Sunday, August 31, 2014

Shadowrun Crossfire - Deckbuilding in the Streets of the Sixth World

The career of a shadowrunner is very much like that of many summer insects. Short, flashy, and a moment of bad luck will get you swatted. Shadowrun Crossfire is the latest release from Catalyst Games. It brings many of the ideas from the pencil and paper roleplaying game and distills them down into a cooperative deckbuilding game.

But does two hundred and four cards do enough to put you in the Sixth World?

Friday, August 29, 2014

First Thoughts: Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Skulls and Shackles Base Set

(So, the title is a mouthful.  I'm going to use either PACG or Skulls and Shackles to refer to the set as I go. Rise of the Runelords will be abbreviated as RotR.)
A sample of the locations in the new set.

I have been an unabashed fan of this game since the original PACG base set, Rise of the Runelords, was released last August.  It provides me that thing I don't have time for nowadays, that feel of an RPG without having the multiple weeks of sitting down with a character sheet and an eight or ten hour gaming session.

While there are people who don't like the simplicity of PACG, I find that every turn I take with a character is a short story ready to be told.  The time I, as my cleric, fought a bunyip at the Abandoned Farmstead and lost.  The last minute closing of the Desecrated Temple before my companion (aka my wife) defeated Blackfang.  Its all there, albeit in compressed form.

The newest base set, Skulls and Shackles, begins a whole new campaign set in a set of islands known simply as The Shackles with the players as the crew of a simple merchantman.  The base set has five scenarios that form the introductory adventure, and then has the first Adventure Deck, The Wormwood Mutiny, in the box ready for you to play.

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Review: King's Forge, by Nick Sibicky

Lately I have been growing more and more detached from Euro games. Games where two or more sets of solitary actions that occasionally brush up against each other rapidly lose the appeal when you have no way to interact with an enemy's board. King's Forge, by Clever Mojo Games, has rekindled my love of games based on resource management that have a solitaire feel by introducing just enough competition and sabotage to really give you the option to effect your fellow players. If you like rolling dice, fierce competition, and careful planning then this game is definitely worth your time.


Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Under Two Reviews #16 King of New York by Richard Garfield

"Under Two Reviews" is a weekly video series in which we take a look at tabletop games and present them to our readers in under two minutes.

When Iello Games revealed their adaption of New York, I was a bit suprised to see Chistopher Walken's part recast as a giant robot Mantis. And Lawrence Fishburne as a T-Rex lawman was brilliant. But it turns out, I was mistaken, and this game is not based on the 1990 Crime Drama at all. Come watch the video and learn what the game is actually about. It'll be quick, I promise.

Enjoy the video after the jump!

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Gen Con Interview - Jeremiah Lee from Indie Boards and Cards

Jeremiah Lee stepped just behind a giant crowd of Indie Boards and Cards fans to do a quick interview about Coup Reformation, The Resistance, and other great IBaC games. There's a nice bit about Coup tournaments at Gen Con, and just before the video ended I came up with the best idea ever for a "new" game. Bonus HIGH FIVE in the video!



For a full playlist of Gen Con interviews, click here!

Gen Con Interview - Colby Dauch from Plaid Hat Games

Colby Dauch, founder of Plaid Hat Games, took a few moments on Sunday before the dealer hall closed to talk about Dead of Winter, Mice and Mystics, Summoner Wars: Alliances, and other Plaid Hat things. Colby's a great friend of Nerd Night, and was gracious enough to step away for a nice chat. There are a couple teasers for upcoming games too!

Bonus: Colby related a beautiful story about how games helped the life of a sick child.


For a full playlist of Gen Con interviews, click here!

Gen Con Interview - Madison Sites from Days of Wonder

Madison Sites, one of our dear friends from Days of Wonder, took a few minutes out of her insane Gen Con schedule to talk about hot games at Gen Con and future conventions that Days of Wonder will be involved in. Five Tribes was a big hit at Gen Con, as was Memoir '44 and Ticket to Ride!


For a full playlist of interviews from Gen Con, click here!

Gen Con Interview - Brad Talton from Level 99 Games

D. Brad Talton, Jr., Esquire is one of the biggest supports of Nerd Night in the industry, so we always take the time to chat with him when we can. He stepped away from his insanely-packed Level 99 Games booth to chat with us about his new releases and upcoming plans, including Argent: The Consortium, Sellswords, and Pixel Tactics 3.


For a full playlist of interviews from Gen Con, click here!


Gen Con Interview - Curt Covert of Smirk and Dagger Games

Curt Covert joined us to talk about Smirk and Dagger Games and their booth at Gen Con. He air-mailed 100 copies of Student Bodies just to have them available for sale, and The Nerds' Table's very own Andrew Christopher Enriquez bought the first copy! Enjoy a quick review of the game and what's coming up from Curt and his team!


For a full playlist of interviews from Gen Con, click here!

Gen Con Interview - Zev from Z-Man Games

We were especially honored to interview Zev from Z-Man Games, one of the leaders in the publishing community. Zev talked with us briefly about Gen Con, the hot games at their booth, and the upcoming Pandemic Legacy release. This was a fun interview!


For the full playlist of interviews from Gen Con, click here!

Gen Con Interview - Erica Gifford and Krosmaster Arena

We stopped by the Japanime Games booth and talked about Krosmaster Arena with Erica Gifford, Marketing and Operations Manager for Japanime in all places that speak English. Erica talked about upcoming Krosmaster releases, the game's success at Gen Con, and her favorite characters to use in the game!


For a full playlist of interviews from Gen Con, click here

Gen Con Interview - The Duke from Catalyst Game Labs

We stopped in for a quick peek at The Duke - a giant version with huge wooden pieces - and asked what the heck was going on. This one's quick because the crowd around us was swarming to get a closer look. Catalyst Game Labs had an amazing booth this year!


For the full playlist of Gen Con interviews, click here!

Gen Con Interview - Rob Dougherty of Star Realms

We caught Rob Dougherty of Star Realms fame in between mobs of customers, so we asked him to give us a quick 5-minute chat about the game, future plans, and his role in development. There's some nice info about the recently released apps for iOS and Android also!


For a full playlist of interviews from Gen Con, click here

Gen Con Interview - Ben Harkins of Floodgate Games

Ben Harkins from Floodgate Games joined us to talk about Legacy: Gears of Time! The Floodgate booth was huge, and packed with people. I picked up a copy of L:GoT afterwards as promised in the video, so if you'd like to play it with me at game night, just leave a comment!


For a full playlist of Gen Con 2014 interviews, click here!

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Under Two Reviews #15 Sushi Go! by Phil Walker-Harding

"Under Two Reviews" is a weekly video series in which we take a look at tabletop games and present them to our readers in under two minutes.

This is actually a new printing of Sushi Go! The Pick and Pass Card Game.
The first edition had adorable art. This new version as art that turns that cute factor up to 11. It's the cutest drafting game you'll ever play, so watch the video and learn the finer points of choosing an adorable meal. It'll be quick, I promise.

Enjoy the video after the jump!

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

The Nerd Night Manifesto

Foreword

Before anything else is written, it should first be acknowledged that no community is built by one person. DFW Nerd Night is the product of hundreds of people agreeing to care about a community. My first and most important advice is to treat each person as you would yourself, so that they feel permission to add their energy, ideas, and love to the community you want to create. To do so is to transfer ownership of the community to all of its members, and thus ensure that each member of the community is committed to its success.

This community could not exist without the contributions of many, many people, and each of them deserves thanks and consideration. DFW Nerd Night would not exist in any recognizable form without the loving contributions of my wife, Amy, and her suggestions for connecting with charities across DFW. Additionally, were it not for Andrew Christopher Enriquez’s steadfast dedication to the creation of an ideal community based on love and respect, I would have lost the drive to build this group long ago.

To both of them, and to Nate, Heather, Emmanuel, Bryan, Jeremy, my brother JJ, Brian, Shawn, Mark, Jody, Donny, Phillip, Cody, and each you I’m forgetting, thank you for at least temporarily believing what I asked you to believe – that if you treat people as the best versions of themselves, you’ll be rewarded by their being exactly that. The power of our community is in our inclusivity, and in our willingness to see past our differences and appreciate the commonalities that bind us.

Above all else, put people first.

Friday, August 8, 2014

Review of Ascension: Realms Unraveled

I've played a lot of Ascension in my day.  It may be one of my most played games, mostly because it was one of my first.  Ascension came out right around the time I first got into boardgaming with the likes of Small World and Munchkin.  It was definitely my first deckbuilder.  I really like playing Ascension.  And then, as time wore on, I discovered more games.  I found Thunderstone and Euros and small scale wargames and I forgot all about Ascension.  It released expansions and I bought them, more out of loyalty than interest.  Ultimately, I shelved it, thinking I had perhaps moved past Ascension as a gamer.

Until I played Ascension: Realms Unraveled...

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Under Two Reviews #14 Shipyard by Vladimír Suchý

"Under Two Reviews" is a weekly video series in which we take a look at tabletop games and present them to our readers in under two minutes.

This game is about building ships. And rondels. Mostly rondels. If the thought of building ships via nested rondels appeals to you, please take a moment to order this game. Everyone else? Please watch the video and see how building ships via rondels is super-fun. It'll be quick, I promise.

Enjoy the video after the jump!

Monday, August 4, 2014

No Thanks, by Thorston Gimmler

hulsebus-no-thanks-IMG_9243b.jpgNormally you’d see a fancy introduction here, rife with theme and some compelling story about the time I did something or that one thing I think is cool. Not today, friends. No Thanks isn’t a game about theme or stories – it’s a game about numbers, pure and simple, and one of my favorites.

No Thanks is always in my backpack. If I got the heads up that I would be soon be marooned on an island, I’d make sure it was in my jacket pocket. It’s the first game I think of when I’ve got 10 minutes to kill and a group of gamers and non-gamers that need something easy to understand but interesting enough to pull everyone into the “magic circle.”

You can save yourself a few minutes and just go pick this up at your Friendly Local Game Store if you’d like, but if you want to see my strategy guide, read on!