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WWE Champions - Action RPG
Games and Entertainment
5.0
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Your WWE dream rivalries are happening live in WWE: Champions, the free action RPG that pits the...
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated The Forgotten Child (A Riley Thomas Mystery #1) in Books
Oct 3, 2018
Well Written Characters (1 more)
Spooky Scenes
Pointless Sex Scenes (1 more)
Cheesy Dialogue at Times
A Spooky Read
The synopsis for The Forgotten Child by Melissa Erin Jackson really drew me in. It was one of those books that I knew I had to read. I even pre-ordered the book. Luckily, I won it on a Goodreads giveaway, so I had the chance to read it before it was released.
I found the pacing to be fairly consistent for The Forgotten Child. For the most part, it was a fast paced read which I thoroughly enjoyed! There were a few times that the pacing slowed down a bit, and I was wishing for it to speed up again. However, those moments weren't very often.
The plot for The Forgotten Child has been done before, but Ms. Jackson made the story line interesting enough for me to enjoy the story. Riley, the main character, gets roped in to going to a house that has been featured on a popular ghost hunting show and known to be very haunted. It was also the site of some very brutal murders. Riley is reluctant to go due to her ability to see and interact with ghosts and because of something that happened when she was 10 years old involving a spirit. While there, she interacts with the ghost of a little boy as well as the infamous serial killer who used to live there. After getting completely freaked out by a ghostly encounter with the serial killer's ghost, she leaves early to go back home. However, the ghost boy has followed her home. She feels sorry for the little boy and vows to find out what happened to him. Finding out what happened to him won't be easy, and it will put her in grave danger. While trying to uncover the mystery of the little boy, she also is juggling her love life with her new boyfriend. I felt like there were no plot twists, but there were plenty of spooky moments! There was one point in the story where I was really regretting my decision to read The Forgotten Child late at night due to a very spooky scene! Even though this book is part of a series, there were no cliffhangers. All of my questions were answered by the end of the book which I was thankful for. I wish this focused more on Riley's abilities and on the ghostly aspect instead of Riley's relationship with Michael, but that's just a personal preference. I also could have done without the sex scenes between Riley and Michael as I felt like they didn't really fit the tone of the book. Perhaps that's just a me thing though.
The world building for The Forgotten Child was written fairly well. There were some times where I was wondering about the dialogue in the book. Some of the choices of phrases used were a bit cheesy. I hadn't heard anyone use some of the phrases used in the book ever! However, the dialogue was still very believable for the most part. I loved the way some of The Forgotten Child was set a creepy ranch in a spooky house. I do wish more of the action took place here, but I still enjoyed the book.
I enjoyed the characters in The Forgotten Child. Melissa Erin Jackson did a fantastic job in making each character feel like a real person. Not one of the characters was lacking. I found each one to be interesting. I really enjoyed the chemistry between Riley and Michael. I enjoyed their banter a lot even if I wish the book would have focused less on their physical and romantic relationship. I also enjoyed reading about Jade and Riley's friendship. You could feel how strong their friendship was. I loved how Miss Jackson wrote about Orin and Hank. I could feel the evilness of both Orin and Hank oozing from the pages! Both of them made fantastic evil characters.
Trigger warnings include a lot of swearing, violence, a few graphic (but not too graphic) sex scenes including a non-graphic rape, murder including child murder, drinking, an evil spirit, and other scenes dealing with the occult.
All in all, The Forgotten Child was a good read. I loved how spooky it was as well as how great the characters were written. I would definitely recommend The Forgotten Child by Melissa Erin Jackson to those 18+ who love a good paranormal mystery. I will definitely be reading the next book in the Riley Thomas Mystery series.
I found the pacing to be fairly consistent for The Forgotten Child. For the most part, it was a fast paced read which I thoroughly enjoyed! There were a few times that the pacing slowed down a bit, and I was wishing for it to speed up again. However, those moments weren't very often.
The plot for The Forgotten Child has been done before, but Ms. Jackson made the story line interesting enough for me to enjoy the story. Riley, the main character, gets roped in to going to a house that has been featured on a popular ghost hunting show and known to be very haunted. It was also the site of some very brutal murders. Riley is reluctant to go due to her ability to see and interact with ghosts and because of something that happened when she was 10 years old involving a spirit. While there, she interacts with the ghost of a little boy as well as the infamous serial killer who used to live there. After getting completely freaked out by a ghostly encounter with the serial killer's ghost, she leaves early to go back home. However, the ghost boy has followed her home. She feels sorry for the little boy and vows to find out what happened to him. Finding out what happened to him won't be easy, and it will put her in grave danger. While trying to uncover the mystery of the little boy, she also is juggling her love life with her new boyfriend. I felt like there were no plot twists, but there were plenty of spooky moments! There was one point in the story where I was really regretting my decision to read The Forgotten Child late at night due to a very spooky scene! Even though this book is part of a series, there were no cliffhangers. All of my questions were answered by the end of the book which I was thankful for. I wish this focused more on Riley's abilities and on the ghostly aspect instead of Riley's relationship with Michael, but that's just a personal preference. I also could have done without the sex scenes between Riley and Michael as I felt like they didn't really fit the tone of the book. Perhaps that's just a me thing though.
The world building for The Forgotten Child was written fairly well. There were some times where I was wondering about the dialogue in the book. Some of the choices of phrases used were a bit cheesy. I hadn't heard anyone use some of the phrases used in the book ever! However, the dialogue was still very believable for the most part. I loved the way some of The Forgotten Child was set a creepy ranch in a spooky house. I do wish more of the action took place here, but I still enjoyed the book.
I enjoyed the characters in The Forgotten Child. Melissa Erin Jackson did a fantastic job in making each character feel like a real person. Not one of the characters was lacking. I found each one to be interesting. I really enjoyed the chemistry between Riley and Michael. I enjoyed their banter a lot even if I wish the book would have focused less on their physical and romantic relationship. I also enjoyed reading about Jade and Riley's friendship. You could feel how strong their friendship was. I loved how Miss Jackson wrote about Orin and Hank. I could feel the evilness of both Orin and Hank oozing from the pages! Both of them made fantastic evil characters.
Trigger warnings include a lot of swearing, violence, a few graphic (but not too graphic) sex scenes including a non-graphic rape, murder including child murder, drinking, an evil spirit, and other scenes dealing with the occult.
All in all, The Forgotten Child was a good read. I loved how spooky it was as well as how great the characters were written. I would definitely recommend The Forgotten Child by Melissa Erin Jackson to those 18+ who love a good paranormal mystery. I will definitely be reading the next book in the Riley Thomas Mystery series.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Two Kinds of Truth (Harry Bosch #20) in Books
Jan 10, 2018
Another wonderful mystery novel featuring Connelly's excellently developed lead detective
Michael Connelly's iconic detective, Harry Bosch, is back again. Harry's basically a volunteer for the San Fernando police department, working cold cases for the tiny force and mentoring their three young detectives. When they are called out for a murder of a father and son at a local pharmacy, Harry assists the inexperienced team in trying to track down the killers. The case leads Harry and his detectives into the dark world of opiates--both the big money of pill mills and the sad, cold side of addiction. Meanwhile, Harry hears from his former employer, the LAPD, when one of his thirty-year-old cases is reopened based on new evidence. Even worse, the killer is claiming Harry framed him. The case threatens Harry's most prized possession: his reputation as a cop, and he knows that no one will fight to clear his name like himself. The two unrelated cases pull at different sides of Bosch as he works to discover all different facets of the truth.
I love Harry Bosch so much, and there will be a hole in my heart when Connelly no longer writes about him. I actually moved this book up in my rotation (something I rarely ever do!) so I could read it on a weekend trip to Chicago, and my only regret is that it meant I finished it in about 48 hours, and now it's over. Per usual, Connelly gives us yet another wonderful mystery novel featuring his excellently developed lead detective. This one covers the timely topic of the opiate crisis, which looms fairly large in America today. It's well-researched, as always.
Reading a Bosch novel is like picking up with an old friend, and this one is no different. Our Bosch is aging, which this book acknowledges well. We see Bosch still grappling with having left the LAPD--who can he trust, what can he do with his life now. We even get some appearances from previous characters in earlier novels. Perhaps the best thing is a fairly large role for Bosch's half brother Mickey Haller, the famed "Lincoln Lawyer." These two are still figuring out their own relationship, but it's a treat for us readers to get a glimpse of Mickey; we even get to see some of his enjoyable courtroom antics. There's even an appearance from Mickey's investigator, Cisco! (See, it's like being old friends!)
And, of course, we can't forget the actual story, which, in usual Connelly style is excellent and tracks along flawlessly along Bosch's own journey. The opiate tale is both fascinating and depressing, while Bosch's unraveling of the backstory behind the reopened cold case will certainly keep you reading. There's never really any crazy twists or turns, but the novel moves along steadily and easily. There's both growth and angst with Bosch--I have to admit, I worry about the end of his arc, but I will still enjoy every moment I get with him until them.
Another enjoyable one for the Bosch canon--certainly recommend!
I love Harry Bosch so much, and there will be a hole in my heart when Connelly no longer writes about him. I actually moved this book up in my rotation (something I rarely ever do!) so I could read it on a weekend trip to Chicago, and my only regret is that it meant I finished it in about 48 hours, and now it's over. Per usual, Connelly gives us yet another wonderful mystery novel featuring his excellently developed lead detective. This one covers the timely topic of the opiate crisis, which looms fairly large in America today. It's well-researched, as always.
Reading a Bosch novel is like picking up with an old friend, and this one is no different. Our Bosch is aging, which this book acknowledges well. We see Bosch still grappling with having left the LAPD--who can he trust, what can he do with his life now. We even get some appearances from previous characters in earlier novels. Perhaps the best thing is a fairly large role for Bosch's half brother Mickey Haller, the famed "Lincoln Lawyer." These two are still figuring out their own relationship, but it's a treat for us readers to get a glimpse of Mickey; we even get to see some of his enjoyable courtroom antics. There's even an appearance from Mickey's investigator, Cisco! (See, it's like being old friends!)
And, of course, we can't forget the actual story, which, in usual Connelly style is excellent and tracks along flawlessly along Bosch's own journey. The opiate tale is both fascinating and depressing, while Bosch's unraveling of the backstory behind the reopened cold case will certainly keep you reading. There's never really any crazy twists or turns, but the novel moves along steadily and easily. There's both growth and angst with Bosch--I have to admit, I worry about the end of his arc, but I will still enjoy every moment I get with him until them.
Another enjoyable one for the Bosch canon--certainly recommend!
Pocket Scanner – PDF Scanner
Business and Productivity
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Pocket Scanner Cloud turns your iPhone or iPad into a portable document scanner for efficient...
Literally.Laura (1763 KP) rated the Xbox One version of No Man's Sky in Video Games
Oct 25, 2018
The game stated off simple enough, you find yourself crash landed on some foreign planet. The planet that I had the misfortune of landing on (not sure if it’s the same for every person) was an ungodly hot hell-hole filled with rabid, attacking plants and sparse resources. My initial introduction to the game seemed to be a little lackluster. I felt like I didn’t really know what I was supposed to do, as well as I wasn’t sure how any of the controls worked. After some time, I started to get the hang of how to move around and how to interact with the environment. Figuring out how to using the “mining pistol” to harvest resources was quite the revelation. After some time I came across my crash-landed spaceship. It was not in working order whatsoever. The game wanted me to fix said ship using a variety of different resources and pieces of technology to be crafted. I found the interfaces to accomplish this goal were a little vague and complicated. Unable to find the needed resources nearby, I set off on a little adventure. One glaring feature I noticed in the game was there was a resource drain on your “shielding” from environmental effects. My 60-degree Celsius planet played havoc upon this shielding, which required me to continually recharge it. I was not a fan of this. It seemed too often that my shields would be next to zero soon after I charged them. I imagine the searing heat might have had something to do with that, perhaps if I had landed on a tropical beach planet that wouldn’t have been much of an issue. Anyways, I meander along looking for my needed resources. True to my wonderful luck so far, I lose track of where home base was. Completely off track. I wander and wander in the hopes that I can find my way back. Through this struggle, I realize that I have the ability to harness my inner Neanderthal and am able to punch the local flora to death. This saved me considerable energy charges for my mining pistol. I forgot to mention everything I use has a drain, from the mining pistol, to my health, to the shielding from the environment. So continually you must fill these items up with different elemental resources you harvest from the planet (carbon, oxygen, etc etc). Beating all the plants and rocks to death proved useful, I was able to collect a large number of resources to help myself survive having no shelter whatsoever. Through my travels I encounter my first visit from the local fauna. They appeared to be goat-like creatures that dug their way out of the ground and wandered about. I was able to feed them carbon-based foods, to which they all started to crowd around me and beg for more. Luckily my jet pack allowed me to make a quick escape. After what seemed like an eternity of moving in the same direction (hoping the world was small enough to make this work), I fell into a hole. Inside the hole was a large cavern which I was eager to explore. There were many different resources that I had not come across yet, and thankfully there weren’t any angry plants or goats there to attack me. I travelled all the way to the end of the cave, hoping to find a civilization or something interesting. As I neared the end I was greeted by a giant wall of rock with nothing to offer, so I angrily turned back around and flew out of the cave. Crossing a few more mountain tops, finally I saw something of interest! There were four mechanical looking storage containers with some lights surrounding them. I took it upon myself to investigate. There didn’t seem to be any signs of life around the containers, so I figured there could only be one solution. I started to punch the containers down to collect whatever they were hiding. After the first container went down, alarms started to go off and the game told me I alerted “sentinels”. Not knowing what this meant, I saw a dog-looking robot approach and subsequently started lasering me to death. Apparently, those containers weren’t meant for sharing. Anyways, I ran off barely escaping with my life. In hindsight I wonder if death would have been an easier way to return to my poor, broken ship. I finally figured out how to seek out distress signals (which my ship had one), so my screen was marked with a true destination. Shortly after learning of this, the world decided to start up a fire storm which made the temperature jump up to 100-degrees Celsius. Needless to say, I was completely prepared and didn’t almost die on the way over to the distress signal. After finally finding my way to salvation I realized that the distress signal I followed wasn’t actually my ship, but some random, broken down building. I am a poor navigator.
Overall, I would rate this game a 7/10 so far. There are many features that I have not obtained access to yet, I imagine with upgrades and new resources my sad, sad, plight would be a little easier to manage. The visuals are beautiful, and from what I’ve read so far, there are many different worlds you can visit. Would not recommend the one I landed on.
Overall, I would rate this game a 7/10 so far. There are many features that I have not obtained access to yet, I imagine with upgrades and new resources my sad, sad, plight would be a little easier to manage. The visuals are beautiful, and from what I’ve read so far, there are many different worlds you can visit. Would not recommend the one I landed on.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Tides of Madness in Tabletop Games
Dec 7, 2021
As you know, the world of board games is quite vast – there are so many games out there, I feel like I can barely keep up! So oftentimes when I come across a game, it’s not necessarily a new one. Enter Tides of Madness. It maaaay sound familiar, and that is because it is a reimplementation of Tides of Time (which we have reviewed before). Is this just a Cthulhian re-theme of the same game, or does it alter the gameplay at all? Keep reading to find out!
Tides of Madness is a game of card drafting and set collection in which 2 players are trying to amass the most points by the end of 3 rounds. To setup for a game, shuffle the deck and deal 5 cards to each player. Place the rest aside as a draw deck, and place the Madness tokens within reach. Each of the 3 rounds is broken down into 3 phases: Drafting, Scoring, and Refresh. During the Drafting phase, each player will choose one card from their hand to keep, and place it face-down in front of them. Once both players have chosen their card, they will be revealed simultaneously and placed in your tableau. Take the remaining cards from your hand and pass them to your opponent. You now draft another card from this new hand, and will then pass the cards again. Drafting continues in this fashion until both players have no cards remaining in hand.
The next phase, Scoring, now begins. Players check their tableau and take a Madness token for each card with a Madness icon. The player with the most Madness this round can choose to gain an additional 4 VP or heal (discard) one Madness token. An important note – if at any time a player receives 9 or more Madness tokens, they immediately lose the game! So keep an eye on those cards, and know when to heal. Next, players will score the cards based on printed objectives – sets of suits, majority of a suit, etc. Points are tallied on the score pad. Finally, the Refresh phase gets you ready for the next round. Each player collects their tableau and selects one card to keep for the next round, and another card to discard from the game. Players simultaneously reveal their kept card and it starts the round already in their tableau. Players will draw 2 new cards to total 5 in hand, and the next round is ready to begin. Play ends either if a player has 9 or more Madness, or after a total of 3 rounds. After the 3rd and final round, all points are added up and the player with the highest score wins.
So if you’re thinking this game is basically Tides of Time, you’re pretty much correct. The only difference between the two is the concept/mechanic of the Madness tokens. And honestly, I think the inclusion of the tokens elevates the strategy a bit. In Tides of Time, it really is all about set collection. But with Madness tokens, you’ve got some risk/reward balance to play with. Do you take a card to complete a set even though it gives you a Madness token? Or do you leave it for last so your opponent is forced to take it? The same applies to the extra step in the Scoring phase. Do you risk keeping all your Madness to snag 4 extra VP or is it better (and safer) to heal 1? It just adds another element to the gameplay that makes it feel a little more engaging and exciting than simple set collection.
To touch on components for a minute – this game consists of 18 oversized cards, a bunch of cardboard Madness tokens, a score pad, and small pencil. The artwork on the cards is appropriately thematic and dark, and the text is clear and easy to interpret. The Madness icon on certain cards is a bunch of tentacles on the side of the card, and it is easy to see which cards are affected and which are not. The tokens and score pad are both decent quality as well. Although not 100% necessary, I appreciate the inclusion of a score pad just to help you remember points between rounds. All in all, good production all around.
I have to say that of the two, I prefer Tides of Madness over Tides of Time. You may have noticed that I have rated both games at a 4, but the Madness element in this one just pushes it over the top for me. Both are good games, don’t get me wrong! Either work as a good set collection/drafting game, and are quick to learn and play. Tides of Madness just engages me a little more and that makes the overall gameplay more enjoyable for me. So all in all, Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a maddening 4 / 6.
Tides of Madness is a game of card drafting and set collection in which 2 players are trying to amass the most points by the end of 3 rounds. To setup for a game, shuffle the deck and deal 5 cards to each player. Place the rest aside as a draw deck, and place the Madness tokens within reach. Each of the 3 rounds is broken down into 3 phases: Drafting, Scoring, and Refresh. During the Drafting phase, each player will choose one card from their hand to keep, and place it face-down in front of them. Once both players have chosen their card, they will be revealed simultaneously and placed in your tableau. Take the remaining cards from your hand and pass them to your opponent. You now draft another card from this new hand, and will then pass the cards again. Drafting continues in this fashion until both players have no cards remaining in hand.
The next phase, Scoring, now begins. Players check their tableau and take a Madness token for each card with a Madness icon. The player with the most Madness this round can choose to gain an additional 4 VP or heal (discard) one Madness token. An important note – if at any time a player receives 9 or more Madness tokens, they immediately lose the game! So keep an eye on those cards, and know when to heal. Next, players will score the cards based on printed objectives – sets of suits, majority of a suit, etc. Points are tallied on the score pad. Finally, the Refresh phase gets you ready for the next round. Each player collects their tableau and selects one card to keep for the next round, and another card to discard from the game. Players simultaneously reveal their kept card and it starts the round already in their tableau. Players will draw 2 new cards to total 5 in hand, and the next round is ready to begin. Play ends either if a player has 9 or more Madness, or after a total of 3 rounds. After the 3rd and final round, all points are added up and the player with the highest score wins.
So if you’re thinking this game is basically Tides of Time, you’re pretty much correct. The only difference between the two is the concept/mechanic of the Madness tokens. And honestly, I think the inclusion of the tokens elevates the strategy a bit. In Tides of Time, it really is all about set collection. But with Madness tokens, you’ve got some risk/reward balance to play with. Do you take a card to complete a set even though it gives you a Madness token? Or do you leave it for last so your opponent is forced to take it? The same applies to the extra step in the Scoring phase. Do you risk keeping all your Madness to snag 4 extra VP or is it better (and safer) to heal 1? It just adds another element to the gameplay that makes it feel a little more engaging and exciting than simple set collection.
To touch on components for a minute – this game consists of 18 oversized cards, a bunch of cardboard Madness tokens, a score pad, and small pencil. The artwork on the cards is appropriately thematic and dark, and the text is clear and easy to interpret. The Madness icon on certain cards is a bunch of tentacles on the side of the card, and it is easy to see which cards are affected and which are not. The tokens and score pad are both decent quality as well. Although not 100% necessary, I appreciate the inclusion of a score pad just to help you remember points between rounds. All in all, good production all around.
I have to say that of the two, I prefer Tides of Madness over Tides of Time. You may have noticed that I have rated both games at a 4, but the Madness element in this one just pushes it over the top for me. Both are good games, don’t get me wrong! Either work as a good set collection/drafting game, and are quick to learn and play. Tides of Madness just engages me a little more and that makes the overall gameplay more enjoyable for me. So all in all, Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a maddening 4 / 6.
okletmereviewit (4 KP) rated Shin Godzilla (2016) in Movies
May 11, 2018
The King of the Monsters is Back
Contains spoilers, click to show
I must say that when I heard that TOHO was coming out with a new Godzilla movie I was super ecstatic. I have enjoyed the Godzilla franchise since I was a kid. The movie starts with a modern Tokyo with the pretense that it is shortly after the Fukushima Nuclear meltdown and after several earthquakes. An explosion in the harbor alerts the officials to scramble to find out what has happened. At first there is a lot of chaos and uncertainties as to what is happening out in the harbor. Then a grotesque creature is seen swimming up the on of the rivers inland. The look of this monster is that of a Snake Shark and an Eel with hind legs. This underdeveloped monster is referred to as Godzilla's "1st Form". As it snakes its way through metropolitan area's, forced evacuations are sent underway to assure as many lives that can be saved could. As the fledgling Godzilla struggles with trying to maneuver on land, you see red almost blood looking liquid pouring from its gills. It shortly there after makes its way back to the bay and resubmerged. The Japanese Government is in a panic trying to figure out what this thing is, and how to best deal with it. Teams of researchers from around the country begin an unprecedented collaboration of the minds to classify and to come up with a solution on how to defend Tokyo and the rest of Japan from this creature. Next time we see the creature coming out of the water it begins to resemble the Godzilla we all know and love. But with sudo deformed forearms, and red coloring to its skin, and a misshapen mouth. This form is referred to as his 3rd form. This 3rd form Godzilla begins making its way through the cities headed for Tokyo. The government authorizes the use of any and all weapons in order to stop the best in its tracks. After some failures trying what they could. The Japanese reach out to America for help. The US deploys B2 Stealth Bombers with subnuclear missile's which cause significant damage, causing Godzilla to undergo another transformation, this time expelling fiery breath that is then focused into a plasma beam that destroys a large section of the city. Then the bombers go to make a second attack and in a wholly new never before seen attack in any of the Godzilla franchise, Godzilla shoots its plasma beams out of his back, in multiple directions destroying the attacking fleet. To which Godzilla enters a hibernation type sleep in the middle of all the destruction and chaos. Both Japanese and American governments as well as several other countries around the world begin sharing data and ideas with one another and a plan is formulated to 'freeze' Godzilla thus killing the creature. The entire country of Japan commissions local chemical plants to create a coagulant and freezing agent to stop Godzilla. A 4 Tier Attack plan is put into place. They begin by sending trains filled with explosives to awaken the monster. Then one after another the Japanese Military begins assaulting Godzilla. At which point Godzilla begins to use his Plasma beam from both his mouth and in another totally new move, from his tail. Godzilla is finally knocked down and the coagulant is then pumped into him, in two stages. At the last stage, Godzilla destroys the Cranes that were pumping the fluid into him, and as he stands to begin more destruction, you see him instantly freeze. At the end of the movie, you see a destroyed Tokyo trying to recover and find some form of normality. And before credit roll, you see up close of Godzilla's tail. It looks like miniature aliens or babies were being birthed from Godzilla's tail. And then it fades to black. Even though the whole movie was Englished Subtitled, I found it very enjoyable and action packed. TOHO has done it again.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Dingo's Dreams in Tabletop Games
Mar 25, 2020
If you’re like us, you are always on the lookout for great deals on board games. Our FLGS has a Used Game Sale every year, and it is a saving grace for me (and my wallet). If I’m lucky, I’ll find an OOP game that’s been on my wishlist forever, or I’ll find a game that may be new to me even if it isn’t new to the market. And 2 years ago at that Used Game Sale is where I stumbled upon Dingo’s Dreams.
In Dingo’s Dreams, the goal is to guide your spirit animal through the dream world and back home before your opponents do. How do you do that? By being the first to get your dreamscape to match the dream card pattern. To setup the game, each player takes the 25 tiles of their chosen animal, and creates a 5×5 grid in front of them. The tiles are double-sided, and the side with the animal should be face-down. There will be 1 extra tile, with the animal on both sides, which should be kept to the side. The Walkabout cards are shuffled and placed in a face-down deck, and a single dream card is revealed. Each turn of the game has 2 phases: Walkabout and Dreamtime. In the Walkabout phase, a card is revealed from the Walkabout deck and all players find the corresponding tile in their grid and flip it over so the animal side is face-up. In the Dreamtime phase, all players will take their extra tile and place it at the end of any row/column, thus forcing that line of tiles to shift over and push out a different tile. Play continues until one player has manipulated their grid to match that of the dream card. Once you do that, call out the name of your animal (Dingo!) and you win!
The rules and gameplay of Dingo’s Dreams are relatively simple, but how does it perform overall? It’s a pretty light game, but it does require some strategy. It takes some creative manipulation to shift your grid to victory. You have to be thinking a turn or two in advance to see if you can setup your grid for maximum benefit. That being said, the randomness of the grid setups and the Walkabout cards sometimes makes the game feel too luck-based. Yes, you do have the power to manipulate your own grid, but ultimately you are at the mercy of the cards and they can really work against you, no matter how strong your strategy is. Another drawback of Dingo’s Dreams is the lack of player interaction. This game is pretty much multi-player solitaire. Everyone is working on their own grids at the same time, and the only thing that affects you are the cards. It’s kind of a quiet and low energy game, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it can halt the momentum of game night.
On that same note, one of the things that I do really like about Dingo’s Dreams is that it is so relaxed and simple. It makes for a great filler game and palette cleanser between some beefier games. The overall playtime is relatively short, and it can quickly be played multiple times in a row. Another great thing about Dingo’s Dreams is the option to increase the difficulty by adding Hazards. Hazards are tokens placed on certain spaces of the dream cards, and they mean that you cannot have an animal tile in that spot of your grid in order to win. It just adds another level of strategy and can up the ante around the table.
Overall, Dingo’s Dreams is a light and relaxing game that is perfect for playing between heavier games when you need a little break. Was this a good find for me at the Used Game sale? I would say so. It’s not one that I pull out at every single game night, but it’s one that I will use to introduce newer gamers to the hobby, and one that I will pull out when I just want a quiet night in. Purple Phoenix Games gives Dingo’s Dreams a fantasy-filled 13 / 18.
In Dingo’s Dreams, the goal is to guide your spirit animal through the dream world and back home before your opponents do. How do you do that? By being the first to get your dreamscape to match the dream card pattern. To setup the game, each player takes the 25 tiles of their chosen animal, and creates a 5×5 grid in front of them. The tiles are double-sided, and the side with the animal should be face-down. There will be 1 extra tile, with the animal on both sides, which should be kept to the side. The Walkabout cards are shuffled and placed in a face-down deck, and a single dream card is revealed. Each turn of the game has 2 phases: Walkabout and Dreamtime. In the Walkabout phase, a card is revealed from the Walkabout deck and all players find the corresponding tile in their grid and flip it over so the animal side is face-up. In the Dreamtime phase, all players will take their extra tile and place it at the end of any row/column, thus forcing that line of tiles to shift over and push out a different tile. Play continues until one player has manipulated their grid to match that of the dream card. Once you do that, call out the name of your animal (Dingo!) and you win!
The rules and gameplay of Dingo’s Dreams are relatively simple, but how does it perform overall? It’s a pretty light game, but it does require some strategy. It takes some creative manipulation to shift your grid to victory. You have to be thinking a turn or two in advance to see if you can setup your grid for maximum benefit. That being said, the randomness of the grid setups and the Walkabout cards sometimes makes the game feel too luck-based. Yes, you do have the power to manipulate your own grid, but ultimately you are at the mercy of the cards and they can really work against you, no matter how strong your strategy is. Another drawback of Dingo’s Dreams is the lack of player interaction. This game is pretty much multi-player solitaire. Everyone is working on their own grids at the same time, and the only thing that affects you are the cards. It’s kind of a quiet and low energy game, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it can halt the momentum of game night.
On that same note, one of the things that I do really like about Dingo’s Dreams is that it is so relaxed and simple. It makes for a great filler game and palette cleanser between some beefier games. The overall playtime is relatively short, and it can quickly be played multiple times in a row. Another great thing about Dingo’s Dreams is the option to increase the difficulty by adding Hazards. Hazards are tokens placed on certain spaces of the dream cards, and they mean that you cannot have an animal tile in that spot of your grid in order to win. It just adds another level of strategy and can up the ante around the table.
Overall, Dingo’s Dreams is a light and relaxing game that is perfect for playing between heavier games when you need a little break. Was this a good find for me at the Used Game sale? I would say so. It’s not one that I pull out at every single game night, but it’s one that I will use to introduce newer gamers to the hobby, and one that I will pull out when I just want a quiet night in. Purple Phoenix Games gives Dingo’s Dreams a fantasy-filled 13 / 18.
Merissa (12894 KP) rated Ascendant (The Made Ones Sage #3) by Vicki Stiefel in Books
May 20, 2022 (Updated Jun 19, 2023)
ASCENDANT is the final in The Made Ones Saga and we have an action-filled climax. And I'm not talking about steamy times, either!
We start where book two finished - Sybi waking up in a glass casket and being rescued by Kes. She has some recovery time during which her sisters visit and talk to her, hoping that will help her come back to them. The overall story arc is also coming to a head, with the Alchemics working hard to destroy Eleutia. The Clans and CastOuts, obviously, don't want this, so they're working just as hard to ensure that doesn't happen.
I liked Sybi and Kes but I didn't feel the connection like I wanted to. There are some pretty big obstacles in their path that seem to 'magically' disappear without much (if any) communication. For me, I felt their relationship got lost slightly in the dramatic conclusion. Most of the time they were together, they were talking or planning what to do next in the war. I'm sure most won't agree with me here, but that is how I felt.
This book also doesn't feel like the ending!!! I was left with multiple questions, so I'm really hoping there is more to come in this world! It would be fantastic to see how they all cope now the Alchemics have been defeated, how they change their world, and what the new generation gets up to. Hints are also given about other pairings, including Alrina, so I would love to know more.
I did think this was a fitting end to the sisters' trilogy, and meeting Mother and Father Tree was brilliant. I found those meetings to be so full of feeling and humour, it brought a huge smile to my face every time!
A great series that I have no hesitation in recommending.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
May 16, 2022
We start where book two finished - Sybi waking up in a glass casket and being rescued by Kes. She has some recovery time during which her sisters visit and talk to her, hoping that will help her come back to them. The overall story arc is also coming to a head, with the Alchemics working hard to destroy Eleutia. The Clans and CastOuts, obviously, don't want this, so they're working just as hard to ensure that doesn't happen.
I liked Sybi and Kes but I didn't feel the connection like I wanted to. There are some pretty big obstacles in their path that seem to 'magically' disappear without much (if any) communication. For me, I felt their relationship got lost slightly in the dramatic conclusion. Most of the time they were together, they were talking or planning what to do next in the war. I'm sure most won't agree with me here, but that is how I felt.
This book also doesn't feel like the ending!!! I was left with multiple questions, so I'm really hoping there is more to come in this world! It would be fantastic to see how they all cope now the Alchemics have been defeated, how they change their world, and what the new generation gets up to. Hints are also given about other pairings, including Alrina, so I would love to know more.
I did think this was a fitting end to the sisters' trilogy, and meeting Mother and Father Tree was brilliant. I found those meetings to be so full of feeling and humour, it brought a huge smile to my face every time!
A great series that I have no hesitation in recommending.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
May 16, 2022
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated Script for Scandal in Books
Jan 8, 2020
Will a Movie Script Revive a Scandal?
In 1936, a bank robbery took place in Los Angeles. While the robbers were killed, the money was never found, and rumors have circulated that there was someone else involved. Most suspect that the someone else was LAPD Detective Gene Morrow, the boyfriend of Lillian Frost. While the rumors have mostly died down, they are about to come out again in 1939 thanks to a new movie being filmed at Paramount. Costume designer Edith Head has seen the script, and she gets a copy to her friend Lillian so she and Gene can be prepared. Lillian is more concerned than Gene and actively tries to find out who the writer is claiming is his source for this movie. She hasn’t been looking for too long before someone turns up dead. Can Lillian and Edith figure out what happened back then and how it is impacting what is happening today?
I was so happy when this series found a new home because I enjoyed the first two books so much. This book is just as strong. The authors mix real people with the fictional characters so expertly I am sure I missed some of the cameos. Yet everyone comes across as real. I did think the plot was wandering a bit early on, but everything became an important part of the story before it was over. Not that I was complaining since I was hooked for most of the book and couldn’t wait to see how it would all turn out. Both Edith and Lillian are instrumental to solving the crime in the end. Meanwhile, there is a delightful subplot involving Lillian’s boss preparing for a job as an extra that leads to a hilarious scene. This book brings old Hollywood to life in every detail, and I enjoyed every minute spent in that world. This book will delight Edith and Lillian’s fans and win them new ones.
I was so happy when this series found a new home because I enjoyed the first two books so much. This book is just as strong. The authors mix real people with the fictional characters so expertly I am sure I missed some of the cameos. Yet everyone comes across as real. I did think the plot was wandering a bit early on, but everything became an important part of the story before it was over. Not that I was complaining since I was hooked for most of the book and couldn’t wait to see how it would all turn out. Both Edith and Lillian are instrumental to solving the crime in the end. Meanwhile, there is a delightful subplot involving Lillian’s boss preparing for a job as an extra that leads to a hilarious scene. This book brings old Hollywood to life in every detail, and I enjoyed every minute spent in that world. This book will delight Edith and Lillian’s fans and win them new ones.