“Monopoly Empire” wasn’t the best thing to have ever crossed my path, but it was good enough of a “Monopoly” spinoff to receive a thumbs-up from the kids. “Monopoly Millionaire” is the next spinoff that I chose to pick up on a whim and luckily, it was on sale for fifteen bucks (down from the normal twenty to thirty dollars) at my local K-Mart. Instead of trying to build a tower however, players will be racing to reach a net worth (cash-wise) of one million before the others do. How does it stand up to the other “Monopoly” variants on the market, you ask? Keep reading to find out!
Board Games
Hey fellow gamers!
It was brought to my attention that “Dad’s Gaming Addiction” is in the running for being one of the “top board game sites in the world”. If you are a regular reader or simply enjoy visiting my site from time to time, then please take two seconds to visit the below website and vote to kick us up a few notches.
http://www.boardgamelinks.com/links/sites
To vote, simply click the heart to the right of “Dad’s Gaming Addiction” on the list.
Thank you kindly!
I admittedly lack the pencil and paper RPG gene, even though I love dungeon crawlers…how odd is that? As a full-time accountant who also doubles as a full-time dad and the occasional games journalist, this is partially understandable. It can be hard sometimes to just sit down and play a game of “Chess”, let alone spend hours flipping through pages to try and create a character. “Dice Crawl”, I’m pleased to say, is perfect for my busy lifestyle. “Dice Crawl” is a dungeon crawler currently seeking your support on Kickstarter (as of 12/21/13), sporting plenty of dice and supporting up to four players. Before we take a sneak peek at what this game has to offer, I’d like to quickly thank Alyssa Faden from SoulJar Games for providing me with a prototype copy. It’s important to stress that prototypes are not usually representative of the final product, making everything featured below (including the rules) subject to change.
Some of you may have heard of the game, “Tsuro”…if you haven’t, you’re missing out. Calliope Games, the maker of “Tsuro” and the more recent “Tsuro of the Seas”, is back with a new family-friendly card & dice game titled “Roll For It!” In this particular game, players will be rolling dice and attempting to match them with the cards laid out on the table. Players who match all of the dice on a card get to place it into their score pile. Before I get into specifics however, I’d like once again thank Ray Wehrs from Calliope Games for sending me a review copy.
Building doomsday machines seem to be the theme as of late, but seriously, when does being a mad inventor ever get tiring? “What’s He Building In There?” is a worker placement game that tasks players with earning the most victory points. As you may have deduced, building your doomsday device will assist you in reaching that goal. Before we all start laughing manically, I’d like to thank Sean Scott Garrity from Baksha Games for providing me with a free review copy.
The 13th century was an interesting time for humanity. The Magna Carta was signed, Parliament went mad, and rat clans rivaled for a shot at the throne. What do you mean that last bit didn’t happen? Like you were there! *Sigh*, okay okay…you got me. Here I was, trying to impress you with a clever lead-in to the latest project by Blue Orange Games titled “BraveRats”…not to be confused with “Braveheart”, mind you. While it’s possible that the rats in this game may have worn kilts, it’s best not to think about such things. In “BraveRats”, one player will take on the role of the Yarg while the other assumes the role of the Applewood…two opposing rat clans that want all the power of the throne for themselves. Before we take a look at this game in further detail, I’d like to thank Annika Harper from Blue Orange Games for providing me with a press copy. It’s important to note that the copy I received is a prototype and as such, the below content is subject to change.
Dungeon crawlers that feature a dynamic, randomly generated environment not only offer almost unlimited replayability, but can be a real adrenaline rush. “Dice Crawl”, a game seeking your support on Kickstarter, features such a system. In an interesting twist however, players will be making heavy use of dice in order to advance into the depths. You’ll pick a race and a class with the mindset of getting to the center of the dungeon and collecting the riches that await. It’s designed to be a quick game, supporting between two and four players. I don’t want to spoil things TOO much, as I’ll be covering the game in an upcoming preview…keep an eye out for it!
I honestly couldn’t tell you the last time I’ve ridden a bike. I know that it was back in my youth, presumably back when the dinosaurs roamed the Earth. It was just a matter of time until one promising game developer, graphic designer, and cross-country cyclist by the name of Alex Solomon came up with the idea for a card game based around the subject. In “Geared”, players assume the rules of bike mechanics who are aiming to build as many bikes as they can before race day. Of course, with there being different parts to utilize and action cards thrown in for good measure, players will quite literally (as literal as tabletop gaming can get) be in for the rides of their lives.
I am not one to brag (okay, maybe I am), but I know my “Chess”. I used to play professionally in my youth, being a member of the United States Chess Federation and ranked second best in Western Pennsylvania for my age group at one point. When “Chess” games or variants come across my table, you can imagine how hard it is for me to say no. “War and Chaos” is quite a unique idea, doing away with some of the standard “Chess” rules all the while adding new ones. It even has the capacity to handle four players…but where are my manners? Before we get started with the preview, I’d like to thank Patryk K Braganza-Gallagher from Mad Puppy Gaming for providing me with a prototype copy. It’s important to stress that the game is still in development via the Kickstarter process, making everything you see below subject to change.
Brush off your compass and don your hats, fellow archeologists! “Seekers: Treasure Hunt”, a family-friendly game for two to four players, is currently seeking your help on Kickstarter. In this particular game, you and your fellow treasure hunters will be aiming to be the first to unearth the riches that lie somewhere on your maps. Gather clues! Scrounge the map! Play cards! Form temporary alliances! “Seekers: Treasure Hunt” will certainly give you the tools you’ll need to make it big…the question is, will you be the one brave and cunning enough to find it first?
“Monopoly” is one of the very first board games I learned to play, though I seldom finished a full game simply because it took FOREVER to play. When you look at the big picture, “Monopoly” is actually a fairly strategic experience in that it combines real estate & money management while emphasizing the importance of social interaction & trading. If it didn’t take hours to play, I’d probably still find time in my busy schedule to play it. “Monopoly Empire” addresses this issue by reducing the play time to almost fifteen to thirty minutes by doing away with properties and introducing brands. Rather than attempting to bankrupt everyone else, you’ll be aiming to be the first to fill your tower completely with billboard tiles.
This is admittedly a first…never before have I assumed the role of a taxidermist in any of the games I’ve played. “Body Builders: A Tale of Taxidermy”, a game that just hit the virtual shelves on “The Game Crafter” (link below), promises exactly that. In this particular case, each player is a lonely taxidermist who is aiming to create a friend for themselves…nothing out of the ordinary there. Before we go mashing things together, I’d like to quickly thank Brian Henk from Nevermade Games for reaching out and providing me with a press copy. It’s important to stress that I received the press copy before the game officially launched on “The Game Crafter” on 11/25/13, so the components featured below may or may not be representative of the final product.
There’s something to be said for the complexity of tactical simulators. While my busy lifestyle doesn’t always entertain games that take a while to learn and play, I sometimes come across a few that have depth but are still relatively easy to pick up. “Hostile Takeover” has the characteristics of a deep and strategic experience, but manages to remain what my fellow gamers in the video game industry call “noob-friendly”. Before we get started, I’d like to thank Andrew McGrady from Not Dead Yet Games for reaching out and providing me with a press copy. It’s important to stress that because the game is still in the process of being funded through Kickstarter, that the rules and contents featured below are subject to change.
I’ve always maintained that knowledge (or lack thereof) is one of the reasons we often fail in our day to day tasks. As such, I think we can all agree that any game that has educational value is worth more than the sum of its parts. “CLEVER”, a card game that will hit Kickstarter in late November 2013, is one such item. Before we get started taking a look at this game in further detail, I’d like to thank Jason Santa Maria from IN8 Games for providing me with a press copy. It’s important to stress that prototypes are often not representative of the final product, making the below subject to change. My copy, for example, included all of the cards players would see in the final version but didn’t come packaged in the official box. I included a picture of the box (provided by the developer) at the end of this article for your viewing pleasure.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen an Indiana Jones-esque game. The last time I played anything remotely close to “Lost Cities” was the board game “Fireball Island” back in the late 80′s. You know, the one with the giant head that shot fireballs from its mouth down various paths on the game board? Its high production values…like the mountains, the artistic detail, etc…stays fresh in my mind to this day. Then there was “Legends of the Hidden Temple” on Nickelodeon back in the mid 90′s, talking totem and all. “Lost Cities” has a similar theme in the form of cards, expeditions, artifacts, bonus points, and adventurer / researcher playing pieces. Before we begin with the review, I want to quickly note that this is NOT the two-player card game version. You can learn more about the card game version by checking out my separate review, here.
Pop Quiz! What does Snow White, Red Riding Hood, Siegfried, and D’Artagnan have in common? Why, they all happen to be some of the heroes featured in the latest game published by MAGE Company…the same folks who brought you “Wrong Chemistry”. In “12 Realms”, players will take on the role of various heroes who must band together to stop the Lords of Darkness. It’s advertised as a fast and lighthearted cooperative experience, two qualities I always look for in the games I play. That begs the question: “How does it fare when the smoke finally clears?” Before I answer that, I’d like to thank the folks at MAGE Company and Game Salute for providing me with a free press copy.