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.

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.

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.

If your definition of a card game begins with poker and ends with the stuff you see in the toy aisle at Walmart, then I feel bad for you, because you’ve probably never played Munchkin. It’s a great game, and this is why you should start playing. 

The first thing you need to know is that Munchkin is FUN. The object of the game is to take your character from level one to level ten by winning battles against monster cards drawn on your turn.  This is no tedious exercise in taking turns around the table, though.  The rules of Munchkin afford players plenty of opportunities to interact (read: screw) with each other.  If a player is facing a particularly tough monster,  there is usually some fierce negotiation as the assistance of other players is bargained for.  However, don’t expect help if you’re getting close to winning.

As the group gets ever closer to level ten, the game becomes incredibly dangerous for players in the lead.   The Munchkin deck is stacked with ways to screw over the competition, and this prolongs the fun by keeping everyone in the game.  I can’t remember the last time I played a game of Munchkin where one player ran away to an uncontested victory.

The next thing you need to know about Munchkin is that it is HILARIOUS.  The goal of each and every card is to make you laugh, and by being filled with puns and jabs at the subject matter, Munchkin almost always succeeds. The standard edition of Munchkin is a parody of Dungeons & Dragons type role playing games, and lampoons all of the standard fantasy cliches.  Take a look at some of the cards to see for yourself :

Elves and Dwarves not your speed?  Munchkin has  a whopping EIGHT OTHER VARIETIES, one of which is sure to be a fit for you:

• Star Munchkin (sci-fi)
• Munchkin Fu (martial arts)
• Munchkin Bites (horror)
• Super Munchkin (superheroes)
• Munchkin Impossible (spy movies)
• Munchkin Cthulhu (HP Lovecraft)
• The Good, the Bad, and the Munchkin (westerns)
• Munchkin Booty (pirates)

Originally published in 2001, Munchkin has risen above the competition to become a card game juggernaut, spawning countless add-ons and expansions to each of these base games.

The final thing you need to know about Munchkin is that it is EASY TO LEARN.  As I mentioned earlier, you go up a level by defeating monster cards.  Here is how easy it is to resolve combat:  compare the level number printed on the monster card to your level.  Now add all of the little +2, +3, etc. bonuses  for cards you may have played on the table such as boots, armor, or weapons.  The one with the higher number wins.

Personally, I enjoy nothing more than a good card game or board game.  However, you need players in order to play!  Having easy to learn rules, enjoyable game mechanics, and an infusion of humor helps draw players in.  My wife would rather jump off of a bridge than join  a 5-hour Axis & Allies game with the guys, but she’ll fight for a spot at the table if Munchkin is being played.  That to me says a lot.

So you are ready to try Munchkin now?  Here are my recommendations:

• Munchkin (19th printing):  Just released in May, this new printing comes with clarified rules, updated card text, and a full-color print job.  It also includes a custom Munchkin die.  The release of this printing is a great new reason to become a Munchkin player!
• Super Munchkin: I find this version of Munchkin brings the funny particularly well to a diverse audience.  When you can’t expect everyone in the room to get a Dungeons & Dragons or Star Trek gag, you can always rely on a Batman joke.

Munchkin is available online direct from Steve Jackson Games at their Warehouse 23 store, at most Barnes & Noble locations, and of course, at your fine local game store.

Just the Facts:

Players: 2-5
Playing Time: 5-30 Minutes
Age: 8-Adult
Publisher: Looney Labs
MSRP: $16.00
Release: December 2009

The Gameplay:

Fluxx is known as the card game with ever-changing rules, and it is most definitely deserving of that title.  At the onset of each game, players are dealt a three-card hand.  The only rules to the game  are that on each turn, a player must draw one card from the deck, and play one card from their hand.  However, the rules do not stay that simple for long. To demonstrate how Fluxx works, let’s take a minute to introduce the five types of cards in the deck:

1. Keepers: These are cards that can be placed in front of you, which usually represent some inanimate object.  Their purpose in the game is to show that you have possession of that object by playing it in front of you on the table.
2. Goals: These cards dictate what it takes to win the game.  A goal card will name a few specific Keeper cards, and state that whoever has them on the table is the victor.  There can only be one goal, and if a new goal is played, the previous one is discarded.
3. Actions: These cards are one-time-use, and allow you to do special things such as root through the discard pile to take a card back or steal another player’s keeper.
4. Creepers: These stay on the table in front of you just like Keepers, but are playing immediately upon drawing and (usually) prevent you from winning.
5. New Rules: This is where the game gets hectic.  As part of the “play card” phase of their turn, a player can use New Rule cards that drastically alter how the game works.  For example, players can change how many cards are drawn or played in a turn, or a hand size limits can be instituted, forcing players to discard at the end of their turn.

The nature of Fluxx’s changing  rules make it a different game every time you play.  Sometimes, players will be drawing more cards per turn than they play, allowing players to build up large hands.  This means almost everyone has a possible winning combo, but that a lot of “screw your neighbor” type cards are also coming out of the deck.  In another case, players may be required to play their entire hand on every turn.  When this occurs, everyone is on high alert, as they could be unwillingly forced to play cards allowing another player to win.  If you are close to victory, you might want to cause such a situation!

That is how a basic game of Fluxx plays out, but how is Martian Fluxx any different?  In this version of the game, players  take on the role of Martians, with the ultimate goal of taking over the Earth.  This is an improvement over the original Fluxx, which had no narrative at all.  To go along with this Martian theme, the five types of cards have all received a new coat of paint.  These cards are full of sci-fi puns and clichés that any geek will appreciate, so just looking at the cards for the first time is enjoyable.

Our favorite cards are the Creepers.  While in traditional Fluxx, Creepers represented random bad things such as death, war, or taxes, every Creeper in Martian Fluxx represents a Pathetic Human.  There are a lot more of them as well!  With over three times as many creepers, the Martian players will be flooded with Pathetic Humans trying to prevent your victory.  This adds strategy to the game, which is a plus, as you must balance the playing of Keepers towards fulfilling a Goal, with also playing cards to get rid of your Pathetic Human creepers.

The Contents:
100 cards and 1 rule sheet.  The box for Martian Fluxx is sturdy and is only just as large as it needs to be to hold all 100 cards.  There is an insert with a convenient pull tab so it is never a struggle to get the cards out (you won’t have to tip the box over and risk having cards spill out).  The cards themselves a bright, vibrant, and contain great artwork.  They are printed on a durable stock that we feel should hold up well over time and resist bending.

Here are a few sample cards:

Pros:

• High amount of replay value due to short play time and varying game experience
• Enough humor to make you laugh at least a few times each game
• Well-made cards with quality artwork

Cons:

• Games can occasionally become dependent on luck rather than strategy

Overall Impression:

We were very impressed by Martian Fluxx, and will be adding it to our regular rotation of card games.  It plays well, looks well, and is well priced when compared to similar card games.  It’s one negative point (reliance on luck) is largely forgivable as there is still a good amount of strategy involved in this game.  It is worth noting that players can affect how much luck is actually required through the play of their cards, allowing players who are doing poorly to tip the balance towards luck if they are smart, and thereby give themselves a chance.

Our Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Squids

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