Nitrogen Management in Crop Production
Book
One of the main approaches for safeguarding food security, sustainable development has increased...
Dictionary.com for iPad
Reference and Education
App
Download the most essential and comprehensive dictionary app for dependable definitions at your...
Dictionary.com
Reference and Education
8.3
Rate It
App
Download the essential and most comprehensive dictionary app for dependable definitions at your...
Elvis Presley by Elvis Presley
6.3
Rate It
Album
Elvis Presley (released in the UK as Elvis Presley Rock n' Roll) is the debut album by American rock...
Japan Subway Route Map (Tokyo Osaka Nagoya)
Travel and Navigation
App
Japan Subway Route Map is an application which you can see the route list and route map of Japan...
Air France Press
News and Travel
App
With the Air France Press app, sit back and relax… Your journey is already starting! Even before...
CellarTracker
Food & Drink
App
CellarTracker is the world's largest collection of wine reviews, tasting notes and personal stories...
Courage to Stand: Mastering Trial Strategies and Techniques in the Courtroom
Book
#1 National Bestseller on Amazon in SEVEN categories, including Liability Insurance, Law Office...
court law nonfiction non fiction non-fiction courtroom
David McK (3755 KP) rated The Last Command (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy, #3) in Books
Nov 21, 2021
So we're talking before the Prequel trilogy, never mind the Sequel trilogy. Before even the 'Special Editions' of the original movies.
And, talking of the Sequel Trilogy: I'm of the opinion that these would have been a better basis for those films than the disjointed mess we eventually got: there's a clear overall arc to the plot here, it doesn't disrespect the core characters (Han, Luke, Leia) while also does both deepen and expand upon the original trilogy, and introduces certain characters and locations that later made their way into the mainline movies: Coruscant? Grand Admiral Thrawn? The Noghri? All have their first appearances in these novels. I'm still waiting for Mara Jade to make her live-action debut, though ...
That's not to say that changes would have been needed: The Clone Wars mentioned here, for example, here has the Clones as the villains of the piece, and makes absolutely no reference to the Droid armies of the Trade Federation (understandably, as - remember - this was released way before 1999s 'The Phantom Menace').
All in all, this is a strong trilogy of novels that laid the groundwork for what would later become known as the Expanded Universe- later renamed as Legends - and of which parts are now being cherry-picked to fit into the main story lines following Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm back in (roughly) 2012 or so.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Hierarchy in Tabletop Games
Oct 1, 2019
Hierarchy is an abstract strategy game of perfect information for 2 players. Comprised of a mere 14 playing cards (excluding title and reference cards) it is quite the compact game – as is to be expected from the Button Shy crew. In a game of Hierarchy, players take turns playing cards from their open hand (no hidden information here!) on top of the last card played by their opponent, per the placement restrictions. To win, you must be able to play a card on top of which your opponent is unable to play a card – effectively ‘checkmating’ them and claiming victory for yourself!
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
Here’s how it works in detail. Each player first receives a Quick Reference Card, and is then dealt half of the deck (7 cards). The cards are double-sided to represent the two player colors – purple and gold – so each player flips their 7 cards to show their chosen color. Since this is a game of perfect information, all cards are laid out on the table, so each player always knows what cards their opponent has available to them. The player who was dealt the ‘Imposter’ card goes first. Each card has a specific number, ranging from 1 to 13, as well as a specific ability. To play a card, its number must be higher than that of the card below it, unless the card’s specific ability says it can be played otherwise. For example, if I play the Queen (#12), Travis could play the King (#13, numerically higher) or the Assassin (#1) since its power allows it to be played atop any card except for the Tower and Leper. Don’t be worried about having to memorize all the card abilities – they are all detailed on the Quick Reference Cards (see photo below). Play continues back and forth until one player is unable to play a card, either because they have no cards left at all or because they have no valid cards left to play. That player loses the game, and the remaining player is the top of the Hierarchy! (Roll credits)
Let’s talk components first. They’re excellent, which is no surprise coming from ButtonShy. Of course, we just have a preview copy of the game, so I can only imagine that the card quality might be up for improvement during the Kickstarter. That being said, the cards we received are nice and sturdy, as is the tell-tale wallet of a ButtonShy game. The text on the cards is a good size, and the font is easy to read. The artwork is fine, but quite honestly not something I looked at in depth until Travis mentioned the style. I think that’s because the cards are all monochrome, the art just didn’t really draw my eye. Not a knock on the game, just something I noticed! Speaking of color, I personally love the player color choices of Purple and Gold – the school colors of my Alma Mater ((the University of Northern Iowa, go Panthers!)(also of the Alma Mater of the rest of us – Western Illinois University – GO NECKS! -T)). Maybe I’m biased, but I think those two colors are a great combination 🙂
And how about the gameplay? I think it’s excellent. For such a compact and ‘light’ game, the strategy required for success keeps the game extremely engaging. You always know the cards your opponent has, and you’ve got to be thinking at least several turns in advance to try to back them into a corner while not letting yourself fall victim to an unnoticed strategic play. Another neat thing about Hierarchy is how quickly it plays – typically in 20 minutes or less. You might have to devote a decent amount of brainpower to outwitting your opponent, but you definitely don’t need to devote hours of time during your game night for this game, and I love that. Gamers who enjoy games like Citadels or Love Letter might enjoy the familiarity of Hierarchy’s gameplay coupled with the intimacy of a strictly 2-player game. The final verdict from me is that Button Shy has another hit on their hands with Hierarchy. I am very much looking forward to following the campaign, and definitely plan to pull this game out many times in my future!