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Hegemony: Lead Your Class to Victory
Tabletop Game
The Nation is in disarray and a war is waging between the classes. The working class faces a...
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Calico in Tabletop Games
Oct 3, 2019
Cats. You love them. I tolerate them. I’m a dog person. While cats are the first things I think of when I hear the word Calico, it actually is also referencing a printed pattern. In this case, Calico refers to the printed fabrics to be woven into a quilt as well as the fluffy and mostly-indifferent mammalian species. Let’s take a closer look at Calico.
Calico is a game of tile drafting, tile placement, pattern recognition, with a hint of point salad. Now, not everything you do will score you points, but there are many ways to score. This game plays equally well solo as it does with a group, but how does one play it?
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. As this is a preview copy of the game, I do not know if the final rules or components will be similar or different to what we were provided. -T
To setup, each player chooses a quilt board that has a different colored stitching printed on it. This is the player’s color. Each player will receive their goal tiles of matching color and choose three of these to place on their boards in the starting positions (the rule book also details a recommended first game placement and tile choice). These tiles show the requirements to score them and how many points each scoring tile is worth. Three cat placards are chosen that will be visiting your quilt sections and who score differently from each other. Place the corresponding cat tokens nearby and randomly assign two black-and-white patter tokens to each cat under their placard. Place the cute rainbow tile and matching button tokens nearby. Shuffle the quilt patch tiles and place them in a pile or stack at the middle of the table. From this collection deal two per player, and draw and reveal three more face up to be the offer row. You are now ready to play.
On your turn you will place a tile from your hand, check for scoring, and then draw a new patch tile to your hand. You may place either of your tiles anywhere on your board in any orientation you like. Complete freedom! In order to score points, however, you will want to be strategic in where tiles are placed. You see, the scoring tiles you placed at setup will dictate how they score. Some tiles score when you have two sets of three similar tiles. Tiles are similar either by matching their patterns or their tile colors. Some tiles score when you have placed NO matches at all. Each of these tiles will score points based on whether you satisfied its requirements by color, by shape, or both. Example: a scoring tile says AAA-BBB. This means it wants two sets of three matching patch tiles surrounding it – and ONLY the tiles surrounding it. It also has printed scores of 8 and 13. This means that if you have two sets of tiles that match by color only (but not pattern) you will score 8 points. Should you match three tiles’ colors but also match three tiles’ patterns you will score 13 points.
It is important to note here that the six tiles surrounding the score tile do not have to match exactly. So you do not have to have three yellow tiles with ivy pattern. You need to have three yellow tiles (if you chose yellow for this example) and three tiles that have the ivy pattern. Your other set can be three blue tiles with three stripes patterns. As long as you have these sets from the six surrounding tiles you will score what is on that tile.
The cats come into play when you satisfy their scoring requirement printed on their placard. So Thimble, the actual Calico cat, will visit a portion of your quilt when you have placed three tiles adjacent to each other with their preferred pattern. In the example shown Thimble likes ferns and polka dots. So whenever you have three or more connecting tiles that share one of these patterns you will grab a Thimble token and place it on one of the tiles on your board. Each cat will have different scoring requirements and patterns of which to be aware.
Similarly, but with colors, are the rainbow scoring button tokens. Each patch tile contains a color and a pattern. Cats are attracted to patterns, whereas buttons are sewn onto similar colored tiles. Match up three tiles of the same color and you can sew a button onto your quilt. Buttons are worth 3 points and they just look great on your quilt.
Play continues in this fashion until all quilts are completed. Players then tally up their scores and determine the winner of Calico!
Components. Again, we were provided a prototype of this game, so I will not comment too much on the components as they will probably change from now until production. But, I am able to comment on the art and visual aspects. The art is by Beth Sobel. Do I need to say more at this point? Yes? Ok. So the illustrations of the cats are wonderful. The sleepy little space heaters are depicted so well and they really are cute (I mean, if you’re into cats). The patterns and colors on the quilt tiles and buttons are absolutely fantastic. Just seeing it on the table makes me excited to play it, and for a game about quilts and cats that is REALLY saying something. The art and visual appeal of this game is truly off the charts.
I am not colorblind, but I do appreciate when designers consider options for gamers who are. In Calico, though you are playing for and concentrating on patterns and colors, the tiles are also printed with icons that match the shapes of the buttons to be claimed. As you can see in our photos, yellow tiles have a crescent moon, which match the crescent moon button you claim. The purple tiles have a ghost? Onion? Jawless skull? Blueberry? Whatever it is, it also matched the token you claim for the rainbow bonus points. I like this. I like this a lot.
So do we like playing it? I have played several games of this solo as well as with a group, and it truly is fantastic. It’s one of those games that you can go nutty trying to figure out the optimal play, or you can just play it casually to come up with the prettiest end result. Granted, you probably will not win much, but golly look at your quilt! You can play Calico with ANY gamer type: beginner, casual, hard core, and industry personalities. And I believe that every one who plays this will have a great time and salivate for more plays (cats salivate, right? Or is that a dog-only thing?). I am very excited to see what Flatout Games has in store for this one on Kickstarter, and I would be happy to play with anyone who asks, or as part of anyone’s gaming event.
Calico is a game of tile drafting, tile placement, pattern recognition, with a hint of point salad. Now, not everything you do will score you points, but there are many ways to score. This game plays equally well solo as it does with a group, but how does one play it?
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. As this is a preview copy of the game, I do not know if the final rules or components will be similar or different to what we were provided. -T
To setup, each player chooses a quilt board that has a different colored stitching printed on it. This is the player’s color. Each player will receive their goal tiles of matching color and choose three of these to place on their boards in the starting positions (the rule book also details a recommended first game placement and tile choice). These tiles show the requirements to score them and how many points each scoring tile is worth. Three cat placards are chosen that will be visiting your quilt sections and who score differently from each other. Place the corresponding cat tokens nearby and randomly assign two black-and-white patter tokens to each cat under their placard. Place the cute rainbow tile and matching button tokens nearby. Shuffle the quilt patch tiles and place them in a pile or stack at the middle of the table. From this collection deal two per player, and draw and reveal three more face up to be the offer row. You are now ready to play.
On your turn you will place a tile from your hand, check for scoring, and then draw a new patch tile to your hand. You may place either of your tiles anywhere on your board in any orientation you like. Complete freedom! In order to score points, however, you will want to be strategic in where tiles are placed. You see, the scoring tiles you placed at setup will dictate how they score. Some tiles score when you have two sets of three similar tiles. Tiles are similar either by matching their patterns or their tile colors. Some tiles score when you have placed NO matches at all. Each of these tiles will score points based on whether you satisfied its requirements by color, by shape, or both. Example: a scoring tile says AAA-BBB. This means it wants two sets of three matching patch tiles surrounding it – and ONLY the tiles surrounding it. It also has printed scores of 8 and 13. This means that if you have two sets of tiles that match by color only (but not pattern) you will score 8 points. Should you match three tiles’ colors but also match three tiles’ patterns you will score 13 points.
It is important to note here that the six tiles surrounding the score tile do not have to match exactly. So you do not have to have three yellow tiles with ivy pattern. You need to have three yellow tiles (if you chose yellow for this example) and three tiles that have the ivy pattern. Your other set can be three blue tiles with three stripes patterns. As long as you have these sets from the six surrounding tiles you will score what is on that tile.
The cats come into play when you satisfy their scoring requirement printed on their placard. So Thimble, the actual Calico cat, will visit a portion of your quilt when you have placed three tiles adjacent to each other with their preferred pattern. In the example shown Thimble likes ferns and polka dots. So whenever you have three or more connecting tiles that share one of these patterns you will grab a Thimble token and place it on one of the tiles on your board. Each cat will have different scoring requirements and patterns of which to be aware.
Similarly, but with colors, are the rainbow scoring button tokens. Each patch tile contains a color and a pattern. Cats are attracted to patterns, whereas buttons are sewn onto similar colored tiles. Match up three tiles of the same color and you can sew a button onto your quilt. Buttons are worth 3 points and they just look great on your quilt.
Play continues in this fashion until all quilts are completed. Players then tally up their scores and determine the winner of Calico!
Components. Again, we were provided a prototype of this game, so I will not comment too much on the components as they will probably change from now until production. But, I am able to comment on the art and visual aspects. The art is by Beth Sobel. Do I need to say more at this point? Yes? Ok. So the illustrations of the cats are wonderful. The sleepy little space heaters are depicted so well and they really are cute (I mean, if you’re into cats). The patterns and colors on the quilt tiles and buttons are absolutely fantastic. Just seeing it on the table makes me excited to play it, and for a game about quilts and cats that is REALLY saying something. The art and visual appeal of this game is truly off the charts.
I am not colorblind, but I do appreciate when designers consider options for gamers who are. In Calico, though you are playing for and concentrating on patterns and colors, the tiles are also printed with icons that match the shapes of the buttons to be claimed. As you can see in our photos, yellow tiles have a crescent moon, which match the crescent moon button you claim. The purple tiles have a ghost? Onion? Jawless skull? Blueberry? Whatever it is, it also matched the token you claim for the rainbow bonus points. I like this. I like this a lot.
So do we like playing it? I have played several games of this solo as well as with a group, and it truly is fantastic. It’s one of those games that you can go nutty trying to figure out the optimal play, or you can just play it casually to come up with the prettiest end result. Granted, you probably will not win much, but golly look at your quilt! You can play Calico with ANY gamer type: beginner, casual, hard core, and industry personalities. And I believe that every one who plays this will have a great time and salivate for more plays (cats salivate, right? Or is that a dog-only thing?). I am very excited to see what Flatout Games has in store for this one on Kickstarter, and I would be happy to play with anyone who asks, or as part of anyone’s gaming event.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Animal Empire in Tabletop Games
Jul 2, 2020
The age of humans is in its prime, and our civilizations keeps evolving every day. Have you ever wondered what comes after us though? The answer is the animals – at least, it is according to Animal Empire. Over time, animals have gained enough sentience to rise up and overthrow the humans! The animal kingdom is thriving as the different species learn to coexist in peace. However, the carnivorous animals are thirsting for more power and the delicate balance of peace has been upended! The game is afoot, and any species can come out victorious – can you lead your armies to victory and power over the Animal Empire?
Disclaimer: We were provided with a copy of this game for the purposes of this preview. I do not intend to rehash the entire rulebook, but rather provide the general rule set and overall flow of the game. The components pictured are final. Feel free to reach out to the publisher to snag your own copy! -L
Animal Empire is a card game of hand management, area majority, battling, and a bit of negotiation in which players are trying to be the first to gain control over 9 of the 16 Kingdoms. How? By deploying your armies, defeating your opponents, and maintaining control over your captured Kingdoms. Set up the game as described in the rulebook, and take the starting cards into your own hand and play area. Your starting Kingdom (marked by your Crown card) is placed face-up in front of you, and your Army and Wilderness cards are hidden from opponents in your hand.
Animal Empire is played over a series of turns, and on your turn you may take up to two Actions by using your Army cards. Each Army card can only perform one action per turn, unless it has a Specialty or you use a Wilderness card to affect your action. Actions that can be performed are: March, Capture, Battle, Use Specialty, Seize Crown, or Manage Vassal. Most of the actions are straight-forward – March allows you to move an Army to any Kingdom (either in the Play Area or one controlled by an opponent), Capture allows you to take a Kingdom (if you have majority presence on the card or if your Armies are unopposed), and Battle allows you to fight off rival Armies inhabiting the same Kingdom card as you. Seize Crown and Manage Vassal are the most unique. If you capture an opponent’s starting Kingdom (thereby Seizing the Crown), you take their Crown card and they are now your Vassal. They belong to your Kingdom, and must work to help you win – their Kingdom cards count with yours towards the majority total. If you have Vassals, you can use an action to Manage Vassal, which allows you to either give or take a Kingdom card from your Vassal. When you capture a new Kingdom, you also gain a new Army that matches your newest acquisition. Wilderness cards can be used at any time, and they can affect you or your opponents, depending on the card text. Play continues, with players taking turns, battling, and influencing Kingdoms until a player has captured a total of 9 Kingdoms. The game then ends and they are declared the winner!
So how does this game of ruling the animal kingdom actually fare? Pretty well for the most part, if you ask me! The basis of the game is simple – capture the majority of the Kingdoms. The execution of that goal is what takes Animal Empire to the next level for me. The amount of strategy required for success is beyond what you originally think. No matter how many Armies or Wilderness cards you have at your disposal, you only get a maximum of 2 actions per turn. That means that you really have to strategize which cards and actions to use and when. You are trying to amass a majority of Kingdoms, but just because you capture a Kingdom doesn’t mean it’s safe! Opponents can try to steal your Kingdoms, as you can theirs, so you have to find a good balance of offense and defense to ensure that your majority claim is not being compromised. Your strategy must be adaptable to respond to the actions of your opponents, and you have to be constantly engaged and alert to the playing field. Just be ready for some confrontation though – this game pits you directly against your opponents.
The only components in Animal Empire are cards, and they are a good quality and pretty sturdy. The artwork is really detailed and unique, and I find myself admiring the artwork almost as much as I spend strategizing. The trickiest part for me regarding components is that beyond the Crown cards, nothing is colored according to Crowns. All of the artwork is unique across all cards, and some cards of different types share the same base color – so you have to make sure to remember who played which card where to ensure no accidental confusion. The way I found to circumvent that was for all players to play their cards oriented towards them, so it was more clear to see which cards belonged to which players. I would’ve also liked to see Player Reference Cards detailing the different card Specialties – just to minimize the amount of time referring back to the rulebook for clarification.
All in all, I think that Animal Empire is a solid little card game. I like the strategic elements and that it keeps all players engaged throughout the entire game. I would definitely recommend it at the mid- to higher player counts though, because at only 2 player it feels like it kind of drags on in a back-and-forth battle for majority. With more players, there are more strategic implications, more options to deal with, and a little more chaos for everyone. If you’re looking for a fun little game of head-to-head battling, check out Animal Empire!
Disclaimer: We were provided with a copy of this game for the purposes of this preview. I do not intend to rehash the entire rulebook, but rather provide the general rule set and overall flow of the game. The components pictured are final. Feel free to reach out to the publisher to snag your own copy! -L
Animal Empire is a card game of hand management, area majority, battling, and a bit of negotiation in which players are trying to be the first to gain control over 9 of the 16 Kingdoms. How? By deploying your armies, defeating your opponents, and maintaining control over your captured Kingdoms. Set up the game as described in the rulebook, and take the starting cards into your own hand and play area. Your starting Kingdom (marked by your Crown card) is placed face-up in front of you, and your Army and Wilderness cards are hidden from opponents in your hand.
Animal Empire is played over a series of turns, and on your turn you may take up to two Actions by using your Army cards. Each Army card can only perform one action per turn, unless it has a Specialty or you use a Wilderness card to affect your action. Actions that can be performed are: March, Capture, Battle, Use Specialty, Seize Crown, or Manage Vassal. Most of the actions are straight-forward – March allows you to move an Army to any Kingdom (either in the Play Area or one controlled by an opponent), Capture allows you to take a Kingdom (if you have majority presence on the card or if your Armies are unopposed), and Battle allows you to fight off rival Armies inhabiting the same Kingdom card as you. Seize Crown and Manage Vassal are the most unique. If you capture an opponent’s starting Kingdom (thereby Seizing the Crown), you take their Crown card and they are now your Vassal. They belong to your Kingdom, and must work to help you win – their Kingdom cards count with yours towards the majority total. If you have Vassals, you can use an action to Manage Vassal, which allows you to either give or take a Kingdom card from your Vassal. When you capture a new Kingdom, you also gain a new Army that matches your newest acquisition. Wilderness cards can be used at any time, and they can affect you or your opponents, depending on the card text. Play continues, with players taking turns, battling, and influencing Kingdoms until a player has captured a total of 9 Kingdoms. The game then ends and they are declared the winner!
So how does this game of ruling the animal kingdom actually fare? Pretty well for the most part, if you ask me! The basis of the game is simple – capture the majority of the Kingdoms. The execution of that goal is what takes Animal Empire to the next level for me. The amount of strategy required for success is beyond what you originally think. No matter how many Armies or Wilderness cards you have at your disposal, you only get a maximum of 2 actions per turn. That means that you really have to strategize which cards and actions to use and when. You are trying to amass a majority of Kingdoms, but just because you capture a Kingdom doesn’t mean it’s safe! Opponents can try to steal your Kingdoms, as you can theirs, so you have to find a good balance of offense and defense to ensure that your majority claim is not being compromised. Your strategy must be adaptable to respond to the actions of your opponents, and you have to be constantly engaged and alert to the playing field. Just be ready for some confrontation though – this game pits you directly against your opponents.
The only components in Animal Empire are cards, and they are a good quality and pretty sturdy. The artwork is really detailed and unique, and I find myself admiring the artwork almost as much as I spend strategizing. The trickiest part for me regarding components is that beyond the Crown cards, nothing is colored according to Crowns. All of the artwork is unique across all cards, and some cards of different types share the same base color – so you have to make sure to remember who played which card where to ensure no accidental confusion. The way I found to circumvent that was for all players to play their cards oriented towards them, so it was more clear to see which cards belonged to which players. I would’ve also liked to see Player Reference Cards detailing the different card Specialties – just to minimize the amount of time referring back to the rulebook for clarification.
All in all, I think that Animal Empire is a solid little card game. I like the strategic elements and that it keeps all players engaged throughout the entire game. I would definitely recommend it at the mid- to higher player counts though, because at only 2 player it feels like it kind of drags on in a back-and-forth battle for majority. With more players, there are more strategic implications, more options to deal with, and a little more chaos for everyone. If you’re looking for a fun little game of head-to-head battling, check out Animal Empire!
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Soup 2 Nuts in Tabletop Games
Oct 29, 2019
I like when I can learn something from a game. Or any experience, really. In the case of Soup 2 Nuts I learned that a proper six-course meal begins with the Soup course and ends with the Nuts course. I didn’t even know nuts was their own course! Now you are interested in what the other courses are, aren’t you? Fine, I will oblige: Soup, Appetizer, Salad, Main Course, Dessert, Nuts. These are the courses, and these are the rounds of play in this party card game of opinions and ridiculousness.
Soup 2 Nuts is a card game where players will be drawing cards from the giant stack, performing or answering questions written thereon and scoring points for what the other players deem “good enough.” The player with the highest score at the end of the six courses is the winner! … if you decide to even keep score.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game. It is not a prototype, so what you see is what you get. At least I think. More on that later. -T
To setup, open the aluminum can that the game comes in, dump out the components, shuffle the cards, and place them in a central stack. You are now ready to play. Yes, that’s it for setup.
So the game is very straightforward. Draw a card, read to yourself the prompt according to which course you are playing at the time (you play consecutively, so everyone will play a card at the Soup level through the Nuts level), and perform the action or answer the prompt question. After you have done this the other players will give you a thumbs up or thumbs down to indicate how well you did or how much they may agree with you. If you have a majority of ups you gain a point. A majority of downs is negative points. Yes, someone actually finished the game with negative points. I will not mention her name. You continue playing in this fashion until everyone has had a chance to complete actions on six cards (or passed if they wish, scoring zero points for the round). Tally up the points and announce the winner!
Components. This is a butt-ton of cards in a can. There is a golf pencil and tiny post-it-notes-style pad of paper. Also there was a hippo figure that came in our can. The hippo has nothing to do with the game (that we have found), and so we just keep it in the can and play around with it while waiting for people to decide what they want to do with their card. The cards are good quality, but the pencil and pad could have just as easily been left out all together. The can. Okay I have mixed feelings about the can the game comes in. On one hand, it is hilarious and appropriate for a game themed around a meal. It’s GREAT quality and comes with a plastic lid for containing the bits once you’ve popped the top. On the other hand, I now have to figure out how I am going to put it on my game shelves. One negative point to House Dunce Cap. (but I really do like the can haha)
So here’s the rub on this one. This is a VERY adult-focused game. It is NSFW and NSFKids. Please do not pull this out when you are playing games on a holiday with your parents and grandparents unless you have an incredibly modern relationship with them. Also, we very much recommend playing with as many people as you can. The more the better. We tried it with three players and it just did not work. We suggest at least five players to really let the game play shine as it should. There are also quite a few prompts that just didn’t apply as we were playing. I would house rule that you can have one re-draw if you would normally pass on a prompt, but you may play it however you’d like.
As this game is seriously a TON of prompts to get the group talking, debating, laughing, and being grossed out, we at Purple Phoenix Games give this one a hippo-in-the-can 7 / 18. It is not a horrible game, but it is not one I will be pulling off the shelves terribly often. If you enjoy TMI games and making each other squirm for points, give it a shot.
Soup 2 Nuts is a card game where players will be drawing cards from the giant stack, performing or answering questions written thereon and scoring points for what the other players deem “good enough.” The player with the highest score at the end of the six courses is the winner! … if you decide to even keep score.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game. It is not a prototype, so what you see is what you get. At least I think. More on that later. -T
To setup, open the aluminum can that the game comes in, dump out the components, shuffle the cards, and place them in a central stack. You are now ready to play. Yes, that’s it for setup.
So the game is very straightforward. Draw a card, read to yourself the prompt according to which course you are playing at the time (you play consecutively, so everyone will play a card at the Soup level through the Nuts level), and perform the action or answer the prompt question. After you have done this the other players will give you a thumbs up or thumbs down to indicate how well you did or how much they may agree with you. If you have a majority of ups you gain a point. A majority of downs is negative points. Yes, someone actually finished the game with negative points. I will not mention her name. You continue playing in this fashion until everyone has had a chance to complete actions on six cards (or passed if they wish, scoring zero points for the round). Tally up the points and announce the winner!
Components. This is a butt-ton of cards in a can. There is a golf pencil and tiny post-it-notes-style pad of paper. Also there was a hippo figure that came in our can. The hippo has nothing to do with the game (that we have found), and so we just keep it in the can and play around with it while waiting for people to decide what they want to do with their card. The cards are good quality, but the pencil and pad could have just as easily been left out all together. The can. Okay I have mixed feelings about the can the game comes in. On one hand, it is hilarious and appropriate for a game themed around a meal. It’s GREAT quality and comes with a plastic lid for containing the bits once you’ve popped the top. On the other hand, I now have to figure out how I am going to put it on my game shelves. One negative point to House Dunce Cap. (but I really do like the can haha)
So here’s the rub on this one. This is a VERY adult-focused game. It is NSFW and NSFKids. Please do not pull this out when you are playing games on a holiday with your parents and grandparents unless you have an incredibly modern relationship with them. Also, we very much recommend playing with as many people as you can. The more the better. We tried it with three players and it just did not work. We suggest at least five players to really let the game play shine as it should. There are also quite a few prompts that just didn’t apply as we were playing. I would house rule that you can have one re-draw if you would normally pass on a prompt, but you may play it however you’d like.
As this game is seriously a TON of prompts to get the group talking, debating, laughing, and being grossed out, we at Purple Phoenix Games give this one a hippo-in-the-can 7 / 18. It is not a horrible game, but it is not one I will be pulling off the shelves terribly often. If you enjoy TMI games and making each other squirm for points, give it a shot.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Cartagena in Tabletop Games
Dec 3, 2019
Avast and whatnot! Yar, this be a piratey-themed game of prison escape, and it be very good. You and ye mateys must escape a prison of Cartagena and reach the boat to sail to freedom! But do you have the resources available to navigate the treacherous tunnels to the outside? Or will you have to retreat to bolster your holdings for your final surge? This is Cartagena!
If you know me, you know I’m kind of a sucker for pirate games. Why? I don’t know. I’m not necessarily a fan of pirate-themed things in the real world, but it’s a gaming theme I truly enjoy. I don’t remember exactly where or from whom I heard of this game, but I am very glad I did because I really enjoy it.
During a game of Cartagena you play a “team” of pirates that are escaping a dungeon through a wacky tunnel to get to the getaway boat at the end. You do this by playing cards from your hand that match symbols printed on the tunnel tiles assembled in the middle of the table. When you play a card you must move one of your pirates – any one you wish – to the next closest unoccupied space on the board that matches the symbol on the card you played. If you play a card, let’s say a flag, and there is a pirate already on the next closest flag symbol, you keep moving your pirate along through the tunnel until you reach the next flag without a pirate on it. You have two actions on your turn and you will likely be playing two cards every turn to advance your pirates.
“Easy. This is great! But, now my starting hand is depleted and you told me I couldn’t draw a card at the end of my turn.” Correct. Herein lies the struggle and tension in the game.
If you do not have any cards in your hand, or if you just want to improve your hand, you must move one of your pirates backward through the tunnel to the next pirate behind you. If there is just one pirate when you arrive you draw one card. Two pirates two cards. Three pirates already there? Keep on truckin, matey. You need to continue backward to find a solitary or couple of pirates; there can never be more than three pirates on a space. You then take the amount of cards dependent on existing pirates and continue your turn.
Play continues like this until a player has successfully gotten their pirate crew to the boat and escapes the dungeons in Cartagena.
So like I said, I’m a sucker for pirate-themed games. However, this game could have so many other themes applied to it and it would work just as well. I do not necessarily feel like a pirate as I am playing, but I do appreciate the effort here. What I really enjoy about this game is the fact that it is mechanically very simple, so it works well with many different age groups. In fact, I am sure you can play this with gamers younger than the suggested age of 8 and be completely happy with the result. The rules are very light, the decisions are sometimes very heartbreaking if you do not plan ahead well enough. It will never be considered a brain burner, nor will it be the crown jewel of a collection or game night, but it is fun. Racing your opponents to the end of a tunnel to freedom, but also knowing that you will eventually need to regress to fuel future turns is a great little balancing exercise and I dig it, like a fine treasure chest.
Components? Well, the version we have is akin to the version on the main ratings graphic here, with that box art. The art in the game, however, is much more cartoony (see image below). It’s not BAD, but it’s not amazing either. I believe the newer version has much better art throughout. The cards are of decent quality, as are the tiles that make up the tunnel. The best components are the little pirateeples. Piraeeples? I’m never very good at the -eepling. All in all it’s a small game that packs up easily and quickly and is great to pull out pretty much any time you need a great filler. We at Purple Phoenix Games give this one a swashbuckling 13 / 18.
If you know me, you know I’m kind of a sucker for pirate games. Why? I don’t know. I’m not necessarily a fan of pirate-themed things in the real world, but it’s a gaming theme I truly enjoy. I don’t remember exactly where or from whom I heard of this game, but I am very glad I did because I really enjoy it.
During a game of Cartagena you play a “team” of pirates that are escaping a dungeon through a wacky tunnel to get to the getaway boat at the end. You do this by playing cards from your hand that match symbols printed on the tunnel tiles assembled in the middle of the table. When you play a card you must move one of your pirates – any one you wish – to the next closest unoccupied space on the board that matches the symbol on the card you played. If you play a card, let’s say a flag, and there is a pirate already on the next closest flag symbol, you keep moving your pirate along through the tunnel until you reach the next flag without a pirate on it. You have two actions on your turn and you will likely be playing two cards every turn to advance your pirates.
“Easy. This is great! But, now my starting hand is depleted and you told me I couldn’t draw a card at the end of my turn.” Correct. Herein lies the struggle and tension in the game.
If you do not have any cards in your hand, or if you just want to improve your hand, you must move one of your pirates backward through the tunnel to the next pirate behind you. If there is just one pirate when you arrive you draw one card. Two pirates two cards. Three pirates already there? Keep on truckin, matey. You need to continue backward to find a solitary or couple of pirates; there can never be more than three pirates on a space. You then take the amount of cards dependent on existing pirates and continue your turn.
Play continues like this until a player has successfully gotten their pirate crew to the boat and escapes the dungeons in Cartagena.
So like I said, I’m a sucker for pirate-themed games. However, this game could have so many other themes applied to it and it would work just as well. I do not necessarily feel like a pirate as I am playing, but I do appreciate the effort here. What I really enjoy about this game is the fact that it is mechanically very simple, so it works well with many different age groups. In fact, I am sure you can play this with gamers younger than the suggested age of 8 and be completely happy with the result. The rules are very light, the decisions are sometimes very heartbreaking if you do not plan ahead well enough. It will never be considered a brain burner, nor will it be the crown jewel of a collection or game night, but it is fun. Racing your opponents to the end of a tunnel to freedom, but also knowing that you will eventually need to regress to fuel future turns is a great little balancing exercise and I dig it, like a fine treasure chest.
Components? Well, the version we have is akin to the version on the main ratings graphic here, with that box art. The art in the game, however, is much more cartoony (see image below). It’s not BAD, but it’s not amazing either. I believe the newer version has much better art throughout. The cards are of decent quality, as are the tiles that make up the tunnel. The best components are the little pirateeples. Piraeeples? I’m never very good at the -eepling. All in all it’s a small game that packs up easily and quickly and is great to pull out pretty much any time you need a great filler. We at Purple Phoenix Games give this one a swashbuckling 13 / 18.
Dean Gregory (18 KP) rated Scotland Yard in Tabletop Games
Jun 5, 2019
Clever asymmetrical gameplay (2 more)
Strategic
Beginner rules available for younger players
Catch Me If You Can
Scotland Yard is an asymmetrical game of deduction and deception, depending on which role you take. Mister X must move in secret to stay out of the reach of the law long enough to escape London (22 turns), while the detectives must work together to trap and capture him.
The board is a map of London divided into numbered stations and linked together by coloured lines, depicting routes and different modes of transport - yellow for taxis, blue for buses and red for the underground. There are also a handful of black routes for ferries, which are available only to Mister X under special rules.
The mechanic of a player moving in complete secret on a tabletop game is one I never would have thought was possible, but Scotland Yard manages to pull it off, and make it work well. Mister X plots their movements with the use of a special pad and paper by writing down the station number they occupy, covering it with the ticket they used to make their move. This is the only clue the detectives have as to where X might be. It works extremely well.
Mister X also has access to two special tickets - a X2 ticket allows them to make two moves in one, and a black ticket allows them to use any mode of transport, with the added bonus of showing them to take ferry routes. Smart use of these powers is necessary to get out of scrapes, as they also have to reveal their location every 5 moves, starting with move 3.
Detectives have a limited number of tickets for each mode of transport, so in order to win they need to coordinate their movements so they don't waste tickets unnecessarily. However, if there are less than 4 detective players, each detective not controlled by a player is replaced with a police officer who is universally controlled. The police can move freely without the need for tickets, making them far more versatile than detectives. This is presumably to balance the difficulty for smaller teams, but it ends up making a game with all 4 detectives considerably harder than a game with only 3. The level of care and consideration that must go into each move makes playing the detectives a completely different experience to playing as Mister X.
I came into the game thinking it would be heavily skewed in Mister X's favour. After all, most of the moves they make are in secret, they're completely unhindered by tickets, and they get a couple of special powers to boot. On top of that, the detectives first two moves are complete guesswork, so X gets a head start. In practice though, staying 3 steps ahead of the detectives is vital to survival, and when they work together well it can be ready for X to put themselves in an impossible situation. It takes careful planning to stay ahead of the game.
There is a beginner mode which is aimed at younger players. The differences are that the number of rounds Mister X needs to survive for is 13 instead of 22, red underground routes are unavailable to all players, and most of all, Mister X remains in the board all game, only disappearing on the turns where he would appear in the regular game. I can't really offer an opinion on this version, but I can see the appeal of it, even if it defeats the concept of the game a bit.
This is a bonafide classic, and a solid challenge no matter which role you take on. As long as the game doesn't devolve into a series of guesses and lucky breaks (which, due to the nature of Mister X's movements, can be a regular issue), it offers an evening of smart gameplay with a solid replay value.
The board is a map of London divided into numbered stations and linked together by coloured lines, depicting routes and different modes of transport - yellow for taxis, blue for buses and red for the underground. There are also a handful of black routes for ferries, which are available only to Mister X under special rules.
The mechanic of a player moving in complete secret on a tabletop game is one I never would have thought was possible, but Scotland Yard manages to pull it off, and make it work well. Mister X plots their movements with the use of a special pad and paper by writing down the station number they occupy, covering it with the ticket they used to make their move. This is the only clue the detectives have as to where X might be. It works extremely well.
Mister X also has access to two special tickets - a X2 ticket allows them to make two moves in one, and a black ticket allows them to use any mode of transport, with the added bonus of showing them to take ferry routes. Smart use of these powers is necessary to get out of scrapes, as they also have to reveal their location every 5 moves, starting with move 3.
Detectives have a limited number of tickets for each mode of transport, so in order to win they need to coordinate their movements so they don't waste tickets unnecessarily. However, if there are less than 4 detective players, each detective not controlled by a player is replaced with a police officer who is universally controlled. The police can move freely without the need for tickets, making them far more versatile than detectives. This is presumably to balance the difficulty for smaller teams, but it ends up making a game with all 4 detectives considerably harder than a game with only 3. The level of care and consideration that must go into each move makes playing the detectives a completely different experience to playing as Mister X.
I came into the game thinking it would be heavily skewed in Mister X's favour. After all, most of the moves they make are in secret, they're completely unhindered by tickets, and they get a couple of special powers to boot. On top of that, the detectives first two moves are complete guesswork, so X gets a head start. In practice though, staying 3 steps ahead of the detectives is vital to survival, and when they work together well it can be ready for X to put themselves in an impossible situation. It takes careful planning to stay ahead of the game.
There is a beginner mode which is aimed at younger players. The differences are that the number of rounds Mister X needs to survive for is 13 instead of 22, red underground routes are unavailable to all players, and most of all, Mister X remains in the board all game, only disappearing on the turns where he would appear in the regular game. I can't really offer an opinion on this version, but I can see the appeal of it, even if it defeats the concept of the game a bit.
This is a bonafide classic, and a solid challenge no matter which role you take on. As long as the game doesn't devolve into a series of guesses and lucky breaks (which, due to the nature of Mister X's movements, can be a regular issue), it offers an evening of smart gameplay with a solid replay value.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Mephisto: The Card Game in Tabletop Games
Jun 18, 2019 (Updated Jun 21, 2019)
Ya done messed up and made a deal with devil. Now he requires you to harvest souls from monsters as payment in return. How will you do this? You have no weapons, no skills, and no plan. Luckily, there is a grid of powerful cards to aid you in your toils. Only one problem: you gotta stay in your lane.
DISCLAIMER: I am not intending to cover every rule in the rulebook (well, rule cards), but to give you an idea of how the game plays. -T
Mephisto is a card drafting, hand management game (with a dash of take-that) played using a grid of cards to be affected and manipulated… LIKE YOUR SOUL!! Setup is easy for a multiplayer game. Deal a hand of cards to each player, setup the main 3 x 3 grid of cards in the middle of the table with the draw deck in the center, and two corners (making a diagonal line) having random placeholder cards face-down to be unavailable for play. The reasoning is simple: where you sit at the table determines in which lane, like in bowling, you can play your cards to (if you have ever played the Adventure Time Card Wars game you will instantly be familiar) and you only have access to two cards in each lane.
You will be using your hand of cards to gain favor from Mephistopheles, to fight and kill monsters to reap their souls, to gain cards from the grid, and to activate items or spell cards for their abilities. Many cards can combo together, and several cards are multipurpose/multi-use cards that can decay every time you use them, so you must take care not to allow your powerful weapons to lose all durability before you can maximize their effectiveness. The first player to amass a total of 12 souls will gain the ultimate wish from Mephistopheles: infinite power!
Components: This game consists of a deck of cards, which are of great quality. I believe this was an earlier-than-originally-expected Kickstarter fulfillment due to switching manufacturers to an American-based company, so we Americans were able to enjoy the game sooner as a result. In any case, the cards are great. What I love about the components is the art. The art on the cards are really really cool. I love the art style employed here, and the explosive neon color scheme used. What I really wished had happened was that the colors would be alluded to on the box cover as well. Honestly, if I had never heard of this game and saw the dark dark colors and occultish logo on the box I probably would have passed it up as “not for me.” But, playing the game is much more enjoyable with a fresh and vibrant set of cards.
I made a comparison to Adventure Time Card Wars in referencing how the lanes worked in play. And honestly, the game kinda feels like ATCW with a different skin. There is some take-that, some moving cards into different lanes, and affecting different cards in the grid. Now, I am an Adventure Time fan, but I just could not get into that game. Mephisto feels familiar in that… lane… but I must like the theme more, because I would rather play Mephisto over ATCW. If you haven’t played a game using lanes like this and don’t mind a darker theme I say give it a shot. It’s small (deck of playing cards size), portable, inexpensive, and a pretty good game. Purple Phoenix Games, with guest Tony, give this one a darkened 15 / 24.
DISCLAIMER: I am not intending to cover every rule in the rulebook (well, rule cards), but to give you an idea of how the game plays. -T
Mephisto is a card drafting, hand management game (with a dash of take-that) played using a grid of cards to be affected and manipulated… LIKE YOUR SOUL!! Setup is easy for a multiplayer game. Deal a hand of cards to each player, setup the main 3 x 3 grid of cards in the middle of the table with the draw deck in the center, and two corners (making a diagonal line) having random placeholder cards face-down to be unavailable for play. The reasoning is simple: where you sit at the table determines in which lane, like in bowling, you can play your cards to (if you have ever played the Adventure Time Card Wars game you will instantly be familiar) and you only have access to two cards in each lane.
You will be using your hand of cards to gain favor from Mephistopheles, to fight and kill monsters to reap their souls, to gain cards from the grid, and to activate items or spell cards for their abilities. Many cards can combo together, and several cards are multipurpose/multi-use cards that can decay every time you use them, so you must take care not to allow your powerful weapons to lose all durability before you can maximize their effectiveness. The first player to amass a total of 12 souls will gain the ultimate wish from Mephistopheles: infinite power!
Components: This game consists of a deck of cards, which are of great quality. I believe this was an earlier-than-originally-expected Kickstarter fulfillment due to switching manufacturers to an American-based company, so we Americans were able to enjoy the game sooner as a result. In any case, the cards are great. What I love about the components is the art. The art on the cards are really really cool. I love the art style employed here, and the explosive neon color scheme used. What I really wished had happened was that the colors would be alluded to on the box cover as well. Honestly, if I had never heard of this game and saw the dark dark colors and occultish logo on the box I probably would have passed it up as “not for me.” But, playing the game is much more enjoyable with a fresh and vibrant set of cards.
I made a comparison to Adventure Time Card Wars in referencing how the lanes worked in play. And honestly, the game kinda feels like ATCW with a different skin. There is some take-that, some moving cards into different lanes, and affecting different cards in the grid. Now, I am an Adventure Time fan, but I just could not get into that game. Mephisto feels familiar in that… lane… but I must like the theme more, because I would rather play Mephisto over ATCW. If you haven’t played a game using lanes like this and don’t mind a darker theme I say give it a shot. It’s small (deck of playing cards size), portable, inexpensive, and a pretty good game. Purple Phoenix Games, with guest Tony, give this one a darkened 15 / 24.
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