Downforce, Game Review

Sitting in your suite above the track, the crowd at the race looks and feels different. The binoculars allow you a close up view of your car’s driver. A relative newbie in the Grand Prix circuit, he does well. But, he didn’t earn one of the better starting positions. While sipping on your champagne, you’re approached by one of the track’s private stewards, “Would you like to place a bet before the race begins?”

You hold up your index finger to stall as you scan the cars below again. “I’m going to wait. Please, come back in a bit.”

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Downforce by Wolfgang Kramer presents a Grand Prix race where winning the race doesn’t mean you’ll win the game. To win Downforceyou need to earn the most money. Money comes from having your car win and from the bets you place.

I played a couple of games of Downforce while at the St George Gaming Convention (STGCON) 2018 (website and Facebook). Both times was with a full group of 6 people.

Downforce has a dual strategy for playing and winning.

Game play is done by playing cards that control the length of movement every car takes. Each player owns one of the cars and you make more money if your car wins the race. But, you’re only moving the cars once every round as players take turns laying down cards.

Each card lists the cars and the amount of movement they can take. Not every car is represented on every card. Some might also only list one car. When it is your turn to lay down a card, you have to decide which will be the best to play. And, the one that moves your car the farthest might not be best one.

Cars get jammed up in the corners and are not able to move any farther. This strategy can be used to block other players. If you end up in the pack, you have to get the cars in front of yours to move first to open up space.

Winning the race pays the car’s owner. Placing is only part of the way to earn cash. There are three additional times players make private bets on which car will win, place, and show. Each bet pays off at the end of the race. You can bet for any car, not just your own. It might even be advantageous to bet on another car you can move into a winning position in front of your car. In one of my games a player did just that as the two of them neared the finish line.

Where winning the race can provide a bounty for the owner, winning the bets can add up even better. At the end of the race the cash winnings are tallied and the player who won the most money wins the game.

Overall

The additional level of betting included in Downforce gives the game a different feel than games focused on winning the race. Even if you are trapped at the back of the pack and it is clear your car isn’t going to win, you still have a chance to win the game. This keeps everyone in the game until the numbers are tallied.

The mechanics of the movement requires some thinking and planning. Attempting to move your car the farthest, based on the cards you hold might not be the best strategy. I tried doing that at the start of the first game I played when I had the pole position. I jumped out to a great lead, then the other five players took their turns. I ended up jammed up and then blocked by other cars who overtook me in the corner.

The only luck is how the cards are dealt at the beginning of the game. The rest is bidding, betting, and deciding which card to play from your hand.

I was invited back later in the day for another game. I did better. Both times where fun as everyone around the table watched how other players maneuvered through their visible strategy and focused on their private bets.

Downforce is one of a number of games from Wolfgang Kramer (wikipedia page) who has been an award winning game designer for over three decades.

Downforce is from Restoration Games and is designed for 2–6 players aged 14+ and expected to last 30–45 minutes.

Downforce is available on Amazon (link).

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The checkered flag drops for the winner. You look through your betting stubs and consider your winnings as you watch your driver make the last turn before the finish line. No, he didn’t win the race. But you still may have won the day.

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

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The Finger Trap by Johnny Worthen, Book Review

Have you ever wondered where new private investigators come from? What did they have to learn to earn the right credentials? What makes them the type of person you would want to hire if you needed a private investigator?

If you picture a private investigator needing to be an ex hard-nosed cop who turned to the private sector, then Tony Flaner is not the guy you’d be looking to hire. But, like the book cover says, “When the only way out is deeper in, and your back’s against the wall, even slackers get ambitious.” And, that's what Tony has to do.

The Finger Trap is darkly humorous and hard to put down.

I picked up a copy of The Finger Trap by Johnny Worthen from the author at the League of Utah Writers (website) Spring into Books 2018.

This is the third novel, along with a couple of short stories, written by Johnny Worthen I’ve reviewed—the first one that’s not horror. I know Johnny teaches horror and mystery writing at the University of Utah. I wanted to find out if he writes mystery as well as the horror stories I’ve read. I was not disappointed.

The Finger Trap is a noir style detective story set in the present day.

Plot

Tony Flaner has lived an easy life. He’s had the opportunity of following a path of least resistance and chosen to take it. It’s a style that has worked until recently. Tony was accused of committing murder. The police and the district attorney, along with his public defender, see it as a simple case and they are not willing to put in the work to find out more information. That leaves it to Tony to become the detective to prove his innocence.

Tony’s previous life path meant he never stuck with a job, or hobby. He allowed life to push and pull him in new directions almost as assuredly as the changing of the seasons. This ends up making him a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none. An unenvied skill set, except when you need to find the clues to prove you didn’t kill someone.

Tony’s plight pulls him into a subculture he never thought he would be involved with. Instead of quitting, he has to push in deeper so he can get out. Tony Flaner breaks more laws, in crime noir fashion, to get to the truth and serve justice. He knows he’ll be in trouble for what he’s doing, but what’s worse than being convicted of murder?

Style

The Finger Trap is narrated by Tony. It starts when he discovers the body. Then we are taken back in time to give the history of how he ended up at the scene of the murder. After that, we are included on his ride of how he proves his innocence.

The book builds from a methodical start and increases pace the more pages you turn. It keeps building as the rollercoaster ride goes from one near catastrophe to another. The pacing works for setting the information at the beginning to be dealt with later. By the end you realize everything was there. I enjoyed having the clues, even if I didn’t recognize them. It gave cohesion to the story. I didn’t come across any breaks in the storyline that left me hanging. Or, revelations the author explains away by having some off the page character came up with the answer.

The Finger Trap is full of humor. Tony Flaner does standup comedy and views the world satirically. Being accused of murder without anyone believing or caring if he did it or not, doesn’t help his outlook. Tony carries his standup quick wit with him as he creates his own private investigator persona developed from the crime detective novels he’s enjoyed.

Theme

Johnny Worthen builds the theme of the title throughout the book. This gives the story a tight feel. Tony admits early on how his life of moving from one thing to the next is because he always responded to the pushes and pulls of life. Always taking the easy path and never seeing anything through to the end.

He is now in his own finger trap. He is caught and unless he is willing to push, he will not be able to pull himself out.

Throughout The Finger Trap we see the mechanics of push and pull of the trap at work. And, for the first time in Tony’s life, he needs to respond to the situation by being an active participant instead of flotsam being pushed around.

Other Points of Interest

The Finger Trap is the Diamond Quill Winner, Best Published Book (2017), from the League of Utah Writers.

Overall

The Finger Trap is a fun read.

We are introduced to Tony Flaner before he’s the detective he has to become. This is his origin story and he gives insights into the type of person he knows himself to be. We are given points of fantasy as he sees them and the brutal honesty as he understands it. Tony was never a hard-nosed cop who hung a shingle out for himself. In his previous life, he wouldn’t have made it through the academy.

Here is a guy we have all met or heard about. He is the guy who has survived by wit and sarcasm without doing anything constructive. The guy who has so much going for him and hasn’t accomplished anything.

I found myself creating time to read a few more pages to see what Tony came up with next.

I give The Finger Trap 5 out of 5.

The Finger Trap is currently changing publishers (08/26/18). However, copies are available on Amazon (link).

Other books by Johnny Worthen I’ve reviewed.

Dr. Stuart’s Heart (link)

What Immortal Hand (link)

Beatrysel (link)

About The Author (from the book)

Johnnty Worthen is an award-winning, best-selling author of books and stories. Trained in modern literary criticism and cultural studies, he writes upmarket multi-genre fiction, symbolized by his love of tie-dye and good words. “I wear tie-dye for my friends. I write what I like to read,” he says. “This guarantees me at least one fan.”

Johnny lives in Sandy, Utah, with his wife and sons.

Visit him at http://www.johnnyworthen.com/www.johnnyworthen.com

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Frog Chess by Brian Grigsby, Game Review

The pond is a good place to live. It gets crowded. There seems to never be enough room for all the frogs who live there. But, being a frog is about having fun. And, as frogs we like to jump. The frogs of the pond choose teams and everyone crowds into the pond. Let the jumping begin.

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I had the opportunity of playing Frog Chess by Brian Grigsby at Salt Lake Gaming Convention 2018 (website). This is the third game I’ve reviewed from Binary Cocoa.

Frog Chess is a strategy game for of 2 or 3 players (I played a 2 person game) with a field of frogs. Frog Chess is a deceptive game in that we are so used to playing survival based games that when something different comes along it throws us. I fell into the trap.

Game Play

Each player has a team of frogs and they take turns placing them on a grid based board. The only limitation is no frogs can be placed in the outside edge of the board. Frogs aren’t able to survive in that outside ring for longer than jumping through it—which comes later. The setup becomes important because frogs like to jump, they want to jump, and they need to jump.

Frogs jump. And, they can jump in any direction, if they can. Frogs need something to jump over. If there isn’t another frog sitting in one of the squares next to them they have nothing to jump over. Frogs also need a place to land after they jump. Simply put, there needs to be an empty square on the other side of the frog they are jumping. This is like checkers, but they move horizontally and diagonally. There are no front or back movements, just jumping in any direction.

Every frog jumped over is removed from the board. You can jump over the other players’ frogs or one of your own. But, no matter what frog you jump over, the frog is removed from the board.

Frogs can keep jumping. Once a frog starts jumping it can keep jumping as long as it can, but it can also stop along the way. Just watch out where you stop. If a frog stops jumping in the outer ring of the board, it gets removed. A simple reminder is that at the end of every turn the outer ring has no frogs in it.

A two player game getting underway. 

Now you see how the game is played, let me introduce the twist. This is not a game about survival, it is about jumping. It doesn’t matter how many frogs are left on the board at the end of the game, it is about who made the last jump. The last one to make a jump wins. You can eliminate your opponent, or leave their frogs in a position where they are unable to jump.

I started the game thinking I knew what I was doing. The early moves were designed to remove a number of my opponent’s frogs with little loss on my side. I’ll admit I even started keeping track of the number of frogs we each had left on the board.

The game continued and I realized my mistake. I left a frog stranded out by itself. It’s only hope was to have a frog get closer that it could jump over. Another frog soon had no place it could land. My frogs were stranded and blocked. They were unable to jump.

Overall

Frog Chess plays up the strategy of how to move, not on the number of frogs left.

I enjoyed the twist. Even though I lost the match, I found the change of thought process refreshing. I found myself for some time afterwards coming back and watching other people play Frog Chess because the change intrigued me.

Frog Chess would work as a cabin game. It would work better in a trailer or motorhome. It could be put in a pack or suitcase because the shape of the box, but it is larger than what I usually classify as a cabin game. I saw younger players having fun with the bright colored frogs. It looked like they were having fun with the jumping without concern of the final outcome—they liked jumping the frogs.

Frog Chess is a good filler game. The game is designed to run less than 15 minutes. Even with learning the game, mine was about 15. The setup is part of the game and included in the time.

Frog Chess by Brian Grigsby is produced by Binary Cocoa (website, Facebook). It is designed for 2–3 players ages 7+, and to last 10–15 minutes.

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The frogs jump. Our team. Their team. Back and forth we jump. The crowd at the edge grows go as more frogs are jumped. I take your place on the spectators’ log when I got jumped. The competition continues. Then the jumping stops. Our team made the last jump and are croaked the winners. Those sitting next to me from the other team ribbit their congratulations and challenges for the next game.

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

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Drop It, Game Review

There are times when you want a game everyone in the family can play. It can be tough to find a game that provides enough entertainment for the youngest players and still enough of a challenge for older ones. Here is one that fits the category.

I played and couple of games of Drop It, designed by Bernard Lach and Uwe Rapp, at Salt Lake Gaming Convention 2018 (website) with one of the game ambassadors of Envoy/Double Exposure (website).

Drop It is a basic game that requires you to drop different shapes of flat blocks between two plastic panels. Players start with a set of pieces and take turns dropping them into the holder. The look is a little like connect four, but the strategy is different.

One player I was playing with called Drop It a “geometric Tetris.” This gives an idea of how it looks, but again you are not trying to complete levels or create shapes. You drop the block into the holder and calculate any score you might have made. There are two variations of limitations to play for scoring. For older players the strategy of keeping colors separated and placed at the right levels gets them thinking.

Drop It is also different because it is for 2–4 players. I played a 4 person game on one variation and a 3 person game with the other. Both variations were easy to learn and understand the scoring principles. After I played I watched some younger players. I figure one was below the recommended age (8+), and with a little help from a parent were able to join in and was having fun dropping in the pieces. He didn’t even need to score, and it appeared he really didn’t care about the scoring taking place by the other players.

Picture from PHD  Games

Drop It is designed to run about 30 minutes. Of the half dozen games I played or watched none went over 15 minutes. This can easily be used as a filler game when waiting for more people to arrive on game night. It is also a game younger players can learn and play on their own. It could be used as a cabin game, but would be on the larger side that would work better in a camper or motor home instead of something being packed in or carried in a suitcase.

Drop It is designed by Bernard Lach and Uwe Rapp have other games known to be family friendly/favorite games. These include Fat Fish and Qwinto.

Drop it is produced by Thames and Kosmos games (website) and is designed for 2–4 players of ages 8+, and to be played within 30 minutes.

Drop It is available on Amazon (link).

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

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Velleity Studios, Independent Comic Creators

The storytelling in comics is appealing. Ever since the Famous Funnies or the earlier comics from Europe comic books have employed a unique method in that make the story fun and enjoyable. This goes from the daily three-panel cartoon to the full length graphic novels and comic books. These aren’t children’s books. They are more complex and deal with stories with great depth.

Fans of this media I know have told me how it would be fun to make a book. Some have an idea that has been rolling around in their thoughts for years, or even a recent flash of inspiration. While others would like to create shorter books called ashcans as a hobby. Some aspire to make it a career. It’s a question of how to get the knowledge and experience.

Chris Hoffman and Andrew Malin of Velleity Studios (website) have some ideas on developing your talents learning how to become a comic book creator. Velleity Studios is an independent comic book publisher in Salt Lake City that wants to support the dreams people have of developing their own stories in this wonderful format. They are comic book creators themselves and wouldn’t mind gaining huge recognition for their work. But, a large part of what they are doing is helping others get into the field. And, they their work gives them credibility.

Velleity Studios is a new company because of their work on Ruthless (When tragedy strikes, do you become a hero? Or do you become...Ruthless). However, these authors have been creating comic books for almost a decade and have been comic book fans going back to the days of working at Comics Utah and before. Their experiences provide a base of knowledge they are willing to share with others.

Velleity Studios, in part, is a platform where you can get your feet wet. They have a collaborative writing group that is open to those who are interested in creating comic books as a writer, and artist, or both. From past and current experiences of working in higher education, they want to share with others and develop the creativity they have found in the broader community.

Chris explained there is no one way to create a story for a comic book. It is a matter of finding a style best suited to the person or people working on it. That is the basis for the collaborative setting they use. People get together and bounce ideas off each other. They help each other through the rough points. And they share their experiences to help bring everyone along to the level each person want to go to.

This is like the writing groups I’ve been involved with. A safe sharing space for ideas and growth. Not everyone wants to make it big, and it’s not a requirement. You also don’t have to know every aspect of what needs to be done. One person may have a story they want to develop while another wants to do the art. In fact, comics for the most part are collaborations.

You are welcome to join them in creating comic books, but they’re not sitting and waiting. Ruthless started them as a new company and they are continue to create with Banana Panic!, Gull, Salt City Strangers, and others. They’re not limiting themselves to comics either. Right now they are finishing a Kickstarter campaign for the game, Daring Heroes: The Golden Age. An action card game of super heroics in the classic style.

Check out Velleity Studios (website, Facebook, and Twitter). You can also find their work at Dr. Volt Comic Connection (website), who they were sharing booth space with at Salt Lake Gaming Convention 2018 (website) where I met them.

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

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St. George Board Game Convention

As the dog days of summer draw to a close, many of us are looking for something to do, especially if we have children who are becoming restless. It is hot the first part of August and may not seem like a good time to be in Southern Utah. But, the St. George Gaming Convention (STGCON) has created a fun get away for visitors and locals alike.

This year was the first time I was able to get to STGCON. The convention hosted its fourth annual event this year and I’m glad I got to be part of it. STGCON is a wonderful mix of board games that has a family friendly atmosphere.

Four Years Old

I sat with Alex, one of the founders, and talked with him about the history of STGCON. Five years ago there weren’t any gaming conventions in the area. The closest one to St. George was held in Salt Lake City. So, he and his wife thought they might do something about that by using their personal game library and start a convention.

They considered the first year successful with about 150 board gamers getting together. The next year they had around 200 people at the convention. This year they had 250. Not fast growth according to some. But, fast growth isn’t what Alex and his wife Shaea are looking for. They are happy with what it has done and the path it is on.

Part of the Gaming Room

The focus for STGCON has been to provide a quality family experience. This was visible at the convention, with the number of families and the age range of people. Families were enjoying games together and bringing in additional players. Alex told me that because of the size and the way it has grown, he knows just about everyone’s name attending.

What I Saw This Year

STGCON has a game library of over 1,300 different titles. These are not just old standards, Alex has actively grown the library; there were many newer games that could be experienced along with classics. I saw people playing games from the library which gave a family a chance to play something together, then as the children played one game, the parents might play something else.

Kids were running games for other kids. It was fun to see one young man running a tournament of 5-Minute Dungeon for 12 and under players. It looked like he was going to have to run more than one game to accommodate all those who gathered around his table.

1 of 3 Tables Getting Ready for a Tournament

His wasn’t the only tournament. There were enough events (tournaments, play to wins, and drawings) that there were probably enough prizes for just about everyone in attendance to take something extra home when everything was done.

Along with the mix in ages, there were people from around the region. According to pre-registration about 15% of the people were from St. George. I reacquainted myself with people I’ve met at other conventions along with making new friends.

Connecting with others is what STGCON is based on. I was invited to sit in on games by people who didn’t know me because there was an open seat. Kids joined together in games at one table as their parents joined in another game nearby. It was fun to see one pre-teen introduce her new friend to her mother and ask if they could go play a game at another table further off in the room.

The Future

A Heated Race of Pitch Car

STGCON is about the atmosphere and friendship. It is a place a family can go. Alex and Shaea want to keep it that way. They are not looking to force the convention into becoming larger, but are allowing it to grow at its own pace. They want a convention people want to come back to, which is what they have.

They are going to keep expanding their game library and continue working on making sure they have prizes to give away.

They want to keep the convention like St. George, accessible, friendly, and fun.

Alex did tell me that he would like to use the game library more often and one of the ideas they are looking at is making it available for the number of family gatherings that take place in St. George throughout the year. I suggest to anyone who may be having a gathering in or around St. George to contact them (STGCON website Facebook).

Summary

I enjoyed the day I was able to attend STGCON.

Check it out.

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

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Spellcaster by Aaron Weissblum and Norman Woods, Game Review

The landscape goes hazy as you are suddenly surrounded by a mist that turns into a fog. This day was coming. You know you are being summoned to the dueling arena, for the life of the Grandmaster Wizard is coming close to its end. Now is your turn to prove your mettle against another. Time to see how you compare against the other wizards of the realms and find out who will be the next Grandmaster.

The fog gets lighter. You look around until you see another materializing. He is unfamiliar. You quickly go through what spells you know to determine how best to manipulate the four elements when a force hits you causing you to step back and gain your balance. He’s quick.

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Spellcaster by Aaron Weissblum and Norman Woods is a card game of attack and defense. I had the opportunity to play Spellcasterat Salt Lake Gaming Convention 2018 (website) with an ambassador from Envoy/Double Exposure (website).

Concept

Spellcaster pits wizards against each other in a duel. Although Spellcaster is listed for 2–4 players, it works best with just 2, you are in a duel and those usually work better when you are one-on-one. This is a light version of a duel with limited actions and is more family friendly in its presentation.

Mechanic

Each player has a hand of cards which are used. At the start of a turn you draw one and then take two actions. Actions allow you to draw, play, or activate a card.

Playing a card is only done on the one of the four elements it matches. Only one player can control an element at a time. And, the card must be in play before it can be activated.

The rules are simple enough. Making the decisions for how you play your strategy based on the cards you have is the crux of the game as you work to remove all of your opponent’s energy or gain enough Sorcery Sapphires to win the game.

Art

Spell Caster has artwork from Kerem Beyit (website), who did the cover, and Suleyman Temiz (website), for the cards. When I was playing Spellcaster I thought the art was done by the same person. It was only upon closer inspection when I could see differences. The artists’ styles complement each other well.

All of the work fits with the theme of the game. I saw some younger players who were enjoying the art and sharing it while they were playing.

Overall

Spellcaster is an easy to learn game that would work well as a filler or cabin game. The age listed on the box is 14+. Younger players could easily play Spellcaster even though they might not understand the full aspects of strategy, such as when to block an opponent’s card before it is activated.

Spellcaster is listed to play in 20–30 minutes. For the games I played this time was generous. We played several 2 player games and each finished in under 10 minutes. Learning the game took only a few minutes.

If you would like a game to introduce more complex deck building games based on dueling, Spellcaster may be what you are looking for.

Spellcaster by Aaron Weissblum and Norman Woods is published by R&R Games (website). It is designed for 2–4 players of ages 14+ and intended to last 20–30 minutes.

Spellcaster is available on Amazon (link).

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You launch a complex spell, manipulating the field between you and your adversary. You feel a sensation of warmth run through you and you see a pained look on the man standing across the arena. You did it. He may have been faster in his castings, but you had a greater mastery of the complexity of the elements. And, gaining that mastery has now been rewarded.

As the mist settles you know you won this encounter. There are many more wizards in the realms who you will be tested against before a final spell caster emerges victorious.

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

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