I just love how well-produced this game is. The terrain tiles are nice and thick bakelite-esque tiles, and they are just dang fun to manipulate. The plaster and bones are small, but pretty detailed and sturdy for their size. The artwork on the cards is colorful and clear, the Paleontologist meeples are cute little wooden bits, and the cardboard bits are all good quality. Excellent production quality all around.
It should come as no surprise, based on my score, that I love this game. The gameplay is immersive and engaging, the mechanics add a neat twist to your normal set collection/tile placement game, and the ability to adapt strategy on the fly means that nobody is truly out of the game because of one bad turn. Purple Phoenix Games gives Fossilis a roaring 11 / 12. If you’re looking for a good dinosaur game, look no further. Yeah, they’re technically just bones here, but it still counts!
Fossilis is a game of set collection and tile placement in which players are working to excavate and collect sets of dinosaur bones for display in museums across the world. To setup for a game, prepare the dig site as described in the rulebook. Populate the Score Track board with 9 random Skill tokens, 3 face-down randomly selected Event cards, and a Plaster pool based on the player count. Create a Market of Tool and Supply cards, as well as a Dinosaur Display. Each player receives a mat, Paleontologist meeple, and score marker in their chosen color. Pick a starting player, and in reverse turn order, players place their Paleontologists onto a corner tile of the dig site. The game is now ready to begin!
Every players’ turn has 3 steps: Actions, Market, and Lab. At the start of your turn, you have 4 Energy to spend on Actions. The available action choices are: Gain 1 Plaster (from the Plaster pool), Move up to 2 spaces (orthogonally or diagonally), Climb onto the Dig Site (if your Paleontologist was knocked off the board), Place 1 Sand tile (anywhere on the Dig Site), Dig 1 tile (slide a terrain tile 1 space in any direction), or Extract (excavate a bone/hammer). With the exception of Digging, all other Actions cost 1 Energy to perform. Digging 1 tile costs energy dependent on the type of terrain tile being moved. To dig Sand is 1 Energy, Clay is 2, and Stone is 3. To Dig, you select 1 tile that is orthogonally adjacent to your Paleontologist, and slide it 1 space in any direction you wish. Tiles that are pushed off the edge are claimed by that player, and can be used to purchase cards from the Market. It is possible for a Paleontologist to be pushed off the Dig Site, so watch out! To perform the Extract action, you will excavate a bone or hammer from an open pit orthogonally adjacent to your Paleontologist. Extraction costs Plaster dependent on the type of bone being collected. For example, extracting a tooth costs 2 Plaster, while a skull costs 6. Extracting hammers has no cost, and you immediately trade the hammer for one of the available Skill tokens in play. The Skill tokens provide benefits for the remainder of the game. Once a player has spent their Energy, they move to the next phase.
On your turn, you may buy 1 card from the Market: either a Tool or Supply card. These are purchased using the icons on any tiles you collected during the Action phase. Supply cards gain you immediate resources, while Tool cards are saved for use during a future Action step. After the Market phase is the Lab phase. You may claim a Dinosaur from the Display if you have at least one of the required bones for that Dinosaur. You can only ever have 1 Dinosaur in your Lab at a time, so strategize carefully. At any point during a turn, you can score the Dinosaur in your lab – either for full points if all required bones are present on the card, or partial points if you only have some of the required bones.
Events are triggered 3 times throughout the game when the Plaster pool has been depleted. The active player draws the top Event card, and follows the instructions on the card. Once an Event has been performed, the Plaster pool is refilled and play continues with the next player. After the 3rd event has been triggered, the Plaster pool is refilled one last time. When the last Plaster pool is depleted for this final time, the game ends. Players count up all their points, and the player with the highest score wins!
At first it may seem overwhelming, like there is a lot going on, but after a couple of turns the gameplay feels intuitive and streamlined. There are quite a few aspects to keep track of, but the overall flow of the game makes it feel clear and concise. During my plays, I have never once felt lost or confused as to what the next turn step is. The tight gameplay also lends itself to providing a variety of strategic options for players. Do you want to go for all the highest-scoring Dinosaurs, even though their bones take longer to collect? Or maybe you want to snag as many lower-scoring Dinosaurs as possible, since they should be faster to collect. You can earn end-game points based on Characteristic sets of Dinosaurs (carnivorous, herbivore, etc), so maybe you decide to focus on those sets. Or if you’re in a particularly confrontational mood, maybe you want to knock opposing Paleontologists off the Dig Site, causing them to ‘waste’ an Energy on a future turn just to climb back on into the play area. There really is no right answer as to what strategy is a sure-win, and I like that I can choose and adapt my strategies based on the current standings in the game.
Probably my favorite innovative mechanic in Fossilis is the 3D terrain and ‘digging’ actions. When setting up the game, bones and hammers are randomly scattered and distributed around the Dig Site before terrain tiles are added. So there is absolutely no way to know where you should dig for what you want! Just like a real paleontologist, you’ve got to give it your best guess. I have had some frustrating turns, spending lots of Energy to dig a tile just to find the space to be empty! Or maybe you dig and hit the motherlode, which just means you’ll probably have to fight off other paleontologists for the bones that you need. The 3D board adds another element of strategy that heightens the gameplay and makes it more immersive.
Let’s touch on components for a moment. They are AWESOME. Admittedly, I have the Kickstarter version, but I just love how well-produced this game is. The terrain tiles are nice and thick bakelite-esque tiles, and they are just dang fun to manipulate. The plaster and bones are small, but pretty detailed and sturdy for their size. The artwork on the cards is colorful and clear, the Paleontologist meeples are cute little wooden bits, and the cardboard bits are all good quality. Excellent production quality all around.
It should come as no surprise, based on my score, that I love this game. The gameplay is immersive and engaging, the mechanics add a neat twist to your normal set collection/tile placement game, and the ability to adapt strategy on the fly means that nobody is truly out of the game because of one bad turn. Purple Phoenix Games gives Fossilis a roaring 11 / 12. If you’re looking for a good dinosaur game, look no further. Yeah, they’re technically just bones here, but it still counts!
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Peak Oil Profiteer in Tabletop Games
Jun 11, 2021
One of the most important energy resources in the world is oil. We have a finite amount, it is used in our everyday lives, and it is always in demand. So imagine if a country found a new supply of oil – everyone would be fighting for a piece! Enter Peak Oil Profiteer, a game that puts you in charge of an oil corporation vying for money and oil in this new-found oil vein. Sound like something you might be interested in? Keep reading and see what it’s all about!
Disclaimer: For this preview, we played the Tabletopia version of the game. The pictures you will see below are screenshots from my plays online. Also, I do not intend to rehash the entire rulebook, but rather provide a general overview of the rules and gameplay. For a more in-depth look, check it out when it hits Kickstarter! -L
Peak Oil Profiteer is an economic game of area majority/movement, network building, and simultaneous action selection in which players take on the roles of oil corporations competing to make the most money in an oil-rich country before corruption overtakes the land. There is a power struggle between 3 Factions, so play your cards right (literally) to come out ahead. To setup for a game, set the board in the middle of the table, populate the 3 Faction Tracks with their corresponding cubes, place the Corruption cube on 93%, create the Contingency deck (as described in the rules), shuffle the Blackmail deck, and give each player their 5 Action cards, starting Money, and 3 Pawns in their color. Flip all 9 Leader tokens face-down, shuffle them, and randomly give one to each player, placing the remaining Leader tokens face-up near the board.
The game is played over a series of rounds. At the start of every round, one card from the Contingency deck will be revealed/resolved. Contingency cards will either be Events (that will most likely alter the rules for the current round), or Consultants (to be ‘hired’ by an individual player for special abilities). Once the Contingency card has been dealt with, the round moves to the next phase: Action Selection. All players have the same 5 Action cards, numbered 1-5, available to them every round. Players will select one of their 5 Action cards and place it face-down in front of them. Then, in numerical order, all Action cards will be resolved. When your Action number has been called, you will reveal your Action card, perform the corresponding action, and take the card back into your hand. Once all players have performed their Action for the round, check the Corruption track – if it has reached 100% then the game ends, and if not then the game moves to a new round.
The 5 Actions available to all player are: 1. Networking, 2. Sell Weapons, 3. Buy Drilling Rights, 4. Sell Oil, and 5. Contingency. Networking allows you to collect Blackmail in order to win control of Faction Leaders. You may only Sell Weapons to a Faction if you control at least one of its Leaders. You will earn a set amount of Money, and a new Troop cube will be added to the game board. To Buy Drilling Rights from a Faction, you again need to control at least one of its Leaders. Pay for the rights, and then add one of your Pawns to that region of the board. Once you’ve got Drilling Rights, you can Sell Oil. Remove your Pawn from the corresponding region, and collect the appropriate amount of Money. And lastly, Contingency allows you to either ‘hire’ a Consultant, or perform an extra action as a result of an Event.
The amount of Money that you pay/earn for each of the actions is dictated by the Faction Tracks. For example, the price of Weapons decreases as Factions get more Troops on the board, which means you won’t earn as much selling to a Faction with lots of Troops in play. You have to time your Actions wisely in order to maximize your profit! If, at the end of a round, the Corruption track has reached 100%, the game ends. Players count up their Money, and the player with the highest earnings is declared the winner.
Although the theme isn’t something that would normally appeal to me, I have to say that Peak Oil
Profiteer is a solid game. The gameplay is straightforward, the player interaction is competitive but not combative, and the strategy keeps you engaged all game. The ultimate goal is to earn the most Money, and the Faction Track creates sort of a “commodity speculation” type mechanic to the gameplay. The costs vary depending on the Faction Track, and it can be manipulated by all players. That in and of itself creates some fun player interaction because the Faction Track affects all players. Doing something to block an opponent now may come back to bite you next round. Another neat element about Peak Oil Profiteer is that players select their Actions simultaneously, and they are then resolved in numerical order. Depending on where your turn falls in the round, you might be able to do just what you had planned, unless an opponent went before you and changed the game layout. There is an amount of uncertainty that forces players to adjust their strategy on the fly and adapt to the current situation.
I will say that resolving Actions in numerical order does kind of add an element of Action Programming, if you will. Once you have selected your Action this round, you are locked in. No matter what happens before your turn, you must perform your selected Action if at all possible. It creates some neat strategic opportunities, but at the same time, can feel like you’ve been blocked out. Just something to consider! Normally, I would touch on components, but as this was a Tabletopia version of the game, I can’t really do so. I will say that the art style and card/board layouts online are thematic and immersive. If the physical version of the game looks anything like this digital version, it’ll be a good looking game! One component that I especially appreciated was that each player gets a Player Reference/Round Reference card. It gives you the information you need without being too wordy, and it stops you from having to refer back to the rule book every turn. So big thanks from me for that!
Having never played the original Peak Oil game, I have to say that Peak Oil Profiteer made a good impression on me. It’s fast to teach and learn, engaging, and strategic enough to keep you thinking. The fluctuation of the Faction Track, and the order of Action resolution add elements of uncertainty and ‘luck’ (if you will) that keep the game from having a clear run-away winner. Everyone is in it until the very end, and the race for the most Money is a nail-biter for sure. If you’re looking for something interactive but not too confrontational, while also putting your strategic chops to the test, consider backing Peak Oil Profiteer on Kickstarter!
Disclaimer: For this preview, we played the Tabletopia version of the game. The pictures you will see below are screenshots from my plays online. Also, I do not intend to rehash the entire rulebook, but rather provide a general overview of the rules and gameplay. For a more in-depth look, check it out when it hits Kickstarter! -L
Peak Oil Profiteer is an economic game of area majority/movement, network building, and simultaneous action selection in which players take on the roles of oil corporations competing to make the most money in an oil-rich country before corruption overtakes the land. There is a power struggle between 3 Factions, so play your cards right (literally) to come out ahead. To setup for a game, set the board in the middle of the table, populate the 3 Faction Tracks with their corresponding cubes, place the Corruption cube on 93%, create the Contingency deck (as described in the rules), shuffle the Blackmail deck, and give each player their 5 Action cards, starting Money, and 3 Pawns in their color. Flip all 9 Leader tokens face-down, shuffle them, and randomly give one to each player, placing the remaining Leader tokens face-up near the board.
The game is played over a series of rounds. At the start of every round, one card from the Contingency deck will be revealed/resolved. Contingency cards will either be Events (that will most likely alter the rules for the current round), or Consultants (to be ‘hired’ by an individual player for special abilities). Once the Contingency card has been dealt with, the round moves to the next phase: Action Selection. All players have the same 5 Action cards, numbered 1-5, available to them every round. Players will select one of their 5 Action cards and place it face-down in front of them. Then, in numerical order, all Action cards will be resolved. When your Action number has been called, you will reveal your Action card, perform the corresponding action, and take the card back into your hand. Once all players have performed their Action for the round, check the Corruption track – if it has reached 100% then the game ends, and if not then the game moves to a new round.
The 5 Actions available to all player are: 1. Networking, 2. Sell Weapons, 3. Buy Drilling Rights, 4. Sell Oil, and 5. Contingency. Networking allows you to collect Blackmail in order to win control of Faction Leaders. You may only Sell Weapons to a Faction if you control at least one of its Leaders. You will earn a set amount of Money, and a new Troop cube will be added to the game board. To Buy Drilling Rights from a Faction, you again need to control at least one of its Leaders. Pay for the rights, and then add one of your Pawns to that region of the board. Once you’ve got Drilling Rights, you can Sell Oil. Remove your Pawn from the corresponding region, and collect the appropriate amount of Money. And lastly, Contingency allows you to either ‘hire’ a Consultant, or perform an extra action as a result of an Event.
The amount of Money that you pay/earn for each of the actions is dictated by the Faction Tracks. For example, the price of Weapons decreases as Factions get more Troops on the board, which means you won’t earn as much selling to a Faction with lots of Troops in play. You have to time your Actions wisely in order to maximize your profit! If, at the end of a round, the Corruption track has reached 100%, the game ends. Players count up their Money, and the player with the highest earnings is declared the winner.
Although the theme isn’t something that would normally appeal to me, I have to say that Peak Oil
Profiteer is a solid game. The gameplay is straightforward, the player interaction is competitive but not combative, and the strategy keeps you engaged all game. The ultimate goal is to earn the most Money, and the Faction Track creates sort of a “commodity speculation” type mechanic to the gameplay. The costs vary depending on the Faction Track, and it can be manipulated by all players. That in and of itself creates some fun player interaction because the Faction Track affects all players. Doing something to block an opponent now may come back to bite you next round. Another neat element about Peak Oil Profiteer is that players select their Actions simultaneously, and they are then resolved in numerical order. Depending on where your turn falls in the round, you might be able to do just what you had planned, unless an opponent went before you and changed the game layout. There is an amount of uncertainty that forces players to adjust their strategy on the fly and adapt to the current situation.
I will say that resolving Actions in numerical order does kind of add an element of Action Programming, if you will. Once you have selected your Action this round, you are locked in. No matter what happens before your turn, you must perform your selected Action if at all possible. It creates some neat strategic opportunities, but at the same time, can feel like you’ve been blocked out. Just something to consider! Normally, I would touch on components, but as this was a Tabletopia version of the game, I can’t really do so. I will say that the art style and card/board layouts online are thematic and immersive. If the physical version of the game looks anything like this digital version, it’ll be a good looking game! One component that I especially appreciated was that each player gets a Player Reference/Round Reference card. It gives you the information you need without being too wordy, and it stops you from having to refer back to the rule book every turn. So big thanks from me for that!
Having never played the original Peak Oil game, I have to say that Peak Oil Profiteer made a good impression on me. It’s fast to teach and learn, engaging, and strategic enough to keep you thinking. The fluctuation of the Faction Track, and the order of Action resolution add elements of uncertainty and ‘luck’ (if you will) that keep the game from having a clear run-away winner. Everyone is in it until the very end, and the race for the most Money is a nail-biter for sure. If you’re looking for something interactive but not too confrontational, while also putting your strategic chops to the test, consider backing Peak Oil Profiteer on Kickstarter!
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Lair in Tabletop Games
Feb 13, 2020
Raise your hand if you’ve ever dreamed of being a superhero – fighting crime and saving lives. Great! This game is not about that. Instead, embrace your inner villain as you work to create the greatest evil lair in the world! Dig deep and put your villainy to the test as you command Henchmen to build nefarious rooms and outmaneuver the other villains vying for power in this evil organization.
Lair is a worker placement game in which players are racing to complete the construction of a secret lair for their evil boss, Mr. White. Played over a series of rounds, players select turn order and command henchmen to construct new rooms, collect supplies, interfere with your competitors’ plans, or dig deeper into the volcano in which this lair is housed. The first player to reach the core of the volcano, thus completing the lair, is the winner!
Disclaimer: We were provided a copy of Lair for the purposes of this review. I do not intend to rehash the entire rulebook, but rather provide an overview of the rules and comment on the gameplay. For a more in-depth look at the rules, find the game at your FLGS or directly from the publisher! -L
To setup, place the foundation cards at the top of the table and then place 4 elevator cards in a single line underneath the center-most foundation card, and put the Core card at the bottom of the line. Flip the top elevator card, give each player their components (Player Card, Boss token, and 2 Henchmen tokens), create a room card pool, and you are ready to go! Choose the first player as described in the rule book. To start each round, players will choose turn order. All spaces in the turn order track offer different resources/rewards (collect Work Tokens, claim room cards, etc), so going first each turn might not necessarily be best for your strategy. Once turn order is established, players take turns moving 1 worker (either a Henchmen or Boss), and possibly performing the action of the room card to which they moved. Each move costs 1 Work Token, and is paid to the “bank.” In order to perform a room’s action, you must play your Boss token to that card, and there must be a Henchmen token already in the room. Here’s the catch – if the Henchmen token belongs to an opponent, you pay THEM 1 Work Token (instead of the bank) for having moved into a room that they have claimed. Do you want to use a room action enough to justify giving an opponent another Work Token to be used against you? Or can you rework your strategy to avoid using that action? Play continues in the round as long as players have Work Tokens to spend. Once you run out of actions, or choose to stop, you ‘retire’ and pass until the next round begins. There is an incentive to retiring early, though – the first player to retire in a round is the first player to choose their turn order in the next round. Play continues until one player has reached the final spot on the elevator track, the Core. The game immediately ends, and that player is the victor!
So how does Lair play? In my opinion, it’s a great little game. There is so much strategy involved for such a small game, and that is really what takes it to the next level for me. Let’s start with selecting turn order. In most games, this means vying for first dibs in the next round. In this game, however, each different turn order slot provides different resources/rewards. Depending on your strategy, you may really need that 3rd slot, or even the last one! So going first is not necessarily always the best thing in this game. You have to balance the risk of going later in the round with the reward of your chosen resources. The next strategic part of this game has to do with Henchmen placement. As I stated earlier, in order to use a room’s action, you must move your Boss to that card, and there must already be a Henchmen present. If the Henchmen belongs to an opponent, you pay them instead of the bank. This is vital because Work Tokens are what allow you to take turns, so paying an opponent means giving them a chance for another turn next round. Is it worth rewarding an opponent for use of a room action? On the flip side – can you strategically place your Henchmen to ensure that opponents have to pay you to complete their goals? The Boss may be in charge, but the Henchmen are the underdogs in this game for sure.
Components. The components are pretty good quality in this game. The cards are nice and thick, the art is thematic, and the wooden and cardboard tokens are sturdy. No complaints there. The only qualm that we had with Lair has to do with iconography. Every possible action has a corresponding symbol, and that is what is shown on the card. The downside is that there are so many symbols and icons, so there is a bit of a learning curve when it comes to playing Lair for the first time. To alleviate some of the confusion, the game comes with some nice reference cards, and the symbols do get easier to recognize with more plays. But just be warned: at first you may be a little confused with all of the symbology.
As you can see by our ratings, we kind of had mixed feelings about this one. For a game that seems so small and light, it actually has a lot of bulk to it. Between strategic choices and learning symbology, this might not be a game we can just pull out for a quick filler, but I think that it’s good enough to stand on its own. Sometimes physically smaller games can be overlooked, but don’t let the size fool you – Lair packs a punch. Purple Phoenix Games gives Lair a nefarious 12 / 18.
Lair is a worker placement game in which players are racing to complete the construction of a secret lair for their evil boss, Mr. White. Played over a series of rounds, players select turn order and command henchmen to construct new rooms, collect supplies, interfere with your competitors’ plans, or dig deeper into the volcano in which this lair is housed. The first player to reach the core of the volcano, thus completing the lair, is the winner!
Disclaimer: We were provided a copy of Lair for the purposes of this review. I do not intend to rehash the entire rulebook, but rather provide an overview of the rules and comment on the gameplay. For a more in-depth look at the rules, find the game at your FLGS or directly from the publisher! -L
To setup, place the foundation cards at the top of the table and then place 4 elevator cards in a single line underneath the center-most foundation card, and put the Core card at the bottom of the line. Flip the top elevator card, give each player their components (Player Card, Boss token, and 2 Henchmen tokens), create a room card pool, and you are ready to go! Choose the first player as described in the rule book. To start each round, players will choose turn order. All spaces in the turn order track offer different resources/rewards (collect Work Tokens, claim room cards, etc), so going first each turn might not necessarily be best for your strategy. Once turn order is established, players take turns moving 1 worker (either a Henchmen or Boss), and possibly performing the action of the room card to which they moved. Each move costs 1 Work Token, and is paid to the “bank.” In order to perform a room’s action, you must play your Boss token to that card, and there must be a Henchmen token already in the room. Here’s the catch – if the Henchmen token belongs to an opponent, you pay THEM 1 Work Token (instead of the bank) for having moved into a room that they have claimed. Do you want to use a room action enough to justify giving an opponent another Work Token to be used against you? Or can you rework your strategy to avoid using that action? Play continues in the round as long as players have Work Tokens to spend. Once you run out of actions, or choose to stop, you ‘retire’ and pass until the next round begins. There is an incentive to retiring early, though – the first player to retire in a round is the first player to choose their turn order in the next round. Play continues until one player has reached the final spot on the elevator track, the Core. The game immediately ends, and that player is the victor!
So how does Lair play? In my opinion, it’s a great little game. There is so much strategy involved for such a small game, and that is really what takes it to the next level for me. Let’s start with selecting turn order. In most games, this means vying for first dibs in the next round. In this game, however, each different turn order slot provides different resources/rewards. Depending on your strategy, you may really need that 3rd slot, or even the last one! So going first is not necessarily always the best thing in this game. You have to balance the risk of going later in the round with the reward of your chosen resources. The next strategic part of this game has to do with Henchmen placement. As I stated earlier, in order to use a room’s action, you must move your Boss to that card, and there must already be a Henchmen present. If the Henchmen belongs to an opponent, you pay them instead of the bank. This is vital because Work Tokens are what allow you to take turns, so paying an opponent means giving them a chance for another turn next round. Is it worth rewarding an opponent for use of a room action? On the flip side – can you strategically place your Henchmen to ensure that opponents have to pay you to complete their goals? The Boss may be in charge, but the Henchmen are the underdogs in this game for sure.
Components. The components are pretty good quality in this game. The cards are nice and thick, the art is thematic, and the wooden and cardboard tokens are sturdy. No complaints there. The only qualm that we had with Lair has to do with iconography. Every possible action has a corresponding symbol, and that is what is shown on the card. The downside is that there are so many symbols and icons, so there is a bit of a learning curve when it comes to playing Lair for the first time. To alleviate some of the confusion, the game comes with some nice reference cards, and the symbols do get easier to recognize with more plays. But just be warned: at first you may be a little confused with all of the symbology.
As you can see by our ratings, we kind of had mixed feelings about this one. For a game that seems so small and light, it actually has a lot of bulk to it. Between strategic choices and learning symbology, this might not be a game we can just pull out for a quick filler, but I think that it’s good enough to stand on its own. Sometimes physically smaller games can be overlooked, but don’t let the size fool you – Lair packs a punch. Purple Phoenix Games gives Lair a nefarious 12 / 18.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Dinos Not Assembled in Tabletop Games
Mar 15, 2021
I think it’s no secret that I would be super hyped to go on a dinosaur dig. My brother, Bryan, is certainly more of a dino dude than I am, but I still remember loving them as a child and wishing I could see a skeleton being unearthed. Now I am the one with children who wish the same thing, and now I can play games with just that theme and they enjoy themselves. This is just such a game.
Dinos Not Assembled is a competitive set collection board game with hints of take-that for two to four players that can be enjoyed by players as young as four years old (I know this because my son is four and he loves it). In it players are acting as assistant paleontologists vying for the prestigious opportunity to join a world-famous paleo on their next dig. The player who is first to display three complete dinosaur skeletons in their portion of the museum will win the chance to go on the dig and win the game.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. This is a retail copy of the game, so what you see in these photos is exactly what would be received in your box. I do not intend to cover every single rule included in the rulebook, but will describe the overall game flow and major rule set so that our readers may get a sense of how the game plays. For more in depth rules, you may purchase a copy online or from your FLGS. -T
To setup place the main Museum Board and Dig Site Board in the middle of the table. The Dino Cards are shuffled and each player receives two cards. In addition each player will choose their Character Boards and section of the museum. All Bone Tiles are shuffled into the Dirt Sack, four of these tiles are drawn and displayed on the Dig Site Board, and the Dino Meeples are placed on the table nearby. The first player receives the velociraptor talon (in my copy) and the game may begin!
On a turn a player may perform one action from a choice of five actions: Dig, Steal, Clear, Make, Plan. Since the players are attempting to build their dinosaur skeletons based on the necessary tile types from their Dino Cards, players may Dig by selecting two Bone Tiles from the Dig Site Board to add to their Character Board. Players may never have more than four tiles at any one time. Perhaps the Dig Site Board offers nothing of interest to the active player. The active player may choose to instead Steal one Bone Tile from another player onto their own Character Board. When this happens the player that was just stolen from alerts the Security Meeple and they take the meeple to their Character Board to signify they may not be stolen from again until another player has suffered a Steal action. The active player may choose to instead Clear the board by removing the tiles on offer and drawing four new tiles to the board.
Once a player has collected the necessary Bone Tiles to build a dino skeleton they may Make the skeleton. This requires the player to discard their Bone Tiles back to the Dirt Sack (which I mistakenly kept calling the Dirt Bag), place their completed Dino Card on their Character Board, and place the appropriate Dino Meeple on one of their museum spaces. This player is now one dino closer to winning the game.
If none of these options suit the active player they may always Plan a new dig by drawing a Dino Card from the pile on the Dig Site Board and adding it to their hand. Players may not hold more than three Dino Cards at any one time.
Play continues in this manner of players choosing one action to perform on their turn until one player has made their third dino skeleton. That player wins the game and then gloats to their father. I mean, that didn’t happen…
Components. This game is fabulously produced. The artwork is just perfect for this game. It is colorful, cartoony without being too wacky, and lovable all around. The components themselves are also very good quality. My favorite pieces are all the Dino Meeples and the fancy Security Meeple. Securiteeple?
For a game that states it is intended for players aged eight and above this is a great family game. Yes, my four year old plays it and loves it, and absolutely zero reading skills are necessary to play. The Dino Cards have some fun facts on them, but are not required to enjoy the game. Once players truly understand the five actions that can be taken (and it may take several turns to click) the game is a breeze and flows really well. I would caution gamers playing with younger kids that the Steal action may cause some tears, but it can be used as an essential teaching moment.
Even with strictly adults this game is excellent. Very light and gateway, but still very enjoyable. There is just something about collecting dinosaur bones and building your beasts, but having to also struggle with deciding which bones to keep and which to pass on, as your board can only hold four tiles at a time, but each dinosaur requires three bones to complete. It can be a tasty balancing act of resource collection that I truly love.
This all said Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a very enthusiastic 11 / 12, with a guest score from my son. If your collection lacks a great family game for younger gamers or you are completely invested in the dinosaur theme then this one is a no-brainer. If you enjoy family games with a little bit of take-that, then this is a little gem for you to consider. I am so glad to have this in my collection and my son is already asking to be its caretaker. He has only ever requested two games to ever become “his,” and this is one of them. High praise from the son of a game reviewer.
Dinos Not Assembled is a competitive set collection board game with hints of take-that for two to four players that can be enjoyed by players as young as four years old (I know this because my son is four and he loves it). In it players are acting as assistant paleontologists vying for the prestigious opportunity to join a world-famous paleo on their next dig. The player who is first to display three complete dinosaur skeletons in their portion of the museum will win the chance to go on the dig and win the game.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. This is a retail copy of the game, so what you see in these photos is exactly what would be received in your box. I do not intend to cover every single rule included in the rulebook, but will describe the overall game flow and major rule set so that our readers may get a sense of how the game plays. For more in depth rules, you may purchase a copy online or from your FLGS. -T
To setup place the main Museum Board and Dig Site Board in the middle of the table. The Dino Cards are shuffled and each player receives two cards. In addition each player will choose their Character Boards and section of the museum. All Bone Tiles are shuffled into the Dirt Sack, four of these tiles are drawn and displayed on the Dig Site Board, and the Dino Meeples are placed on the table nearby. The first player receives the velociraptor talon (in my copy) and the game may begin!
On a turn a player may perform one action from a choice of five actions: Dig, Steal, Clear, Make, Plan. Since the players are attempting to build their dinosaur skeletons based on the necessary tile types from their Dino Cards, players may Dig by selecting two Bone Tiles from the Dig Site Board to add to their Character Board. Players may never have more than four tiles at any one time. Perhaps the Dig Site Board offers nothing of interest to the active player. The active player may choose to instead Steal one Bone Tile from another player onto their own Character Board. When this happens the player that was just stolen from alerts the Security Meeple and they take the meeple to their Character Board to signify they may not be stolen from again until another player has suffered a Steal action. The active player may choose to instead Clear the board by removing the tiles on offer and drawing four new tiles to the board.
Once a player has collected the necessary Bone Tiles to build a dino skeleton they may Make the skeleton. This requires the player to discard their Bone Tiles back to the Dirt Sack (which I mistakenly kept calling the Dirt Bag), place their completed Dino Card on their Character Board, and place the appropriate Dino Meeple on one of their museum spaces. This player is now one dino closer to winning the game.
If none of these options suit the active player they may always Plan a new dig by drawing a Dino Card from the pile on the Dig Site Board and adding it to their hand. Players may not hold more than three Dino Cards at any one time.
Play continues in this manner of players choosing one action to perform on their turn until one player has made their third dino skeleton. That player wins the game and then gloats to their father. I mean, that didn’t happen…
Components. This game is fabulously produced. The artwork is just perfect for this game. It is colorful, cartoony without being too wacky, and lovable all around. The components themselves are also very good quality. My favorite pieces are all the Dino Meeples and the fancy Security Meeple. Securiteeple?
For a game that states it is intended for players aged eight and above this is a great family game. Yes, my four year old plays it and loves it, and absolutely zero reading skills are necessary to play. The Dino Cards have some fun facts on them, but are not required to enjoy the game. Once players truly understand the five actions that can be taken (and it may take several turns to click) the game is a breeze and flows really well. I would caution gamers playing with younger kids that the Steal action may cause some tears, but it can be used as an essential teaching moment.
Even with strictly adults this game is excellent. Very light and gateway, but still very enjoyable. There is just something about collecting dinosaur bones and building your beasts, but having to also struggle with deciding which bones to keep and which to pass on, as your board can only hold four tiles at a time, but each dinosaur requires three bones to complete. It can be a tasty balancing act of resource collection that I truly love.
This all said Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a very enthusiastic 11 / 12, with a guest score from my son. If your collection lacks a great family game for younger gamers or you are completely invested in the dinosaur theme then this one is a no-brainer. If you enjoy family games with a little bit of take-that, then this is a little gem for you to consider. I am so glad to have this in my collection and my son is already asking to be its caretaker. He has only ever requested two games to ever become “his,” and this is one of them. High praise from the son of a game reviewer.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Chronicles of Crime: 1400 in Tabletop Games
Oct 21, 2020
Isn’t that box cover just awesome? I never open a preview with a comment about components, but this one warranted it because the box art is so good. Anyway, it’s Paris in the year, well, 1400 AD, and now some strange things are afoot at le Cercle K.
Chronicles of Crime: 1400 (which I shall shorten to 1400 for the duration of this preview) is an app-assisted campaign, murder-infested, cooperative storytelling game for one to four players. If you are familiar with the original Chronicles of Crime, you already know how to play 1400. However, should ye be of the uninitiated, allow me to set the stage for this incredible gaming experience.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. This is a retail copy of the game, so what you see in these photos is exactly what would be received in your box. I do not intend to cover every single rule included in the rulebook, but will describe the overall game flow and major rule set so that our readers may get a sense of how the game plays. For more in depth rules, you may purchase a copy online or from your FLGS. -T
To setup, place the Evidence Board in the middle of the table and the Home Location Board near. Keep all the decks of cards nearby (shuffled or unshuffled, whatever is your liking) as well as the alphabetically-labeled Location Boards. Fire up the Chronicles of Crime app, choose “1400,” and then choose the case you would like to play. The app will walk players through the additional setup steps for the case being played. For this solo preview I played through The Missing Pages case. Also, to be completely upfront I got a 95/110 for a final score, but no big deal.
How do I explain this game succinctly? Well, each of the cases will involve players traveling to different Location Boards and meeting Characters at these locations. Many cases will be involving several Special Items and, new for the 1400 version, Vision Cards that may assist players in putting the case into focus. These Vision Cards do not really give the story away or anything, but are merely a vague framework of possible factors.
By using the app and scanning the QR codes on the boards and cards players will be learning about the case, viewing the scene of the crime(s), inspecting items, chatting up locals for information, and also new for 1400: consulting with the goodest boi dog companion! The dog, Perceval, assists the knight (the players) in cases by sniffing items. A word of caution, though, when you play this game do NOT have Perceval sniff any items until you are completely done with a location because he may drag you to another completely different location right away before you were ready. Not that it happened to me, mind you… okay, it did.
Play will continue not so much in “rounds” but until the players have enough evidence and a good handle on the situation enough to return Home to report to their family members all the details of the crime(s) by scanning answers to their questions about the case. The app then assesses the accuracy of the answers and outputs a score. For reference, though I did receive 95/110 on my first play of 1400 I did only receive a 70/100 on my first runthrough of the original Chronicles of Crime, so playing this style of game several times seems to improve how one plays.
Components. As most items in the box of the game are card or cardboard-based, and all really great quality, I will speak on other component items. Firstly, the art and art style throughout the game is simply stunning. I mean look at that Perceval card! And I already raved about the box cover in my opening statement. This art really speaks to me and it says, “I’m gorgeous.”
The app. I have only great things to say about the app. It’s the same app that you would use for original Chronicles of Crime, and operates the exact same way. For me it has been flawless to use and just a joy to bring technology into the gaming world, even for a game set in the year 1400. I am obviously no purist game enthusiast, as I enjoy these hybrid model games. Once you play with the app you will see how ingenious a system it really is. The app coupled with the nondescript cards and other components in the game make for infinite storytelling possibilities that can only be limited by creativity and time constraints. I love the components in the box AND the marvelous app.
Gameplay for me is also just glorious. I love being able to sit down, setup the game, and let the app tell me what’s going on. So what should I do first? Oh, let’s mosey on down here to this Location Board and drum up some information. Ooh I found an Item! I should bring it back to my Family Location Board and ask my merchant sister about it. Hmm, it’s religious in nature? Okay then, my Monkle (monk uncle) will know something about it. Okay, time to go back to that location and speak with the other person who was in there. OH CRAP, I wasted too much (in game) time and now that other person is gone?! Uh oh, I better stop messing around here…
It’s just amazing, and I love this family of games. I am so stoked to delve more into 1400 and discover more shenanigans happening in Paris. Perceval and I are out to solve all the cases and beg for more. If you are looking for a game that uses a hybrid board game/app model, are a fan of this era in history, or just want to have a really great experience playing a game, I urge you to consider Chronicles of Crime: 1400. It has everything I love in a unique game and I just can’t get enough!
Chronicles of Crime: 1400 (which I shall shorten to 1400 for the duration of this preview) is an app-assisted campaign, murder-infested, cooperative storytelling game for one to four players. If you are familiar with the original Chronicles of Crime, you already know how to play 1400. However, should ye be of the uninitiated, allow me to set the stage for this incredible gaming experience.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. This is a retail copy of the game, so what you see in these photos is exactly what would be received in your box. I do not intend to cover every single rule included in the rulebook, but will describe the overall game flow and major rule set so that our readers may get a sense of how the game plays. For more in depth rules, you may purchase a copy online or from your FLGS. -T
To setup, place the Evidence Board in the middle of the table and the Home Location Board near. Keep all the decks of cards nearby (shuffled or unshuffled, whatever is your liking) as well as the alphabetically-labeled Location Boards. Fire up the Chronicles of Crime app, choose “1400,” and then choose the case you would like to play. The app will walk players through the additional setup steps for the case being played. For this solo preview I played through The Missing Pages case. Also, to be completely upfront I got a 95/110 for a final score, but no big deal.
How do I explain this game succinctly? Well, each of the cases will involve players traveling to different Location Boards and meeting Characters at these locations. Many cases will be involving several Special Items and, new for the 1400 version, Vision Cards that may assist players in putting the case into focus. These Vision Cards do not really give the story away or anything, but are merely a vague framework of possible factors.
By using the app and scanning the QR codes on the boards and cards players will be learning about the case, viewing the scene of the crime(s), inspecting items, chatting up locals for information, and also new for 1400: consulting with the goodest boi dog companion! The dog, Perceval, assists the knight (the players) in cases by sniffing items. A word of caution, though, when you play this game do NOT have Perceval sniff any items until you are completely done with a location because he may drag you to another completely different location right away before you were ready. Not that it happened to me, mind you… okay, it did.
Play will continue not so much in “rounds” but until the players have enough evidence and a good handle on the situation enough to return Home to report to their family members all the details of the crime(s) by scanning answers to their questions about the case. The app then assesses the accuracy of the answers and outputs a score. For reference, though I did receive 95/110 on my first play of 1400 I did only receive a 70/100 on my first runthrough of the original Chronicles of Crime, so playing this style of game several times seems to improve how one plays.
Components. As most items in the box of the game are card or cardboard-based, and all really great quality, I will speak on other component items. Firstly, the art and art style throughout the game is simply stunning. I mean look at that Perceval card! And I already raved about the box cover in my opening statement. This art really speaks to me and it says, “I’m gorgeous.”
The app. I have only great things to say about the app. It’s the same app that you would use for original Chronicles of Crime, and operates the exact same way. For me it has been flawless to use and just a joy to bring technology into the gaming world, even for a game set in the year 1400. I am obviously no purist game enthusiast, as I enjoy these hybrid model games. Once you play with the app you will see how ingenious a system it really is. The app coupled with the nondescript cards and other components in the game make for infinite storytelling possibilities that can only be limited by creativity and time constraints. I love the components in the box AND the marvelous app.
Gameplay for me is also just glorious. I love being able to sit down, setup the game, and let the app tell me what’s going on. So what should I do first? Oh, let’s mosey on down here to this Location Board and drum up some information. Ooh I found an Item! I should bring it back to my Family Location Board and ask my merchant sister about it. Hmm, it’s religious in nature? Okay then, my Monkle (monk uncle) will know something about it. Okay, time to go back to that location and speak with the other person who was in there. OH CRAP, I wasted too much (in game) time and now that other person is gone?! Uh oh, I better stop messing around here…
It’s just amazing, and I love this family of games. I am so stoked to delve more into 1400 and discover more shenanigans happening in Paris. Perceval and I are out to solve all the cases and beg for more. If you are looking for a game that uses a hybrid board game/app model, are a fan of this era in history, or just want to have a really great experience playing a game, I urge you to consider Chronicles of Crime: 1400. It has everything I love in a unique game and I just can’t get enough!
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Hunting Sasquatch in Tabletop Games
Jan 30, 2021
Sasquatch. Nessie. La Chupacabra. The Jersey Devil. These are all examples of what is called “Cryptids.” These cryptids are mostly fairytale creatures, and have not been substantiated yet, but many a fool have hunted them nonetheless. You are one of those fools. Your target? Information on Sasquatch. Yeah, you might find other clues to fellow cryptids along the way, but you really need that sweet sweet clear photo to be crowned King Fool!
Hunting Sasquatch is a competitive press-your-luck card and dice game where players are attempting to gather clues to catch Sasquatch. The winner will be the player with the most Victory Points at the end of the game, if any VP are to be had before too many Hunters go missing in the woods.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and I do not know for sure if the final components will be any 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
To setup shuffle the Location cards (big ones) and reveal as many locations as are players. Shuffle the Hunter cards and deal three to each player. Shuffle the Hunter’s Arsenal cards and place its deck near the Hunter deck on the table. Separate the various tokens by type and place them on the table nearby as well. Have the dice accessible to all players and the game may begin!
On a turn the active player will choose one of their Hunters to visit a Location. The Hunter may visit one of the face-up Locations or draw one to be placed on top of one of those revealed. If the Hunter draws a new Location they MUST visit this newly-revealed Location.
The Hunter then rolls all eight of the green Hunter Dice. If the Hunter had gained any Anti- tokens (anti-camera, anti-book, etc) then those Anti- tokens cause matching dice to be removed from the turn immediately. The Hunter may now spend any Wildcard Tokens they may have earned previously to rotate a die’s value to anything wished.
Once the roll is ready to be resolved, the Hunter will reference the Location they chose for dice values. Each Location has Lost Conditions on the left and Victory Conditions on the right of the card. The Hunter must fill as many Lost Conditions as they have matching dice, and may then assign Victory Conditions dice to their places on the card. Should a Hunter fill up the Lost Conditions spaces with dice the Hunter is then lost to the hunt and their Hunter Card is discarded. Should the Hunter avoiding becoming lost and fill up the column of Victory Conditions they will score the booty from the box in the lower right-hand corner of the Location card (mostly VP, Evidence Tokens, Wildcard Tokens).
If neither column of icons on the Location Card have been filled completely and there are still dice available, the black Fate Die may be rolled. A successful Fate Die roll shows a lucky horseshoe and allows the Hunter to re-roll the available dice. An unsuccessful Fate Die roll shows a bear trap icon and forces the Hunter to apply the Trap conditions on the lower left-hand corner of the Location Card (usually Anti- tokens).
The game ends once a certain number of Hunters are lost (depending on number of players) or once any Hunter has collected all five Evidence Tokens.
Components. Again, this is a prototype copy of the game, so components will most likely be different as a result of a successful Kickstarter campaign. That said, I can comment on the direction the game is going, and I like it quite a bit. The tokens will need to be improved to be more usable, and obviously the dice will upgraded, but other than those I like everything else going on here. The cards are nice, easy to read, and have great artwork on them. Similarly the Location Cards are probably my favorite components of the game because they feature hilarious and wonderful artwork. The game looks great as is, but I am eagerly looking forward to what it will be once completely finished.
The gameplay is kind of a crapshoot in my experience. I have had several plays where too many Hunters were lost too quickly and the game ended in five minutes. I have also played games where Lady Luck was on my side and I was rolling like a king. I managed to get three Evidence Tokens that time. Each one of my games have ended in surpassing the total number of Hunters lost, but I feel like the game is winnable. Just probably by someone luckier than me.
I do really love dice games, and when they allow players to alter the face values, or the game alters them I find a great deal of satisfaction. And that is what Hunting Sasquatch delivers. It is a dice chucking game with dice alteration, amazing hilarious art, and a pretty tough difficulty level. It is perfect for gamers who enjoy dice games but find most to be too lame and easy.
I love this theme. I love this art style. I love the gameplay. I do not love the tiny and thin tokens (but I pray they get a huge upgrade for the final version). Hunting Sasquatch is another winner from Spyglass Games, who brought us the incredible VENOM Assault. I am a big fan of the games this publisher is putting out there and if you are like me, I think you will also like this one a lot. I invite you to check out their Kickstarter campaign when it launches, and remember: cryptids are just made-up stories. They cannot come to your campsite and eat all your jerky.
Hunting Sasquatch is a competitive press-your-luck card and dice game where players are attempting to gather clues to catch Sasquatch. The winner will be the player with the most Victory Points at the end of the game, if any VP are to be had before too many Hunters go missing in the woods.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and I do not know for sure if the final components will be any 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
To setup shuffle the Location cards (big ones) and reveal as many locations as are players. Shuffle the Hunter cards and deal three to each player. Shuffle the Hunter’s Arsenal cards and place its deck near the Hunter deck on the table. Separate the various tokens by type and place them on the table nearby as well. Have the dice accessible to all players and the game may begin!
On a turn the active player will choose one of their Hunters to visit a Location. The Hunter may visit one of the face-up Locations or draw one to be placed on top of one of those revealed. If the Hunter draws a new Location they MUST visit this newly-revealed Location.
The Hunter then rolls all eight of the green Hunter Dice. If the Hunter had gained any Anti- tokens (anti-camera, anti-book, etc) then those Anti- tokens cause matching dice to be removed from the turn immediately. The Hunter may now spend any Wildcard Tokens they may have earned previously to rotate a die’s value to anything wished.
Once the roll is ready to be resolved, the Hunter will reference the Location they chose for dice values. Each Location has Lost Conditions on the left and Victory Conditions on the right of the card. The Hunter must fill as many Lost Conditions as they have matching dice, and may then assign Victory Conditions dice to their places on the card. Should a Hunter fill up the Lost Conditions spaces with dice the Hunter is then lost to the hunt and their Hunter Card is discarded. Should the Hunter avoiding becoming lost and fill up the column of Victory Conditions they will score the booty from the box in the lower right-hand corner of the Location card (mostly VP, Evidence Tokens, Wildcard Tokens).
If neither column of icons on the Location Card have been filled completely and there are still dice available, the black Fate Die may be rolled. A successful Fate Die roll shows a lucky horseshoe and allows the Hunter to re-roll the available dice. An unsuccessful Fate Die roll shows a bear trap icon and forces the Hunter to apply the Trap conditions on the lower left-hand corner of the Location Card (usually Anti- tokens).
The game ends once a certain number of Hunters are lost (depending on number of players) or once any Hunter has collected all five Evidence Tokens.
Components. Again, this is a prototype copy of the game, so components will most likely be different as a result of a successful Kickstarter campaign. That said, I can comment on the direction the game is going, and I like it quite a bit. The tokens will need to be improved to be more usable, and obviously the dice will upgraded, but other than those I like everything else going on here. The cards are nice, easy to read, and have great artwork on them. Similarly the Location Cards are probably my favorite components of the game because they feature hilarious and wonderful artwork. The game looks great as is, but I am eagerly looking forward to what it will be once completely finished.
The gameplay is kind of a crapshoot in my experience. I have had several plays where too many Hunters were lost too quickly and the game ended in five minutes. I have also played games where Lady Luck was on my side and I was rolling like a king. I managed to get three Evidence Tokens that time. Each one of my games have ended in surpassing the total number of Hunters lost, but I feel like the game is winnable. Just probably by someone luckier than me.
I do really love dice games, and when they allow players to alter the face values, or the game alters them I find a great deal of satisfaction. And that is what Hunting Sasquatch delivers. It is a dice chucking game with dice alteration, amazing hilarious art, and a pretty tough difficulty level. It is perfect for gamers who enjoy dice games but find most to be too lame and easy.
I love this theme. I love this art style. I love the gameplay. I do not love the tiny and thin tokens (but I pray they get a huge upgrade for the final version). Hunting Sasquatch is another winner from Spyglass Games, who brought us the incredible VENOM Assault. I am a big fan of the games this publisher is putting out there and if you are like me, I think you will also like this one a lot. I invite you to check out their Kickstarter campaign when it launches, and remember: cryptids are just made-up stories. They cannot come to your campsite and eat all your jerky.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Mysterium in Tabletop Games
Jul 6, 2019
Murder! A poor soul has been murdered in this house, and the homeowner has hired a group of mediums to solve the crime and give the spirit peace. One problem – the ghost can’t remember for sure who did it! Through a seance, the ghost sends visions to the mediums to lead them to potential suspects, crime scenes, and murder weapons. It is up to the mediums to work together and decipher the visions, narrow down the field, and find the criminal! Time is limited however – unless the culprit is caught in 7 hours, the magic of the seance will run out and the crime will remain a mystery!
DISCLAIMER: There are several expansions to this game, but we are not reviewing them at this time. Should we review them in the future we will either update this review or post a link to the new material here. -T
Mysterium is a cooperative game of deduction in which players take on the roles of mediums trying to solve the murder, and one player takes on the role of the ghost who is haunting the estate. Every turn, the ghost sends Visions (in the form of illustrated cards) to each medium in an attempt to guide them to investigate different suspects, locations, and potential murder weapons. The visions are not always clear, however, so the mediums must use their imaginations and deduction skills to decipher any hidden hints or clues contained in the visions. If all mediums are able to identify their suspects/locations/weapons before the 7th hour has passed, the ghost then sends one final Vision to all mediums to guide them to the true culprit. After receiving and deciphering this final Vision, the mediums must all vote on whom they believe the culprit to be. If the majority of the mediums select the correct culprit, the mystery has been solved and the ghost can be laid to rest! If not, however, the mystery remains and the ghost must wait an entire year before the magic ritual can be performed again…
I love Mysterium. I seriously think it’s a great game. One reason why I love it is because it’s a deduction game that is cooperative. Most of the deduction games I’ve played before are competitive or involve some form of bluffing. And I’m pretty terrible at lying, so I never really do well in those. What I like about Mysterium is that you’re still trying to figure out your own cards, but you’re allowed (and encouraged!) to ask your fellow mediums for their thoughts. It’s cool to see how everyone interprets the Vision cards because someone might notice or see something on your Vision card in a way you didn’t think of on your own. Your friends may be able to provide insight to help you through the game, just as you can help them decipher their clues. Especially since the game can’t be won unless everyone has found their cards, it really is in your best interest to cooperate and help everyone out.
Another thing I love about Mysterium is that it can be played with up to 7 players. I’ve probably mentioned this before, but I have 4 siblings, and sometimes finding engaging games for 5+ people can be pretty hard. Not an issue at all with Mysterium. It’s actually a favorite of my siblings to play, so I always bring it with me for holidays and family gatherings! I personally think Mysterium works better at higher player counts, so that really bodes well for me and my family!
One final thing I really like about Mysterium is the dynamic created between the mediums and the ghost player. The ghost is allowed to communicate with the mediums through visions only – no verbal communication at all! That means that as the ghost player, you’re trying to anticipate how each medium will interpret different visions so you can give them the one that will guide them to their specific card. When you’re a medium, you’re trying to think how the ghost player thinks – why did they give me this card and what did they want me to notice? In either role, you’re trying to get in the mind of your counterpart, and that just adds a fun little bonus twist for me.
I think Mysterium is a great game. Deduction drives the game and it keeps you constantly engaged, questioning every card you see. It’s an entertaining and lighthearted cooperative game for any player count, and it thrives with great non-confrontational player interaction. Mysterium was one of the first games in my collection – I was in my FLGS, picked it up off the shelf, and having done no research on it at all, I bought it. And boy oh boy am I glad I did. Definitely give Mysterium a try – it’s a good blend of mystery and fun! Purple Phoenix Games gives it an ethereal 11 / 12.
DISCLAIMER: There are several expansions to this game, but we are not reviewing them at this time. Should we review them in the future we will either update this review or post a link to the new material here. -T
Mysterium is a cooperative game of deduction in which players take on the roles of mediums trying to solve the murder, and one player takes on the role of the ghost who is haunting the estate. Every turn, the ghost sends Visions (in the form of illustrated cards) to each medium in an attempt to guide them to investigate different suspects, locations, and potential murder weapons. The visions are not always clear, however, so the mediums must use their imaginations and deduction skills to decipher any hidden hints or clues contained in the visions. If all mediums are able to identify their suspects/locations/weapons before the 7th hour has passed, the ghost then sends one final Vision to all mediums to guide them to the true culprit. After receiving and deciphering this final Vision, the mediums must all vote on whom they believe the culprit to be. If the majority of the mediums select the correct culprit, the mystery has been solved and the ghost can be laid to rest! If not, however, the mystery remains and the ghost must wait an entire year before the magic ritual can be performed again…
I love Mysterium. I seriously think it’s a great game. One reason why I love it is because it’s a deduction game that is cooperative. Most of the deduction games I’ve played before are competitive or involve some form of bluffing. And I’m pretty terrible at lying, so I never really do well in those. What I like about Mysterium is that you’re still trying to figure out your own cards, but you’re allowed (and encouraged!) to ask your fellow mediums for their thoughts. It’s cool to see how everyone interprets the Vision cards because someone might notice or see something on your Vision card in a way you didn’t think of on your own. Your friends may be able to provide insight to help you through the game, just as you can help them decipher their clues. Especially since the game can’t be won unless everyone has found their cards, it really is in your best interest to cooperate and help everyone out.
Another thing I love about Mysterium is that it can be played with up to 7 players. I’ve probably mentioned this before, but I have 4 siblings, and sometimes finding engaging games for 5+ people can be pretty hard. Not an issue at all with Mysterium. It’s actually a favorite of my siblings to play, so I always bring it with me for holidays and family gatherings! I personally think Mysterium works better at higher player counts, so that really bodes well for me and my family!
One final thing I really like about Mysterium is the dynamic created between the mediums and the ghost player. The ghost is allowed to communicate with the mediums through visions only – no verbal communication at all! That means that as the ghost player, you’re trying to anticipate how each medium will interpret different visions so you can give them the one that will guide them to their specific card. When you’re a medium, you’re trying to think how the ghost player thinks – why did they give me this card and what did they want me to notice? In either role, you’re trying to get in the mind of your counterpart, and that just adds a fun little bonus twist for me.
I think Mysterium is a great game. Deduction drives the game and it keeps you constantly engaged, questioning every card you see. It’s an entertaining and lighthearted cooperative game for any player count, and it thrives with great non-confrontational player interaction. Mysterium was one of the first games in my collection – I was in my FLGS, picked it up off the shelf, and having done no research on it at all, I bought it. And boy oh boy am I glad I did. Definitely give Mysterium a try – it’s a good blend of mystery and fun! Purple Phoenix Games gives it an ethereal 11 / 12.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Fold-it in Tabletop Games
Dec 28, 2021
When it comes to cooking, I am definitely no master chef. Up until recently, ‘cooking’ for me consisted of merely putting frozen food into the oven…. Don’t judge! I am taking strides to expand my culinary skills though, so slowly but surely I’ll become a (hopefully) decent chef. That being said, when I saw a cute little food game called Fold-It, I figured that I should at least be able to handle these game recipes. Does it hit the spot, or does it get the chop?
Fold-It is a real-time dexterity puzzle game in which players are trying to fold their Recipe Cloth to match the current Order Card. Setup is simple – give each player a Recipe Cloth and 3 Star Tokens. Choose whether you want to play with the Basic or Advanced Order Cards (or a mix of both types) and shuffle the deck. Place a number of Fold-It tokens in the middle of the table to equal one fewer token than number of players. The game is now ready to begin!
Played over a series of rounds, players will be racing to complete the current Order Card the fastest. How? By folding their Recipe Cloth! Each Recipe Cloth is printed with a 4×4 grid of different dishes. The Order Cards each show a combination of 1-4 dishes. When an Order Card is revealed, all players will then try to fold and arrange their Recipe Cloth so that only the dishes from the Order Card are displayed. You can fold your cloth horizontally or vertically along the columns, and the cloth is double-sided to help accomplish your goal as well. Once you have folded your Recipe Cloth so that the dishes match the Order Card, grab one of the Fold-It tokens from the center of the table. When all the Fold-It tokens have been claimed, check each completed Recipe Cloth to verify that it is correct. If your Recipe Cloth matches, then you are in the clear! But if you made a mistake and had grabbed a Fold-It token, lose one of your Star tokens. *womp womp* The remaining player who was not able to grab a Fold-It token in the round discards one of their 3 Star tokens as well. The round is now over, and a new round begins by revealing the next Order Card. Play continues in this fashion until only one player remains with Star tokens. That player is declared the winner!
I have to admit that Fold-It surprised me, in a good way. I picked it up from a “Buy, Sell, Trade” Facebook group and really wasn’t expecting much from the gameplay. But when I actually got it to the table, I had a blast with it! The theme is cute, the gameplay is quirky, and it’s actually trickier than it looks. Some of the orders require you to fold the cloth in unique ways, and it can kind of be a brain burner. Add in the real-time racing element, and you’ve got an exciting game on your hands. Is it the most amazing and strategic game that I’ve ever played? No. But it’s pretty engaging for a light and fast filler game.
The components are pretty straight-forward. Cardboard tokens, nice sturdy cards, and actual cloth for the Recipe Cloth. The artwork is colorful and cute, and the tokens and cards will withstand many plays. I do especially like the Recipe Cloths too. The fact that they are actual cloth means that you won’t be worried about creasing issues from constant folding and unfolding between rounds and games. The cloths are double-sided as well to give you a boost for strategy as well. I will point out that all cloths are printed the exact same way, so it’s not like a Bingo board that varies between players. Everyone has the same tools with which to work each round, and everyone is on an even playing field that way. Nice components overall, in my opinion!
All in all, am I happy with my Fold-It purchase? Yes. It’s a quirky little filler game that is engaging and entertaining for all players. Yeah, there’s a player elimination element, but the game overall is so fast that the eliminated player(s) won’t be sitting around for long. Who knew that folding a piece of cloth could get your heart racing so fast? Fold-It is definitely a game that I’ll pull out when I need something quick and simple, or with which I can introduce people to the hobby. I guess if you play it too much, it would get kind of stale, but I don’t see that happening for me. Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a tasty 4 / 6.
Fold-It is a real-time dexterity puzzle game in which players are trying to fold their Recipe Cloth to match the current Order Card. Setup is simple – give each player a Recipe Cloth and 3 Star Tokens. Choose whether you want to play with the Basic or Advanced Order Cards (or a mix of both types) and shuffle the deck. Place a number of Fold-It tokens in the middle of the table to equal one fewer token than number of players. The game is now ready to begin!
Played over a series of rounds, players will be racing to complete the current Order Card the fastest. How? By folding their Recipe Cloth! Each Recipe Cloth is printed with a 4×4 grid of different dishes. The Order Cards each show a combination of 1-4 dishes. When an Order Card is revealed, all players will then try to fold and arrange their Recipe Cloth so that only the dishes from the Order Card are displayed. You can fold your cloth horizontally or vertically along the columns, and the cloth is double-sided to help accomplish your goal as well. Once you have folded your Recipe Cloth so that the dishes match the Order Card, grab one of the Fold-It tokens from the center of the table. When all the Fold-It tokens have been claimed, check each completed Recipe Cloth to verify that it is correct. If your Recipe Cloth matches, then you are in the clear! But if you made a mistake and had grabbed a Fold-It token, lose one of your Star tokens. *womp womp* The remaining player who was not able to grab a Fold-It token in the round discards one of their 3 Star tokens as well. The round is now over, and a new round begins by revealing the next Order Card. Play continues in this fashion until only one player remains with Star tokens. That player is declared the winner!
I have to admit that Fold-It surprised me, in a good way. I picked it up from a “Buy, Sell, Trade” Facebook group and really wasn’t expecting much from the gameplay. But when I actually got it to the table, I had a blast with it! The theme is cute, the gameplay is quirky, and it’s actually trickier than it looks. Some of the orders require you to fold the cloth in unique ways, and it can kind of be a brain burner. Add in the real-time racing element, and you’ve got an exciting game on your hands. Is it the most amazing and strategic game that I’ve ever played? No. But it’s pretty engaging for a light and fast filler game.
The components are pretty straight-forward. Cardboard tokens, nice sturdy cards, and actual cloth for the Recipe Cloth. The artwork is colorful and cute, and the tokens and cards will withstand many plays. I do especially like the Recipe Cloths too. The fact that they are actual cloth means that you won’t be worried about creasing issues from constant folding and unfolding between rounds and games. The cloths are double-sided as well to give you a boost for strategy as well. I will point out that all cloths are printed the exact same way, so it’s not like a Bingo board that varies between players. Everyone has the same tools with which to work each round, and everyone is on an even playing field that way. Nice components overall, in my opinion!
All in all, am I happy with my Fold-It purchase? Yes. It’s a quirky little filler game that is engaging and entertaining for all players. Yeah, there’s a player elimination element, but the game overall is so fast that the eliminated player(s) won’t be sitting around for long. Who knew that folding a piece of cloth could get your heart racing so fast? Fold-It is definitely a game that I’ll pull out when I need something quick and simple, or with which I can introduce people to the hobby. I guess if you play it too much, it would get kind of stale, but I don’t see that happening for me. Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a tasty 4 / 6.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Coconuts in Tabletop Games
Jun 12, 2019
I usually like to create some fanciful intro to my reviews to get you in the setting of the game and in the mood to be entertained and educated about the game in question. I have failed this time.
You’re a monkey trying to throw coconuts into cups.
This is not a very theme-heavy role-playing game where you need to get into the heads of the characters and base your actions on what they would do. Instead, you are grabbing a monkey shooter action figure, placing a rubber Milk Dud (not a sponsor) in its hands and making the figure fling said forbidden delicious treat into yellow and red plastic cups. Should you make a basket into a yellow cup, you take that cup and place it in front of you in a vertical bowling pin assembly. Make a red cup shot and you not only get the cup to add to your collection, but you take another turn. The first player to amass six cups in front of them is the winner!
This sounds so stupid. Why am I reviewing this?? This is a kid’s “game.” You are right. This is incredibly childish. But it’s also INCREDIBLY fun. Have you read our review of Happy Salmon? This fills a similar role in that you break this bad boy out when you need a mental break between heavier games, or when you want the children to be involved in your game night. There is no real thinking involved. Player interaction? Sure. Some. Whether you choose to shoot your coconuts into the middle area of unclaimed cups, or into your opponents’ collections and take their hard-earned cups is up to you (I approve and encourage this cutthroat behavior).
Let’s go back to the children playing this with you thought. The box says ages 6+. I wholeheartedly disagree, but it may just be my situation. I have played this with my 2-year-old son and he had an absolute blast just flinging the coconuts everywhere while we adults were trying to play the game correctly. But the final score doesn’t matter. In a game like this I rarely care about winning or losing. My kid “wins” every time. It’s just plain fun to fling coconuts. I also rarely play with the included disadvantage cards to screw with my opponents because honestly, it’s hard enough to get those things in the cups.
Yes, he also shot one into my water cup so I let him score it on his mat. It’s only fair…
Components. I have good news and bad news. Good news: the monkeys, coconuts, and cups are of amazing quality. Amazing, I say! Bad news: the cards and the player mats. They are just of entry level acceptable quality. But like I said, I really don’t care much about using the cards, and the player mats are really just there to create a solid surface to put your score cups on anyway. So I’m ultimately good with that.
Now, I Kickstarted this game (as well as the Coconuts Duo project that was made for 2 player games or as a 6 player expansion for Coconuts). I got all the fancy pink and green coconuts too. They officially add nothing mechanically to the game (but you can home-brew house rules for them), but they are easier to find on the floor when you inevitably fling too far. That is, if you can find them before your dogs decide that you have given them little brown treats…
There is really not much else to say about this game except that it is super fun, takes literally 10 seconds to explain, and kids can play with you as well. We love it, and so our rating reflects that. Purple Phoenix Games gives this little game a Whopper (see what I did there?) of 18 / 24.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/05/07/coconuts-review/
You’re a monkey trying to throw coconuts into cups.
This is not a very theme-heavy role-playing game where you need to get into the heads of the characters and base your actions on what they would do. Instead, you are grabbing a monkey shooter action figure, placing a rubber Milk Dud (not a sponsor) in its hands and making the figure fling said forbidden delicious treat into yellow and red plastic cups. Should you make a basket into a yellow cup, you take that cup and place it in front of you in a vertical bowling pin assembly. Make a red cup shot and you not only get the cup to add to your collection, but you take another turn. The first player to amass six cups in front of them is the winner!
This sounds so stupid. Why am I reviewing this?? This is a kid’s “game.” You are right. This is incredibly childish. But it’s also INCREDIBLY fun. Have you read our review of Happy Salmon? This fills a similar role in that you break this bad boy out when you need a mental break between heavier games, or when you want the children to be involved in your game night. There is no real thinking involved. Player interaction? Sure. Some. Whether you choose to shoot your coconuts into the middle area of unclaimed cups, or into your opponents’ collections and take their hard-earned cups is up to you (I approve and encourage this cutthroat behavior).
Let’s go back to the children playing this with you thought. The box says ages 6+. I wholeheartedly disagree, but it may just be my situation. I have played this with my 2-year-old son and he had an absolute blast just flinging the coconuts everywhere while we adults were trying to play the game correctly. But the final score doesn’t matter. In a game like this I rarely care about winning or losing. My kid “wins” every time. It’s just plain fun to fling coconuts. I also rarely play with the included disadvantage cards to screw with my opponents because honestly, it’s hard enough to get those things in the cups.
Yes, he also shot one into my water cup so I let him score it on his mat. It’s only fair…
Components. I have good news and bad news. Good news: the monkeys, coconuts, and cups are of amazing quality. Amazing, I say! Bad news: the cards and the player mats. They are just of entry level acceptable quality. But like I said, I really don’t care much about using the cards, and the player mats are really just there to create a solid surface to put your score cups on anyway. So I’m ultimately good with that.
Now, I Kickstarted this game (as well as the Coconuts Duo project that was made for 2 player games or as a 6 player expansion for Coconuts). I got all the fancy pink and green coconuts too. They officially add nothing mechanically to the game (but you can home-brew house rules for them), but they are easier to find on the floor when you inevitably fling too far. That is, if you can find them before your dogs decide that you have given them little brown treats…
There is really not much else to say about this game except that it is super fun, takes literally 10 seconds to explain, and kids can play with you as well. We love it, and so our rating reflects that. Purple Phoenix Games gives this little game a Whopper (see what I did there?) of 18 / 24.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/05/07/coconuts-review/