unclebusu

I got a chance to run through Betrayal at House on the Hill last weekend and overall, it’s a fun game that is moderately easy to learn, especially if you play a lot of games.

After picking your character, each with their own stats so pay attention, you explore and lay tiles to reveal your house. This mechanic creates new houses every time you play, so it might take a few games to start to feel comfortable with what rooms can do what. Also, have a big table ready, because we had to relocate our levels a couple of times as tiles began to intrude on each other!!

Anyway, all of this is the “first half” of Betrayal. When the game really begins is with the Haunt. Now, the tile placement adds a lot of replay value, but there are 50 scenarios for Haunts in the game!! And if you follow the suggestion that you ignore repeat haunts, that’s at least 50 games at the table with this one. So, I’d say there is definite value for the price.

Now, when the Haunt finally begins, depending on who starts it, where they are etc., the book guides you to the proper Haunt and a traitor is chosen. The game is now 1 vs. 3 in our case with a four play table. Call it co-op against one I guess!

For us, our Haunt involved specters that could literally move across the entire house every turn. We read and re-read the book so many times, because it seemed really unfair towards the traitor and within three rounds, the specters annihilated us. Browsing the book, it seems really split between Haunts that favor the heroes and Haunts that favor the traitor, so again, you never quite know what to expect as you sit down for Betrayal.

This point is backed up with all the tips and strategies I’ve read on here. Looking through them, they all are valid and offer good advice, but many of them contradict each other because that’s just the nature of the game. Maybe you keep your group together as you explore for back up, but with the specters, it actually helped that we were spread apart because we needed to access rooms to win that were all over the house. Maybe you need a five player game, or maybe you need a three player game. You just never know and the rules are designed as such to keep you off balance which is great, but if you enjoy heavy strategy games where you control your destiny, this one might not be for you.

But like I said, I had a lot of fun with it and while it won’t be an every weekend kind of thing, I can see this coming out three to four times a year.

I think the general consensus on Fluxx on this site is that it’s fun at first, but after time it loses it’s luster. But at under $20, you can definitely combat that by picking up one of the many variations on the base game such as this one, Zombie Fluxx.

Call me morbid, but Zombie is my favorite of the Fluxx brand. The weapons and zombie cards etc. are just a fun way to celebrate the genre and have fun with a couple friends. I like zombies so it’s good for me. My sister has the Python version. They’re all basically the same, but twisting it into a recognized genre adds some replay value.

Someone pointed out that 2 player games can be tedious, which I agree with. 3 or more is best and once you’re familiar with the gameplay, playing it fast like a game of Skip Bo or something makes it just a fun, silly way to spend some time.

Fluxx is never about hardcore gaming or tactics and Zombie is no different. But like I said, at $20 or so (depending where you buy it) it’s good to have one up on the shelf to grab for a vacation or quick trip somewhere.

For Ticket To Ride fans, well at least for this one, the key to these games are the maps. Yes, you can get Marklin and introduce passengers, but mainly, once you get the game play down, which is pretty easy to learn, the replay value comes from owning all the different versions so you can conquer new maps.

With Nordic, the map is smaller, which allows 2 player gaming. This is the big selling point for this edition in my house. My wife and I love playing games, but we can’t always get 4 people together to play, especially on a weeknight or something, so I’ve been searching out Euro type games with 2 Player options (like Belfort). Since I love TTR, Nordic was a natural pick up and we really love being able to just pull it off the shelf on a whim to get some game time in rather than planning a big night of TTR:Europe or Marklin.

Now, note that other TTR titles can also be played with 2 players, but the maps are so big you end playing a game of drawing cards and racing to finish routes. What Nordic does is give you that smaller map so that players are forced into competing for routes, amping up the competition level.

If you own none of the TTR series, start with the original or Europe IMHO, but if you’re a fan and want a simpler version for the reasons I suggested, Nordic is a great pick up and you definitely won’t be sorry.

I’ve been checking this page for a couple days to see if anyone posts a review, but nothing yet so I guess I’ll go first! I can’t wait to see what a big Catan fan has to say though as I warn you, I am much more of a Trekkie than a Settlers of Catan player. In fact, I’ve been “silently flamed” with my review on Catan here as the diehards have largely voted no!! Oh well, like I said there, I get Catan, but I’m not a big fan.

However, when I saw they were doing a Star Trek version, I was eager to drop the $50 at Target (the only place to buy it here in the States) and see if I could change my own mind. So far, yes!
Having the Trek theme makes the game a lot more fun for me. And that’s a personal thing of course, but if you’re a big ST fan, I think you’ll dig this.

The miniatures look great if not a little on the delicate side. I’m not sure how durable the plastic will be in the long term, but with some basic caution they should hold up fine. I also appreciate the zip lock bags included once I tear open the shipping bags for all the pieces, which there is a lot of!! I like the way you add onto outposts to turn them into starbases and the Klingon threat is pretty neat. I also really like the character cards and the impact they can have. With only a couple games under my belt, I haven’t gotten the gist of all of them, but the idea of forced trading etc. make for great player interaction. Nothing’s wore than when the dice hate you and you’re stuck without the one resource you need repeatedly!

The tiles are nicely illustrated although I feel the overall look of the board is a little dark. Considering how important the corners and straight edges (shipping routes) are to Catan, the black on black esthetic is hard on the eyes. A faint blue line or something would’ve been a nice addition. There are some space clouds, but it’s not consistent.

All that being said, if you like Catan and you like Trek, you’ll love this version. If you’re only into Trek, I still say you’ll want to add this game to your collection. If you’re just a big Catan fan, not sure this will add anything to your experience. The mechanics are largely the same, but the joy in Star Trek Catan is the Star Trek.

I picked this up yesterday at a local bookshop (although for more than the MSRP I see here!!) yesterday and my wife and I had a blast playing it! We blasted through 8 or 9 games last night!

It’s kind of like a pub quiz without the bill. Images challenge you to place them in context with their time and the time of every other card on the table. I really like the general knowledge aspect of the game and the potential to hone or learn new historical facts. The greatest fun came in when we were so completely wrong it was borderline embarrassing. I can see a larger group really having a good time with this, ribbing each other and mild heckling.

The downside is going to be the eventual replay value. At $15 (or in my case $18), it’s a good buy, but with just above 100 cards you will get to the point where you start memorizing things and then it will become a pretty mundane exercise.

If you’re looking for something fun right now that utilizes those old history classes you slept through, Timeline is a great addition to the shelf, even if you re-gift it next year;)

Just had my first two games with the Cursed expansion last night and while I always like adding new races, the powers that come in this set are pretty lackluster.

Ransacking is fun to steal coins with, hordes gives you extra attacking power, and were- is good if you pick it up on the right round, but overall they didn’t add any excitement to the game. The Cursed power is easy to avoid and could only really affect the game if it comes out early and sits at the top with say a race that gives you very few tokens.

The best power is marauding by far. The ability to basically have two turns can really stack up coins. The first time I used it we were on the second round of declines so there were empty regions and I was able to really spread out with marauding. If I could just buy that piece, I would;)

The races are both cool. Kobolds gives you a lot of tokens so they worked well in a quick one move takeover, since you can’t redistribute them very well (only 2 per territory). I played goblins twice, but never got the chance to use their advantage very well.

Overall, it’s definitely a “skipable” expansion unless you want everything or you’re willing to pay full price to cherry pick the parts you like.

I know this review will get me no yes votes, but come on boardgaming.com community! We’re seriously talking **** about UNO on here? One guy said “avoid like the plague” but gave it a 6? I love this site, but this is UNO, it’s a fun, quick card game that literally everyone owns!! And yet we’re all too serious of a gamer to admit that it’s fun? UNO is great. Period. Let’s get over ourselves and remember that it’s cool to enjoy any game at any time for any reason, we don’t have to caveat it with “family game” or “great for kids” because it is simple.

After the wallet emptied for the Onyx mega booster, I thought I was done, but back they came with Chocolate!

It’s a bit of a mixed bag really. There are some fun cards, but also a grip of useless ones too. These are mostly promotional cards from conventions etc. that Playroom has given out over the years all put into one easy to obtain set. I like that as a “completist” but I don’t mix Kinder Bunnies in with the Quest set, so there’s a few cards gone right there. Also, the NU, Psi etc. cards do nothing for me. The arrow mechanics are on so few cards it is almost impossible to get the right combo to do anything with them with the full KB set.

There are some nice interactive cards that reward people at the table for clothing or Shazbot which keeps you from swearing. There’s more bunnies which is always a plus, more choose carrot cards and money so that always helps game play. It’s not bad, but it’s not my favorite expansion. Definitely an “end of the line” release. But hey, I love this game so overall I’m in and if you’re a big Killer Bunnies player, this is a must have.

I also agree that the harsh critiques of this game are a little overboard. I eyed it for a couple of Comic Cons in San Diego before finally letting go of that hard earned $5 and it was totally worth it. The value to enjoyment ratio is definitely there if you want it. If you want something more intense, then save up another $50 bucks and get something with more parts.

I think they even mention on the back it’s great for standing in line, so when I got it at SDCC, that is exactly what I did with it and it was great fun! Standing in line for a movie? It’s like a cubic inch of space in the backpack, take it out and laugh with some friends. It’s safer than shooting ***** in the alley with strangers!

I do agree that a 2 person game can go a little too fast, so when that comes up we always play with “2 hands” each. You get 5 or 6 involved and the social aspect of the game increases with great results. Also, working up some cthulhu jokes might help!

I totally understand why people love this game. I have two friends who are Catan addicts and I see why, but for me, I just can’t get into this game. I feel like something like Ticket To Ride is similar in game play but a lot more fun.

That’s not to say the game is bad or poorly designed. It’s charm is it’s simplicity and the basic need for human expansion and development. In that way, it taps into a lot of what makes us who we are. Combine that with the strategic elements and rules, you get a thinking man’s game, a la chess, that is really endlessly replayable.

So I gave it a 6/10. If someone is insistent on playing, I’m down, but I don’t own it or plan to own it. Maybe it just was a victim of all the hype surrounding Catan, but I’m far from a fan.

My buddy bought this game a while back, but we hadn’t gotten around to it by the time the Table Top episode went live. Not sure how I would’ve felt playing it without seeing that video, but because I did, I learned a lot about the game play going into my first play and had, what I considered, a much better grasp on the mechanics.

First off, the design and illustration is awesome! I love the look of Small World. Secondly, the combining of races with powers and the randomness of it makes for super interesting combos and is a major part of your strategy. Going into decline, balancing that with powers and rounds is huge. I failed to notice what round I was on once and it lost me the game, so paying attention and taking advantage of the combos is key.

Second, because of the way the game reshapes itself, I find it tremendously replayable, bordering on addictive. After our first night with the game, I was jonesing for more and picked up the Underworld variation so we had both versions. There are also some expansions to keep it interesting.

Third, I love that a strategy game like this can be played by 2-5 players and that the game board changes based on the number of players. Try and play Risk with 2 people and you’ll never finish, but with Small World, they give you the option to “shrink” the board to make game play faster. You can even play on the 3 person board if you want to make it more intense.

Like I said, for me it is an addictive system. Lots of options to mold the game to your liking and all the great elements of fantasy gaming we love. Top 5 for me.

My wife spotted this one at our local game store and it is perfect for some quick, casual gaming. You can run through a game in 5 to 10 minutes easy, which means you can have a lot of “best of” series or use it as a warm up for game night. Sometimes we even have it off to the side when we’re playing a more complicated strategy game so the players not involved can multi-task a little fun;)

The basics are you roll dice and move ninjas. You have 3 moves to get in and out of enemy territory and the farther you made it in, the more points you receive. First one to get 7 points wins! So easy and yet kind of addictive. Like I said, add it to the collection and you’ll find yourself using it in all kinds of situations.

I spotted this game a few years ago and was immediately intrigued. Fast forward a couple years and a best friend who bought me a lot of the boosters and I am a Killer Bunnies addict!

What I like about this game is how social and random it can be. Whether you play with the starter decks or the everything, the game leaves a lot to chance. Yes, you can develop certain strategies, but all you need is one bunny alive and one carrot card to win. No matter how well you play, everyone at the table has a chance to win and for a social game like this with a lot of silly cards and pop culture references, that keeps the evening fun.

Game play is pretty simple, all the cards explain themselves well and there are “Bunny Bit” instructions to explain in more detail some of the cards. Occasionally, we have a hard time figuring out how something should work, but just don’t be afraid to amend the rules to group consensus.

Overall, I’ve played probably 50 to 60 games in the last 4 years and it is always fun. Fun is what killer bunnies is all about. If you want something more intense, more strategic, I’d try a different card game, but still highly suggest this one for anyone.