Image via sfx.co.uk

Supernatural – Sacrifice

Billy: Supernatural’s eighth season concluded not with a bang, but somewhere well above a whimper. This season has been an incredible improvement over the last couple of seasons, and I’m really glad that I stuck with the show during the dark times. But this episode was less a spectacle finale than a normal episode with a large frickin’ cliffhanger that’s bound to change the face of Supernatural for good, with Metatron AKA Booger AKA Curtis Armstrong duping Castiel into allowing him to expel all angels from Heaven. The doors to Heaven are shut, Castiel is stuck on Earth, and Booger has stolen his angelic essence. Longtime viewers may remember the fifth season time-travel episode “The End”, which flashes to a Lucifer-decimated 2014 where Cas has lost his angelic abilities. Next season takes place in 2013-2014… hmmmm. Coincidence? Maybe. The rest of the episode was entertaining enough, with Crowley a particular highlight asking Sam how he would even begin to repent for his sins. But, the forward momentum of this story and closing the gates of Hell were blunted when Dean found out that completing the trial and curing Crowley of his demonism would kill Sam. It’s not that I want Sam dead, but when a last minute revelation prevents a television show from upsetting the status quo, I get cranky. Regardless, I’m excited for next season.

Image via Hitfix

How I Met Your Mother – Something New

Jim: I’ll save any thoughts on Carter and Bay’s plans for next year for the Pyro’s Screening Room Podcast and just say that if they think THAT won me over they’re dead wrong. The last three years have been an unrelenting, horrific mess of a show. What the showrunners apparently fail to understand is that without any narrative or emotional context, showing the mother’s face (nice to meet you, Cristin Milioti!) is just another fake-out. Seeing her face is no more valuable than seeing her behind an umbrella, or glimpsing her shoulder, elbow or anything else. She’s not a character yet, she’s only been used as a prop. So all this episode has is more of characters we once loved being mean, cartoonish and insensitive (Marshall not telling his mom about moving to Italy then not telling Lily about his application to become a judge being accepted, Robin and Barney trying to break-up another couple, Ted yet again obsessing over his former crush RIGHT BEFORE HER WEDDING TO ONE OF HIS BEST FRIENDS!). Basically, HIMYM decided to wrap-up its season by showing virtually everyone in the least appealing light. Hurrah? Putting so many characters in place where they are moving on to new things in their lives is supposed to illicit sympathy and nostalgia (eg. every sitcom finale ever). Instead I just can’t stand these people.

Billy: Unlike Jim, I was okay (okay, not overly thrilled, but okay) with most of this finale. Yeah, Marshall forgetting to tell his mother that he and Lily were moving was asinine, and Ted’s incessant flip-flops between loving and not loving Robin are absurd (not to mention the quickness with which Ted was seemingly able to get out of his lease, find a new job, and a new place to live in Chicago). But – and I realize I’m probably in the minority here – I really liked seeing Robin and Barney at dinner attempting to sabotage the other couple. Not because I think that’s a nice thing to do, but it’s what Barney and Robin would do. I feel like it’s the first time as a couple that we saw the two do something malicious but also something that I could see them doing on their own given the right circumstances. Also, the heartfelt discussion between Ted and Lily was a very strong scene. Seeing the Mother now has little significance until she actually interacts with our gang; as Jim says above, she’s little more than a prop until that point. The more troubling concern I have is with next season, as the creators have stated that the final season will take place over one weekend showing the wedding. An intriguing idea, just one that I don’t trust this creative team to pull off successfully.

Image via Huffington Post

The Office – Finale

Jim: It isn’t hard to get me emotionally invested in a series finale, even if, like The Office, it’s one I’ve failed to enjoy a lot the last couple of years. Heck, I still defend the Lost finale from critics and practically cried over the final episode of ER (a show I hadn’t watched for seven years). I also felt that way when eating my last bag of Gibbles chips after they went out of business. Basically endings make me sad. So the sappy, moving on to better things tone of the episode fit me just perfectly. Ironically, the return of Steve Carell as Michael Scott (a character I frequently disliked) was a big high point from the episode, both for the classic gag of his introduction and seeing a character that most everyone came to love in the end finally end up with his happily ever after. Jim and Pam’s final talking heads were great, but even the all-out love fest the last couple weeks can’t overshadow the many missteps made with these characters in the last season. Part of it was that Athlead, which was from day one obviously what Jim and Pam were going to move on to after the series, was introduced more than a year ago. In that one way, “Finale” is more a checklist goal than a good emotional climax.

Billy: I’ve got this sick obsession with television series finales. It doesn’t matter what show, I will watch the final episode for some weird reason. Like, I want to be part of the zeitgeist surrounding the show. With The Office, I’ve been watching it for years, but I never really enjoyed it. Hate-watching is probably being too harsh to describe my Office viewing habits; I really do like Jim, Pam, Dwight, and most of the secondary characters (Creed is my anti-drug), but I never really grokked Michael. Despite my sometime hatred of the character, it was delightful to see Steve Carell return to the show, even if I was left questioning why he wasn’t present for the cast Q&A or the final moments in the titular office (I understand that Carell’s availability probably precluded his further participation, but his absence stuck out). Regardless, the finale was a sweet, funny, and moving conclusion to the series. Even if I often had a very antagonistic relationship with this series (I was, and still am, an ardent fan of the superior British Office series) I will admit that I teared up a couple times during this finale. Seeing Pam and Jim finally come to terms with leaving Scranton and getting their happy ending – knowing that we’ll never see them again but that these fictional people that we’ve lived with for almost a decade will be happy – was a bittersweet moment. But amazingly enough it was Andy whose insight leveled me: “I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.” It’s astute, terrifying, sad, and incredibly stoic. In a way it sums up the entire run of The Office – and any long running series, reall – as well as being pertinent to reality… I never thought I would say this, but I think I’m really going to miss The Office…

Image via TV.com

Revolution – The Longest Day

Jim: Yet again. NBC slowly kills off another hit show, announcing that next year it will move to Wednesday and lose the lead-in of The Voice. The time to do that might have been last fall when people still watched and cared about the show before disappearing for four months! It’s hard to feel too bad given the creative choices made so far by Eric Kripke and company this year – from Danny’s death just as he was starting to not stink, the especially annoying side missions the last few weeks, and the god-awful nano-bot explanation for the blackout. This was actually one of the few episodes to get it right by weighing more heavily on Miles and Neville. It makes sense, as they’re the two best characters and actors on the show by far, and Giancarlo Esposito daring his son to kill him is the first scene of the show to give me real chills in 2013.

Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)

Netflix Instant

image via rheaven.blogspot.com

Description: “Jack Lemmon, Al Pacino, Ed Harris and Alan Arkin chew the words of David Mamet’s script (based on his own stage play) as a group of Chicago real estate salesmen vying for the best “leads” at a small firm that sells property in resort areas.” – Netflix

Reason to Watch: Arkin, Baldwin, Harris, Lemmon, and Pacino; script by David Mamet. Those names together could sell any movie. Now, the chances are you’ve already seen this movie in the 21 years since its release, but there is an equally good chance that it has been a while. That’s where I stand right now, which is why it has been sitting in my instant queue prime and ready for a rewatch. Sometimes you just need to live in some excellent dialogue delivered by great actors, and this movie based on the Mamet play is just the thing.

The Evil Dead (1981)

Netflix Instant

image via www.nitehawkcinema.com

Description: “During an unplanned stop at a remote cabin deep within the woods, a group of teens falls prey to a mysterious supernatural force. As his pals become possessed and turn into flesh-eating zombies, Ash Williams tries to keep his cool and save his skin.” – Netflix

Reason to Watch: For those of you who saw the remake, or were thinking about seeing it in the theater, a rewatch of the original should practically be a requirement. The film is over 30 years old and is still thought of as one of the best in the genre. This means even more when you consider that the horror genre seems to be one that is constantly producing films and reinventing itself every few years. Halloween is still a ways off, but good horror is watchable year round.

Meek’s Cutoff (2011)

Netflix Instant

image via www.aceshowbiz.com

Description: “Set in 1845, this drama follows a group of settlers as they embark on a punishing journey along the Oregon Trail. When their guide leads them astray, the expedition is forced to contend with the unforgiving conditions of the high plain desert.” – Netflix

Reason to Watch: Another entry in the long list of shame that I’ve been cultivating, Meek’s Cutoff has been in my queue for longer than I care to admit. The film stars one of my favorite actresses, Michelle Williams, and is directed by Kelly Reichardt, whose film Wendy and Lucy (also starring Williams) really touched me. It’s great to support up and coming directors and it is even more important to give our support to an up and coming female director with the talent of Reichardt. This one is getting moved to the top of my queue and I suggest you do the same!

This week, we take a look at the expansion to Smash Up. Fitting that with everything else about the game, it is appropriately titled Awesome Level 9000. What remains to be seen is how high that scale goes. If it is 9,000 out of 10,000, then that’s a pretty high awesome level. But if the scale of awesome goes to a million, 9,000 doesn’t seem so hot. Luckily, after several plays, I can say that the expansion definitely improves on the base game.

The Basics. Awesome Level 9000 adds four new factions to the game: Bear Cavalry, Plants, Steampunks, and Ghosts. On top of that, the game also adds tokens for keeping track of points and a new ability: Talents.

Each faction is very unique and continues the Smash Up tradition. Despite the addition of four new factions, there is very little overlap with what already exists. Steampunks are all about playing actions on bases. They can make their minions on a base more powerful, hurt others, or even put a base off limits to other players’ actions. Bear Cavalry shuffles minions around. In a way, they are like angry Pirates. Pirates are mobile and move from base to base. But Bear Cavalry is all about sending opponents to other bases. You can shuffle opponents around and deprive them of points.

Bear cards do get the best titles, though. Cub Scout. I see what you did, there.

Plants, on the other hand, grow wild. They can get out numerous minions on a turn. Not only do they have actions that allow for more minions, but they have minions that bring out more minions. Some little plants even can grab minions out of your deck and put them into play. The Ghosts, meanwhile, are all about using those cards you’ve been drawing. Ghosts are a fairly average faction, until you have two cards or less in your hand. Then nearly every minion gets bonus strength or an awesome power, and actions can do more.

The game also adds talents to minions. A talent is like an ability that can be used once each turn. This makes some minions more valuable as they essentially give the player an extra action each turn.

Other than that, gameplay remains essentially unchanged from the base game.

Steampunks start the game with cool points. Unfortunately, cool points do not transfer into game points.

The Feel. I expected this expansion to simply be more of the same. Four new factions – good if you like the base game, bad if you don’t. Nothing to see. Move along. But that’s not what I found during my plays of the game.

The thing that makes these four factions really interesting is that they pair well with just about every base game faction. The steampunks, for example, by themselves are nice, but with the ability to enchant bases, suddenly those boring dinosaurs can use their high numbers to great effect. Similarly, the plants play a lot of minions. But, their ability to bring out other minions from a different faction allows you to search for the best utility minions from the companion faction.

Plants are quite powerful – the ability to constantly bring out minions is not to be underestimated

In this way, each of the new factions nicely compliments the base game factions. Awesome Level 9000 reaches into the cracks left open in the base game and fills them with … well with Awesome sauce.

Part of my struggle with the base game was that the factions were very independent. Each one wanted to do its own thing, and while they often combined in interesting ways, it wasn’t as substantive as I would’ve liked. The factions in the expansion not only do not have this problem (even though they also tend to be thematically tied to one main idea), but their main thrust is very complimentary to a wide array of other factions.

Focus on hand size is quite unique

Plus, I cannot emphasize enough how much I appreciate the point tokens. I have no idea why this wasn’t included with the base game, but I’m certainly happy to have it now. Those tokens eliminate the need for paper and pencil or other bookkeeping.

The one down side to the expansion is that I start to wonder about power creep. The Talent ability is very powerful and, as such, it is used sparingly in the new factions. But it isn’t used at all in the base game. That makes the new expansions potentially stronger – or at least with more nobs to turn to respond to different situations.

Luckily, with four factions, there is enough to go around for each player. I don’t think they are so strong as to mandate playing with one of the new factions, but it is a flag to raise and watch out for as Smash Up continues to expand.

Point tokens are a very welcome addition

Components: 4.5 of 5. Love the point trackers. That right there is worth the price of admission. Even the base game by itself becomes more fun when you can use tokens rather than paper or just trying to keep everything in your head. The remainder of the components are cards, but the cards are the same thickness, quality, and color as the base game.

Strategy/Luck Balance: 3.5 of 5. This is essentially unchanged from the base game. I think the biggest strategic decision is still which two factions to select during the start of the game. From there, many tactical decisions are made based on the game state. But, strategy is largely dictated by the themes of the factions you choose.

Mechanics: 4 of 5. With the exception of the Talent power, this expansion is essentially unaltered from the base game. I think the Talent power is a good one, and provides players with more options on their turn to accomplish their goals. But, because the base game is deprived of that power, I wonder about possible power creep.

Replayability: 5 of 5. For me, Awesome Level 9000 breathes renewed life into the game. The new themes and methods of the factions are great. Plus, the way they combine with base game factions is phenomenal.

Spite: 3.5 of 5. Spite remains high. Especially among the Bear Cavalry and Steampunks. In fact, the Bear Cavalry is basically a giant spite faction. Especially since their ability to move minions around can effectively deprive a player of points while avoiding powerful “cannot be destroyed” powers.

Some of the new bases – though the expansion has repeats all of the base game bases

Overall: 4 of 5. Potential power creep aside, Awesome Level 9000 is a wonderful addition to Smash Up. It compliments existing factions and brings new themes that are not only interesting to play, but also effective in scoring points. There are some new combinations to watch out for (plants & zombies in particular), but part of the fun is in finding those new powerful synergies.

(A special thanks to AEG for providing a review copy of Awesome Level 9000)

I’m a fan, generally, of cooperative gaming. And, up right now on Kickstarter is a cooperative miniatures game, Galaxy Defenders. So, what sets this game apart from other science fiction or cooperative games? Galaxy Defenders is extremely tactical and definitely built with the minis player in mind.

(Please note, this review is of a pre-production copy and, therefore, all photos are not of the final product. In addition, my copy contained one story rather than the full campaign available in the final game.)

The Basics. Galaxy Defenders is turn based with several phases occurring in order. It begins with a few upkeep phases during which items refresh their usefulness and players acquire more gear and try to advance in rank in order to get access to better tactics and, ultimately, level up to an elite unit. Once all the bookkeeping is done, it’s time to move into the battle phase.

In the battle phase, each player takes a turn. First, they can perform a number of tasks. A player’s turn consists of movement, combat, and action. The action can be simple tasks, or it can be combined with movement or combat for advanced maneuvers like leaping through windows or bashing locked doors open. But, of course, the most important thing is usually to shoot alien scum.

Luckily, this marine is armed with weaponry capable of vaporizing that alien

Combat consists of rolling a number of blue or green dice to attack. Those dice can provide hits, may force the player to use ammo, and have other effects dependent on the weapon used. The defender then rolls a number of blue defense dice which can power shields and eliminate hits from the attack. The excess is taken as damage.

After each player’s turn, a card is drawn from the close-encounters deck. That deck will activate a certain type of alien. The card might activate all Betas or all Arachnids. Once activated, a player looks to the corresponding alien card. Each alien card features a ranking of actions. So it might say, “If next to a player, attack him.” If that condition is not met, the next might say, “If within two hexes of a player, use a ranged attack.” If that isn’t met, it might say, “Move one area closer to the nearest player.” And so on.

Each alien card specifies how that alien operates

Once every player has taken a turn (and aliens are potentially activated on each player’s turn), the final phase is the event. Here, a card is drawn from the event deck which typically complicates things for the players. It also spawns (or teleports) a number of signals onto the battlefield.

Signals are potential threats. They represent movement on the board. If a player gets within line of sight, the signal is flipped over and revealed to be either an alien or a human. A human is a false alarm and the players can effectively ignore it. But if an alien is revealed, it’s figure is placed on the board and it is activated whenever its card is drawn from the close-encounters deck.

There are a ton of other rules related to gathering alien technology, calling in support, leveling up, alien swarms, and terrain effects. Galaxy Defenders not suffer from a dearth of complexity.

When drawn, every alien type on the card activates and tries to attack the Galaxy Defenders

The Feel. Unfortunately, this is one of those times when my bias as a eurogamer shows. Galaxy Defenders is a hybrid between an ameritrash type game and a minis game. And, because I’m not a huge fan of minis, I feel like some portion of this game was lost on me. So my plays (both solo and with a team) felt a little repetitive. There were several upkeep steps on every turn, and I often felt like we spent way too long managing the bookkeeping and too little time shooting aliens in the face. And really, nothing should take time away from shooting aliens in the face. Each turn was pretty much, roll dice to hit. Roll to defend. Apply weapon modifiers/damage. Activate aliens. Do it again for the aliens. Next turn.

But I can’t say that the game is bad at all. To the contrary, Galaxy Defenders does a good job of promoting cooperation between units/players and providing an effective “fog of war” that keeps players from gaming the system. After all, you never know which aliens are going to activate next (though some activation cards are more common than others), which often means it’s best to shoot at the alien that you are most likely to take down completely – not necessarily the one that might be the beefiest and most monstrous.

At the beginning of the game, this heavy starts as a weaksauce character with a blue background

It also did an excellent job of scaling. Because the aliens act on every player’s turn, it conveniently scales with the number of players. In fact, it actually gets a little harder as the player count increases. With only one player, you can attack every round and the events will spawn fewer signals. But with five players, nearly every event will spawn signals and one alien might activate several times in a row before the attacked player gets another turn. This also promotes additional cooperation as players will peel off to help companions who are under attack.

Events also scale well. They spawn new signals based on the number of active players. A player who has died is inactive, so the game actually scales downward as players are killed off. Unfortunately, a killed off player is essentially out of the game.

After a mission or two, the Marine has leveled up to an elite unit with an awesome red background

Additionally, the boards and maps have a number of elements with which players need to contend. The main element is the wall. Various boards have areas enclosed by walls which can block line of sight and prevent players from being attacked. Players can also shoot through windows and break through doors. Perhaps a little disappointing is the lack of additional elements such as high ground, concealment, cover fire, or range rules. For all the rest of the realism injected into this game, I was a little surprised that it didn’t include these relatively standard board elements.

The other missing piece was the lack of rules for actual tactical combat. There is an optional 180 degree sight rule, but otherwise, the game is missing modifiers, bonuses, or penalties for shooting an enemy in the back or from the side. It also lacks rules for suppressing fire, aiming, or any other use of the weapon besides a generic pull-the-trigger. While some individual weapons have analogous considerations, these are static to the weapon and do not generally allow for dynamic choices by the player. Ultimately, it’s missing some of the tactical decision-making that might have made this feel a little less repetitive.

Then again, I’m not a big minis guy, so maybe there is some inherent awesomeness here that is just going right over my head.

The artwork on the board is pretty awesome. It just needs a little more mechanical functionality

Components: NA. This was a pre-production copy and not representative of the finished product.

Strategy/Luck Balance: 2 of 5. Maybe it was mismatched expectations, but I feel like this area was pretty disappointing. On my turn, there was very little decision-making. The biggest decisions I made were which signal to check out, which alien to kill, and whether I should shoot an alien or try to take out a teleporter. That’s it. From there, it was all die rolling and card draws. Did I hit? Die roll. Did I find an alien? Random signal flip. Did it activate? Card draw. I felt like the game played me more than I played the game. The most strategic decisions were based on character powers or static skills acquired during the game. So I found myself getting locked into a role and making similar choices again and again.

Mechanics: 4 of 5. Other than the lack of some strategic considerations (covering fire, high ground, etc.), the mechanics of Galaxy Defenders are well put together. Everything works nicely and I like the way the signals are placed on the board but not flipped until actually within sight of the characters. It does provide a nice surprise and increases the suspense of the game.

Replayability: 3 of 5 (provisional). Galaxy Defenders can be played in one shot sessions or over the course of several linked story missions. This allows your characters to grow and gain in power – which, in turn, allows them to go up against more dramatic and dangerous missions. My particular copy only included one scenario, so I can’t commit to a definite score. Still, I have to think that campaign play will increase the longevity of the game.

Spite: 0 of 5. This is a cooperative game and, as such, is spite free.

Weather events stick around and can be particularly detrimental

Overall: 2.5 of 5. Did I have a decent time with Galaxy Defenders? Yes. But I feel like it doesn’t quite know what it wants to be. It has enough complexity with the characters, robots, and aliens that it seems targeted to relatively experienced gamers (especially minis gamers). Yet, at the same time, it strips away many of the essential elements to keep the game tactical and interesting. Most of my turns were walk, shoot, search. Roll for upgrades, roll for rank, roll for hit, roll for defense, then draw random cards. Repeat. Maybe removing some of those elements makes the game more accessible, but it also makes it less interesting.

(A special thanks to Ares Games for providing a pre-production copy of Galaxy Defenders)

Image via en.wikipedia.org

A friend of the family has a kid in high school. They are learning about existentialism. The children are learning, at least for the simplified purposes of this particular class, that it means the actions and understanding and experience of individuals are paramount. While that’s not quite accurate (I have a soft spot for philosophy), I guess it’s close enough for high school students.

At any rate, they were assigned a project to create a board game where the actions of the person determined the experience of the board game. I guess Candy Land is out. She asked me for my assistance, given my affinity for all things board game.

At first, I laughed about the assignment. It would seem that the teacher’s concept of a board game is something like Chutes and Ladders or maybe Monopoly where dice rule and player decisions are relatively minimized. But every game on my shelf, all the ones I enjoy and lovingly play from time to time, are largely determined by player action rather than random chance. In fact, that’s one of the hallmarks of the “euro” game.

But, the class’s emphasis on personal and individual experience had me thinking about a game that she could use as a template. My candidate: Village. Family members only have so much time to spend. They can become craftsmen, travelers, enter the priesthood, or join the city council. They can farm and have families. And, all of these actions make life a little different for the next generation.

The theme of village focuses on, maybe not exactly the individual, but at least the familial experience of your particular nuclear family. In a way, it’s thematically similar to the Game of Life, but places player choices and choices – rather than a spinner – as the paramount decider of actions. I gave her that information and she’s going to use it as inspiration to create her own board game project.

But, I’m sure there are better examples out there. Do you have a game that better represents existentialism (at least as taught by this high school class)?

As my sarcasm may imply, I am not exactly optimistic about the future of this device. With the competition between preexisting handhelds like the 3DS and the PS Vita combined with the pressure from high end Android phones already out on the market, this seems like an incredibly niche device. Even worse, the Ouya and the GameStick are also set to hit the market which will only act to divide the already limited consumer base. With the Ouya sitting at a respectable $99.99 release and the GameStick at an even lower $79.99, the question must be raised: Is the Shield worth the extra $250+ compared to the other two options?

Image via Nvidia

As far as I can tell, being a standalone handheld device and being able to use Steam’s Big Picture mode and stream select titles through the PC, assuming you have a “compatible GeForce GTX GPU,” are what really make the Shield stand out from the other devices. Similar to the Vita in this regard, it is an impressive technical achievement, but this feature, on both devices, seems to be of very limited use. Ultimately, what really will determine the fate of the device is the games. While I have a fair share of Android games I enjoy, I cannot say that I would rather play them than either my console or my PC. Assuming I am on-the-go, I also cannot see myself willing to carry around a second device specifically for the purpose of playing Android games.

Regardless of my views, the Shield will be entering the marketplace soon and I am excited to see how it does. Despite my misgivings surrounding the Shield, I would love to be proven wrong and see Android gaming reach new heights. Until then, we can only wait and see.

Image via Hitfix.com

Game of Thrones – “The Bear and the Maiden Fair”

Season 3, Episode 7

Tywin vs. Joffrey! I’ve been waiting for that scene all year and it lived up to all of my expectations. For two years, nobody could contain the cruel, sadistic boy king. Even his own mother and uncle lived in fear of him. Not Cersei’s manipulations or Tyrion’s occasional smacking could stop Joffrey’s reign of terror. Cersei even warned her father that it wouldn’t be easy to control the king. And, all Tywin did was ignore him and when he couldn’t anymore… he showed up… the end.

This season, we’ve gotten to see Tywin force nearly all of Westeros towards stability with the sheer force of his will. Even master manipulators like Tyrion and Lady Olenna have failed going up against the Lord of Casterly Rock. And he doesn’t need to yell or manipulate or trick Joffrey. With his usual cold, logical and harsh personality he seems to turn Joffrey into a baby by sheer force of will alone. Even before climbing the steps of the throne to actually stand above him, both the characters and the audience know who commands that room. Great scene, I just wish their were a few more in its league this week.

Like a few episodes of Game of Thrones, the name of this episode comes from a familiar ballad of Westeros. We get to hear Locke’s men singing it when Jamie returns to Harrenhal for his BFF Brienne.

I just wish we had a bit more going on this week. The climatic showdown was certainly worth the wait. I loved watching Brienne fending off an enormous bear with a wooden practice sword and a one-armed Jaime Lannister jumping into the pit to get her out. The background scene involving Qyburn was also a nice bit of exposition. It honestly made me care a bit about a character that in the book comes off as horrendously creepy and evil.

But as we count down to the big events this series stuffs into the penultimate and ultimate episodes, number seven just came across as wasting time. So much so that poor, thematically ignored Robb Stark literally spends the episode stuck in the rain. While I wish him and his wife, not-Jeyne Westerling, lots of happiness with their unborn heir, even the episodes best non-torture related sex scene couldn’t redeem this story.

The sexual arousal and nature of torture our mysterious northerner (it really annoys me the writers couldn’t just name this character, but obviously they’re saving it so I will too) puts Theon through is shocking and incredibly twisted, but more interesting than a lot of the other plot lines. Not that everyone didn’t know the two women jumping out of a porn movie convinced poor Theon was their cable repairman wasn’t nice, but it was obviously either a trick or a dream. It was unusually sad that even after admitting it was a trick that Theon still let himself be taken in by a little delusion of happiness in his horrible hell.

After avoiding the trend fairly well the last three weeks, the show stumbled with its most familiar flaw during the Arya scene. In an episode that was obviously much more about moving pieces around on the map than deeper storytelling–this was by far the worst offender. It helps that Arya’s whole “I hate you all, I only believe in death” routine and Beric’s lame answers for giving up Gendry sound too similar to what we’ve heard from them the last few weeks. It all just seemed a manipulative excuse to get Arya to run out alone (somehow escape the entire Brotherhood) and wind up a prisoner of Sandor Clegane. Not that Sandor-Arya traveling companions doesn’t have more potential than anyone since Jaime and Brienne. I just wish they made this scene work a lot better.

Up North, Osha gets the best dramatic monologue of the night, explaining how her man was turned into a wight and she barely fought him off. But considering Bran and Jojen are utterly set on their current course, her fears are more a tease of things we might see later on than anything that might actually change their current lives.

I certainly preferred Jon Snow’s adventures with the wildlings. They managed to make Orell a much more fully-rounded character than they needed. Jon’s pleas to Ygritte that the wildlings can’t win even if they take Castle Black were just as sad considering how true they are, but also because it clearly shows us that Jon, despite his love for this woman, still sees himself on the other side of the war and the Wall. Of course, considering how messed up the Seven Kingdoms are at this point, it might be a couple of years before anyone else has the time to pay attention to Mance and his war with the Night’s Watch.

And Sansa… poor, whiny Sansa. A character fighting tooth and nail to be unsympathetic despite three seasons of torture at the hands of the sociapathic Joffrey. It was a wonderful bit to have Margaery give her a lecture on the advantages of ending up with a wonderful, decent, and kind person who isn’t that bad to look at despite his dwarfism. It’s interesting to consider how much happier Margaery might be if she was ending up with Tyrion. I would have preferred they skip the joke about Sansa’s naivety about sex (unable to fathom Mags could have learned it for herself instead of from her mother), since this show doesn’t really need to try and stack the deck against us liking Sansa that much.

But what sets Legacy apart from Magic, Pokemon, Netrunner, or any of the other games currently on the market? Well, Legacy has a role-playing background that may be enough to carve out a new niche.

Image courtesy of Titan Comics

Tank Girl. A comic book about a tough, foul-mouthed chick that drives around (and lives in) a tank and the misadventures she experiences with her boyfriend, Booga, a mutant kangaroo. What’s not to like?

Alan C Martin’s anti-authoritarian anti-heroine is back again, kicking ass and taking names, and this time, Warwick Johnson Cadwell is providing the art work (Note to aspiring Tank Girl artists: What does it take to be the artist on Tank Girl? Well, I have it from a reliable source that “Cadwell was forced to hand-wash eighty-six pairs of Tank Girl’s soiled underpants, scour Jet-Girl’s air-intake and lick Booga’s salty b******s while dressed as a Glaswegian nun before he was even allowed to submit his art samples”).

What I loved about Solid State Tank Girl #1 is the unpredictability of the story. Judging from the first five pages, you will never guess where the story leads. Tank Girl, Jet Girl, and Barney find themselves on a fantastical journey when Booga manages to electrocute himself in his favourite radio-store.

I have to say, this is the first comic book in a long while that I’ve literally laughed out loud to as I read. The situations, characters, and one-liners are nothing short of comedy gold. Mixed with Cadwell’s unorthodox artwork that gives Tank Girl a true underground/independent feel, you can’t help but embrace your inner anarchist.

Solid State Tank Girl #1 hits stores all over the world on May 15.

If you like a fun, disrespectful romp jammed into a H.G. Wellian story with a plunger, an oxygen tank, seven mini-tubs of quick-drying hair-gel, the cogs of an antique watch, the spleen of a goat, and four kilos of body-chocolate, get to your local store and pick up Solid State Tank Girl #1.

You’ll be glad you did.

This week was all about new experiences. I got my first taste at an 18xx title. For that first attempt, 1846 was the selected game. Meanwhile, I got a chance to play the new expansion for Smash Up appropriately titled Awesome Level 9000.

1846. I’ve been apprehensive about this title for some time. I’m not big on the theme. I don’t typically enjoy stock market or route building games, and that’s basically the core of the 18xx series. But, others in my group were playing several titles in that family of games and singing high praises. If I learned anything from my formative years, it was to bow to peer pressure.

They artfully selected 1846 as my entry title. Allegedly, it plays in about two and a half to three hours and is much more of an economic snowball game than a true stock manipulator. It’s also been called the “euro” of 18xx games. I like euros. So it was probably a good choice.

Even though our game lasted four and a half hours (partly because of teaching time for me), I actually had a blast for most of the game. 1846 alternates between “stock rounds” where players can sell or purchase stocks, and “operating rounds” where the president of each company can lay track and connect routes for income. He can also decide whether the company keeps all that income, or whether it is paid out to shareholders as dividends.

I received some very welcome assistance in the first few operating rounds, but overall I was a little shocked at just how much I was enjoying the game. Even though the companies and stock rounds went pretty much in order, I felt the need to pay attention at almost every point in the game. Every time someone sold stock, I had to reevaluate whether I wanted to buy it. Each decision to lay track meant that it might be worth it for me to upgrade or lay different track. So the game did a remarkable job of keeping my attention over the whole course of it.

But, sadly, there was one aspect of the game that I absolutely hated: creating routes. Depending on how many trains I had (and I was pretty much maxed out on trains the entire game), I could create different routes. Since each stop is worth a different amount of money, I had to look at several different options each branching in different ways in a search for the highest price. By the end of the game, when I had a 7/8 train and a 5 train, there were so many little calculations to do over and over that it was tedious and awful. Luckily I had some help from my opponents, but that part of the game was just miserable. And, since the whole goal is to make money, you have to search through all possibilities to find the maximum payout. That takes time as well.

Would I play again, or play another 18xx title? Yes and no. I would absolutely play if the route connections could be instantly calculated. Playing 1846 online might do it for me. But that part was such a chore that I’d just rather not. Even though the rest of the game was far more entertaining than I had ever expected.

Image via BGG user AEGTodd

Smash Up. I liked Smash Up, but I wasn’t wowed by it. However, the expansion has bear cavalry and a steampunk faction. It’s hard to say no to either, but when combined it was a basic necessity. One of the things that was awesome about the expansion was the inclusion of point tokens. This eliminates the bookkeeping from the base game and was a very welcome addition.

I tried my hand first at Aliens and Bears. Then I allowed Plants and Zombies to combine forces. Bears are an interesting faction because they allow a lot of moving around of minions. Many cards can send opponent minions to other bases. This is a great tool to snatch the lead from another player as a base is about to break. Combined with aliens, it was pretty devestating. Aliens can bounce minions back to players’ hands anyway and, combined with bears, I basically was able to dominate a few bases and reach a quick victory.

Plants and zombies sounded fun, thematically, but I had no idea it would be as powerful as it was. Gadzooks! Plants have several abilities that allow you to play more minions or allow you to exchange one minion for another. Combined with zombies who have extra minions from the graveyard, things were nightmarish. It took a few turns to get up and running, but once I had minions in my graveyard, there was no stopping me. There was a base that needed 14 more to break. I did all of that on my own. I played a beefy minion, brought a Tenacious Z as an extra, used a minion talent to bring another, then played an action that kept any other players from playing on the base. Next turn, I did it all again for full base points. And those tenacious Zs? Right back in my graveyard for further use. It was incredible.

I’m not sure if it was the expansion, or even just the point tokens, but I had a much better time with Smash Up than I previously remembered.

Also Played. Werewolf (x6), Android: Netrunner (x2), Uluru, For Sale, Modern Art, War of the Ring, Timeline (x3), Love Letter, Sentinels of the Multiverse, Ubongo, and Wits and Wagers.

Image courtesy of Titan Comics

I’ll start with the caveat that I am not familiar with the DmC Video game franchise so this review is going to look entirely at the comic as a comic book, not as a video game tie-in.

Primarily told through the eyes of a street kid called Kat, Devil May Cry: The Vergil Chronicles #1 tells the tail of the titular character who is some kind of mystical, sword-wielding, creepy-mask-wearing warrior, as he does everything in his power to locate his missing brother.

Writer Guillaume Dorison (aka Izu) does a great job of not only introducing us to the handful of characters we’ll be following throughout DmC, but makes the hell-dimension that envelopes the real-world realistic and understandable. I’ll admit I did find the story a little disjointed throughout the first third of DmC, but if you can get through it, by mid-comic and especially by the time we reach the end, the fractured shards of the story have come together and you do have a complete understanding of who is who and what is happening.

Art-wise, DmC is immaculate. Artists Robin Recht and Patrick Pion provide the visuals that surpass what you see in a lot of comics from the Big Two. Every page is well crafted and logical, driving your eyes towards what they need to be seeing as well as pushing the story forward.

All in all, Devil May Cry: The Vergil Chronicles #1 holds its own as a comic book. I didn’t need to know a single thing about the game to enjoy page after page of adventure and characterisation. Titan Comics has a winner on their hands. I’m looking forward to seeing where this story goes and hope DmC is a long running series.

Devil May Cry: The Vergil Chronicles #1 is on sale in stores around the world on May 15 and #2 is on sale June 19.

[Note: this conversation took place on 5/10, Fox has since confirmed the news. 24: Live Another Day will air May 2014.]

Image via Wikimedia Commons

Billy: So, in the midst of numerous cancellation notices that went out today (among the notables, NBC cancelled Go On, TNT cancelled Southland, CBS cancelled CSI: NY) Entertainment Weekly broke the news that Fox is bringing the long since cancelled real-time action-thriller 24 back for a limited run 12 episode season. Ignoring for a moment the absurdity of a real-time show called 24 that only has 12 episodes–this is pretty big news for a couple of reasons. It’s been three years since the show was…ahem…put out to pasture. Readers of the site might not know this, but we were both extremely ardent fans of the series in it’s early years. What’s your take on this news?

Jim: Well 2001-2004 Jim is absolutely thrilled that one of his favorite shows is coming back, even if on a limited basis. 2007-2010 Jim that mostly struggled to see things through to the conclusion is less joyful.

2005-2007 Jim is taking it all in stride.

Billy: It’s interesting that Fox went this route. They’ve had success with some of their comedies, and The Following seems to be doing well. Why go back to the 24 well, and more importantly–why now? It’s not like the 24 modus operandi of Bush-era terrorist hunting is more relevant now than it was when the show premiered in the wake of 9/11.

Jim: Besides the fact the Touch didn’t really work out and they want to stay in the Kiefer Sutherland business, 24 was a huge critical and commercial success for much of its run. We’ve seen Futurama and Arrested Development and before them Family Guy return from the grave. Certainly this is a bigger scale, but it really highlights how networks are struggling nowadays with SO MANY outlets for shows. Not being entirely original and going back to the same well … that’s network TV in a nutshell.

Billy: And let’s not kid ourselves, if a 24 limited series is huge for Fox, then they are most certainly going to order another one. Even in it’s waning (and awful) years, the show was a top ratings performer.

Jim: One one hand it does reek of desperation, but it’s a fair point that a return of 24 on a smaller scale (making it more cost effective) stands a much better chance than another untried pilot. How many successes have they had besides The Following the last few years? Not a ton.

Billy: That’s certainly true, but Fox has always relied on one or two big dramas plus the cartoons and their singing/cooking/whatever reality programs.

Jim: Yep, drama-wise with Fringe gone now, it’s Following finding its legs, Bones chugging along, and… yeah…

Billy: Kiefer Sutherland is no spring chicken, but at 46 he’s still got a lot of physicality left in him. So, I’m less concerned with that end of the deal than I am with the narrative issues that plagued the series’ latter years. Word is that Howard Gordon, former 24 showrunner and current Homeland showrunner, will take the reigns on this season–but I’ve got to imagine that a large portion of the creative team will have moved onto other shows. I can’t imagine that this is going to be a seamless rebirth.

Jim: I can only hope that Happy Endings gets picked up by ABC or USA Network so Elisha Cuthbert is unavailable. Both because I love Happy Endings and there’s no need for more of Kim Bauer’s misadventures.

Billy: Er, uh…Sorry to break the bad news. Community was renewed, Happy Endings cancelled. Like five minutes ago.

Jim: Ouch.

Billy: I’m picturing Cuthbert’s agent furiously dialing every person involved with 24 right now.

Jim: So can I only hope they find a way to integrate the entire Happy Endings cast into the new 24? They could even set it in Chicago.

Billy: Clearly this move was made in part because 21st Century Fox (and don’t get me started on their new name and terrible logo) couldn’t get the 24 movie off the ground. It was a joke, every three months Sutherland or someone else related to the series would talk about a script, or a rewrite, or Sutherland’s filming availability. Someone at Fox REALLY wanted that movie–one way or another.

Jim: I’ve mostly ignored the 24 movie rumors, years of going through the same with Deadwood made me very pessimistic about that sort of thing, but you’re right this show obviously at least had a few champions among network execs.

Billy: So, where does Jack Bauer go from here? When we last saw 24, Bauer was on the run from the government because … well, I’m not really sure … that season was horrible. But, do you think we’re going to get an actual 24-style season, or is this limited run going to be more like the made-for-tv movie 24: Redemption that aired between season six and seven. 24 has always had a habit of having an uneven half-day, even during the good years (Teri Bauer’s amnesia comes to mind, for instance). Maybe 12 episodes will allow the team to be a bit more creative. Plus, the creative team never planned their arcs in advance, I’ve got to imagine that’ll be something that they NEED to do for a limited series.

Jim: While it’s obviously really early, I can’t imagine they’d drop the real time gimmick, especially since they kept it alive during Redemption, but shouldn’t they call it 12 now? Or will they compress 24 hours into 12 episodes and let poor Jack grab a nap now and then? [Note: Fox has confirmed that the twelve episodes will be real time, but will skip certain hours within a single day.] We’ve been to the Jack is out of the government and gets pulled back in for ONE MORE MISSION virtually every season since the first. I’d honestly prefer if they just jumped back to him working for CTU again. Explain it later, but if your bringing a show back from the dead, it’s already just fanservice to a big degree. Be honest about it and get on with the action.

Billy: I was waiting for some schmuck to make the 12 joke. I … I-I didn’t expect it to be you … I’m not going to lie, I’d be happy as hell if this was going to be Operation: Nightfall, the clandestine military mission that happened prior to season one setting the stage for the first season’s villains to be … ya know … villainous. But I’d guess Sutherland’s age would make that infeasible. Operation: Nightfall is literally the only story I want to see in the 24 universe, and it would allow some of our favorite–and long deceased–characters to return for one more go round like Dennis Haysbert’s Senator/President Palmer.

Jim: Yeah, I can’t see them spending the money to replicate a foreign country either.

Billy: Just stomp on all my dreams…

Jim: Plus Dennis Haysbert, along with Kiefer and Dennis Hopper would all cost a few bucks. Sorry kemosabi. You can’t have it all.

Billy: Well, I suppose leveraging the powers of mighty necromancers to bring Dennis Hopper back to life WOULD cost a pretty penny.

Image Via Collider.com

The Place Beyond the Pines, in my humble opinion, is unenjoyable. It drags on for what seems like days, contains lackluster performances, and generally has no point. Given the reviews I’ve read since watching it, I have to wonder if I even watched the same movie as these critics. People liked it for reasons that I couldn’t fathom. “It’s powerful, it’s bold, it hits you hard,” says the Philadelphia Inquirer. Or, oh yes, this is rich: “… a film to haunt your dreams, and, so far, the best thing I’ve seen in a cinema in 2013,” says The Aristocrat. Yeah, this movie didn’t haunt the dreams I had when I fell asleep during the movie, which I did momentarily- and that NEVER happens to me!

I thought if I gave it some more time, some consideration, that The Place Beyond the Pines would gain some significance in retrospect. But instead, the only thing of value that I considered at all subsequent to the viewing were the repeated Hall & Oates references. Otherwise, it was like watching sad remakes of Drive, Serpico, and Boys Don’t Cry that attempted some sort of stab at deeper meaning but only got so far as portraying convincing douche-baggery.

Without spoiling all of this magnificence for anyone, I think it’s safe to tell you that this is a story that spans two generations of men in what amounts to be a pretty screwed up little town. I don’t think this town was supposed to be representative of Every Town, USA, because I couldn’t relate to it at all. And I don’t think that these characters were supposed to be universally relatable, because I consistently questioned the decisions being made to the extent that I didn’t believe any one part of the story as sincere. The Concrete Playground said that TPBtP is a “drama about fathers, sons, and responsibility,” but this is absurd to me. Granted, I am not a father 0r a son (nor am I terribly responsible person). However, I did speak to my husband about the film and what it meant to him in a masculine sense, and his sentiments were summed up by the following: “The movie was poop.”

So there you have it. I apologize that I’m not going into great detail about the film because there was actually so little there. It was probably one of the most boring movie-going experiences of my life. However, kudos to the stunt driving team and the camera team in general, because if the camera work had been poor, I think this would have certainly been the third movie I would have walked out from in my entire life.

Kill List (2011)

Netflix Instant

image via www.chud.com

Description: “In this white-knuckle crime flick, out-of-work hit man Jay teams with his partner, Gal, for a three-contract job that rapidly turns from routine to obscene as the call of duty takes a twisted toll on Jay’s sanity and sense of control.”–Netflix

Reason to Watch: This is a movie that has come up in discussion in several film podcasts that I listen to. These critics have described it as gripping and well worth the time investment — I am inclined to trust them. Ben Wheatley, the direct of Kill List, has a new film out this year called Sightseers which has been getting rave reviews out of the festivals it’s played so far this year. Wheatley is something like Jeff Nichols, who I’ve brought up in this column before; they are both up and coming talents with only a few titles under their belt. Kill List is Wheatley’s second film and catching it on Netflix Instant will help you get in on the ground floor of a promising young filmmaker.

Brooklyn Castle (2012)

Netflix Instant

image via www.filmlinc.com

Description: “Brooklyn’s I.S. 318 is home to America’s best junior high school chess team, but budget cuts are threatening to undermine the team’s success. This inspiring documentary goes inside the fight to keep chess alive and well at the struggling school.”–Netflix

Reason to Watch: I have to confess that I am a complete and utter sucker for documentaries about the U.S. school system. Recent films like The Lottery, Bully, and Waiting for Superman all hit me in my general heart area. This documentary seems to have everything I find so engaging about these movies: a group of kids looking to succeed, an opportunity for them to better themselves, and a system that is completely messing up any real chance they have at success. How does it work out for the kids of I.S. 318? I plan on watching to find out.

Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001)

Netflix Instant

image via mubi.com

Description: “When two rich teens meet the alluring, older Luisa, they try to impress her with stories of a road trip to a secret beach, then convince her to join them. What follows is an escapade involving seduction, conflict and the harsh realities of poverty.”–Netflix

Reason to Watch: Those of you as interested in the upcoming Clooney film Gravity as I am should take a minute to delve into the back catalog of Gravity writer/director Alfonso Cuaron. Sure he wrote and directed 2006′s fantastic Children of Men and directed one of the best movies in the Harry Potter series, 2004′s The Prisoner of Azkaban, but his 2001 film, Y Tu Mama Tambien, is the one that caused people to stand up and take notice. Now, the film is much more explicit than his other works but it helps add depth to what is an extremely interesting and thoughtful study of adolescence and manhood.

image via www.thedarkwheel.co.uk

The development of a current computer game into a TV series is almost unheard of at this point, but Baltasar Kormakur is looking to change that. Deadline is reporting that Kormakur, whose film 2 Guns opens August 2nd, is looking to develop a series based on the MMORPG EVE Online.

Although the series will be based on the universe of the EVE Online game it will apparently be an original concept. The current idea is to have it set 20,000 years in the future of the universe and “take inspiration from user-sourced stories submitted to the EVE website.”

Who knows what will come of the project as the rubber hits the road, but I find it fairly fascinating, especially considering the idea of taking user submitted story ideas. I guess it is just another step in the crowd-sourcing model.

image via litreactor.com

Stephen King has been having a fairly solid run when it comes to television. A while back he guest-starred on FX’s Sons of Anarchy, this summer an adaptation of his novel Under the Dome will air on CBS, and now Bad Robot is acquiring the rights to his novel 11/22/63. According to the report on Deadline, the idea is to develop the novel into a cable series or miniseries. I have not read the novel but I find the description fairly interesting, at least worth checking out should it find its way to series. The novel focuses on a character named Jake, “an unassuming divorced English teacher who stumbles upon a time portal that leads to 9/9/1958 and goes on a quest to try and prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy, which occurred on November 22, 1963.”

Until more information is available on the development of 11/22/63 fans of King’s work can look forward to watching Brian K. Vaughan‘s interpretation of Under the Dome this summer on CBS.

I’m a sucker for hidden loyalty games. Shadow Hunters is no exception to that trend. But, unlike other games of that ilk, Shadow Hunters allows the players to directly interact with one another and gives concrete, mechanical methods for determining who is on which team. And, typically, one team ends up six feet under.

The Basics. Shadow Hunters has three teams: the evil Shadows, the noble Hunters, and various neutral characters. One card is secretly dealt to each player with the exact mix dependent on player count. Each card is unique and can provide the player with a special power should they choose to reveal themselves. The shadows win when the three hunters are dead and the hunters win when the shadows die. The neutrals each have their own win condition.

After dealing out all the roles, the locations are placed randomly on the board. There are six locations. Four that allowing drawing cards, one that allows stealing from other players, and one that does direct damage or healing. Then, players start by rolling dice (a d4 and d6) and heading to the numbered locations. Once a win condition is met, the game is over.

Universal health tracker on the left, card locations in the middle

If a player is in the same location as an opponent, they may (but don’t have to) attack that person. To attack, a player rolls both dice and deals damage equal to the difference between them. If the d6 shows 6 and the d4 a 1, it could be as much as 5 damage. If both numbers are the same, then no damage is dealt. Each character has a different life total and that is one way of determining who someone is. Didn’t die after eight damage? They can’t be Allie.

The game also has black, white, and hermit cards. Black cards tend to be aggressive and deal out extra damage; some of them are also especially good for the Shadows. White cards tend to provide utility and help; some of them are especially good for Hunters. Finally hermit cards allow you to gain limited information about an opponent.

Fighting for humanity, the Hunters strive to rid the world of the evils

The Feel. Shadow Hunters does a good job of capturing fear and paranoia in the early game, and then slowly uncovering the veil as the game moves on. Revealing who is who isn’t a foregone conclusion, though. I’ve played several games where, even after one or two characters were completely outed, it was hard to figure out who their teammates were. Sometimes, a Shadow or a Hunter can hide and strike at the last minute for a dramatic win.

The cards really take this game from an OK effort to a highly enjoyable form of entertainment. The black and white cards can really change the layout of the land. Not only do they make some characters fearsome, but they generally give everyone additional powers that make each play unique and exciting. Some cards, like the dynamite, can be literal game-changers. Plus, as various cards are stolen or amassed, educated guesses as to the players’ identities can be made.

There are few situations in which a chainsaw would not be helpful

But, the genius of the game is in the hermit cards. Each will say something like, “I bet you are a Shadow! If I’m right, take one damage. Otherwise no effect.” Then you pass that card on to your suspect. If they take one damage, you know they are a Shadow. If they say no effect, you know they must be either a Hunter or Neutral. In this way, players can start to glean information, and learn which players may be helping them and which may be utterly opposed.

Plus, this isn’t a game simply between Hunter and Shadow. The neutral characters are forces to be reckoned with. One just wants to survive. So, typically, she’ll join which ever team looks like they are winning. One wants to be the first to die. So you may see him making many enemies and hoping for reprisal. This not only gums up the main conflict (in a good way), but also allows Shadows and Hunters to hide by mimicking a potential neutral.

The neutrals pursue their own agendas. They care not for Shadow or Hunter.

The one negative here is that player elimination is present. And, while it is unfortunate, it’s not a deal killer. One of the main reasons is that there is next to no desire to attack the “limpy gazelle.” First, players have high enough life that a few attacks in a row aren’t going to kill anyone. But more importantly, if you lose a teammate, you could be in trouble. So players are typically cautious about piling on since they may be killing their own teammate. As a result, the damage tends to grow at about the same rate for everybody. By the time someone dies, there isn’t much game left to play.

Given the nature of the game, the comparison with Bang! is unavoidable: both have hidden teams, both want the teams to kill each other, and both involve using a variety of items to damage opponents. But, Shadow Hunters is literally superior in every single aspect (with the possible exception of theme, if you like westerns more than spooky towns). In Bang!, the hidden teams don’t remain hidden for long. Typically, outlaws will gun for the sheriff right away in the hope of a quick victory – and to out themselves. This lessens the impact of hidden roles. Shadow Hunter avoids this problem by using the hermit cards for a slow and thematic reveal instead. Bang! has players die early and games that go on far too long, while Shadow Hunters largely addresses this failing. Bang! has one neutral role (Renegade) which is incredibly uninteresting, and Shadow Hunters has several with interesting effects.

Put it all together and I simply have no desire to play Bang! If I’m looking for that type of game, I would choose Shadow Hunters every time.

Plus, Bang! is wholly devoid of werewolves and vampires

Components: 3 of 5. The artwork is great and the round player cylinders are functional enough. But the game is mostly a card game and the cards aren’t that sturdy. This is especially concerning given that the role cards are hidden and that is a critical piece to the game. Luckily, they sleeve in standard card game sleeves and I used some opaque sleeves I had sitting around from my Magic days.

Strategy/Luck Balance: 4 of 5. Some of the cards can have surprising effects depending on who draws them, so there are rare swings of luck. But, most of the time, the game comes down to reading your opponents and making guesses based on the actions they take and the items they steal. Then using that information to murder them into little bits.

Mechanics: 4.5 of 5. I understand that player elimination provides a tension and finality to a game that it would otherwise lack, but it is still a problem. Is it mitigated here? Absolutely. But, there’s no reason there couldn’t be “in death” abilities that a player could use. That would keep them in the game – even if at a reduced power.

Replayability: 5 of 5. Shadow Hunters has random card distribution, random roles, and random board setup. Each of them can dramatically alter how the game plays. More importantly, some of the roles provide special abilities that work upon being revealed. So, deciding when to reveal and what circumstances justify letting your opponents know your identity, is an intriguing question that is asked in each game.

Spite: 3.5 of 5. There are a few “take that” cards and plenty of opportunities to attack people – assuming you land in the same area. However, despite the relatively high aggression, it doesn’t feel like a spiteful game. And part of that is because you know that you are on a team. Sure there will be a couple of people out to get you, but hopefully one or more will also have your back.

White cards can help to mitigate some of the vile effects of black cards

Overall: 4 of 5. Shadow Hunters is fun. The hidden teams and the “on reveal” roles provide a paranoia to the early game. As actions and hermit cards accumulate, more and more can be known about your opponents. This gives the game a natural narrative, and one that typically results in a crescendo of excitement near the end. Shadow Hunters provides a great experience.

Over the past couple of weeks, my Twiiter and Facebook feeds have been full of people talking about Candy Box, the ASCII-art browser RPG currently consuming lives and helping procrastinators procrastinate like never before.

Not content with simply bringing the game to your attention, I sent an email to aniwey, the game’s developer, asking if he would agree to an interview to explain some of the thinking behind the game. He was gracious enough to find time in his busy schedule for a chat via email. Despite keeping some things to himself – his real name, for example – his answers are a fascinating insight into the development of this fiendishly addictive game.

GFBR: Can you tell us a bit about yourself – who you are, where you’re from and what you do? Are you a professional games designer, or was Candy Box just a bit of fun?

aniwey: I’m a French student in first year of computer science. I study in the city of Caen, France. So I’m not a professional game designer at all ! I usually do C/C++ programs, this is my first web application. I wanted to make a web-based game to learn new things.

GFBR: We’d love to know about the actual development of the game. Are you a one-man-band or part of a team, and if so how many of you are there? How long did it take to make the game?

aniwey: I made the game almost entirely by myself – someone helped me for the server scripts and someone else for the tab system. I launched the game three weeks ago, it took about two months of my free time to make it. At first I shared it with my close friends, and then on a well-known French forum called Koreus. Then it spread from there! I’m glad so many people were able to play the game, that’s all I wanted.

GFBR: Related to the previous question – I notice that you seem to be continually adding new FAQs in different languages – have you added team members to help with that, or has that came from the community?

aniwey: All the translations came from the community. The first FAQ I added was the Polish one, and then, when people saw it, they wanted to translate the FAQ to their languages so they sent me emails about that, and little by little the number of FAQs increased!

GFBR: An obvious question, but where did the inspiration or idea for Candy Box come from? What did you set out to do with it, and how well do you think it ended up?

aniwey: A lot of people ask me this question – I really don’t know. I’m quite young (18 years old), too young to have played old ASCII RPG games. I guess Candy Box is just classical RPG mechanics, but shaped in an original way… I really didn’t know it would be successful and that some people would like it, I didn’t even intend to make a sequel at first!

GFBR: What was the thing that didn’t make it into the final game that disappointed you the most?

aniwey: The lolligators. Definitely the lolligators. They are kind of like alligators, but they are kind of lollipops too… and they will be in the sequel.

GFBR: From a design point of view, the constant forward motion is quite reminiscent of Line Runner-style games. Did those games lead to you choosing that style of movement, or was it something else?

aniwey: I don’t know if these games inspired me… what I wanted to do was to make a game where the player can’t really lose anything, to avoid any kind of frustration. Well, the player can lose things, of course, but he only has to wait and the things come back. I like the game like that.

GFBR: Candy Box uses many of the same mechanics you can see in Farmville-style games – waiting for bars/numbers to increase before taking actions or waiting to earn resources to buy items to unlock progress. Obviously, Candy Box doesn’t attempt to monetise these things like many other games do, but was that ever a temptation for you? Both before and after the game became so popular?

aniwey: It was never a temptation for me, really. I hate free-to-play games: I hate thinking that a player has any advantage because he paid something. It’s simple: I just never play any game like that because I can’t stand it. Also, the only thing I wanted was to make the game accessible to as many people as people possible. I see it as something I try to offer to the Internet, and that’s all. However, in the sequel I will probably add a “Donate” button (donating won’t have any influence on the game, of course), for those who want to help

GFBR: There’s a rather obvious lack of story in the game – was this always the intention?

aniwey: That was the intention. I wanted to focus on the gameplay rather than on the story. However in the sequel there will be a small background to explain some things like “what is this candy box after all?”)

GFBR: You’ve confirmed that there will be a sequel – have you started any serious design work on that, or is it still at the planning stage? Are you able to tell us if it will still be a browser game, using ASCII, etc?

aniwey: This is probably a very bad thing, but I never plan too much. So yes, I’m already working hard on it – the ASCII art artists I have found already did a lot of things and there’s currently about one thousand lines of code (just the beginning !). It will be, just like the current game, a free browser ASCII RPG.

GFBR: Have you introduced anyone you know who usually doesn’t play games to Candy Box?

aniwey: I’ve tried to introduce the game to my parents – they didn’t like the waiting time you have to suffer when beginning the game, so they quit the tab. I guess the game is maybe made for people who already know how RPGs work…it may be too strange otherwise…I don’t know.

So, huge thanks to aniwey for taking the time to answer our questions. If you haven’t checked out Candy Box yet, folks, then I suggest you do so now. But please remember that Giant Fire Breathing Robot accepts no responsibility for deadlines missed, appointments forgotten or relationships ruined.

Follow Craig on Twitter, @d20shapedheart or email him at craig@gfbrobot.com

Image via geekytyrant.com

Game of Thrones – The Climb

Jim: Three seasons in and Thrones producers and writers seemed to have finally mastered the balancing act of managing so many plot threads at once. It’s been a combination of staying away from storylines for an episode or two at a time (Dany got a super brief scene towards the end of the previous episode and nothing this week) and having established characters enough to have them dominate an episode with only a scene. Peter “Littlefinger” Baelish stood out this week with a brief scene discussing power with Varys (a conversation they’ve had before), but it’s so powerful and (combined with Joffrey’s sadism) looks far more evil than anything Littlefinger has ever done including his betrayal of Ned back in season one. As great a set piece as Jon Snow and the wildlings climbing the Wall was, it feels good that this is less of a conclusion, and more of a new starting point for him. How wonderful did it show his conflict that even if he had to kiss his wildling girlfriend, he wanted to show her his side of the world first.

Doctor Who – The Crimson Horror

Billy: Where the hell do I start with this one? Might as well get the good out of the way first: Strax is awesome. I admit it, I love that cranky Sontaran nursemaid and his disappointment about the carriage being led astray by his horse was the highlight of the episode. “Horse! You have failed in your mission! We are lost…do you have any final words before your summary execution?” Of course episode writer Mark Gatiss wasn’t content to leave the joke there–instead we were then treated to a kid named ThomasThomas who gave the Sontaran directions…GPS directions. Let’s forget for a minute that TomTom GPS’s haven’t been relevant in about five years (except, I guess, as a punchline due to TomTom being responsible for iOS Maps data), it was just a HORRIBLE joke. It was emblematic of the problems surrounding this episode. Was it a monster story? A madcap adventure? A historical epic? A mystery? A comedic romp? Well, it was a little bit of everything that never really congealed into a cohesive whole. There are just too many things that went wrong with this episode, but I’ll point out two of the most egregious: 1. Clara, you remember her, right? She’s the new companion who’s only really starred in six previous episodes. Yeah, she spends roughly 60% of her seventh episode frozen under glass. Bravo. 2. So, Clara’s young wards that she nannies (BTW, she’s a terrible nanny if she jaunts off with the Doctor all the time) have found pictures of Clara and the Doctor throughout time! Now they are blackmailing her into traveling with the Doctor. Yay… On the latest episode of Pyro’s Screening Room I mentioned how big of a Whovian I am (seriously, I’ve cosplayed at PAX as the Eleventh Doctor), so when I say that my love for the series was strained by this episode–I’m being super-serious.

How I Met Your Mother – Something Blue

Jim: Once one of my favorite comedies on television, HIMYM is one of several shows (wait there’s more coming) that I once loved and now am just sticking around for a probably unfulfilling resolution. I’m convinced the writers had enough good ideas for four or five seasons, and instead of trying to introduce the mother and make the show an ensemble comedy about Ted romancing and winning her hand, just kept dragging things out. By dragging things out the comedy has gotten broader and broader (remember when Barney was the only cartoon character?). Going down the Ted loves Robin road AGAIN is intolerable to me. This has been a plot point the writers have resolved four or five times, but keep going back to… because how could the audience stand Ted without doomed romantic entanglements or goat fights for even four or five episodes?

Billy: We’re definitely getting to the point of diminishing returns for How I Met Your Mother–a series I once considered one of my absolute favorites. Though I suppose I should commend show runners Carter and Bays for at least crafting an episode that–while not great–was at least passably funny and watchable…until the final moments. That moment, where Robin calls Ted for assistance finding a locket she buried in Central Park twenty years ago (after being rebuffed by both her father and Barney earlier) wasn’t the issue. But, when Ted arrives at the park to Robin’s surprise and begins to elucidate her on his new view of fate, it seemed as if the writers were preparing us for another round of “Ted and Robin just can’t quit each other.” If it feels like we’ve been down this road before, it’s because we have. Hell, back in December Ted had another moment of weakness before he told Robin to go to Barney. I just can’t imagine the show going back to this well, but man…I’m worried.

The Office – A.A.R.M.

Jim: Once one of my favorite comedies on television (ever heard that before?), it’s not a stretch to say The Office has been rudderless and far less interesting since the departure of Michael Scott. Andy as a branch manager effectively killed his character to the point that I cringe whenever Ed Helms face shows up. And the Jim-Pam romantic tension has failed miserably… not because they are immune to drama, but because the show never fully developed and articulated their problems. Pam’s arguments against moving to Philly (because what girl wouldn’t want to raise her family in a big, prosperous city with far more money and long term opportunity-stability with a job her husband would be passionately excited about) were never developed much beyond “I don’t want to live in Philly.” That’s a failure of the writers creating a problem and dragging it out all year just to have a big resolution for the finale. But the Pam and Jim highlights were touching… though not as wonderfully heartfelt as Jim as Dwight’s Assistant (to the) Regional Manager/insanity buffer. Why couldn’t we have had this instead of Andy???

The Simpsons – Whiskey Business

Jim: It was a surprisingly nice episode, especially building so heavily around a supporting character like Moe. After approximately 6,000 seasons, it’s nice to step away from the Family Simpson a bit more every so often. There were a few laugh-out-loud moments, the Buzz Cola Suicide Hotline playing “Suicide is Painless” got me good. That song will never not be funny. The hunchback reference tickled the funny bone of my inner literature dork. And, while the punchline was fairly obvious from the moment he got a new suit (sorry Marge, this ain’t Disney), even the more predictable moments were better than Bart’s adventures with Grandpa. That’s a pairing that rarely works unless the Hellfish Bonanza is on the line.

Billy: I agree with Jim. Not a terribly groundbreaking episode (I feel like they’ve done several variations on this exact story with Moe before), but it got me good…with nostalgia. I’ve been a Simpson’s fan for as long as The Simpson’s has been on television. When the series premiered I was Lisa Simpson’s age and when it ends it’s run, I’ll be closer to Homer Simpson. Even now, in an era where everyone decries the show as being junk, I still enjoy watching it. Whiskey Business knew how to draw me in– with references to my favorite episodes. The gang travels to Capital City accompanied by Tony Bennett’s Capital City song from the classic episode Dancin’ Homer, Moe’s Tavern is littered with pictures referencing old episodes, like the Be Sharps, Uncle Moe’s Family Feedbag, and the sublime Flaming Moe’s. The episode itself was fine, but all the callbacks to old episodes made watching this feel like I was putting on a pair of comfortable shoes — just inviting.

Image via rosebrand.com

The gang is back in Pyro’s Screening Room and this week we’re joined by Alexis, GFBR’s newest writer for the Film/TV section! We’ve got all the hot Game of Thrones and Doctor Who discussion that you expect from the Screening Room. But, that’s not all! We also discuss a new poll showing American’s feelings on spoilery trailers before we delve deep into Disney/Marvel’s latest film–Iron Man 3! And stay tuned after the end of the show for a spoiler heavy discussion of Iron Man 3′s plot!

(00:00:17 – 00:16:13) What Have We Been Up To

(00:16:20 – 00:37:52) Game of Thrones

(00:37:52 – 00:54:57) Doctor Who

(00:54:57 – 01:05:31) Do Trailers Spoil Everything?

(01:05:31 – 01:26:10) Iron Man 3 Spoiler Free Discussion

(01:27:18 – 01:53:04) Iron Man 3 Spoiler Talk

As always, if you have a comment or question for Pyro’s Screening Room you can leave a comment below or email us at bill@gfbrobot.com.

Well, the little video games podcast that could is rapidly approaching double digits. We’ve been rather light on really good news over the past fortnight, so Andrew, Levi and I pretty much just spend this podcast chatting about what we’ve all been playing lately.

That’s not to say we didn’t find time to squeeze some news in. Topics you may find in this podcast include, but are not limited to the following:

• The fantastic indie-developed heist game, Monaco
• The fiendishly addictive browser-RPG, Candy Box
• Why we all love Greenheart Games for their anti-piracy measures
• Some de-rigueur speculation about what we’ll see from Microsoft at their next-gen Xbox event on May 21st

As always, if you want to comment on the podcast, you can use the form below, or you can email me directly via craig@gfbrobot.com. If Twitter is your thing, you can find me @d20shapedheart, while Levi is on @bigGUNSfowler and Andrew is @atgrys.

Also! If you’re a dedicated fan, you can listen all the way to the end for a little bonus section we thought you’d enjoy. Or you could just skip right there, if you wanted to cheat.

Image via health.more4kids.info

Even though I play and enjoy a lot of games, there are some genres I tend to avoid. I stay away from miniature combat (even though I’m intrigued by the cool looking terrain). I avoid wargames as they seem to require too much homework before I get to enjoy them. Even within the typical euro/ameritrash divide I tend to avoid one in particular: train games.

It’s not that I have anything against trains, though I’m not enamored with the theme. It’s just that train games tend to focus on two mechanics in particular: route building and stock manipulation. And, I’m just not super keen on either of them. Give me worker placement. Give me auctions. Give me role selection or bluffing. But elgh to stocks.

That said, there has been a big buzz in my game group the last several months about 18xx. 18xx is a series of hefty train games where players represent investors and they buy stock in various railroad companies. Then, each round the companies get to operate by laying track or buying trains with the largest shareholder making all the calls. Dividends can then be paid out to all shareholders. A player may heavily invest in one company, but typically will own stock in several.

At first, I was horrified. Train games are not my passion. Not in the least. In fact, it’s hard for me to think of a worse time gaming than 18xx. But, you know what, everyone else in my group loves it, and we typically have fairly similar and open tastes. And, truth be told, I’ve never played an 18xx title.

The closest I’ve come is Steam (which I didn’t enjoy). But, then I think about my first couple plays of Puerto Rico. I hated that game at first. But after giving it a second (and third) chance, I really started to enjoy it. Maybe its the same with train games. It certainly couldn’t hurt that I’ll be playing with some enthusiastic players.

My opponents have selected 1846 as the title most likely to lead to my enjoyment. And, with cautious optimism, I’ve committed to playing it. So, next week should have a full report on a first play in the 18xx series. Hopefully, it will go much better than I expect it to.

Image via geekrest.com

Iron Man was always sort of a longshot for Marvel. Look, we comic book readers might know who Tony Stark is–but prior to the release of 2008′s Iron Man, the concern was that the character was too fringe to draw in the crowds. We know how that played out: Iron Man was a huge financial and critical success that paved the way for the Disney acquisition of Marvel and The Avengers film. Tony Stark is a household name and Iron Man is a bonafide franchise success. But Iron Man 2 divided audiences, and The Avengers set a high bar for future Marvel films. The concern for Iron Man 3 wasn’t whether Tony Stark was too fringe, but whether the series and its new creative team could capture the same lightning in a bottle as before. The good news? Iron Man 3 handily bests the first two films in the franchise but perhaps isn’t able to reach the lofty heights of Joss Whedon’s sublime Avengers.

Iron Man 3 takes place some indeterminate amount of time following the Chitauri attack on Manhattan. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) has returned to L.A. to focus on perfecting his Iron Man suits. Pepper Potts (Gwynth Paltrow) runs Stark Industries while Tony has pulled back from the world at large–a world that’s now being terrorized by the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley), a terrorist who routinely hijacks the world’s television signals to broadcast his demands.

Scientist-industrialist Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) tries to convince Pepper to work with his company, and Stark security head Happy Hogan (previous series director Jon Favreau) gets swept into a mysterious attack that may or may not be linked to the Mandarin forcing Tony to once again take up the mantle of Iron Man to protect those he loves.

One of the things that separates Iron Man 3 from its predecessors is the amount of gravitas that it provides the character. Iron Man 3 is never content with aping the previous films and it–with the exception of Stark’s bombastic character–never feels very showy. The previous films were filled with parties, conventions, weapon demonstrations–pomp and circumstance. The script for Iron Man 3 (adapted from Warren Ellis’s Extremis arc by director Shane Black and Drew Pearce) never has Stark parading around with bikini models or prancing around in front of camera crews in suit. Stark is serious and scarred from the New York Incident.

That’s not to say that Stark’s trademark wit doesn’t shine through; he can be funny when the script calls for it. But the important distinction here is that Iron Man 3 is more serious and contemplative with its characters. Because of this, it loses some of the fun of its predecessors. Seeing Tony Stark experience a full-blown panic attack (and as someone who has panic attacks, it was refreshing to see the experience handled in a realistic manner) isn’t fun– and it’s not meant to be fun. It’s great to see an Iron Man flick with the pathos of a Spider-Man or Dark Knight, and while we’ll probably never see Stark grapple with his alcoholism like the comics, but this Stark–more human and fragile–easily suffices.

At the same time, some of the fun of the Iron Man franchise is definitely lost. This film is just not as lively or playful as Iron Man or The Avengers. That’s not to say that it’s a joyless affair (there are ample laughs, including Stark teaming up with a kid–trust me, it’s not as bad as it sounds) it’s simply more somber than the previous films. Not to mention that Stark spends a lot of time outside the suit (even spending several action set pieces in his civvies), and while this is necessary from a narrative place (Stark coming to terms with his mortality and his limits is fertile ground for this series to plow), it’s probably not something many people were expecting from an Iron Man film.

The action set-pieces are suitably thrilling. With CGI that doesn’t look bad–though still a bit cartoonish–Shane Black ping-pongs Stark across the country leaving a wake of broken scenery and bad guys. Black, still a relative amateur with regards to directing (the 2005 Downey Jr film Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is his only previous directing gig) but the he handles the action deftly. Fast paced moments are easy to see, and blocked out fantastically. Standouts include the final action sequence and a high-flying rescue sequence that literally made me sick to my stomach because of altitude.

Combine Stark’s more personal story with an interesting–if slightly undeveloped–set of villains, a couple of really rad plot twists (Which weren’t spoiled in the trailers! Imagine that!), and some fantastic action set-pieces and you’ve got the makings of a really great popcorn flick. The film’s conclusion is perhaps a bit rushed, with some huge developments that are glossed over with a pithy voice-over, but it’s a small issue in an otherwise engaging film. While it’s not the best that Marvel has produced, Iron Man 3 should wash away any bad taste left from Iron Man 2 and is a tremendous start to the summer movie season.

image via ifanboy.com

For a very disappointing series so far, Morbius: The Living Vampire #4 finally showed a glimmer of hope for the comic it could become.

But only a glimmer.

This is still not a great comic by any measure, but I think I can see some the light at the end of the tunnel (hopefully).

There is a healthy dose of bad characterisation and backtracking in Morbius: The Living Vampire #4.

All of a sudden, the villain of the piece, Noah St. Germain (a.k.a. Dave Brill), was a good guy all along, and with him on the brink of death there’s no one left to protect Brownsville. I’d call bullshit on this except that hopefully, with Noah’s death, Morbius will finally find some direction and purpose defending Brownsville and protecting its people.

Also, suddenly Henry’s mom, Wanda is a capable fighter with the strength and skill to break the wrist of a gun-wielding thug over twice her size. There’s been no indication that Wanda has that sort of know-how in the previous issues, but again, I’ll let that go due to my unbridled hope for the future.

Oh and ninjas. All of a sudden Noah’s base of operations is invaded with ninjas. The newest contender to want to take over Brownsville plans to… oh, I just don’t know.

The majority of the issue is a silly argument where Morbius and Rochelle both seem to completely change their minds in the middle of wrestling for her phone.

The art by Richard Elson is good. It’s always been pretty good, but it’s not enough to save this comic.

I’ve made up my mind to give Morbius: The Living Vampire til the end of this story arc to win me over. So, my understanding is that Marvel has two more issues to give Morbius the character and the comic, direction and purpose.

This isn’t a good comic, but I’ll keep reading it for a while so you don’t have to. I’ll let you know if it gets to where it should be.

Hear that Marvel? Don’t let me down.

80′s style Alien stomping! (Image via Ares Games)

• Ares Games, publishers of one of my favorite games, War of the Ring, has kickstarted a new game: Galaxy Defenders. It looks to be a squad-based tactical combat game where players will battle deadly aliens. The game comes chock-full of detailed minis and offers a modular board and inventory system. Check it out and watch the project as it continues to smash through stretch goals!

A new Spell Tome for Mage Wars, full of all new spells and an alternate Beastmaster/Priest combo! (Image via Arcane Wonders)

• Arcane Wonders has announced a new spell tome hitting the Origins fair on June 12th. The Conquest of KumanJaro includes alternative Beastmaster and Priest mages. In addition to being the opposite gender from the existing mages, these new cards will give players new abilities. For example, the new beastmaster (beastmistress? ) has the Fast trait and bonuses to ranged combat. The new Priest can enchant his creatures with a Holy Avenger status. New characters, tokens for old and new states, new cards, and tons of new spells – I’m looking forward to this one!

• The long awaited Second Summoners for Plaid Hat Games’ Summoner Wars are hitting stores soon. I’ve got my set already, and they are absolutely amazing to play with. Look forward to a full review soon, but I’ll just say that if you’re a Summoner Wars fan, check these out! If you had to pick only one to start with though, I might start with Frick, the Cave Goblin. Check out Plaid Hat Game’s site for all the info on these new guys.

• Andrew Park’s Canterbury has hit Kickstarter. This one looks to combine city building and interesting euro mechanics. The game has zero luck and is all about optimal placement and options. It looks really interesting and who doesn’t love building cities! Check it out here!

Image via Naughty Dog

I hope you’re not eating while reading this.

I think we can all agree that the Cordyceps fungus is really quite gross. A fungus which infects its host with (at first) no outward signs, takes control of the body, and eventually grows from the inside out; consuming the host and making sure the body is left in an obvious location so the cycle of infection continues.

Fortunately it affects insects only – mainly ants. But, what would happen if it jumped species and infected humans?

That’s the premise behind The Last of Us, and a new dev diary shows us some of the thinking that has gone into creating and designing these enemies.

It’s a good point to remember that your fellow uninfected humans in the game will be just as, if not more, dangerous than the infected. If we’re honest with ourselves, I don’t think it would take a civilisation destroying plague for a lot of people to go all Lord of the Flies, would it?

Developed by Naughty Dog, creators of the Uncharted series, The Last of Us will be released on June 14th, exclusively on PlayStation 3.

Follow Craig on Twitter, @d20shapedheart or email him at craig@gfbrobot.com

Image via Supergiant Games

Bastion, winner of a squillion game-of-the-year awards and quite possibly the greatest indie game in this or any other dimension ever, is currently available for the measly sum of $0.69 or £0.99 on the iTunes App Store. It’s a limited time offer, and I can’t seem to find out how long it will last, so you should really move quickly.

You can grab it for next to nothing – literally pennies. I have that much change sitting on the dashboard of my car right now. Just in case you’ve forgotten, Bastion was developed by Supergiant Games and released in 2001. It won our Game of the Year competition for that year, and has the second-best soundtrack ever created for a video game.

Journey still has the best, FYI.

You need this game in your life. If you haven’t bought it on another format yet, now’s the time to do so. Even if you have, you should buy it now on general principle.

If you like, I’ll personally come round your house and not only buy it for you, but I’ll nail you to the seat and force you to play it. Careful though, that’s an all or nothing deal.

Follow Craig on Twitter, @d20shapedheart or email him, craig@gfbrobot.com

Image via comicbookmovie.com

I’m a fan of Mark Millar. He has been my favourite writer in the comic book industry for well over a decade. I’ve especially loved his creator-owned work.

So, it was with no hesitation at all that I grabbed the first issue of Jupiter’s Legacy.

Jupiter’s Legacy tells the tale of a new breed of superhero – the type that most other publishers won’t touch with a ten-foot-pole – the rebellious children of the world’s A-Listers.

Admittedly, both Marvel and DC have dabbled in this territory, but it hasn’t never really been the focus.

Here Millar (with help in the form of art by mega-talented Frank Quitely) brings his no-holds-barred style to the children of the Superman-esque Utopian.

What works: Millar and Quitely set up a fully fleshed out universe where superheroes and villains battle everyday.

The world of Jupiter’s Children has been really well thought-out, from the origin of superheroes to the modern day super-celebrity.

Although this in the first issue, it truly feels like superhero stories have been told in this world for many decades.

It’s in this world that we’re introduced to the protagonists: Brandon and Chloe Sampson, the modern day equivalent of Paris Hilton or the Kardashians.

Which leads us to what doesn’t work: I like my comics full of flawed characters and imperfect (super) human beings; this is what Millar usually excels at. But in Jupiter’s Legacy #1 there isn’t a single character that isn’t some kind of self-entitled jerk, arrogant asshole, or super-moron. Just like the Kardashians, I don’t sympathise with a single character.

And, I know that’s the point here, but it makes it very hard to have the reader want to know more when no one seems to have any kind of redeeming characteristics.

Now, I know Millar’s work enough to know that I need to come back next month. I know he has big things planned for these tweens. The man doesn’t think small.

All in all this is a beautiful comic that introduces us to a rich world in which the the adventures can unfold.

Not the best of Millar’s work in my opinion, but I’ve sat through worse with hopes of things getting better.

With Jupiter’s Legacy, I know he’ll deliver, even if the first issue is a bit of a slow start.

After releasing their first game, Game Dev Tycoon, they uploaded a torrent of their own game. After having some friends help seed the torrent, within a minute it was already being downloaded and their upload speed was quickly maxed. After just one day, there were 214 genuine users (users that bought the game) while there were 3104 cracked versions out in the wild. That is less than 7% of the consumer base being genuine users for a game that only costs $7.99 here in the United States. This is simply astounding, but not really that surprising with the understanding they released the cracked version themselves. This leads to the important question: why?

Well, you see, there is one little caveat that makes this story interesting instead of depressing. The cracked version of Game Dev Tycoon has a special bit of code that, upon detecting it is an illegal copy, will start pirating the in-game projects players are developing. Once this happens, the players keep losing more and more money until they eventually fall into bankruptcy. This has a weird sense of metanarrative mimicking the exact situation Greenheart Games is facing. The developers had not yet taken a salary despite having invested over a year into the development of Game Dev Tycoon, only to find less than 7% of their player base actually bought their game. What really makes this such a fascinating experiment are the responses Greenheart Games have been receiving.

Image via

How about this one?

Image via Greenheartgames.com.

These people, who pirated Game Dev Tycoon in the first place, are now upset that their games are being pirated. Oh glorious irony, how I love thee. Even better, the second response specifically mentions DRM and if there is a way to stop the rampant piracy ruining their in-game company. This just really goes to show the plight developers are facing when they lose money to pirates and the frustration they must feel towards it. Greenheart Games had a unique situation in that they could make this sort of joke because their game simulates what it is like to be a game developer. This is an absolutely brilliant move because not only does this act as a means for Greenheart Games to persuade pirates to buy their game, it lets pirates experience the consequences of their actions and they will (hopefully) start buying games and supporting the developers that make the games we want to play. In the era of obtrusive DRM such as the always online requirement in games such as Diablo 3 and SimCity, this is a refreshing breath of air. Thank you, Greenheart Games, for taking this risk and sharing this story and I wish you the best of luck.

This week saw the Brass train continue to roll forward with the Eighth play in the Brass 20 Challenge. But, it wasn’t all about old games. I also got in a first play of Taj Mahal. Yes, the publication date of 2000 means that it is technically an older title. But it was my first play and new to me.

Brass. The interesting part of the Challenge is how much I’m learning from play to play. There’s a lot to this game, and as I learned last week, turn order is a critical mini-game that I must master. In this play, my game was off from the very beginning.

I had a hand full of port cards and was ready to try a strong port strategy again. I ended up randomly assigned to number three in the turn order. First player developed cotton. The second player developed his ports – a declaration that he, too, would follow the port strategy. That left me in a pickle. So far, every time there have been two port players, they’ve gotten in each other’s way and ended up costing one another points. So, even though I had a good port hand, I felt like if I went ports, that would be a losing strategy right off the bat. So, I built coal to buy myself some time.

Unfortunately, my game spiraled out of control from there. With no coherent strategy, I did what was best for me on any given turn. While I got down two shipyards, and eventually put some good points on the board (I finished just two or three points behind that port player), it was clear that I wouldn’t be in serious contention for the victory.

Afterward, we had some discussion about the viability of two port players. We counted spots on the board and the consensus seems to be that the game can support two port players just as easily as two mill players. I remain a little skeptical, but in a future play, I’ll endeavor to find out. The next time I get a hand for ports, I won’t be deterred by someone else developing ports before me. I’ll take it as a challenge.

Image via BGG User samoan_jo

Taj Mahal. Published in 2000, Taj Mahal is all about auctions. Over the course of 12 provinces, players vie for the favor of five different individuals plus the right to trade in the region. The game is about both knowing when and where to compete and also taking advantage of the geometric scoring. Getting one tea, that’s one point. But, the second tea is worth two points, the third worth three, and so on. So once you find you niche, it’s important to win those items.

In our four player game, we had one player so far in the lead that it would seem he was traveling at ludicrous speed. The remaining three of us were fairly close together. The auctions were interesting because players could throw down various cards to essentially announce which individuals they were competing for. Additionally, it gave opponents an idea of what possible areas they might be willing to challenge. Once two players competed on a single item, it was almost a game of chicken. How many cards were they willing to risk and lose for this one victory? Card recovery is slow and uneasy in Taj Mahal.

Overall, I enjoyed the experience and would certainly play again. I think the title shows its age a bit, in that it feels significantly more random than other auction games. After all, gaining cards is largely (though not completely) determined by luck. Not just for you, but also your opponents. So, if you and the guy to your left both draw a lot of orange monk cards, then there may be a bitter competition that would otherwise have been avoided.

Also Played. For Sale.

The biggest advantage Blood Dragon has over traditional DLC is that it is a standalone title. So, anyone who missed out on Far Cry 3, a great game in its own regard, can still enjoy the absolute absurdity that Blood Dragon offers. Players take control of the totally righteous Sergeant Rex Power Colt, a Mark IV Cyber Commando, in the aftermath of the second apocalypse and Vietnam War 2 to battle against the Omega Force.

In short, the game is totally rad, bitchin’, wicked, and any other 80s slang you can think of (I’m done, I promise). Ubisoft fully embraces the 80s vibe as Rex is voiced by Michael freakin’ Biehn. Kyle Reese himself provided some great and completely over-the-top lines in the raspiest action hero voice I can recall. If nothing else, I can say about Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is that it is stupid, so incredibly stupid, but in the best way possible.

Mk IV Cyber Commando Sergeant Rex Power Colt, at your service.

Visually, Blood Dragon is bleak when compared to the vibrant jungle and bright blue skies Far Cry 3 offered with the exception of an apparent detonation of a glow stick factory to provide every shade of neon in the otherwise dreary landscape. With a lightning storm eternally raging overhead, there is nothing that relieves the oppressiveness of the atmosphere. Even when assaulting the garrisons of the Omega Force, the narrow hallways, fluorescent lighting, and low ceilings only make the game feel even more claustrophobic. At first, it was a nice change of pace, but after a while I just wanted some relief. I understand it is the post-apocalypse of the post-apocalypse, something to break up the atmosphere would have been appreciated because after a while I was longing for the more vibrant environment of Far Cry 3.

This is how you do it, right?

Speaking of which, all of the core systems from Far Cry 3 have remained in Blood Dragon. The leveling system has switched from talent points being applied to a multi-tied talent tree to a passive system where Rex gains abilities as he levels. Also, there is no more need to farm leather from the wildlife of Far Cry 3, as the weapon attachments are now unlocked by completing side quests. These simple changes do wonders for streamlining Blood Dragon.

Based on the over-the-top action hero status of Rex Power Colt and the weapons like the “Fazertron” or the “Kobracon,” allocating talent points and collecting cyber-cassowary feathers would have felt rather out of character. Rex certainly is much more powerful than Jason Brody was in the beginning of Far Cry 3, which is perfectly natural considering he is a Mark VI Cyber Commando, but this leads to the levels feeling rather pitiful. After gaining 30 levels through my gameplay, the extra health bars feel like the biggest improvement, which isn’t saying much.

Remember, the Fazertron does not fire Honey Badgers.

Garrisons are Blood Dragon’s equivalent to Far Cry 3’s outposts and are still the most fun objectives to accomplish. There is a rather fun new approach to clearing out a garrison though. The eponymous Blood Dragons, essentially mutated gila monsters which shoot lasers out of their mouth, can be unleashed upon a garrison after you take out the surrounding force field. It is rather entertaining to watch, to be sure, but more often than not I found myself reverting to the same old tactic of sneaking in, getting spotted, then murdering everything in sight.

Enter the Blood Dragon.

The story is portrayed through 16-bit style slides which would be perfectly at home on the SNES, and the story has plenty of references ranging from Die Hard to The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The one-off jokes provide the majority of my entertainment, but after a while, the repetitive one-liners Rex throws out on a near constant basis does become somewhat grating. Considering the game is only a few hours long, it doesn’t become too much of an issue overall. Without spoiling anything, the plot is pretty much the same as any 80s era direct-to-VHS sci-fi movie, so just let your imagination run wild with that.

All-in-all, Blood Dragon is an excellent, albeit unusual, continuation of Far Cry 3. These self-contained downloadable games, like Red Dead Redemption’s Undead Nightmare or Infamous’s Festival of Blood, are my favorite implementation of DLC because it allows publishers and developers to create crazy and unique experiences like this while using the systems already developed in their full-fledged titles. For the $15 price tag, there is around four hours worth of campaign, and several more hours of play depending on how many VHS tapes or televisions you collect and side missions you choose to complete. By no means is Blood Dragon a perfect game, the combination of its low price point, the solid mechanics, and the hilarity of it all makes it very hard not to recommend this.

Image via talkingcomicbooks.com

Written by Nick Spencer with art by Joe Eisma and a beautiful cover by Rodin Esquejo, Morning Glories #26 has been spruiked as a perfect jumping on point for readers. I personally was attracted to the US$1 price tag. Probably wouldn’t have looked twice without it.

Unfortunately, the price is the only accessible part of Morning Glories #24.

I read through the comic twice and really can’t tell you who is who or what is happening.

Seriously. I don’t know who these characters are. I don’t know what their story is, and I have no idea what this comic book is about.

Morning Glories #24 has not been written with new readers in mind. I’m sure that if you’ve been following Morning Glories, it’ll all make sense, but the constant one-panel flashbacks just added confusion to someone unfamiliar with the title.

On the plus side, Joe Eisma is fantastic. His line work is solid and his characterisation and mannerisms almost leap off the page. Every single page of Morning Glories #24 is worthy of framing and displaying. It really is that beautiful.

So it’s a shame that the story is what will prevent me from trying the next issue.

A great comic creator once said that every issue is someone’s first. I just think more comic book creators and companies need to remember this. Especially when they’re trying to get new readers and telling them this is the issue they want.

Sorry Image Comics. You’ve done some good this month, but Morning Glories #24 isn’t.

Hoosiers (1986)

Netflix Instant

image via espn.go.com

Description: “High school basketball is king in small-town Indiana, and the 1954 Hickory Huskers are all hope and no talent. But their new coach, abrasive and unlikable Norman Dale, whips the team into shape … while also inciting controversy.”–Netflix

Reason to Watch: Hoosiers is one of the most well-regarded sports films of all time. A fan of sports or not, the best films of the genre are able to appeal to the core emotions in all of us, and Hoosiers is one of those few films that do. What a TV show like Friday Night Lights did for the sports genre over the last few years Hoosiers did with basketball nearly thirty years ago. An exceptionally great performance by Gene Hackman supported by the excellent Barbara Hershey and Dennis Hopper are even more reason to set aside the time to watch this film.

The Cabin in the Woods (2012)

Netflix Instant

image via vigilantcitizen.com

Description: “In this surprising spin on a classic horror setup, five friends arrive at a secluded cabin with clear instructions for their anticipated mountain getaway. But when the rigid rules are broken, punishment is swift — and everyone will pay.”–Netflix

Reason to Watch: This suggestion might be moot given the audience likely to read this post. Most, if not all, of you saw Joss Whedon’s The Cabin in the Woods in the theater. Many of you saw it more than once. Whether you haven’t seen it yet or have seen it a half dozen times already the movie is more than enjoyable enough for another look. Several installments ago I suggested watching the newest installment in the Scream franchise. The Cabin in the Woods is much like the first Scream movie, only it was created knowing that those entries already occurred. This gives the film another type of horror movie to weave into its story. At the end of the day it’s hard to go wrong with Joss Whedon.

A Royal Affair (2012)

Netflix Instant

image via janeaustenfilmclub.blogspot.com

Description: “In 18th-century Denmark, the unstable King Christian IV neglects his young queen, Mathilde, who falls in love with his German physician, Struensee, an intellectual whose advocation of reform transforms the country but brings about his own downfall.”–Netflix

Reason to Watch: This is a film that I have not seen yet because it never made it to my neck of the woods. The film stars the always great Mads Mikkelsen, who is currently knocking it out of the park on NBC’s Hannibal. The film gained quite a bit of buzz earlier this year when it was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. I’ll be showing up to watch Mikkelsen, who hasn’t let me down yet, and will stay for a story and direction that helped to earn it the Foreign Language Film Oscar nomination.

image via vampirediaries.wikia.com

Good news for fans of The Vampire Diaries as the CW announced that the show’s proposed spinoff, The Originals, would be picked up to series. This news came not long after the backdoor pilot aired to 2.2 million viewers. The CW’s Mark Pedowitz explained the network’s thinking:

As soon as we saw last night’s episode of The Vampire Diaries, we knew we wanted more of The Originals. Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson have done a fantastic job with The Vampire Diaries, which is as fast-paced and well-written as ever, and Julie has created an equally compelling world for The Originals.

I’ve been covering news for The Originals here on GFBRobot since the spinoff was first proposed. Suffice it to say I’m happy for the series and the expansion of a universe that I really like spending time in.

The pickup of The Originals was joined by an announcement that the network renewed Beauty and the Beast as well as Heart of Dixie. These shows join the previously renewed Vampire Diaries, Arrow, and Supernatural. Word on Nikita and The Carrie Diaries is still unknown as of this writing.

I’m scaling Mount Goblin for the umpteenth time, armed with a Diamond sword encrusted with candies. All the while, I keep a watchful eye on my lollipop farm and wait for my candy supply to build up, so I can buy enough health potions to survive a battle through the underwater cave. I can make it past the fish, the eels, and even his octopi bodyguards, but I just don’t have enough health to outlast the whale at the end of the cavern.

The amount of candies I get as a reward for clearing Mount Goblin isn’t exactly astronomical, but every little helps at this stage. I need to kill the whale, you see, because I need his map to the anvil so I can upgrade my sword. Before I do that, though, I need to save up 30 lollipops to crush into powder so I can polish it and make it more powerful. Then I can melt the chocolate to enhance it even further, and then I can use the anvil. I received the chocolate from the frog in the Swampy Swamp as a reward for answering all of his riddles correctly.

No, not a missing verse from Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds, or a tormented fever dream from the time I had the PAX Pox, but just a fragment of the time I’ve spent playing Candy Box, an ASCII-art RPG that runs on its own webpage, and will almost certainly take over your life (or at least your afternoon) if you let it.

You start out with the ability to do nothing other than watch the amount of candies you own increase slowly, eat said candies, or throw them on the ground in groups of ten. Once you’ve saved up a certain amount of candies (and I won’t tell you how many) a shopkeeper arrives, and offers to sell you a sword for candy. Candy Box sports many of the trappings you’d expect from a traditional RPG – you’ll set off on quests, fight monsters, loot gear, save money, and buy new weapons. Only, instead of money, it’s candy.

The whole game skirts the line between parody and loving homage, and does so very well. While there isn’t a huge amount of depth to the game, it’s a lot of fun, and well worth checking out. If you do happen to miss any deadlines because of it, you can blame Levi; he pointed it out to me.

Follow Craig on Twitter, @d20shapedheart or email him at craig@gfbrobot.com

image courtesy of Dark Horse

Art Baltazar and Franco Aureliani shot to comic book super-stardom with their Eisner Award winning Tiny Titans. Even if you don’t read it, if you’re familiar with the comic book industry, chances are you’re familiar with it. Becoming royalty in the industry, they’ve launched their own publishing house called Aw Yeah Comics.

Now, Aw Yeah has teamed up with Dark Horse to take on Mike Mignola’s Hellboy, in an all-new comics series: Itty Bitty Hellboy.

Art Baltazar seems kind of excited about the project:

Itty Bitty HELLBOY! WOW! Such awesomeness! I haven’t screamed so much AW YEAH SHOUTOUTS in all my life! It is truly an honor to be the next creative team to add to the HELLBOY saga! I have been a fan of Mike Mignola since Hellboy’s early days at Dark Horse LEGENDS! It’s true. Can’t wait! Itty Bitty has never been so HUGE! AW YEAH HELLBOY!

And the enthusiasm seems to be contagious, as Franco Aureliani exclaimed:

We get to work on HELLBOY? HELL YEAH! One of the most iconic characters in all of comics, and we get to bring our own style and story to it! Truly a dream come true! We’re big fans! Itty Bitty Hellboy is going to be a lot of fun … and we get to actually say HELL(BOY)!

Hellboy creator Mike Mignola spoke about Itty Bitty Hellboy:

Given the recent developments in Hellboy’s life—falling in love, discovering that he’s the rightful king of England, having his heart torn out and dropped into hell—this is clearly the next logical step in his evolution.

Don’t miss Itty Bitty Hellboy #1, which arrives on shelves at your local comic shop on August 28^th.

Image courtesy of Stelulu

When you’ve been a gamer for as long as I have, you see your fair share of crackpot or harebrained peripherals come and go. I remember seeing the first touchpad controller for the Sega Genesis Mega Drive and accurately predicting it would be crap. More than one young gamer was familiar with the travesty that was the Nintendo Power Glove.

So, when I first heard about the Stinky Footboard my reaction was less than enthusiastic. At least, that was until I took the time to actually look into it.

In short, the Stinky Footboard is a footrest, connected to your PC via USB, with four configurable “buttons” built in. You activate those buttons by moving your foot forward, backwards or from side to side. You can bind those buttons to any key on the keyboard, allowing you access to functions, actions, spells, items, or attacks that you might otherwise struggle to reach at the height of the action.

I’ll refrain from passing judgement on the Stinkyboard for now, as I haven’t tried it myself. It’s doing the rounds of the convention circuit just now, and it is scheduled to be at PAX Prime this year. Sadly, I won’t be there to judge for myself, so I’ll need to wait until it crosses the Pond to try it for myself.

That being said, if you wanted to take the plunge just now, the Kickstarter for Stinkyboard just hit its target. If you were quick enough to get in early, you could have grabbed one for $25. As it is, the retail versions will cost $119.

According to the Kickstarter video, the company behind Stinkyboard spent two years in R&D, so it certainly seems like a lot of thought has gone into it. That commitment apparently shows through in the finished product, because pretty much every preview and review I can find is full of praise.

At the very least, I recommend you check it out and see if you think the Stinkyboard is for you. The Kickstarter video is a little bit of a corporate feel to it, but the commitment to quality certainly seems to shine through.

Follow Craig on Twitter, @d20shapedheart or email him at craig@gfbrobot.com

image via gmazdaz.blogspot.com

Guillermo Del Toro is known in the industry as a busy man. He’s the guy who juggles a dozen projects knowing that odds are only a few of them will make it into production. With that in mind comes the news that Del Toro has added another plate to his circus act. Deadline is reporting that he has a series currently in development at HBO. The project, titled Monster, is based on an 18-volume manga series and follows, “the worldwide search by a young doctor for the most evil sociopath that has ever lived. He is a 12-year-old boy, and the doctor’s decision to save his life has unwittingly unleashed a Pandora’s Box that leaves the doc battling to stop a plot of mass genocide.”

The current plan for the project is for Del Toro to co-write the series with Steven Thompson, a writer anglophiles will know from his work on Dr. Who and Sherlock in the UK. For the pilot, Thompson is planning to write solo with Del Toro shouldering the directing duties. The project has been in development for quite some time – it was originally considered as a feature film with New Line before the studio came to the conclusion that the story was too vast for a two-hour film to contain. The standard ten hours a season HBO normally offers will give the creative types behind Monster much more room to breathe.

This week, we hone our ability to bluff and lie for Coup. And, with the Kickstarter up for just a few more days, hopefully this will help you decide whether to back the game. The Kickstarter has a lot of artwork changes, so this review concentrates on the first edition of the game.

The Basics. Coup is for three to six players and has a deck of fifteen cards. Each card represents one of five roles: Ambassador, Captain, Assassin, Contessa, or Duke. With fifteen cards, each role is represented three times. At the start of the game, each player gets two cards at random and two coins.

Cards are kept face down so that no one else knows the true identity. Then, on their turn, a player can take an action. Players all have various actions available to them. Taking income or claiming foreign aid can be done no matter which cards the player has. But, some actions rely on having influence with the right individuals. For example, a player can tax (and collect three coins), but only if he has a Duke card.

The player aids can be very helpful

Well, only if he claims to have a Duke card. Since no one knows who has what cards, the other players can’t be sure whether a player has that Duke or not. So, the other players only have two options: either don’t challenge it and let him have his tax, or challenge it and prove that he does not have a Duke. If the challenger is right, the challenged player loses one of their two cards. If the challenger is wrong, the challenger loses one of their two face up cards and the challenged player draws a new card to replace his exposed Duke. The face up card is revealed, but out of the game.

Play continues until there is only one player left in the game. Last man standing is the victor.

The Duke will take three coins from the bank

The Feel. The game is about bluffing and deception. Generally, especially with larger player counts (or new players), the early game starts fairly cordial. No one is willing to challenge any claims because you can get by without lying. But as the game heats up, things take a different turn.

Once a player has seven coins, they can implement a “coup” as their action. A coup kills one of the other players’ cards and a coup action is entirely unblockable. So, once players get to five or six coins, suddenly the attacks come out. Assassins try to attack players with money and Captains start extorting. The question: are those players trying to extort just to prevent a coup, or do they really have the card? Suddenly, calling them out becomes almost like a game of chicken.

The captain takes two coins from another player

Layered on top of these actions are the characters that can block. Captains and Ambassadors can block extortion. The Contessa can block an assassination. Even the Duke can block another player’s attempt to acquire foreign aide. So, a player extorts his opponent, but that opponent says, “I don’t doubt that you have a Captain, good sir, but I have an Ambassador who blocks your extortion attempt.” Now the onus is back on the first player. Does he challenge his opponent’s claim to have an Ambassador, or does he leave it alone and let it be the next person’s turn?

The Ambassador can also draw cards

Coup is filled with a number of interesting decisions in this vein. And, better yet, it doesn’t overstay its welcome at all. Even with six players, Coup rarely lasts longer than about fifteen minutes. The short play time also makes the player elimination a lot less obnoxious. While I find player elimination uniformly distasteful, it isn’t that huge of a deal here because players tend to sit out for less than five minutes as the game reaches its conclusion.

Now, there have been several comparisons of this game with Love Letter. However, I find the comparison very superficial. Yes, they are both card games and they are both quick. Each game has some element of bluffing (though the focus is very different). But other than that, it’s hard to see much in the way of overlap. In fact, I love having both in my collection. Love Letter works on all levels and I’ve found adherents even among family and non-gamers. By contrast, Coup performs much better with a group of gamers. For gamers, the experience may be slightly superior, but it definitely lacks the traction with casuals and non-gamers.

Only got three coins? Assassination is cheaper than a Coup

Components: 3.5 of 5. (Note: this refers to the first printing). The artwork on the card is great and the player aids are a big help to new players. However, the remainder of the components are average at best. The coins are simple plastic discs without further fanfare. And the cards themselves require consistent and definite shuffling, yet are an odd size. While sleeves are available, options are more limited. And, while I haven’t had any wear in my cards thus far, it’s only a matter of time given the shuffling involved.

Strategy/Luck Balance: 3.5 of 5. It would be wrong to say that luck is absent from this game. In fact, in a significant minority of games, it can be very determinative. Sometimes, a player gets dealt all the right cards so that they rarely or never have to bluff. That can be a problem for opponents that want to challenge him. However, that gets paired with a good deal of strategy. Who can you read? Who is lying? And how good are you at bluffing? Plus, sometimes there are simply better strategic moves. You want to keep your competition from getting that seven coin threshhold so they can’t coup you. And it’s important to claim the right role at the right time – regardless of whether or not you have the actual card.

Mechanics: 4.5 of 5. Coup is a wonderful in the mechanics department. It’s easy to grasp after a round or two, but the complexities keep the game alive for many plays. Plus, the game ensures that there will only be one winner. The coup action allows unblockable elimination and the game forces players to coup once they have 10 or more coins. The only negative here is the player elimination. Although, frankly, it would be hard to achieve the same tension and effect if a player was not eliminated on misreading his opponents.

Replayability: 5 of 5. Coup is wonderfully replayable. Not just because you might be dealt different cards each game. Instead, the replayability comes from your ability to read and react to your opponents. So, as long as you find the people you game with interesting, you should get an enjoyable time from coup. Plus, it’s short playtime facilitates repeat play – even in the same night.

Spite: 2 of 5. Players directly attempt to eliminate each other, so why the (relatively) low spite rating? Well, in Coup there are direct attacks, sure, but none of the attacks really hurt opponents without also benefiting you. That’s the definition of spite here. Still, there are opportunities to pick on one player and sometimes it’s best to eliminate someone with one card rather than drop a player with two cards down to one. So potential for hurt feelings is there, but there are no significant actions that are solely to harm an opponent.

You can’t kill me. I’m too pretty to be assassinated!

Overall: 5 of 5. Coup is a fabulous game – and one that is easy to replay. Bluffing, deception, and misdirection are the hallmarks. In fact, some of my favorite moves are drawing people in and getting them to challenge me when they shouldn’t. For example, I’ll allow someone to extort me and then, when the next player does it, block it with my Ambassador. They’ll challenge (since I didn’t use this alleged ambassador on the last extortion) only to find that I really have one. Coup practically oozes opportunities for clever play and successful bluffs feel quite delicious.

image via waywardraven.com

Over at Wayward Raven Media, they are strong believers that one day is just not enough to enjoy free comics. Well, they’re putting their money where their mouths are and that’s why Wayward Raven Media is giving away one of their flagship books, The Ascendant issue #1 digitally for free from Friday 3rd of May until noon on Monday the 6th May!

What’s The Ascendant? Well, I’m glad you asked … take a healthy dose of demons plus one ancient conjurer and sprinkle with epic battles in Rome (including one at the Coliseum itself), and then you have an idea what The Ascendant is all about.

Cali is a Duke of Hell who has had a change of heart and now dedicates himself to vanquishing the evil he once ruled. He must deal with both personal and literal Demons on his way to redemption as a great threat stirs in the fiery pit.

Sound like your kind of thing? Well, download a digital copy of The Ascendant #1 all weekend long! If you like the first issue, The Ascendant #2 is now available at the Wayward Raven Media website along with other comics, prose and the webcomic Damn Heroes.

To keep in the loop with Wayward Raven Media you can follow them on Twitter or “Like” them on Facebook.

Image via Celebquote.com

Just about everyone I’ve ever spoken to on the subject has strong feelings on the subject of the “Bayformers.” But let’s put those feelings aside for a moment, shall we? If your answer is “NONONONO“, that’s ok. Don’t see Pain & Gain. But for the rest of us, maybe you’re willing to see what Michael Bay means when he says to The Daily Beast that he wants to go “back to my roots,” do a “low-budget” film, and “take risks.”

I was very curious to see the product of Micahel Bay’s infinite humility, and I purposefully avoided (as much as possible) any marketing media related to this move so that I could go in as cold as possible. I’ve often been told by filmmakers, ones that are ballsy enough to be honest about the matter, that Michael Bay is actually a very good director if you set the standards of success to be reception from the general public. Although this is a hard pill to swallow, I also understand that he is a very attentive and relentless director who handles almost every aspect of his set. Crappy as I may personally think his recent movies to be, I can respect that kind of dedication and I know that it makes for a good working set.

And though many will readily discount Bay because of his excesses, composer Steve Jablonsky is very appreciative of Bay and the “huge stage” that he is granted as a musician, he remarks in the Huffington Post. If you think you’ve heard the name of Steve Jablonsky, it’s probably because you have. He’s not exactly the name on everyone’s lips, but he has done wonders for the soundtracks of many major motion pictures and video games – the most successfully implemented of which I believe to be Gears of War 2,3 and Judgement. Well, he surely delivers a soundtrack to admire in P&G, and I strongly urge you to keep your ears as open as your eyes for the “electronic-tinged score changes throughout the film as the moods shift: one track sounds like something John Carpenter would have used in Escape from New York, another has to seamlessly tie into Bon Jovi’s “Blaze of Glory.” (Huffpost again).

I enjoyed this film a great deal, and I’d like to add that I didn’t expect to. The acting was damn fine; thank you Mr. Marky Mark and the inimitable THE ROCK. And, I would certainly not envy the man who has to stand up to the performances of these two (and please take this very literally) power houses, but Anthony Mackie makes it look easy! There was some really nice stunt work by all involved, but nothing quite topped the stunt that Mr. Wahlberg pulls off in the first 5 minutes of the film that had 5 people simultaneously say aloud in the theater that I was in, “Nice stunt!”.

And certainly worth mentioning is the masterful camera work that is employed in this film. Sometimes the gimmick is unmistakable and completely obvious, like when the camera circles around and around multi-layered action, passing through walls and racks in windows in a manner very reminiscent of the shoot-out scene of Bay’s own Bad Boys 2 (a classic I have not yet had the pleasure of viewing, a situation I will be rectifying very soon). Good, but not subtle. But other times, the camera moves in a manner that usually only a professional filmmaker would recognize as difficult and nearly impossible, and yet it adds grace to the conveyance of feeling of a scene in a way that I thought Bay incapable of.

Well, boys and girls, all this is to say that I hope you’ll give P&G a chance, because it truly is one of the best movies I’ve seen this year. Also, in my personal opinion, it’s a glimpse into the psyche of Michael Bay, and also a further inspection of his somewhat sociopathic views on women. And if I haven’t convinced you yet, maybe this will help: some of the funniest use of sex toys in a non-pornographic movie that I’ve ever seen!

I’ll leave you with this gem of a quote from Michael Bay, an excerpt from the article in The Daily Beast, to illustrate the matter:

We bought $75,000 worth of sex toys to stock the sex-toy warehouse. I could have filmed the crew coming in that day because they’d stop and see these things—anatomically correct vajayjays and this butt (everyone would touch the butt because it felt real)—and it was hysterical. We were going to return all the sex toys to get three-quarters of our money back, but they started disappearing. We were like, “Who is taking the sex toys?”

Image courtesy of Dark Horse

From two of the most underrated comic book creators in the industry, writer Victor Gischler and artist Juan Ferreyra, comes a new horror series: Witch Hunt.

Victor Gischler quipped:

Readers who crave a mix of horror and action will want to pick up Witch Hunt. Juan is going to murder your face with his art. I’m just so thrilled with his work, and Dark Horse is the perfect publisher for this project. So much support and enthusiasm. I can’t thank Dark Horse enough, and I can’t wait for this project to hit shelves!

Witch Hunter tells the story of Cassian Steele, boss of the werewolf mafia. Cassian has a problem: The old witch Verona, who knows his secret, has gone into hiding and Cassian wants her dead. What’s the answer? An open contract – Any monster who dusts Verona gets a big payday.

So, expect everything from werewolf mobsters, vampire maids, voodoo wizards, zombie ninjas, and even a rogue priest to try and collect the bounty.

But Barnabus Black, a demon desperately trying to regain his halo, stands between the witch and hordes of monsters.

Juan Ferreyra spoke about working with Gishler:

Victor came up with a very interesting story for me to draw. I was able to portray a varied array of weird stuff, which makes the book a really fun ride visually. So if you like werewolves, angels, demons, witches, zombies, ninjas, vampires, etc., you might find something to your liking.

Witch Hunt #1 hits comic book stores around the world on September 18th but don’t leave it until then. Get into your local store and reserve a copy now. With talent like this on a popular genre like urban fantasy/horror, it’s going to be a hit. Don’t miss out.

As I have announced in earlier news posts, Arcane Wonders brings two new mages to the arena in their new expansion – The Forcemaster and the Warlord. Both new mages bring new and very different gameplay styles. The expansion also comes with quite a few new spells to help support these new champions, and even includes a few treats for the existing mages. All in all, if you’re a fan of Mage Wars, this is a solid expansion!

With these two spells on her (Galvitar and her forcefield), the Forcemaster is an incredible force in the arena.

Let’s start off with the Forcemaster and her mastery over psychic magic. The Forcemaster is a mage designed around control of the battlefield through psychic, or force spells, and high damage prevention on herself. She has very few creatures in her starting spell book and the ones she uses are helpful for further manipulation of the battlefield. She has an innate Deflection ability which lets her get a nice dodge roll each turn for the cost of one mana, and she has a super amazing Force Pull spell built into her character card that pulls any creature one space towards her for 1 mana. Right off the bat, you can tell she’s all about control.

The Forcemaster also has some absolutely incredible ”Forcemaster only” spells that she’ll definitely want to use. She’s got a ridiculously awesome weapon, named Galvitar, which can deal 8 dice worth of damage for a full action. That’s right, she’ll quickly pull you into range and unleash a deadly attack. She’s also got an auto-regenerating Forcefield enchantment that prevents attacks automatically. What the Forcemaster lacks in creatures, she makes up for in spades in raw tanking power. She has been very deadly in our games and is a real force to be reckoned with.

The Warlord and his bodyguard Thorg. Thorg can taunt opponents at range which pulls them in and sets them up for a beatdown.

Next up, we have the Warlord. Before this expansion was released, I imagined he would be the tanky mage in the set, but he’s actually quite different. He’s all about summoning an army of strong creatures and issuing them commands that give them all great buffs. In addition, any of his creatures that kill another creature gain a coveted Veteran status which also gives them combat advantages.

He places buildings around the board that allow him to summon creatures anywhere, and he has access to some incredible creatures including the mighty Earth Elemental with it’s whopping 35 HP. 35 HP folks! That’s basically another mage!

35 health on a single creature is insane! On the downside, he’s kinda slow and requires full actions but he’s the very definition of being trapped between a rock and a hard place.

The Feel

All of my games with the Forcemaster or Warlord have been incredibly tense and exciting. The Forcemaster just has so much control over the battlefield that you really feel like she can cause massive changes to your opponents arrangements each turn and thwart their strategy. When battling against her, you have to go in realizing that she has such great manipulation and plan accordingly. For example, you know that she can pull virtually anything towards her at a great distance so the Warlord MUST stay far away from her while she’s powered up.

The Warlord on the other hand feels like a general commanding an army. And while it takes him some time to build it all up, he can really build up a formidable battalion that can overpower his foes. While he has some weaker creatures to build up rank, it’s his powerhouses that really seal the deal. His Iron Golem and Earth Elemental are devastatingly strong creatures and my foes have generally been frightened of them.

Overall, these are two great mages that showcase the new spells included in the game really well. They create new gameplay opportunities and I love using the original four mages in combination with these new guys as they change up the gameplay and strategy really well.

Components (5/5)

This expansion has one of the most jam packed boxes I’ve seen! In the box you’ll find a small rulebook that gives you a breakdown of the new mages, their starting spellbooks, and a short description of the new keywords in the game (There’s only a few! I promise!). The spellbooks are similar to the ones included in the base game but have elegant designs. The included tokens are plentiful and give you more than enough to indicate all sorts of new statuses.

Lastly, the cards in the set have incredible art on them. I’ve been consistently impressed with all of Mage Wars artwork and this expansion is no different.

The sweet sweet spellbooks of Mage Wars

Replayability (5/5)

This first expansion in Mage Wars adds a ton of new and useful spells for the showcase mages in the set. The Forcemaster spells are definitely more aligned towards her character, but they can certainly be useful for all other mages. The Warlord’s spells are easily adaptable by others. Want to make an Earth Wizard? Now you can as you’ll have plenty of Earth spells.

I love the new matchups that have been created and the ever expanding catalog of spells means now there are a lot more ways to play.

Lastly, each of the original four mages also get a “bonus” spell in this expansion that’s designed to help them out. For example, the Priestess gets a new Angel, and the Warlock gets an amazing sword that is itself a familiar!

I can’t wait to see what they continue to add to the game in the future! This summer, a new Druid and Necromancer will be released which should add undead and more nature spells to the mix.

Strategy/Luck (3.5/5)

As with the base game, it is chock full of strategy and a healthy dose of luck in the right places. Where I do have to ding the game though is on the balance for the Forcemaster. She really feels a bit overpowered at this point in time. She has an incredible ability to control the game with all her force spells and her devastating weapons give her a ton of dice each turn to throw at the opponent. While she suffers a bit from low mana and few actions each round, she’s got so much damage prevention and answers to the opponent that she feels a bit too strong. I’ve heard that this is mostly due to the current spell selection and that one more solid answer to her is coming but at the moment, she feels a bit overpowered.

Overall (4.5/5)

If you are not a Mage Wars fan based on the base set, this expansion won’t sell you on it as it really only adds more great stuff to the base game.

However, if you enjoy Mage Wars, there is no reason not to pick up this expansion. You get two wicked mages to add to your selection, and a ton of new spells. This expansion only extends an already incredible game!

Thanks to Arcane Wonders for providing a review copy of this expansion.

Image via media.sfx.co.uk

Game of Thrones – “Kissed By Fire”

Season 3, Episode 5

After last week’s thrilling episode reminded us how much better this series is with large dramatic moments (Varys backstory) and action scenes (Dany’s battle, Night’s Watch betrayal), this episode was quieter, but reminded us how good the story can be when successfully tied together thematically.

I’m on record of wanting more episodes like last year’s Blackwater, which focused on only one setting and group of characters, but all the jumping around can work if it all feels like part of the same story. The concept of “duty” and what it means to each character permeates near every scene in this episode, so jumping from Robb’s decision to behead one of his oldest and staunchest supporters to Jon being torn three ways between the North, the Watch, and Ygritte works. What each character struggles with reinforces what we see in the next story line, and attacking so many characters from the one storytelling perspective unifies and improves everything. It’s a case of the whole being stronger than the sum of its parts.

For me, the highlight of the episode was Jaime’s scene in the bathroom with Brienne. One of my favorite pairings in the book, it’s been fascinating to watch the woman defined by her honor, more than any of Westeros’ so-called knights, and the man who everyone believes has no honor rub off on one another. Jaime was once an honorable man serving a king that half the world wanted to see dead. But, because Jaime killed the king (to save his father and tens of thousands of innocent people) when he was one of seven men sworn to guard that king, Ned and the rest of the world judged him as guilty – as almost subhuman. Jaime spent the next 20 years living down to that reputation to the point that in episode one he callously chucks a 10-year-old boy out of a window. But, obviously Brienne’s honor and sense of duty, which until now he has mocked as naivety, have started to rub off on him and he wants to break free of his nickname, at least to her.

Meanwhile, Robb and his adherence to his father’s code of justice leads him to execute (yeah, more beheadings!) Lord Karstark for murdering the young Lannister boys. This might cost him the war and is tougher to swallow. Since if this code of justice is absolute, Robb should have had to kill Cat for freeing Jaime, which was also treason and probably would have appeased Karstark. Instead his decisions have lead him to a desperate gamble to re-ally himself with Walder Frey and attack the Lannister’s seat, Casterly Rock.

Speaking of those Lannisters, besides desperately hoping for more scenes between Tyrion and Lady Olenna (who didn’t let the dwarf get one good barb off, something even Tywin can’t avoid), that was a twisted scene near the end as Tywin laid out exactly what duty he believed his children owed him. While the idea of Tyrion marrying Sansa is a combination of disgusting and inspires pity for all, I can’t be the only one who cheered at the idea of Cersei becoming Sir Loras’ new beard. And, while it’s funny (because we hate her), I do have to question Tywin’s logic that marrying a man everyone in Westeros with more sense than Sansa (approx. 94.67% of the population) knows is gay probably won’t do much to stop insulting rumors about Cersei.

Stannis–yet another man trying to become a good king and stumbling along the way– had a chance to show us the most background on him yet. Besides his relationships with Davos and Melisandre, we haven’t learned much of the man until now. But, we finally see some of the tragedy that helped shape his hard exterior by meeting his batshit crazy wife (who is totally cool with him having sex with this foreign priestess), watching him try not to look at the preserved fetuses she keeps in her bedroom and connect even briefly with his deformed but insanely adorable daughter, Shireen. Anyone that does not love her after insisting to teach poor, imprisoned Sir Davos to read officially has no heart.

The main action piece this week, Sir Beric’s duel with the Hound (complete with magic sword), was moved to the front of the episode and was definitely kicked up a notch once the Hound saw the sword lit aflame. Once again it reflects the idea of the duty of the Brotherhood, who are so devoted to their god, the Lord of Light, that they let the Hound go after he kills their leader – knowing this masterless beast is going to probably commit more heinous crimes in the future. And, since this god has apparently been bringing Beric back from the dead again and again, this is probably the god I’d respect if I witnessed it.

At the end of the night, I thought back on all the questions of duty. Has Robb’s duty to his family and his father’s sense of justice cost him a war? Who will Jon’s duty lead him to side with (I vote for staying in the cave and showing Ygritte a few more things he knows)? What duty to knights, guards, or subjects owe to a good king or a bad king? It was an episode that managed to stick in my head with quiet questions instead of the large dramatic elements the week before.

Image via quickmeme.com

Backwards compatibility is a hot topic now that next generation consoles are beginning to be revealed. Often, we boardgamers don’t have to deal with compatibility issues. The worst case sceanrio is generally that a different printer is used for an expansion and that the colors are slightly off. Easily remedied (though a tad annoying) with card sleeves. But what about cases where compatibility is more problematic?

Compatibility issues with board games really irks me. Not necessarily the color fluctuations between expansions or print runs. That’s annoying but easily fixable. Instead, I’m talking about making the new stuff wholly incompatible with the old.

I recently ran into this with my copy of Lord of the Rings. I acquired the new Silver Line version in trade. Then, I went searching for the first expansion, Friends and Foes. The expansion though, is based on the prior version. While the versions are mechanically identical, the iconography has been wholly reworked. This requires a decoder ring in order to play the two versions together. Some of the cards have completely different backs. Luckily, it doesn’t mix in additional random tiles, but other expansions do and would therefore be nearly impossible to integrate. The tiles in the different versions are different sizes and have different backs.

More recently, Z-Man has received its fair share of criticism for changing the artwork on Pandemic for a new edition and simultaneously releasing an expansion solely for the new version. The expansion, In the Lab, has cards that only match the new card backs. Plus, one of the cities on the board changed. So even if you sleeve the cards, you’ll have to remember the Toronto/Montreal switcheroo.

It’s one thing to create a second or revised edition of a game where there is a large, mechanical overhaul (such as Twilight Imperium 3rd). It can be unfortunate to see new expansions not fit your game, but at least if you upgrade to the new edition, you’re getting a mechanically different (and hopefully superior) game. Changes to cosmetics which then hamper compatibility without providing an enhanced experience, though, are much less worthy.

image courtesy of Dark Horse

Tired of the infinite variations of a squeaky-clean superhero lined up on the racks at your local comic book store? Wish there was a character more flawed and real to life?

Well, come September, Donny Cates and Mark Reznicek have got you covered with a brand-new superhero series that packs an eighty-proof punch: Buzzkill.

Buzzkill tells the tale of Ruben who is not your average alcoholic; he’s an A-List superhero who gets his powers by consuming massive amounts of alcohol. But not being able to continue paying the cost on his personal life, Ruben wants to get clean … and the city’s supervillains couldn’t be happier.

Donny Cates talks about Buzzkill:

What I like so much about the book is that while it has these wild superhero trappings, at its core it’s a very sweet and very personal story about the relationship between power and addiction, and the very real consequences of both. It’s something that really interests me, and I think that sometimes we approach issues like these in comics as punch lines. What we’ve really tried to do here is take something really devastating and horrible, and examine it through a very familiar terrain. Also, there is a character named Panteradactyl. So there’s that.

Co-creator Mark Reznicek gave his thoughts:

Working on Buzzkill is kinda like hanging out in a bar, drinking beers and doing shots with your buddy, and discussing the weirdest, wildest, most effed-up stuff you can think of to put in a comic. In fact, that’s exactly what it’s like. Donny Cates is the evil genius of comics, so it’s a total blast to work with him. If you ever wanted to see what a drunken, superpowered barroom brawl looks like, or wondered what would happen to bears in the airless vacuum of space, or wanted to see a baboon in a business suit … Buzzkill is the book for you!

Art on the new four-part miniseries will be provided by Geoff Shaw and colorist Lauren Affe.

Mark your calendar because Buzzkill #1 is on sale September 18 in comic shops everywhere!

Image courtesy of Dark Horse

Duncan Fegredo first worked on Mike Mignola’s Hellboy with Darkness Calls in 2007 and he blew the minds of fans around the world. After numerous stories dealing with Hellboy’s various adventures, Fegredo returns telling the story about a young Hellboy’s first brush with hell.

Hellboy: The Midnight Circus will be a fifty-six-page graphic novel which sees a young Hellboy running away from the B.P.R.D., only to encounter demons from hell who are running a weird and fantastical circus.

Mike Mignola spoke of the inspiration for the story:

This one owes a lot to Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes (pretty much my favorite circus story of all time), but even more to Pinocchio—especially all the spooky, disturbing bits Disney left out. And the work Duncan is doing here is just flat-out amazing.

Duncan Fegredo added his thoughts:

Growing up is tough enough, even when you don’t know the weight of the world rests on the future of your yet-diminutive shoulders. Mike has woven a tale of coming of age for the young Hellboy made all the more poignant for knowing his future. Wonderful, magical, terrifying, this is epic Hellboy on a smaller stage.

Hitting shelves on October 23, 2013, Hellboy: The Midnight Circus will be sporting a beautiful hardcover format with a price tag of U.S. $14.99.

A Mignola story inspired by my favourite novel of all time? I’ve already placed my advanced order. You should too.

This week, I returned to Brass for a seventh play of the year. The Brass 20 Challenge rolls on. Meanwhile, I also got a first taste of the Reiner Knizia Lord of the Rings cooperative game. That, plus a ton of small games thanks to a birthday party and it was all in all a good week for gaming.

Brass. This particular encounter was both fun and frustrating. I hadn’t gone hard into cotton mills in a while (maybe at all during the course of the challenge) so I thought that I’d test those waters. By game end, I got two of each level (except tech 1, which I only got one) on the board. I thought those level four mills worth twelve points a piece would be huge. Not so much.

I had planned to supplement it with ironworks and ships. Unfortunately, I did not have the cards to build iron (building only one iron all game) and opponents snatched up all but one of my coveted ship spots. It was an interesting change of pace. Before now, I had been the primary ship builder as others had ignored the strategy. Only recently did I have to compete on ships with one other player. In this game, I competed with two others and ended up getting one ship down in the rail phase. Given that amount of competition, it likely would have been better for me to cede ships and work on something else.

The frustrating part was that one opponent kept getting in my way. Every. Dang. Time. He always seemed to have the move just before mine and always did the exact thing I didn’t want him to do. The most disheartening was that I had a plan to build a mill in the canal phase and take the last piece of coal from my coal mine so that my mine would flip. But just before my turn, that opponent built coal in the same dang city where my mill would be. The same one! So I had to take the coal from him. That ultimately cost me a flip of a coal mine, some minimal points, but a ton of income.

Lesson learned. I think turn order manipulation is like a mini-game unto itself. Time to get proficient at it.

It all came down to a single roll of the die

Lord of the Rings. Admittedly, I’m a little late to the party on this one. The game was originally published in 2000 as one of the earlier “good” cooperative games. But it was new to me, and I had the opportunity to acquire a copy in trade. Plus, I’ve been itching to play some new cooperative games with the Wife and, given her enthusiasm for Middle Earth, I thought it would be a smash hit.

And I was largely right. Since she and I were doing double duty to play the game and make sure baby Drake didn’t do something hazardous, our play was not without distraction. And, the Wife also pointed out that adding other players – which would add Merry, Pippin, and Fatty – would detract from the canon of the books.

Our play was super enjoyable. We started on easy mode with Sauron on the 15. We pushed through Moria and Helm’s Deep without too much trouble. But we also raced through as quickly as possible. By the time we were in Shelob’s layer, our cards were running dry and we had a heck of a time in Mordor. Still, we landed on the final space and decided to destroy the ring. First, Sam rolled the die – only to be eliminated. Then it was all up to Frodo. But, without Sam, Frodo also succumbed to darkness and the day was lost. Stupid Frodo. He’s just the worst. Bilbo could have destroyed the ring with nothing more than some dwarves and a fussy demeanor.

Good wins by the skin of their teeth. Merlin successfully avoids the Assassin’s blade.

Also Played. Timeline (x3), Avalon (x2), Sentinels of the Multiverse (x2), Sneaks and Snitches (x2), Uluru (x2), Coup, For Sale, and Tichu.

Image via dc.wikia.com

I know the whole Dial-H-for-Hero concept has been around in DC Comics for many years, but the awe and wonder I feel while I follow Nelson Jent on his journey is like reading the origins of the Silver Surfer or Hellboy.

Nelson is an overweight loser who stumbled upon a mysterious dial that, when activated, temporarily gives him not only random powers, but an entire superhero identity. And, a different identity each time.

Where did the dial come from? How does it work?

Well, these are the questions that this series has been asking, Dial H #11, written by China Miéville with art by Alberto Ponticelli and Dan Green begins to answer them.

Nelson finds himself on the run from The Centipede and just can’t seem to run fast enough, despite his current superpowers.

If you’re not reading Dial H, this may not be the best issue to jump on board with, but you really need to get your hands on the back issues.

Dial H is a unique and funny, sometimes terrifying superhero romp unlike anything you’ve ever seen.