Monsters and Maidens Cover Art

The first thing to notice about the game is that while it’s a dice rolling game, it’s not using regular dice. There are nine dice, three each of three colors. The faces on the dice are either monsters, maidens, or heroes. The Hero dice faces are 3 heroes, 2 monsters, and 1 maiden. The Monster dice has 3 monsters, 2 maidens, and 1 hero. The Maiden dice have 3 maidens, 2 heroes, and 1 monster. This means that each icon is as likely as any other on the total roll, but the individual dice have different ratios of icons.

Monsters and Maidens – Dice

On your first turn, you pick up all 9 dice and roll them. All Maidens are placed on the Hero card, and each one that is there at the end of the turn will be worth a point. Then the number of Heroes and Monsters are compared. If there are more Monsters, the difference between the Monsters and Heroes is the number of Maidens moved to the Monster card. So, if I’d rolled the results above, I’d have three Maidens on the Hero card and none on the Monster card.

I then get the opportunity to roll again or pass my turn to the next player. If I roll again, I pick up the Heroes and Monsters and the same rules as above apply. If I had Maidens on the Monster card, and I rolled more Heroes than Monsters, then each extra Hero would allow me to move a Maiden to the Hero card. If I ever roll and get only one kind of result, the Heroes or Monsters are resolved and my turn is finished.

There’s certainly an interesting push your luck aspect to the game, but the differences on the dice actually add some strategy to the game. If I have more orange dice than green dice, it’s likely that I’ll get more Heroes when I roll. Of course, relying on that to happen means it won’t. The balance between the luck and the strategy is well done and while a simple game that takes around twenty minutes, there’s a lot of fun inside. The game project opens up on Saturday on JumpStartCity.com, a new crowdfunding site that also starts on Saturday.

Galaxy Defenders Box Art

When I got the prototype in the mail, I was very impressed. The production quality of the prototype was very well done. The rule book is extensive, the cards are easy to understand, and the sample mini included is very heavy and well made.

The basics of each turn are simple. Each unique hero can perform three phases: Combat, Movement, and Action. During Combat you get to shoot at the incoming alien forces. The Movement Phase is when your character moves around the board. Actions are used for other things during the turn, like unjamming a weapon or searching for more ammo. Some scenarios also include actions specific to that mission. Each hero has their own default equipment, starting health, and movement speeds.

After each player does their set of phases, the aliens get a chance to move around and deal damage to the heroes. The alien turns are controlled by a special deck that declare which aliens will be active that turn. Each alien is represented in another deck that determines the health, armor, and what it does when activated. Each alien acts based on where the nearest hero is located. Once each hero has performed their hero and alien phases, the top card of the event deck is played which can add more aliens to the board and affect the heroes in other ways, like reducing movement or causing damage, as well as benefits such as providing ammo or healing the heroes.

Unfortunately, the rules were a bit much to take down at first, but most of the games I play do not have a highly detailed 43 page rulebook. The initial setup is a bit intense. However, once you understand it, the game has a lot of strategy that doesn’t weigh down the enjoyment of playing. Every turn is filled with tension for the players. Taking out aliens is very important, but the weapons can become jammed or run out of ammo. The game shares some similarities to other tactical combat games, like Mansions of Madness or Doom. However, this game has much more to it and does not require a player to be the bad guy. I really enjoyed the game and look forward to getting a chance to play it with a larger group.

If you enjoy tactical skirmish games, you should really check it out on Kickstarter now. They have less than two days before the project ends.

A preview prototype copy of the game was provided for me to play and review.

Much like Apples to Apples or Cards Against Humanity, Prepare to Die is a game where the judge determines who wins each round based on the cards played. What makes Prepare to Die different is the three modes of play. In the preview set, there are two decks of cards. One is the “My Name Is” deck, and it consists of different people. Examples include Mandy Patinkin (The actor who played Inigo Montoya), Princess Peach, or Julia Child. The second deck is the “Prepare to Die” deck, and gives the reason that someone would be after vengeance, such as “You branded my stallion,” “You sank my battleship,” and “You cultivated my cumquat.”

The first and second ways to play are very similar to the other games. The judge will randomly select a card from one of the two decks, reads it aloud, and the players select cards from their hands to complete the phrase. The judge shuffles all of the played cards and selects the one that is best in their eyes. Of course, what one judge considers to be best may not match how the next judge feels, so playing to the judge is important. Following the “Hello” rules, the judge flips a “My Name Is” card and the players select their best “Prepare to Die” cards. The “You…” rules do the opposite, with the judge flipping a “Prepare to Die” card and the players selecting the best “My Name Is” card to pair with it.

The third method, referred to as “The Full Montoya,” is where the judge declares a personal preference, such as funniest or most evil, and each player plays one of each kind of card from their hand. The judge shuffles all of the cards and lays them out, selecting the two cards that best make a combination. Usually this will be two different players, but having the right cards will sometimes score a player two points.

In my plays of this preview pack, we found the “Hello” version the most fun. The Judge draws a character and each player has to supply a reason that the character would be seeking revenge. Silly voices and bad accents aside, it really showed off the potential to my group.

Overall, I see the idea that GameSalute is going for. I don’t know that it’s my kind of game in the long run, as many party style games are not my thing, but I see the potential it will have with other gamers. The game is up on Kickstarter now.

Paradise Fallen by Crash Games

First off, the art in this game is very well done. The illustrations catch your eye and the symbols work well on the cards. The art on the tribe cards in particular is well done.

The gameplay is simple but still strategic. The nine island cards are laid out in a three by three grid. Each card is an island that the players need to visit to win. Players start with their boats on the center island, and play ration cards to move their boat from island to island. There are also island exploration cards in the deck, and these are how you score an island. When a boat is on the Hawaii island, a player can play the Hawaii card to the table. This gets them one step closer to victory and grants a potential bonus to the player. Each island has its own bonus, but they can only be used once and only one bonus per turn. The game ends when a player reaches the goal number of islands explored.

Of course, there has to be a way to interfere with the other players. Aberrations are cards that make movement cost more or force the players to discard cards from hand. Some aberrations are played on specific islands, while others are played between islands as a penalty to travel between them.

Having played a few times with two players, I enjoy the game. There is a subtle strategy in picking the right location to play aberration cards. Each turn has enough strategy to be interesting, but not so much that it leads to overthinking. The rules are short and simple, which makes teaching while playing possible, a treat for anyone who likes teaching games.

While I think Paradise Fallen is a fun game with a nice balance of strategy and luck, I think there are some issues with it. The rules could be clearer on how some of the cards work in the game. The rules also need to be edited so that the sentences and examples contained within make more sense. However, both of these can be easily changed and fixed, and the rules are currently being worked on. Ultimately, Patrick has a really solid game that’s light and plays quickly. I like it so much that I’m backing it. If it looks like a game you could be interested in, check out the Kickstarter page.

One of my favorite games is Sentinels of the Multiverse, but with all of the cards in play, the table can get messy. The guys at Greater Than Games actually make a playmat for Sentinels of the Multiverse that makes organizing the cards really easy. It also works really well for teaching the game, and I was glad to have one on hand for this past weekend’s demos.

Sentinels of the Multiverse playmat

As someone who teaches a lot of games, having clear and concise rules can be very helpful. Unfortunately, that’s not always what comes in the box. I’ve found that the printable rule sheets over at Headless Hollow are wonderfully useful and give me the exact details I’m after when I need a quick refresher.

If a game comes with miniatures, it’s easy to paint them so they aren’t just a single color. I’ve been planning to paint my minis for Mansions of Madness since I got them game. Of course, finding the time and patience to do it can prove difficult.

Puerto Rico is one of the highest rated games on BoardGameGeek, and I think it’s a lot of fun. Part of the game revolves around shipping goods off and getting a profit from doing so. When you ship off goods, you place your goods onto a cardboard boat with squares indicating how many goods it will hold. Some people thought this could be done better, and someone even hand carved boats to use in the game.

Handcrafted wooden boats for Puerto Rico

A very common replacement is changing out the cubes in the original printing of Agricola for wooden animals. This became such a widespread practice that Z-Man games started including the wooden animals instead of the cubes with their later printings of the game.

So what have you done to change your games and make them shine just a little brighter?

PAX East

This was my first time to any of the PAX conventions, and it was a very different show than the board game conventions I’ve been to in the past. I’m used to a lot of smaller events, where PAX East was focused more on fewer bigger events. Even the exhibitor hall was different from I was used to. Given that the main focus of the convention was video games, I was expecting lots of bright lights and loud noises. However, I wasn’t expecting people to be using bull horns to get the attention of the attendees. I also wasn’t prepared for the impressive displays that companies would have.

Wildstar at PAX East – Photo by Mark Vasko

Also, I was not used to the sheer number of people and the length of some of the lines.

PAX East Exhibitor Hall Floor – Photo by Mark Vasko

Overall, it was a really good time, but there are certainly some things that I’ve learned for next time I go.

1. Find the one or two things you really want to see and make a point to wait in line and see them. I missed out on some of the video game previews that I wanted to see.
2. Waiting in line isn’t a bad thing. There are some great people at PAX East and they’re all really friendly.
3. Remember to take clothing next year… Long story, but a run to Wal-Mart the first night you’re there to get clothing is a story you’ll always remember.

You can see the rest of my buddy Mark’s photos on his Flickr page.

TableTop Day

This past Saturday was International TableTop Day, and I think we took enough games.

Games taken for TableTop Day

While I volunteer for a large number of companies, I don’t volunteer for everyone, so getting to show off games like Small World and King of Tokyo was great. I still demoed for my companies by teaching Sentinels of the Multiverse, Love Letter, and Munchkin Booty. Overall we had around 20 people show up and everyone had a great time.

Demos for April

There was a lot of interest in Sentinels of the Multiverse on TableTop Day, so I’ve decided to run a full event for that on April 13th from 1-4. Come learn this great co-operative game where each player is a super hero and you’re all working together to defeat the villain.

I also have some prizes to give away from Eagle & Gryphon games, so we’re going to do a game day for them on the 27th. Stop by and check out Incan Gold, Roll Through the Ages, Blockers: The Card Game, and more!

I’ll be at Great Lakes Game Emporium for some time tomorrow, probably most of the day. I’ve got a list of around 40 games I’m considering bringing, which seems like a lot, but there are a lot of games that I want to get to the table and introduce people to.

If you’re free for a bit tomorrow, come to the store, maybe even bring a game, and we’ll all play and have a great time. They have a Facebook Event set up for it so you can even invite your friends. I’m sure there’ll be a lot of fun, and some promos going home with people.

First and foremost, I haven’t been to a convention since GenCon last year, so it’s great to be getting back into convention season. I love hanging out with loads of gamers, and this convention will have both video and board gamers. I’ll be packing my 3DS and Vita but I’ll have some board games with me at most times as well.

I’m excited about the Pinny Arcade project, both because I’m a fan of the comic and I like how these pins look.

Teaching games is obviously something I enjoy doing, and I’ll be with Mayfair Games teaching a variety of their games. I’m also looking forward to checking out some new games and others that are just new to me.

Are you going? I’d love to play a game with you. Not going, but have something you want to see? Let me know and I’ll do what I can.

So Jonathan Liu and I spoke via email and on Skype and we had some laughs, chatted a bit about the hobby, and I think could even call each other pals. We both think mistakes were made by both parties. I’m clearly not the target audience for his game, and I’ll admit that I probably should have contacted him before I posted my “review.”

The thing I love about this hobby is that there are so many games and so many kinds of games that everyone can find a favorite. Some folks love Agricola, while others find it incredibly dry and boring. Some folks love Monopoly, while most “veteran board gamers” would never consider playing it. I may not consider Emperor’s New Clothes to be a game, or at least what I would call a game, but I attacked this project without considering that for others, this might be a game for them.

The Emperor’s New Clothes is not going to be a game for me, but it might be a game for you. No game is perfect for everyone. When more information is shown about his project, I think some people will really go for it. I know that I’m not going to be one of them, but this hobby needs more support, especially from within.

I will ask that if you think that this project isn’t for you, please don’t attack Jonathan or Game Salute or let it change your opinion of them.

Edit: Here’s Jonathan’s update on Kickstarter showing his side of the story.