PSP #174: Board Gaming with Kittens in a Blender, Friday, and Kickstarter; Then, Game Clubbing with Heavenly Sword

In today's episode, I talk about two board games (well, one's a card game): Kittens in a Blender (if only it was real) and the great, solo-only Friday. After that, I go over a few Kickstarter projects and then, happily, finish the Heavenly Sword Game Club--we'll be taking a week breaking before moving onto the next game, Chrono Trigger. Anyway, if you want to be extra cool, you should seriously check out Frontburnr, register, and join our lovely little party. And, if you're feeling extra generous, donate a little money or subscribe to show your support for the site and show(s), it's not free to host the site, the show; to make and record videos, and everything in between. You can also support the site by shopping at Amazon. Cheers, and have a lovely rest of the day. (Also, I'm sorry for being sick. Should anyone ever apologize for being sick? No, but I'm doing it anyway, so ha!)

Click to read more ...

Kickstarter Picks for the Week of May 12, 2014

What is this post all about? Well, it should pretty straightforward, but, if there's any confusion, this is where I'll be talking about a handful of Kickstarter projects each week, focusing on a few projects that recently launched and a few projects that are about to end. Will I be focusing only on projects in need of funding? No. I will simply be focusing on projects that interest me, regardless of whether they've only raised $5 or raised ten times that of their original goal. Anyway, I think it's about time I got to the actual projects, eh.

• Recently Launched

12 Realms: Ancestors Legacy

• Ends Fri, Jun 13 2014 3:30 PM CDT.

12 Realms: Ancestors Legacy is an expansion for 12 Realms, but, if you're like me and don't own 12 Realms, you can pick up a copy of reprint of 12 Realms, along with a copy of the expansion, Ancestors Legacy. But you're probably wanting to know what 12 Realms is before putting your money down in support, eh. 12 Realms (and Ancestors Legacy) is a cooperative game for 1-6 players that takes place in the world of fairy tales. The base game looks rather simple, but the expansion seems to add quite a bit of variation, mixing in elements of the base game and adding a random element to keep the game exciting. I haven't played the game, but it has piqued my interest and it may just pique yours as well. (This will also, most likely, get funded sooner than later.)

More Kickstarter picks can be seen with a little bit of clickage.

Click to read more ...

PSP #173: Board Gaming with Bang! The Dice Game, 1969, The Resistance: Avalon, and Baldrick's Tomb

In today's episode, I mention my review of Bang! The Dice Game...and then, basically, review it again on the show. After that, I talk about some board game annoyances--like elitist and vindictive players--while going over a few more games--including 1969, The Resistance: Avalon, and Baldrick's Tomb. Anyway, if you want to be extra cool, you should seriously check out Frontburnr, register, and join our lovely little party. And, if you're feeling extra generous, donate a little money or subscribe to show your support for the site and show(s), it's not free to host the site, the show; to make and record videos, and everything in between. You can also support the site by shopping at Amazon. Cheers, and have a lovely rest of the day (and a great weekend).

Click to read more ...

Board Game Review: Bang! The Dice Game | Tis quite nice!

Bang! The Dice Game does not replace Bang! [the card game], it simply turns Bang! into a great filler game, removing a lot of complications that makes Bang! last anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes--which also makes it a much easier game to learn and teach--bringing the average play time down to about 10 to 15 minutes.

The setup for Bang! The Dice Game is just like the card game; you start off dealing out role cards depending on how many people are playing--the game plays three to eight and, for example, if there are only three players, there's no sheriff and one of each of the other roles is randomly passed out--then you deal one character card, face up, to each player--you don't get to pick between two character cards like you can in the card game--then each person takes the number of bullets equal to the number on their character card--the bullets are used to count health points--and then the game (and the banging!) finally begins.

Click to read more ...

PSP #172: Board Gaming with Marvel Dice Masters, Shadows Over Camelot: The Card Game, and Kickstarter; Then Game Clubbing with Heavenly Sword

In today's episode, I talk about more Marvel Dice Masters, having played a few more games, now using tournament rules, teaching the game to a few more people as well, and then talk about Shadows Over Camelot: The Card Game, a decent, simplified implementation of the board game, but not at all a replacement. After that, I go over a few Kickstarter projects and then get depressed as Game Club continues with more Heavenly Sword. Anyway, if you want to be extra cool, you should seriously check out Frontburnr, register, and join our lovely little party. And, if you're feeling extra generous, donate a little money or subscribe to show your support for the site and show(s), it's not free to host the site, the show; to make and record videos, and everything in between. You can also support the site by shopping at Amazon. Cheers, and have a lovely rest of the day.

Click to read more ...

Kickstarter Picks for the Week of May 05, 2014

What is this post all about? Well, it should pretty straightforward, but, if there's any confusion, this is where I'll be talking about a handful of Kickstarter projects each week, focusing on a few projects that recently launched and a few projects that are about to end. Will I be focusing only on projects in need of funding? No. I will simply be focusing on projects that interest me, regardless of whether they've only raised $5 or raised ten times that of their original goal. Anyway, I think it's about time I got to the actual projects, eh.

• Recently Launched

Evolution

• Ends Mon, Jun 16 2014 10:59 PM CDT.

Evolution is a dynamic card game that involves, you guess it, evolution! As stated last week (and made evident by the fact I always have a deck of playing cards in my left back pants pocket), I love card games, and a card game where you create your own species, evolving 'em as the game progresses, doing your best to survive and score the most points sounds awesome. Evolution is definitely worth checking out--even if you only go to check out the beautiful art on each card--and I wouldn't be surprised to see Evolution reach quite a few of their stretch goals.

More Kickstarter picks can be seen with a little bit of clickage.

Click to read more ...

PSP #171: Board Gaming with Marvel Dice Masters, The Downfall of Pompeii, Cthulhu Dice, BANG!, and The Resistance

In today's episode, I talk about the best game night in quite a while thanks to good games, good people, and a very welcome new face (and voice). The games discussed include Marvel Dice Masters--expect more on this in the near future--The Downfall of Pompeii--I need to buy my own copy already--Cthulhu Dice, BANG!, and The Resistance. Anyway, if you want to be extra cool, you should seriously check out Frontburnr, register, and join our lovely little party. And, if you're feeling extra generous, donate a little money or subscribe to show your support for the site and show(s), it's not free to host the site, the show; to make and record videos, and everything in between. You can also support the site by shopping at Amazon. Cheers, and have a lovely rest of the day.

Click to read more ...

A temporary solution for those unable to find a Marvel Dice Masters Starter Set

I know the hunt well and feel a bit bad for finding a copy when the game only popped up on my radar a few days before release--I was shopping at Target, figured I'd look for the hell of it and, to my surprise, they had three copies(!)--but, if you really want to play Marvel Dice Masters and couldn't snag a copy of the Starter Set, WizKids has a temporary solution for y'all. (Do not spend a ridiculous amount of money on eBay or the like for a copy!)

What's the temporary solution? Well, WizKids has provided a PDF so y'all can print out proxy cards [of the Basic Action cards] and special instructions that will allow players to use regular ol' D-6s in place of the Basic Action and Sidekick dice. Y'all will still need character cards in order to play, but everything from the Starter Set that you can't get elsewhere is available with this PDF, so, as I said before, if you really want to play Marvel Dice Masters, use this temporary solution now and pick up a Starter Set when they're back in stock in a month or two; there's no need to spend a small fortune for it right now.

Marvel Dice Masters: Avengers vs. X-Men Announcement! (WizKids)

Deal of the Day: Xbox One exclusives for $39.99 each

Today only, you can pick up one of three (or all three) Xbox One exclusives for $39.99 each on Amazon: Forza Motorsport 5, Ryse: Son of Rome, and Dead Rising 3. Now I know Forza 5 gets a lot of crap for its microtransactions, but, as someone who put a few dozen hours into the game, I never once paid anything more than the initial price of admission and never felt like I was missing out or that I needed to spend more money to get the full experience. On a similar note, Ryse is a game that may not be great, but it's a very solid game with great visuals, a surprisingly good story, and fun multiplayer; I enjoyed my entire time with Ryse and hope y'all don't let some early negativity keep you from giving the game a shot.

Forza 5 and Ryse are good games, but Dead Rising 3 is a great game. I know not everyone liked the first two games and I understand why--the save system was awful; the partner A.I. was beyond stupid; and the gameplay was pretty damn terrible, especially when you had a gun in your hand--but Dead Rising 3 fixes so many of those problems, delivering a Dead Rising game with a, "Save Anywhere" system, partner A.I. that is actually helpful, and legitimately fun gameplay, even when shooting one of a handful of guns. Dead Rising 3 may not be the most amazing game ever made, but it's a lot of fun and one of my favorite games of 2013.

• Dead Rising 3
• Forza Motorsport 5
• Ryse: Son of Rome

Kickstarter Pick: Simple System Table-Top Roleplaying Game System

I so wanted to call this, "Pickstarter," thinking I'm clever and funny, realizing seconds later that I'm actually stupid and as far from funny as one gets, but that's not why I'm here; I'm here to talk about the Simple System Table-Top Roleplaying Game System, a recently launched Kickstarter project that has grown quite a bit since I first backed it--I may be remembering wrong, but I'm pretty sure I was one of the first few to back the project. So what is Simple System Table-Top Roleplaying Game System? Well, the name is kind of straightforward...

I can't speak with any authority about tapletop roleplaying games because I've never played one, but I've always been interested in trying one out; however, there's always been an invisible wall heading my attempts to do so, not to mention the difficulty of finding the right people--someone willing to teach anything and everything--who all happen to have the same days and hours free for playing--I've been trying to get something going for a few years now with no success. On top of scheduling and all that jazz, there is something daunting about the actual roleplaying system; it may be simple, but it sure as hell isn't inviting or seemingly accessible. This is where Simple System comes into play.

Click to read more ...