Alex

At first I was a bit skeptical about this game. It seemed too simple but I gave it a shot with hopes that it would be more than just a simple game of Russian Roulette but with cards.

This game is absolutely a lot of fun!! BUT you need to play it with the maximum group. If you are playing with one deck, then 4 to 5 players. But if you want even more fun, combine 2 decks or the regular deck with the NSFW for 8 to 10 players and this game will be a riot.

First of all, the artwork is hilarious so that will get a good laugh. Also, the game is super easy to learn. They weren’t kidding when they said that it takes a few minutes to learn because it really does. After that, it is fast paced fun. The trick is not to keep on doing actions. A lot of noobs, think that just because doing actions is part of what you do during your turn, that slows down the game. What you want to do instead is keep on picking up cards to build up your hand and then only play action cards when necessary. That helps keep the game fast paced and then as the deck gets lower and lower, it truly does get more and more intense as players start exploding.

You don’t have to be an avid gamer to enjoy this. All you gotta do is have an open mind and you don’t really have to put too much thought into this. I love all types of games from heavy strategy to simple card games with take that elements. While people may think that it is all luck, I disagree. It is a combination of luck and strategy and if you play your cards right, you can dominate.

I highly recommend it!!! Give it a shot!!

K2 is a mountain climbing board game that really re-creates the experience of mountain climbing. While I’ve never climbed K2 in my life, I can imagine that it is as treacherous as the game makes it out to be.

It starts off like a walk in the park at first but once you start getting higher, it starts getting more and more difficult. And then as you get even closer to the peak, that is when things really start getting more complicated. From hostile weather to lack of climbing space to acclimatization, there are many forces that are going against you.

Make no mistake about it, this game is a race but it isn’t just as simple as being the fastest one to the top, you have to plan ahead, especially for poor weather.

I really like this game and intend to play it more times. The only thing that I found to be a bit of a strange mechanic is the risk tokens. I understand why the game makers put it in there to create a bit of randomness but it just feels out of place.

Other than that, this game is intense and isn’t as simple as racing. You need to put a bit of thought in this as you plan your next move while dealing with the forces of mother nature.

I would recommend this game!! 🙂

I am totally addicted to Pandemic the base game. I’ve played it the most times out of all the games I own. I like that even though I keep on playing the base game and varying the difficulty levels, I still end up with varied end results. I win some and then I lose some. But for the most part, I win most of the time.

So I was ready for the next level and that would be of course with the On The Brink expansion. This expansion is a lot of fun. While there are 3 modules (virulent strain, mutated strain and the bio-terrorist), you only need to play 2 of them. The bio-terrorist module is quite silly and I am not really a fan of the hidden movement mechanics.

But as for the virulent strain and mutated strain, I absolutely love it. I love that the game still feels the same but not only is it more difficult but it feels like there will always be surprises. No matter how much you think you know this game, it will always be unpredictable. However with the right team mates and the right roles, you can really use your turns effectively and efficiently and the game will feel very fun and exciting.

There are a lot of great things about this game other than just the modules but also the addition of new roles. Everyone loves new roles and their new abilities. So that is always exciting. Also the ability to make this game to have a nightmarish difficulty level is a great option. You can combine the virulent strain module with the mutated strain module together to give yourself a really hard time. And even though you might not win the next 5 or 6 games, you still want to keep on playing because you feel like you could’ve done something smarter. That’s what I love about this game. It gives you that constant need to play the game again and again and again.

Anyways, end the end, this is a very solid expansion and it is an absolute must have for Pandemic fans. Be prepared for some challenging and exciting gameplay.

First of all, I love the Ticket to Ride original game. I love the easy gameplay mechanics and its competitive nature. I think it is one of the better games to teach newbie gamers. And to keep on keeping the gameplay fresh, they bring in new expansions and Ticket to Ride Asia really changes things up.

First of all you got, some new rules for the Legendary Asia and then you also got the ability to do team play with the Team Asia map. So just from that alone, you have got some really great replay value.

The Team Asia map is something that will take some time to get used to because the team play mechanics really changes your strategy especially since you will be sharing cards. I think that is a very unique way to play the game.

As for Legendary Asia, it keeps the existing style of gameplay quite interesting by changing up the geography and adding a few twists to the game but ultimately what we have here is still the same game. I love that they don’t take that away from the TTR fans. This feels like a really solid sequel to this series and I think it is a must have for all the TTR fans.

If you combine the film Snowpiercer with The Walking Dead, you have Dead of Winter. Imagine a post apocalyptic winter where you are trying to stay warm and out of starvation in a warehouse. Meanwhile, the people you are with have their own motives and ideas. While you are figuring out what their personal agendas are, zombies are approaching and your supply of food, medicine and other resources are running low.

This is the relentless theme of Dead of Winter. It is the most immersive tabletop gaming experience that I have ever had. I cannot think of any other game that can re-create such an experience. It feels extremely thematic due to the intense nature of the game. You are always on edge because even though it is not your turn, you are still completely involved in the game not only during the discussions but also when you are trying to understand what the other players are trying to achieve. Are they on your side or are they going to betray you? Or are you just paranoid? While you think about this, the zombies are getting closer and closer.

Throughout the game, there is always something happening. Everything you do involves risk. And you need spend the actions during your tun very wisely. There is not time to waste. Just like Pandemic, you need to be very efficient otherwise things will go bad.

During your turn, you can do a number of actions. But what is most intense about the game is the psychological aspect of it. Once you find out there is someone else who is trying to sabotage your main objective, everyone will be suspicious. And that is what makes this game so much more intense.

Anyways, I think this game is absolutely brilliant. There was lot of thought put into the design of this game. It has very interesting and clever mechanics and it felt like they took a lot of existing mechanics that worked and they added all those mechanics into their game as well as created a few of their own.

I really enjoyed this game when I played it and I can’t wait to play this one again.

There are a lot of cooperative games out there but I definitely feel that Flash Point Fire Rescue is one that you simply have to own if you are a fan of cooperative games.

Flash Point Fire Rescue if very thematic. It has a lot of elements that are involved in a real-life fire rescue situation such as fire engines, paramedics, hazardous materials and random explosions.

What I really enjoy about this game is that just like Pandemic, included in the game is a set of specific specialist roles. Each role can do something different and will have their own advantages. You will need these roles to help you complete the mission. And if you are playing with other players who truly are into the game, then you will be cooperating and communicating a lot as opposed to just doing your own thing.

Another thing that I enjoy is the fast paced nature of the game. The building is on fire and it is going to collapse and also the victims may get burned to death so you have to act fast. This game is a very quick moving game. You perform your action points and then you advance the fire and you repeat that cycle until the game ends.

The only thing thing that I find can be a tiny bit annoying is that it is possible to lose the game completely through unlucky dice rolling. When you advance the fire, you can perform a shockwave that instantly kills the victims that you have to rescue. If that happens 4 times, the game is over. If it happens 4 times in a row in a short period of time, it sucks and it makes you feel very very dissatisfied. That is the main drawback of the game. It feels like you couldn’t have prevented it no matter what your strategy is however, that kind of randomness is still very thematic to the game.

Anyways, other than, I really enjoy this game and I feel that this is a very unique cooperative game especially since most people think of the Matt Leacock games typically when thinking of cooperative games.

After playing Castle Panic again and again and again, it has gotten to the point where I feel like I will always beat the game. That is when you know you are ready for the expansion. So bring in The Wizard’s Tower.

This adds 4 new elements to the game:

The Wizard Deck – as long as your Wizard’s Tower is still around, you can cast spells
New Monsters – of course if you are going to have spells to add to your advantage, then there will be more challenging monsters, including boss monsters
More Castle Cards – it has definitely gotta be balanced out with more special types of castle cards
Fire – monsters can create fire, well you can also light them up as well

Add all these things to the mix and you have a more exciting gameplay experience. I find that Castle Panic is already quite exciting and I enjoy it every time I play whether I win or lose. But now with Wizard’s Tower, it adds a whole new level of intensity to the game especially since the new monsters are so powerful. I almost find that the it makes the game a bit too difficult. But that is not necessarily a bad thing because of course it makes you want to keep on playing it until you get better at it or start to really learn the tricks on how to use everything to your advantage.

So this is definitely a must buy for fans of Castle Panic. But I gotta say that the only downside that I have about this game is that there are times when you are just super unlucky and then your Wizard’s Tower gets taken out really quickly and then you can no longer cast any more spells. Once this happens too early in the game, you are pretty much doomed and the game will feel a tad unbalanced. But it is not like they had the intention of making this expansion a cake walk.

Anyways, definitely pick this one up because it will change up the game quite a bit without changing too many of the mechanics. Essentially it is still the same game but they added 1 extra step and modified some existing rules. You will still have loads of fun and panic!

I already love King of Tokyo. I can’t get enough of that game and when I saw both the Power Up and Halloween expansion, I had to get them both. And finally I cracked open the Halloween expansion to try it out.

I wouldn’t say it changes the game all that much. As a matter of fact, all it does is that it gives you more options specifically by adding more characters for you to play with. And of course with more characters, that means more evolution cards which were introduced in the Power Up expansion.

However, the evolution cards in the Halloween expansion are somewhat unique because they have Gift Evolutions, which are essentially curse cards. You “gift” them to other players and then something bad happens to them while they hold onto them.

Other than, that you get a few new action cards called Costume Cards. They have silly artwork on them but what they are are Keep cards that can be bought off you from opposing players. I find that abilities on the Costume cards are pretty good and beneficial and they really add some good variety to the game. And in order to make one character not too over powered, they give you the ability to buy them off the other players as long as you roll the appropriate amount of claws on the dice and also have enough energy cubes.

Overall, even though it feels like adding Power Up and Halloween together feels like a lot, it actually isn’t. It is impossible to go through a game where you actually go through the entire deck of cards and the evolution cards always change up your character every time you play so it really adds great replay value on an already excellent game. Must buy for fans!

I was a little concerned that this game would be like the Hare and the Tortoise from Iello games but it is way more crazier. While Hare and the Tortoise is a betting and racing game which is focussed more on the race itself, Camel Up is a betting and racing game focused completely on the betting.

This is as random as it gets. It is like going into a horse race blindly and then betting on your horses and placing more bets as the race progresses but instead you are betting on camels that can carry each other and that is where the hilarity ensues.

This game is stressful in a fun kind of way. I find that the group that I played with had very mixed feelings about it. They didn’t like that they were in control of the race but they enjoyed how it felt intense. There are only a few things that you can do which affects the outcome of the race but those things are still based entirely on randomly generated outcome. As for your other actions, it is just straight up betting. And that’s what I love about this game. The mechanics are very clever in the sense that it makes the race very very random. You may think that you are betting on a winner but then suddenly the camel at the very back is actually making is way back in the lead and then you will be freaking out about it because you already placed your bet. This game is chaotic, and frustrating in a fun kind of way.

On the first time you play it, the players will feel a bit strange about the game because they will feel like they had no control but if they give it a second chance, they will really understand that this game is really all just about being lucky and strategizing your betting based on probability. If you can accept this concept, then you will have no problems enjoying this game.

I really enjoy this game and while this game isn’t for the hardcore strategy gamer, it is definitely a great game to break out in a large group party setting especially since it doesn’t involve that much thinking and it is super easy to learn.

Thumbs up and highly recommended

Eruption is a very fun family game. It is funny that they call this a family game because the objective of the game is to send lava to burn up the village of your opposing players. Essentially, you are trying to destroy their village by directing lava from the volcano to it. The village with the “coolest” temperature by the end of the game wins.

When I first found out about this game, I was instantly sold. I really appreciate the premise of it. I liked the fact that it was a directly confrontational game because you are using a lot of “take that” elements with each tile you lay and also with the different cards you play.

Eruption is a game that starts off slow but then as the game progresses, it starts heating up, literally. It gets more and more exciting as more lava tiles are laid down. You will start finding out who your enemies are as more tiles are revealed. What I really like about the game is that the temperature scoring mechanics really allows the game to be quite balanced out. What I mean by that is that even you think you are losing, you still can end up being the winner if you play your cards right. And also just because you are way ahead of everyone else with the coolest village doesn’t mean a lot when someone else starts hitting the danger zones which increase your village’s temperature significantly higher.

There are some games where if you don’t make the right move at the very beginning of the game, you will lose. This is NOT that game. This is a game where it is possible to play catch up. I also really like the theme of the game where you are trying to survive a flood of lava. I don’t know how many games there are out there with this theme but this one is one that I enjoyed on both of the 2 times I have played it. I intend to play it more with different groups and I feel that it is a great game for groups that want to experience a game that consists of many elements: Tile placement, action cards, and dice rolling.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that it says it is a family game. Even a group of adults will enjoy this game. My number 1 tip for this game is to determine right away who you want to destroy. Absolutely DO NOT be a passive player. If you want to win, you need to increase your opponent’s temperature before they do the same to you.

I’ll be 100% honest about King of Tokyo Power Up. While it does change up the game in a way that whichever character you play will have its own set of advantages of disadvantages, the core game itself is still the same. It is not “pretty much” the same, it IS the same.

And that is a good thing. I like King of Tokyo a lot as a base game. I think that the gameplay, the mechanics and the simplicity of it is near perfect. And I wouldn’t wanna change the game that much if at all. But this is something that I felt was necessary because instead of choosing a character that just looks cool, you are now choosing a character because it can possibly be stronger than the other based on its evolution cards.

And because of these evolution cards, your strategy will be changed a little bit. It will help you define your strategy because of what you end up with as your evolution card.

But make no mistake about it, if you play with Power Up or without Power Up, you will be getting the same value as the base game. In fact, the probability of even using up that many evolution cards before the game ends is actually not as high as you think. It will be a pretty long game if you actually end up having that many evolution cards considering King of Tokyo is not meant to be that long of a game to begin with.

It’s a party game and therefore the addition of this expansion does not change or redefine what the game and that is a good thing. Adding this expansion will be dependent on my mood. If I want just straight up brawling, I will play the base game. If I want a tiny bit more thought in deciding which dice I should keep, I’ll add the expansion.

But no matter what, King of Tokyo still rocks without Power Up. Get it, if you wanna add that extra edge but it is not that necessary.

I’ve already reviewed Dixit and I gave it a lot of praise and this game gets the same amount of praise for its mechanics and great artwork but the only thing really missing physically is the the bunnies. That’s really the only thing that makes this game different. We are just using standard player tokens. But other than that, it really is the same game but without bunny meeples and also the artwork is different.

I have both Dixit and Dixit Journey and I don’t think as a game one is better than the other. However, I think it is completely necessary to buy Dixit Journey even if you have Dixit especially if you have played Dixit too many times with the same group which I have. If you keep on drawing the same cards over and over, your friends will know what you will always use as your hint to match up with your card so having another set of cards from Dixit Journey really gives it that variation and freshness.

I really love Dixit. I love the creativity aspect of it and I love that it also has a psychological aspect to it in the sense that you are trying to figure out how the other players think. So as as long they keep on making expansions, I’m going to keep on buying them to keep the game fresh.

I personally feel that this particular expansion is a must buy for Zombie Dice fans. Zombie Dice 2 does have its moments but this one really takes the game to another level. While I wouldn’t recommend rookie players to play with the School Bus dice right away, it is something that veteran players will really appreciate because it really creates a brand new aspect to the game. As a matter of fact, I feel more into character as a zombie every time I bring in the School Bus dice because each roll can represent a special scenario. Whether you get a stop, dead end or yield, it all feels very logical in an actual scenario and that aspect of the game makes it feel very very fun. Once I got the expansion, I roll the School Bus dice every time to make it more action packed. This is a MUST BUY for Zombie Dice fans!!

After playing Zombie Dice on it’s own, I felt that it was time to bring in an expansion to make the game more dynamic. While I do think that the jock and cheerleader dice really add a challenge to the game, the Santa Clause rice really helps balance it out with the Helmet and the Energy Drink. i think that Zombie Dice on its own is fun but after a while, it can feel like that you could use another challenge so this expansion really can add a new dynamic to it.

Now you can re-create the famous mexican standoff in Reservoir Dogs. If you haven’t seen the movie, that’s ok. All you gotta know is that you are splitting up the loot after a big heist but you don’t entirely trust everyone so suddenly you raise all your guns up pointing at someone while they have their guns pointed at another person (possibly you). And then you have to ask yourself, do you want to keep your gun raised because you think they aren’t going to shoot you or are you going to put your gun down and lose the opportunity to be a part of the loot collection?

I absolutely love this game. I would play it as often as possible if I have enough people. You need a minimum of 4 people to play and up to 8 players. But I don’t see you couldn’t add more if you have enough components. But anyways, I’ve played with 7 players and it is so much fun because the best part is when all the guns are being pointed at each other and then its also fun when you find out that they were just bluffing the whole time.

While this game relies a lot on the bluffing mechanics, it is what I would call a game that is totally balanced because the godfather mechanic. Even though you might be missing out on a lot of cash, you be the godfather and that will give you more powers. Or if you find guns are pointing at you a lot, then let the other people point their guns at each other and let them take the hits and then you can join in later on to collect the riches afterwards.

Even though this game has 8 steps and you will repeat those 8 steps through the 8 rounds, it still is a very fast paced game.

This is a fantastic party game and everyone playing will be laughing when those guns are being pointed around.

I’m looking forward to trying a modified version of it where 1 player can hold 2 guns. That will be interesting.

The River I expansion doesn’t change things up significantly. It just adds a new element to the start of the game.

In fact, I play it all the time just because not only does it keep things more interesting at the beginning but it helps with the decisions. At the beginning of the game, you might not be sure what you want to do. The River expansion really helps with the decisions and eliminates a bit of that indecisiveness.

Based on what is drawn in sequence, you will then decide if you want to be a city builder or something else. Another thing is that it helps balance out the game in the event of “Epic Farmers” by creating some borders to prevent farms from getting too ridiculous when scoring the the open fields.

So I really like the river. More tiles is always better. In fact, I wish there were more tiles in the base game to begin with so this really compliments the game in a good way because it definitely doesn’t hurt it by making it more complex.

Its just one more quick step to make before you start really building.

Carcassonne is a must own game for every gamer. I feel that even if you are just a casual or party gamer, Carcassonne needs to be in your collection. It is a game that is fairly easy to each and once you start the game, it won’t take that long to get your newbie gaming friends to pick up the pace of the game.

I personally don’t find that it is a game that will have a player spending too much time thinking what is his next move because while you do have lots of options, there are only a few options that will be serving you in your best interest.

There are essentially 3 steps in a turn. 1) Place a tile, 2) place your follower which is optional, and 3) score points if you can. And that is it.

The game gets strategic when you decide that you want to score “epic” points for either your cloisters, roads or cities. But be careful, other players can mess with your strategy by placing tiles that will make your plan for you.

Let’s break it down:

Components – meeples and tiles essentially. They really keep it quite simple. And there is a score board

Strategy – even for such a simplistic game, I was surprised at how many different opportunities there are to gain points. Are you going to go for the longest roads or the epic city builder or the king of cloisters. Perhaps you might want to go for the long term investment and become a farmer. Or maybe, you want to play aggressively and mess with the other players and essentially create enemies. Pick up the right tile and place it where they don’t want it and you will draw blood.

Randomness – while there is no dice rolling, there is the picking up of the tiles which are all face down. And the probability of picking up something you need is always scattered all over the place. However as you continue picking up new tiles, your strategy can change for better or for worse or just change things in a completely new direction for everyone. But I find the randomness factor to be the element that keeps me wanting to play again.

Replayability – this game can be very quick depending on how many players you have. I played most recently with 2 players and it moves along quite quickly. I imagine that a 6 player game (with the expansions) can be quite chaotic. The ease of learning for this game really makes this a game that you want to come back to playing again and again. And it doesn’t matter if someone else beats you in the first round because you learn from your mistakes and then you try a new strategy and it can work in your favour. The most exciting part about this game is the final scoring phase. It is what can turn the tide of the game exponentially. This is where the farmers come in. The excitement in this portion of the game is what makes the non-gamers and the players who are losing make a possible comeback. And that hope is all you need to get your players to play the game again right away.

Final thoughts – I love this game and will put this game somewhere in my top 10 games that I own. It is a game that will see a lot of replay value and its a game that I will be able to play with the various types of gamers in my group.

9 out of 10

I immediately bought this expansion when I got the original Setters of Catan base game. I bought it because my core group of friends is at least 5 people so therefore I wanted to make sure that we when play it, we can all play together. So by default, I thought that playing Catan with 6 people would be the same as playing it with 4 people. I was quite wrong.

I’ve played Catan with 4 people before and it was quite fun and the game flowed quite smoothly. But with 6 people, it not only makes it longer but it is made longer to the point where it really messes with the original games game flow. The original game is supposed to have quite a decent flow of playing. With more players, it makes it rough and you can tell that right from the beginning of the game when it is time to pick your first 2 settlements.

You know the saying where the first move will determine the outcome for the rest of the game, well playing with the 6 player expansion truly solidifies that. You can almost right away figure out who is going to win and who is going to be screwed based on that.

Even though they added more tiles and more resources and more development cards to the mix and even though they have added the “special building phase” so that the other players don’t have to always wait their turn before they can build stuff, it really doesn’t make the game that much more balanced out.

The fact is that Settlers of Catan players out much better with 4 people. And it is not just about the length of the game. It just makes the game much harder to play. I found my group losing interest by the time we got to the 2 hour mark. Typically we would be quite invested and we know what we plan to do but playing it with 6 player wasn’t the case this time. Even if your plan was going the way you want it to, things change more often than you think and it takes a lot longer to get to victory.

I would recommend playing Settlers of Catan with 4 people but if you absolutely have no choice because your group is too large, then play with the expansion but understand that it can really change a simple game quite dramatically.

6 out of 10

A couple of cards and some coins. That is what coin age completely consists of. You can literally fit the entire game in your wallet.

I think this game is clever in the fact that it can make a game of area control that can be carried around in your pocket. In fact, you don’t even have to use the cardboard cut-out coins that they give you. You can use your own coins that you already have in your coin purse or wallet.

As for the game itself. It is super simple. There is a little bit of RNG mechanic to it but still, what happens next when you find out how many coins you flipped over is still quite balanced out. The designers were still able to make a well balanced game using strategy and RNG. But believe me, when I say strategy, it is as simple as it gets. I’m talking about moving one space and also taking a coin. It’s not anything that you need to put too much thought about.

This is the type of game that you play while you’re waiting for your food to come at a restaurant. Unfortunately, regardless of how clever the idea is for carrying a game in your wallet, this game has as much depth as your credit card. There’s really not much to it. After the first game, I didn’t really try it again because it was really didn’t feel like I was doing anything unique in a game. I’ve played better area control games and I prefer rolling dice instead of flipping coins. But its not meant to be any thing more than something to do while you’re waiting for your food.

When I first heard about a co-op game where you cannot see your own cards, I wasn’t thinking that a game like that could be that fun. I mean after all, it was just a bunch of cards with numbers on them and all you have to do is organize your cards in sequential order by numbers and colour. How fun could that possibly be??

I saw the reviews, checked out the tutorials and I thought, ok I’ll give it a try. This game won so many awards, its gotta be something special. Well………this game totally caught me off guard.

It is SURPRISINGLY fun!! Here is a game where, like Pandemic, you will want to play again and again to get better at it. Like Pandemic, every time the game beats you, you want to try again and again until you beat it. In Hanabi, you want to keep on trying again and again until you get a perfect score which would be the maximum possible score.

I love the game mechanics where you take away hint points for giving hints but can gain more hints if you burn a card. Burning a card can help you but at the same time, it can hurt you. I also love the fact that your hints are only limited to 2 options: mention the colors or mention the numbers. That’s it. And originally I was worried that people might wanna cheat and just give more hints than they should. But when you really think about it, you are only cheating yourself and your win won’t be that satisfying. So by default, the players that I played with all understood the honour system. And that is you play by the rules, you don’t give more hints than you should be. You don’t give hand or face signals or put emphasis on your tone of voice when you give the hint. Nothing. You play strictly by the rules because you want to test yourself. And that is automatically understood by all the players.

And that also means you gotta play this with the right group. This is a game that is more for avid gamers who understand the concept of co-op games as well as winning properly. This is a game where I’ll want to play again and again and I highly recommend this game if you are a fan of co-op games and are open to a bit of a twist.

9 out of 10

At first I was very skeptical about this game mainly because it is as “dicey” as it gets. There are tons of games out there based on dice rolling and RNG. There are some really good ones and some that are just super repetitive. And before actually playing Las Vegas, I was concerned that it would be no different than playing the **** games at the Casinos.

It is so much more than that. Gambling is based more on like and probability than strategy. In Las Vegas, they’ve actually included strategy within a luck based dice rolling game.

I’ll break it down for you in 3 parts: Strategy, Luck and Competition.

Luck – this is obviously based on whatever numbers you end up rolling.

Strategy – what you do with your dice on your very first roll could determine the outcome for you for the rest of the round. You can commit to securing your “bid” on a casino with the biggest payout OR you can try spreading out your winnings by bidding on more casinos. Both have their advantages and disadvantages depending on other players rolls. Every single roll after that will create new strategies.

Competition – this is where it gets fun. As all the other continue to place their dice, you will start noticing that you are strong in securing your winnings or weak. And then you will have to decide if you want to fight for what you committed with or give it up and try bidding on another casino so you can at least go home with something. BUT someone else’s roll can get you back in the game. So this is where it gets very fun and your group will be cheering just like onlookers at a lucky roller at a ***** table.

With a new group, once you you have played the first out of the 4 rounds, they will be sucked in. Make no mistake about it, this game is ultimately about winning money and that is a theme that everyone can relate to because everyone deep down inside wants as much as they can get. The rules are very simple, the components consist of a fake money, some cardboard pieces and dice, lots of dice and that is all you need for a very intense and fun night of rolling dice.

Oh by the way, you must get the expansion, Las Vegas Boulevard if you can find it. It has no North American distribution but if you can get your hands of it, it really changes up the game a bit and makes it more competitive. It has several modules which you can pick and choose depending on how complex and how much randomness you want your game to be but you don’t have to add in all the modules or it will make the game too long.

Anyways, if you are a fan of dice rolling games, this is a must have!!

Agent Hunter is as paper thin as it gets. You take one game mechanic…….and that being memory. And you apply it to a concept……that concept being eliminating secret agents. And you take the simplest components. Not dice, not even a game board but just some cards with some really cool comic book style art work on it and then you have Agent Hunter.

The only strategy there really is, is switching your safe house cards. That is it. This game is meant for you play while you’re waiting in line or waiting for your food. Or waiting for something else to happen. This is the definition of a filler game because you can teach it within a minute and then your games will last no longer than 10 minutes at most.

Filler games are great to have. This one on the other hand really loses its theme value very fast. The only time you feel the theme is when you are doing too good of a job trying to explain the rules. After that, you give it a few plays and then you will be done playing it for a while.

There are better 2 player games out there.

I’ll give it a 3 out of 10 for nice artwork and effort.

The first thing I gotta say about Survive! Escape from Atlantis is that this is the most directly confrontational game ever. If you are playing with kids, I think that they will enjoy the heck out of it unless they can’t handle losing. But between adults, you’re going to make some enemies fast.

As a matter of fact, I think it should be warned in advance that this game is a very confrontational, cut throat game that involves a lot of direct confrontation and elimination. You can totally screw someone over with just a few moves.

And that is why I love this game so much. I can handle it and I love that it has that aspect about it. I also love that it is so thematic. The island is slowly submerging, the volcano is about to erupt and we are sailing away in shark infested waters. What could be worse?? How about your opposing players, trying to screw you over by playing monsters in your areas or trying to take over your boat or sending whales over to sink your boat. Now there’s some heavy handed confrontation going on right there. You will be lucky if you make it with one boat load.

I think this game is a lot of fun and if you can handle that “take that” aspect of the game and also the fact that you can plan something strategic only to have the plan thwarted with a single move, then you will enjoy this game. It is also a very quick moving game. It doesn’t require that much time in terms of planning a strategy. There is strategy but the strongest priority on your mind is getting your meeples off the island and surviving the sea monsters and everything else.

This game will see lots of replay in my group. And also since I have all the expansions, it will create for some variation in the game. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a fast paced competitive and adventurous game.

Being a fan of both Castle Panic and Last Night On Earth, I was instantly excited when I learned that it was a zombie game that borrowed the same design mechanics as Castle Panic plus the adding a few elements from Last Night On Earth.

Dead Panic is definitely not Castle Panic with zombies. It is much more. This time around, it feels like it is more frantic because zombies will keep on coming non-stop. And no matter how you play your cards, you will have your cabin walls broken down no matter what. It doesn’t matter how often you try to repair the walls, the zombies will break through and you will have to fight them. So it is definitely a lot more challenging than Castle Panic.

This time around, they have included a story element to it. It is not just about tower defense and clearing out the enemy horde. Instead, what you trying to do is obtain the 3 radio pieces from the survivors and then put the radio together, call for a rescue van and then get inside the van. That’s pretty straight forward.

Unfortunately, the only obstacle is of course trying to get past all those zombies because there are a lot of them and they don’t stop.

As a fan of Castle Panic, I have to say that I still like Castle Panic more. I find Castle Panic to be more of a fast paced game and is more action packed but Dead Panic feels just very different. It really depends on what you are into because this game is more about movement and making decisions using your limited amount of action points. In some cases, you just might spend all 2 actions moving around the cabin. In some rounds, there might be very little zombie killing because the zombies are out of range or you just don’t have the weapons for it. It also makes things more difficult when your ranged weapons come with VERY limited ammo.

Now all these disadvantages to the players are not necessarily a bad thing. But it definitely makes for a longer gaming experience. You can finish a game of Castle Panic in less than an hour if everyone knows what they’re doing. For Dead Panic, there is a lot of time spent figuring out your moves. And that is totally fine because it is that type of game. But if you’re expecting Castle Panic, you won’t get that.

It is still more like Last Night on Earth but with the movement mechanics of Castle Panic. That is the only real similarity I can make because otherwise it is a totally different game.

I would say get this game if you are a fan of both zombies and Castle Panic. But if you are not a fan of Castle Panic, then you are better of playing Last Night On Earth because Dead Panic is technically the same game but on a more scaled down version with only 1 scenario whereas Last Night on Earth is that game but with so much more variation.

I was actually really looking forward to playing this because I loved the fact that it offered lots of variation when drafting the new races with their special abilities.

But what I found that turned me off about the game was that it was very repetitive and with not a whole lot of satisfaction. When I did my actions and then I placed my units across the map and even taking over more areas, I just felt like I was going through the motions. I didn’t actually feel like it was exciting.

I guess some of that had to do with how I felt about some of the things that happen in the game that actually don’t make a whole lot of sense to me thematically. For example, why should we have to pay to bid for the races that we want to use? And what is the deal with “going into decline?”

Now this is a review based on only playing it once. Perhaps after a few more tries and appreciating the races and their abilities, I will enjoy it more but as a first impression, it really didn’t do a whole lot more me.

I do see the strategy in it and how each race with their new abilities can be a great advantage to players when plotting their moves but I guess I felt it that the ability to respawn into a new race took away from the intensity of the game and urgency of staying alive. That is what really did it in for me. Anyways, the whole pairing up the races with the abilities is a really neat game mechanic and allows for a lot of replay value but just like every other game, you either really enjoyed it or you didn’t.

I absolutely love Dixit but it is not for everyone. My gaming group for the last time I played Dixit was with 2 non-creative people who had a very hard time coming up with ideas on their turn. Another one who has a strange way of thinking and then myself who is in the creative industry. So when I came up with ideas, I was very quick about it. However the first 2 had the hardest time coming up with anything at all. In fact it took them a very long time to come up with something to the point where they dread it when it was their turn.

But the ironic thing about this game is that even though you might suck at being creative, you can actually do well at scoring if you are good at knowing how your other players think. If you can guess the correct card they put out, you can soar your way to the 30 victory points just on that alone.

So I personally believe that this game is best played with creative people as it will keep the game flowing faster but it is still playable with non-creative types simply because they can do well if they’re very analytical and may be able to understand how the other player thinks and then they will find a way to guess the correct artwork.

Speaking of artwork, the game is worth the price for the artwork alone. It is beautiful and there is so much abstract thought put into it. I also really do like the way the scoring system works. Even though we’ve seen this mechanic before in other games, I find that this way works the best because the foundation of what you decide to use as your hint comes from these wonderful pieces of art.

For me the most exciting part about the game is seeing how people guess and also what people come up with when it is time to put their cards down. That part is the most fun for me.

Anyways, I highly recommend this game but I would caution introducing it to non-creative types unless they are open minded gamers. Otherwise, be prepared to wait a very long time for them to come up with something on their turn. It is definitely best played with people with a lot of creativity and can just think on the spot.

After playing it a number of times with the same group, you will be want to pick up the next expansion and the next expansion after that. I think this game has a lot of replay value especially if you are changing up the combination of players in your gaming group.

If you have played Ticket to Ride just once, then you are ready for the 1910 expansion. It doesn’t change the rules all too much but it adds more destination cards and that is exactly what is needed to the base game. Having the possibility to obtain more bonus points as well as having more options to prompt you to want to claim certain routes is a really good addition to an already fantastic game.

I will always play with this expansion. It makes the game complete. Although, when you are playing Ticket to Ride, the base game, you will feel that is completely fine the way it is, adding the USA 1910 expansion just makes it even better without changing it too much.

Go and buy this to compliment this wonderful game. You will be breaking this game out on gaming sessions very often.

This game is definitely one of the holy trinity. And by holy trinity, I mean the trio of games and every gamer should have which includes: Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne and of course this one Ticket to Ride.

It is an excellent combination of strategy and not-so-direct competition.

Some people love competitive games and there are others who can’t handle direct competition. This game is perfect for the latter because any time another player blocks you, there’s the possibility of an alternate route.

What makes this game great is the ease of learning. It is so quick and easy to learn this game. In fact, you will be done teaching the rules faster than it takes to set it up.

You can only do one of 3 actions. Draw train cards, claim a route or draw destination cards. The first player to get to 100 victory points, ends the game or unless they only have 2 or fewer train pieces. After that, you add up the final victory points which include all the bonus points and then you’re done.

The game is also very fast paced because you can only do one and only one action per turn so every time I played this game, the actions were moving so quickly because we all knew what we wanted to do 1 or 2 turns before it was our turn unless of course someone else screwed you over by blocking you and that is where the competition and strategy comes in.

This game is a lot of fun and it is very very strategic. Between the 3, Setters of Catan, Carcassonne and Ticket to ride, I’d have to say that Ticket to Ride is my favourite.

Go and buy this game!!

I love bluffing games. It is a genre of tabletop gaming that I will never get tired of. The whole idea of things are not what they seem really creates for an unpredictable and different gameplay experience every single time.

This is what Sheriff of Nottingham is. It is a tabletop gameplay experience that will make you want to keep on going and going and going. After we finished our first round, it was already past midnight. We wanted to go again regardless of how late it was. And even on our 2nd round, we wanted to extend the standard 2 rounds of being the Sheriff to 3 rounds for an extended gameplay time.

This game is so much fun and while there are some gamers who really don’t like the whole “poker face” or “bluffing” aspect of the game, what is really great is that you can actually get away with winning without bluffing at all. You can actually win by being completely honest. And that is the beauty of the game, it is a bluffing game where bluffing can really pay off but it also pays much less if you are caught.

The replay value of this game is really high and I personally feel that the game design and mechanics are really well thought out. There was a lot of a time and thought put into the creation of this game and it shows. Some might think that it is just bluffing and whatever but there is actually quite a bit of strategy involved and your gaming group will be playing this game with lots of smiles and laughter. You will be playing this game again and again and again.

Highly recommended!!

If you played Forbidden Island and you really enjoyed it and you also beat it enough times to say that you are ready for the next challenge, then Forbidden Desert is the next best thing.

Matt Leacock has taken the base game mechanic but tweaked it enough so that there are enough changes to create for a new gaming experience. What I love about Forbidden Desert is not only is it more challenging but the way it is more challenging is spread out through the game in a very thematic way.

If you are in a desert, you need to find a way to get out but if you if a sandstorm keeps on coming, you will get buried alive or the sun will just make you die of thirst. This is why you and the rest of the players have to start working as a team to start finding those ship parts so that you can fly out of there. The desert and the sun is very unforgiving and it will beat you down with the force of mother nature.

Just like Forbidden Island, I love that there’s a sense of urgency. There’s no time to waste so each action you make really needs to count because once that sand starts building up, you are going to have more work cut out for yourself. And even though you think you are winning when you have all the ship parts, you might run out of water and die of thirst. So there are many aspects to consider. It is not just about excavating land tiles and then seeing whats underneath but also a lot of teamwork and communication needs to be done for your survival.

This another great game from designer Matt Leacock and is a must have for fans of cooperative gaming.

Forbidden Island is truly one of the best ways to introduce yourself and other gaming noobs to the world of cooperative gaming.

It is very easy to learn and Matt Leacock’s game design and rules really keep the game interesting and fast paced without sacrificing its simplicity. I feel it has just the right amount of complexity to offer a fun gameplay experience with really well designed game mechanics.

This is the type of game I would bring to a friend’s house where they have either never played tabletop games or have never played cooperative tabletop games. And once they understand the concept and the rules, they will be very immersed into the game.

The fact that this is a cooperative game will create for a lot of interaction between friends and also help the players perform teamwork and problem solving together.

It is also not a game that is too long. With this being a gateway game, the gameplay is made in a way where the island will eventually kill you but it won’t take forever for that to happen if the players start lagging. If you have a really good team that plans together, you can beat the game quite quickly but even if you don’t, you still have a fighting chance.

It is not too difficult to beat but also provides enough tension to keep the players on your toes to move faster.

Anyways, I highly recommend this game especially if you want to try out cooperative gaming.

I have never played the original bang but I read a lot about how this is the simplified version of itself and I’m actually glad that I played this one first just to try it out with people who have never played it.

I had a group of 8 players and while some might think that it is a large group, it played out really well and actually quite fast paced. While it is a dice rolling game, I feel that the ability to re-roll as well as adding in the deduction aspect of the game and a some decision making really makes this the type of game that you would want to play at a party. There is a bit of thinking involved but you are not staring at your cards trying to figure out what you need to to do next. The dice really help make the decisions for you.

What I love most about this game is the replay factor. Every time you play this game, it will always be different mainly because you are trying to deduct who is who by analyzing what their actions were. Also the specific characters roles can really change the game a lot.

I also love how they kept this game simple to dice, health points, arrows and character cards. That’s all you need and it is a game that has just the right amount of components to make for a very dynamic and fun gameplay experience.

I highly recommend this game because you will be playing it again and again and again especially with large groups. I wouldn’t play it with a group of less than 6 players because 6 to 8 players really keeps things interesting.

I haven’t played that many cooperative games but so far, I have found Pandemic to be the most challenging. With 3 ways to lose and only 1 way to win, it makes for a really immersive gaming experience.

On the first time I played Pandemic, I was quite intimidated because I thought that the rules might be a bit much to learn but actually upon playing it, it was something that became very easy to pick up. Sure you might have to go through a few turns before you pick it up right away but once you get the ball rolling and you go through all the motions a couple of times, you are set.

What I love about this game in the cooperative aspect is that you really need to cooperate. The cooperative aspect of the game is an absolute must. It isn’t just about having each team member doing their own independent thing. They truly must work together and plan out their strategies. If everyone doesn’t plan together, the epidemic spreading and all the outbreaks will eventually consume you and thus make you lose the game. That is the number one thing that I love about this game. You can really use this game to promote some serious team building amongst peers.

The other thing that I love is the game mechanics. When epidemic spreads, the actions of intensifying and outbreaking is such a unique mechanic that it fits the game so well in the thematic sense. Everytime a disease cube is placed, things get hectic and that’s when we as the players, need to really step up our game.

I love this game. It is perfect for all types of gamers. Even if you are a casual gamer, this is great way to get into cooperative gaming. I actually have not beat it yet but I will soon because I already am anxious to try that expansion 🙂

I was quite skeptical about Machi Koro at first because it sounded a lot like a game of Monopoly but without the board.

The concept of building properties and collecting money from specific dice rolls is there but it is so much more than that. I would call it a more refined version of the Monopoly concept.

What makes this game so much fun is the the evolution of your town as you build it more and more. Unlike Monopoly, where all your properties do the same thing, Machi Koro delivers the level of fun in more unpredictable ways.

Sure this game is almost completely dice rolling based but the concept of when you collect really makes it so much more entertaining. Every dice roll has us cheering or moaning. It doesn’t matter what the number is, every turn is eventful. And that is what makes Machi Koro have so much replay value. After finishing one game, I wanted to play it again immediately after. And after the first game, I wanted to change up my strategy especially after I learned about how certain business establishments give you a better Return on Investment compared to others.

This game can end fast or and longer but ultimately, if you everyone plays their cards right, they can have lots and lots of fun and in the end, you will be cheering.

For a dice rolling based game, Machi Koro really wins in every aspect of it. I can’t wait to play the expansion!!

Once you are done playing King of Tokyo, you should move onto it’s sequel, King of New York. In KONY, you have what you know about King of Tokyo but with a bigger board as well as extra rules and components added such as a the outside non-Kaiju elements that will affect the game. This really adds more action into the mix because now, it is not just about Kaiju fighting but also worrying about what the humans can do to your character.

If you enjoyed King of Tokyo, you will enjoy this. But I personally find that whether you decide to break out King of Tokyo or King of New York will depend on your gaming group. If you are playing with a lot of first time gamers, then play King of Tokyo because that is a very fun simplified version of the game. It is essentially the base game. King of New York, while it is still a simple game, it adds more elements to the game and will require a little more thinking and strategy as well as a few extra steps jn the turn phases. But it definitely makes the game more interesting and it also makes the game board more appropriate considering that there’s more than just 2 spaces to occupy. I would say get this game if you are a fan of KOT or if you just want to jump into a party game which has a tiny bit more depth and strategy, then you can’t go wrong with KONY.

Now here’s a game that totally works with the most amount of people. The first thing I noticed about King of Tokyo was the silly cartoony artwork. It is was really caught my attention and then later on, I found out it was about a big Kaiju battle and then I was instantly intrigued.

This is a great party game. It’s easy to learn and has the right about amount components so that the game is not too complicated to teach. The concept is simple and even with the maximum amount of players, it doesn’t play for too long. Each turn is really quite straight forward, especially considering this is a dice rolling based game.

This game works well with the most amount of people because once a player decides to get into Tokyo, it is a big monster brawl. And that is where it gets most fun and action packed.

The only thing that I find a bit weird about this game is why they even have a game board when there are really only 2 spots to stand on. Or even just 1 spot if you are playing with 4 players or less. That didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me.

Also what would make the game more interesting is if each different Kaiju had their own special and unique character abilities. But that’s where the Power Up expansion comes in.

Other than that, the game is pretty fun and straight forward and I think if you are having a gaming session where it consists of 3 different games, I would play this one in the middle of your night because it is a little bit of strategy but very quick to play.

Now if you are deciding which game to get between King of Tokyo or King of New York. King of Tokyo feels like a base game where it is just the right amount of rules and simplicity as well just just the minimum amount of strategy in the sense of how you play your cards. King of Tokyo is that game. King of New York really adds more depth to that by adding extra components which in the end will be more suited for casual gamers as opposed to newbie gamers.

You will play this game round after round after round because it is just so fast paced and action packed.

This is one of those games where there are no turns. Everyone goes all at once and it is loud, it is frantic and it is so full of high energy. Just like the stock market, people are constantly yelling out trading orders to “corner the market”. And it is that kind of energy that really makes the game fun.

You have to be quick in grabbing cards and also be quick and aware of the cards you currently have before someone rings the bell and has the monopoly on their commodity. This is a game with a lot of replay value because most rounds just end in minutes and you’ll want to keep on going. This is a great party game and also a fantastic ice breaker game especially if you want people to be very interactive with each other.

If you are a gamer who enjoys gaming with large groups, Ultimate Werewolf is the must get game. I’ve seen this game compared to Resistance and Mafia but while I find that the main game mechanic is very similar, what makes Ultimate Werewolf great is the thematic element of it.

During the night phase, the Wolf Team takes out a member of the human team without them know. And then during the day phase, the humans take a somebody whom they suspect is the wolf.

And then of course there are the other human characters who have special abilities. It pretty much plays out like a period small town horror film.

This game will get people discussing and talking a lot during the day phase. And I love the simplicity of it. All the different human roles might seem complicated but honestly, the person with the biggest responsibility is the games master. Everyone just follows instructions and then start voting people out and that’s it.

I really enjoyed this game and can’t wait to bust it out on my next gaming night.

This game makes me hungry! 🙂

First of all, the artwork is absolutely superb with the artist’s cute flavour by adding happy faces to the food. Before you even know how to play the game, the artwork already makes the game worth buying.

But the gameplay is actually even better. This is a very fast, fun and easy to learn card drafting game. When I introduced this game to my group, they didn’t understand the concept on the first round but after the 2nd round, they totally got it and started to really get how the scoring works.

After a few more games and a few more rounds, you start see people react positively to the cards they are getting as well as react not so well with the cards they don’t need. With that kind of reaction, you know your friends are really getting the concept.

It is a very simple concept but the fact that it revolves around Japanese food, makes this game so much fun. We found ourselves engaging in “Maki Battles” and “Pudding Battles”. When you engage in those battles, that is where things start getting competitive.

I really like this game and I think I will bring this around with me to all my get togethers.

Samurai Sword is my first introduction to the “Bang Game System”.

What I was looking forward to before playing this game is having a game mechanic which makes combat to be very dynamic. And not only that, it is also a game which has a theme that I am very interested in, and that is feudal Japan.

I love Japanese themed games so Samurai Sword was indeed a game I had to have. The “Bang Game System” mechanic is my favourite thing about this game. I love that we can attack other players but not all players because of the attack difficulty or what I like to call the “range”. It makes things a little more dynamic because just because I can attack you, doesn’t mean you can attack me.

But that isn’t all. The fact that you can are also bluffing your way through the game or possibly hitting your own team mates calls for more unpredictability but also really good moments of deduction if you’re really good at reading faces.

Some people say that this game is really just Bang but with a new theme. I think yes and no. Sure they might’ve slapped on a new theme to Bang but I think that this makes the game system much better especially with the fact that there’s really no actual elimination. Sure, people might get killed but they’re still in the game and they will always be in the game until the game actually “ends” with its new game end rules. This is something that will make the game feel less long because if you truly know who your enemy is, you can focus your attention and attacks on one person and thus removing their honour points from them quicker and eventually ending the game sooner. But of course, that is where the fellow ninjas or ronins will have their opportunity to strike back.

Anyways, I thought this game is quite decent. The only issue I have with this game is that, you truly need to play this game with the right group. Any by right group, I mean avid gamers. These are people who constantly read their event cards and understand their character abilities. I played it with a mix of gamers and non-gamers and the non-gamers were always asking “how did you do that?” or “these rules make it so confusing”. It is NOT confusing, you just have to understand your cards just like any other game.

Anyways, if you like Bang, you will enjoy this one as well. It is a very nice spin on an already great existing game.

I’ve played the original Tsuro a number of times and I find that in a single gaming session, you can probably play it 3 times at the most before it starts getting too repetitive and then you need to switch to another game. And then you need to wait for another gaming night before you should break it out again.

That is where Tsuro of the Seas comes in. This game makes the original Tsuro so much better!! And what you are really getting is a bigger board and also big monsters that can kill you. The bigger board is definitely a great thing because it gives us a little more time before we start getting killed and that is always a good thing. Nobody wants to die too soon.

However, with the Daikaijus added into the mix, it really adds that thematic element to the game where we not only are focussing on our survival but it makes us want to avoid these really dangerous parts of the seas where these hostile monsters are flying around us.

I love that element about this new version of the game. While it does add a bit of randomness to it, it actually increases the intensity of the game to a new level. One of my players on my gaming night even called this game quite stressful because it was too intense for her Haha!! That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It just means that all the players are invested in the game because we all want to survive.

Tsuro of the Seas is definitely a game that original Tsuro owners should get especially if you enjoyed the first one. If you enjoyed the first one, you will love the sequel even more.

When I first saw this game played on a video, I was instantly sold.

I loved that it was such an easy game to learn. As a matter of fact, I thought the video tutorial did such a good job in talking about how to play the game and I only had to read the instructions once and then I was set.

You know how typically feel bad about being killed? Well, this game isn’t that game even though sabotaging your friends or family members will eventually happen. It doesn’t feel as bad because this game plays so quick that the opportunity to exact revenge is always there. I think the longest game was 20 minutes at the very most and even then it felt quick because it was still such a fast moving game even with 8 players.

What makes this game move so fast is that once your friends understand the concept, they are already planning their next move before their turn. This is something that, as gamers, we always like because it helps keep the game moving along.

I number one thing that I love about this game is that, even thought it is about survival, you can still plant a move (tile) that can save yourself but screw up your fellow game players in a single move. I love that!!

Tsuro is definitely a game that I like to bring out very often because of its accessibility as well the fact that there is quite a bit of strategy involved even for such a simple game.

Must buy!

What more could you ask for? This game is economically friendly, easy to learn and includes a very competitive component to it.

At first, it was hard for me and my friends to get into the theme of it but at the end of the day, it really comes down to the game dynamics. I played Coup before learning how to play this so it seems like a simplified version of itself but it moves a lot faster so it balances out quite nicely. I like that this is game where, if you are not interested Dystopian future theme of Coup, you can enjoy the Victorian era theme of Love Letter.

This is a game where you can take with you any where. It is not too big and all fits in the little pouch that it comes with and you can play it anywhere at any time and have a pretty fun time.

If you enjoyed Love Letter, you will also enjoy Coup. But I feel that if you played Coup first, you might feel that Love Letter is a bit simple. While I do like Coup more because it feels more ruthless, Love Letter is still a game worth checking out if you are looking for a quick, easy to learn deduction game.

Once in awhile after playing so many games involving rolling dice, bluffing, deduction, cooperation and elimination……you just wanna play a good old simple old fashion 1 on 1 strategy game which doesn’t take a very long time.

Bring in Hive Carbon, where chess meets insects. It basically chess with insects as your pawns.
I love the concept behind each different insect performs a different move or ability. I also enjoy the concept of winning by surrounding or rather swarming your opponent’s queen bee. It allows for time to perform some preventive measures unlike chess where its either check or check mate.

The fact that each insect has a different ability provides for lots of strategy and thinking. This game can last very short or very long depending on how both player’s skill levels are at.

I really enjoy this game because of the fact that I can actually exercise strategy without going through so many different rounds and turns. You make a move, I make a move and repeat, just like chess. And its also nice to know that you don’t have to get a bunch of people to have a good game unlike other tabletop games.

The Hive Carbon edition is quite nice because of the quality of the pieces. They’re like domino tiles and really give you the feel that you bought a high quality game. The price point is a bit high but this is what you get if you want a premium edition of Hive.

Now here is a very interesting game which combines great aspects of other games and puts them altogether.

The ship building process is actually quite exciting because this is truly one of those games where the first round can really determine the outcome of who is victorious. It is also very fun to see what the ships looks like that the other players build.

And then comes the game itself which has mechanics that we have seen before but what I really enjoyed about it is the theme. The sci-fi theme of a space ship going on a mission through space and encountering all kinds of obstacles is something that will really excite the sci-fi fans. That thematic element is something that I can really appreciate.

I also like that because of the way you build your ship, a lot of things, good and bad can happen to you so each time you play this game will be different or very different. No matter what, you will have fun. Like most games, the more you play it, the more you will get better at it.

A must buy for sci-fi fans

Whenever I explain Resistance to my friends, they always say “so its like Saboteur”. And after so many of the same response, I decided to try it out at a local pub which had a board gaming night.

I participated in a 10 player game and I didn’t even learn the rules. I just watched what people were doing before it got to my turn and then I realized that this game very easy to learn, simple to play and the objective is very clearly explained even if no one explained anything to you.

That is what makes this game great for beginners and family gaming groups. I can see this as a big hit with the kids. I enjoyed it for number of rounds that I played it but I feel there are more exciting deduction themed games. I do appreciate the theme of the game with it being dwarves who are mining for gold.

If you got a table in front of you, whip out this game and you have get a pretty good time with Saboteur amongst a group of friends.

The only thing I think would improve this game a lot is if there is an actual board or template to show you exactly how far of a distance between the initial card and the lineup of the “possible” treasure cards. Having that as part of the game would improve the experience quite significantly. But don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with the current setup. It’s just that I would think that the game would be even better this way. But at least, it keeps the price point for the game quite cheap.

Perhaps they can have it as an optional expansion piece.

I thought the idea of incorporating the typical cliche horror movie characters in a zombie game was pretty brilliant. Such as the cheerleader, the jock, the sheriff, the smart girl, etc. This type of thematic element really helps the players get invested into the game. Every character is different with their own advantages and disadvantages.

Another thing that makes this game really cool and fun is that you can change up the game every time you play it again. From changing the board configuration, to play the different characters to playing a different scenario……it is always different.

My first experience was playing the standard zombie elimination game. I was playing a zombie but I would have much preferred playing a human. I think that is the only weakness about the game. The zombies don’t get a whole lot of depth to them mainly because…….well…….after all, they are zombies. The zombie player does get the numerical advantage and time is also on their side but of course the human players are a lot more interesting to play simply because they are humans with their own unique personalities. When I was playing with my group, the human players were doing lots of discussion to perform their cooperative actions. I thought this was a really cool aspect of the game because it created opportunities for team building and actual interaction. As for me and my zombie buddy, we just spawned zombies and moved towards humans but hey……to play this game, someone has gotta play the zombies.

Playing the zombies can be fun though but I think it really comes down to the scenarios and really strategizing.

Anyways, I am looking forward to playing this game again with the different scenarios and of course the expansions 🙂

This game instantly became a hit with everyone that I introduced it to. At first they thought there was an actual mission to complete but then afterwards as they played into the 3rd round, they finally understood the concept.

I love this game. First of all, I love the theme of it because it is about the Dystopian Future where a rebellion is trying to overthrow the corrupt government. That theme alone makes me quite interested. And then to top things off, the 3 rounds from picking your team members, to the voting process, to the secret voting of the mission is a really fun and creative way to make a game of deduction to be a very involved process.

This game can get really loud especially when there are 2 on a mission and the mission fails. People will be constantly accusing each other and only 1 of them is the traitor. This is what I love about the game. This aspect really puts the players into character. And then the next thing you know, when either the spies succeed or the resistance succeeds……..everyone wants to play it all over again, and again and again.

Resistance has ALOT of replay value. It is definitely a game you can play with a group of 5 but can get even more chaotic (in a fun way) with a group of 10. It will be loud and there will be lots of yelling involved but that type of enthusiasm is what you want in your gaming group.

And with the expansion “The Plot Thickens” already included in the game, it makes for a really great value at the price it is already at. And don’t forget that there are also 2 expansions that make the game even more complex and will have people pointing more fingers.

I highly recommend this game and you can’t go wrong with it.

At first when a friend invited me to play this game, I was a little bit skeptical. I was worried that I would be intimidated by the rules and that it would last long.

It did end up being a long game but as I played it (as a noob), I got progressively more strategic. I think that it is one of those games that you just start experimenting with when you are starting out but then eventually you start getting the hang of things once you learn the flow of the turns.

I can’t say that it was a game that I got into right away but I started seeing the competitive aspect of the game and that was definitely a good thing for me because I love feeling competitive and always want to come out on top.

While I didn’t win on my first game, I still had a very good time and I actually wanted to play again. I really enjoy the game dynamics and I like that there’s a very good balance of strategy and luck. The replay value is also quite high on this because every time you build your game board, it will always be different and to top things off, even if you think you got everything under control, a poor dice roll can really change things.

I would say that this would be the game that gets casual gamers into more strategic and invested gaming. I highly recommend this game. Even if you are not that into the theme, it is definitely worth trying at least once.

This is the game that got me into tabletop gaming. My friend brought it out and I was skeptical at first but after the 2nd round, I was hooked.

And that is exactly how easy it is to learn this game. Everyone wants to win a lot of riches and this is the game that really puts the players in that situation. The thematic element is very simple but if the person explaining rules does a good enough job, he/she can really get the players into character and by doing that, they will be really invested into being the one that comes out with all the riches.

It is almost like gambling at the casino except it is fun and less stressful. Well, it can be stressful depending on how invested you are into the game but in my gaming group, we had cheering, laughing and some groaning. Ok, lots of groaning but it was mainly because some people were too greedy.

I love this game. It is a game that really helps non-gamers get into the competitive spirit. It is easy to learn and most importantly it is quick and fun. It doesn’t take a long time to set up and it is something that anyone can learn quite quickly.

I highly recommend it and it is a great party game! 🙂

Zombie Dice was one of the first tabletop games I bought since I recently got into the tabletop hobby late last year and I gotta say that I’m glad I made this purchase.

I watched Wil Wheaton play it on Tabletop on Youtube and then I was instantly interested in it because of its simplicity and theme. The zombie theme has always been popular but I feel that by adding one simple thing (other than getting shot and gaining brains) and that is the whole re-rolling of runners so that you can chase them again is a thematic element that really helps get the players into the game.

Everytime I have a gaming night, I have to break out this game amongst my group. And as long as I narrate the game as it goes along for example saying “someone got away, chase after him!”, it really helps get the players into the theme and it can make the game quite competitive.

So I absolutely love this game for its simplicity and of course the thematic mechanics.

If you love Zombie Dice, you must get the Zombie Dice 2 expansion as well as the Zombie Dice 3 expansion. I really enjoy them both especially the school bus.

Zombie Dice 2 is great because of the helmet and energy drink aspect. The girlfriend/boyfriend dice are ok but I rarely roll them together.

As for Zombie Dice 3, it adds WAY more fun to an already fun game. It is a brilliant expansion and I highly recommend all 3 of them.

I love this game so much. I only learned how to play this online and then I got a group of friends to play it for the first time and it was fun as ****.

The bluffing aspect is something that people are thinking about all the time. Are they bluffing or telling the truth? Find out and you can risk lots. That aspect alone makes the game very intense.

The artwork for this game is absolutely superb. I love the fact that this game takes place in the same universe of Resistance, another game that I really enjoy. I also find that this game is very well balanced, especially for all the influence special abilities.

Even with the Reformation add-on some would think that the Inquisitor is totally OP but with the addition of the changing factions option as well as the embezzlement action, it really balances thing quite well.

A lot of thought went into this game and I find that it will be a hit with all groups. A must buy for those who enjoy large group games.

I really wanted to like this game. I had it on my shopping list after watching a review for it and the tutorial on how to play it. And it seemed simple enough for a pick-up and play game but it just felt redundant and tedious.

I originally was interested in this game mainly because I wanted a simple game that has a samurai or feudal Japan theme to it.

I was at a board game night at a local pub and I was excited to play it and then as I rolled dice and rolled some more dice and then rolled some more dice again, my excitement level got lower and lower and lower to the point where I was just forcing myself to have fun.

Even Zombie Dice has more depth. I love Zombie Dice and can play it again and again but this game is a game where I feel that it asks for too much for a dice rolling game. It is just really really tough to roll for certain items such as 10 swords. I think we got it once out of 50 rolls but we rolled it when we didn’t need it.

So the game feels extremely repetitive which gets you quite bored but it only feels that way on the more difficult cards to capture. The 1 point cards are easy to moderately easy to capture. But everything else above that is super difficult and you will find yourself rolling and rolling and rolling.

I’ll just say that a dice rolling game is meant to be simple and fun. Age of War on the other hand tries too hard to be more than that. It wants to be simple but also strategically challenging at the same time. You can’t have both or we start getting bored.

I played this for the first time last weekend and it was my first time playing a co-op game. I’ve always played more competitive games which involve player elimination but this was definitely something different for me.

The first thing I love about this game is the theme. After recently watched all 3 The Hobbit films, this really takes me back to the fantasy world of fighting Orcs, Trolls and Goblins and I really enjoy that about this game.

And of course, the most dynamic part about this game is the co-operative aspect of it. I love that you can trade with other teammates and there is so much discussion in an attempt to survive the evil horde. There were times where we were cheering because we fought off a huge horde of goblins and orcs and then there were truly times where we were panicking because we didn’t have the resources to fight them off and our structures were being destroyed. Whatever the situation is, we were all invested in the game and it was because of that co-operative attitude that the game gets us engaged to.

As for game mechanics, they are simple but effective. It is a game that is very easy to learn and the rules are not too complicated. The gameplay also doesn’t take that long to complete. It is just the right amount of gameplay time to give you a very exciting and satisfying experience. It is also great that it is a game the relies on very little dice rolling and most of the luck comes from drawing cards. However, the strategy aspect of the game is what really gets us pumped.

Anyways, I highly recommend this game and I’m looking forward to trying the expansion.