Search
Search results
Star Realms
7.7
Rate It
Tabletop Game
Star Realms is a spaceship combat deck-building game by Magic Hall of Famers Darwin Kastle (The...
The Fae King (Beyond The Mist, #4)
8.0
Rate It
Book
His family betrayed hers. Her people are his long-time enemy. Fate chose them to be together. ...
Paranormal Romance Series
Duron (Assassin's To Order #3)
JP Sayle and Lisa Oliver
8.0
Rate It
Book
Two men from different worlds, brought together. One seeks answers to a century-old problem. The...
MM Paranormal Romance
Hunters of the Lost Creatures
7.0
Rate It
Tabletop Game
Collect the lost creatures and build the weirdest wildlife park. Will you choose the right hunter at...
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Nope (2022) in Movies
Oct 12, 2022
Jordan Peele has consistently delivered fresh, uncomfortable, and exciting material during his short time branching out into horror, and Nope may very well be his best work so far.
Everything from start to finish just works wonderfully. The narrative unravels at a perfect pace, giving us mystery, terror, and a hugely memorable finale. The general tone is one of unease and tension, and Nope plays it's cards close to it's chest fot the most part, keeping the audience in the unknown, even when they think they have it figured out.
There a plenty of chilling moments on display. There's one particular extended scene around the mid point (no spoilers here, but the one that happens at night time) that is pure sci-fi horror perfection.
It's all executed in a visually striking manner as well, from the inspired cinematography, to the stunning California valley vistas, to it's pleasing colour pallet.
Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer are both fantastic, as they tend to be, and both bounce off eachother in a wonderfully natural way. The two of them elevate Nope to even higher levels.
Nope is just further proof of how important Peele is in the future of the genre, and I once again find myself excited for what he does next.
Everything from start to finish just works wonderfully. The narrative unravels at a perfect pace, giving us mystery, terror, and a hugely memorable finale. The general tone is one of unease and tension, and Nope plays it's cards close to it's chest fot the most part, keeping the audience in the unknown, even when they think they have it figured out.
There a plenty of chilling moments on display. There's one particular extended scene around the mid point (no spoilers here, but the one that happens at night time) that is pure sci-fi horror perfection.
It's all executed in a visually striking manner as well, from the inspired cinematography, to the stunning California valley vistas, to it's pleasing colour pallet.
Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer are both fantastic, as they tend to be, and both bounce off eachother in a wonderfully natural way. The two of them elevate Nope to even higher levels.
Nope is just further proof of how important Peele is in the future of the genre, and I once again find myself excited for what he does next.
Cut to the Chase (City Shifters: the Pride #4)
8.0
Rate It
Book
Ruby O'Shea gives the orders in her pack. And when a rival alpha propositions her with a marriage of...
Paranormal Romance
Torn Asunder
10.0
Rate It
Book
In Barbara Ross’ award-winning series featuring sleuth Julia Snowden and her family’s coastal...
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Cryptocurrency in Tabletop Games
Apr 2, 2020
Money. Who knew that paper bills and small metal coins would hold such an important role in our society? In today’s day and age, though, with so much reliance on technology, we’ve managed to create digital currency called cryptocurrency. By buying, mining, and trading various cryptocurrencies, you just might turn yourself into an overnight millionaire! That is, if you’ve got the strategy required to outwit other traders…
You are the CEO of a fin-tech startup company. Leading a team of specialized experts, you will evaluate, trade, and mine different cryptocurrencies. Strategy is key, as you must stay ahead of the trend to maximize your earnings from the market. Can you solve the right algorithms and manipulate the network to help create the most wealth for your company? Or will you be scammed into buying worthless cryptocurrency? Play to find out!
Disclaimer: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. This game is available to purchase, so the components seen in the pictures are what come with the game. I do not intend to rehash the entire rulebook in this review, but rather provide the basic ruleset and general gameplay overview of the game. Feel free to pick up a copy of the game directly from the publisher or your FLGS! -L
Cryptocurrency is a game of commodity speculation, action points, trading, and a little push your luck in which players are trying to amass the most amount of money over 5 rounds. To setup the game, place the Cryptocurrency Info Boards in the center of the play area, and place the Market Board next to them. Prepare and distribute the Rumor cards, and create the Ongoing Transactions deck. Each player receives a player reference card, 3 Intern Expert cards, and a total of 6 Wonga (the currency of the game). The game is now ready to begin! Each round is broken up into 4 phases: Prep, Action, Upkeep, and Rumor. During the Prep phase, each player (in turn order) must draw a Rumor card, and may hire a new Expert or take a loan. Experts are hired (purchased) from the Job Seekers pile, and often provide special abilities or increased Action Points. Hired Experts must replace one Expert from their existing team. Your team can only have 3 Experts, so choose wisely who to hire and fire! A loan can be taken to immediately gain 8 Wonga, but interest must be paid for the loan later in the round. After each player has performed these actions, play moves to the second phase.
During the Action phase, players take turns performing one of two actions: Mining or Trading. These actions are performed by spending Action points – each Expert offers a certain number of points to spend. Once you use an Action Point, that Expert is exhausted and can no longer work in this phase. To Mine, players choose one of the 4 available cryptocurrencies to mine (research), and will either Succeed or Fail in this endeavor. If you succeed, you create and earn coins from that specific cryptocurrency, as well as any extra money earned from completing ongoing transactions. If you fail, your turn immediately ends. To take the Trade action, players will either Buy or Sell coins to/from the Market. You are only allowed to buy/sell the same cryptocurrency each turn, and you may buy/sell up to 4 coins each turn. For every 4 coins bought, the Market Board shifts to increase that currency’s price by 1 Wonga. For every 4 coins sold, the Market decreases by 1 Wonga. Once every player is out of Action Points, this phase is over.
In the Upkeep phase, players refresh all Experts, pay interest on any Loans, or completely pay off a Loan. The final phase, Rumor, moves in counter-clockwise order. Players take turns adding their secret Rumor card to the Rumor Track of one of the 4 cryptocurrencies. The market values are adjusted based on the Rumors played, and any face-down Rumor cards will affect the end-game value of the currencies. Play then returns to the Prep phase, and continues until 5 rounds have been completed. Players determine which cryptocurrency was a scam, sell any remaining coins, and then count up their money. The player with the most Wonga is the winner!
I have to admit that Cryptocurrency surprised me. After reading the rules and getting the game setup, I was feeling a little overwhelmed. I was prepping myself for a complicated, quasi-educational game in which I would be relatively unengaged and going through the motions each turn. What I got, however, was the complete opposite. Yes, there is a lot going on in this game, but it offers so many different mechanics and strategies for success that you’re always thinking one step ahead. There’s the aspect of bluffing when it comes to Rumor cards and manipulating the market through those means, there’s drafting of new Experts and shedding your hand of lesser-powered cards, there’s push your luck in the Mining action as the more Action Points you spend, the more opportunity you have for success. There’s not one sure strategy to win, and you are changing and adapting on every turn. You also have to be paying attention to your opponents! Although there’s not really any direct player interaction, everything you do on your turn could throw a wrench in the plans of your neighbor. Can you figure out how they’re trying to play the Market? Or will you try to fly beneath the radar and throw them off your trail?
My biggest issue with this game has to do with components. The cryptocurrency boards and the market board all work together, but they are all their own separate components. So it just makes set-up/tear-down a little more involved because instead of laying out 1 big board and adding components to it, you have to lay out and populate 5 individual boards. It just makes it a little more tedious than I would like, but honestly it has no bearing on the gameplay at all. The quality of the components is pretty good overall, the artwork is tech-influenced and fun, and the cardboard coins are nice and sturdy. So all in all, a pretty good production quality.
So what are my thoughts on Cryptocurrency? I actually liked it more than I thought I would. It’s engaging and strategic, yet relatively simple enough that it doesn’t feel like too much of a brain burner. I am no cryptocurrency expert by any means, but I feel like after playing this game, I have a better understanding of it and how it works. So mission accomplished, Captial Gains Studio – you have a fun AND educational game here. Is it one I will pull out at every game night? No. But it’s one that I am looking forward to playing again in the future. Purple Phoenix Games gives Cryptocurrency an economic 8 / 12.
You are the CEO of a fin-tech startup company. Leading a team of specialized experts, you will evaluate, trade, and mine different cryptocurrencies. Strategy is key, as you must stay ahead of the trend to maximize your earnings from the market. Can you solve the right algorithms and manipulate the network to help create the most wealth for your company? Or will you be scammed into buying worthless cryptocurrency? Play to find out!
Disclaimer: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. This game is available to purchase, so the components seen in the pictures are what come with the game. I do not intend to rehash the entire rulebook in this review, but rather provide the basic ruleset and general gameplay overview of the game. Feel free to pick up a copy of the game directly from the publisher or your FLGS! -L
Cryptocurrency is a game of commodity speculation, action points, trading, and a little push your luck in which players are trying to amass the most amount of money over 5 rounds. To setup the game, place the Cryptocurrency Info Boards in the center of the play area, and place the Market Board next to them. Prepare and distribute the Rumor cards, and create the Ongoing Transactions deck. Each player receives a player reference card, 3 Intern Expert cards, and a total of 6 Wonga (the currency of the game). The game is now ready to begin! Each round is broken up into 4 phases: Prep, Action, Upkeep, and Rumor. During the Prep phase, each player (in turn order) must draw a Rumor card, and may hire a new Expert or take a loan. Experts are hired (purchased) from the Job Seekers pile, and often provide special abilities or increased Action Points. Hired Experts must replace one Expert from their existing team. Your team can only have 3 Experts, so choose wisely who to hire and fire! A loan can be taken to immediately gain 8 Wonga, but interest must be paid for the loan later in the round. After each player has performed these actions, play moves to the second phase.
During the Action phase, players take turns performing one of two actions: Mining or Trading. These actions are performed by spending Action points – each Expert offers a certain number of points to spend. Once you use an Action Point, that Expert is exhausted and can no longer work in this phase. To Mine, players choose one of the 4 available cryptocurrencies to mine (research), and will either Succeed or Fail in this endeavor. If you succeed, you create and earn coins from that specific cryptocurrency, as well as any extra money earned from completing ongoing transactions. If you fail, your turn immediately ends. To take the Trade action, players will either Buy or Sell coins to/from the Market. You are only allowed to buy/sell the same cryptocurrency each turn, and you may buy/sell up to 4 coins each turn. For every 4 coins bought, the Market Board shifts to increase that currency’s price by 1 Wonga. For every 4 coins sold, the Market decreases by 1 Wonga. Once every player is out of Action Points, this phase is over.
In the Upkeep phase, players refresh all Experts, pay interest on any Loans, or completely pay off a Loan. The final phase, Rumor, moves in counter-clockwise order. Players take turns adding their secret Rumor card to the Rumor Track of one of the 4 cryptocurrencies. The market values are adjusted based on the Rumors played, and any face-down Rumor cards will affect the end-game value of the currencies. Play then returns to the Prep phase, and continues until 5 rounds have been completed. Players determine which cryptocurrency was a scam, sell any remaining coins, and then count up their money. The player with the most Wonga is the winner!
I have to admit that Cryptocurrency surprised me. After reading the rules and getting the game setup, I was feeling a little overwhelmed. I was prepping myself for a complicated, quasi-educational game in which I would be relatively unengaged and going through the motions each turn. What I got, however, was the complete opposite. Yes, there is a lot going on in this game, but it offers so many different mechanics and strategies for success that you’re always thinking one step ahead. There’s the aspect of bluffing when it comes to Rumor cards and manipulating the market through those means, there’s drafting of new Experts and shedding your hand of lesser-powered cards, there’s push your luck in the Mining action as the more Action Points you spend, the more opportunity you have for success. There’s not one sure strategy to win, and you are changing and adapting on every turn. You also have to be paying attention to your opponents! Although there’s not really any direct player interaction, everything you do on your turn could throw a wrench in the plans of your neighbor. Can you figure out how they’re trying to play the Market? Or will you try to fly beneath the radar and throw them off your trail?
My biggest issue with this game has to do with components. The cryptocurrency boards and the market board all work together, but they are all their own separate components. So it just makes set-up/tear-down a little more involved because instead of laying out 1 big board and adding components to it, you have to lay out and populate 5 individual boards. It just makes it a little more tedious than I would like, but honestly it has no bearing on the gameplay at all. The quality of the components is pretty good overall, the artwork is tech-influenced and fun, and the cardboard coins are nice and sturdy. So all in all, a pretty good production quality.
So what are my thoughts on Cryptocurrency? I actually liked it more than I thought I would. It’s engaging and strategic, yet relatively simple enough that it doesn’t feel like too much of a brain burner. I am no cryptocurrency expert by any means, but I feel like after playing this game, I have a better understanding of it and how it works. So mission accomplished, Captial Gains Studio – you have a fun AND educational game here. Is it one I will pull out at every game night? No. But it’s one that I am looking forward to playing again in the future. Purple Phoenix Games gives Cryptocurrency an economic 8 / 12.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated You're Pulling My Leg! in Tabletop Games
Aug 3, 2020
At the time I am writing this preview, the world is in the midst of a pandemic. That being said, the need for social distancing and quarantining has really affected the board gaming world. Without being able to have normal game nights, gamers must be creative in figuring out how to continue to play together, while still maintaining safe and healthy distances from one another. And one game that offers a solution is You’re Pulling My Leg!
Disclaimer: We were provided a copy of this book for the purposes of this preview. The pictures below show the final production copy you can expect to receive when ordering this game. Check out the publisher’s website to get your hands on this unique party game! -L
You’re Pulling My Leg! is a party game of bluffing and storytelling in which players are trying to be the first to earn 21 points. The rules are simple, the gameplay is straightforward, and it can even be played remotely!
To setup the game, every player needs a coin and a way to keep track of their score (paper/pencil, notes on a phone, etc.). Every player begins the game with 7 points. To start the game, choose a player to be the first Storyteller. The Storyteller selects a card from the book, reads the three questions on their chosen card, and chooses 1 to answer. The Storyteller then flips their coin – if HEADS, the answer must be a true story, but if TAILS, the answer must be false and untrue in essence. Only the Storyteller knows the result of the coin flip. The Storyteller proceeds to answer the question, telling a story dictated by their coin flip result.
After the Storyteller has told their response to the chosen question, the remaining players will vote (with points) on whether they believe the story was true or false. Players can vote with up to 3 points, and votes are revealed simultaneously. If you believe the story is TRUE, you vote with 1, 2, or 3 fingers pointing UP, and if you believe the story is FALSE, you vote with 1, 2, or 3 fingers pointing DOWN. After everyone has voted, the Storyteller reveals whether the story was true or false, and points are added/deducted accordingly. If a player voted correctly, they add the number of points with which they voted to their score. If they voted incorrectly, subtract the voted points from their score. The Storyteller can earn 1 point for each other player they have fooled, up to a maximum of 3 points per story. After tallying points, choose a new Storyteller and begin again – each player should have a chance to be the Storyteller once before repeating Storytellers. Play continues in this fashion until one player has scored 21 points, and is declared the winner!
At this point in my life, the thing I love about You’re Pulling My Leg! the most is that it can be played remotely. Everybody does not need to have an individual copy of the book to play via video chat or conference call. As long as one person has the book, your group can play! Instead of having each player read their own cards then, the owner of the book reads the cards aloud and the Storyteller chooses their question that way. The only supplies needed, apart from 1 copy of the book, are a coin and a way to track your score. Easy as pie. Another aspect of this game that I really enjoy is that it is pretty light-hearted in nature. Yes, there is an element of deception and bluffing, but it is all done in a light and quirky way. I especially enjoy this because I am a notoriously bad liar, and most bluffing games stress me out. But the ability to choose my question, and then weave a (hopefully) convincing story for my opponents takes some of that pressure off and allows me to really be creative and have fun.
That being said, one tricky thing about this game is that when coming up with a false story, if must be false in essence. You cannot tell a mostly true story with a few trivial details changed. People who have trouble with storytelling or improv-type scenarios might have some difficulty in coming up with an appropriate story for the different questions. Just something to be aware of – you have to be able to come up with a story on the fly, with no hints or help whatsoever. Another tricky, yet usually fun, aspect of this game is that some cards have a Wild feature which can immediately affect someone’s score. For example, one Wild feature might say “Player with the longest hair gains 3 points.” That goes into effect immediately once the card is selected, and can put a fun twist and some good-natured take-that into this storytelling game. The process of voting with points adds an element of strategy as well. How confident are you that someone’s story is TRUE? Are you willing to bet 3 points on it? It’s a balance of risk and reward, and that adds excitement to the game table.
Let me touch on components for a minute. This game is a book, where each page contains 3 cards. You can start at card #1 or select a random page and pick a card there, but there are 225 cards from which to choose! On every other page there is also a blank page titled “Game Highlights,” and this space is for you to write down any particularly hilarious or creative responses someone may have come up with in response to a card. It’s not a game requirement, but just an element of fun for future reminiscence. The quality of the book is pretty good, and I know it is sturdy enough to withstand lots of travel and play.
So all-in-all, I think that You’re Pulling My Leg is a great and light little game to get your creative juices flowing. If you need an ice-breaker for a game night, this would definitely be a great one to get to know your gaming comrades. Is it a game I will pull out at every game night? No. But it is a fun and light-hearted game that I can see myself pulling out with different gaming groups on several occasions. Whether a family reunion, office party, or friend Zoom call, this game is one that will entertain all involved. If you’re looking for something unique, fun, and relatively simple overall, give You’re Pulling My Leg! a shot. It might just open the door to storytelling based games for you!
Disclaimer: We were provided a copy of this book for the purposes of this preview. The pictures below show the final production copy you can expect to receive when ordering this game. Check out the publisher’s website to get your hands on this unique party game! -L
You’re Pulling My Leg! is a party game of bluffing and storytelling in which players are trying to be the first to earn 21 points. The rules are simple, the gameplay is straightforward, and it can even be played remotely!
To setup the game, every player needs a coin and a way to keep track of their score (paper/pencil, notes on a phone, etc.). Every player begins the game with 7 points. To start the game, choose a player to be the first Storyteller. The Storyteller selects a card from the book, reads the three questions on their chosen card, and chooses 1 to answer. The Storyteller then flips their coin – if HEADS, the answer must be a true story, but if TAILS, the answer must be false and untrue in essence. Only the Storyteller knows the result of the coin flip. The Storyteller proceeds to answer the question, telling a story dictated by their coin flip result.
After the Storyteller has told their response to the chosen question, the remaining players will vote (with points) on whether they believe the story was true or false. Players can vote with up to 3 points, and votes are revealed simultaneously. If you believe the story is TRUE, you vote with 1, 2, or 3 fingers pointing UP, and if you believe the story is FALSE, you vote with 1, 2, or 3 fingers pointing DOWN. After everyone has voted, the Storyteller reveals whether the story was true or false, and points are added/deducted accordingly. If a player voted correctly, they add the number of points with which they voted to their score. If they voted incorrectly, subtract the voted points from their score. The Storyteller can earn 1 point for each other player they have fooled, up to a maximum of 3 points per story. After tallying points, choose a new Storyteller and begin again – each player should have a chance to be the Storyteller once before repeating Storytellers. Play continues in this fashion until one player has scored 21 points, and is declared the winner!
At this point in my life, the thing I love about You’re Pulling My Leg! the most is that it can be played remotely. Everybody does not need to have an individual copy of the book to play via video chat or conference call. As long as one person has the book, your group can play! Instead of having each player read their own cards then, the owner of the book reads the cards aloud and the Storyteller chooses their question that way. The only supplies needed, apart from 1 copy of the book, are a coin and a way to track your score. Easy as pie. Another aspect of this game that I really enjoy is that it is pretty light-hearted in nature. Yes, there is an element of deception and bluffing, but it is all done in a light and quirky way. I especially enjoy this because I am a notoriously bad liar, and most bluffing games stress me out. But the ability to choose my question, and then weave a (hopefully) convincing story for my opponents takes some of that pressure off and allows me to really be creative and have fun.
That being said, one tricky thing about this game is that when coming up with a false story, if must be false in essence. You cannot tell a mostly true story with a few trivial details changed. People who have trouble with storytelling or improv-type scenarios might have some difficulty in coming up with an appropriate story for the different questions. Just something to be aware of – you have to be able to come up with a story on the fly, with no hints or help whatsoever. Another tricky, yet usually fun, aspect of this game is that some cards have a Wild feature which can immediately affect someone’s score. For example, one Wild feature might say “Player with the longest hair gains 3 points.” That goes into effect immediately once the card is selected, and can put a fun twist and some good-natured take-that into this storytelling game. The process of voting with points adds an element of strategy as well. How confident are you that someone’s story is TRUE? Are you willing to bet 3 points on it? It’s a balance of risk and reward, and that adds excitement to the game table.
Let me touch on components for a minute. This game is a book, where each page contains 3 cards. You can start at card #1 or select a random page and pick a card there, but there are 225 cards from which to choose! On every other page there is also a blank page titled “Game Highlights,” and this space is for you to write down any particularly hilarious or creative responses someone may have come up with in response to a card. It’s not a game requirement, but just an element of fun for future reminiscence. The quality of the book is pretty good, and I know it is sturdy enough to withstand lots of travel and play.
So all-in-all, I think that You’re Pulling My Leg is a great and light little game to get your creative juices flowing. If you need an ice-breaker for a game night, this would definitely be a great one to get to know your gaming comrades. Is it a game I will pull out at every game night? No. But it is a fun and light-hearted game that I can see myself pulling out with different gaming groups on several occasions. Whether a family reunion, office party, or friend Zoom call, this game is one that will entertain all involved. If you’re looking for something unique, fun, and relatively simple overall, give You’re Pulling My Leg! a shot. It might just open the door to storytelling based games for you!
