Truly Awesome: The Eye of the Technodrome

Back in those heady days of the early 90′s, the Technodrome was Shredder’s pimp ride as he cruised underground in pursuit of Ninja Turtle Soup. I’m not sure where the rest of the Technodrome went, but the all-seeing eye does look a little worse for wear. We’ll just have to assume it is in a better place, but this topper would make one hell of a hood ornament for my car.

Odd & Obscure: Simpsons Halloween

From a Burger King kids meal promotion in October of 2001, these three Simpsons characters are a bit on the obscure side. This is no Bart & Homer, this is Grandpa Abe in a… vampire suit? And Apu in a giant pumpkin? Even my man Milhouse is dressed up as Radioactive Man, pointing out the huge missed opportunity to have a Fallout Boy figure.

Truly Awesome: The Human Bullet

Straight from the comic pages and FOX’s cartoon adaptation, The Human Bullet from The Tick is at his best in wind-up form. Press him down into the cannon, turn the screw, and let it roll around until BAM, he pops his head out.

Odd & Obscure: The Brain Bug

What were my parents thinking when they boxed this one up? I’m not sure I can display this in my house, and I definitely know it won’t be going in my cubicle. While awesome in some sense, it will continue being awesome at the bottom of a box in my attic. If only I had a little psychic Neil Patrick Harris to go along with it.

Truly Awesome: Robin Hood

Holy 1991! Robin Hood: The Prince of Thieves was a remarkable movie, and the manliness of Kevin Kostner has been bottled up inside this iconic action figure. Just look at those muscles! I didn’t know that Robin Hood spent so much time on Venice Beach.

Odd & Obscure: The Hydrox Truck

Some kids get Hess trucks for Christmas. Others get delivery trucks for lesser-known cookie companies. Don’t let anybody tell you differently, though, Hydrox is the original. Oreo is the imposter!

Truly Awesome: Dr. Evil

Complete with Mr. Bigglesworth! This one will be going in the cubicle, but it will wait until I am a manager, of course. This gets extra points for being an excellent McFarlane sculpt.

Odd & Obscure: Pets.com

Do I really need to say anything more?

This Tank from Left 4 Dead is one hell of a model. All you need now is a small stereo to play the music that signals his ominous arrival.

Left 4 Dead’s Smoker has a special ability to frighten small children.

The Tank and Boomer plush toys are already available, but the Hunter won’t be out in stores until later this year. Doesn’t he just scream “cuddle time” to you?

A headcrab-ridden Half Life 2zombie poses alongside a prototype Portal drone, with the plush Companion Cubes hanging in the distance.

The Red Heavy from Team Fortress 2 looks like he’s having a great time.

A Red Heavy action figure with interchangeable parts (and Russian hat) next to a Blue Soldier statue.

With the success of the Castle Ravenloft board game all but assured, Wizards of the Coast was apparently well into the creation of the follow-up, Wrath of Ashardalon; it released a mere six months later.  Don’t be fooled, this is no complaint.  Wrath of Ashardalon brings back all of the successful elements of Castle Ravenloft¸ while adding some new ideas to expand the game-play, and bring new challenges to the table.

Just the Facts:

Players: 1-5
Playing Time: 60+ minutes
Age: 12 to adult
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
MSRP: $64.99
Release: February 16, 2011

Rating: 4.0/5.0

The second iteration of Wizards of the Coast’s D&D Adventure System games, Ashardalon is indeed very similar to its predecessor: there are five heroes to choose from, more than a dozen quests, and forty or so monster and hero figures.  They range, in this case, from lowly Kobolds and snakes, to the impressive and heft figure representing Ashardalon himself, the giant red dragon the adventures revolve around, and everything in between.

Game play progresses in a straight-forward manner.  2-5 players choose their heroes—in this case a Dragonborn wizard, human cleric, Dwarf fighter, Half-Orc rogue and Elf paladin—and their abilities from the cards provided.  The treasure, encounter and monster decks are shuffled, and the dungeon tiles are shuffled in a manner specified for each mission, and play begins.  Combat is carried out through a very bare-bones iteration of fourth edition D&D, all success and failures are centered on the roll of a twenty-sided dice; however all damage is specific to the attack being performed.  This keeps the action brisk and the game simple.

Unlike Dungeons & Dragons the role-playing game, there is no dungeon master here, and each adventure is completely self-contained.  As players explore the map and find monsters to kill, they take control of them in turn, following a clearly defined set of If/Then instructions printed on the monster cards.  As the board grows and monsters and traps are overcome, the party gains experience, which can be used to both circumvent hazards and level up the characters, making them more capable and resilient.  Each adventure has a specific goal; some as simple as slaying a predetermined number of monsters, others as seemingly insurmountable as killing the big baddie Ashardalon, himself.

Unlike Castle Ravenloft, some of the objectives aren’t revealed until midway through the adventure, when the game’s one major addition comes in to play: the Chamber dungeon tiles.  For many of the adventures, a new tile called either the Horrid or Dire Chamber entrance tile is shuffled into the stack of tiles.  When the entrance tile is revealed, a larger room is assembled around the entrance tile, and a card is drawn (randomly or pre assigned) from the Chamber deck, and the action really begins.  Adventurers may have to steal treasure, slay a particularly nasty baddie, or rescue villagers.  This very successfully adds a sense of scale to the final encounters.  In Castle Ravenloft, the dungeons were cramped and tight, leaving many of the climactic encounters feeling a little less than climactic.

The characters’ powers are a little tweaked this time around as well.  The rogue is a lot more capable than before, the wizards powers make him something more than just a simple magic-cannon, and the cleric’s healing is more frequent but less potent.  Of course, players with a copy of Castle Ravenloft can use the heroes and monsters from that game.

Wrath of Ashardalon is an excellent follow-up to Castle Ravenloft, improving the game overall, while maintaining the fun, easy-to-learn and challenging (emphasis on challenging, these adventures are quite difficult) nature of the first game.  The high quality miniatures will no doubt be of use to many DMs in their regular D&D campaigns, and the high replay value guarantees that this game will see heavy use with enthusiastic players.  While a third release in the D&D Adventure System has yet to be announced, we at Modern Day Pirates eagerly await the unveiling of the next excellent game in this series.

From new game design house Sandstorm Productions, Hecho is a fast-paced card game where player race to construct buildings using cards that represent raw materials.  Hecho, the Spanish word for “made”, is revealing of both the game’s theme, and a larger focus on teaching foreign vocabulary.  All of the cards are intentionally printed in Spanish!  So how does this game stack up against the competition?  Read on for our full review:

Just the Facts:

Players: 2-6
Playing Time: 15 minutes
Age: 8 to adult
Publisher: Sandstorm Productions
MSRP: $14.95
Release: October 2010

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 

The Gameplay:

Hecho involves a short setup phase where all of the material cards are spread out in a large pile.  Surrounding them, the thirty-six project cards are shuffled and separated into six face-up piles of six cards each.  Finally, each player draws a six-card hand from the pile in front of them.  Once this is done, then it’s off to the races as Hecho is played in real time.  There are no turns, and there is no stopping until someone has won the game!

The objective of Hecho is to win victory points by completing project cards.  According to the theme, this represents building the structures shown on the cards.  Once any of the project piles is empty, the game is over, and players can add up their completed projects to see who has won.  They’ll need to use their material cards to complete these projects, so let’s take a look at how this gameplay works.

The materials cards can represent wood, glass, brick, metal, plastic, cement, as well as wild cards.  Each type of material card can be valued anywhere from one to eight, and players must match these cards from there hand with the requirements of a project card on the table.  For instance, to construct a biblioteca, a player must combine the cards in their hand to match 4 wood, 2 brick, 4 metal, and 4 plastic. They can do this by matching the number exactly, or using two or more cards of each material type to add up to the desired total.

Once a player completes a structure, they yell out “Hecho!” and draw two additional material cards.  Every other player draws one additional material card. Alternatively, players can dump cards of matching values (regardless of type) to take two new cards.  They can also trade with other players, but are only allowed to discuss the total value of cards they are willing to trade,  not the type of building material they represent.

The Contents:

• 36 Project Cards
• 110 Material Cards
• 1 English/Spanish Rulebook
  

The artwork on the material cards does a good job of showing what type of material the card represents while not distracting the player.  Building material cards don’t often stand out as the high point of graphic design, but it’s worth noting that these cards really do have a visual appeal to them.  The quality is above average, but short of top notch.  It will take some effort to bend a card, but it can occur over extended play.

As for the project cards, they are a slightly different story.  With the game marketed to children and educators, this game may have to stand up to some abuse.  However, the over-sized project cards seem to be the same thickness as their standard sized cousins, meaning they are much more apt to get worn throughout time.  The artwork on these is also seriously lacking.  On each of the 36 project cards, a different type of building is pictured, and the Spanish noun to represent that building is printed below.  The photos used have been subject to some extensive filtering which seems to make primary colors stand out, and then they are filled with noise and paint blotches to give them an extremely distressed look.  The choice of style is a bit questionable, as it can actually get in the way of the game (see below).

Given the two different sizes of cards, the game could also use some sort of plastic insert to keep everything held together while on the go.  The box is sized just large enough to fit the project cards, which means the material cards will be flying around inside the box, making plenty of noise and potentially getting worn.

Our Thoughts:

Games of Hecho are hectic, fast-paced fun.  Real-time games are a bit of an under-served market (Bananagrams is the most stand-out example of this type of play), so it’s good to see some more competitors in the field.  The rules for trading seem like an odd inclusion, though.  They definitely exist to avoid the dilemma of having a player’s game stall out, where there are no possible moves, but perhaps it would be better to have rules that allow a player to dump their hand.  In a solo race, it’s not often that your opponent is going to take a break to haggle, or the other remaining players will zoom ahead.  Fortunately, in our several rounds of Hecho, we never ran into a situation where a player was forced to beg for a trading partner.

Aside from the gameplay, one of the major selling points for this game is that it doubles as a teaching tool for Spanish, but Hecho ultimately falls short in this area.  There are just shy of 50 Spanish words present in the entire game (so yes, you will learn more Spanish than playing Uno) but that hardly seems like a vocabulary lesson when the words don’t need to be spoken or read to actually play.  If the focus where on the words, it would be a slightly different story, but the game actually forbids you from identifying your cards during trading, so scratch that notion.

The project cards, with their heavily filtered images, are hard to match up to the words, but in a game so fast-paced, you’re not stopping to read as it is.  That being said, why not go with clean images to boost their potential as learning materials outside of the game?  Ultimately, this game probably has a home in an elementary or middle school Spanish classroom setting, where a teacher can build some additional rules to enhance it’s educational potential.  Asides from that, it’s not a card game that will have much staying power in the home.

Where to Buy:

Hecho is available online and in-store wherever Sandstorm Productions games are sold.  It is stocked by Amazon.com at its retail price of $14.95.

Disclaimer: The Modern Day Pirates were provided a complimentary review sample of this game.

For those who played enough games to achieve the coveted platinum status, the reward this year was an awesome Super Mario Bros. themed figurine.  Platinum members should be receiving this reward in the mail any day now, but here’s a peek at one that just arrived today:

The figurine is made of a soft plastic, which is beautifully painted.  It measures 3.9 inches in height and 4.6 inches in diameter, so while it is not a full-size statue, this is not some small trinket.  I can’t help but compare it to a real-life version of a trophy earned in Super Smash Bros.!  Here are some additional photos of the figurine:

Now that Halloween is over, it’s time to start looking forward to the December gift-giving holidays!  Think back to those early childhood holiday memories, and I’m sure you will remember the day that the Big Toy Book showed up in the mail. I’ll bet you wrestled your siblings for it, and then locked yourself in a room circling all of the neatest stuff you hoped “Santa” would bring you. But this raises the question, with today’s kids having iPhones in elementary school, do they even still play with toys? Maybe not as much as past generations did, but the answer is still yes. In that epic struggle with the gadgets, toys really have to fight for their attention, and this has led to some pretty great products. Here are some of the items from this year’s Big Toy Book that we wish were around back in the 80s!

Department of Motorized Gizmos:

LEGO AT-AT Walker

Don’t get me wrong, those 80′s LEGO sets were pretty awesome, but that is partly due to some heavy nostalgia.  Face it, even without the motors, a giant AT-AT LEGO set is downright awesome.  While I would probably add in a beverage cooler to transport cold ones from the fridge, I’m sure today’s kids will have enough fun just recreating battles from The Empire Strikes Back, or at least torturing the family cat.

Imaginext Bigfoot

He walks, talks, somersaults, throws a ball, and stands on his head.  Move over Teddy Ruxpin, you’ve been replaced (let’s be honest, the only fun there was recording dirty words onto a tape and then having Teddy play it back.)  Kids as early as three years old can start messin’ with sasquatch if they’re lucky enough to get their hands on this robotic dude.

Department of Grandiose Size

Fast Lane Remote-Control Mega Crane

Standing at 46″ tall, this is the real deal, with 360 degree range of motion and dual-axis control.  Not sure how much this can lift, but again, watch out for the family cat.  What strikes me about this toy and why I am jealous, is that there were very few toys of such large scale around during my childhood (If you wanted it, you had to pool together the whole neighborhood’s K’NEX!)  I blame the advent of the McMansion for kids even having rooms big enough to hold such a toy!.  Don’t worry though, because of all those ill-advised home loans, you’ll be doing blue collar work into your 60s, so get back to practicing your crane operation.

Nerf N-Strike Stampede ECS Blaster

Also stocked in the department of poked eyes, there is so much fun to be had with the N-Strike Stampede Blaster that you will forgo getting a haircut for several months past your better judgment’s suggestions.  Back in my day, we didn’t have any Nerf guns larger than our bodies.  I’d be inclined to give this kid my wallet if he cornered me on the street.  Why?  He’s got a built-in shield.  This punk is fearless.

Imaginarium Grandview Dollhouse

Again with the toys that are larger than the child playing with them.  A dollhouse so large it requires its own room.  I felt honored to have Castle Greyskull and the Spawn Alley playset.  My G.I. Joes would’ve had great fun using this as a bombed-out structure in Nazi-occupied France, but how are the dollhouse’s inhabitants supposed to reach that third floor without any stairs though?  Grandma is gonna starve up there.  This leads perfectly into our next area of the store…

Department of Resurgent Stereotypes

Nothing says early 90′s like a Hillary Clinton pants-suit and non-gender-specific toys encouraging the offspring of the first powerful female generation to go forth and shatter that glass ceiling.  You’d never catch a girl with a kitchen setup this grand back then, so perhaps it’s time for a little bit of generational backlash?  I’m pretty sure that kitchen is actually nicer than my own.  I’ll trade you, kid.

Department of Unintended Consequences

Spy Net Secret Mission Video Watch

Move over Talk Boy!  Every kid dreamed of having spy gear, but 99% of those toys wound up being total scams.  With today’s technology, though, these things can actually work.  This wrist-watched size 1.4″ color LCD screen connects to a tiny snake camera that can record 20 minutes of video.  It’s not Retina display quality, but for a $50 kid’s toy, color me envious.  Do we really want our kids to be able to shoot high-quality spy videos though?

C.S.I. DNA Laboratory Kit

Science toys are the coolest, and we never had anything like this when I was a kid.  Hopefully kids stick with the experiments included in the box though, and don’t start trying to collect DNA samples on their own.

Space Hulk

The Original

A tense and fast-paced game centered in the venerable Warhammer 40,000 universe, the original two editions of Space Hulk were widely known to be brutally difficult but incredibly enjoyable games, full of great figures and fun missions to play again and again and again (yes the game was really that hard).  With intact copies being so hard to come by, it was only a matter of time before Games Workshop rolled out a new version of this classic.

Shiny, New, and Awesome

So in 2009, when they announced Space Hulk’s 3^rd edition, the reaction was very positive.  New and incredibly detailed plastic miniatures, a beautiful set of game tiles, and some brand new missions mixed with old ulcer-inducing levels made this re-release a must have for fans of the classic originals.

Talisman

The Original!

Originally released in the distant days of 1983, Talisman, a classic fantasy-themed adventure game, has gone through three subsequent versions, finally being re-released in 2007 by Black Industries (and then picked up by Fantasy Flight Games when publication ceased).  Unlike so many fantasy-themed games, Talisman is not co-operative.  Players compete to retrieve the vaunted Crown of Command.  While the second edition and its three expansions remain the gold standard of Talisman, the new release has received a generally positive reaction.

Axis and Allies

This game rivals the Beatles’ ‘Yesterday’ for number of versions and variations, but the fact of the matter is, the 1981 classic World War 2 game is a perennial favorite with each new release.  Players take control of one of five world powers (U.S.A., Japan, Russia, Britain and Germany) and rehash the Second World War anew with hundreds of plastic miniatures and plenty of dice.  With two recent versions each focusing on a specific theater of the war, Pacific 1940 and Europe 1940 that can be combined to make the biggest and most in-depth version of the game yet, Axis and Allies is a title that we will be seeing far in to the future.

Our Recommendations!

So what about some games that are just aching for a remake?  With so many to choose from, there’s no way we can answer this without leaving some forgotten favorite behind.  All the same, here are three picks for games that we at Modern Day Pirates would just love to see on a store shelf again.

The Omega Virus

Released in 1994, The Omega Virus centered on a group of international heroes, sent to a satellite infested with a self-aware virus intent on destroying the Earth.  As players explored the map and collected the means to find and destroy the virus, they struggled against three foes: the virus, the lock and each other for the opportunity to save the earth.  All while being mercilessly mocked by the digital voice of the virus itself. What would have been a pretty fun game by itself was made absolutely stellar by the Omega Virus itself, a jangling, distorted voice that delighted in the players’ failures and infighting, and pressed you time and time again as the clock ticked down to oblivion.

The game was impressive for 1994.  Imagining what a release would be capable of with today’s technology is enough to give nostalgic gamers goose-bumps.

Hero Quest

A classic formula:  Brave heroes, endless monsters, deep, dark dungeons.  So what made Hero Quest different?  Well for one, thing, it may have had the greatest commercial in board game history.  Other than that, cardboard and plastic props brought more to the dungeon than a flat surface would have, and fun adventures full of awesome monsters to fight and treasures to obtain.  While there are many new takes on this game formula, (Fantasy Flight’s Descent: Journeys in the Dark, and Wizards of the Coast’s Castle Ravenloft are just two), Hero Quest had that intangible element that made it stick with players well into adulthood.

Fireball Island

The 1986 classic Indiana Jones-esque adventure game definitely deserves a re-issue.  Plucky explorers had to brave the molded three dimensional game-board to obtain the giant ruby then escape without being smote by the vengeful, red marble-spewing tiki idol.  Not especially complex, or challenging, the game was just visually cool and a lot of fun.

Fictionaire \ Fic●tion●aire \ noun;

1. Person who tricks opponents into choosing the wrong word definition in the dictionary game.
2. A new card game from Days of Wonder that tests the skills of storytelling, trivia knowledge, and bluffing.

Read on for the full review:

Just the Facts:

Players: 4-7
Playing Time: 10-20 minutes
Age: 10 to adult
Publisher: Days of Wonder
MSRP: $10 per pack
Release: September 2010

Rating: ★★½☆☆ 

The Gameplay:

Fictionaire is a rotating host game where the host can earn points by choosing the correct answer to a question, while the other player can earn points by fooling the host into choosing their fake answer.  The host begins each round be reading a question aloud.  Each player then takes the question card and peeks at the true answer.  They may now respond with a fictional answer in an attempt to fool the host, or they can use the true answer printed on the card. Once they respond, they pass to the left and allow the remaining players to respond.

In order to separate truth from fiction, there are several red keywords at the bottom of each card.  Fictional answers are not allowed to include any of these red words, while truthful answer must us them all.   The truth must be used exactly once each round, so players pay attention to previous answers in order to determine whether the truth has already been given.  If every player prior to the last player bluffs, then they are forced to give the true answer.  After all players provide an answer, the host picks one that they feel is most likely to be the truth.

Once the host chooses an answer to question, the player who gave that answer gets a point card.  If the answer was a bluff, that player also gets to keep that rounds question card, which counts as an additional point.  However, if the answer chosen was the true answer, the host keeps the question card and earns that second point.  Play then continues with the next player assuming the role of the host.  Although there are 14 point cards in the deck, a stack double the size of the playing group should be set out at the beginning of the game.  Once there are no more point cards left, the game is over, so there should be exactly twice as many rounds as there are players.

Contents:

Fictionaire is sold as four separate games, each with questions of a slightly different theme.  While all of them include some general trivia, they each have a slightly different focus.  The four decks are as follows:

• Fool Science - The Compendium of Scientific Wonders. Questions covering technology and all of the sciences.  Example: “What was the subject of Albert Einstein’s first published paper?” Answer: Capillarity, the movement of liquids in thin tubes.u8
• Naturals - Chronicles of the Physical World.  Facts about nature and regional trivia.  Example: “Why is the common basilisk also known as the Jesus lizard?” Answer: Because it can literally walk on water.
• Classic - The Encyclopedia Fictionica.  Questions focusing around defining words or phrases.  Example: “What is a hurdy-gurdy?” Answer: A stringed musical instrument that produces a droning sound similar to that of bagpipes.
• Tall Tales - It’s a Weird World!.  Oddities and outstanding stories.  Example: “With what part of his body did Lithuanian Antanas Kontrimas manage to lift a young 63kg girl with?”  Answer: His beard.

Each Fictionaire deck includes 3 rules/demonstration cards, 14 victory point cards, and 60 double-sided question cards.  All together, the four packs add up to almost 500 trivia questions. The cards are a bit thin, but the colors are vibrant; these should hold up OK over long-term play.

Where Fictionaire truly earns a gold star is its packaging.  Each deck is themed after a fictional brand of cigarettes, with highly stylized packaging to go along.  While you won’t see a surgeon general’s warning, the print doesn’t break from the theme.  Even on the side of the box you’ll see ingredients “”Cards: 77%, Rules: 8%, Points: 18%  -  Fun: 100%”. When you open a pack, the cards are also wrapped in a layer of foil, an addition that’s purely cosmetic but very fun in sticking with the cigarettes theme.

The boxes are intended to be functional as well as fun, though, as the flip-top lids allow players to read the top half of each card without revealing the answers at the bottom.  The size makes the game extremely portable as well.  Many games advertise themselves as portable while not quite living up to the description, but people carry around cigarette packs all day, so why not a pack of these cards?  I long for the day where geeks rule the earth and carry packs of Fictionaire in their rolled-up shirt sleeves.

Our Thoughts:

Fictionaire is not an overly complex game, and can actually be learned in about 2 minutes.  It falls strongly into the category of games that can be taught on the fly by playing one practice round and giving guidance to each new player.  This ties well into its nature as a portable card game, but things start to break down when the game’s pacing is thrown off.

The game can be fun if everyone at the table can quickly generate a creative response.  The process is not as easy as it sounds, though, as having to analyze everyone else’s responses for the one mandatory true answer gives each person a lot to think about, particularly when there are a full seven players.  Take this for example, the last player in a round must look at the red words and then be able to recall every other players answer to see if they were already used.  Even if they are quick with an answer, this process has already taken way too long.  Throw in a few players who have trouble thinking on their feet, and you’ve got a bit of a train wreck on your hands.

One of the heaviest weighted factors in any review you’ll read here on MDP is how well a game will adapt itself to a diverse group of players.  It’s not always easy getting 7 people to the table for a game, so most often, you’ve got to take who you have available.  Fictionaire tests three different skills, and having players weak in any of them will cause the game to drag.

Fictionaire also commits the cardinal sin of having a runaway leader.  By this, I mean that the game may not be technically over according to the rules, but one player has had so much early success that they are far ahead, with no mechanism available that would allow other players much hope of catching up.  It’s even possible to be mathematically eliminated from the game, yet still be forced to play a few rounds!

Overall, Fictionaire can be fun with an even-matched and equally-skilled group of player, but there are a lot of hurdles for the average gamer to jump through in order to have a good time.  I would recommend Fictionaire only if you are a real card game buff, or if you intend to play in a very casual and non-competitive setting.  For the latter, Fictionaire actually offers a much better value than other attempts at marketing the dictionary game, such as Mattel’s Balderdash, which will run you $25.

Where to Buy:

Fictionaire, in each of its four varieties, is available direct from Days of Wonder for $10 each.  The best price we could find online for packs was at Miniatures Market where they were available for 6.50 each, with low cost shipping options.

Disclaimer: The Modern Day Pirates were provided a complimentary review sample of this game.

Why not have a little fun with your files? There was a lot more to see at New York Comic Con than just comics, including awesome gadgets such as these MIMOBOT character flash drives.  We stopped by the Mimoco booth and talked with Jessica for a bit, so check out the video for a great introduction to the MIMOBOT line:

Mimoco offers several different types of USB drives, including:

• Original Characters
• Artist Crossovers
• Community Designs
• Licensed Characters|

While you can’t deny the appeal of a memorable licensed character, what impressed us the most was the use of community designs.  You can see similar concepts being embraced all around the internet, particularly with clothing, and there seems to be numerous benefits.  These sites tend to put out a quality product by crowdsourcing the task of uncovering artistic talent, with the result being compelling designs at a fair price.  We took home Dr. Knowledgus, who is an awesome little steam punk inspired scientist, one of the first community-designed MIMOBOTs, and we couldn’t be happier with him!

Even the licensed characters go beyond simply slapping a familiar face onto a product, though.  There are some genuinely creative uses of the Star Wars brand, where lifting the USB cap will reveal the faces beneath masks, such as Han or Luke hiding behind a stormtrooper helmet.  The best touch is that one out of every six Darth Vader drives will have the original Return of the Jedi style Anakin underneath the iconic hood.  Truthfully, the chase aspect of collectibles is extremely tired, but that still doesn’t prevent it from being awesome.  If the opportunity to purchase our own little pasty, wrinkled white man came along, we’d jump at the chance!  Also, props to Mimoco for choosing Lobot as one of their characters. Why? Because Lobot is the man, and he knows it.

Other licenses include Hello Kitty, Domo, Halo, and Happy Tree Friends.  MIMOBOT drives are available in a variety of sizes: 4GB ($35), 8GB ($55), and 16GB ($80), all of which can be purchased at the Mimoco online store.  Some specials to note are that the Lobot drive is a limited edition run of 1,000 pieces, and that the Han & Luke stormtroopers have a special edition run of 500 pieces.  These include special caps that allow Han & Luke’s faces to be seen with the cap in place.

The year is 1945, and the USA and USSR have just waged a successful war to defeat the Axis powers.  Twilight Struggle is an award-winning strategy game, players will take sides and spread their influence across the globe until only one superpower remains.  This is the original Red vs. Blue.  Read on for our full review of the new Deluxe Edition reprinting.

Just the Facts:

Players: 2
Playing Time: 180 minutes
Age: 13 to Adult
Publisher: GMT Games
MSRP: $55.00
Release: 2009

Rating: ★★★★★ 

The Gameplay:

Twilight Struggle is a game that plays out over the course of 10 turns, with players going back and forth in taking a set number of actions on each turn.  Victory points can be obtained in a number of ways, but in order to win, a superpower must accumulate twenty points more than the opponent.  Alternatively, one player can end the game early by establishing complete control over the European continent, or causing the opposing player to initiate mutually assured destruction through changes to the DEFCON level tracker.

The game is played out entirely through the playing of cards, and on each turn, players will go back and forth playing one card each, until that turn’s pre-set number of actions have been taken.  Each card can be used in two ways: either for their point value, or the event text written on the card. When using a card for its points, there are several actions which a player may take:

• Establish New Influence in a Country: Place one new influence marker for each card point.  Players must expand their influence along the map by placing markers in or next to countries where they already have a marker present.
• Re-align Existing Influence in a Country: After a country is chosen, players each roll a D6.  If the defender’s roll is lower, then the difference between both rolls is calculated, and that many of the defender’s influence markers must be removed.  This costs 1 point per alignment roll, so it can be performed multiple times off of one card play.
• Perform a Coup in a Country: A country is chosen, and the player backing that coup rolls against a set score (twice that country’s stability number).  The objective for the player is to beat that number with a combination of their D6 roll and the number on the card used to initiate the coup. For each point achieved above the country’s defending number, the opposing player loses one influence.  When no opposing influence remains, friendly influence markers are added instead.
• Advance Space Race Progress: Players may make an attempt to advance in the space race by rolling a D6.  The number needed depends on which step the player is attempting to advance to, and the rewards include victory points and rule-bending advantages.

If a player chooses to use a card for it’s text, they simply do what the card days.  Typically, card text allows players to make variations of the basic moves described above, occasionally with added victory points as a reward.  Alternatively, they sometimes modify the rules of the game for as long as that card remains in play.

The catch here is that if a card has only the enemy superpower’s symbol present on it, then it is sure to benefit the opponent, not the current player.  In this case, if the card is used for infleunce, realignment, the opposing player will be allowed to carry out the text on the card even though it is not being played for its text.  Holding the opponent’s cards in your hand is something of a curse, and the only way to avoid initiating their event text is to spend them on the space race, or not play them at all by holding them in your hand until the end of the turn.

Each geographical region has a special scoring card shuffled into the deck, and these may not be held in a player’s hand for another turn; they must be played at some point on the turn they are received.  When a scoring card is put in play, the influence that superpowers have over the various countries making up that territory is analyzed, and players are rewarded victory points depending on whether they have a presence, domination, or complete control over that region.  Scoring for these achievements varies depending on which region is being scored.

Historical influences in this game take shape in the form of a 3-deck system.  Cards are separated into Early War, Mid War, and Late War piles, each of which will be shuffled into the in-play deck at set points in the game.  With each turn spanning approximately four years of history, the mid-war cards are incorporated after turn 3, and the late war cards after turn 7.

This summary of the rules for Twilight Struggle is just a taste of what the game has to offer, and hopefully it has convinced you to give the game a shot.  There is even more to this game, such as the specific details of how to establish control over countries, exactly how scoring is determined, use of the special China card, and how the DEFCON track is handled. If you are interested in reading more about how this game works, the full game rules are available in PDF form.

Contents:

There’s a lot of them, and they are beautiful.  High quality cards, check.  Properly sized and sturdy box, check.  The board is the standout piece here, though, as it is huge yet uses a flush-mounted print to allow it to fold into a tiny space, all without compromising the artwork or gameplay surface with any bothersome creases.

The instruction booklet for this game is very well written, and a nearly complete turn-by-turn analysis of a sample game, as well as player reference sheet, are all included to make sure that player’s gain a full understanding of the rules.  This is the first game our playtest group encountered in a long time where not a single rules error was made during the first playthrough!

GMT Games has even gone so far as to provide optional pieces  that may or may not benefit your gameplay, such as markers that serve as reminders for cards remaining in play.  This new printing is dubbed the “Deluxe Edition”, and including such components makes it worthy of such a title.

Our Thoughts:

Twilight Struggle has all the makings of a great 1vs1 strategy game, as there are multiple victory conditions and many ways to achieve them.  The flexibility afforded by the card system allows players to adapt their strategy however they like, whether it be to stonewall their opponent, outperform them, focus on upgrading technology, or adopt a balanced mix of all tactics as they suit the situation at hand.

The progression of time is also handled beautifully in this game.  The 4 years per turn allows the game to pace itself well with a perfect 3-hour playtime, where it is very enjoyable to see new events come into play as the war moves into its later stages.  The space race is a great side game as well.  While it a great mechanic as a safety valve for dumping the opposing team’s cards, it also shines for its realism in pacing alongside the actual progression of events.  Put simply, players actually do feel as though they are playing out the events of the Cold War when they sit down to enjoy this game.

In short, Twilight Struggle puts players in the driver’s seat of a war sparse on combat, and winds up delivering an engaging strategic battle.  What’s more is that the game manages to please multiple audiences at once.  There is an incredible amount of factual information about the Cold War included in this game; it is a veritable history lesson in a box.  This pleases the hardcore wargame simulation crowd, yet the designers have taken an editorial pen to some small facts of the era in order to make the best game possible (wherever any such deviation from fact occurs, there is careful documentation as to not upset the previously mentioned history buffs).  The end result is one of the smoothest 2-player tactical experiences we’ve seen hit our table in a long time.  This game is deserving of a perfect score as it sets out to accomplish a very ambitious goal and delivers on all accounts.  Twilight Struggle should find a home on your shelf.

Where to Buy:

Twilight Struggle an be purchased directly from GMT Games for $55.00, or in local game shops wherever GMT Games are sold.  The best price we could find online for Twilight Struggle: Deluxe Edition was $43.99 at Funagain Games.

Disclaimer: The Modern Day Pirates were provided a complimentary review sample of this game.

With New York Comic Con just around the corner, it’s time to take a look at some of the reasons why you should block off next weekend for this event.  Sure, there are geek gods ranging from Bruce Campbell and Seth Green all the way up to Stan “The Man” Lee, and yeah, NYCC has combined forces with the New York Anime Festival to take over the entire 600,000 square foot Jacob Javitz Convention Center.  What it comes down to, though, is that comics are a collector’s hobby, and New York Comic Con is prepared to deliver the goods with con-exclusive items for sale.  Here’s a taste:

In celebration of their first appearance at New York Comic Con, publisher IDW will be bringing variant covers of True Blood #1, Spike #1, Star Trek: Khan: Ruling In Hell #1

Along with a wide selection of books, shirts, hats, and bags to promote the upcoming AMC TV series, The Walking Dead will have a large presence in the expo hall.  The big attraction at this booth will be a limited edition convention exclusive Walking Dead plush doll (with removable head).

Diamond Comics Distributors is also getting in on the True Blood action by showing up with an alternate cover of True Blood #3 limited to 2,000 pieces.  Diamond is also known for the highest quality toys, and they have teamed up with Action Figure Xpress to bring three new Marvel Minimates boxed sets, each also limited to 2,000 copies each.  Two of the new sets cover X-Men: Age of Apocalypse, while the third is a New Mutants 4-pack.  Here’s a show of Wolverine, Jean Grey, Dark Beast, and Apocalypse:

The other two sets hold Magneto, Rogue, Cyclops, and Sunfure, as well as Canonball, Sunspot, Karma, and Wolfsbane, respectively.

Zenescope will also be joining in on the exclusive-cover game, bringing 3 new covers drawn by talented cover artist Mike Debalfo, for Charmed #3, Grimm Fairy Tales #51, and Grimm Fairy Tales: Inferno #4

Finally, Plaseebo will be debuting three very limited edition figures from their line of KAIJU customs.  These figures come straight from the mind of creator Bob Conge, and are meant to break the barrier of toys as art.

Of course, this is just a small sample of the great exclusive products that will be available at NYCC.  New additions will be continuously announced through the week, and there will of course be a few select items that remain a secret right up until the doors open on Friday morning.  Check back with MDP over the weekend for full coverage of the event!

Just the Facts:

Players: 2-5
Playing Time: endless!
Age: 12 to adult
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
MSRP: $19.99
Release: September 7th, 2010

Rating: 4.0/5.0

The new Red Box is an absolutely excellent way to start playing fourth edition Dungeons and Dragons.  The first step in Wizards of the Coast’s new Essentials line, the box includes an introductory adventure, which effectively guides a single player through character creation and basic combat, outlining the rules system in an easy to learn way.  The only down side to this is that running it four or five times to create a complete adventuring group could be kind of dull.

After a group has been assembled and a Dungeon Master chosen, the full adventure enclosed in the book can be completed.  It’s a largely run-of-the-mill dungeon crawl, with a few cool elements to change up the combat, including a chess match and a chance to bargain with a young dragon.  It does nothing particularly new, but serves as a good, complete introduction to the game.

A sheet of monster and hero tokens are enclosed as well, and these may be the thing a player will get the most mileage out of.  They have a great variety of monsters printed on each side, and can be re-used in any adventure the group decides to run after the included game is completed.

If you’re an old-timer looking to rekindle an old interest, or new-blood to the pen-and-paper RPG, The Red Box is a very solid starting point.  It’ll teach you everything you need to know to play D&D’s newest incarnation, and comes with enough goodies that even a seasoned player can justify the purchase.

In a Pickle is the group word game where players will use nouns of varying shapes and sizes in order to top their opponents.  A sandwich fits inside a box, which fits inside a truck, which fits inside the universe.  If the cards on the table fit “in” the one you decide to play, then you win!

Just the Facts:

Players: 2-6
Playing Time: 20-30 minutes
Age: 10 and up
Publisher: Gamewright
MSRP: $12.99
Release: 2004

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

The Gameplay:

In a Pickle is a party-style word game, where players add onto chains of cards by playing nouns that are “larger” than the previous words played.  Now the first thing to know about In a Pickle is that it includes two different ways to play: one for a casual and creative game where players can openly debate the interpretation of words, and a second for a strict “by the book” judging of how words relate to each other.  Do you mean the next word played must be literally larger than the last, or is a figurative explanation acceptable?

Players start with 5-card hands, and four starting cards are placed on the table.  Play begins to the left of the dealer, and that player can begin a chain from any of the four starting cards by placing a card from their hand on top of the starting card (if it is “larger than” that card) or below it (if it “fits inside” that card).  Play then continues around the table, where each person may choose to continue building off an existing chain, or to begin a new one using available starting cards.  As chains grow, cards can only be placed on top or bottom of the stack, never in-between cards already in play.  If players disagree on whether a card adheres to the definition of “larger than” or “fits inside” a majority vote will decide all challenges.

Once the fourth card of any chain is placed, a Pickle Round begins, where players will attempt to win a point by playing the largest card related to that chain.  Play resumes in normal order, ending with the player who originally started the pickle round.  Each person gets one chance to play a larger card, and whoever comes out on top gets the point.  To win In a Pickle, players must have five points (two player game), four points (three or four player game), or three points (five or six player game)

Contents:

• 320 Cards
• 1 Plastic Card Tray
• 1 Rules Booklet

In a Pickle does a fantastic job of avoiding our number one pet peeve: the box is only as large as it needs to be in order to hold the game!  Regarding the different rules which can be used to play this game, the instruction pamphlet is very descriptive.  The text does an excellent job of explaining when and why gamers should adopt a certain style of play, in order to help avoid some common pitfalls (which we’ll cover in a bit).

Our Thoughts:

In a Pickle is not a bad game; in fact, we had quite a bit of fun while playing it.  However, we feel there are better party game choices out there, including Gamewright’s own “Sounds Like a Plan” which we recently brought to the table and had a great time with (review coming soon).  The number one gripe with In a Pickle is that it is either well suited for creative or structured minds depending on the rules set chosen, but rarely will every player in a group fit into the same category.  In short, this means that someone at the table will be having less fun, and isn’t that the point of games in the first place?

Smaller issues include the heavy influence of the left-right mechanic, where who you are sitting next to may matter more than your own actions in determining who wins the game.  If you sit to the left of a player who continuously starts Pickle Rounds, then you won’t be winning very many because you always have the first turn. In a Pickle also does not work very well with two or three players, as challenged cards are difficult to resolve fairly.

In short, if party games are your #1 genre, then In a Pickle deserves a spot on your game shelf.  If you only have room for 1 or 2 party games, though, it is a tougher decision.  This title also has as bargain $12 price tag attached to it, so if money is a concern, then In a Pickle may be more of a contender than we are giving it credit for, but if money is no object, then a different game may be the right direction to go.

Where to Buy:

In a Pickle is available for purchase at most every store where games and toys are sold, or online using Gamewright’s online retailer list.  At the time of publishing this post, In a Pickle was available from Amazon.com for $11.70.

Disclaimer: The Modern Day Pirates were provided a complimentary review sample of this game.

When I was Enforcing for Table Top at PAX Prime 2010, I noticed a small demo table. It wasn’t the fact that people were demoing a game that intrigued me, but how it was displayed. There supporting the small card box was a large squirrel plushy. I thought to myself, Cute squirrel plushy! A game with a squirrel on the cover. I must find out more.

I then went to the table and asked the man who was demoing the game what they were playing. He answered that they were playing S’Quarrels: A Game of Absolute Nuts. The man demoing the game also happened to be the creator, Bryan R. Lovell, who described the game as you are a squirrel trying to collect and store acorns. You must battle other squirrels to collect the most before winter arrives, and there are several ways to collect and store more acorns, but beware of the dreaded Rotten Acorn and covet the Golden Acorn.

He invited me for a game, but I told him I would have to check it out later after I finished my Enforcer duties. I did end up playing the game several times later that day and was delighted with the experience. Read on for our full review:

Just the Facts:
Players: 2-6
Playing Time: 20+ minutes
Age: 7 to adult
Publisher: Home Lantern Games, LLC
MSRP: $12.99
Release: 2009

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

In the game of S’Quarrels, you are a squirrel trying to harvest the most acorns before winter starts. You and the scurry of squirrels select a predetermined score, and after several seasons of storing acorns, the first squirrel to reach that score wins.

Players are dealt 7 numbered acorn cards, each of which holds a printed value between 1 and 5. During each player’s turn, a card is drawn, and they can then choose to store acorns by laying them down in multiples of 3. Players end their turn by putting a card in the “hoard” pile face down. This continues to each player until Actions cards have been drawn.

There are five different action cards in S’Quarrels, and they must be played immediately when drawn.

• Quarrel: All players select a card from their hand, and at the same time turn their cards over. High card wins. Like in the game of War, if the highest cards match, those players continue the quarrel until one card wins. The winner takes all quarrel cards played, stores, and discards one card to the hoard pile. Play then continues to the winner’s left.
• Hoard: Everyone, except the player who draws the card, races for the cards in the ‘Hoard Pile.’ First one to have their hand on top of the deck wins! The winner takes the entire hoard pile, stores acorns, and creates a new hoard pile. Play continues to the winner’s left.
• Ambush: Player randomly takes one card from each player’s hand and continues turn.
• Whirlwind: Collect all players’ hands and shuffle them together. Then deal the cards out to everyone starting with the player that drew this card and going clockwise. Current player then continues playing their turn by drawing more cards if they still do not have seven cards in their hand.

All actions cards that are played are put into the discard pile and play continues. There are also two special cards that players covet and dread:

• Golden Acorn: This card is worth an additional 5 points if it is still in your hand at the end of the game. It can be used to trump all cards played during a quarrel. However, unless the Golden Acorn card is the last card in your hand during a quarrel, you will lose the card to the discard pile, thus denying yourself the extra 5 points.
• Rotten Acorn: The “Old Maid” card of the game. It’s worth -5 points if you have it at the end of the game. You can never discard this card or use it in a quarrel. The only way to get rid of is is when either Ambush or Whirlwind is played or it’s the last card in their hand to go into the “hoard” pile.

Eventually the Winter card will be drawn. The round ends automatically. Points are then tallied up by counting up the sets of acorns in each squirrel’s storage pile. Each set is worth the number on the card. Whomever reaches the predetermined number originally set out wins. The winning squirrel can rest peacefully and worry-free with their plentiful bounty of acorns during their hibernation.

The Contents:

• 120 cards
• 1 Rulebook

The art on the S’Quarrels cards is your basic cartoon art. However, the art has clear colors that match the mood of the game with their light and dark browns or golden yellows that depicts the autumn season. I will also say the image of the squirrel holding the acorn with a somewhat evil grin on his face is adorable. I would have preferred more squirrel art, especially on the action cards, but the art they do have on there is fine.

The card stock is a bit thin to my preference. The cards will more than likely warp after a decent amount of games played.

The rules are clear and concise with illustrations to help show how the game is played. There are also a few exceptions listed for various events that can happen in the game.

Our Thoughts:

S’Quarrels is a game that is geared more for family play among the young gamer or casual gamer. However, the hardcore gamer can still appreciate the quick and casual play of the game. The game is very easy to learn, particularly for those who have play a lot of traditional card games. It has the elements of Rummy, War, Old Maid, and Slap Jack. It’s the best of all four worlds.

Although most of the game is determined by luck, that’s the beauty of the game. Its fast paced play causes the players to pay attention for the action cards, especially the Hoard card to be played. You also play with chance during your draw phase. You may draw up to 7 cards, but beware if you draw an action card, you lose the chance to store your acorns.

After a few games of S’Quarrels, I did notice how frustrating it can get from the Quarrel action. If you’re in a game of 4-6 players, and you play Quarrel, the person to your right can win, thus not giving you a chance to store acorns until it’s your turn again. It feels like your turn has been skipped. My friends and I might play test a few rounds to determine whether there are situations in which a player who plays the Quarrel card can continue their turn after the Quarrel has been resolved.

The Hoard action seems to be trivial in a 2 player game because the other player gets the hoard pile by default. Just hope that you don’t draw all the Hoard cards during that game.

If you’re only playing one or two rounds of S’Quarrels, I would recommend shuffling the Winter card in the bottom 20 cards of the deck, so you can have more playtime.

Other than those few small gripes, I overall enjoyed the game. Having met the creator at PAX Prime 2010 as well as being taught the game, it was a pleasant experience. He graciously offered to sign my box and Winter card. I think he has hit the mark in creating an inexpensive fun family game.

Where to Buy:

You can find local retailers that offers S’Quarrels: A Game of Absolute Nuts on the official page of Home Lantern Games. You can also find the game on Amazon for $12.

Yes my friends, I am, of course, describing Cthulhu. A once feared elder god from the works of H.P Lovecraft, Cthulhu is now a household name, with everything from Christmas ornaments to fanny packs made in his image.

I felt bad for this massive monster when I saw the picture a friend had created. There was Cthulhu in all his glory, wearing a top hat, a monocle, and leaning on a cane. A classy Cthulhu, if you will.

Monsters are supposed to be SCARY, something that makes your heart race whenever you even hear about them. Poor Cthulhu, he has now joined the ranks of Darth Vader, Bigfoot, vampires, werewolves, and zombies. These were all creatures that were once feared! Now look at them. Some sparkle, some are ‘loving’ to humans, and others can get killed by plants! What happened to Cthulhu, one of the most feared creatures of all?

He was made cute.

Yes, it’s true. Cthulhu has made girls and boys alike say d’aww whenever they look at him. Take the new squishable for example . He looks like a cross-eyed bear with tentacles! When I first saw it, I was torn between puking my guts out and wanted to squeeze it to death (which I suppose I can’t do, since it is a plushie).

I’ve even seen baby clothes with Cthulhu’s image on them. Baby clothes! If I was a mother, I would want my child peeing him/herself whenever they heard Cthulhu’s name uttered! I wouldn’t want them sporting a shirt that has the greatest elder god begging for hugs! What is wrong with society these days?!

Cthulhu, if you are reading this, please go out and SCARE the world. Show them that they shouldn’t have a collection of ‘My Little Cthulhu’s’! Show them just what you are made of!

In a world of glittering vampires, friendly loch ness monsters, and now cuddly Cthulhu’s, I wonder who is left to really give us a scare.

We first wrote about the trend of great board games receiving mobile application renditions back in May. Board gamers have never had it better, as since then, the wave has not slowed down.  We’ll continue to keep an eye on the release lists as time goes on, but here are a few of the most promising new and upcoming titles for the iPhone, Android, and Windows phone markets:

Carcassonne

Price: $4.99
Platform: iPhone (iPad optimized coming soon)

One of the all-time-greats of modern board gaming, the highly-strategic worker placement game Carcassonne comes to the iOS platform with a deluxe edition.  The features packed into this game include online play, avatar support, and user rankings.  It’s not all bells and whistles, though, as some of their additions even improve the game.  The application tracks placement of tiles and allows players to monitor what is left in the deck and whether a spot has been permanently blocked.  This greatly increases the level of competitive play, and makes Carcassonne a must-buy.  It should also be noted that the developer has offered the game at $4.99 with the promise of a future iPad version as a no-cost upgrade.  This is not always the case, as other popular games sometimes have separate versions with varying prices, so they should be commended for this move.

Zombies!!!

Price: TBD
Platform: Windows Phone 7

Debuting alongside the Windows Phone 7 in October as a launch title, Zombies!!! is a great fit for a mobile platform as it offers fast and lightweight play.  Zombies are a hot commodity, and this long-standing board game franchise is one of the better implementations of the theme.  We look forward to giving this one a shot, but for now, check out the newly released trailer:

Zooloretto

Price: $4.99
Platform: iPhone

Winner of the Spiel des Jahres 2007 (think the Academy Awards of board gaming), Zooloretto brings some prestige to the mobile board gaming world.  Players will compete to carefully build the most compelling zoo and achieve victory by attracting the most visitors.  The game natively supports three players, but can be increased to 4-5 after expansions are unlocked through strong gameplay.  The game is designed to be accessible for families of all ages, and the graphical style reflects that.  The images are drawn well enough, though, that the game comes off as feeling stylish rather than childish.

Neuroshima Hex

Price: $2.99
Platform: iPhone (iPad optimized coming soon)

“Dust clouds hover over the battlefield. Soldiers, urged by the officers, take their positions. Quietly, like a dark tide rising, units are moved into place and as they stop the whole battlefield freezes in silence. Suddenly battle cry of the mutant’s chief echoes in the valley, but just a second later a hidden sniper puts him to the grave. The battle begins!”

Neuroshima Hex is a popular player-vs-player army combat game that first debuted in 2006.  Even in board game form, Neuroshima Hex wraps up in about a half hour, so player an electronic version allows players to get their tactical “fix” in without the time commitment required by other games.  The $2.99 price point is warranted as it is a great game but offers no online play.  However, for such a strong title, it is recommended to get in on the ground floor of the app as to receive future upgrades and benefits at no cost.

Roll Through the Ages

Price: $2.99
Platform: iPhone

Simply put, Roll Through the Ages is Yahtzee on steroids.  The iPhone version unfortunately only supports local multiplayer, and does not include AI opponents, but for $2.99 it is still a worthy purchase.  Players will take turns performing the customary three rolls of dice, in which they must bank enough food points to avoid a penalizing famine, and can then take money and treasures rolled and convert them into points.  The game also supports a system of special abilities cards, which players can spend their points for in order to achieve rule-bending abilities.  This adds a layer of strategy beyond the simple luck of the dice, as a wise player can tip the odds in their favor.

True to its billing, Rowboat is a card game with strategy deeply rooted in anticipating the moves of your opponent.  We got the chance to play this game with its designers back during Toy Fair in NYC, and are following up with a full review.

Just the Facts:

Players: 2-4
Playing Time: 30 minutes
Age: 13 to adult
Publisher: Moosetache Games
MSRP: $14.95
Release: 2009

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

The Gameplay:

The game of Rowboat is played with a nautical themed deck of playing cards, where the 10 through King have become the Dolphin, Mermaid, Seeker, and Whale.  The Ace is themed as the Anchor, and is the weakest card in the deck.  Rather than your usual four suits, Rowboat uses Maps and Shells (green suits) as well as Waves and Oars (blue suits).

Photo credit: BoardGameGeek.com

Rowboat is played repeatedly until one player reaches 200 points, and one play through the game can last anywhere from four and twelve turns.  To determine how long a game will last, the dealer will reveal cards one-by-one, and stop once either all four suits or a maximum of twelve cards are revealed.  The cards are arranged in the order in which they were flipped, and all players then receive a hand equal to the number of cards revealed on the table.  The game is now ready to begin.

There are as many rounds as there are cards on the table, and each will focus on one of the cards on the table.  As one round finishes, the next round focuses on the next card (along the order in which the cards were originally revealed).  During a round, every player will use one card from their hand in an attempt to win the card on the table.  One round is worth 10 points towards the winning score.

The cards, from strongest to weakest are:  the trump card (same card, different suit of same color),  all other cards of the same suit (from highest to lowest), two opposite color Trump cards, and finally all remaining cards of the other suits (from highest to lowest).  On every round, players must use a card of matching suit to the card they are bidding for, if possible.  The only exception to this is that players may save a card in their hand if they know it is the trump card for a future round.

Players also have three special cards that can only ever be used once during the entire session of play.  The rowboat card is the ultimate trump, and an automatic win of whichever card it is played on,  the lighthouse card allows a player to look at an opponent’s hand for the duration of the timer, and the moon card allows the dealer to decide how many cards will be dealt onto the table to start a game, regardless of the rules above.

A photo of our game versus the Moosetache Games staff at Toy Fair 2010

In the advanced version of Rowboat, players will begin each game by looking at their hands, and then wagering how many rounds they will wind this game.  If you win the number of rounds wagered, then you are rewarded with the usual 10 points per round.  Players are penalized for winning more than they wagered, in the form of “bags”, which are tracked throughout the entire session.  For every round won above the wager, a player is given one bag.  These by themselves do not harm a player’s score, but once 5 bags accumulate on one player’s rowboat, it capsizes and they lose 100 points.  If a player wins less than the number of rounds they wagered, they lost 10 points per round wagered, regardless of how close or far they were from reaching their goal.  No points are awarded for the rounds below the wager.

The Contents:

• 61 Cards
• 1 Sand Timer
• 1 Rules Booklet

The cards for Rowboat are of an appropriate quality playing card stock, and are printed with vibrant colors.  The artwork on the face cards, and particularly the special cards, are beautiful illustrations.  While the nautical theme is not exactly gripping, having great art is one way to make it work.

While the rulebook is clear and concise, the best part of this game is that you actually don’t need the book at all!  Moosetache Games has a full video tutorial of how to play this on their website.  Sure it might take you almost 10 minutes to watch through the whole video, but you’d probably spend at least that much time reading and explaining the booklet.  With the video method, it also allows every player to gain an equal understanding of the rules before starting your first game.

Our Thoughts:

Rowboat is more than a simple hand management game, as it is extremely important to anticipate your opponent’s moves.  Knowing what they will do is the only way that players can make achievable wagers without playing too conservatively.  The game really does have great strategy involved, by way of the “must play a card of matching suit if possible” mechanic that allows players to analyze their opponents moves and infer what others may have in their hands.  A skilled player can do just that, and as a result, will win a few rounds without using the strongest cards in their hand because they know they do not have to waste them.

Sure, Rowboat may not involve an epic struggle between Aliens, Pirates, Ninjas, or Zombies, but it does not need to be so heavily themed.  This is a game I would feel comfortable playing with my grandma!  It has more in common with Bridge or Spaces than it does with Magic: the Gathering or Dominion.  The re-themed deck is a hurdle because it does make the game unnecessarily difficult to teach a new player, but the cards are actually listed by increasing power in alphabetical order, which makes them much easier to remember.  Overall, Rowboat works because it has enough depth to please the serious gamer, while not causing the casual gamer to feel as though they are missing out if they do not understand the winning strategy.  It may not be the first game to hit our table on a game night, but Rowboat is definitely worth a purchase if card games are your thing.

Where to Buy:

To find a store near you that carries Rowboat, head on over to the Moosetache Games official store locator page.  Alternatively, Rowboat is available for purchase online at Amazon.com for $9.75.

Disclaimer: The Modern Day Pirates were provided a complimentary review sample of this game.

What do you get when you combine Gamewright, a company producing top-notch games for a younger audience, with Reiner Knizia, the prolific German strategy game designer?  Most likely, a great game to bring to the table with kids and family.  Read on to find out:

Just the Facts:

Players: 2-8
Playing Time: 20 minutes
Age: 10 to adult
Publisher: Gamewright
MSRP: $9.99
Release: 2005

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

The Gameplay:

At it’s core, Loot is a turn-based auction game with the goal to win merchant ship cards by playing the strongest pirate ship card against it.  Players begin with a hand of 6 cards, and can either draw  or play a card on their turn.  If they choose to play a merchant ship card (which can be worth anywhere from two to eight gold, marked on the card), then it is placed on the table.  Every player, including the one who just played it, will have an opportunity to play a pirate card against it on their turn.  The merchant ship and its gold are not won until a player establishes a high bid, and it goes unchallenged for an entire round of play.  Multiple merchant ships can be in play at once, and their bids are all tracked individually, but if an entire turn passes and nobody places an initial bid on a merchant ship, it is won by its original player.

In the course of jockeying for control of the merchant ship, players will use many different pirate ship cards.  There are four different colors of pirate ships, and each color contains ships ranging from one to four points of strength.  The first player to bid on a specific merchant ship can use any color pirate ship, but subsequent players must bid with an unused color.  It may take several turns to win a ship, because players can continue to add pirate ships of the same color, thereby upping their bid.  If the bids are ever tied, the merchant ship can stay on the table until one player can establish a higher bid.

The only cards besides the merchant and pirate ships as the captains of each color, and the admiral.  These five cards are trump cards, and can be used in the process of bidding on a merchant ship.  When used, the player immediately has the highest bid.  The only card that can beat a trump card is another trump card, as the most recently played one wins.  Each captain can be used on its corresponding color of pirate ships, and the admiral can be used regardless of color, but only be the player who originally put the merchant card into play.

The game concludes once there are no more cards left in the deck, and one player runs out of cards in their hand.  Any uncaptured merchant ships are immediately discarded, and everyone adds up the amount of gold won on their merchant ships.  The player with the most gold has won the game!

The Contents:

• 25 Merchant Ship Cards
• 48 Pirate Ship Cards
• 4 Pirate Captain Cards
• 1 Admiral Card
• 1 Rules Sheet

The art in Loot is beautiful, a huge plus, and the print is of matching quality.  However, the cards are printed on fairly thin stock.  The rules are clear and concise, but do lack any sort of illustration depicting the game in play.

Our Thoughts:

Loot turned out to be a quality game that incorporates elements of strategy in a fast-paced game accessible to children.  Clocking in at 20 minutes or less, and having rules simple enough to avoid the standard pre-play lecture explanation are both essential to holding the attention span of the younger set, and Loot succeeds on both accounts.  It is also competitively priced at a low $9.99 to make it a great gift idea for kids.

The reason Loot weight in at a 3.0 for us (which is still within the “you should play this” range), is that it loses some of its fun with two players, as the luck of the draw begins to drive actions.  In some of our 2-player tests, one player would have a hand full of pirate ships and another full of merchant ships, resulting in stalemate type situations where both players continued to draw until their hands where huge and the deck was exhausted!  We recommend Loot as a game for 4-8 players, and highly recommend the 2-player teams version.

Where to Buy:

Loot is available for purchase at your friendly local game store, or online using Gamewright’s online retailer list.  At the time of publishing this post, Loot was available from Funagain Games for $8.95, and Amazon.com for $9.53.

Disclaimer: The Modern Day Pirates were provided a complimentary review sample of this game.

Take it Like a Monkey!

Poo is a light-hearted and fast-paced family card game that’s not a gross as it sounds.  In fact, for a game about excrement, it actually has some charm.  Yes, poo will be flung early and often, but we’ll try to keep the puns to a minimum.  Read on for the full review.

Just the Facts:

Players: 2-8
Playing Time: 5-15 minutes
Age: Ages 8 to adult
Publisher: Sandstorm Productions LLC / Wildfire LLC
MSRP: $12.99
Release: 2009

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

The Gameplay:

In the game of Poo, players take on the role of a monkey with the goal to be the last one standing.  If you accumulate 15 points of poo, you’ll be out of the game!  Players always keep a hand of 5 cards, and take turns either playing a card, or dumping (pun #1) some of the cards in their hand for new ones.  Play continues to the left until only one monkey remains.

There are only five types of cards in the game of Poo:

• Poo: These allow you to deal out points of poo to the other players.  Some, such as the “Pellet Poo”, “Mighty Joe Young Poo”, and “King Kong Poo” target one opponent and specify how much poo that player takes.  Other special poo cards allow you to target multiple opponents at once, such as the Devil Poo that hits all other players with 3 poo.
• Mishap: A category of cards that can be played on an opponents turn, just as they are about to fling poo at you.  A mishap card directly targets the flinger with some negative effect, such as the “Just a Fart” card or “Cramp”.
• Defense: Similar to mishap cards, they can be played out of turn to defend against flung poo, but they target the poo itself rather than the flinger.  Sometimes it is simply blocked and ignored, but other times the poo can be deflected onto other players at the table.
• Clean: These can be played only during your turn to remove poo from your monkey, prolonging its life in the game.
• Event: These also can be played only during your turn, and will have some rule-changing effect on the game.

To prevent an early gang-up, up to two “Golden Banana” cards can be used in the game.  When a player is eliminated (pun #2), they will use the golden banana to re-enter the game with only 8 poo.  After the golden bananas are gone, though, any player who reaches 15 poo will be permanently out of the game.

The Contents:

• 110 Cards
• 1 Rulebook

Poo has charm, but you’ll have to see the cards to believe it.  The game is not grotesque, as you will never see any of the excrement pictured on the cards.  The art always depicts the reactions of monkeys as they engage in fecal warfare, never the aftermath.  The lines are clean and the colors are bright, a good fit for a fun family game.  The quality of the components caused no issue, as the cards were of good stock and print quality, with a pocket-sized case appropriate to fit a  card game that should be easily transportable.

Our Thoughts:

There is not a whole lot of strategy behind playing Poo.  The path to victory is more in the social dance amongst players, rather than working the mechanics of the game.  If you are looking for a battle of wits then this will not be the game for you, but for a family-friendly and casual card game, Poo wins because it is just downright fun.  Play is intended to be fast-paced, and players are discouraged from taking too long to decide which card to play.  This prevents the drag that can cause casual gamers to lose interest.

Speaking of drags on play, the last thing that any casual card game wants is rules disputes.  There is nothing like a long-winded debate about game mechanics to flush (pun #3) the fun from your experience.  Thankfully, the rules of Poo are very clearly written.  We’ve played several rounds of Poo reading up to this review, and the text on the card almost always explained exactly how that card should work.  In the instances where it did not, those few situations where explicitly described on the small double-sided rules sheet.

Where to Buy:

The best price we found for Poo was from Cardhaus Games, for $9.99.  Poo is also available at your local game store where Sandstorm Productions games are carried.

Disclaimer: The Modern Day Pirates were provided a complimentary review sample of this game.

While at the Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle, Washington this past weekend, we stopped by the Steve Jackson Games booth to say hi, and the crew made our visit worthwhile! We got the full tour of what you can expect from SJG in the future, as well as the chance to play some of their more recent products that we’ve missed.

• Munchkin Zombies: The next major expansion in the Munchkin franchise will be cashing in on the zombie craze.  The cards exist, but in rough draft form and without any of John Kovalic’s iconic art.  Still, the set was being play tested during the show, and here’s an excerpt from Wil Wheaton‘s accounting of his game:

“One of my favorite moments was when Eric (that’s @thevowel) played an IRS Agent Wandering Monster on Andrew, who failed to run away, which caused him to lose his most valuable item … which was called “An Arm and a Leg.”


“Hey, the IRS Agent just caused Andrew to lose an Arm and a Leg,” I said, “just like real life.” There was much rejoicing.”

• Munchkin Santa’s Revenge: After putting out two booster packs last year (Fairy Dust and Waiting for Santa), the response has been positive, and the Steve Jackson crew will be putting out two more in the near future:  Santa’s Revenge and Reloaded, as well as more beyond those that could not be revealed.

  We got our hands on an advance copy of Santa’s Revenge which adds 15 additional Christmas-themed cards (mostly monsters and items), that work well with the original “Waiting for Santa” booster, but can be added to any Munchkin set independently.  Our favorite card was the Christmas Wrapping card, which is wrapping paper that can be worn over any armor for an additional bonus, or an even larger bonus if it’s the only thing you’re wearing! Generally speaking, $5 for 15 new cards is a good deal, and should allow the design team to continue exploring areas that may not warrant a full Munchkin release, so hopefully this line is here to stay.

• Zombie Dice in the App Store: There was an iPad on display showing off the newest incarnation of Zombie Dice, the hit game from PAX East.  Head on over to the app store right now for your free purchase.  An $0.99 in-game upgrade  will unlock smarter AI opponents, 8-person play, and additional sounds & animatinos.   The available on the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch.
• Revolution!: Released back in 2009, we hadn’t gotten an opportunity to play this strategy board game, a departure of sorts from traditional Steve Jackson Games style.  This game was very entertaining as it used a blind auction mechanic to perform resource collection and area control manuevers.  Resources allow you to place better bids in future auctions, and controlling areas earns you victory points, but this game is just as much about bidding on the best action as it is predicting what your opponent will likely bid on.  The player who performs the most actions while overpaying for the least will end the game victorious.  The base game is 3-4 player, the a 5-6 player expansion, “The Palace” will be released this winter.

  

• Munchkin Swag: The Steve Jackson Games booth was loaded with some great freebies.  We walked away with Munchkin and Munchkin Cthulhu promo cards, including a card that involved the use of Cthulhu Dice in the Munchkin Cthulhu game!  There was also a promo room for Munchkin Quest, bookmarks promoting many of the SJG brands, and a variety of coins to use in each of the games.  The final great piece of swag was the giant plush chibicthulhu, which was given away as part of a raffle on Sunday afternoon.
• Munchkin the Video Game: There’s not much to say here other that it’s happening!  A screen at the booth displayed a teaser title image, and as soon as more information is available, we’ll report back on it.

There are two types of licensed games: those that hope to make a quick buck from name recognition or nostalgia, and those which faithfully adapt source material onto already solid game mechanics to create a winning product.  Back the the Future the Card Game, without a doubt, is the latter.  Read on to see why.

Players: 2-6
Playing Time: 30 minutes
Age: 11-Adult
Publisher: Looney Labs
MSRP: $20.00
Release: September 3rd, 2010

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

The Gameplay:

In Back to the Future the Card Game, each player is dealt a unique identity card that assigns the role of some future descendant of Marty, Biff, Doc, or other characters.  Each identity card informs the player of three or four events that must happen in the past, in order to ensure that the player will still exist in the future.  These requirements are kept secret from the other players, and the game progresses as each player goes about trying to accomplish their goal.  Players often have conflicting goals, so expect a back-and-forth as players jockey to set the timeline to their liking.  Once a player has the timeline arranged as instructed on their identity card, they must then cause Doc Brown to have never invented time travel, thereby locking history into place and winning the game.

The main mechanic of this game is the arrangement of the timeline and how it is manipulated.  There are 24 event cards, and they are arranged in chronological order.  Each card is double-sided, with one side representing events as they happened in the movies, and the reverse side representing a complete opposite version of that event.  Players will accomplish their identity goals by flipping cards to the proper side.  For instance, if you are playing as “Electra McFly”, then you need to flip the card showing the marriage of George and Lorraine McFly over to its alternate side, revealing the marriage of Lorraine to Biff Tannen (what a jerk!).  The catch is that the cards are separated into major events (linchpins) and minor events (ripplepoints).  Players only have the power to flip over a linchpin, which when flipped will also cause all of its associated ripplepoints to flip.  This makes it difficult to keep the timeline set the way you want it, as players will be fighting over control of a limited number of linchpins.

A sampling of timeline cards

Each player starts with three cards, and play begins in typical Looney Labs style, with turns consisting of drawing 1 card and playing 1 card.  However, at any point where a player is asked to play a card, whether it be from part of the normal turn order or from a special card command, they have the choice to draw instead.

There are five types of cards:

• Items: played face up in front of you.  Some can be used on their own to cancel other cards, while the rest are used to increase the power of other cards that specifically request them.
• Time Machine: Can be discarded to change any linchpin.  There are five different time machine cards, and some require an item to use, while others can be used right away.
• Action: Each action is explained on the card itself and can be played during your turn.  Typically, these allow you to draw extra cards, steal items from another player, etc.
• Power Action:  These are action cards with more game-changing effects.  Several of them can even be played on an opponents turn.
• Doubleback:  Allows the player to change time, but only by flipping the linchpin shown on the card (there is a matching doubleback for almost every linchpin).  However, there is also  an item on each doubleback card, and that can be discarded to change time a second time this turn (any linchpin this time).

The final linchpin, “Emmett Brown Invents the Flux Capacitor” is actually a stack of five cards.  Four of the cards have a reverse-side that basically says “sorry, try again”, meaning that only one of these cards will actually end the game.  Even if you have everything set up properly, you may not win on your turn!

The Contents:

• 28 Timeline cards
• 10 Character cards
• 62 Game cards
  • 17 Items
  • 6 Time Machines
  • 8 Doublebacks
  • 17 Actions
  • 14 Power Actions
• 1 Rules Sheet

The boxes from Looney Labs are always appreciated, as they are as small as possible to fit all of the contents.  You won’t get a huge box full of air as you would with card games from a lot of other companies.  Since their card games are typically short and casual, being portable (I can fit this in my pocket!) is a big plus.

The card stock is of good quality; there’s nothing to complain about there.  The artwork on the Time Machine and Item cards are beautifully drawn, but the others have little to none.  This lack of artwork on many cards feels like a huge missed opportunity and dulls the game a bit.

Our Thoughts:

Sometimes continuously drawing 1/playing 1 can become repetitive, but now there are strategic decisions sprinkled throughout the game, as you always have the option to draw instead of play, without penalty.  Which is the smarter move?  That will likely depend on the situation and is for you to figure out.

The downside to this game is that with secret goals, it often feels as if everyone at the table is playing their own game.   Yes, you can deduce what an opposing player’s goal is, but the game mechanics do not reward that; playing for the win rather than to foul up an opponent is always the better move.  Therefore, you may lose interest when it is not your turn.

Back to the Future straddles the line between casual and competitive card game in my eyes, so the major introduction of luck in the endgame is neither a negative nor a positive.  It keeps the casual player invested in the game, as they know the come-from-behind victory can be had, but at the same time it can turn off the more competitive players.

The game is built off of an original Looney Labs game, Chrononauts, but there are several differences between the two, so players familiar with both should be aware of the following differences.  This won’t mean much to someone who has not played Chrononauts, so skip ahead if that’s you.  Here are the changes:

- No artifact collecting goals
- No patching of the timeline
- Game does not end from too many paradoxes
- You cannot wind from having a large hand
- Do not have to discard to draw instead of play
- The game ends by flipping a special linchpin, not emptying your hand

Overall, if you are a real fan of Back to the Future,  modern card games, or other Looney Labs products, you  should own this game.  However, if you are still on Uno, you may want to give this a “wait and see”, and pick up a version of Fluxx instead.

Where to Buy:

Look for Looney Labs Games at your local neighborhood game store.  You can find a store near you at their store locator page

Disclaimer: The Modern Day Pirates were provided a complimentary review sample of this game.

Forbidden Island is  a co-operative game, where all of the players work towards the common goal of collecting four treasures and escaping the island before it sinks.  They will all win together or be defeated by the game, but while there is only one way to achieve victory, there are many ways to lose.  Designer Matt Leacock successfully rolls up proven co-op game mechanics into this bite-size package suitable for all gamers, both old and new.

Just the Facts:

Players: 2-4
Playing Time: 30 minutes
Age: Ages 10 to adult
Publisher: Gamewright
MSRP: $15.99
Release: May 2010

Rating: ★★★★½ 

The Gameplay:

The first thing one needs to understand is how two win and lose this game.  The players win if they collect the four treasures, a helicopter card, and meet up on the helicopter pad to end the game.  However, the game will immediately end in a loss if any player or treasure sinks into the ocean, or if the flood meter reaches the skull and crossbones (time ran out).

To set up the game, the 24 locations on the island are dealt out randomly into a grid, as shown below:

Players then each receive a starting hand of treasure cards, and the flood meter is set to the starting position.  Each treasure has two locations it can be collected from, and players can do so by traveling there and discarding four matching cards with that treasure’s symbol on it.

As the game goes on, the flood cards will instruct players to flip the location tiles over to their “flooded” side.  These are treated as normal, but if their flood card comes up again, they will be sink completely and be removed from the game.

A turn of Forbidden Island has three distinct phases:

• Take three actions
• Draw two treasure cards
• Draw several flood cards (the # is set by the flood meter)

The list of possible actions is short and simple.  A movement of one space (up, down, left, or right) counts as one action.  Exchanging cards with another player counts as an action, as dose collecting a treasure.  The final type of action is an important move called “shore up”, that allows a player to flip a flooded tile back onto its starting side.

After all of the actions are taken, the player draws two treasure cards.  There are only four different treasure cards (one for each treasure), but there are five copies of each, which allows players to collect a matching set of four.  There are also some special action cards mixed into the treasure deck, which can be played at any time to bend a rule as described on the card.  Before moving on to the next phase of the turn, the player must discard down to five.

The final portion of the turn is to draw a number of flood cards equaling the current flood level.  Each card drawn represents a location, and that tile is flipped (or removed from the game if it is already flipped).   One special tile, the Fools Landing helicopter pad, is the players’ exit from the game, and will result in a complete loss if it sinks into the ocean.  Also, every treasure has only two locations it can be found at.  If any pair of locations is lost before that treasure is collected, the game will also end.  Finally, if a player is on a sunken tile, they are allowed one free move action to escape.  If this is not possible, they will drown, and the game is lost.

Now that you understand how flood cards work, I’ll tell you about the only other card in the treasure deck : a dangerous one, the Waters Rise card, which there are three copies of.  When this card is drawn, the flood level is raised by one, and the flood discard pile is shuffled and placed back on top of the flood deck.  This means that the same cards which were just drawn to create flooded tiles are now about to be drawn again, potentially tearing the island to pieces.

Once all four treasure are collected, the player must meet at Fools Landing, and a helicopter card from the treasure deck must be used to escape the island.  Congratulations!  You have defeated Forbidden Island.

The Contents:

• 58 playing cards
• 24 island tiles
• 6 pawns
• 4 treasure figurines
• 1 water meter
• 1 rules booklet

There’s nothing to complain about with these components.  Everything is solidly constructed and of good quality.  The rules are concise and well-illustrated, and the sturdy metal tin is a nice touch.

The artwork is well done but not particularly noteworthy.  What I found to be a great addition is that the reverse side of every tile also has a “flooded” version of its artwork drawn in hues of blue.  This definitely helps to impart the feeling of rapidly rising waters.

Our Thoughts:

Forbidden Island has several qualities that work in its favor.  It is designed to be the perfect game for introducing a young player to games that actually require thought to play, and greatly succeeds in that endeavor.  If you’re read up to this point, you already understand that Forbidden Island is a game with real strategy, but it also clocks in at a quick 30 minutes and is a bargain-priced $16.  This is perfect for the attention span and wallet size of most kids.

Players in this game are forced to juggle multiple goals and make tough decisions.  While there are only certain pieces of the island that are essential to victory, maintaining the non-essential locations will keep their respective cards in the flood deck, and allow them to act as buffers.  Keeping  those buffer cards in the deck will lower the odds that you might draw an unwanted card such as Fool’s Island.

This brings up a big strategic decision in Forbidden Island.  When does the group cut and run?  The endgame begins when everyone decides to forget about the rest of the island, and simply race towards victory.  Knowing when to do so is they key to solving this game.  When the island starts to fall apart and the players begin to assess how far they are from victory, there is noted tension.  It is under such duress that players must make the most crucial decisions.

You may recognize some of these game mechanics from Pandemic, which we previously reviewed on MDP, and you wouldn’t be far off the mark.  Designer Matt Leacock is the man behind both games, and took his immensely popular co-op game system over to Gamewright, a publisher with more access to the childrens’ market. Do not be fooled into thinking this is a kids game though.  If you are a fan Pandemic, there is absolutely room in your closet for both titles.  There is enough to differentiate the two that there is a time and a place for both.

Where to Buy:

Forbidden Island can be purchased directly from the publisher for $15.99, at most online and local game retailers, or soon at Borders and Barnes & Noble locations.

Disclaimer: The Modern Day Pirates were provided a complimentary review sample of this game.

Can you name 5 fruits or vegetables that begin with the letter “A”? How about 5 TV dads? Name 5 is a new party game that pits two teams against each other in a competition to complete the most lists. The premise is fun, and the competition can be tense, but ultimately the rules of Name 5 cause the game to drag. If party games are your favorite genre, this may be a welcome addition, but if not, you may consider giving it a pass. Read on for our full review:

Just the Facts: Players: 2 players and up (teams)
Age: 12-adult
Publisher: Endless Games
MSRP: $24.99
Release: 2010

Rating: ★★½☆☆ 

The Gameplay: Name 5 is a board-based party game, where teams will compete to reach the final spot first. In a normal turn, a team will roll the die, move forward accordingly, and turn over a Name 5 card. The question is read out, and the team is then given 30 seconds to think of five answers. If they answer correctly, they can roll again (up to 5 total turns until the next team automatically goes). If they do not answer correctly, it immediately becomes the next team’s turn. Play continues as normal, unless a team lands on on a special board space. There are four different types of special spaces, and they each appear on the board multiple times. They are:

• All Play – The team who’s turn it is can pick between two different Name 5 questions, and then both teams will race to answer it. The first to answer correctly will take the next turn.
• Flip Flop – One Name 5 question is read aloud, and teams will take turns giving 1 answer. The teams will continue to go back and forth until a team can no longer think of a new answer. The winning team gets a free movement roll, and then gets to take the next turn.
• Wild: The team is allowed to choose between four different Name 5 questions. This allows them to pick one they are confident they can answer.
• Double Down: The team is allowed to read four different Name 5 questions and choose to answer two of them within 30 seconds. If they are successful, they will take the next turn and move double.

Once a team is close to the end of the board, they must roll the exact number of spaces required to reach the final space. Once there, the team will have 90 seconds to complete four Name 5 questions and win the game!

The Contents:

• 288 Name 5 Cards
• 1 Game Board
• 1 die
• 4 Tokens
• 30 Second Timer
• Instruction Booklet

The first thing that makes Name 5 stand out from other party games is that it uses a board. This is bucking the trend of recent games for sure, and limits the portability of an otherwise compact game. As for the cards, there are multiple questions on each, ensuring that you get a lot of replay for your dollar. Unless your team lands on a special space, the question on the card is chosen by the color of the space on the board, and its matching question on the card. The color coded has no discernible themes or categories though, which seems like a missed opportunity to add more strategy into the game.

Our Thoughts: The mechanic of having to list 5 items within a time limit is actually a lot of fun; After a full round, there will be no shortage of great moments to look back on. The problems with Name 5 arise once players need to define the bounds of their answers. The fact that some questions are very open-ended is addressed in the rules, but it simply suggests to look up the answer on a challenge or to put answers to a vote. This will not work for all situations, as there is also the dilemma of how specific answers can be. While it may not be a problem for most rounds, it definitely will come up once a Flip Flop space challenge begins. Teams will go back and forth until one can no longer come up with an answer, and even rules lawyers with the highest levels of self control won’t be able to avoid arguing the validity of an answer to death. Looking up the answer won’t help, because the answer in question is definitely true, but allowing it would open up the floodgates of similar permissible answers. The Flip Flop challenge may never end!

Setting a blanket rule for this will never work, because as the designer’s said in the rule book, the variety of questions is so wide that a decision for one question may not apply to the next. When it comes to making decisions or taking votes mid-game, nobody is an unbiased party, so everyone comes away feeling a bit cheated when the winner of the game is decided in this manner. It’s not an easy task to define the bounds of these Name 5 questions, and I wouldn’t want to be in the game designer’s shoes. Still, there’s no avoiding the fact that you are purchasing a game in Name 5 that is not at its best straight out of the box. It requires a good amount of thought into what house rules you will set before playing, but for true lovers of party games, it could definitely be worth the effort. The designers include an introductory list of house rules, and I encourage you to make up your own to get the most possible fun out of Name 5. It’s a great concept, but simply needs some tweaking to fit your preferred play style.

Where to Buy: Name 5 is available from Amazon.com, or wherever Endless Games are sold.

Disclaimer: The Modern Day Pirates were provided a complimentary review sample of this game.

Just the Facts:

Players: 3-8
Age: 14 to adult
Playing Time: 35 minutes
Publisher: Buffalo Games
MSRP: $27.99
Release: 2009

Rating: ★★★★★ 

The Gameplay:

The basic gameplay consists of one player (the host) reading a question about themself aloud.  The host answers this question truthfully, and in secret.  Then, all other players secretly answer the same question from the host’s point of view.  Questions range from “Truth be told, the one thing I cannot live without is ____”, to “Truth be told, my favorite snack is _________.” Once everyone submits their answers, the host will read each answer out (including their own), and players must guess which answer they think was the host’s.

For every correct guess, the host and the guesser each receive a point.  However, every time a player incorrectly guesses, a point is also awarded to whomever originally wrote the incorrectly-guessed-on answer.  After all the points are tallied up, the next player to the left becomes the host, and play continues on until someone reaches 15 points.

The strategy behind Truth Be Told lies in being able to best impersonate the host.  If players mistakenly choose your answer as the host’s, you will be the only one gaining points.  That being said, it is also important to gain points wherever possible.  Guessing the host’s true answer, and making your answer the clear choice when you are the host, are both important parts of the game.

The Contents:

• 564 Truth Be Told Questions
• 8 markers
• 8 Fill in the Blank cards
• 8 Paddles
• 1 Scorecard
• 1 Instruction Sheet

No complaints here regarding the contents used to make Truth Be Told.  The marker are dry-erase, and write clearly.  The paddles and cards can easily be wiped clean with a napkin, and I am confident they will hold up over time.  Finally, nearly 600 questions give this game some serious replay value.

Our Thoughts:

What separates Truth Be Told from other similar games is that its laughs are more genuine.  Often, these party games devolve into a few rounds of “who can give the most ridiculous answer”.  While those moments are still funny, the players in Truth Be Told are always trying to give an honest answer that could be mistaken for the host’s response.  In the rounds we played, the humor came out when our players’ knowledge of the host faltered, and serious answers wound up sounding hilariously off-the-mark.

It’s not just the humor that makes me recommend Truth Be Told, though.  The gameplay is fresh, as well.  The use of two different skills (the ability to impersonate the host, and then determine the host’s real answer), keeps rounds from becoming repetive.  The only caveat to Truth Be Told is that it may not work well with strangers.  If you have a close group of friends or family though, you cannot go wrong with this game!

Where to Buy:

Truth Be Told is available for purchase online at PuzzBuffs.com for $25, or at your favorite online or local game store.

Special thanks to Kim Vandenbroucke and Buffalo Games for providing a complimentary review sample of this game.  A condensed version of this review, along with lots of great game news, opinions, and reviews, are available at Kim’s website, TheGameAisle.com