When I first laid eyes on this particular game, I had trouble envisioning just what was inside the box. Did modern-day technology advance to the point where they can shrink herds of buffalo and put them inside a small box? Is this some odd variant of “Pass The Pigs”? Thankfully, it turned out to be neither, despite how badly I wanted miniature buffalo to go stampeding through my living room. “Buffalo”, in this case, takes on the role of a verb meaning, “to outwit, puzzle, or baffle”. It’s a card game designed for two to eight players, meant to be played by older children and adults. Before we get started checking out this game in further detail, I’d like to thank Amanda Young from Tiltfactor for providing me with a free review copy.
Board Games
“Apples to Apples” and “Crappy Birthday” are big hits in my house, as both (we feel) are casual games and a lot of fun to play. “Awkward Moment” is similar to the aforementioned games, moreso to the former. For those of you who haven’t played games of this genre, you are essentially choosing someone to be a judge. Players then submit a card or cards to the judge anonymously and whoever’s card gets chosen scores points. Of course, the rules vary depending on the game, but that’s the basic idea. Before we take a look at the rules and gameplay elements of this particular one, I’d like to thank Amanda Young from Tiltfactor for providing me with a free review copy.
I’m a sucker for zombie games, whether they be open-world post-apocolyptic survival games or themes that involve players being the zombies themselves. “ZOMBIEPOX” is neither, focusing more on zombie control and outbreak prevention. Players will be teaming up to prevent the spread of the disease (ZOMBIEPOX, hence the name) all the while vaccinating and curing as many as they can. Before we get started fighting off the undead, I’d like to thank Amanda Young from Tiltfactor for providing me with a free review copy.
“The Agents”, put simply, features more agents than an episode of “Get Smart”. It’s a tactical, turn-based card game that tasks players with earning the most victory points. As always, there’s a catch: cards have two different effects. You can play one of those effects on yourself, but the other effect will be made available to your opponent. It’s an interesting give-and-take mechanic that I don’t see very often in card games, but before I get into all of that, I’d like to thank Saar Shai for providing me with a free prototype copy. While the prototype may not fully represent the finished product, it is close enough to where I could do a full review. Be advised however that some of the rules mentioned below may be subject to change.
Go on, admit it…you played with blocks as a kid. There’s no sense in denying it. We, as educated and mature adults (ha!), often refine our tastes as we get older…yet there are occasions where the simplest things can grant us the most enjoyment. “Convert” is one such item, tasking players with stacking blocks in such a way that would earn them the most points. It’s a very simple, yet elegant abstract game for two players that you won’t want to play just once. Before we get started, I’d like to thank Ian Reed from Yodeo Games for providing me with a free press copy. It’s important to note that the copy I received was a prototype, meaning that it may look a bit different from those created during production. The box and the scorecards, for example, will look much better in the final version than in the pictures below. Because my copy was close enough in quality to the final product however, I opted to do a full review.
Glory. Everyone wants it, but few end up acquiring it. This is especially the case with this quote unquote “little” card game that will soon be punching and kicking its way onto Kickstarter. In “IncrediBrawl”, players will be given their own set of cards and must duke it out with others in an attempt to earn the most glory (victory) points. Before we take a sneak peek at this particular card game, I’d like to thank Jake Leeman from Vision 3 for reaching out to me and providing me with a prototype copy. It’s important to note that the prototype copy is not representative of the final components, so the pictures and content you’ll see in this article are subject to change.
No one really knows where the legendary Lost Dutchman Gold Mine is, but that won’t stop people from looking for it. There’s still some speculation as to whether or not the legend is actually true, but those who do believe estimate the mine to lie somewhere in the southwestern parts of the United States. The mine itself is named after one Jacob Waltz (a German immigrant) who reportedly found the mine but kept its location secret. In, “The Lost Dutchman”, players will be taking on the role of prospectors in search of this legend. Not only will they be competing against one another, but they’ll be braving the elements and trying to overcome various dangers. Before we begin checking out the game in further detail, I’d like to thank the folks at Game Salute for providing me with a free review copy.
Kirk: “Bones, did you ever hear of a doomsday machine?”
McCoy: “No. I’m a doctor, not a mechanic.”
Kirk: “It’s a weapon built primarily as a bluff. It’s never meant to be used. So strong, it could destroy both sides in a war. Something like the old H-Bomb was supposed to be. That’s what I think this is. A doomsday machine that somebody used in a war uncounted years ago. They don’t exist anymore, but the machine is still destroying.”
-Star Trek, “The Doomsday Machine”, Airdate: Oct. 20, 1967
(Sorry, I couldn’t resist)
“Doomworks”, put simply, is a card game that tasks players with building a doomsday device. Each player will be endeavouring to complete their machine before everyone else while attempting to earn the most victory points in the process. This Kickstarter success nearly doubled its funding goal and just recently hit the virtual shelves with an Earth-shattering kaboom. Before I get into all of that however, I’d like to thank Daniel Schroeder from One Man Act Games for providing me with a free review copy.
Fasten your seatbelts and place your tray tables into their upright positions…we’re about to take a look at “Airlines Europe”, a board game that deals with airline companies, stocks, and quite a bit of strategy. In “Airlines Europe”, you’ll be attempting to earn the most victory points by having the most shares in the most successful airlines on the playing board. Let’s take a quick look at the components and how the game is played before heading into the review.
“Do Your Job”, a unique card game that features two different ways to play, will be hitting Kickstarter soon. It’s designed to be a quick filler in between longer games, or simply for when you and your family only have ten minutes to spare on game night. Before we sneak a peak at what makes it tick, I’d like to thank Billy Mearns from Wicked Manatee Games for reaching out to me and providing me with a prototype copy. It’s important to note that the artwork on the prototype copy is not final.
“Heartland” is a three-dimensional tile-laying game that tasks players with earning the most victory points. In this particular instance, each player represents a settler that is trying to develop the best plot of land in Middle America during the early 1800’s (America’s “Heartland”). It’s worth noting that the box art of my copy is in German, but the rules include an English translation. The components themselves have no text on them, meaning that those who are thinking about buying this version will find it to be fully functional (even if you don’t speak German).
“Say Anything” and “Say Anything Family” were among the first board games to enter my “new” collection, my old one having been lost in a series of floods several years earlier (que sad Panda face). Both games revolve around the same theme, much like “Wits & Wagers” and “Wits & Wagers Family” do. They aren’t that different from one another, so I’ll be covering both here to save on time. “Say Anything” and “Say Anything Family” can be described as light party games, designed for either adults (the former) or family game night (the latter). Let’s take a quick look at what comes in each game and how they are played before heading into the review.
Game Salute announced earlier this year that “The Princess Bride” board game was in the works. I know, I know…”Inconceivable!” Not much is presently known about this party-themed game, but I did receive a preview pack in the mail, courtesy of Game Salute.
I’m a big fan of games like “Civilization” and “Risk”, but they often require the user to invest over the long haul…time, effort, a kidney, that sort of thing. “Eight-Minute Empire” solves that problem by simplifying the overall theme to the point where games can be played in under a half-hour’s time. That’s pretty impressive, if I dare say. It’s an area control game at heart that tasks players with conquering lands and owning goods in an effort to score the most victory points. Before we get started taking a look at this game in further detail, I’d like to thank Ryan Laukat from Red Raven Games for providing me with a free review copy.
I give a lot of credit to those who have the patience to sit down with a large jigsaw puzzle and attempt to piece it together, is hard thinking piece a puzzle, choosing This or That is not easy . In my house, a jigsaw puzzle would have a shelf life of about two hours before something “accidentally” happened to it. “Puzzle Me!”, while having a jigsaw puzzle theme, isn’t about spending hours/days to assemble a picture. Rather, players will be trying to build their own crossword as large as they can while trying to stop their opponents from doing the same. Before we take a look at this game in further detail, I’d like to thank Richard Reyes from Brainstormers for sending me a free review copy.
As a retro gamer, I had the pleasure of growing up in an era where real-time strategy games began to take a foothold. “Warcraft” and “StarCraft” were particular favorites of mine, mainly because I enjoyed the resource management aspect and marching armies across the map to reign unholy terror on my opponents. “Hexica”, while not a video game, takes what I like about the aforementioned games and adds a capture the flag element. Players will not only be managing money and a fleet, but will be racing to capture flags as they appear. Before we take a look at this game in further detail, I’d like to thank Eli Ortiz for reaching out to me and providing me with a copy of the game.