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So check out the review and let me know what you think.
ME
Battue is a very cool game, and the components are beautiful. Be sure and check out the review, and sign up at the CharCon Web site, even if you aren't in the West Virginia area. We're hoping to make it more of a regional site for gamers, and would love to have some more players and game designers helping post some content and discussions.
ME
I'm trying to alternate my column between RPGs and board/card games. I'm also trying to alternate between more mature games and those intended for kids or families. So since last week I reviewed "Godlike," a game about super heroes during World War II, this week I chose to do short reviews of two memory games for kids.
Also, since I'm getting ready for Origins in June, I am going to try to "clear my plate" so to speak and get a bunch of reviews posted online over the next month. My goal is to have multiple reviews written and online each week in May. This also includes games that I have written mini reviews of, like the two in this past Sunday's article. Those easily can be turned into full articles to place on Board Game Geek, and that's just what I'm gonna do.
ME
So for those of you who are interested and don't have the print version, here is my article:
I also plan to submit this, as well as several other reviews of "Godlike" supplements, to RPG.net later this week. When that happens, I will post links to those articles as well.
ME
ME
My review of the Looney Labs' card game "Fluxx" ran in Sunday's edition of The Parkersburg News, and since then has been posted on BGG.com where you can find the full review. A quick and unusual card game, Fluxx is one of those great filler or party games you can pull out with almost any group of people and start playing right away. I'm eager to eventually see some of the Fluxx spin-off games, like Eco Fluxx and, yes, Zombie Fluxx. Looney Labs also usually has a great convention presence, so I'm hoping to hook up with some of those people at this year's Origins in Columbus, Ohio (which I didn't manage to do while I was there last year).
Also, for those interested, here is an updated link to my board and card game reviews that have been posted on BGG.com. So far there are 33 of them, and again, this doesn't include any role-playing game reviews I've done, or those couple of board and card game reviews that never got posted. It also doesn't include my articles about companies or preview stories, just the actual reviews.
So, if you get some free time, feel free to peruse my offerings and give me a thumbs-up on the reviews you like or find useful, and check out the rest of Board Game Geek while you're there.
ME
I also wrote a review of the miniatures game Heroscape, and you can find that review over at BoardGameGeek.com. Unfortunately I wrote some of the information from memory and got a few niggling details incorrect, but the good people at BGG stepped in to correct me, and I thank them for that.
ME
I also submitted the review to BoardGameGeek.com where I've already gotten some positive feedback.
It is a little unusual for me to review such a niche game, at least one for a niche I don't belong to. But after reading more and more about the game and the ideas behind it, I felt it was too big to ignore and really reaches out to an underserved demographic in the gaming community.
Gaming in general, which includes roleplaying games, has failed as a business to keep up with the 'tween revolution. You see everyday how different companies are working to capture this demographic and some of the millions in dollars of money being spent by girls ages 7-12. But you don't see that in gaming. I think a lot of it has to do with the gaming culture. Many designers are creating the kinds of games they want to play, and there is nothing wrong with that. They create incredible games based on ideas I never would have thought of but love to play. At the same time, toy companies, which are the other force in gaming, board and card gaming in particular, are designing products they believe will sell.
However a lot of game designers are at the same point in life as me: Early thirties, young children, a lack of time and a love of games. You have roleplaying games like "Farie's Tale" that has great potential as an introduction to younger players, and has a bit of girl appeal (which is a compliment), and products like "Roleplaying with Kids," which I think has a lot of crossover potential. You have very fun board and card games designed for kids but have broad themes and interesting mechanics. I believe as the gaming culture grows and matures, so too will the games, and so too will more companies seek out these very influential niche groups, even though they may get take a little flak from the old guard along the way.
So what do you all think?
ME
- Location:Columbus, OH
Though the review didn't go into a lot of detail about the system behind the game, with RPGs that is going to be more difficult, because generally speaking they have more rules and more variables than your average card or board game. Still, I think my review gives people a good idea of why they might or might not want to check out Cadwallon. This is definitely a more complex game mechanically speaking, and the setting is for a much more mature audience. Still, the book is beautiful, and I can't wait to do more with the rules and setting.
One thing I couldn't fit into the review was how much the game reminded me of the old Planescape setting for Dungeons & Dragons, which remains among my all-time favorite campaign settings. Though Cadwallon is a bit more earth-bound of a city, it shares several of the same characteristics as The Cage. Both are very fantastic settings, but at the same time grim and gritty. Both contain very interesting characters and distinctive locations. I thought Cadwallon's use of Attitudes in its different city sectors was a lot like Planescape's use of alignments. Simply knowing the dominant philosophy behind a neighborhood's inhabitants can generate a number of roleplaying opportunities and story hooks.
Since the page on NewsandSentinel.com will cycle out after this week, and since I'm not sure exactly where the review will end up on the net, I am reposting the review here on my blog. Feel free to check it out.
" 'Cadwallon' a beautiful, brutal roleplaying game"
By MICHAEL ERB
Staff Writer
The Parkersburg News and Sentinel
- Location:@home
Today my review of "Hollywood Blockbuster" ran in the Sunday edition of The Parkersburg News. I hope to repost the review to Board Game Geek this evening. The game by Uberplay and renowned game designer Reiner Knizia was a surprise hit for me and a game I had avoided reviewing for some time now. My initial impressions of the game were thankfully wrong, as I originally had pegged the game as being too complex.
That seems strange to me now that I have played, because the game actually is rather simple but still has a lot of engaging strategy and decision making. When I first opened the game after receiving a review copy from Uberplay, I was a little intimidated. The game feels huge, from the large heavy box to the number of pieces included. Trying to read through the rules reminded me a little of a college textbook, and to be honest I think I was a little wary of Knizia as well,as he has a reputation for designing very math-heavy games (and I have always struggled with mathematics).
The game languished on my shelf for a while with a handful of other Uberplay games, but recently I decided to give it another try, mostly at the behest of a friend who is a bit of a movie buff. Once I was able to lay out the pieces on the board and get past some of the language of the rules, the beauty of "Hollywood Blockbuster" emerged, and I can say with confidence this game will hit the table again and again. There is a fair amount of replay value as players rotate which studios they represent, thereby giving them different sets of movies to play with. The bidding mechanic also is a lot of fun, and players will want to try different strategies (having more than one player going for the "Worst Movie" title can be pretty amusing).
I also will be posting some more information on some upcoming reviews and my plans for the convention season, including plans to create some audio interviews from Origins and Con on the Cob, kind of like a poor-man's podcast.
Until then, have fun.
ME
- Location:@ home
