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Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Friday in Tabletop Games
Jun 12, 2019
Game nights with the group are some of my favorite nights, but pesky schedules and “personal lives” often get in the way. Not being able to play with the group hasn’t slowed my gaming roll though, and I am always on the lookout for good, solo-able games! So when I saw ‘Friday – A Solo Adventure’ at my local used game sale, I knew I had to grab it.
Picture this – you live on a tropical island. One day as you’re walking down by the ocean, you see something on the shore. As you approach, you realize it is a grown man! Turns out this castaway is Robinson Crusoe. You decide to help Crusoe learn the ways of the jungle, combat hazards, build up his strength, and eventually escape your island via a nearby pirate ship. The island is a rough place, though, so you must be diligent in your guidance! Otherwise your newest comrade may not survive…
A cute little card drafting game of survival on a deserted island – how hard can it be, right? I seriously underestimated how tough this game actually is – I have never won a game to date. The premise of the game is simple enough (draw cards, overcome hazards, and build your deck), but successful execution is the tricky part.
It all really comes down to the luck of the draw. Some cards are excellent for fighting hazards, while others can seriously negatively impact a fight. Success or failure depends on how well you shuffle and where the cards end up in your draw pile. That is to be expected though – if all the cards were helpful, the game would be so easy! The balance (or should I say imbalance?) of positive and negative cards is what makes the game so difficult. There are almost as many negative cards as there are positive, which makes every fight feel completely random to me. It is hard to strategize because each turn is almost a 50/50 shot as to whether your next card is positive or negative. The game is supposed to last 3 phases, but I am lucky to survive into phase 2.
Friday will stay in my collection, for the time being, while I continue trying to formulate a working strategy. Overall, though, it is not my go-to solo game. Purple Phoenix Games gives it a 8 / 12. (Josh and Bryan haven’t played it yet!)
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2018/12/12/friday-a-solo-adventure-review/
Picture this – you live on a tropical island. One day as you’re walking down by the ocean, you see something on the shore. As you approach, you realize it is a grown man! Turns out this castaway is Robinson Crusoe. You decide to help Crusoe learn the ways of the jungle, combat hazards, build up his strength, and eventually escape your island via a nearby pirate ship. The island is a rough place, though, so you must be diligent in your guidance! Otherwise your newest comrade may not survive…
A cute little card drafting game of survival on a deserted island – how hard can it be, right? I seriously underestimated how tough this game actually is – I have never won a game to date. The premise of the game is simple enough (draw cards, overcome hazards, and build your deck), but successful execution is the tricky part.
It all really comes down to the luck of the draw. Some cards are excellent for fighting hazards, while others can seriously negatively impact a fight. Success or failure depends on how well you shuffle and where the cards end up in your draw pile. That is to be expected though – if all the cards were helpful, the game would be so easy! The balance (or should I say imbalance?) of positive and negative cards is what makes the game so difficult. There are almost as many negative cards as there are positive, which makes every fight feel completely random to me. It is hard to strategize because each turn is almost a 50/50 shot as to whether your next card is positive or negative. The game is supposed to last 3 phases, but I am lucky to survive into phase 2.
Friday will stay in my collection, for the time being, while I continue trying to formulate a working strategy. Overall, though, it is not my go-to solo game. Purple Phoenix Games gives it a 8 / 12. (Josh and Bryan haven’t played it yet!)
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2018/12/12/friday-a-solo-adventure-review/
Micky Barnard (542 KP) rated To Kill a Kingdom in Books
Dec 6, 2018
Scrappy siren
This is a thrilling debut from Alexandra Christo, taking a unique perspective on The Little Mermaid. It’s rather rudimentary to compare TO KILL A KINGDOM to The Little Mermaid because apart from some basics on characterisation, there really is little similarity.
Firstly, in a sea of YA fantasy series, I want to shout from the rooftops that this is a full and rounded standalone. Yes, I said standalone and I felt complete by the end, so it does what it says on the tin.
Sirens are the name of the game in this book and Lira is a scrappy, fierce and murderous siren princess known across the world as The Princes Bane. Her mother, the Sea Queen is her nemesis but she is bent to her mother’s will. The Sea Queen is a rather frightening, violent dictator without ethics or scruples. Lira, initially with little to recommend her, undertakes a change about which I don’t want to say more. The character development was superb.
“The crew said her hair was as red as hellfire.”
“The Princes’ Bane is the greatest monster I’ve ever known, and the only one who’s escaped death once I’ve set my sights on her."
Elian is more pirate than Prince of Midas, on a self-inflicted crusade to rid the world of sirens. There’s a lot more to like about Elian and he cuts a swarthy, heroic figure. The ship the prince operates from, holds a crew of friends, protectors and loyal sailors, they made for good reading. When Elian and Lira eventually cross paths, it’s not pretty but it’s explosive, violent and hateful.
“It’s you.”
“Look at you. My monster, come to find me.”
The story took hold of me from the first chapter and was a thrilling voyage across oceans and into unusual lands. I was interested throughout and dying to see what would happen. The romance is subtle but still kicks a punch, nevertheless, it doesn’t overwhelm the story.
"Me, my ship, and a girl with oceans in her eyes."
I had a little niggle in this book regarding how the dialogue was written, my problem being that it is consistently unclear when the dialogue character changes, which stops your flow while you work out who’s talking. However, this is just a niggle and wasn’t a major issue.
I am truly excited about this debut, it’s uniqueness and strong writing of characters and story direction. YA fantasy lovers are going to rave over this, I’m sure.
I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.
Firstly, in a sea of YA fantasy series, I want to shout from the rooftops that this is a full and rounded standalone. Yes, I said standalone and I felt complete by the end, so it does what it says on the tin.
Sirens are the name of the game in this book and Lira is a scrappy, fierce and murderous siren princess known across the world as The Princes Bane. Her mother, the Sea Queen is her nemesis but she is bent to her mother’s will. The Sea Queen is a rather frightening, violent dictator without ethics or scruples. Lira, initially with little to recommend her, undertakes a change about which I don’t want to say more. The character development was superb.
“The crew said her hair was as red as hellfire.”
“The Princes’ Bane is the greatest monster I’ve ever known, and the only one who’s escaped death once I’ve set my sights on her."
Elian is more pirate than Prince of Midas, on a self-inflicted crusade to rid the world of sirens. There’s a lot more to like about Elian and he cuts a swarthy, heroic figure. The ship the prince operates from, holds a crew of friends, protectors and loyal sailors, they made for good reading. When Elian and Lira eventually cross paths, it’s not pretty but it’s explosive, violent and hateful.
“It’s you.”
“Look at you. My monster, come to find me.”
The story took hold of me from the first chapter and was a thrilling voyage across oceans and into unusual lands. I was interested throughout and dying to see what would happen. The romance is subtle but still kicks a punch, nevertheless, it doesn’t overwhelm the story.
"Me, my ship, and a girl with oceans in her eyes."
I had a little niggle in this book regarding how the dialogue was written, my problem being that it is consistently unclear when the dialogue character changes, which stops your flow while you work out who’s talking. However, this is just a niggle and wasn’t a major issue.
I am truly excited about this debut, it’s uniqueness and strong writing of characters and story direction. YA fantasy lovers are going to rave over this, I’m sure.
I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.
Ross (3284 KP) rated The Bone Ships in Books
Oct 28, 2019
This book is the start of RJ Barker's second fantasy series - a swashbuckling adventure. Where in his first series, the Wounded Kingdom, the world-building was minimal (or rather, it was just enough to be able to tell the story he wanted to tell), here the reader is thrown in at the deep end. The world the book takes place in is one where the bones of sea dragons are used to build ships, which themselves are generally used to battle against other nations' ships to steal their bones. This is because there are no more of these dragons, or so they thought ...
The first quarter of this book feels like wading through treacle, it is so thick with unexplained terms, creatures, materials and nautical job titles. Even things like trees are renamed as "gion" or "varisk", making it really hard to make head or tale of.
The story follows Joron, a depressed man lumbered with the role of shipwife (captain) on a black ship (one manned by those serving a prolonged death sentence for numerous crimes). His ship is abruptly taken over by Lucky Meas, shipwife of great renown, and his mediocre crew miraculously turned into one that would die for each other.
The crew soon find themselves secretly hunting down a rumoured dragon, not to kill it and take its bones, but to protect it from those trying to do so. And then kill it where nobody can salvage its bones and, hey presto, the world will be at peace.
The journey part of the story is really quite painfully dragged out, with some long sections of ship training (I am now very well versed in how to load, aim and fire a made up ship's crossbow!) and some mediocre action scenes thrown in to pad the story out (most of which involve the crew embarking on an impossible mission that they accomplish nonetheless).
Joron is not a likeable main character. He, much like the main character in the Wounded Kingdom, is a whiney brat who has to be battered into submission before adding any value to those around him. I didn't care in the least about him, or the fate of those on the ship. There was a point where my reading ground to a halt, when I could no longer take the seemingly endless sea voyage and cringeworthy pirate speak.
The final quarter of the book is more action-packed and some scenes are massive improvements, compelling the reader to carry on. However, by that point I was fed up with the book and the crew and their bloody pointless journey.
The first quarter of this book feels like wading through treacle, it is so thick with unexplained terms, creatures, materials and nautical job titles. Even things like trees are renamed as "gion" or "varisk", making it really hard to make head or tale of.
The story follows Joron, a depressed man lumbered with the role of shipwife (captain) on a black ship (one manned by those serving a prolonged death sentence for numerous crimes). His ship is abruptly taken over by Lucky Meas, shipwife of great renown, and his mediocre crew miraculously turned into one that would die for each other.
The crew soon find themselves secretly hunting down a rumoured dragon, not to kill it and take its bones, but to protect it from those trying to do so. And then kill it where nobody can salvage its bones and, hey presto, the world will be at peace.
The journey part of the story is really quite painfully dragged out, with some long sections of ship training (I am now very well versed in how to load, aim and fire a made up ship's crossbow!) and some mediocre action scenes thrown in to pad the story out (most of which involve the crew embarking on an impossible mission that they accomplish nonetheless).
Joron is not a likeable main character. He, much like the main character in the Wounded Kingdom, is a whiney brat who has to be battered into submission before adding any value to those around him. I didn't care in the least about him, or the fate of those on the ship. There was a point where my reading ground to a halt, when I could no longer take the seemingly endless sea voyage and cringeworthy pirate speak.
The final quarter of the book is more action-packed and some scenes are massive improvements, compelling the reader to carry on. However, by that point I was fed up with the book and the crew and their bloody pointless journey.
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Connor Sheffield (293 KP) rated Treasure Planet (2002) in Movies
Jun 6, 2017
A fun take on the classic Treasure Island tale (1 more)
A very gripping story with a lot of heart
(Personal opinion) I'm not a huge fan of 'space' pirates (1 more)
Predictable even without knowing the story
A fun film for the family
This is probably only the 3rd time I've seen this film in my life. I'm currently reading the classic novel 'Treasure Island' written by Robert Louis Stevenson, and I wanted to watch something similar to it, without watching the actual adaptations of the same name as I do not wish to spoil the events of the few chapters I have not yet read. I knew that Treasure Planet was different in many ways and so I knew it wouldn't be completely true to the story.
So, I would describe Treasure Planet to someone by saying "Think of space pirates, all of whom are different weird looking species of aliens, and a cyborg with one young human looking character who's a stereotypical rebellious teen, even including a history of trespassing with his hover board (referencing a skateboarding rebellious teen).
The film has a lot of connections to the source material with it's story, such as names, and roles within the story, but it has a lot of it's own to offer. As a Disney film you expect certain aspects with the story, and you know what's going to happen moments before it happens, which might take away some of the entertainment factor for some, but if you don't mind it, then it's a decent film. Adapting the classic tale and setting it in space, gives the writers a lot of freedom to make the characters look and act how they want. There's a spider like character, a cat humanoid, a dog humanoid, frog humanoids, a character who appears to be made of stone, and John Silver himself, known in the story for having one leg, actually has robotic replacements for his left side. He has a robotic leg, arm and eye, which add to his somewhat villainous appearance and attitude.
The voice cast for the film is good and each character certainly seems to sound how they look, and when there are the heart filled moments as there are in every Disney film, it really hits you and makes you sympathize with the characters.
Overall this would be a fun film to watch with the kids, and if you grew up with Disney, as I'm sure most people have, but you haven't seen this, I recommend at least giving it a chance. If you don't like it, it's understandable, but it is a fun take on Treasure Island, and the pirate theme as a whole.
So, I would describe Treasure Planet to someone by saying "Think of space pirates, all of whom are different weird looking species of aliens, and a cyborg with one young human looking character who's a stereotypical rebellious teen, even including a history of trespassing with his hover board (referencing a skateboarding rebellious teen).
The film has a lot of connections to the source material with it's story, such as names, and roles within the story, but it has a lot of it's own to offer. As a Disney film you expect certain aspects with the story, and you know what's going to happen moments before it happens, which might take away some of the entertainment factor for some, but if you don't mind it, then it's a decent film. Adapting the classic tale and setting it in space, gives the writers a lot of freedom to make the characters look and act how they want. There's a spider like character, a cat humanoid, a dog humanoid, frog humanoids, a character who appears to be made of stone, and John Silver himself, known in the story for having one leg, actually has robotic replacements for his left side. He has a robotic leg, arm and eye, which add to his somewhat villainous appearance and attitude.
The voice cast for the film is good and each character certainly seems to sound how they look, and when there are the heart filled moments as there are in every Disney film, it really hits you and makes you sympathize with the characters.
Overall this would be a fun film to watch with the kids, and if you grew up with Disney, as I'm sure most people have, but you haven't seen this, I recommend at least giving it a chance. If you don't like it, it's understandable, but it is a fun take on Treasure Island, and the pirate theme as a whole.
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Beauvallet in Books
Apr 27, 2018
When Dona Dominica sets sail on the Santa Maria, she wonders if she will ever meet the infamous El Beauvallet, the English pirate with a reputation of being able to do anything because of witchcraft. But she does not expect her ship to be taken by him, Nor does she expect to be kidnapped by him and taken abord his ship the Venture.
Sir Nicholas Beauvallet captures Dominica and her father and proclaims that he will take them home to Spain, as Dominica has demanded. But falling head over heels in love with her was never part of his plan. In order to please her, he agrees to returning her to her country, but also announces that he will wed her before the year is up. How is Sir Nicholas supposed to come back to Spain to claim fair lady as his bride if all of Spain wants his head? The answer is easily—because Beauvallet can do anything, of course.
This was such a sweet story! I cannot think of words enough to describe how much I adored Beauvallet. The romance was fast-paced, the adventure was exciting, and the language was eloquent. I absolutely loved it. It was a pretty fast read and I read it in a few days. Georgette has many little surprises spread all through the story and tells amazing creative adventures of Beauvallet’s wits, fights, and escapes. It was a perfect blend of a sweeping romance and a gripping adventure.
The story is told in third-person omniscient, so you don’t always have all the details. It was a little hard to get inside the character’s heads at first, but once I learned who they were It was very easy to relate to them.
A wonderful thing about Beauvallet is that when El Beauvallet falls in love with Dominica, he does not claim her as his “love” or as his “mistress” or, in our culture, his “girlfriend,” he claims her as his bride. Which is really the most romantic aspect of it all.
The end was so sweet I won’t tell what happened but rest assured it was wonderful.
I loved this story so much! I have already run out to pick up more books by Georgette Heyer, I am officially a new fan! I cannot wait to read other books by her.
Content: Gloriously clean: no language, no sex.
Recommendation: Boys and girls (it’s such an adventure that boys would like it too!) Ages 13-Adult. It’s not aimed specifically to teens or young people, and would be perfect for an adult as well.
(Beauvallet was first published first in 1929. Reprint copyright to Sourcebooks: 2010)
~Haleyknitz
Sir Nicholas Beauvallet captures Dominica and her father and proclaims that he will take them home to Spain, as Dominica has demanded. But falling head over heels in love with her was never part of his plan. In order to please her, he agrees to returning her to her country, but also announces that he will wed her before the year is up. How is Sir Nicholas supposed to come back to Spain to claim fair lady as his bride if all of Spain wants his head? The answer is easily—because Beauvallet can do anything, of course.
This was such a sweet story! I cannot think of words enough to describe how much I adored Beauvallet. The romance was fast-paced, the adventure was exciting, and the language was eloquent. I absolutely loved it. It was a pretty fast read and I read it in a few days. Georgette has many little surprises spread all through the story and tells amazing creative adventures of Beauvallet’s wits, fights, and escapes. It was a perfect blend of a sweeping romance and a gripping adventure.
The story is told in third-person omniscient, so you don’t always have all the details. It was a little hard to get inside the character’s heads at first, but once I learned who they were It was very easy to relate to them.
A wonderful thing about Beauvallet is that when El Beauvallet falls in love with Dominica, he does not claim her as his “love” or as his “mistress” or, in our culture, his “girlfriend,” he claims her as his bride. Which is really the most romantic aspect of it all.
The end was so sweet I won’t tell what happened but rest assured it was wonderful.
I loved this story so much! I have already run out to pick up more books by Georgette Heyer, I am officially a new fan! I cannot wait to read other books by her.
Content: Gloriously clean: no language, no sex.
Recommendation: Boys and girls (it’s such an adventure that boys would like it too!) Ages 13-Adult. It’s not aimed specifically to teens or young people, and would be perfect for an adult as well.
(Beauvallet was first published first in 1929. Reprint copyright to Sourcebooks: 2010)
~Haleyknitz
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