I’m not going to lie…I’m absolutely terrible at Golf. If there’s one thing that turns me into Mr. Hyde faster than driving amongst idiots, it’s Golf. Perhaps some of you know what I’m talking about. Luckily, you won’t have to worry about such things when playing “Off The Tee”, a current Kickstarter project that is seeking your help. “Off The Tee” is more along the lines of a trivia game, but with a Golf-esque theme. This game is for 2-8 players , ages 12+, and features a number of different goodies for fans and non-fans alike to sink their nine-iron into.
Board Games
“Tok Tok Woodman”, a tree chopping game that successfully funded through Kickstarter in late 2011, is back and better than ever. The makers of the aforementioned Korean game have decided to tweak the original design in order to help the game appeal to a wider audience…hence, “Click Clack Lumberjack” was born. The revamped version improves upon the original packaging in order to make it more shelf-friendly, adds a few variants to give the game lasting appeal, and more. Before we take a quick look at this recent Kickstarter success, I’d like to thank Seth Hiatt from MayDay Games for reaching out and providing me with a press copy. It’s important to note that I received my press copy after the campaign ended and before retail copies were made. Thus, the contents in the pictures below may or may not be fully representative of the final product.
Have you been itching for a family-friendly tactical card game? Perhaps you liked my review of Pixel Tactics, but thought it might be too much for your kids to handle? With “WarFields”, I’m pleased to report that the search is over. It’s fun and easy to play, but yet still requires folks to think a little in regards to which cards they should place on the battlefield when. Before we take a sneak peek at this current Kickstarter project, I’d like to thank Chris Green from Menaveth Games for reaching out and providing me with a prototype copy. It’s important to note that because the game is still in the funding phase, the components featured in the pictures below may not be fully representative of the final product.
Are you the type of person that just HAS to come up with silly words to fit acronyms when you see them? Do you excel at games like “Scrabble” and “Jumbulaya” because your vocabulary knows no bounds? Are you witty and quick with clever comebacks in verbal sparring matches? If the answer is yes to any of these questions, then “Phraze-It!” might be right up your alley. In this easy to learn game for kids and adults alike, you’ll be tasked with coming up with phrases that fit the letters that are randomly rolled from turn to turn. Before we take a quick look at the game, I’d like to thank Todd Greenwood from Lots-o-Watts Games for providing me with a prototype copy. It’s important to stress that the components featured in previews aren’t always representative of the final product.
Before you ask, no…this isn’t a game isn’t about some lost, wayward robotic faction that Megatron had hiding under his sleeve all this time. Rather, “Septikon” is a board game for two players that features tower-defense mechanics in a retro-futuristic atmosphere. For those of you who frequent my video game reviews, you’ll know that I love me some tower defense. Tower defense games have a way of keeping you on your toes, not to mention the fact that they can be hopelessly addicting. Needless to say, I was intrigued by what this game had to offer. Before we take a quick look at what “Septikon” is all about, I’d like to thank Ivan Karmanov from Hobby World for reaching out and providing me with a press copy. Since the game is still in the process of being funded through Kickstarter, you may or may not see a difference between the final product and the content featured below.
Ever dream of being a Royal Messenger? Now is your chance! In “Give It to the King!”, a game currently seeking funding through Kickstarter, players will be tasked with delivering messages to the King in order to earn gold. In an interesting twist, players will not only be able to control their own messengers, but those of whom which belong to other players. There’s a bit of strategy involved, but the game remains to be family-friendly.
Most families who browse family-friendly card games have at least heard of the game, “Apples to Apples”. It entails players taking turns as a judge, with the other players submitting cards to them in the hopes that said cards are picked. There’s a lot of fun to be had in games like this, especially if your group has an odd sense of humor. Now, make “Apples to Apples” a smidge more complex and add a “heist” theme to it. After the smoke clears, you’ll end up with “Larceny”, the next party game that is making its way onto the Kickstarter front. Before we take a sneak peek at what this game has to offer, I’d like to thank William Smith from Waning Gibbous Games for providing me with a prototype copy. As with all prototypes and previews, it’s important to stress that the content featured below may or may not fully represent the final product.
Dragons do more than just breathe fire and boost the sales of undergarment products everywhere…they amass hoards filled with riches and wonder. In fact, that’s exactly what you’ll be doing in “Havok & Hijinks”, a game that’s currently seeking funding through a Kickstarter campaign (as of 8/26/13). In this two to four player family-friendly card game, players will take control of a single dragon and attempt to be the first one to expand their hoard to a value of fifteen. Before we take a sneak peek at what this game has to offer, I’d like to thank Adam “Ferrel” Trzonkowski of Epic Slant Press LLC for providing me with a prototype copy. It’s important to stress that prototypes are not often representative of the final product, so the contents in the pictures you’ll see below are subject to change.
I liked reviewing “Forbidden Island” for a lot of reasons…but the major sticking points revolved around how easy it was to play and its attractive cooperative theme. To steal a quote from said review, “Younger kids who enjoy the idea behind Pandemic but are overwhelmed by its rules and gameplay mechanics will probably enjoy Forbidden Island.” When I discovered “Forbidden Desert’s” existence, I knew that I had to give it a go to see how it compared to its predecessor. Before we take a look at this game in further detail, I’d like to thank Nora Meiners from Ceaco/Gamewright for providing me with a review copy.
So, I was taking a look at some of my older reviews…especially the ones that weren’t published with the format that I’ve come to adopt and enjoy. I admittedly bashed “For Sale” pretty hard and based on suggestions from the community, I’ve decided to take another look at the game to see if my opinion about it has changed. Let’s take a quick look at what the game is about and how it plays.
“Crootle”, put simply, tasks players with matching colored tiles in an attempt to form a path from one end of the board to the other. Sounds simple, right? Well, yes and no. While being able to match colors is a skill that we learn at a very young age, the manner in which players place the tiles will ultimately determine who wins and who loses. I have weakness for games that are easy to play but involve a bit of critical thinking and strategic planning…to that end, “Crootle” certainly fits the bill. Before we get started with the preview, I’d like to thank the folks at World Village Games, LLC for providing me with a prototype copy. As with most prototypes, it’s important to stress that they usually aren’t representative of the final product. The content in the pictures featured below are therefore subject to change.
More and more board games are being funded through Kickstarter as of late, and I’m not going to complain. “Bring em on!”, I say. Most of them show a lot of promise, and such is the case with “Elemental Blast.”
I’ve written so many zombie articles at this point that I’m all out of lead-ins and funny puns. So, you may ask, why do I continue to cover zombie games? Well, why not? Most of the zombie games I come across are incredibly fun to play, and “Tiny Zombies” ended up being no different in that regard. Don’t let the name fool you, these zombies are anything but tiny. In this instance, you and your friends will team up and take on the role of a group of survivors. For those of you who have played the video game, think “Left 4 Dead”, but on your dining room table with cards. Will your group successfully make it to the safe zone before you succumb to the horde? Before we take a quick look at what makes this game tick, I’d like to thank Christopher Haskins from Nord Games for sending out a prototype copy. It’s important to stress that prototypes aren’t usually representative of the final product, so the content and pictures featured below are subject to change.
Whenever I’m playing a war game, whether it be a World War II first-person shooter or real-time strategy game, my heart sinks a little every time I catch a glimpse of enemy Panzer tanks approaching in the distance. I don’t know what it is about those massive beasts that makes me so anxious, but I do know that I can never get enough. “Tanks of War: Third Reich Rising” does nothing but satisfy that craving, putting players in the role of commanders who must manage their ever-growing deck of tanks in an attempt to grasp victory. As the last sentence implies…yes, this is a deck-building game. With tanks. How could that not be awesome? Before we take a look at this upcoming Kickstarter project, I’d like to thank Rich Nelson, the President of Giant Goblin Games, for providing me with a prototype copy. It’s important to stress that because this is a prototype, the rules and components mentioned in this article are subject to change.
Sharpen your pencils and flex your math muscles, it’s time to play “Mahta Mahti”! In this easy-to-play card game designed for three to ten players, you’ll be trying to match numbers on the cards you play in order to score points. The game itself comes with a deck of one-hundred and twenty-nine square playing cards. The four numbers listed on any one card can vary, forcing players to think about which card they should play when considering the playing field as it stands. Before we get into specifics, I’d like to thank Jeff Greenmun from Mahta Mahti Ent, LLC for providing me with a prototype copy. It’s worth noting that because this copy is a prototype, it’s possible that the pictures you’ll see in the content below are not fully representative of the final product.
Show of hands…how many of you folks dabbled in creating your own space missions in whatever pop-culture medium you happened to like at the time? I myself had a very bad addiction to the “X-Wing” series on the PC, followed by “TIE Fighter” and later, “X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter”. The latter of the three even had a downloadable mission editor which I relentlessly picked at. “Gunship: First Strike!” reminds me a little of those days, as I didn’t find myself focused on any one ship, but on the larger picture at hand. In this particular game, players will be given three different types of ships and will be endeavouring to outmaneuver the other in deadly space combat. Before we start priming the turrets and charging the shields, I’d like to thank Steve Wood from Escape Pod Games for providing me with a free review copy.