Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Get to the Choppa! (Review of Burgle Bros)

I need to confess something right up front - I really enjoyed the 2001 version of Ocean's Eleven. A film critic I am not, but I know what I like. Clooney and Pitt really crack me up with their character's in that movie. It's been a long time since I've watch the movie, however. Maybe it's time to break it out again?

Either way, you don't need to watch the movie to get a vintage, heist feel - you can just play Burgle Bros! I often describe this game to people as "Ocean's Eleven: The Board Game." Burgle Bros is a cooperative heist game. You work your way through two to three levels of a building, looking for loot. You have several different actions you can take on a turn and each character has a unique personality and special action. As you move around the building, you can rush into rooms (more dangerous) or peak first (more time wasted). You need to balance this approach as you try to avoid the guards moving about. You need to find the safe on each level of the building and crack the combination (using a distinctive dice system) and then find the stairs to the next level. The final staircase gets you to the roof and your chopper.
burgle bros board game

Sunday, April 12, 2020

To the Rescue (Playthrough of Flash Point: Fire Rescue)

Tom, Phil, and Anita arrived at the scene of the fire as quickly as possibly. It had been a slow night but when the alarm went, they were ready. They were a good team and worked to each member's strengths. Phil had an uncanny ability to suppress fires with ease. Anita's long hours in the gym had paid off as pulling people out the building usually fell to her. Tom balanced both of them out and was able to do a little bit of everything. As they pulled into the subdivision, neighbours lining the streets watching the fire grow, they realized they hadn't gotten here a moment to soon. They leaped out of the truck and burst into action.
flash point fire rescue board game

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Together We Game Alone (Clank! Legacy: Acquisitions Incorporated)

On Monday night I attempted to embody the rallying cry of the 1 player guild on BoardGameGeek: "together we game alone." If you've been following my blog, you know that I've been working through Clank! Legacy with my gaming group. We had previously booked our next game night for April 6, last night. The problem with that is (in case you haven't noticed) that we are currently working in a very socially distant world because of COVID-19.

Well, we decided to forge ahead anyway! I set up a double camera system so that my friends could see what was going on, but basically I was playing "solo" because I was in charge of every component, every card, every secret, every reading, etc... I don't think you can see any spoilers from this distance, so here is my set up.

clank legacy acquisitions incorporated board game set up

Sunday, April 5, 2020

Kickstarter Update

We're now three months into 2020 and what a year it has been. I wanted to do a little update about my Kickstarter activity thus far as it relates to my most anticipated games.

The Heroes of Tenefyr Kickstarter has come and gone and they have fully funded. I really enjoyed the print'n'play version I made of this from the last Kickstarter and was excited to get my hands on the full version and the expansion. I would love to have a published copy of this game, but I just can't justify the shipping costs, so I went in for the full PnP copy. I'm glad they were funded again and I'm excited for more adventures in Tenefyr!

Thursday, April 2, 2020

Nobody Panic! (Review of My First Castle Panic)

my first castle panic board game box cover
While the extrovert in me is suffering from being cooped up inside for the last several weeks, I'm taking this time to indoctrinate introduce my children into the board game hobby. My girls are four (Winnie) and almost seven (Ardyn) and we actually have played lots of games together. Their favourites are Lemonade Shake Up, Raccoon Rumpus, and Richard Scarry's Busytown: Eye Found It! Game (who names these things???).  With my eldest daughter being almost seven, I wanted to start turning the corner into older games, so for Christmas I picked up My First Castle Panic. This is a (very) scaled down version of the regular Panic Attack (which I've reviewed here and played through here). I have games in my collection that have surpassed Castle Panic as a solo or cooperative game, but it's still a mainstay on my shelf as my wife enjoys playing it and it's still a solid and quick to set up solo experience. I went for this simplified version for the girls' gift because it is (a) cooperative, (b) a fantasy setting, and (c) age appropriate for both of them.

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

First Time SGOYT Host

If you're an avid visitor to the 1 Player Guild on BoardGameGeek, then you're probably aware of SGOYT. If not, it's an acronym for Solitare Games on Your Table. It's a monthly podcast on the guild where people can post about their solo gaming adventures. It's a great place to see what's hot and to find some hidden gems as well. 

For April, my birthday month, I am hosting SGOYT for the first time! Basically, that means I write a little bit about myself and give away some geekgold if you include a comment related to my them (rebirth) in your post. Or, you can totally ignore me and I'll still like your comment and give you some geekgold if you make me giggle. Check it out here.