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?

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.

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.

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!

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!