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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Cantankerous Cats, Game Review

Humans are interesting creatures to keep as pets. They are fickle. Their depth of understanding is as shallow as one of those wading pools they put their children in on hot, summer days. Because their traits are such, Simone, the Siamese a couple of houses over, and I, Popov, a fine Russian Blue, came up with a game we have introduced to other cats in the neighborhood. It a wonderful experience watching our humans traverse the emotional spectra. And, to see who really is the best feline.

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Cantankerous Catsby Al Gonzalez is a card game of cats having fun, in pure cat fashion. I was introduced to Cantankerous Cats at Salt Lake Gaming Convention 2018 (website). I was also able to visit with a person who has Cantankerous Cats in their game library.

Concept

Cantankerous Cats has each person playing a cat who is balancing the gaining of affection against causing mischief. The statement on the box sums up the concept very well, "A ferocious feline card game of cunning, mischief, and schadenfreude." (I had to look up schadenfreude to make sure its meaning—pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune.)

Mechanics

Cantankerous Catsis scalable to allow for easier play and additional elements to create more strategy. Players start with a hand and draw cards to add to it. Cards represent different actions the cat takes.

Basic play is to draw three and play two. This method of play has each player taking actions to affect events in their own household. They must build up affection with their humans to a level that they can create mischief. If there isn’t enough affection available, then they cannot do crafty little feline tricks. Mischief improves your score until a player wins.

 

Advanced play introduced paws. Paws are used for attacking and defending. You can shift the blame to another cat. If they don’t have a paw to protect themselves they lose affection with their humans. You can even force another cat to be cast out and become feral if they don’t have enough affection built up with their people.

Feral cats are still in the game. When a cat becomes feral they must earn affection from new humans who will take them home. Until then, the cat is unable to score points while the rest of the cats on the block are taking actions.

Don’t let the write-up of the rules get in the way of the basic concept of the game. Also, the developer told me they are working on redesigning the rules to make them easier to understand. If you are familiar with a variety of games, I don’t think you’ll have problems.

Art

Cantankerous Catshas wonderful art that builds on the style and feel of the game. Everything is done in a tea room motif reminiscent of the Victorian age. In talking with Al at the convention I was informed every portrait they use on the cards has been done as a full size watercolor and that level of detail shows through. The back of the deck cards carry the motif and the cards for the cats have a domesticated and a feral side.

The cats introduced in the game are from the homes of the developer and friends. The art shows the caring relationship with the cats.

The artwork was done by Jose Pimienta (web page), Heather Gross (web page), and Elise Spacek (web page).

Overall

Cantankerous Cats will appeal to those who share their home with a cat or two. The write-ups on the cards telling the actions are recognizable and people were having a good time just reading the cards as they enjoyed the art.

Cantankerous Cats by Al Gonzalez is from Mentha Designs (Facebook). It is for 2–6 players of ages 8–10+ (based on the rules used) and is designed to last 25–60 minutes.

Cantankerous Cats is available on Amazon (link).

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Unbelievable! Simone and I were doing well in our little competition until the little runt of a litter, Hobbit, got all cutesy. Playing off being a puff ball, Hobbit was able to get away with gambits short of killing one of her humans. And she even got the dog put in obedience school.

Well, I’m not going to let Hobbit triumph again. We’ve already recruiting a pair on the next street, a Tortoiseshell and a Maine Coon and we are doing this again.

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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Rival Realms, Game Review

The fog lifts and you gaze out over a field in the lands of Fantastiqa. The other magician you were working with is nowhere in sight. You know they are here and a race has begun. There is much to see and great treasures to find, but your time is short and the land is tricky. You lower your sights to what is closer around you and see a flash of brilliant green when the sunlight glints off an emerald. You pick it up, knowing it will be handy later. Again, you scan the land as it seems to materialize around you. Yes, your time here is short and you need to plan how you’re going to explore this land before it runs out.

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Rival Realms is a wonderful puzzle game for two people set in the world of Fantastiqa, created by Alf Seegert. I was given a copy of Rival Realms by the publisher, Eagle Gryphon Games (website) at SaltCon 2018 (website) for review purposes.

Fans of Fantastiqa, also created by Alf Seegert, will enjoy Rival Realms. But, Fantastiqa is not required for playing Rival Realms. This is not an expansion, even though it has a similar look, setting, and style.

This is a standalone game designed for one or two people. I think it works better with two (I prefer playing games with others instead of by myself). Even though you are playing against the other player, your play is focused on what you’re doing, not on how to block or disrupt your opponent’s play.

Game Design

Rival Realms pits two players against each other to create and solve a puzzle. The players start out with a mirror reflection of the mountains and valleys separating three kingdoms. Players then place region cards to create a puzzle map they solve by exploring through the areas on their side of the table.

This two level puzzle, creating and solving, makes for a great thinking game. The placement of regions has a strategic level because you have to have the right cards to explore them. As you build a path for yourself to explore the realm, there are limitations of what you can do, and items that can help you explore more. A balance is needed to be effective between the placing of the region cards and exploring them.

Rival Realms is easy to set up and play. We quickly understood how the game played. The first game lasted the 20–30 minutes it is designed for.

Rival Realms is a light-hearted competition as there are only limited ways you can disrupt the other player. The limited level of conflict makes Rival Realms a good game for many siblings.

Rival Realms is a good game to have on hand as a cabin game and a possible filler game. The box is just a little larger than the size of two packs of standard playing cards, making it easily transportable. The only problem as a filler game is when you have more than two people waiting.

Overall

I, and the others who played, enjoyed Rival Realms. The creation and exploring of the map was a nice application of the mechanic without having direct competition with the other player (you create a puzzle for your opponent to solve).

The artwork is some wonderful work from the Bridgeman Art Library which adds to the feel of the story being created.

Rival Realms, by Alf Seegert and published by Eagle Gryphon Games, is designed for 1 or 2 players ages 10+, and to last 20–30 minutes.

Rival Realms is available on Amazon (link).

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You’ve explored a lot of the land. The experience lifted your soul and you know this enchanted land holds many more secrets. As you step out on the edge of a high plateau to look at the path you want to take to continue your adventure, a fog rises around you. It was the fog that transported you to Fantastiqa. Time is up. You know your rival has completed their adventuring and you are going home. But now you know the card trick that brought the two of you here and you will be back.

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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Viking Games, and Pick Your Battle Game Group, Game (Group) Review

Looking for several games your family would be able to play, without learning a bunch of different rules for each one? Toresh Games (website and Facebook) has put together six family-friendly card games that are part of their Pick Your Battle game group.

I played Viking Gamesat SaltCon (website and Facebook page) 2018, which is one of the games in the group. There were four of us playing, one of which was Thomas Shepard, the developer of Viking Games and the rest of the games in Pick Your Battle.

Viking Games is designed for 2–7 players to last for 15–30 minutes. The concept is each player is a Viking throwing axes, up to three depending on the card, at other Vikings. You defend yourself with shields and once you take ten wounds you’re out.

The mechanic used for Viking Games, and the rest of the group, is a draw and play. The mechanic allows younger players to catch on easily and soon they can play their hand by themselves with little or no help from others. The game is listed for ages 8+, however, the age limit is more about the theme of throwing axes than in the complexity of how the game plays.

Each of the games use the same mechanic, but each provides something a little different in the strategy of the game. What makes Viking Games different than the other games in the Pick Your Battle group is you can obtain an armory which allows you to draw two cards instead of one.

 

The Pick Your Battle Game Group

Dodge Ball plays as teams.

Wizards and Witcheshas different types of protection to use.

Snowball Fight has double attacks after you get a pile of snowballs.

Food Fight has 10 different food items. These can be set up that players have to be hit by certain, or all, of the foods.

Water Fight has 2 different attacks and two different defenses.

The series of games can be used to introduce an additional level in game play to younger players. This gives them the chance to learn a new game without having to learn new mechanics to play. It also allows a variety of games to be played, which might help with older players, and parents, with game fatigue.

Art

The artwork and graphics are done by Christopher England for the Pick Your Fight series of games. His work is age appropriate with a splash of fun. Each card is soon recognizable for what it does or allows during the game. This makes the game easier to learn and play.

These Are Good Cabin Games

 

Each game is a deck of cards equal in size to two standard decks. This makes them easy to store in luggage, a box, backpack, camper, etc., for when conditions are more appropriate for being inside instead of outside. They only need a little flat surface, so they could be played on a small table or even the floor.

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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Wet Blanket, Game Review

The party down the hall is going full blast. And, everyone you invited is there. The night is turning into a social catastrophe. Wait a minute. You can hear jazz music from further down the hall. Dominic loves jazz and he’s leaving the party and knocking on Sarah’s door. She’s having a party, too? Now it’s time to make a move to get people to your party as you lift the nacho cheese close to the air vent.

Wet Blanket by Binary Cocoa is a social/anti-social card game of trying to get partygoers away from the main party being thrown in the middle of the table to your party. I had the opportunity of playing Wet Blanket (with the Soggy Biscuitexpansion) at SaltCon (website and Facebook page) 2018 with three other people, including one of the game’s developers.

Game Play

Wet Blanket starts by determining how many partygoers are already at the central party. The more partiers you start out with the longer the game goes. We started with eight and our game lasted between 10 and 15 minutes. The goal is to get as many partiers at your own party, which is represented by cards that move in front of you.

Moving the partygoers is done by players using cards from their own hand using a draw and play mechanic. Playing a card can affect the central party, and the parties hosted by the players. Every partygoer has a likes, dislikes, profession, and allergies. Most cards are designed with a socially awkward situation that partygoers react to. This can push people away from the central party, or draw them back.

Other cards include safety cards to prevent some actions from occurring. And, there are also more partygoers who can show up at the central party.

Wet Blanketcontinues until there are no more partygoers at the party in the middle of the table. Whoever has the most partygoers at their own party is recognized as the leading socialite.

The Game

Wet Blanket is a deck of cards the size to two standard playing decks. We also played with the Soggy Biscuit expansion. It is the size of a standard deck. The main deck of cards focuses on music and food, while Soggy Biscuit is about the partygoers’ professions and allergies.

Wet Blanket is designed for 2 to 8 players. We had 4 in our game and it was enjoyable. Later, I was able to see a game being played with 6, and it was more boisterous than ours, as people were commenting back-and-forth about losing people from their own party.

Wet Blanket is a good family game. There is some reading, but most of the cards are designed with graphics younger players can understand. Younger players were also making a lot of extra commentary about the social situations stated on the cards.

Artwork

Wet Blanket is themed on social awkwardness and the art fits the theme. It might look basic when glancing at it, but it is well constructed to provide a visual representation of what is happening at a level all players can understand.

Overall

Wet Blanket, with Soggy Biscuit, is a good family game that can also be used as a filler and cabin game. There are three decks of cards with a quick layout and the timeframe is easily adjusted to fit your needs. Wet Blanket would work better for younger players and family settings. The strategy is minimal and allows for socializing and commentary during game play. An interruption of game play would not impact the game much.

Binary Cocoa’s (websiteand Facebook) Joseph Browers and Stephen Gygi foray into tabletop gaming with Wet Blanket falls in line with their electronic games and other products. If you are familiar with their other games, I think you will find Wet Blanket is a good addition to your family gaming library.

It’s getting late. You’ve been so busy entertaining and socializing you didn’t realize how the time got by you. Everyone at your party is happy and they are having a good time. The nachos were the right move to get the party started.

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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Moods of the Mad King, Game Review

To write is to pour your blood out onto the page. To act is to pour your soul out on the stage. To write plays is to combine the two. And, if you are writing plays for a whimsical king, it could mean literally the pouring of your blood on the stage.

Moods of the Mad Kingby Alan Bahr and from Gallant Knight Games (website and Facebook) puts you in the role of a playwright who is writing for a king. He is a moody person however. And, your goal is to create the best play you can in an attempt to match the king’s mood while also following your muse.

Game play

Moods of the Mad Kingis designed for 2-5 players (2 player variant rules are available from Gallant Knight Games) and is easy to learn. A game lasts for 10 to 15 minutes. Four of us sat down and played Moods of the Mad King at SaltCon (website and Facebook) 2018 and were able to learn the game and complete it with the fifteen minute mark.

Each player starts with cards placed face down, to keep them secret form the other players, in front of them on the table and a hand to play from.

On the table, everyone starts with a muse, matching to the plays being used in the game. Along with the muse, you start with a three act play, which consists of one card for each of the Acts I, II, and III (these cards are set to match the muses in play).

For example in our game I started our game with the muse, Lord Jeanpaul, who likes romance. My acts were Act I, romance, Act II, Comedy, and Act III, Tragedy.

From the Players deck of cards each person is given one card to start as their personal hand.

No one knows the mood of the king when the game starts. The king has five Mood cards, which remain face down. At the end of the game his mood is revealed by turning over the top card of the pile, however, there are ways for his mood to change during the game.

On your turn you draw one card from the Player cards, then use or discard one of your cards for your turn. The Player cards allow you to make changes to the current situation of the game. Some cards allow you to switch your muse with another player. Other ones cause Acts to rotate around the board. You even get the chance to change the mood of the king.

There are 25 cards in the Player deck and when a player is unable to draw one, the game moves to scoring. You turn over the card to see what mood the king is in and then everyone turns over their table cards to score points.

Scoring is done by matching. If you have matching Acts you score the points for the Acts in their placement, 1 for Act I, 2 for Act II, and 3 for Act III. But there must be a match. If they are all different, there are no points. Then, for each Act matching the mood of the king you gain an additional point. And, each Act matching your Muse scores an additional point.

Moods of the Mad Kingis easy to learn and fast to play.

Artwork

The cards are illustrated by Dani Powers. Moods of the Mad King is designed to be a fast past somewhat whimsical themed game and the art of Dani Powers plays into the theme.

The graphic design is by Robert Denton. The layout and feel of the game is wonderful and useful.

Overall

Moods of the Mad Kingis a great filler game and cabin game (one deck of oversized cards with the rules printed on cards instead of a separate piece of paper) for the whole family. The box lists play for ages 10+, but younger players who can read would have few issues with being able to play. The layout on the cards makes them easy to read. And, after a couple of times, the artwork and titles on the cards make them easily recognizable.

This is not a game requiring a lot of thinking during game play. You do need to try to remember what cards you have seen and where they are now at. You can have a conversation while playing with concern about missing what another player has done.

We enjoyed our game so much that one of the players in our group bought Moods of the Mad King along with the game mat that was available at the convention. I know it will be one game that comes out while we are waiting for the rest of the gaming group to arrive.

Mood of the Mad Kingis designed by Alan Bahr, artwork by Dani Powers, and graphic design by Robert Denton. It is published by Gallant Knight Games. It is designed for 2 to 5 players of age 10+ and to last 10-15 minutes.

You are at the edge of the stage as the curtain rises on what you believe could be one of the best romance plays you have ever written. The king is sitting in his private booth. As the lights are dimming, you see a sour look on his face. The evening appears to be shaping up to be a long night.

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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Shindig Machine, Game Review

Storytelling is a major part of almost all tabletop games. And, it is a part of every game. Some games are because they have a backstory to set up the game. Others are based on creating a story within the parameters of the game as it is being played. This is because storytelling has been around as long as man. And there is evidence that games have been around almost as long as there have been stories. I’m sure that many were playing games with their stories. One important way we have brought our playing of games and storytelling together is with pictures.

Shindig Machine (from Travesty Games) is a card game for storytellers. What sets this game apart from many tabletop games is the story is not already in the process of being told, or limited to the boundaries set into the game board.

Shindig Machine is a deck of 108 picture cards. The cards are original black and white art work covering a wide range of topics. There isn't an age listed and some cards have elements of horror. I don't think there is anything offensive, but I do know some who play games with younger players who would probably want to go through and cull the deck before playing with their children. Removing a few cards won't affect game play.

There are rules for 14 different games included with the cards. The games range from easy to complex. This wide variety of games gives a lot of replay-ability and makes learning different ones easier. In our short experience we were also coming up with our own variations of the games the developers give along with some ideas for new games we wanted to play. The developer told me that it was designed to spark creativity and it does.

The basic concept for using Shindig Machine is to turn over a card and tell the story you see. The next person plays a card and adds to what has already developed. This keeps going until you’ve finished your story. Winning is decided who gave the best part, or in our case we didn’t worry about who won the round, or game, or story.

Other ideas use the cards to respond to a certain type of question. Each person is dealt a hand and are limited to responding by what they can tell from the cards they hold.

The games are designed for 3–8 players, of different time lengths. The first time I brought out the cards there were 3 of us at the table and we tried out 3 different games. The second time I brought out Shindig Machine there were more people and we kept it to the easier games. Both times everyone had fun and there was a lot of laughter.

Shindig Machine isn't about keeping score, but you can. The real fun we had was working through the stories being told, or creating the most outlandish name we could come up with (one game we played was Band Name). Of course, we also developed outlandish stories.

During the second playing we had a player who was getting serious about the story they were creating, which didn't work well. There is such a mix-up of pictures that it would be hard to keep it serious. In our first outing the complex game we played had a drug cartel battling demons to stop the apocalypse.

Shindig Machine is a great filler or cabin game. Because of the storytelling style of the game, you can easily interrupt, and end and restart, when more people arrive. It also doesn't need setup and the cards come in an easy to carry box that fit in a suitcase, backpack, or cargo pants pocket.

This is the second game I’ve had the chance to review by Travesty Games, and a very different from Eschaton (review here). I had the opportunity of picking up the cards at last year’s Salt Lake Gaming Convention and then again at Salt Lake Comic Convention. I look forward to seeing what this creative company will come out with in the future.

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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Japanese, Game Review

Almost everyone I know speaks another language, or wants to learn one. Those who want to learn one talk about not of having time and how tedious it is to read through the books or listen to tapes. Unnamed Method (UM) has addressed these issues by making a game out of learning a language. I met some of the people at Salt Lake Comic Convention 2017 and picked up a deck of the core cards for their game Japanese.

Japaneseis a card game designed to have fun while learning the language. The core deck is 108 cards: 4 reference cards and 104 cards with words and grammatical components of the Japanese language. It can be played as a competitive, cooperative, or solitaire game. All three variants are similar in style, it really is how you decide to keep score and who is available to play.

In the competitive version each player creates a grammatically correct sentence or sentences. You win if you are the first person with 20 points laid out on the table or have the most points when the deck runs out. There is only one round of play, which makes it easier to focus on the sentences instead of tracking the score between rounds.

Unnamed Method

When playing cooperatively, everyone works on sentences together. You can play this to create the points, or just run through to the end of the deck to see what sentences you come up with. When playing cooperatively you can do it in turns or let everyone join as a free-for-all. Consider who you have at the table if you want to do the free-for-all. If you have a dominant player who takes control, someone is bound to be left out.

The solitaire version is really working through the deck. If you really are wanting to learn the language, this works well because you can use the game as a filler just about wherever you go. All you really need is a place where you can set the cards out. Or, if you can hold them in order, you don't even need the table space.

Every card has information about the sentence structure and the word(s) on the card. They explain which part of the sentence the word belongs to, how to write it, how to speak it, and an example of a sentence it would be used in. The reference card provides information for how sentences are structured and advanced grammatical use. The playing cards and the reference cards are easily cross-referenced.

The cards have a color code for easy use. The sentence structure is broken down by colors which are included on the cards. The reference cards show the order of colors to provide an easy visual reference of the sentence structure.

The rules for playing Japanese are on the company’s web site. It is recommended to have 25 or 50 cards per player (one location I found said 25 and another said 50). They also make another recommendation of each player having their own deck. This would make all the words available to everyone playing and not just a portion. I didn’t try this variation because I have only one core deck.

As you advance in your ability of playing Japanese, you can increase the challenge by picking up any of the five expansion decks. Each adds a specific area of knowledge or advanced language skill. The expansions are half the size of the core deck, or the size of a standard deck of playing cards.

There is no listed age or time for game play. The age limit would be a function of capability of reading. The length of time becomes a variable based on your skill with the language. We took a little while with our game as we spent time reading and reciting the words and how they are used. I’m sure the more time spent with the game would make it shorter to play because you are learning the words and the language.

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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Dark Web, Game Review

Getting the goods on the company, that is the goal. It's not the easiest task to do since companies are upping their security in this decade of the 1990s—getting prepared for Y2K. But you have the skill to get through the security, get the data, get out, and not get caught. You sit down at your computer and start making the connections to attack the firewall.

Dark Web is a card game of computer hacking set in the 1990s. The goal is for the hackers to get into the system and extract incriminating files on the company and get out without getting locked out. The twist in Dark Web is one of the players may be working for Corporate IT.

At the start of the game the players are randomly assigned a role of either a hacker or corporate IT. There can only be one company employee, but there isn't always going to be one. You know your role, but you don't know the roles of anyone else, for certain. There is always one extra role card that is not looked at when the roles are assigned. It is not until the end of the game, when it is time to score the game, which all the players find out if there was an IT employee in the game.

Dark Web is played in four rounds. Rounds have two phases. The first phase is to play a script. Scripts allow actions to be taken by the player. Some of them allow you to manipulate your hand by moving cards around with other players, others allow you to manipulate the draw pile. After playing scripts, you have a choice for the second phase.

The next phase is a decision to log out and save the data you have in your hand, or to draw a card. When you decide to save, you stop playing for the rest of the round. This can be advantageous if you are at a point of having data to score and it looks like the system may get locked down. Drawing can give you data, scripts, virus, or a lock. Locks are turned over when drawn and when five locks get turned over the system gets shut down. All the players who are still in the server are locked out and the data they have been collecting in their hand is discarded.

After four rounds scoring takes place and is based on the amount of data players have extracted. There is some strategy on how to decide to save your data. There are four types of data and you need to have more than one of the data type for it to score. Viruses lower the score for each one saved. Only the hackers score their data points. If there is an IT player in the game anything they have stored does not count. Again, this can be part of the strategy to lock out data from the hackers if they have a loaded hand.

The hackers total their scores to determine if they won. If they get a high enough score, they have overcome the system security and win. If their combined score is not enough, then the player working corporate IT or the game wins.

Dark Web was easy to learn and to get playing quickly. It is designed for ages 10+, which I think is because of the theme of breaking into a computer system. The strategy of the game, along with it written in the rules that you can do table talk (but don't have to tell the truth) would allow younger player with some gaming experience to join in. The cards use pictures instead of text so actions, once learned, are easily recognized.

Playing multiple games in a row reminded me of other card games. There is some variation in the hand you get and determining if there is an IT player. An advantage to this is the quick play. Although listed at being 30 minutes, games weren't taking that long. Dark Web is good to have on hand as a filler game while waiting because of its size.

Dark Web makes a good cabin game. It consists of a deck of 128, which can fit into a pocket or corner of a suitcase.

Overall Spider, Goat Games has another solid game.

You're working your keyboard as the data files are copying. You can tell someone is working the security as the firewall is closing the data access points. The files finish transferring as the system locks. You made it. You know you didn't get enough to stop the company. You bring up your notes from your fellow conspirators about other access points into the system and get ready to take another dive into the company's computer system.

Dark Web is designed and distributed by Spider Goat Games for 3–6 players ages 10+. A game is expected to take 30 minutes.

Thanks to Spider Goat Games for the opportunity of playing their game.

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

You can also join Guild Master Gaming on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter (@GuildMstrGmng).

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Switch, Game Review

More pictures on their page

Every so often you are sitting with a few people around and just wanting a quick game to fill in the time. Something everyone gets involved in. In my group we call these filler games. At a couple of recent conventions, Salt Lake Gaming Convention and SaltCon, I came across a game that really fits the definition of a filler game.

Switch is a fast-paced, everyone play at once, game. It reminded me of a game we called Speed crossed over with some Crazy Eights. In Switch you are working to get rid of your hand as fast as possible into a central discard pile.

A hand starts with each player having a dealt hand that you turn over at the same time. Then you get rid of them as fast as possible. You start out with a condition to play cards, pairs, color (suit), or runs. You keep playing on the top of the discard pile until you can't play or a switch card is used to change the condition.

When I played we just played individual hands, but you can keep score to have your game last longer than just a hand. Many hands are completed in less than a minute. I also watched other playing and how many younger players really enjoyed the fast pace of the game and how short of time a hand took.

I can see there is a lot of potential to create your own house rules for discarding. You can also change hand size. You could also create different hand sizes to provide a balance between younger and older players. All of these, and other ideas, create a basic card game that can be played differently to keep the game fresh.

You might be waiting for only a few minutes and be looking for something to fill the gap of time. Or, you might need to fill a little more time. You could even play this between ordering your food and waiting for it to be served.

Switch is designed and distributed by Bored Brothers Gaming (Facebook link). It designed for 2–6 players, with no age listed, to last about 15 minutes (based on the games scoring system).

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

You can also join Guild Master Gaming on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter (@GuildMstrGmng).

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Word Domination: Spelling Disaster, Game Review

Art by Ryan Goldsberry from Uproarious website

Criminal masterminds don't just have to worry about the good guys. There are only so many great treasures to take and other domineering deviants are going after them. You must devise your strategic maneuverings to position your plot in claiming the treasures available before the secondary scoundrels abscond with the booty. And, in so doing you not only secure the ancient and modern artifacts of the society, but promote the security of your position by establishing control of the territories.

Word Domination: Spelling Disaster is an area control game that uses your vocabulary as the mechanic to gain the spaces to earn points. However, having the great words at your disposal is only the means to the end. It is more about how you build the words to gain the spaces, not just using the biggest, grandest words you can come up with.

Each player takes on the role of one of the criminal masterminds who are vying against each other by capturing the space and stealing the great treasures of the world. The criminal character information gives players a unique advantage. Or, in the case when I played it, everyone is equal. This is a benefit for beginning and younger players. Word Domination is designed for 1–4 players with both cooperative and competitive rules.

We played a competitive game. On your turn you spell a word using the tiles in play. As the game progresses it becomes more important on the location of the tiles and not so much as what the word is. That's because you don't score for the word—it's the mechanic for capturing the space.

Along with playing a game against the developer (Jeff Beck), I had the opportunity of watching others play at SaltConthis year (2017). It was fun to watch as people realized the change in strategy because so many people are used to scoring the word. In fact, I saw one younger player give a solid run to a much older player by going for the basics they understood. It was a good example of how well the game is balanced.

There is also a lot of replayability with Word Domination. The letters that come into play vary, booth on the initial setup and as they are drawn into the game. Some of the tiles have special play options that you can use when you play a word using that letter. There is also the variability of the criminal personalities available.

I liked the twist of using words as the mechanic instead of the scoring mechanism. Another person playing the game (at a different time) commented how using this as the means to the end caused them to have to rethink what they were doing because they started out in the mode of looking for the words instead of the territories.

You've sharpened your thesaurus talents to stay a step ahead of the conniving competition. The master plan is made and now it is time to implement the scheme to take demonstrate you are the mastermind you have always known yourself to be.

Word Domination is designed by Jeff Beck and illustrated by Ryan Goldsberry and is from Uproarious Games. It is for 1–4 players and designed to last 30 – 60 minutes.

At the time of writing this the game has successfully completed a Kickstarted campaign and should soon be available on the market.

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

You can also join Guild Master Gaming on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter (@GuildMstrGmng).

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New Train Titles - pt 1

So, a few new games were acquired late last year.  Some of these were discussed in the posting about Thanksgiving gaming, and some were mentioned in the post about the Christmas break gaming.  But, a few of the titles were train related, and as train related gaming is something of a high interest theme here at Gaming with Chuck, it felt right to do a short blog post about it.

First, a word about Train games.  These are not all what purists would call Railroad games.  To some, that includes the 18xx series.  To others, that includes the Martin Wallace masterpieces, Steam, Age of Steam, and the various derivative titles (Railroad Tycoon and Railways of the World).  Still others include railroad themed route building games (which tend to be lighter, such as Ticket to Ride, or TransAmerica).  To some it is the family of crayon based games, such as Empire Builder (and Dampfross, and many others).  It might include railroad theme games such as Russian Railroads.  And strange combinations of these, like Chicago Express.  Finally, to some it even includes games that have mechanics that are typically Railroad game mechanics, but for non-railroad themes like Elfenland, or Poseidon.

To me, all of those are Train games.  It can be a train related mechanic (pick up and deliver, stock manipulation, network building, travel), or it can be theme (Russian Railroads, Express).

So, what were some of the train titles acquired last year here at GwC headquarters?

• Boxcars
• Isle of Trains
• Continental Express
• Paris Connection
• Russian Railroads
• Ticket to Ride 10 Year Anniversary Set
• Trains: Rising Sun
• Yardmaster
• Yardmaster Express

A few words about these . . .

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Boxcars, of course, is the Rio Grande Games re-issue of the Avalon Hill classic, Rail Baron.  But wait!  Rail Baron was a reissue of the game Boxcars.  So we are now back to the original.  Except, it has a new board (the UK) and some adjusted rules.  This is a game of pick up and delivery.  The routes are all developed.  What players can do, other than receiving a constant stream of pickup and delivery points, is to purchase railroads, which are cheaper for them to run on, but more expensive for the competition. The game is a simple race to develop a pile of money ($200K) and then return to home base (starting position).  Very fun, and now made even better because the one tedious part of the game was using the charts to roll up cities for delivery.  This can be done, now, with a very nice App for iPad and iPhone - available for free from iTunes.  What a great thing!

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Isle of Trains is a great little card game, from the Dice Hate Me games series of 54 card games called the Rabbits.  This was the result of a kickstarter, the ended up with six published titles.  The series includes:

• Diner by designer Matthew O'Malley
• Brew Crafters: The Travel Card Game by Ben Rosset
• Pie Factory by Byan Fischer
• Easy Breezy Travel Agency by J. Alex Kevern
• The Fittest by Graham Russell
• Isle of Trains by Dan Keltner and Seth Jaffee

Yep - Seth Jaffee of Eminent Domain fame is the (co) designer of this great little card game.  The game is one of building your train (using mechanisms familiar to deck builder game players - cars have costs, and you pay that cost with other cards from your hand), and then loading cargo on your own, and others', trains.  Why load on another player's train?  Well, because you are rewarded with special actions - and they make all the difference.  Once you have a train, and some cargo, you can complete contracts - of which there are six, each corresponding to one of the main cities on the Island of Sodor Isle that is the namesake of the game.  We have played this a few times, and the decision making and action planning is great - especially for a small format game.  It takes about an hour to play, and it is an hour well spent.  One of the best things about the game, is that the great card art (by Daniel Guidera and Christopher Kirkman) is fantastic, and very reminiscent of a Little Golden Book (especially The Train to Timbuctoo and The Little Red Caboose).

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Continental Express is also a small format card game. This one is from Asmodee, and is packed in a really nice tin box, similar to another of their titles, The Builders: Middle Ages.  They have several other titles in this same format of small tin box (Noah, Souk, Cardline: Animals, Cardline Dinosaurs, and Cardline: Globetrotter), however The Builders and Continental Express seem to be the most mature of these.  In this game, as in Isle of Trains, you are constructing a train.  However, that is the goal of this one - building the train.  You collect sets of cards, drawn from a pool of available cards each turn, and then turn them in for new cars on your train.  Each new car card has a train line symbol, and there are bonus point categories for those symbols.  Not a bad little game, and set collection is always a good mechanism.  The artwork is gorgeous, although closer to the Ticket to Ride artwork, than it is to other styles.

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More coming on other titles, but this is enough for now. . . .

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WW2 Eastern Front Card Game - on Kickstarter

Collins Epic Wargames has revised the latest offering from their excellent Spearpoint: 1943 series of WW2 tactical card games. The new title (on Kickstarter from Dec 6 for 45 days, until Jan 20) is Spearpoint 1943 Eastern Front

Image from the Kickstarter Page.

The original is a favorite here at Gaming with Chuck - it plays fast and well, is easy to teach, and rewards good decision making.  The original pits US and German forces against each other.  This new offering - now being funded (and, as of this writing, very close to success) through Kickstarter!  Project page here.

The new title is Eastern Front and faces off the favorite foes of WW2 wargamers everywhere - Russia vs. Germany.  The cards, units, and play all look great from what has been released so far (including a print and play combat preview - very nicely done CEW).

A nice video, from the Kickstarter Project page, gives an overview of how the game is played.  This is a really nicely done video, something of a standard these days with new games. And Collins Epic Wargames has done well here. Check it out at the Kickstarter page.

In addition, there is already a nice entry at Boardgame Geek with lots of images of components, etc.

An older video, from earlier in 2013, shows a great example of game play for the system.


If you are looking for a good, solid combat card game, that rewards good thinking and decision making, and still has enough luck in it to make it dramatically exciting to play - consider backing Spearpoint 1943 Eastern Front.  You'll be glad you did.

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Western Music and Western Gaming

[NOTE: This is the 400th post at Gaming with Chuck.  Huzzah!]

The mythological old west of the United States is a fantastic place, to tell stories, to set songs, and even to base gaming themes on.  First a couple of pieces of classic Western music.

In the fantastic song Ghost Riders in the Sky a story is told about a herd of demonic cattle (red eyes, steel hooves, flaming brands) being chased forever by cursed cowboys.  It is reminiscent of tales like the Flying Dutchman, or the Wild Hunt.  The song was first recorded by none other than the fantastic singer, Burl Ives in February of 1949.  It was then recorded by Vaughn Monroe in March of 1949.  Monroe's version is fantastic, partially because of his incredible basso voice, but also the music is very well done.  In contrast, many other versions that feature (mostly) a single instrument - like Burl Ives', or Johnny Cash's versions - are pretty nice to hear as well.  There is a nice Youtube recording of the Burl Ives version.

This song has been recorded so many times, by so many great artists, it is hard to know which to include.  However, in the (mostly terrible) movie Ghost Rider (based on the much better comic book character), Nicholas Cage gets a modern remake of the skull-and-hellfire cowboy.  The song got a remake as well, with a version by Spiderbait.  Dare I say it - the brief bit with Sam Elliott as the traditional horse riding version of Ghost Rider is 187x more classy than Nick Cage's motorcycle riding version.  But then again, Sam Elliott is a real cowboy.

Famous cowboy singer Marty Robbins did a version as well.  But, if I'm going to include a western song by Marty Robbins, it HAS to be El Paso.  Nothing more to say on that one.  I think verses of it even were reprinted inside the rulebook "Hey You in the Jail" (great range war miniatures game by Peter Pig).

American Cowboy (the website of the cowboy lifestyle) has a great list of the top 100 western songs.  Lots of great songs there.  But if I think of some of my favorite western movies, and some of the songs from them, I have to include the rendition of "My Rifle, my Pony, and Me" by Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson, from the fantastic John Wayne piece, "Rio Bravo" (1959).

Okay, moving from what is a HUGE topic of music, to an equally large topic of gaming, I would like to start with a relatively recent (2002) offering - the card game Bang!.  This has been a great hit for Emiliano Sciarra, spinning of a bunch of expansions and variations.  There is even, now, a dice game.

The game is about gun fighting in a classic Hollywood, or Spaghetti Western, style town.  There are different roles for the players - Sheriff, Deputy, Outlaw and Renegade - and classic actions (shooting, hiding, etc).  Here is the text from Board Game Geek, which is mostly from the original game's box back...

"The Outlaws hunt the Sheriff. The Sheriff hunts the Outlaws. The Renegade plots secretly, ready to take one side or the other. Bullets fly. Who among the gunmen is a Deputy, ready to sacrifice himself for the Sheriff? And who is a merciless Outlaw, willing to kill him? If you want to find out, just draw (your cards)!" (From back of box)

This card game recreates an old-fashioned spaghetti western shoot-out, with each player randomly receiving a Character card to determine special abilities, and a secret Role card to determine their goal.

Four different Roles are available, each with a unique victory condition:

• Sheriff - Kill all Outlaws and the Renegade
• Deputy - Protect the Sheriff and kill any Outlaws
• Outlaw - Kill the Sheriff
• Renegade - Be the last person standing

A player's Role is kept secret, except for the Sheriff. Character cards are placed face-up on table, and also track strength (hand limit) in addition to special ability.
There are 22 different types of cards in the draw deck. Most common are the BANG! cards, which let you shoot at another player, assuming the target is within "range" of your current gun. The target player can play a "MISSED!" card to dodge the shot. Other cards can provide temporary boosts while in play (for example, different guns to improve your firing range) and special one-time effects to help you or hinder your opponents (such as Beer to restore health, or Barrels to hide behind during a shootout). A horse is useful for keeping your distance from unruly neighbors, while the Winchester can hit a target at range 5.
The Gatling is a deadly exception where range doesn't matter - it can only be used once, but targets all other players at the table!
Information on the cards is displayed using language-independent symbols, and 7 summary/reference cards are included.

A great game.  Another western themed card game that has loads of period flavor is the fantastic Mystery Rummy spinoff Wyatt Earp, based on the original series design by Mike Fitzgerald.  The game also has Richard Borg listed as a designer, so perhaps he added the unique elements to this title. The game has the players in the role of Sheriff's attempting to bring in dangerous (and famous) criminals of the old west.  It involves collecting and playing sets of cards.  Lots of fun, and a ton of theme.

Another card game, that is quite popular, but not one of my favorites, is Munchkin.  There is (yes, of course there is) an Old West themed version, called The Good, the Bad, and the Munchkin! It, itself, even has expansions.

 On the boardgame front, there is a lot to choose from, including the classic man-to-man shooting boardgame from Avalon Hill, Gunslinger (1982). It is a great hex based man-to-man cowboy combat game, with a number of cool scenarios you can play out of the book, and is easy enough to create any situation you want, from novels, movies, or your own imagination.

A nice modern re-doing of the man-to-man cowboy game (and there have been a number over the years) is the 2007 release of "Cowboys: Way of the Gun" from Worthington Games.  Other than different mechanics, one of the big differences is the reliance on square grid vs. hex grid for the map structure and movement, etc.

Another nice theme for board games is Western Expansion.  Two that I can immediately think of, other than the many, many different railroad games set in the old west, are Oregon, and Settlers of America: Trails to Rails.  There are many, many titles in this category as well, but those two come to mind immediately.

Oregon is all about building up buildings, mines, and other features to help construct a territory in the west. It is a lot of fun, pretty well balanced (typical Euro in that regard), and great art/theme. It is a settling game, and appropriately, it is based on Area Control and placing Tiles.  Great game, however.

Settlers of America: Trails to Rails is a Settlers of Catan based game, with a fixed map of the United States during the Manifest Destiny period, and it is a great economic game about western expansion. And it features typically high quality components and quality control from Mayfair Games.

There are also a lot of western themed RPGs that I could mention (Boot Hill, Deadlands, Western Hero), as well as some western themed Miniatures Rules (The Rules With No Name, Hey You in the Jail, Pony Wars).  After all of this, however, I am again faced with the thought that the Old West (in myth, if not in reality) is a fantastic theme for music, games, and movies.  And I didn't even mention too much about the movies...

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