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10 Pin Shuffle Pro contains three great games in one, played in a realistic 3D environment! One of...
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Prowler's Passage in Tabletop Games
May 19, 2021
Night in the city – guards patrol the streets, protecting the extraordinary wealth found across all the city districts. Your goal? To infiltrate the districts and steal the valuable items for yourself. But with the heightened security measures, you’ve got to find an alternate route for entry… tunnels! Burrow underneath the city in a network of passages and grab all the valuable goods you want! Better move fast, though, because your thieving rival has had the same idea and is already on the prowl to steal the wealth for himself.
Prowler’s Passage is a 2-player game of area majority, route building, and set collection in which players are trying to plunder the city and amass more wealth than their rival thief. Played over a series of rounds, players take turns building a passage, collecting items, and gaining influence over certain city districts. To setup the game, place the control track between the 2 players, and randomly select and place 6 board hexes as described in the rulebook. Place 3 random Achievement cards face-up next to the control board. Place the Statues and Control markers in their corresponding starting spaces, populate the board with item tiles, and each player receives 13 passage sections in their chosen color. The game is ready to begin!
On your turn, you will perform 3 actions, beginning with placing a passage. Take a passage section from your supply and place it on any pathway on the board that has an item tile on it. It is important to note that you can place your passages anywhere on the board, as long as there is an item tile in that space – your passages are not required to create a continuous, unbroken pathway. After placing your passage, collect the item tile from the pathway where you just placed your passage. Finally, each pathway is adjacent to 2 city districts. Move the Control markers for the corresponding adjacent city districts one space toward your side of the control track. Play moves on to your opponent, and the game continues as such. There are 2 scoring phases, one in the middle of the game, and the other at the game’s end. You score points for continuous passages, statues collected, sets of items gathered, city districts (if you have majority control), and fulfillment of achievement cards. All scoring items are worth different point values, so check the rulebook for the specifics of how everything is scored. At the end of the game, total up points from both scoring phases, and the player with the most points is the winner!
For a small, 2-player only game, Prowler’s Passage packs quite the punch. It is essentially a tug-of-war between players as they try to gain control of the 5 city districts and amass the most wealth. But instead of using brute strength to pull the districts in your favor, you use strategy. Every passage you put into play moves the adjacent 2 city district Control markers one space in your favor. So you have to strategize what passage placements are the most beneficial for your overall scoring, and most detrimental to your opponent. And since passages do not need to be played in a continuous line, your strategy can be more open-ended instead of limiting you to only certain future placements. Aside from gaining control of the city districts, you also receive points for collecting sets of item tokens. That’s just another layer of strategy added that takes this game to the next level. Not only do you have to decide what passage placements are best for you, you need to figure out what item tokens you want and if you are willing to risk letting go of certain district influence in order to complete an item set.
One thing that I love about Prowler’s Passage is that it is a game of open information. There are no hidden objectives, secret powers, or unknowns overall. Everything is laid out and plainly visible to both players. You can see exactly what your opponent is doing, and they can see what you are doing. So your strategy must be two-fold – putting yourself in a good position, while also attempting to stifle the progress of your opponent. Can you anticipate the strategy of your opponent, or will they be able to keep you off their trail? And as the game progresses and passage placement options dwindle, you really have to kick your strategy into overdrive to squeeze out as many points as you can before the end of the game!
The biggest drawback for me regarding this game is the actual scoring. Each city district is scored in a unique way unlike any of the other districts. So when I play, I find myself referring back to the rulebook during both mid-game and end-game scoring to check how to score everything. It’s not as intuitive as I would like, and it just slows the game down when tallying up scores. The other thing that can be a drawback is that since there are so many strategic options, it could lead to some serious AP in players. Every move affects several other factors, so you really have to be thinking deeply and in advance for each of your turns. Which is cool – I love trying to figure out the best strategy for success. But at the same time, it could bring the game to a screeching halt as one player must decide between so many options. It’s supposed to be a quick game, but overthinking is definitely a possibility.
The components of the game are nice and sturdy overall. The colors of some components don’t match perfectly, and that can lead to some confusion. The Purple city district has a nice Purple meeple, but the corresponding tile sections look more Pink to me. The Brown meeple is fine, but the city tiles have some pinkish hues. Just a little mismatching, but nothing that an edited printing can’t fix!
Overall, I would have to say that I really like Prowler’s Passage. There are many strategic options and ways to score points, and you must be able to adjust your strategy on the fly to answer back to your opponent. There is no single right strategy, and discovering different options is fun for me. Aside from the color matching in the components, and the possibilities for serious AP, this game is a great one. Enough strategy, scoring options, and player interaction to keep both players engaged, but not so difficult that you have to devote an entire game night to play one single game. I’m glad that I was able to get Prowler’s Passage in my collection, and it is high on my 2-player-only games list. Purple Phoenix Games gives it a sneaking 9/12.
Prowler’s Passage is a 2-player game of area majority, route building, and set collection in which players are trying to plunder the city and amass more wealth than their rival thief. Played over a series of rounds, players take turns building a passage, collecting items, and gaining influence over certain city districts. To setup the game, place the control track between the 2 players, and randomly select and place 6 board hexes as described in the rulebook. Place 3 random Achievement cards face-up next to the control board. Place the Statues and Control markers in their corresponding starting spaces, populate the board with item tiles, and each player receives 13 passage sections in their chosen color. The game is ready to begin!
On your turn, you will perform 3 actions, beginning with placing a passage. Take a passage section from your supply and place it on any pathway on the board that has an item tile on it. It is important to note that you can place your passages anywhere on the board, as long as there is an item tile in that space – your passages are not required to create a continuous, unbroken pathway. After placing your passage, collect the item tile from the pathway where you just placed your passage. Finally, each pathway is adjacent to 2 city districts. Move the Control markers for the corresponding adjacent city districts one space toward your side of the control track. Play moves on to your opponent, and the game continues as such. There are 2 scoring phases, one in the middle of the game, and the other at the game’s end. You score points for continuous passages, statues collected, sets of items gathered, city districts (if you have majority control), and fulfillment of achievement cards. All scoring items are worth different point values, so check the rulebook for the specifics of how everything is scored. At the end of the game, total up points from both scoring phases, and the player with the most points is the winner!
For a small, 2-player only game, Prowler’s Passage packs quite the punch. It is essentially a tug-of-war between players as they try to gain control of the 5 city districts and amass the most wealth. But instead of using brute strength to pull the districts in your favor, you use strategy. Every passage you put into play moves the adjacent 2 city district Control markers one space in your favor. So you have to strategize what passage placements are the most beneficial for your overall scoring, and most detrimental to your opponent. And since passages do not need to be played in a continuous line, your strategy can be more open-ended instead of limiting you to only certain future placements. Aside from gaining control of the city districts, you also receive points for collecting sets of item tokens. That’s just another layer of strategy added that takes this game to the next level. Not only do you have to decide what passage placements are best for you, you need to figure out what item tokens you want and if you are willing to risk letting go of certain district influence in order to complete an item set.
One thing that I love about Prowler’s Passage is that it is a game of open information. There are no hidden objectives, secret powers, or unknowns overall. Everything is laid out and plainly visible to both players. You can see exactly what your opponent is doing, and they can see what you are doing. So your strategy must be two-fold – putting yourself in a good position, while also attempting to stifle the progress of your opponent. Can you anticipate the strategy of your opponent, or will they be able to keep you off their trail? And as the game progresses and passage placement options dwindle, you really have to kick your strategy into overdrive to squeeze out as many points as you can before the end of the game!
The biggest drawback for me regarding this game is the actual scoring. Each city district is scored in a unique way unlike any of the other districts. So when I play, I find myself referring back to the rulebook during both mid-game and end-game scoring to check how to score everything. It’s not as intuitive as I would like, and it just slows the game down when tallying up scores. The other thing that can be a drawback is that since there are so many strategic options, it could lead to some serious AP in players. Every move affects several other factors, so you really have to be thinking deeply and in advance for each of your turns. Which is cool – I love trying to figure out the best strategy for success. But at the same time, it could bring the game to a screeching halt as one player must decide between so many options. It’s supposed to be a quick game, but overthinking is definitely a possibility.
The components of the game are nice and sturdy overall. The colors of some components don’t match perfectly, and that can lead to some confusion. The Purple city district has a nice Purple meeple, but the corresponding tile sections look more Pink to me. The Brown meeple is fine, but the city tiles have some pinkish hues. Just a little mismatching, but nothing that an edited printing can’t fix!
Overall, I would have to say that I really like Prowler’s Passage. There are many strategic options and ways to score points, and you must be able to adjust your strategy on the fly to answer back to your opponent. There is no single right strategy, and discovering different options is fun for me. Aside from the color matching in the components, and the possibilities for serious AP, this game is a great one. Enough strategy, scoring options, and player interaction to keep both players engaged, but not so difficult that you have to devote an entire game night to play one single game. I’m glad that I was able to get Prowler’s Passage in my collection, and it is high on my 2-player-only games list. Purple Phoenix Games gives it a sneaking 9/12.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Faza in Tabletop Games
Oct 28, 2020
You know those fantasy dreams you have where an alien race comes to Earth and tries to take over the world and terraform it to match their homeland? Just me? Well, this is awkward. Okay, how about the ones where you are a freedom fighter trying to save the world from those aliens and you only have three friends to help you in your impossible mission? That one is better? Okay! Then you are in for a treat with Faza, no matter which dream is yours.
Faza is a sci-fi, grid movement, modular board, purely cooperative board game for one to four players. In this review I will be addressing it from a solo player’s viewpoint. In my plays I have used the full complement of four characters and controlled them all simultaneously.
In Faza, players take on the roles of four Faction Zeta members tasked with saving Earth from the Faza alien race. They will accomplish this by using each character’s skills effectively and efficiently, killing alien drones invading the town tiles, and attacking motherships using the help of turncoat rebel Faza. Only one path to victory lies ahead with several ways to lose. Do you got the GUTS? DO YA??
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. This is a retail copy of the game, so what you see in these photos is exactly what would be received in your box. I do not intend to cover every single rule included in the rulebook, but will describe the overall game flow and major rule set so that our readers may get a sense of how the game plays. For more in depth rules, you may purchase a copy online or from your FLGS. -T
To setup a game of Faza, each player will choose a character to control throughout the game. These characters are medical, political, tactical, or technological in nature, and there are two of each from which players may choose. The map of the town is comprised of 16 tiles, and once randomly setup in a 4×4 grid players will place their color-matched meeples on the appropriate Outpost tiles along with two rebels (purple fazeeples). Each of the three mothership standees will be placed on tiles corresponding to rulebook placement along with three drones and two drones per orthogonally adjacent tiles. The Faza deck is to be shuffled and placed aside, along with the remaining drones and rebels. Each player places out their character action cards in numerical order and the game may now begin in earnest!
On a player’s turn… well, there aren’t any turns in this game. In fact, the game is played over several phases: the Team Phase and the Faza Phase. During the Team Phase players may use several free actions and one action pertaining to each of their four player action cards. Each of these cards offer the player a choice of two actions. Perhaps one side is movement and the other a bazooka. Or one is an airplane while the other is a raygun, for example. As actions are spent cards are twisted 90 degrees to keep track.
During the Team Phase players may play their actions in any order that would benefit the team best. This also includes fighting drones and sending rebels to damage the motherships. However, with every damage to the mothership taken a Faza card is drawn and put into play. These could be real bad news for the heroes, or even reward cards. They can be devastating or not so bad at all. Once players have finished the Team Phase, the action now turns to the Faza.
During the Faza Phase the Mothership Activation Tracker will move to the next mothership in sequence and activate their abilities. The motherships will typically move, do something bad to the terrain or drop more drones or destroy something, and then pass play onto the players again.
Each mothership starts the game with 4 HP and once players send enough rebels and encounter the same number of Faza cards the mothership is downed and less powerful when their ability card is activated. However, players will win once all three motherships have been defeated! On the other hand, players will lose when any one player dies of injuries from unsuccessful battles, the players run out of drones to be placed on the board when needed, all of the Outpost tiles have been terraformed by the Faza motherships, or all rebels have been removed from the board in Hard Mode.
Components. When contacted about reviewing the game I first turned to the website and watched a how to play video by Jon Gets Games. He did a great job explaining the rules clearly and succinctly. Then I happened to get a notification on BGG that Marco Arnaudo posted a video on Faza, so I watched it as well. In his video he complains that though the components are all very nice (which they are for sure) the color palette is not great. I can certainly see why he would say such a thing, but orange is my favorite color, so to see so much of it on a game is a big plus for me. Yes, having the orange drones sitting atop an orange town tile can maybe make for unpleasant color contrast, I happen to find it tolerable and enjoyable. The quality of the components is wonderful and the box has a nice heft to it. No complaints from ME about the components. Did I mention the rebels are an amazing purple color as well? No secret here that we love the color purple! Maybe even more than Oprah!
The gameplay is where it’s at for me. Marco too. We both love this little gem! The ability to sandbox your entire turn and just have one character do one action, then switch over to another character to do one or more actions, then back to the original is just so much fun. Each character has a special ability and four action cards. Even when an injury must be sustained, actions are still available, but at a much lesser potency. That’s a great way to negatively affect the players without having to completely debilitate them. To sustain an injury the player will flip their lowest-numbered action card to the back side, and once all four of their action cards are injured they are dead. D-E-D dead.
As a solo game Faza really delivers the goods. Being able to control two to four characters by oneself and determine the best order to activate abilities and move meeples around is delicious. Having certain tiles offer combat bonuses to matching characters is excellent and a great way to thin the herd of pesky drones. I really cannot say enough great things about the game. If you have never heard of this one, please don’t worry. I really hadn’t either until the designer contacted me about reviewing it. And I am certainly glad he did because this is a marvel of a game. I am looking forward to my next play against the Faza and increasing the difficulty to really bash my confidence on this one.
If you are looking for a game that is relatively quick to play and offers so many great choices, while using a wonderful art style and color palette, I urge you to check out Faza by visiting the website and ordering your copy right away. The Earth needs you to ward off the invaders and you need to play this game of mostly orange with a dash of purple.
Faza is a sci-fi, grid movement, modular board, purely cooperative board game for one to four players. In this review I will be addressing it from a solo player’s viewpoint. In my plays I have used the full complement of four characters and controlled them all simultaneously.
In Faza, players take on the roles of four Faction Zeta members tasked with saving Earth from the Faza alien race. They will accomplish this by using each character’s skills effectively and efficiently, killing alien drones invading the town tiles, and attacking motherships using the help of turncoat rebel Faza. Only one path to victory lies ahead with several ways to lose. Do you got the GUTS? DO YA??
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. This is a retail copy of the game, so what you see in these photos is exactly what would be received in your box. I do not intend to cover every single rule included in the rulebook, but will describe the overall game flow and major rule set so that our readers may get a sense of how the game plays. For more in depth rules, you may purchase a copy online or from your FLGS. -T
To setup a game of Faza, each player will choose a character to control throughout the game. These characters are medical, political, tactical, or technological in nature, and there are two of each from which players may choose. The map of the town is comprised of 16 tiles, and once randomly setup in a 4×4 grid players will place their color-matched meeples on the appropriate Outpost tiles along with two rebels (purple fazeeples). Each of the three mothership standees will be placed on tiles corresponding to rulebook placement along with three drones and two drones per orthogonally adjacent tiles. The Faza deck is to be shuffled and placed aside, along with the remaining drones and rebels. Each player places out their character action cards in numerical order and the game may now begin in earnest!
On a player’s turn… well, there aren’t any turns in this game. In fact, the game is played over several phases: the Team Phase and the Faza Phase. During the Team Phase players may use several free actions and one action pertaining to each of their four player action cards. Each of these cards offer the player a choice of two actions. Perhaps one side is movement and the other a bazooka. Or one is an airplane while the other is a raygun, for example. As actions are spent cards are twisted 90 degrees to keep track.
During the Team Phase players may play their actions in any order that would benefit the team best. This also includes fighting drones and sending rebels to damage the motherships. However, with every damage to the mothership taken a Faza card is drawn and put into play. These could be real bad news for the heroes, or even reward cards. They can be devastating or not so bad at all. Once players have finished the Team Phase, the action now turns to the Faza.
During the Faza Phase the Mothership Activation Tracker will move to the next mothership in sequence and activate their abilities. The motherships will typically move, do something bad to the terrain or drop more drones or destroy something, and then pass play onto the players again.
Each mothership starts the game with 4 HP and once players send enough rebels and encounter the same number of Faza cards the mothership is downed and less powerful when their ability card is activated. However, players will win once all three motherships have been defeated! On the other hand, players will lose when any one player dies of injuries from unsuccessful battles, the players run out of drones to be placed on the board when needed, all of the Outpost tiles have been terraformed by the Faza motherships, or all rebels have been removed from the board in Hard Mode.
Components. When contacted about reviewing the game I first turned to the website and watched a how to play video by Jon Gets Games. He did a great job explaining the rules clearly and succinctly. Then I happened to get a notification on BGG that Marco Arnaudo posted a video on Faza, so I watched it as well. In his video he complains that though the components are all very nice (which they are for sure) the color palette is not great. I can certainly see why he would say such a thing, but orange is my favorite color, so to see so much of it on a game is a big plus for me. Yes, having the orange drones sitting atop an orange town tile can maybe make for unpleasant color contrast, I happen to find it tolerable and enjoyable. The quality of the components is wonderful and the box has a nice heft to it. No complaints from ME about the components. Did I mention the rebels are an amazing purple color as well? No secret here that we love the color purple! Maybe even more than Oprah!
The gameplay is where it’s at for me. Marco too. We both love this little gem! The ability to sandbox your entire turn and just have one character do one action, then switch over to another character to do one or more actions, then back to the original is just so much fun. Each character has a special ability and four action cards. Even when an injury must be sustained, actions are still available, but at a much lesser potency. That’s a great way to negatively affect the players without having to completely debilitate them. To sustain an injury the player will flip their lowest-numbered action card to the back side, and once all four of their action cards are injured they are dead. D-E-D dead.
As a solo game Faza really delivers the goods. Being able to control two to four characters by oneself and determine the best order to activate abilities and move meeples around is delicious. Having certain tiles offer combat bonuses to matching characters is excellent and a great way to thin the herd of pesky drones. I really cannot say enough great things about the game. If you have never heard of this one, please don’t worry. I really hadn’t either until the designer contacted me about reviewing it. And I am certainly glad he did because this is a marvel of a game. I am looking forward to my next play against the Faza and increasing the difficulty to really bash my confidence on this one.
If you are looking for a game that is relatively quick to play and offers so many great choices, while using a wonderful art style and color palette, I urge you to check out Faza by visiting the website and ordering your copy right away. The Earth needs you to ward off the invaders and you need to play this game of mostly orange with a dash of purple.
Fred (860 KP) rated Terraforming Mars in Tabletop Games
Mar 6, 2018
Good game, with one major flaw. The victory points on the cards. See, I've played 4 games of this so far (and one solo) & each time, the victory came due to whoever had the most victory points with their cards. Nothing else mattered. No matter the strategy, no matter the milestones or awards. It was the cards. And here's the problem with that. Getting cards with victory points is luck. You either get them or you don't. First game I played, I didn't even pay attention. I was well ahead of one player, and a few behind the leader. Then, the player in last counted his victory points on the cards & zoomed ahead, winning by at least 10 points. Must have had near to 30 points in cards alone.
Second game, I played against my wife & went for the cards & easily won.
Third game, I played against 4 players & again went for the cards. I got a lot of them & won the game easily. My friend, who had won the first game, said, "I was trying to get the cards with victory points, but I hardly got any. I played every one I got & only got a few points."
Fourth game. Played with my brother, his wife & my wife. Everyone played well, & we were pretty much even along the TR line. I got 3 of the milestones, giving me 15 victory points at the end of the game, which made my brother exclaim that it wasn't fair because he was going to get them, but each time, I went before him in the generation & that those 15 points would win me the game. He grabbed 3 of the awards, but only scored 12 points, while I scored 2 more points & my wife scored 7 points. Scoring for greenery, I got another 7 points. I was well ahead & thought victory was mine. We then started to count the points on our cards. As I was counting, I glanced up to see my brother moving his score cube past mine...way past mine. I thought that he must be cheating & he assured me that he had all these points. I looked at his cards & he had indeed all the points he said. I counted my points. 4. 4 points. What happened to my friend last game, had happened to me. I played every card I got that gave victory points & got 4 points. Actually, I had one more card that would have given me 3 more points, but I needed to already have a card that had a bacteria tag on it. But again, with the luck of the draw, I never got one to play, the entire game.
Now, there's nothing wrong with luck in games. I mean, every dice game is all luck. Every card game, is mostly luck. There is some strategy to the game, but it's basically play what you can to improve. And most people can figure this out & keep the game even. But with this game, every winner has won by at least 10 points & each has won with the points on cards alone.
While this may break a game for some people, I still find the game fun to play. I like the theme & I like the components. Even though the cards are thin & the ME(money) cubes are already flaking, I still like them. The luck factor is good in a way, as it means that one person can't be ridiculously good at the game & win every time. But this is not for everyone. My friend is very competitive & only wants to win. He's the kind of guy that goes online to find strategies on how to win, uses them, wins every game & thus ruins the game for everyone but him.
My bottom line is I like the game. It is one of my current favorites. The solo game is very good too. It's fairly quick, compared to the multi-player game. Less than half the time of the full game. I do recommend it to players who don't care too much about winning every game. You're not going to. Get used to it. Even though this is a major flaw for some, I'm still giving it 7 out of 10 for fun.
Second game, I played against my wife & went for the cards & easily won.
Third game, I played against 4 players & again went for the cards. I got a lot of them & won the game easily. My friend, who had won the first game, said, "I was trying to get the cards with victory points, but I hardly got any. I played every one I got & only got a few points."
Fourth game. Played with my brother, his wife & my wife. Everyone played well, & we were pretty much even along the TR line. I got 3 of the milestones, giving me 15 victory points at the end of the game, which made my brother exclaim that it wasn't fair because he was going to get them, but each time, I went before him in the generation & that those 15 points would win me the game. He grabbed 3 of the awards, but only scored 12 points, while I scored 2 more points & my wife scored 7 points. Scoring for greenery, I got another 7 points. I was well ahead & thought victory was mine. We then started to count the points on our cards. As I was counting, I glanced up to see my brother moving his score cube past mine...way past mine. I thought that he must be cheating & he assured me that he had all these points. I looked at his cards & he had indeed all the points he said. I counted my points. 4. 4 points. What happened to my friend last game, had happened to me. I played every card I got that gave victory points & got 4 points. Actually, I had one more card that would have given me 3 more points, but I needed to already have a card that had a bacteria tag on it. But again, with the luck of the draw, I never got one to play, the entire game.
Now, there's nothing wrong with luck in games. I mean, every dice game is all luck. Every card game, is mostly luck. There is some strategy to the game, but it's basically play what you can to improve. And most people can figure this out & keep the game even. But with this game, every winner has won by at least 10 points & each has won with the points on cards alone.
While this may break a game for some people, I still find the game fun to play. I like the theme & I like the components. Even though the cards are thin & the ME(money) cubes are already flaking, I still like them. The luck factor is good in a way, as it means that one person can't be ridiculously good at the game & win every time. But this is not for everyone. My friend is very competitive & only wants to win. He's the kind of guy that goes online to find strategies on how to win, uses them, wins every game & thus ruins the game for everyone but him.
My bottom line is I like the game. It is one of my current favorites. The solo game is very good too. It's fairly quick, compared to the multi-player game. Less than half the time of the full game. I do recommend it to players who don't care too much about winning every game. You're not going to. Get used to it. Even though this is a major flaw for some, I'm still giving it 7 out of 10 for fun.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Coconuts in Tabletop Games
Jun 12, 2019
I usually like to create some fanciful intro to my reviews to get you in the setting of the game and in the mood to be entertained and educated about the game in question. I have failed this time.
You’re a monkey trying to throw coconuts into cups.
This is not a very theme-heavy role-playing game where you need to get into the heads of the characters and base your actions on what they would do. Instead, you are grabbing a monkey shooter action figure, placing a rubber Milk Dud (not a sponsor) in its hands and making the figure fling said forbidden delicious treat into yellow and red plastic cups. Should you make a basket into a yellow cup, you take that cup and place it in front of you in a vertical bowling pin assembly. Make a red cup shot and you not only get the cup to add to your collection, but you take another turn. The first player to amass six cups in front of them is the winner!
This sounds so stupid. Why am I reviewing this?? This is a kid’s “game.” You are right. This is incredibly childish. But it’s also INCREDIBLY fun. Have you read our review of Happy Salmon? This fills a similar role in that you break this bad boy out when you need a mental break between heavier games, or when you want the children to be involved in your game night. There is no real thinking involved. Player interaction? Sure. Some. Whether you choose to shoot your coconuts into the middle area of unclaimed cups, or into your opponents’ collections and take their hard-earned cups is up to you (I approve and encourage this cutthroat behavior).
Let’s go back to the children playing this with you thought. The box says ages 6+. I wholeheartedly disagree, but it may just be my situation. I have played this with my 2-year-old son and he had an absolute blast just flinging the coconuts everywhere while we adults were trying to play the game correctly. But the final score doesn’t matter. In a game like this I rarely care about winning or losing. My kid “wins” every time. It’s just plain fun to fling coconuts. I also rarely play with the included disadvantage cards to screw with my opponents because honestly, it’s hard enough to get those things in the cups.
Yes, he also shot one into my water cup so I let him score it on his mat. It’s only fair…
Components. I have good news and bad news. Good news: the monkeys, coconuts, and cups are of amazing quality. Amazing, I say! Bad news: the cards and the player mats. They are just of entry level acceptable quality. But like I said, I really don’t care much about using the cards, and the player mats are really just there to create a solid surface to put your score cups on anyway. So I’m ultimately good with that.
Now, I Kickstarted this game (as well as the Coconuts Duo project that was made for 2 player games or as a 6 player expansion for Coconuts). I got all the fancy pink and green coconuts too. They officially add nothing mechanically to the game (but you can home-brew house rules for them), but they are easier to find on the floor when you inevitably fling too far. That is, if you can find them before your dogs decide that you have given them little brown treats…
There is really not much else to say about this game except that it is super fun, takes literally 10 seconds to explain, and kids can play with you as well. We love it, and so our rating reflects that. Purple Phoenix Games gives this little game a Whopper (see what I did there?) of 18 / 24.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/05/07/coconuts-review/
You’re a monkey trying to throw coconuts into cups.
This is not a very theme-heavy role-playing game where you need to get into the heads of the characters and base your actions on what they would do. Instead, you are grabbing a monkey shooter action figure, placing a rubber Milk Dud (not a sponsor) in its hands and making the figure fling said forbidden delicious treat into yellow and red plastic cups. Should you make a basket into a yellow cup, you take that cup and place it in front of you in a vertical bowling pin assembly. Make a red cup shot and you not only get the cup to add to your collection, but you take another turn. The first player to amass six cups in front of them is the winner!
This sounds so stupid. Why am I reviewing this?? This is a kid’s “game.” You are right. This is incredibly childish. But it’s also INCREDIBLY fun. Have you read our review of Happy Salmon? This fills a similar role in that you break this bad boy out when you need a mental break between heavier games, or when you want the children to be involved in your game night. There is no real thinking involved. Player interaction? Sure. Some. Whether you choose to shoot your coconuts into the middle area of unclaimed cups, or into your opponents’ collections and take their hard-earned cups is up to you (I approve and encourage this cutthroat behavior).
Let’s go back to the children playing this with you thought. The box says ages 6+. I wholeheartedly disagree, but it may just be my situation. I have played this with my 2-year-old son and he had an absolute blast just flinging the coconuts everywhere while we adults were trying to play the game correctly. But the final score doesn’t matter. In a game like this I rarely care about winning or losing. My kid “wins” every time. It’s just plain fun to fling coconuts. I also rarely play with the included disadvantage cards to screw with my opponents because honestly, it’s hard enough to get those things in the cups.
Yes, he also shot one into my water cup so I let him score it on his mat. It’s only fair…
Components. I have good news and bad news. Good news: the monkeys, coconuts, and cups are of amazing quality. Amazing, I say! Bad news: the cards and the player mats. They are just of entry level acceptable quality. But like I said, I really don’t care much about using the cards, and the player mats are really just there to create a solid surface to put your score cups on anyway. So I’m ultimately good with that.
Now, I Kickstarted this game (as well as the Coconuts Duo project that was made for 2 player games or as a 6 player expansion for Coconuts). I got all the fancy pink and green coconuts too. They officially add nothing mechanically to the game (but you can home-brew house rules for them), but they are easier to find on the floor when you inevitably fling too far. That is, if you can find them before your dogs decide that you have given them little brown treats…
There is really not much else to say about this game except that it is super fun, takes literally 10 seconds to explain, and kids can play with you as well. We love it, and so our rating reflects that. Purple Phoenix Games gives this little game a Whopper (see what I did there?) of 18 / 24.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/05/07/coconuts-review/
Josh Burns (166 KP) rated Spartacus: A Game of Blood and Treachery in Tabletop Games
Jun 20, 2019
Easy to learn but a ton of fun (1 more)
Great strategy and combat
I had my eye on this game for a while before finally pulling the trigger and ordering it a few years ago. I had little faith in a game based on a tv show, but I love gladiator games and there aren't many to choose from.
The base game is 3-4 players, there are expansions that increase that, but I'm sticking with the base game for this review. Each player controls a different House, which have their own stats, abilities, and alternate objectives, with the main objective being to reach 10 influence.
The game plays basically as follows:
Upkeep phase: collect money, try to heal wounded gladiators, and reactivate slaves that were used.
Market: A number of cards are drawn and placed face down, then one card is flipped. It could be a gladiator, a slave (can earn you money and may have abilities that are useful outside the arena) or gear for your gladiators. All players choose how many coins to bid and keep them in a closed fist until everyone is ready, then everyone reveals their bid. Whoever was highest wins. You then repeat till each card is flipped. You can also put your own cards up for auction or offer trades.
the arena: after this, 2 players chosen by another player have to either fight each other, pitting a slave or gladiator against the oppents, or forfeit at the cost of Influence. Players may place bets on who will win and if the loser will be killed, or badly injured.
The game is basically 2 games in 1: outside the arena and in it.
Outside: It is primarily about making deals, lying, setting each other up, making temporary allies and backstabbing. Literally the only rule in the actual rulebook about how to go about this is: "Don't be a dick. " It actually says that, and says they mean keep it fun, don't actually try to be a spiteful douche. There is nothing directing you when to lie or be honest, if you have to keep promises, etc.
In the arena: Combat is fun and simple. Not all fighters are equal but I have seen weak ones overcome the odds. If you're a fan of the show you will recognize many names. As a quick sidenote, an expansion can turn these fights from 1 vs 1 to 2 vs 2. I've won hard fought games, and I've lost on purpose to win a bet or fulfill a deal. Your fighter may or may not die or be injured. The player who chose the participants also decides the fate of the losing fighter (if they didn't die fighting) with a thumbs up or down. The player with the losing fighter can plead for the fighters survival or bribe, or maybe the player chosing wants the losing player to owe them a favor. There is never a clear cut choice.
In conclusion: This is a favorite of mine. It is unbelievably fun making deals (whether you keep them or not) bribing, setting players against each other etc. The combat is fun and easy to learn and the other players are typically screaming at whoever they want to win if they aren't doing well (in good fun, not actual anger). I can't think of anything to not like about it. If you like the show you'll love references such as the "Jupiter's Cock" card and seeing all the characters (slaves, gladiators, and dominas). If you don't like the show, it's still a hell of a game and you don't need to watch the show to know what's going on.
The base game is 3-4 players, there are expansions that increase that, but I'm sticking with the base game for this review. Each player controls a different House, which have their own stats, abilities, and alternate objectives, with the main objective being to reach 10 influence.
The game plays basically as follows:
Upkeep phase: collect money, try to heal wounded gladiators, and reactivate slaves that were used.
Market: A number of cards are drawn and placed face down, then one card is flipped. It could be a gladiator, a slave (can earn you money and may have abilities that are useful outside the arena) or gear for your gladiators. All players choose how many coins to bid and keep them in a closed fist until everyone is ready, then everyone reveals their bid. Whoever was highest wins. You then repeat till each card is flipped. You can also put your own cards up for auction or offer trades.
the arena: after this, 2 players chosen by another player have to either fight each other, pitting a slave or gladiator against the oppents, or forfeit at the cost of Influence. Players may place bets on who will win and if the loser will be killed, or badly injured.
The game is basically 2 games in 1: outside the arena and in it.
Outside: It is primarily about making deals, lying, setting each other up, making temporary allies and backstabbing. Literally the only rule in the actual rulebook about how to go about this is: "Don't be a dick. " It actually says that, and says they mean keep it fun, don't actually try to be a spiteful douche. There is nothing directing you when to lie or be honest, if you have to keep promises, etc.
In the arena: Combat is fun and simple. Not all fighters are equal but I have seen weak ones overcome the odds. If you're a fan of the show you will recognize many names. As a quick sidenote, an expansion can turn these fights from 1 vs 1 to 2 vs 2. I've won hard fought games, and I've lost on purpose to win a bet or fulfill a deal. Your fighter may or may not die or be injured. The player who chose the participants also decides the fate of the losing fighter (if they didn't die fighting) with a thumbs up or down. The player with the losing fighter can plead for the fighters survival or bribe, or maybe the player chosing wants the losing player to owe them a favor. There is never a clear cut choice.
In conclusion: This is a favorite of mine. It is unbelievably fun making deals (whether you keep them or not) bribing, setting players against each other etc. The combat is fun and easy to learn and the other players are typically screaming at whoever they want to win if they aren't doing well (in good fun, not actual anger). I can't think of anything to not like about it. If you like the show you'll love references such as the "Jupiter's Cock" card and seeing all the characters (slaves, gladiators, and dominas). If you don't like the show, it's still a hell of a game and you don't need to watch the show to know what's going on.
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Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated The Mind in Tabletop Games
Nov 26, 2019
What IS a game? That’s a question that had never crossed my stream of consciousness until The Mind was released. And even then, I just sat idly by, snacking on my popcorn, watching all definitions and sides emerge in the great debate. So what’s the verdict? That’s ultimately up to you.
The Mind is a card game in which the players are trying to play their cards in ascending numerical order. That’s it. No, seriously. The ONLY catch is that players are not allowed to communicate in any way which cards they hold in their hands. No talking, no noises, and no gesturing of any kind. That’s how they getcha. Here’s how it works – at Level 1 (start of the game), each player is dealt one card. When the level officially begins, you must decide when is the right time to play your card. If the cards are played in order, then you move to Level 2 and receive 2 cards to start the round. Level 3 gives you 3 cards, and so on. Players win the game if they successfully complete a certain number of Levels.
I’m not here to comment on the “Is The Mind a game or not” debate, I’m just here to let you know our thoughts! The Mind is definitely an interesting experience, to say the least. A game that often begins timidly usually turns into a high-energy (and sometimes high-stress) atmosphere of fun. Although it might feel like pure luck, or even hidden telepathic connections, The Mind is ultimately a game of timing. The subtitle says it all – “Let’s become one…” Can you and your friends synchronize your timing well enough to make progress? Or will there be someone amongst the group who inadvertently throws off the groove?
Is The Mind my favorite game? No. But it’s one that I enjoy playing. I think it’s a unique game that keeps everyone on their toes, despite its appearance of simplicity. One thing I really enjoy is playing The Mind several times with the same group of people. It’s neat to see how the group learns the nuances of how everyone plays, and keeping that flow going between games and sessions. I also enjoy playing The Mind with a totally new group of people too for the same reason – everyone has a different play style and you’ve got to be able to learn and adapt to any given player.
The hardest rule is perhaps the one that makes the game most interesting, and that is the no communication rule. Admittedly, I do sometimes accidentally throw up a gesture or two to signal to other players, but even those are sometimes hilariously misunderstood and lead to some close calls or devastating defeats.
Overall, I think The Mind is a pretty neat game. It’s not one that I play too often, but it’s one that is simple enough to teach and play that I like playing it with newer gamers. The Mind plays fairly quickly too, so that makes it a good filler between some heavier games. Purple Phoenix Games (with input from guest score Tony) gives The Mind a thoughtful 14 / 24.
The Mind is a card game in which the players are trying to play their cards in ascending numerical order. That’s it. No, seriously. The ONLY catch is that players are not allowed to communicate in any way which cards they hold in their hands. No talking, no noises, and no gesturing of any kind. That’s how they getcha. Here’s how it works – at Level 1 (start of the game), each player is dealt one card. When the level officially begins, you must decide when is the right time to play your card. If the cards are played in order, then you move to Level 2 and receive 2 cards to start the round. Level 3 gives you 3 cards, and so on. Players win the game if they successfully complete a certain number of Levels.
I’m not here to comment on the “Is The Mind a game or not” debate, I’m just here to let you know our thoughts! The Mind is definitely an interesting experience, to say the least. A game that often begins timidly usually turns into a high-energy (and sometimes high-stress) atmosphere of fun. Although it might feel like pure luck, or even hidden telepathic connections, The Mind is ultimately a game of timing. The subtitle says it all – “Let’s become one…” Can you and your friends synchronize your timing well enough to make progress? Or will there be someone amongst the group who inadvertently throws off the groove?
Is The Mind my favorite game? No. But it’s one that I enjoy playing. I think it’s a unique game that keeps everyone on their toes, despite its appearance of simplicity. One thing I really enjoy is playing The Mind several times with the same group of people. It’s neat to see how the group learns the nuances of how everyone plays, and keeping that flow going between games and sessions. I also enjoy playing The Mind with a totally new group of people too for the same reason – everyone has a different play style and you’ve got to be able to learn and adapt to any given player.
The hardest rule is perhaps the one that makes the game most interesting, and that is the no communication rule. Admittedly, I do sometimes accidentally throw up a gesture or two to signal to other players, but even those are sometimes hilariously misunderstood and lead to some close calls or devastating defeats.
Overall, I think The Mind is a pretty neat game. It’s not one that I play too often, but it’s one that is simple enough to teach and play that I like playing it with newer gamers. The Mind plays fairly quickly too, so that makes it a good filler between some heavier games. Purple Phoenix Games (with input from guest score Tony) gives The Mind a thoughtful 14 / 24.
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