The crazy wizard, Kurgill, is back and he has brought with him a slew of new spells to cause mischief and mayhem. He even brought his mom! Just when you thought it was safe to climb a tree, this expansion adds more falls, traps, and trips to make a monkey’s day on the branch a precarious endeavor. Continue reading
Hong Kong and American actor, film director, martial artist, martial arts instructor, philosopher, and founder of the martial art Jeet Kune Do, Bruce Lee, said “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times”. In this game, you are a well-trained and disciplined fighter of the mixed martial arts (MMA). You have practiced for months and now stand in the ring to test your abilities and that of your opponent’s. Pain is certain, but victory must be fought for. Continue reading
American theoretical physicist, mathematician, and string theorist, Brian Greene, said “Exploring the unknown requires tolerating uncertainty.” In this game, you’ll be exploring a dungeon in the blind. What lies ahead of you is unknown and always random. You might encounter a monster or more treasure than you could possibly carry. Fame and glory are yours to be found, but so is a gory death. Being an unprepared hero is hard work! Continue reading
There are two types of people who go to buffets. Those who like variety and those who like bulk. We could argue that “more does not mean better”, but try having that conversation when presented with 12 feet of assorted desserts. But sometimes you just want a cookie. Is there a best of both worlds? For buffets, probably not. On your gaming table, certainly. This game can be used as a single serving or the first of many, many games to consume. Continue reading
You were one of the first. You saw the dawn of creation and have drifted among the stars for eons. You were content to simply observe and learn, but then something changed. You got bored. The more you knew, the more you started to feel you were missing something. Curious, you began visiting new realms and realities. You became stronger. Curiosity was replaced by greed and you became hungry for power. Now you fight for domination over all forms of reality, no longer content to simply watch. You want to rule. Continue reading
American economist, George Reisman, said “Whoever claims that economic competition represents ‘survival of the fittest’ in the sense of the law of the jungle, provides the clearest possible evidence of his lack of knowledge of economics.” In this game, the strong will not win, but the smart will and so will the patient. Prices will change as demand stays steady and goods become limited. You don’t need to be lion to survive in this jungle, but don’t be sheepish when it comes to making tough choices. Continue reading
English writer, H.G. Wells, said “The crisis of today is the joke of tomorrow.” For many lovers of board games who have many titles on their multiple shelves (me included), the ongoing crisis is storage. Individual games, no problem. Games with expansions? Many expansions? How the heck do we keep the core game and its expansions in one place? AEG, the publishers of Smash Up, have a BIG solution. Continue reading
I remember looking out the car window when I was a kid as my family traveled from one end of the United States to another and seeing a long line of birds sitting on a telephone wire. I thought to myself, “what are they waiting for?” Years later, I would watch Hitchcock’s The Birds and know the horrific truth. In this game, you’ll be helping to organize a gaggle of grackles on multiple telephone wires. Lucky for everyone, these birds are here for fun, not for human blood. Continue reading
Every town has its secrets. Its dark past. Your town is no different. Except for one very important detail. Every 13th of Friday, a curse is let loose that brings nightmares to all who live on Misfortune Lane. No more. You and your friends at school have decided to break this curse. But being a kid that no adults listen to, what can you do? Not much, perhaps, and the monster in the shadows is counting on it! Continue reading
Before we all had jobs and moved into a career, we had chores. These were small tasks that paid us money. Not much, but the fact that we were paid for our time and effort helped us to understand the value of money and of work. In this game, players will need to balance their time and their money, learning that how you make your money is just as important as how you spend it. Continue reading
American author and a professor of history, Douglas Brinkley, said “We can only imagine the history of the free world today if, at the end of the Civil War, there had been two countries: the United States and the Confederate States of America.” In this game, you get to relive the bloody history of our nation at war with itself. Pick a side, send in your troops, and command the battleground. Continue reading
American playwright, essayist, and figure in twentieth-century American theater, Arthur Miller, said “Where choice begins, Paradise ends, innocence ends, for what is Paradise but the absence of any need to choose this action?” In this game, you live on a beautiful tropical island that is rich with beauty, but not with resources. You must brave the ocean and visit nearby islands in hopes of finding what you need to survive. Be smart or your paradise will turn into a hell. Continue reading
