Tag Archives: card

Iello – Gen Con Press Event!

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Earlier I posted a general flyby of our time at Gen Con, one of the events we wanted to give more time to, however, was the Iello event we had the chance of attending. Let me first explain the aesthetics and then the product. 11822286_614872805320250_4878656915942312412_n The event was held at one of the hotels near the convention center; making it easy to find. This was my first press event of the con so I wasn't sure what was in store, but upon arrival it was clear Iello didn't pull any stops; there were tables for both sitting as well as standing, a bar, and a buffet. As a reviewer I felt as though Iello recognized and cared about the value we brought to the table. It was great...

Bearly Escape – Gamer’s Remorse Killer Game Challenge

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Brian, Eric, and Sean take a look at Bearly Escape by RevCofe Games. This game was submitted to the Gamer's Remorse Killer Game Contest in which designers were called to create a game rethinking the Player Elimination mechanic in which players were eliminated in a fashion but remained engaged in the game. For more content follow us at: Twitter.com/Gam3rsR3mors3 facebook.com/TheGamersRemorse Youtube.com/user/TheGamersRemorse...

GenCon 2015 Weekend in Review!

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“The best 4 days in gaming.” a slogan that the popular board game convention Gen Con claims; and in this humble reviewer’s opinion lives up to. Having just returned from Gen Con I decided I would take some time to fill you guys in on what Sean and I experience over these last 4 days. I will give a general review of the weekend, a highlight from each day, and some company-centric announcements we got while talking to the various publishers.
    General Overview
Like most cons GenCon is a whirlwind of activity; over 50,000 people walking through the exhibit hall, demo rooms, and hallways makes for a sensory overload. Fortunately said senses are being fed with Board, Card, and Roleplaying Game goodness. Our con included (for Brian; each of our numbers vary by person) playing a mere...

Wild Card Thursday – Mystery of the Abbey

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mysteryJust about everyone is familiar with the game Clue or one of its many versions. The game has players trapped in a mansion attempting to solve the mystery of who killed their host, where the murder happened, and with what weapon. Players are equally familiar with the game Guess who; attempt to deduct which character your opponent has by asking a series of questions so as to narrow down the possibilities by way of process of elimination. What happens when these games merge? What happens when you find a monk dead at the bottom of a cliff? That is the what players must solve in Mystery of the Abbey. Released: 1995 Designer: Bruno Faidutti and Serge Laget Plays: 3-6 EPT: 120 minutes Mystery of the Abbey is a deduction game much...

Wild Card Wednesday – Biblios

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bibliosDungeon crawling, city building, empire expanding; all common themes to find in board games and the board game hobby. There are a rare few games, however, that find ways to use themes that most of us would never imagine; one such game is Biblios; a game of monastic library curation. Released: 2007 Designer: Steve Finn Plays: 2-4 EPT: 30 minutes Biblios sets players as abbots attempting to amass a grand library with the victor being the player who manages to claim the most victory points. Victory points are awarded at the end of the game with players scoring the various victory dependent upon the cards in their hand and the value on each of the colored die. There are 5 die in the game as well as 5 suits; blue (pigments), green...

Wild Card Thursday – Gloom

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gloomI love a good story; and I love a good game. So what happens when a game tells a story? What if that is a sad story; a tragedy? Gloom happens. Released: 2005 Designer: Keith Baker Plays: 2-5 EPT: 60 minutes Gloom went from near obscurity to a hit due to its feature on TableTop. It was with this exposure that I was able to break out my copy again which I had only previously had a few chances to play. Gloom is a hand management storytelling hybrid in which players are attempting to use the cards in their hand to tell a story about the tragedies afflicting their families and the triumphs effecting their neighbors. Each player takes on one of the four families placing all the family members before them...

Follow Up Tuesday – Risk

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Risk-BoxRisk is one of those games that almost everyone has tried, wanted to try, or heard stories that kept them from trying. A few of the former group love the game while others hate it. The latter group not willing to risk falling into the second half of the formers avoids it at arms length. Why is this? What make Risk a game that players will either love or hate? Lets answer all that and more. Released: 1959 Designer: Albert Lamorisse and Michael Levin Plays: 2-6 EPT: 120-240 minutes (lets be honest we’ve all played those 4+ hour games) Since the game's initial release Risk has refused to leave the war game market and has had many alternate versions made; some to more critic acclaim than others; with Risk Legacy taking...

Mechanic Monday – Player Elimination (and a challenge)

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Some mechanics I love; other mechanics… not so much. Today we are going to look at a mechanic that I, more often than not, wish was not used. There are a few games that use the mechanic well, however, and we will look at how it is done well in those cases in comparison to how it is used poorly in other games. So without further delay lets look at the history of Player Elimination. The mechanic is an old one; a very old one. According to BoardGameGeek the mechanic can be traced back to an ancient Indian game, Chaturanga, from the year 650. I have never heard of said game, but another common example would be poker. Looking at poker and the history of gambling it is safe to presume that the mechanic is possibly...

Favorite Fridays – Eldritch Horror

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eldritchIn my second Favorite Friday I wrote about Arkham Horror; the 2005 reinvisioning of a 1980s classic. Today we will look at the successor of the reinvisioning of the original; Eldritch Horror. It is days like this I am glad I shifted away from in depth rule explanations because this game; is a big one. Released: 2013 Designer: Corey Konieczka & Nikkia Valens Plays: 1-8 EPT: 180 minutes Like the games that came before it Eldritch Horror drops players into the world of HP Lovecraft’s mythos fighting ancient entities bent on making the world their own. Eldritch, however, takes us out of the Arkham area and lets us explore the world; all of it. Someday mayhaps I can do a very in depth critical analysis comparing Eldritch to Arkham, but I feel...

Wild Card Thursday – The Resistance

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resistanceThere are times that my friends accredit me with the term “Board Game Hipster” I would argue the title is undeserved though it is not uncommon to hear me say I enjoyed a game “before it was cool”. The Resistance is one such game. Released: 2009 Designer: Don Eskridge Plays: 5-10 EPT: 30 minutes I picked up The Resistance while on a family vacation after hearing it described as “Mafia without player elimination or a need for a narrator.” Having lived in a dorm environment the year before that enjoyed almost weekly mafia games where I was always eliminated round 1 or made the narrator I was very excited at the prospect. In The Resistance players find themselves living in a world in which the government has become too powerful and run...
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