Dude! Take Your Turn!
A Gaming Life
Star Realms App Expands and Goes to the Arena
Fans of White Wizards Games excellent Star Realms app have some reason to be excited today.
Literally as I type this, the new update has dropped and is available for download onto your favourite mobile devices.
For two measly dollars (us Canadians of course have to pay $2.79, stupid exchange rates), you get the Ultimate Heroes expansion which has a new single-player campaign chapter and eight new heroes that are much more powerful than their counterparts from the Crisis set.
New to Me – April 2018
April was an interesting month for the Cult of the New to Me.
First, we had our new member initiation, but nobody came (oops!). (Editor: Doesn’t help that you gave them the wrong date)
Then I took a look at the new to me games this month and found quite the eclectic collection.
There is some Uwe Rosenberg love in here, a couple of small card games, a new expansion for a great game that I haven’t played in a while, and only three of the seven games were published in 2017 or 2018.
That’s true to the new motto of the Cult: “It doesn’t have to be new to be new to me.”
(I’m selling T-Shirts with that, don’t all come to the counter at once, though)
Anyway, without further adieu (Odin ate all the adieu anyway, greedy bastard), let’s get going!
A Feast for Odin (2016 – ZMan Games) – 1 play
Designer: Uwe Rosenberg
Artist: Dennis Lohausen
Arboretum Coming from Renegade
(Edit – 12/20/19: For those finding this post some other way, the review is up!)
I know what you’re thinking.
Two posts in one day? Really? Dave, are you sick?
As I was finishing today’s review, I received an interesting email with exciting news, especially since it refers to a really hard-to-get game that I played for the first time recently and really enjoyed. I couldn’t wait to share it.
Yes, the brilliant Arboretum card game (designed by Dan Cassar and originally published by ZMan Games back in 2015) is being published by Renegade Games Studio and coming out in Autumn 2018!
This game of tree-growing and vicious back-stabbing gardeners is very highly-regarded and I was excited when I finally got to play it back in March.
It lived up to its reputation.
But it’s so hard to find!
Not for much longer.
This new edition will have brand new art by the wonderful Beth Sobel. The new edition will have the same rules, but some new types of trees will be on the cards and the game will be made more color-blind friendly, which is definitely a plus.
I can’t wait to see images from this version of the game.
Here’s a picture from the previous version, just to give you an idea.
Until then, we’ll have to settle for that great logo above and wait with great anticipation for Autumn to come.
Arboretum is expected to retail for $20.
Review – Fugitive
I’ve been told that, as I get older, I’m going to look a lot like Tommy Lee Jones, only with more wrinkles (Editor: Talking to yourself doesn’t count).
Why do I bring that up here, other than to let you know that I’m kind of delusional?
Because I just played Fugitive, the 2-player card game designed by Tim Fowers with art by Ryan Goldsberry and published by Fowers Games.
This card game, published all the way back in 2017, pits one marshal against a fugitive who is trying to escape the long arm of the law.
(You also get bonus points if the fugitive denies doing the crime and you say “I don’t care” in that Tommy Lee Jones way)
Let’s see how this works.
Book Review – How Rome Fell by Adrian Goldsworthy
Given the success my Time of Crisis review, the game about the critical period from 235 – 284 AD when the Roman Empire was in chaos, I thought I would explore one of the best books I’ve ever read on the subject, How Rome Fell by Adrian Goldsworthy.
This book covers not just the Time of Crisis period, but all the way up to 476 and what’s widely considered the fall of the Western Empire.
Thankfully, I’ve already written a review of it for Curled Up With a Good Book, and I think it’s a review I’d like to share here as well. I used to write book reviews for Curled Up, and it’s still a great site for book reviews. Please check them out.
This review was written in 2009. I’ve modified it for “modern” audiences (mainly edits about how I “just” got the book, etc).
After the review, I’ll talk a little bit more about the game and the book and how they fit together.
Dual Powers – Revolution 2017 Kickstarter
(Edit – 12/20/19: The review is live!)
I’m a big history buff, which is maybe why I love historical games so often. I’m sure it’s why I fell into wargames when I was a kid.
(All pictures will be from the Kickstarter page)
When I saw the Kickstarter link for Dual Powers – Revolution 2017, I had to check it out.
When I saw the cover artwork above, I had to delve even deeper.
And when I saw how the game worked, I knew I had to back it.
Review – Time of Crisis
(Edit: This is one of my Top 5 Games Played of all Time, as of February 2019 anyway. Check out the other games as well!)
Ever since my college toga parties, I’ve wanted to be a Roman emperor. I mean, sure, they had a tendency to die in horrible ways, many of them were cruel and corrupt and it all together wasn’t a good time for them.
But just think of the perks! There are people peeling your grapes! Throwing flowers in front of you as you walk! There are…
Ok, maybe it wouldn’t have been so great. But I looked good in a toga. (Editor: “Looked” being the operative word)
Why am I talking about all of this?
Because I am finally able to do a review of one my favourite (Editor: Spoilers!!!) games out there, Time of Crisis, published by GMT Games.
The game was designed by Wray Ferrell and Brad Johnson with art by Rodger B. MacGowan and it plays 2-4 players in 2-3 hours.
Let’s see how this works.
Expansion Review – Smash Up: Cease and Desist
If I keep on getting and reviewing Smash Up expansions, I’m going to have to come up with some creative openings that don’t all sound the same. Maybe make up some meta joke that will carry throughout the reviews? Not sure on that one.
I’ll get back to you.
Hot on the heels of the Science Fiction Double Feature expansion review, let’s talk about an even better one.
Cease and Desist is probably one of the funniest expansions I have seen for this game (I’ve seen them all, just not in action). It comes this close to being copyright infringement, but in such a hilarious way that I’m sure the executives at HBO/CBS/Lucasfilm/Hasbro are laughing their asses off rather than trying to fight through the parody laws.
GMT Games Time of Crisis expansion – Made the Cut!
(2/12/19 edit – it’s charged and it’s shipping at the end of the week. Whooooa Nelly! Can’t wait to get my hands on this. The title is Time of Crisis: the Age of Iron and Rust)
Fans of this blog (Hi, Bob!) are aware that I’m a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge fan of GMT Games Time of Crisis. (Editor: Here, have another “u”. They’re free).
The brilliant game, designed by Wray Ferrell and Brad Johnson, depicts the Roman Empire during the tumultuous 3rd century, a time where if you became Emperor, your days were most likely numbered.
When Wray (or maybe it was Brad, but I think it was Wray) announced that they were working on an expansion, my ears perked up immediately.
When they said that it was now available on the P500 list at GMT, I jumped onto it so fast that there was still an after-image of me standing there gawking at the computer.
The other day, it was announced that they had reached 500 orders and it has officially “made the cut!” Woo!
New to Me – March 2018
I’m tired.
It’s been a busy month of playing new games! So I’ve definitely enjoyed it.
But I’m tired.
If I hadn’t been writing this post as I played the games, I’m not sure if it would have come out. This is a long one.
It totals 12 new games. My month of March itself consisted of 21 games played a total of 24 times.
Woo!
So, without further adieu (I lost all of my adieu in a card game that I was too embarrassed to put on my play list), let’s begin.
Raiders of the North Sea (2015 – Renegade Games Studio, Garphil Games) – 2 plays (owned)
Designer: Shem Phillips
Artist: Mihajlo Dimitrievski
Players: 2-4
Dude! Take Your Turn! 