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Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Dungeon Drop in Tabletop Games
Feb 15, 2022
Replayability is always something I consider when deciding whether or not to purchase a game. And as much as I like Unlock! puzzles or Exit games, the fact that they are a one-and-done play is a bummer. So when I was perusing the game store and saw a game that boasted essentially infinite possibilities, I was intrigued. The box was small, the artwork was cute, and the gameplay sounded unique, so I bought it. Is Dungeon Drop really infinitely replayable? Keep reading to decide for yourself.
Dungeon Drop is a game of set collection, area enclosure, and dexterity (to a degree) in which players take on the roles of dungeon-delving adventurers trying to gather treasure, defeat monsters, and complete quests. To setup for a game, each player is randomly dealt a Race card and a Class card – each with a special ability for use during the game. Turn Order tokens are distributed based on the Initiative on your Race card, starting with the lowest number. All players are dealt a Quest card that will dictate some end-game scoring for the player, and Quests are kept secret from opponents. Now it’s time to setup the dungeon. Separate all the Small cubes from the Larger ones – purely based on size, the color of the cube does not matter. All the Larger cubes are placed into the game box, for use later. The starting player will gather all of the Small cubes (plus the giant Dragon cube) and literally drop them onto the center of the table. The rulebook suggests dropping the cubes from a height of 6-12 inches, to ensure the cubes spread evenly across the table. And bam – there’s your dungeon.
The game is played over 3 rounds during which each player will take a turn. Turns are broken down into 3 steps: Explore, Act, and Loot. To Explore, the active player will take a set number of the Larger cubes from the game box (at random, without looking), and will add them to the dungeon by dropping them onto the table. The next step is to Act. Each Race and Class card has a special ability, and during this step you will choose to activate one of those abilities to use this turn. The final step is Loot, and this is where the crux of the gameplay is. The cubes of the dungeon consist of Treasure cubes, Monster cubes, and Pillar cubes. Pillar cubes are what form the ‘rooms’ of the dungeon. When it is your time to Loot, you will form a room by selecting 3 Pillar cubes. These cubes will essentially form a triangle, and the inside area of that triangle represents the room in which you are in. Once you form a room, you will collect all cubes from within that space – whether they be Treasure or Monster cubes. Treasure cubes go into your Stash and are saved for end-game scoring, and Monster cubes will deal Damage to your Hero. All Heroes have a finite amount of Health, and you can never collect a Monster cube that would cause you to lose your last Health point.
When you are done Looting, flip over your Turn Order token to indicate that your turn is done. When all players have completed their turns in the round, Turn Order tokens are redistributed based on Weight – the number of Treasure cubes each player possesses. The player with the least Treasure is considered the ‘lightest’ and receives the 1st Turn Order token for the new round, and the rest are distributed likewise. A new round will then begin, and the game continues until 3 complete rounds have been played. At that point, players will add up their points earned from Treasure cubes and their secret Quests. The player with the highest score is declared the winner!
In theory, this game is really awesome. Players can create unique rooms by selecting specific Pillars, and collect different combinations of cubes each turn. AND since each player drops more cubes into play each turn, the dungeon is constantly changing, with new cubes, and because the cubes may knock others around. In actual practice, though, this game is kind of frustrating to me. For starters, when dropping all the Small cubes to form the initial dungeon, be prepared for them to go everywhere. The rules say to drop from 6-12 inches, but that means that you’re going to get quite a huge play area going on. And for me, that means cubes flying off the table, knocking into player components, and just wreaking havoc in general. Phase Shift Games does sell a set of Dungeon Walls for use during this game – to help define the play area and keep the cubes from going rogue – but I just wonder why they aren’t included in every copy of the base game.
Another problem I have had in my plays of Dungeon Drop is that the layout of the dungeon is usually very limiting. For some reason, all my Pillar cubes will end up clumped together and severely affects what you can do on your turn. Yes, more cubes are being added by each player every turn, but the Pillars are what you use to create rooms – if they’re all too close together, you get small rooms, or basically all Treasure lays outside of any possible room configurations. The solution that I’ve come up with for this issue is to drop all Treasure and Monster cubes as described in the rules, but then ‘sprinkle’ the Pillar cubes across the play area. It just helps even things out and create a bigger playing field.
When it comes to components, I have to say that Dungeon Drop is pretty nice. The cards are oversized, sturdy, and easy to read. The artwork itself is cute and I just enjoy looking at it! The cubes are nice and chunky, and easily identifiable as to what type of cube they are. Again, I wish the Dungeon Walls were included in the base game, instead of being an up-sell, but overall the production quality of the game itself is pretty decent.
You can probably tell by my comments that I’m not really a huge fan of this game. The concept is cool, but in all actuality, it’s what makes this game frustrating for me. This game isn’t supposed to be a super serious game, and is supposed to be more lighthearted and silly. I think it hits the mark in that regard, but overall as a complete game, it falls a little flat for me. I might pull this one out if I need a filler/small party-type game during a game night, but it’s one that probably won’t be making it to my table too often. I wanted to like this game so badly, but it just doesn’t quite reach that level for me. Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a stagnant 3 / 6.
Dungeon Drop is a game of set collection, area enclosure, and dexterity (to a degree) in which players take on the roles of dungeon-delving adventurers trying to gather treasure, defeat monsters, and complete quests. To setup for a game, each player is randomly dealt a Race card and a Class card – each with a special ability for use during the game. Turn Order tokens are distributed based on the Initiative on your Race card, starting with the lowest number. All players are dealt a Quest card that will dictate some end-game scoring for the player, and Quests are kept secret from opponents. Now it’s time to setup the dungeon. Separate all the Small cubes from the Larger ones – purely based on size, the color of the cube does not matter. All the Larger cubes are placed into the game box, for use later. The starting player will gather all of the Small cubes (plus the giant Dragon cube) and literally drop them onto the center of the table. The rulebook suggests dropping the cubes from a height of 6-12 inches, to ensure the cubes spread evenly across the table. And bam – there’s your dungeon.
The game is played over 3 rounds during which each player will take a turn. Turns are broken down into 3 steps: Explore, Act, and Loot. To Explore, the active player will take a set number of the Larger cubes from the game box (at random, without looking), and will add them to the dungeon by dropping them onto the table. The next step is to Act. Each Race and Class card has a special ability, and during this step you will choose to activate one of those abilities to use this turn. The final step is Loot, and this is where the crux of the gameplay is. The cubes of the dungeon consist of Treasure cubes, Monster cubes, and Pillar cubes. Pillar cubes are what form the ‘rooms’ of the dungeon. When it is your time to Loot, you will form a room by selecting 3 Pillar cubes. These cubes will essentially form a triangle, and the inside area of that triangle represents the room in which you are in. Once you form a room, you will collect all cubes from within that space – whether they be Treasure or Monster cubes. Treasure cubes go into your Stash and are saved for end-game scoring, and Monster cubes will deal Damage to your Hero. All Heroes have a finite amount of Health, and you can never collect a Monster cube that would cause you to lose your last Health point.
When you are done Looting, flip over your Turn Order token to indicate that your turn is done. When all players have completed their turns in the round, Turn Order tokens are redistributed based on Weight – the number of Treasure cubes each player possesses. The player with the least Treasure is considered the ‘lightest’ and receives the 1st Turn Order token for the new round, and the rest are distributed likewise. A new round will then begin, and the game continues until 3 complete rounds have been played. At that point, players will add up their points earned from Treasure cubes and their secret Quests. The player with the highest score is declared the winner!
In theory, this game is really awesome. Players can create unique rooms by selecting specific Pillars, and collect different combinations of cubes each turn. AND since each player drops more cubes into play each turn, the dungeon is constantly changing, with new cubes, and because the cubes may knock others around. In actual practice, though, this game is kind of frustrating to me. For starters, when dropping all the Small cubes to form the initial dungeon, be prepared for them to go everywhere. The rules say to drop from 6-12 inches, but that means that you’re going to get quite a huge play area going on. And for me, that means cubes flying off the table, knocking into player components, and just wreaking havoc in general. Phase Shift Games does sell a set of Dungeon Walls for use during this game – to help define the play area and keep the cubes from going rogue – but I just wonder why they aren’t included in every copy of the base game.
Another problem I have had in my plays of Dungeon Drop is that the layout of the dungeon is usually very limiting. For some reason, all my Pillar cubes will end up clumped together and severely affects what you can do on your turn. Yes, more cubes are being added by each player every turn, but the Pillars are what you use to create rooms – if they’re all too close together, you get small rooms, or basically all Treasure lays outside of any possible room configurations. The solution that I’ve come up with for this issue is to drop all Treasure and Monster cubes as described in the rules, but then ‘sprinkle’ the Pillar cubes across the play area. It just helps even things out and create a bigger playing field.
When it comes to components, I have to say that Dungeon Drop is pretty nice. The cards are oversized, sturdy, and easy to read. The artwork itself is cute and I just enjoy looking at it! The cubes are nice and chunky, and easily identifiable as to what type of cube they are. Again, I wish the Dungeon Walls were included in the base game, instead of being an up-sell, but overall the production quality of the game itself is pretty decent.
You can probably tell by my comments that I’m not really a huge fan of this game. The concept is cool, but in all actuality, it’s what makes this game frustrating for me. This game isn’t supposed to be a super serious game, and is supposed to be more lighthearted and silly. I think it hits the mark in that regard, but overall as a complete game, it falls a little flat for me. I might pull this one out if I need a filler/small party-type game during a game night, but it’s one that probably won’t be making it to my table too often. I wanted to like this game so badly, but it just doesn’t quite reach that level for me. Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a stagnant 3 / 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.
Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated Godzilla (2014) in Movies
Jun 10, 2019
Simply Stunning
The king of the Kaiju, Godzilla, has had a very chequered cinematic history. From the classic original Japanese films to Roland Emmerich’s 1998 disaster, the famous beast hasn’t always been given the respect deserved of such an iconic monster.
Now, 16 years after Emmerich’s critical flop, Monsters director Gareth Edwards resurrects the gargantuan reptile in this year’s reboot, simply titled Godzilla, but is it a return to form?
Yes, is the short answer. From an engaging story to a stellar cast, Edwards recreates the fan favourite with the utmost care and attention, and comes out smelling of roses.
Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) stars as Joe Brody, an American nuclear power officer living and working in Japan with his wife Sandra (Juliette Binoche) and their son Ford,bryan-cranston-fans-will-be-disappointed-with-godzilla just as a nuclear disaster begins. Fast-forward 15 years and a disheveled Joe is trying to find the truth about what happened at the nuclear plant, believing the authorities are trying to hide something from the general public. As his descent into madness continues, a fully grown Ford, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson decides to come to his aid.
What ensues is a great story of father bonding with son as they try to work out exactly what is going on together. Though what they find shocks the globe.
Within the first hour of Godzilla, the titular monster’s appearances are limited to shots of spines poking from the ocean, keeping the audience guessing as to how the creature has been designed by Edwards and his team.
This can become increasingly tiresome as we make do with the film’s primary antagonists MUTO, and as impressive as they are to look at, all we really want to see is Godzilla in all his glory. Though Edwards’ constant teasers are brilliantly varied.
Thankfully after numerous jaw-dropping set pieces ranging from a Japanese nuclear plant to a Hawaiian airport, Godzilla is finally revealed and the result is exceptional.
Gone is the T-Rex on steroids look that Emmerich shoved down our throats in the 1998 monstrosity and in its place is how the beast used to look in the original foreign classics – of course with revolutionary special effects to keep things looking tip-top.
The CGI, of which there is a huge amount, is breath-taking. Godzilla, the MUTO and all of the set pieces are of the highest quality, with no visible lapses whatsoever, and what Edwards does that so many other directors don’t is to keep the story going instead of letting the CGI take over, it never becomes overly loud and obnoxious.
One scene in particular, involving a group of paratroopers infiltrating a desolate San Francisco as Godzilla and the MUTO do battle is probably one of the most beautifully shot and eerily quiet action sequences in cinematic history with one section involving some perfectly positioned Chinese lanterns being the highlight.
A really enjoyable aspect of the film is spotting the homages to previous Godzilla films as well as other monster classics like Jurassic Park. There are many scattered throughout the film.
Moreover, the acting is generally very good. Cranston is sublime and shows what a brilliant actor he is. The character of Joe is the one you care about the most throughout the film. Taylor-Johnson is good, if a little staid as the generic armed forces stereotype.
Elizabeth Olsen, David Strathairn and Sally Hawkins also star. Unfortunately, a weak link is Ken Watanabe who plays Dr Ishiro Serizawa. His over-the-top and hammy performance begins to grate after an hour of seeing him on screen.
Thankfully though, Godzilla’s inevitable weak points are far outshone by the incredible special effects, interesting story and excellent acting. Bryan Cranston is a real highlight and the beast himself is a wonder to behold.
Gareth Edwards has not only created one of the best monster films ever with some of the most breath-taking shots ever seen on celluloid, he has also whet our appetites for Colin Trevorrow’s Jurassic World set to be released in June next year – that can only be a good thing.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2014/05/20/godzilla-review/
Now, 16 years after Emmerich’s critical flop, Monsters director Gareth Edwards resurrects the gargantuan reptile in this year’s reboot, simply titled Godzilla, but is it a return to form?
Yes, is the short answer. From an engaging story to a stellar cast, Edwards recreates the fan favourite with the utmost care and attention, and comes out smelling of roses.
Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) stars as Joe Brody, an American nuclear power officer living and working in Japan with his wife Sandra (Juliette Binoche) and their son Ford,bryan-cranston-fans-will-be-disappointed-with-godzilla just as a nuclear disaster begins. Fast-forward 15 years and a disheveled Joe is trying to find the truth about what happened at the nuclear plant, believing the authorities are trying to hide something from the general public. As his descent into madness continues, a fully grown Ford, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson decides to come to his aid.
What ensues is a great story of father bonding with son as they try to work out exactly what is going on together. Though what they find shocks the globe.
Within the first hour of Godzilla, the titular monster’s appearances are limited to shots of spines poking from the ocean, keeping the audience guessing as to how the creature has been designed by Edwards and his team.
This can become increasingly tiresome as we make do with the film’s primary antagonists MUTO, and as impressive as they are to look at, all we really want to see is Godzilla in all his glory. Though Edwards’ constant teasers are brilliantly varied.
Thankfully after numerous jaw-dropping set pieces ranging from a Japanese nuclear plant to a Hawaiian airport, Godzilla is finally revealed and the result is exceptional.
Gone is the T-Rex on steroids look that Emmerich shoved down our throats in the 1998 monstrosity and in its place is how the beast used to look in the original foreign classics – of course with revolutionary special effects to keep things looking tip-top.
The CGI, of which there is a huge amount, is breath-taking. Godzilla, the MUTO and all of the set pieces are of the highest quality, with no visible lapses whatsoever, and what Edwards does that so many other directors don’t is to keep the story going instead of letting the CGI take over, it never becomes overly loud and obnoxious.
One scene in particular, involving a group of paratroopers infiltrating a desolate San Francisco as Godzilla and the MUTO do battle is probably one of the most beautifully shot and eerily quiet action sequences in cinematic history with one section involving some perfectly positioned Chinese lanterns being the highlight.
A really enjoyable aspect of the film is spotting the homages to previous Godzilla films as well as other monster classics like Jurassic Park. There are many scattered throughout the film.
Moreover, the acting is generally very good. Cranston is sublime and shows what a brilliant actor he is. The character of Joe is the one you care about the most throughout the film. Taylor-Johnson is good, if a little staid as the generic armed forces stereotype.
Elizabeth Olsen, David Strathairn and Sally Hawkins also star. Unfortunately, a weak link is Ken Watanabe who plays Dr Ishiro Serizawa. His over-the-top and hammy performance begins to grate after an hour of seeing him on screen.
Thankfully though, Godzilla’s inevitable weak points are far outshone by the incredible special effects, interesting story and excellent acting. Bryan Cranston is a real highlight and the beast himself is a wonder to behold.
Gareth Edwards has not only created one of the best monster films ever with some of the most breath-taking shots ever seen on celluloid, he has also whet our appetites for Colin Trevorrow’s Jurassic World set to be released in June next year – that can only be a good thing.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2014/05/20/godzilla-review/
I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer
9.0
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Swamp Water (37 KP) rated Super Blood Hockey in Video Games
Sep 13, 2017
Blood and pucks!
This game reminded me of the good old days of hockey games, by which I mean THE FIGHTS! I remember playing hockey games on the Sega Mega-Drive, and most of the fun to be had in those games was derived from trying to start a fight in the game. It was a novelty, but a lot of fun. So much fun, in fact, that there was a Monster Hockey League game that tried to amp up the violence a bit. Super Blood Hockey is a fun tribute to those old hockey games, with a dash of extra violence. No need to wait around for a fight, they happen quite a lot. Even the ref can get knocked over in the mayhem! My only gripe with the game is that the speed of the characters feels sluggish, and almost tank-like in their turning for some. Luckily, you can unlock a feature to adjust the characters weight, essentially giving them all a speed boost. I feel like it should be faster off the bat, but still, this is a great nod to those old hockey games, and has a fantastic, frantic arcade feel to it. Highly recommended, especially with friends!
The Marinated Meeple (1853 KP) rated Survive: Escape from Atlantis! in Tabletop Games
Apr 10, 2018
Sea Monsters (5 more)
Whales that sink boats
Sharks that eat swimmers
Sending monster to do your bidding
getting your people to safety
A newer version was published so everyone has access to it.
The Island is sinking and the ocean is filled with terrors, what a fun time.
I adored this game as a kid, nothing better than sending a shark to eat your sister and making the sounds from the movie JAWS, or sending a whale to sink her boat and maybe yelling "Moby Dick gets his revenge" before you actually know what you are talking about, because you know of the book but haven't read it yet....
This is a great game, the only way to improve it would be to make it 6 players, and add more versions of the creatures, which I've heard the new version does add squids, dolphins and more players. Or as I would call them, Flipper and The Kraken.
I own the old version. which was missing pieces and I got another copy that was missing pieces and created a frankenstein of parts to make the whole. I've seen people playing it online and it hits me in my nostalgic place. I'd love to break this out again and play.
Oh the pictures I would paint in my head as a kid.
The heroic triumph of getting my people to safety.
This is a great game, the only way to improve it would be to make it 6 players, and add more versions of the creatures, which I've heard the new version does add squids, dolphins and more players. Or as I would call them, Flipper and The Kraken.
I own the old version. which was missing pieces and I got another copy that was missing pieces and created a frankenstein of parts to make the whole. I've seen people playing it online and it hits me in my nostalgic place. I'd love to break this out again and play.
Oh the pictures I would paint in my head as a kid.
The heroic triumph of getting my people to safety.
Since I'm a crafty-ish person, I wanted to like this book better than how it ended up. That's not to say there aren't some cute things in here, like the Monster Week Tampon/Pad Case, which could be used to hold other items as well, or handy, like the Secret Stash in Your Rack craft. Even the silly ones could be fun for a craft party or something. However, I don't see myself making many of these as they're just not how I am as a feminist. I'd like more crafts that have to do with equality than how women-centric those in this book are. I do like the cassette tape turned into a business card holder, although I could see ways of making it better, plus I'd urge those to keep the inside workings as they can be used for other things. I've had plans for more years than I care to think about to crochet with the tape. I like that there are recommendations for books, music, films, plus some quotations. I think this book would be better for newer crafters as the projects are fairly basic, but even those who are more advanced could think of ways of making the crafts more clean and upscale. Overall, this is a silly book and not to be taken too seriously.