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Honor Among Thieves (Empire and Rebellion, #2)
8.0
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Nebula and Hugo Award nominees Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck—writing as James S. A. Corey—make...
Xia: Legends of a Drift System
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A competitive space adventure for 3 - 5 Players Have you ever wanted to follow in the footsteps of...
Merissa (11800 KP) rated Nico (The Leaves #3) in Books
Apr 10, 2023
I haven't read any of these books before so was a bit dubious about whether I would understand all of it or be left hanging in the dark. I am pleased to say that I was drawn into the story and understood all of Nico. I imagine that reading the first two books in the trilogy would add an extra oomph but they are not necessary.
This is a warm, bittersweet tale of Nico and his birds. The story behind his name for them, by itself, was intriguing, interesting and heartbreaking so just add that to the story as a whole and you've got a brilliant read.
This tale has had me in tears, laughing out loud and swearing at a supporting character as she tries to split up Nico and Lark. There is a depth to this story that will keep you turning the pages as you will not find a 'convenient' place to put it down. The characters that are in here, whether they are supporting or the main ones, are all wonderfully written and play their parts well. I simply loved Nico's mum and dad but there are lots of others that surely deserve a mention but I won't!
As an aside, I just want to add that anyone who can use the Dread Pirate Roberts as an analogy and make it seem perfectly natural deserves a high-five from me.
Absolutely brilliant story and I definitely want to read the first two now. Recommended.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
September 11, 2016
This is a warm, bittersweet tale of Nico and his birds. The story behind his name for them, by itself, was intriguing, interesting and heartbreaking so just add that to the story as a whole and you've got a brilliant read.
This tale has had me in tears, laughing out loud and swearing at a supporting character as she tries to split up Nico and Lark. There is a depth to this story that will keep you turning the pages as you will not find a 'convenient' place to put it down. The characters that are in here, whether they are supporting or the main ones, are all wonderfully written and play their parts well. I simply loved Nico's mum and dad but there are lots of others that surely deserve a mention but I won't!
As an aside, I just want to add that anyone who can use the Dread Pirate Roberts as an analogy and make it seem perfectly natural deserves a high-five from me.
Absolutely brilliant story and I definitely want to read the first two now. Recommended.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
September 11, 2016
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Pirate's Mark in Tabletop Games
Mar 29, 2021
I simply cannot get enough of pirate games! I know some gamers are tired of pirates and zombies and Mediterranean trading, and I most certainly understand that. However, I’m just a sucker for some themes, and pirates are one. I am also growing to love press-your-luck style games for that giant helping of luck. I mean, how different is it from rolling a die and basing turns on those results? In this case it is flipping over cards instead of flipping the number of cards rolled. Similar, but different. In any case, today I take a look at Pirate’s Mark from first-time designers, artist, and publisher. Let’s see if I have found a treasure or contracted scurvy from the ordeal.
Pirate’s Mark is a bluffing, bidding, press-your-luck card game about finding treasure in the sea and avoiding contracting the Pirate’s Mark: the mark of death. In it players are pirates searching the seas by boasting about how many treasures they expect they will find, flipping over cards, and dealing with any consequences of their pulls. The last pirate to remain unmarked at the end of the game will be the winner and richest of all pirates on the vast seas.
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, include the correct number of cards as described in the rulebook for the number of players. Once the cards are shuffled they will be laid out in a 10 x 15 grid on the table, face-down. The Compass Rose card and die are placed near the card grid and the game is ready to begin!
On a turn a short bidding round commences with players announcing how many cards they believe they can pull from the grid without uncovering a Pirate’s Mark card. This bidding goes around the table with bids increasing with each player until one player calls the bluff and forces the last player to bid to take their turn. That player then pulls a number of cards face-up from the sea and resolves any cards that are immediate, stashes cards that are treasures, and holds cards that contain the phrase, “Play this card,” to be used at a later time.
If the turn is uneventful, by not revealing any Pirate’s Mark cards, then the game continues with bidding and pulling. However, once a pirate reveals a Pirate’s Mark card, they are marked and cannot participate in the bidding any longer (unless they find a way to unmark themselves, which IS possible). Marked players can get back in the game by calling another player’s bluff correctly. There is indeed risk here as a marked player that incorrectly calls a bluff is permanently dead and out of the game.
There are some more rules for the end of the game phase called, “Duel Mode,” but I will let you discover those on your own. Play continues in this fashion until one player is standing and unmarked. This player wins the game and the others need to pack up the 130 cards that were setup. Okay, I added that last part.
Components. This game is a ton of square cards and a fantastic d12 that is only used for the two-player variant. The cards are all glossy, but good quality, and feature photos (akin to screencaps from movies) instead of illustrations. I find the theme to be very present in not only the press-your-luck and bidding/bluffing mechanics, but also in the design of the cards and the photos used. It feels like a piratey game and plays like a piratey game. Like I said, the d12 is fabulous, and I actually happen to own a set of dice that I use for my RPG campaigns… sometimes. All in all the game has some good components and looks great on the table.
So I have some good AND bad news to deliver. First the bad. Some cards that are pulled are way too overpowered. One is called “Blackbeard’s Sword.” It allows the player to “peek under the number of cards left in your bid.” I used this card on a bid of 22 cards and was able to pull all safe cards because this allowed me to see 22 cards and avoid any Pirate’s Marks. Super OP if you ask me. The only other bad I have here is setup. There are 130 cards to be sorted, shuffled, and laid out in a nice-looking grid before the game can be played. For those of us with slight or full-blown OCD that is a nightmare. Luckily, I only stress if the cards are way out of whack instead of just slightly askew.
Now for all the good. I like this game quite a bit. To offset some of the OP of the aforementioned card, the game comes with some pretty great Lucky and Curse cards to be pulled. A couple Lucky cards are, “Drop Anchor,” which ends the player’s turn when revealed, thus negating any Mark pulls, and “Flying Dutchman,” which can be played on a marked player to instantly kill them. Now, I do not condone murder normally, but when playing a pirate game, it is to be expected. The Curses pulled are equally unlucky. “Winds of Fate” allows the person who called the bluff to choose the rest of the cards to be pulled for your turn. OUCH! Especially if they had used “Blackbeard’s Sword” and know where one or more Pirate’s Marks are hidden. Similarly unlucky is “Isla Muerta” which penalizes the player if they have 10 or more treasure cards and pull a Pirate’s Mark – they die instantly from the curse! These are just a few examples of some cards that can be encountered during play, and there are a whole lot more of them included.
I do so enjoy bluffing and luck-based games more and more, and Pirate’s Mark certainly gives it to me on those fronts. Being able to just whisk away 20 or more cards because you happen to have that coveted card you used is devilishly fun. Watching the other players seethe with envy as you pull treasure after treasure and avoid Marks is like winning $20 on a scratch-off. It won’t change your life, but it will give a shot of adrenaline and euphoria for a few minutes. I think Pirate’s Mark fills a void of straight bidding, bluffing, and luck that certainly matches the theme perfectly, and remains a good game as well.
Also, if you happen across one of the expansions, “Parrghty Mode,” it adds another five players to the game and bumps up the count of cards in play from 130 to a whopping 168! This is not for the small of table. I wish there was room inside the base game’s box to fit these extra cards, but alas, there is not.
So if you are like me and enjoy games on the lighter side that perfectly match game to theme, then you have to check out Pirate’s Mark. Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a haunting 8 / 12. I certainly recommend it and will now be finding a place in my main shelf unit for it. Hmm, which game do I make walk the plank…?
Pirate’s Mark is a bluffing, bidding, press-your-luck card game about finding treasure in the sea and avoiding contracting the Pirate’s Mark: the mark of death. In it players are pirates searching the seas by boasting about how many treasures they expect they will find, flipping over cards, and dealing with any consequences of their pulls. The last pirate to remain unmarked at the end of the game will be the winner and richest of all pirates on the vast seas.
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, include the correct number of cards as described in the rulebook for the number of players. Once the cards are shuffled they will be laid out in a 10 x 15 grid on the table, face-down. The Compass Rose card and die are placed near the card grid and the game is ready to begin!
On a turn a short bidding round commences with players announcing how many cards they believe they can pull from the grid without uncovering a Pirate’s Mark card. This bidding goes around the table with bids increasing with each player until one player calls the bluff and forces the last player to bid to take their turn. That player then pulls a number of cards face-up from the sea and resolves any cards that are immediate, stashes cards that are treasures, and holds cards that contain the phrase, “Play this card,” to be used at a later time.
If the turn is uneventful, by not revealing any Pirate’s Mark cards, then the game continues with bidding and pulling. However, once a pirate reveals a Pirate’s Mark card, they are marked and cannot participate in the bidding any longer (unless they find a way to unmark themselves, which IS possible). Marked players can get back in the game by calling another player’s bluff correctly. There is indeed risk here as a marked player that incorrectly calls a bluff is permanently dead and out of the game.
There are some more rules for the end of the game phase called, “Duel Mode,” but I will let you discover those on your own. Play continues in this fashion until one player is standing and unmarked. This player wins the game and the others need to pack up the 130 cards that were setup. Okay, I added that last part.
Components. This game is a ton of square cards and a fantastic d12 that is only used for the two-player variant. The cards are all glossy, but good quality, and feature photos (akin to screencaps from movies) instead of illustrations. I find the theme to be very present in not only the press-your-luck and bidding/bluffing mechanics, but also in the design of the cards and the photos used. It feels like a piratey game and plays like a piratey game. Like I said, the d12 is fabulous, and I actually happen to own a set of dice that I use for my RPG campaigns… sometimes. All in all the game has some good components and looks great on the table.
So I have some good AND bad news to deliver. First the bad. Some cards that are pulled are way too overpowered. One is called “Blackbeard’s Sword.” It allows the player to “peek under the number of cards left in your bid.” I used this card on a bid of 22 cards and was able to pull all safe cards because this allowed me to see 22 cards and avoid any Pirate’s Marks. Super OP if you ask me. The only other bad I have here is setup. There are 130 cards to be sorted, shuffled, and laid out in a nice-looking grid before the game can be played. For those of us with slight or full-blown OCD that is a nightmare. Luckily, I only stress if the cards are way out of whack instead of just slightly askew.
Now for all the good. I like this game quite a bit. To offset some of the OP of the aforementioned card, the game comes with some pretty great Lucky and Curse cards to be pulled. A couple Lucky cards are, “Drop Anchor,” which ends the player’s turn when revealed, thus negating any Mark pulls, and “Flying Dutchman,” which can be played on a marked player to instantly kill them. Now, I do not condone murder normally, but when playing a pirate game, it is to be expected. The Curses pulled are equally unlucky. “Winds of Fate” allows the person who called the bluff to choose the rest of the cards to be pulled for your turn. OUCH! Especially if they had used “Blackbeard’s Sword” and know where one or more Pirate’s Marks are hidden. Similarly unlucky is “Isla Muerta” which penalizes the player if they have 10 or more treasure cards and pull a Pirate’s Mark – they die instantly from the curse! These are just a few examples of some cards that can be encountered during play, and there are a whole lot more of them included.
I do so enjoy bluffing and luck-based games more and more, and Pirate’s Mark certainly gives it to me on those fronts. Being able to just whisk away 20 or more cards because you happen to have that coveted card you used is devilishly fun. Watching the other players seethe with envy as you pull treasure after treasure and avoid Marks is like winning $20 on a scratch-off. It won’t change your life, but it will give a shot of adrenaline and euphoria for a few minutes. I think Pirate’s Mark fills a void of straight bidding, bluffing, and luck that certainly matches the theme perfectly, and remains a good game as well.
Also, if you happen across one of the expansions, “Parrghty Mode,” it adds another five players to the game and bumps up the count of cards in play from 130 to a whopping 168! This is not for the small of table. I wish there was room inside the base game’s box to fit these extra cards, but alas, there is not.
So if you are like me and enjoy games on the lighter side that perfectly match game to theme, then you have to check out Pirate’s Mark. Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a haunting 8 / 12. I certainly recommend it and will now be finding a place in my main shelf unit for it. Hmm, which game do I make walk the plank…?
Merissa (11800 KP) rated Abroad in the Stars (Galaxia Pirates #1) in Books
Jan 18, 2018
Abroad in the Stars (Galaxia Pirates #1) by A.M. Halford
Abroad in the Stars is the first book in the Galaxia Pirates series, and we get a very thorough look at just what being a Galaxia pirate involves. Tony is their navigator, and has done a magnificent job of it so far, earning his place among the crew. Only a select few know of his 'real' identity of Antonio Santiago. Personally, I would say that Tony is more real than Antonio, but there you go. When the Captain's brother returns to the ship, sparks fly between him and Tony. Actually it was more than sparks that flew when they first met in a dark alley, but you'll read that bit for yourself. When Tony's parents decide they want him back, the crew of the Galaxia will do all they can to get their crewman back. And Craig will stop at nothing until he gets his lover back.
This is a brilliant story, HOWEVER if you are looking for rainbows and unicorns, then you're probably going to be disappointed! Personally, I loved the rough and tumble of it. Tony wanted exactly what Craig wanted to give. Both of them understood each other with no miscommunication. The steamy scenes are intense and brilliantly written. The world-building is mostly about the ship and Tony's family, but really, that is all you need for this story. You get an exceedingly good idea of the troubles the pirates face, and how much being a crew member means to them, and just what they will do if one of them is in danger.
Well written, with no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt my reading flow, this story grabbed me from the beginning. Fantastic start to the series, fantastic story, can't wait for more. Absolutely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
This is a brilliant story, HOWEVER if you are looking for rainbows and unicorns, then you're probably going to be disappointed! Personally, I loved the rough and tumble of it. Tony wanted exactly what Craig wanted to give. Both of them understood each other with no miscommunication. The steamy scenes are intense and brilliantly written. The world-building is mostly about the ship and Tony's family, but really, that is all you need for this story. You get an exceedingly good idea of the troubles the pirates face, and how much being a crew member means to them, and just what they will do if one of them is in danger.
Well written, with no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt my reading flow, this story grabbed me from the beginning. Fantastic start to the series, fantastic story, can't wait for more. Absolutely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Cat Danger Allan (29 KP) rated The Princess Bride in Books
Jan 27, 2020 (Updated Jan 27, 2020)
It is still my favourite book in all of the world. And more then ever, I wish I had written it
Contains spoilers, click to show
I watched the movie and loved how closely it related to the fairy tale in the book. We have Wesley and Buttercup who fall in love. However, when Wesley goes to make his fortune his ship is taken by the dreaded pirate Rogers, who never leaves a man alive. So Buttercup in her depression agrees to marry Prince Humperdink. One day Buttercup is kidnapped by a swordsman, a giant and the brains of the group. And so it goes.
This fairy tale has everything you could wish for. True love, a giant, a deadly forest, sword fighting, magic, pirates. You name it, its probably in there.
But what makes this writer so incredible. Is the abridgement section. Goldman writes this as if he's talking about his childhood story, alas this is all a fairytale too. The introduction where he talks about getting a copy of this book for his child's birthday like his father had done for him is one big hoax. He talks about removing all the sections and chapters from the book that never existed. He is just a great writer
The reunion scene he leaves an address to his publishers and promotes people to write in and ask for a copy of the scene. But this writer is so incredible, he replies back to these messages with a new fake story. It is all about how he is getting sued by Florin and cannot release the scene. If you would like to read the response I found a copy on twitter:
https://twitter.com/LettersOfNote/status/1063443712666161154?s=09
I just found that the storytelling was just so perfect, there was nothing you could not enjoy.
This fairy tale has everything you could wish for. True love, a giant, a deadly forest, sword fighting, magic, pirates. You name it, its probably in there.
But what makes this writer so incredible. Is the abridgement section. Goldman writes this as if he's talking about his childhood story, alas this is all a fairytale too. The introduction where he talks about getting a copy of this book for his child's birthday like his father had done for him is one big hoax. He talks about removing all the sections and chapters from the book that never existed. He is just a great writer
The reunion scene he leaves an address to his publishers and promotes people to write in and ask for a copy of the scene. But this writer is so incredible, he replies back to these messages with a new fake story. It is all about how he is getting sued by Florin and cannot release the scene. If you would like to read the response I found a copy on twitter:
https://twitter.com/LettersOfNote/status/1063443712666161154?s=09
I just found that the storytelling was just so perfect, there was nothing you could not enjoy.
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
Are you ready kids?”
“Aye, Aye, Captain…………”
As if, one motion picture wasn’t enough. Nickelodeon decides to release a sequel to the well received 2004 movie, “Spongebob Squarepants.”
The game is afoot with pirate Burger Beard (Antonio Banderas), who finds a treasure map that leads him to a legendary book. This book tells the story of the day in the life of the residence of Bikini Bottom. Spongebob is hard a work flipping burgers at the Krusty Krab. Plankton as usual is trying steal the secret recipe to everyone’s favorite snack, the Krabby patty. In the midst of the battle to save the recipe from Plankton’s evil hands, the recipe vanishes in midair. When the town realizes this may be the end of the Krabby patty forever, everyone begins panic, panic turns into destruction, and destruction leads to a satirical play on every post-apocalyptic film imaginable. Always the skeptic, Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown) turns the town and Spongebob’s closest friends against him. Forcing Spongebob to team up with Plankton, who has his own ulterior motives, to search for the recipe.
Plankton decides the best way to try to find the recipe is to invent a time machine so they can travel back to just before the recipe disappeared. Thus begins the adventure of travelling through time and ultimately ending with the entire gang, dressed up as superheroes, venturing on land to locate Burger Beard and get the recipe back.
Director Paul Tibbitt does an excellent job at taking all the visual humor that we’ve come to love from the TV show, and presents it with wonderful animation and stellar computer generated sequences for the dry land scenes.
Ninety minutes of Spongebob and friends’ zany antics, absurdities, and that obnoxious laugh is more than any parent can handle. That aside, you don’t have to be a fan of the show to enjoy those goofy laugh out loud moments. Definitely a movie geared towards kids!
“Aye, Aye, Captain…………”
As if, one motion picture wasn’t enough. Nickelodeon decides to release a sequel to the well received 2004 movie, “Spongebob Squarepants.”
The game is afoot with pirate Burger Beard (Antonio Banderas), who finds a treasure map that leads him to a legendary book. This book tells the story of the day in the life of the residence of Bikini Bottom. Spongebob is hard a work flipping burgers at the Krusty Krab. Plankton as usual is trying steal the secret recipe to everyone’s favorite snack, the Krabby patty. In the midst of the battle to save the recipe from Plankton’s evil hands, the recipe vanishes in midair. When the town realizes this may be the end of the Krabby patty forever, everyone begins panic, panic turns into destruction, and destruction leads to a satirical play on every post-apocalyptic film imaginable. Always the skeptic, Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown) turns the town and Spongebob’s closest friends against him. Forcing Spongebob to team up with Plankton, who has his own ulterior motives, to search for the recipe.
Plankton decides the best way to try to find the recipe is to invent a time machine so they can travel back to just before the recipe disappeared. Thus begins the adventure of travelling through time and ultimately ending with the entire gang, dressed up as superheroes, venturing on land to locate Burger Beard and get the recipe back.
Director Paul Tibbitt does an excellent job at taking all the visual humor that we’ve come to love from the TV show, and presents it with wonderful animation and stellar computer generated sequences for the dry land scenes.
Ninety minutes of Spongebob and friends’ zany antics, absurdities, and that obnoxious laugh is more than any parent can handle. That aside, you don’t have to be a fan of the show to enjoy those goofy laugh out loud moments. Definitely a movie geared towards kids!
Monkey Preschool:When I GrowUp
Education and Games
App
Celebrate with Milo, Zuzu and Jasper in Monkey Preschool: When I Grow Up! When I Grow Up is an...