My fourteen-year-old stepdaughter Carolyn introduced me to this game via an app for her mobile device. Don’t ask me if it was an iPhone, iPad, iTablet, iNook, or iCarly, because I couldn’t tell you. I’m getting too old for all that crap. All I know is that one night, my family was taking turns holding an electronic device up to their heads while everyone else shouted at them in strange accents. Being a gamer who enjoys a wide variety of genres helped me to determine that they weren’t all in need of a straight jacket. Rather, they were playing “Heads Up!”, a game featured on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. As I’m wont to do, I got curious and reached out to the developer for a press copy of the board game. Along those lines, I’d like to quickly thank Maria Aguilar from Spin Master Ltd. for providing me with one.
Board Games
Like “Scrabble”? How about “Dominoes”? If you said yes to either question, then you may want to pay attention as “Double Double Dominoes” is a blending of both games. Players will be tasked with placing their dominoes in “Domino” fashion on a game board reminiscent of “Scrabble”. Placing dominoes on point squares will net you a path up the victory point track, though you may also inadvertently cause your opponents to do the same…more on that later. Before we dive into this particular game, I’d like to thank both Ray Wehrs and Cassidy Werner from Calliope Games for providing me with a free press copy. Calliope Games are the same people who brought you “Tsuro“, “Tsuro of the Seas“, “Roll For It!“, “Got ‘Em!“, and “Ugh!“, for those of you who recognize the name.
Sometimes it pains me to only have one brain and ten fingers…there are just so many great “Early Access” games out there with tons of potential. Like the previous articles in this series, this is a quick look at the games I’ve been gifted via their respective developers. All of them are currently in an Alpha or Beta state (as of today’s posting), so this is less of an official review and more of a quick look at what they currently have to offer in their present state. Enjoy!
“Ugh!”, as best as I can describe it, is a press-you-luck set-making game with a caveman theme…I’ll give you a few seconds to process that. It’s not as complicated as it sounds, though it does offer players some interesting choices. Before we get into all of that though, I’d like to thank both Ray Wehrs and Cassidy Werner from Calliope Games for providing me with a free press copy. If the names sound familiar, it’s because Calliope Games are the same folks who brought you “Tsuro“, “Tsuro of the Seas“, “Roll For It!“, and the more recent “Got ‘Em!“.
I’ve been following “Yushino” ever since it was successfully funded through Kickstarter in September of 2013. In short, it’s “Scrabble” but with numbers. This crossword game will likewise test your math and number recognition skills as opposed to your spelling abilities. Originally, the developers wanted to name this game “Enable the Numbers”, but instead opted for a shorter name. Having used “Google Translate”, they came up with “Sūji o shiyō kanō ni” and took parts of it to come up with “Yushino”. I admittedly don’t speak Japanese, but the name is catchy enough. Before we get started, I’d like to thank Yiannis Tsiounis, the Founder & CEO of “Yushino”, for providing me with a free press copy.
Four different factions? The ability to customize each faction with units of your choosing? A customizable battlefield that offers a unique experience each time you play? Where do I sign up? “FACTIONS”, a game currently seeking your help on Kickstarter, promises all of these things and more. It’s like “Stratego”, but on seven different types of steroids. Your goal? Manuever your armies to capture key victory points on the battlefield all the while taking the battle to your opponent. Each faction/unit has unique abilities that will keep things fresh and exciting.
Elimination games can be hard to play with others sometimes, depending on the group. Those who hate losing or always feel like they’re being ganged up on can ruin the entire experience for everyone else. “Tsuro” is one of those rare games that my household will play on a regular basis, despite the fact that winning involves being the last one on the board. I think it has to do with the fact that you’re limited to placing tiles adjacent to your own pawn…if others happen to be affected by it, all the better. There’s a little of that in “Got ‘Em” as well, though it does tend to be a bit more aggressive. Before we take a brief look at what this game has to offer, I’d like to thank both Ray Wehrs and Cassidy Werner from Calliope Games for providing me with a free press copy. If the names sound familiar, it’s because Calliope Games are the same folks who created “Tsuro“, “Tsuro of the Seas“, and “Roll For It!“.
There are a TON of trick-taking games out there…but seriously, how many of them feature dragons? “THE DRAGON GAMES”, a family-friendly trick-taking card game that will be launching on Kickstarter on or around 6/28/14, has them in “Spades” (pardon the reference). In this variant, players will assume the role of an actual playing piece, unlike most card games of the genre. By winning tricks, you’ll be able to advance your pawn further up the playing board. The first player to reach the end of the path, wins! Before we take a brief look at what this game has to offer, I’d like to thank Carl Hansen and Rebecca Smith from Dream Options Inc. for reaching out and providing me with a prototype copy. It’s important to stress that prototypes are not often reflective of the final product, making everything featured in this article (including the rules) subject to change. The symbols on the dice, for example, will be a bit more clear in the final version.
Listen up, you trick-taking card game fans! “THE DRAGON GAMES”, a family-friendly card game reminiscent of “Spades” and “Clubs”, will be launching on Kickstarter on June 28th, 2014. As the name implies, this isn’t your standard run-of-the-mill trick-taking game. While it does use terms like “trump” and “trick” regularly, it features a game board, an action card deck, and of course, plenty of dragons! Winning tricks will nudge your character along the board, but you’ll need to pay attention to the colored spaces and the suits being played to get ahead of the others. A written and video preview are in the works for those of you wanting to learn more, so stay tuned for more content as it’s released.
Pythagorean theorem? Check. The atomic number of Carbon? Check. The correct use of “their”, “there”, and “they’re” in a sentence? Check. The capital of South Dakota? Ummmm…let me get back to you on that. As well as I did in school (proud honor student), there were always a few things that I just couldn’t grasp: geography, the lunch menu, and why “The Custom House” in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter” was necessary. I can’t help you on the latter two, but “State Master“, a game currently seeking your support on Kickstarter, might just be able to help with the geography bit. In short, it’s a family-friendly card game that will help teach players about the fifty US states. Before we get started, I’d like to thank Nat Dunn, the founder of Homeschool Games, for reaching out and providing me with a prototype copy. It’s important to stress that prototypes are not often reflective of the final components, making everything featured below subject to change.
Most of us have been there: sword in hand, shield in the other, and a trusty book of spells in your back pocket for emergencies. Whether you’re playing an action game, an RPG, or an adventure game, this scene will probably be second nature to you by now. Enter “RPG Merchant Tycoon!!”, a game that reverses your role and puts you behind a counter. Rather than selling off all the junk you looted from the corpses of your dead enemies to some random NPC, you’ll be running a shop and providing customers with the loot they’ll need to succeed. It’s a bit like “Recettear” minus the dungeon crawling. When I first learned about this game, I initially suspected that it was developed by a disgruntled NPC merchant who was tired of having to buy useless junk…”oh, the irony!” he’d/she’d gleam happily. In all seriousness though, I’d like to thank game designer Ryan Cowler from FiercePunch!! Games for reaching out and providing me with a press copy.
My experiences with the tabletop game, “12 Realms“, were positive overall. In fact, I believe I had said that it “stands tall as a solid cooperative experience, backed by an impressive array of beautifully crafted components.” Looking back now, I have to admit that the miniatures were indeed nice to look at…though the fun isn’t over yet. Mage Company LTD recently announced their intention to release an expansion titled, “Ancestors Legacy”. Like “12 Realms”, “12 Realms: Ancestors Legacy” will be seeking funding through the Kickstarter process. The expansion promises new realms to explore, new bad guys to vanquish, and new heroes to ogle.
I was a bit surprised, in all honesty, to see “Evolution” cross my path. Not because of its name or the gameplay mechanics mind you, but due to the fact that it was created by the same folks who made “Say Anything“, “Wits & Wagers“, “Clubs“, and “Crappy Birthday“…all of which are fairly casual family/party games. “Evolution”, a game currently seeking your support on Kickstarter, breaks the mold and instead goes the strategic route. While still being a relatively family-friendly game at heart, it’ll force players to make some pretty tough choices. Before we get into the nitty-gritty details, I’d like to thank Ryan Metzler, a representative for North Star Games, for reaching out and providing me with a press copy. It’s important to stress that prototypes are not often representative of the final product, making everything featured in this article subject to change.
While some games are purely meant to entertain, others offer an artistic flair that will make you think about the developer’s intentions. That’s exactly what’s going on with “Mirrors”, a card game currently seeking your help on Kickstarter. It’s an easy-to-play card game for two players that plays a lot like “rock-paper-scissors”, but will also make you think and reflect about existence itself.
“Monolith”, as best as I can describe it, is a dice-rolling worker placement game. Players will be challenged to place their dice on the available cards in such a way that earns them both gems and victory points. While timing and placement in games like these are crucial to success, using powers and skills strategically may give players the edge they might need to win the game. It’s a bit like “Roll For It!”, only a bit more complex. Before we start rolling those dice and seeing what’s what, I’d like to thank Michael Lubbers from Goblin Army Games for providing me with a free press copy.
With a name like “Metacell: Genesis, The Card Game”, you might immediately think that this game is complicated…not so. In fact, if I had to compare it to other card games I’ve played, I’d have to say that it was a cross between “Uno” and “Rummy”. All in all, this isn’t a bad pairing. Your objective here will be to match like-colored cards in order to score points, though the game includes some twists that help to make things a bit more strategic. Before we begin with the preview, I’d like to thank Ian Terry from Products for Robots, Inc. for reaching out and providing me with a press copy. It’s important to note that the game is currently seeking funding through the Kickstarter process (as of 4/23/14), making everything featured in this article subject to change.