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Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Pendulum in Tabletop Games
Sep 8, 2020
This review, like the many others in the Solo Chronicles series before it, will be focusing on the solo player’s experience. For the highly-anticipated Pendulum, an Automa Factory set of solo rules is included. Automa Factory creates rules for solo play for games and have created many for Stonemaier titles in the past. This is my first time using an Automa ruleset, and I wanted to know: how do Automa games play vs a group playthrough? Find out below.
Pendulum is a real-time worker placement game utilizing sand timers to control players’ actions. While sand timers have been used in games plenty of times before, they are special components in Pendulum that will have players cursing their existence throughout the game. In a solo game the human player will be attempting to win against two Automas, essentially creating a three player game. Now, while I normally reconstruct the rules in my reviews to give a brief overview, Pendulum has too many intricacies to truly detail, so my rules overview will be quite abbreviated.
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
Setup took me about 30 minutes the first game because I did not play it multiplayer first, but was setting up for my first Automa play. Setup is not difficult, but there are many small parts and different boards for which you must account. Subsequent games took significantly less time to setup so I was up and running immediately.
A game of Pendulum sees players vying for the crown by jockeying for mastery in Power, Prestige, Popularity, and completing a Legendary Achievement. These are all tracked on each player mat and the Automas’ mat. The game is a typical worker placement with all spaces giving some benefit, but also may be blocked by other players. By utilizing aggressive strategies and timing each worker action players will be gaining resources and votes and converting them into VPs on the individual tracks, the most important of which is the Legendary Achievement. No player may win the game without having completed a Legendary Achievement.
As the game progresses in real time, the sand timers will be flipped into areas blocking access to players, but allowing player meeples already stationed in these areas to enact their special abilities. Three timers of different time-lengths are used in Pendulum: 45 seconds, 2 minutes, and 3 minutes. The action spaces corresponding to the 45 second timer are less effective than the 3 minute timer areas, but are indeed necessary to generate more resources.
After the 3 minute purple timer has been flipped three total times, the game halts and a special Council Phase is enacted. This phase allows players to receive Council Reward cards, assess and compare placement for the next round, and set up for the next round. After the fourth Council Phase, the game ends and players will check for victory conditions.
Components. Have you seen a Stonemaier Games title recently? The components are stellar. Everything from the plastic (resin?) cubes and vote tiles and meeples, to the good-looking sand timers, to the linen finish on the cards AND the rulebooks is just amazing. Several reviewers have issues with the art in Pendulum, and say that it is drab and “uninspiring.” Well, I think it’s great, and I also think it is a bit muted to get out of the way of play. I certainly would not appreciate this game more if it had more exciting art. More exciting art means more attention spent on appreciating the art and not playing the game. Normally this is a boon for me, but Pendulum is a REAL-TIME game. I don’t have time to be gawking at game art! Components: excellent!
I really enjoyed my plays of Pendulum using the Automa system. I can’t necessarily say it felt like playing against two other players, but I don’t think it’s meant to do that. The Automa players sufficiently block spaces, and gain VP each round to compete with the human player. Also, I have never played a game using Automas before, so I had zero expectations getting into Pendulum. I do think I would enjoy this game lots more playing against other humans, but the current virus situation has nixed that for me. The Automa system is good, and I am so happy that it exists for Pendulum. I just want to play it with other gamers.
Purple Phoenix Games never award games with scores for previews and Solo Chronicles. However, I would certainly rate Pendulum high. I don’t believe it will ever crack into my Top 10 Games of All Time, but I also can see myself pulling it out when I want to exercise my brain and I don’t have access to any other gamers. I want you to understand that I do like this one quite a bit, and would certainly recommend it. I truly enjoy having to keep on my toes (literally) controlling my components as well as keeping track of the Automa movements, and assuring the timers are being flipped appropriately.
If your collection is missing a game that utilizes sand timers for more than just buzzing others on their turn, certainly give Pendulum a look. The design is fantastic, includes the Automa Factory solo rules (and extra components), and is satisfying to play. Heck, I didn’t even sit down when I played this because I needed to be so active around the board. If it weren’t so late as I am writing this, I would break it out and give it another go right now. Alas, I am old and need to sleep. Check out Pendulum.
Pendulum is a real-time worker placement game utilizing sand timers to control players’ actions. While sand timers have been used in games plenty of times before, they are special components in Pendulum that will have players cursing their existence throughout the game. In a solo game the human player will be attempting to win against two Automas, essentially creating a three player game. Now, while I normally reconstruct the rules in my reviews to give a brief overview, Pendulum has too many intricacies to truly detail, so my rules overview will be quite abbreviated.
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
Setup took me about 30 minutes the first game because I did not play it multiplayer first, but was setting up for my first Automa play. Setup is not difficult, but there are many small parts and different boards for which you must account. Subsequent games took significantly less time to setup so I was up and running immediately.
A game of Pendulum sees players vying for the crown by jockeying for mastery in Power, Prestige, Popularity, and completing a Legendary Achievement. These are all tracked on each player mat and the Automas’ mat. The game is a typical worker placement with all spaces giving some benefit, but also may be blocked by other players. By utilizing aggressive strategies and timing each worker action players will be gaining resources and votes and converting them into VPs on the individual tracks, the most important of which is the Legendary Achievement. No player may win the game without having completed a Legendary Achievement.
As the game progresses in real time, the sand timers will be flipped into areas blocking access to players, but allowing player meeples already stationed in these areas to enact their special abilities. Three timers of different time-lengths are used in Pendulum: 45 seconds, 2 minutes, and 3 minutes. The action spaces corresponding to the 45 second timer are less effective than the 3 minute timer areas, but are indeed necessary to generate more resources.
After the 3 minute purple timer has been flipped three total times, the game halts and a special Council Phase is enacted. This phase allows players to receive Council Reward cards, assess and compare placement for the next round, and set up for the next round. After the fourth Council Phase, the game ends and players will check for victory conditions.
Components. Have you seen a Stonemaier Games title recently? The components are stellar. Everything from the plastic (resin?) cubes and vote tiles and meeples, to the good-looking sand timers, to the linen finish on the cards AND the rulebooks is just amazing. Several reviewers have issues with the art in Pendulum, and say that it is drab and “uninspiring.” Well, I think it’s great, and I also think it is a bit muted to get out of the way of play. I certainly would not appreciate this game more if it had more exciting art. More exciting art means more attention spent on appreciating the art and not playing the game. Normally this is a boon for me, but Pendulum is a REAL-TIME game. I don’t have time to be gawking at game art! Components: excellent!
I really enjoyed my plays of Pendulum using the Automa system. I can’t necessarily say it felt like playing against two other players, but I don’t think it’s meant to do that. The Automa players sufficiently block spaces, and gain VP each round to compete with the human player. Also, I have never played a game using Automas before, so I had zero expectations getting into Pendulum. I do think I would enjoy this game lots more playing against other humans, but the current virus situation has nixed that for me. The Automa system is good, and I am so happy that it exists for Pendulum. I just want to play it with other gamers.
Purple Phoenix Games never award games with scores for previews and Solo Chronicles. However, I would certainly rate Pendulum high. I don’t believe it will ever crack into my Top 10 Games of All Time, but I also can see myself pulling it out when I want to exercise my brain and I don’t have access to any other gamers. I want you to understand that I do like this one quite a bit, and would certainly recommend it. I truly enjoy having to keep on my toes (literally) controlling my components as well as keeping track of the Automa movements, and assuring the timers are being flipped appropriately.
If your collection is missing a game that utilizes sand timers for more than just buzzing others on their turn, certainly give Pendulum a look. The design is fantastic, includes the Automa Factory solo rules (and extra components), and is satisfying to play. Heck, I didn’t even sit down when I played this because I needed to be so active around the board. If it weren’t so late as I am writing this, I would break it out and give it another go right now. Alas, I am old and need to sleep. Check out Pendulum.
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Sarah (7800 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan in Video Games
May 29, 2020
A thrilling play
Games like this dont appeal to everyone. It's not full of action, beating people up or a massive open world full of free play. It also doesnt drag on for 40+ hours. However for people like me who struggle with those type of games, Man of Medan is a breath of fresh air.
I'd previously played and rather enjoyed Until Dawn, and I'm pleased to say this follows much in the same vein although it's probably a much shorter story. Graphically this is very impressive looking and like Until Dawn, they've thrown in yet another recognisable face (this time it's Shawn Ashmore aka Bobby from X-Men). The characters look amazing and the setting too. The story too is a good and interesting one, although it does feel a little similar to other stories (like Ghost Ship) and may be a tad predictable. We worked out what was going on well before the third act. That said, I still found it to be absolutely terrifying. Playing a game like this is a lot scarier than watching any horror film!
The gameplay works really well. The fact that you can play this with friends, either online or couch co-op, adds another fun dimension to it all. The decision making also means that there are so many different endings and outcomes (I believe there's over 60 possible ways for the characters to die) that the replayability is surprisingly better than you'd expect. Admittedly it would probably get a bit tedious trying to uncover absolutely everything and all possible outcomes, but playing a few times over is still enjoyable.
The only downsides are the lag and load issues. Most likely due to the decision making process and actions, there is a noticeable lag in some of the cut scenes and movements which is bearable but can noticeably affect the smooth running of the game. There's also the characters themselves. They look great, but they're very cliched and have very little personality or interest too them. And the script is a little cheesy at times which only further impacts with a slight dislike of the characters. Part of me actually wanted to kill them all off...
Overall a great story and an interesting game to play, if you're looking for something a little different.
I'd previously played and rather enjoyed Until Dawn, and I'm pleased to say this follows much in the same vein although it's probably a much shorter story. Graphically this is very impressive looking and like Until Dawn, they've thrown in yet another recognisable face (this time it's Shawn Ashmore aka Bobby from X-Men). The characters look amazing and the setting too. The story too is a good and interesting one, although it does feel a little similar to other stories (like Ghost Ship) and may be a tad predictable. We worked out what was going on well before the third act. That said, I still found it to be absolutely terrifying. Playing a game like this is a lot scarier than watching any horror film!
The gameplay works really well. The fact that you can play this with friends, either online or couch co-op, adds another fun dimension to it all. The decision making also means that there are so many different endings and outcomes (I believe there's over 60 possible ways for the characters to die) that the replayability is surprisingly better than you'd expect. Admittedly it would probably get a bit tedious trying to uncover absolutely everything and all possible outcomes, but playing a few times over is still enjoyable.
The only downsides are the lag and load issues. Most likely due to the decision making process and actions, there is a noticeable lag in some of the cut scenes and movements which is bearable but can noticeably affect the smooth running of the game. There's also the characters themselves. They look great, but they're very cliched and have very little personality or interest too them. And the script is a little cheesy at times which only further impacts with a slight dislike of the characters. Part of me actually wanted to kill them all off...
Overall a great story and an interesting game to play, if you're looking for something a little different.
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Mothergamer (1610 KP) rated Warframe in Video Games
Apr 3, 2019
A friend of mine suggested that I check out the game Warframe. They thought I would like it since I like games like Phantasy Star Online and Mass Effect. Warframe is a free to play co-operative third person shooter game. It's a science fiction futuristic role playing game. You can play Warframe on the PC, Xbox One, or the Playstation 4. Unfortunately there is no cross platform play with this, but at least you have a choice about which one you want to play on.
You play as a member of the Tenno, a race of ancient warriors who have awoken from cryosleep and find themselves at war with a race known as the Grineer who appear to be human clones with metal mods and the Corpus a corporation with robots and laser technology. I found that concept pretty intriguing and decided to check it out on my computer.
There are three starter warframes to choose from; Mag, Volt, and Excalibur. I decided to go with Mag and started my adventure in Warframe and named her Pirotess Dragontamer like my Final Fantasy XIV character. The introductory tutorial is quite helpful which gave me a chance to get used to the battle controls. I also liked that you can change the colors of your warframe and customize it to your tastes.
My Mag warframe is pretty cool.
There are so many missions you can do on each planet ranging from rescue missions to spy missions. You can do these missions solo, but it's definitely easier to do them with friends. The max number of people on a team is four and it does make a mission go a lot faster when you have a full team. Finding a team is fairly easy as you can make your match settings public and the game will match you with people who are doing the same mission.
Pirotess doing a mission with her friends.
I'm glad I tried Warframe out because I love it. It's a lot of fun to play and the story is very interesting. The graphics for the game look great and the voice acting and music is really good as well. It's hard to believe it's a free to play online game because there is so much content and so many great areas to explore.
You can also do crafting in the game and it isn't boring. In many of the missions you get blueprints for weapons and different warframes which you can build in your ship. Level grinding is not boring at all because of the variety of the missions. You also have solo missions for ranking up your warframe. The max level for a warframe is 30 and you can level up your weapons and pets as well.
Pirotess on her Frost warframe.
My husband Ron plays Warframe with me as well and he's really enjoying it also. It's a lot of fun playing the game together and with our friends. Having a good clan helps too because they can help you get missions done as well as helping with getting blueprints and items you need for crafting and modding equipment.
I'm also looking forward to the new expansion for the game, Plains of Eidolon because it looks fantastic and there's going to be even more things added including a new warframe. Warframe is so much fun and I love just exploring and doing all the events and missions with everyone. It's fast paced and fits in my wheel house for sci-fi space games. Now, I'm off to explore more of the galaxy!
You play as a member of the Tenno, a race of ancient warriors who have awoken from cryosleep and find themselves at war with a race known as the Grineer who appear to be human clones with metal mods and the Corpus a corporation with robots and laser technology. I found that concept pretty intriguing and decided to check it out on my computer.
There are three starter warframes to choose from; Mag, Volt, and Excalibur. I decided to go with Mag and started my adventure in Warframe and named her Pirotess Dragontamer like my Final Fantasy XIV character. The introductory tutorial is quite helpful which gave me a chance to get used to the battle controls. I also liked that you can change the colors of your warframe and customize it to your tastes.
My Mag warframe is pretty cool.
There are so many missions you can do on each planet ranging from rescue missions to spy missions. You can do these missions solo, but it's definitely easier to do them with friends. The max number of people on a team is four and it does make a mission go a lot faster when you have a full team. Finding a team is fairly easy as you can make your match settings public and the game will match you with people who are doing the same mission.
Pirotess doing a mission with her friends.
I'm glad I tried Warframe out because I love it. It's a lot of fun to play and the story is very interesting. The graphics for the game look great and the voice acting and music is really good as well. It's hard to believe it's a free to play online game because there is so much content and so many great areas to explore.
You can also do crafting in the game and it isn't boring. In many of the missions you get blueprints for weapons and different warframes which you can build in your ship. Level grinding is not boring at all because of the variety of the missions. You also have solo missions for ranking up your warframe. The max level for a warframe is 30 and you can level up your weapons and pets as well.
Pirotess on her Frost warframe.
My husband Ron plays Warframe with me as well and he's really enjoying it also. It's a lot of fun playing the game together and with our friends. Having a good clan helps too because they can help you get missions done as well as helping with getting blueprints and items you need for crafting and modding equipment.
I'm also looking forward to the new expansion for the game, Plains of Eidolon because it looks fantastic and there's going to be even more things added including a new warframe. Warframe is so much fun and I love just exploring and doing all the events and missions with everyone. It's fast paced and fits in my wheel house for sci-fi space games. Now, I'm off to explore more of the galaxy!
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