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Forbidden Island
Forbidden Island
2010 | Adventure, Card Game, Fantasy
Easy to learn. Good character choices. Clear objectives. Decent replay value. Promotes cooperation to win. (0 more)
Can be frustrating for younger or newer players. (0 more)
Race time and a booby-trapped island to find lost treasures!
I bought this game as an intro to strategy tabletop gaming for my kids. Our first game was a win, but the second ended in tears as the island defeated us.
It didn't stop us though. We still play it and have learned how to apply strategies to help each character meet objectives quickly.
We are considering other games in the franchise, but now the kids are hooked on gaming and we're trying new types.
Well worth the money for adventure and strategy for even seasoned players. The scaled difficulty and multiple characters make strategy and replay a must. The more people playing, the more the game seems to adapt.
Maybe not the best intro to new gamers, but it worked for us!
  
40x40

Christine A. (965 KP) rated Smashbomb in Apps

Nov 27, 2018  
Smashbomb
Smashbomb
Entertainment, Lifestyle, Social Networking
8
8.9 (123 Ratings)
App Rating
Can review many types of media and import ratings and/or reviews from other sites. (0 more)
Must wait to edit a review. (0 more)
Smashbomb allows users to review many types of media.
I recently discovered Smashbomb. It's similar to Goodreads but you can review more than books. Movies, apps, TV shows, music, video games, tabletop games, podcasts, and tech are reviewed also.

You can access Smashbomb by downloading the app or by going to Smashbomb.com.

You can easily import your ratings and/or reviews from Goodreads. I had difficulty importing my ratings from IMDb. When I figure out what I'm doing wrong I'll write a blog post to explain.

You earn badges and can be awarded KP, kudos points.

Users can award you KP because of your review or "for submitting high quality content". The amount of daily KP you are rewarded is based on your KP score. The more KP you earn, the more influential you become.

"Some badges are earned based on kudos points (KP) awarded by other users, and others are awarded by Smashbomb directly." As of 11/27/18, approximately 90 badges are offered. "Higher level badges are a sign of authority and trust, which will result in increased exposure and more followers."

I like the KP system, the badge system, and the concept of being able to go to one place for all of the reviews offered.
  
Constitution Check (Dungeons and Dating #4) by Katherine McIntyre
Constitution Check (Dungeons and Dating #4) by Katherine McIntyre
Katherine McIntyre | 2022 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Independent Reviewer for Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!

 

This is book number 4 in the Dungeons and Dating series and I have to say I have loved every one so far. The series is centred on a group of people who run a business called the Tabletop Tavern and have come together through their love of board games, particularly Dungeons and Dragons.


Each book focuses on different characters and their love life and life in general. This book focuses on Kelly who is trying to get over a domestically violent relationship that ended with the death of her then-girlfriend and Tabby who has never felt any good for anybody.


Katherine is an absolute wizard with words and you get a clear understanding of what each character is going through. She tackles the tougher subjects abuse/homophobia/grief etc in such a delicate but powerful way. It is a pleasure to read even though some of it is heart-breaking.


I 100% recommend reading not just this book but the whole series. Fantastic Katherine.

 

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
  
Village Attacks
Village Attacks
2018 | Horror, Miniatures
Fantastic miniatures and great concept (0 more)
A tad pricey, but well worth it. (0 more)
UK Games Expo 2018 was filled to the brim with new and shiny games, but one of our stand out picks was a cooperative castle defence game, with a twist. In Village Attacks, you take on the role of some of the most infamous and feared folklore legends. What could go wrong?

Set within the depths of a particularly immense castle, you and your fellow villains must defend your home from the local villagers who are laying siege to your home in an effort to exorcise your evil from the world.

Although the villagers themselves may be weak, they aren’t alone. Hunters and heroes from across the world have come to lend sword, shield and gun to rid the world of your taint.

The castle interior is constructed using a modular tile system made up from beautifully illustrated game tiles that allow for near limitless combinations and layouts. The villagers will attempt to reach the heart of the castle and destroy it, but they must be stopped! Only by slaying enough villagers and breaking their morale will you be able to drive them from your home for good.

The brainchild of two friends, Adam Smith and Mike Brown of Grimlord Games, an independent developer of tabletop games, Village Attacks uses custom dice to control the outcome of your turn. Dice results can be used to move your monster, activate your abilities, purchase traps, defend yourself from incoming attacks and even be stored for the next round.

Each monster possesses their own unique abilities that they are able to level up by slaying villagers and completing objectives. Monsters are categorised into types, which can affect how they interact with the enemy forces. Hunters and Town Heroes deal extra damage to monsters that match their types, creating another level of strategy and planning.

I had the opportunity to give Village Attacks a whirl at UK Games Expo and I really did fall in love with it. I’m a sucker for a good miniature and this has plenty of options, particularly if you backed the Kickstarter. While the game itself comes with a lot of components (see the list below), it’s fairly quick to get into. Once the heroes and hunters take to the board, that’s when things really start to heat up. This one is certainly going on the wish list.
  
Tsuro
Tsuro
2004 | Abstract Strategy, Fantasy
Quick to play (3 more)
Simple to learn
Interesting concept
Charming
Very little scope for strategy (1 more)
Not much replay value
A Path Into Gaming
Tsuro is a game with a very simple concept: be the last player on the board. You do this by laying tiles which link to create winding paths around the board, which inevitably end up running off the board altogether. But be careful - colliding with another player results in a double elimination.

Because it boasts such trivial mechanics, it is very easy to pick up and play a few rounds quickly (some games can last under 10 minutes including setup), as well as being one that young children could enjoy. The player meeples have a good quality feel, and it can be satisfying watching the winding paths in the game board grow.

However, it very quickly becomes obvious just how simple this game is - winning is often less about trying to run your opponents off the board as it is trying to keep yourself in play for as long as possible, until you inevitably take yourself out of the game.

Tsuro, then, is an inviting game for introducing regular folk to the mad world of tabletop gaming, and is a solid option for beginning a proper games night with its simplicity and charm. I used it recently myself as a sweetner to help ease a new player into game night, and it worked a treat. It probably won't make regular appearances however.

I like it. Worth a look.