Diggity Jones

As a kid, I can remember daydreaming about what super power I’d choose if I could have just one. Would it be flight? Shooting stuff from my hands? Super strength? Telekinesis? I think I might freeze up if ever pressed with having to make such a tough decision. Thankfully in this game, you don’t have to.

One of the great things about Sentinels of the Multiverse is the variety of choices. The core game comes with 10 heroes that are all quite unique. I won’t go into too much detail on each hero as they are well documented in the other reviews. I will say however that I was surprised by how much I grew to enjoy them. Let me clarify. Many of the reviews focus on the fact that each hero in this ‘universe’ is directly comparable to one from the DC or Marvel cannon. For example, Wraith does indeed share some traits with Batman and her backstory is quite similar. She doesn’t feel like a knockoff though. If anything, her character design is an homage with tongue firmly planted in cheek. Once you actually get into the game, you see the characters as themselves. The way they play, how well they team up with others, and their specific strengths in battle are all uniquely their own. You wind up developing a relationship with each character based on previous battles. This is where the game succeeded for me. This is where the replay-ability factor shines.

The villains can seem a little overwhelming. Even the ones that are given a ‘1’ complexity rating can wipe the floor with your team given the right circumstances. If that’s not enough, the Environments can be even more daunting. ‘Wagner Mars Base’ had our team of heroes clenching our collective butt cheeks every time we flipped a card from that deck.

It’s not all roses though. It’s important to point out one major quibble. At various points of the game, the number of moving parts and modifiers in play can be quite easy to lose track of. Each and every card in play can (and will) interact with each action in each phase. After a few rounds, the modifiers and elements to keep track of can pile up. The modifier markers can help tremendously, but it’s super (pardon the pun) easy to miss one. We did have to backtrack a few times after discovering we’d miscalculated or omitted a card with a rather obscure effect we’d forgotten about. I’m betting as our familiarity with the game increases, these occurrences will be less frequent. These issues won’t keep me from recommending the game, but it might not be for everyone in your gaming group.

In summation, the theme is fantastic, and you can really get caught up in the struggle of taking down the big baddies. If you can deal with all the juggling, knocking down a 100(HP) villain can be a uniquely rewarding experience.

The Princess Annette of Tempest is a bit of a tease. She’ll string along 2-4 suitors till she finds the perfect match to court her hand.

Love Letter is exactly the kind of game I enjoy. It’s fast and easy to pick up. Deceptively simple yet gives way to layers of complexity after repeated play throughs.

The story begins with the young princess sequestering herself in the palace as she deals with the grief of her mother’s arrest for high treason. Being the insensitive opportunist that you are, the game hinges on you winning her affection during this troubling time through a series of ‘love letters’. The only way to safely get her these letters is to entrust them into the hands of those closest to her.

Each player starts with a card then draws a card to open their turn. Your turn concludes with you discarding one of them face up in front of you. The couriers represented on your cards will each have a specific effect that activates once the card is placed down. Some of these effects work against your interests. Some allow you to use them against other players. Others will protect you from future effects cast down by competing suitors. Holding the highest ranked card at the end of each round will ensure your letter makes it way to the princess. Win enough rounds, and you get an invitation to the palace. You sly dog you.

It’s a lot of fun. The theme is a wonderful change of pace and makes for great filler on a night of gaming. It’s also great to break out with your non-gaming friends.

At a friend’s party a few months ago, I ran into this interesting couple from Australia. They were talking up the gaming night they held once a month. We were comparing various titles when the game ‘Resistance’ came up. Apparently, the game was banned from their future parties after it’d caused too many arguments and hurt feelings. This clearly did not dissuade me in the slightest. Quite the opposite, it absolutely peaked my curiosity.

I picked it up online and broke it out after our Game of Thrones viewing party. We started with a group of 5. The rules of the game and how it appears in the manual are deceptively simple. I already understood it to be a ‘social’ game, but I wasn’t prepared for what was to come next. Over the next two hours, close friends did everything they could to stab one another in the back in the name of this fascist regime.

Sadly, I was suckered in to believing a dirty traitorous spy on more than one occasion. I’d form alliances with my votes only to discover in the end…I was the patsy. I walked away from the evening truly impressed at how good my friends were at subtle deception.

After many evenings of playing Resistance, I’ve boned up a bit on my ‘reading’ skills. I’ve played with every permutation of party size allowed by the game. With 10 people, the game becomes extremely challenging and makes ‘The Plot Thickens’ cards almost a necessity.

If you have an open mind and a sense of humor, you’ll have a blast getting to know your friends in a whole new way.

After watching an episode of ‘Table Top’ (where they played ‘Star Fluxx’), I decided to give the original game a shot. The whole ‘created by a NASA scientist’ thing, really peaked my curiosity.

Last night, I decided I needed to get out and have a brew at the pub with a buddy. I brought the game along with me in case there was an opportunity to break it out. We found a table in the back and sat down to give this game a try. Not only was it easy to learn in the first play through, but it threw you into the madness almost immediately. As the evening progressed, various patrons at the bar came up to the table to try a hand. It was the strangest thing. I wound up staying much later than I’d intended and played game after game. We had 2 player games, 3 player games, and a few 4 player games. I made a few new friends and promised to bring the game with me the next time I came to this pub.

It’s a game that can be won on any given hand…even the first round. It’s clever…without being obtuse. We can attest that the game even holds up after a few beverages.

The charm of the game is not only in its simplicity, but it’s sheer unpredictability.