"It's good to be king." Sure, we've all heard that. But you know what's better? Being the emperor. And being the emperor of one of the most vast empires the world has ever seen is even better. But, be
"It's good to be king." Sure, we've all heard that. But you know what's better? Being the emperor. And being the emperor of one of the most vast empires the world has ever seen is even better. But, being emperor, as you put on the regal robes, you know that there's a target on your back, as usurpers sharpen their knives in the shadows. That's what you'll be watching out for, or possibly being one of those usurpers, yourself, in Donning the Purple, a new board game from Tompet Games that's up on Kickstarter now.
From the campaign:
It is the year 193 AD. The Roman Empire is not as great as it once was. Enemies are crossing the borders while famine and political intrigues are tearing the empire apart from within. The previous emperor was killed by his Praetorian bodyguard and has left a vacuum that the powerful families in Rome are trying to fill. Are you ready to don the purple yourself and be the new emperor? If you fail, the other families are ready to take over at a moment's notice. While they wait for your doom, they will backstab and undermine you as much as they can. However you all have to work together as the fall of the Roman Empire is closing in.
The campaign is closing in quickly on its goal with still 28 days left to go.
And we've once more made it to the weekend successfully. The natural order has been maintained. I mean, just think if we woke up the day after Friday and it was, like, Wednesday or something. Man, tha
And we've once more made it to the weekend successfully. The natural order has been maintained. I mean, just think if we woke up the day after Friday and it was, like, Wednesday or something. Man, that'd be a mess. But, as I said, that's not happened. As such, we should get on with the regular Saturday routine and get you some reviews.
Today we have: Kill the King, Captain Sonar, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition, The Dragon & Flagon, No Honor Among Thieves, Via Nebula, Behind the Throne, Star Trek: Ascendancy, Antarctica, Costa Rica, Heroes of Normandie iOS, Lost Woods, Battle Gnomes, and Ice Cool.
During the boardgame convention “GiocoForza” in Petriolo (near Macerata, in Italy), we have had the chance to play one of the latest games by Maggi-Nepitello (War of the Ring, The Battle of Five Armies,Marvel Superheroes, and many others): “Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell” (JSMN for short). Based on the successful book by Susanna Clarke (that has been also adapted for a BBC TV show) telling the tale of two Magician gentlemen with different approaches to the Magical arts, that act in a Napoleon-age London, JSMN will be published by Sophisticated Games, and we played an advanced prototype of it. Maggi and Nepitello are well known for their keen attention to details, and their deep researches into the background of any game they design, in this JSMN being no exception for the designers (formally named FM Game Studio). Players of JSMN take the role of gentlemen that dabble in magic in this gothic and eldritch London of the XIX century.
Mansions of Madness Second Edition is one of the most profoundly improved new editions of any game that I can remember. The engrossing, challenging narrative game was in serious need of a reworking that enabled players to focus on the good things instead of the minutiae. Mansions of Madness 2E delivers.
Imagine you spent your day slaying trolls and goblins. You saved your fair share of princesses (or princes) from tall towers guarded by evil wizards (or witches). After a long day of questing, you just want to go where everybody knows your name. Barring a trip to Boston, a tavern, known world-wide for their brews, will have to do.
This particular tavern’s brew is The Dragon. The Dragon is so highly coveted that the tavern’s customers are willing to fight tooth and nail for a single sip, let alone the last flagon left in the joint. That is exactly where we find ourselves at the start of a game of The Dragon & Flagon.
No Honor Among Thieves, a game of daring heists in a fantasy city where you will assemble a crew of rogues and an arsenal of equipment and skills to aid you in stealing swag from a number of high profile targets. Even with a well tooled up crew the chances of taking down the Lord's Manor or the Treasury on your own are rather slim, so you'll have to employ the assistance of your fellow thieving crews. They will be able to lend you crew members and play their cards to help you in the heist. To entice another crew to your job you're going to have to negotiate and this must be agreed up front, that is until the sudden but inevitable betrayal.
In Via Nebula players help to rebuild the once prosperous valley by harvesting resources, transporting them to building sites and converting them into buildings to fulfill contracts. Through an action selection mechanism standard to many Wallace designs, and a competitive pick-up and deliver element, players earn points for exploring, exploiting and building. After the first to complete five contracts, the builder with the most points is heralded as the Hero of Nebula. Architects as heros? Yeah, these people must be desperate…
Antarctica is an area control/resource majority game. In order to win, your scientists are going to have to control whole sections of Antarctica, build research stations and other buildings, and conduct the most/best research to leap ahead of your opponents. In the wilds of Antarctica, it’s every scientist for himself.
Costa Rica is a push-your-luck exploration set collection game. Players have explorers in six expeditions and are trying to collect the best photos of rain forest animals. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.
Heroes of Normandie is a casual romp through World War 2. The game make no pretenses that it’s not an super-serious war simulator with it’s cartoony graphics and cheeky humor. However if you are as serious gamer, don’t let that dissuade you, there is actually a lot of depth here to be enjoyed. Combat happens quickly and often in Heroes of Normandie, so expect a lot of intense action in your games.
Players wake up in the middle of the Lost Woods. Each turn, players may move along the map or build unexplored areas by drawing a map card from one of the decks: North, South, East or West. Map building leads players to new weapons, potions, magic spells, pesky gold stealing gnomes and enemy battles for gold.
In Battle Gnomes!, players will take turns recruiting gnomes, organizing their gnomes or yards for attack and defense, and sending the gnomes out to battle. Each player may use action and battle cards to help turn the tide in their favor and foil their rivals. Players will also use weapon and defense items to equip their gnomes and yard items to bolster their offenses and defenses. The winner of a battle will collect a defeated gnome and the first player to collect three will win the game!
In Ice Cool, one player acts as the hall monitor while the other players take on the role of the students. As a student player, you are trying to collect your three fish from around the schoolhouse. The hall monitor, in turn, is trying to catch all of the students and collect their ID cards. As players achieve their goals during the game, they’ll draw victory point cards. At the end of the game, the player with the most VPs wins.
And we've once more made it to the weekend successfully. The natural order has been maintained. I mean, just think if we woke up the day after Friday and it was, like, Wednesday or something. Man, tha
And we've once more made it to the weekend successfully. The natural order has been maintained. I mean, just think if we woke up the day after Friday and it was, like, Wednesday or something. Man, that'd be a mess. But, as I said, that's not happened. As such, we should get on with the regular Saturday routine and get you some reviews.
Today we have: Kill the King, Captain Sonar, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition, The Dragon & Flagon, No Honor Among Thieves, Via Nebula, Behind the Throne, Star Trek: Ascendancy, Antarctica, Costa Rica, Heroes of Normandie iOS, Lost Woods, Battle Gnomes, and Ice Cool.
During the boardgame convention “GiocoForza” in Petriolo (near Macerata, in Italy), we have had the chance to play one of the latest games by Maggi-Nepitello (War of the Ring, The Battle of Five Armies,Marvel Superheroes, and many others): “Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell” (JSMN for short). Based on the successful book by Susanna Clarke (that has been also adapted for a BBC TV show) telling the tale of two Magician gentlemen with different approaches to the Magical arts, that act in a Napoleon-age London, JSMN will be published by Sophisticated Games, and we played an advanced prototype of it. Maggi and Nepitello are well known for their keen attention to details, and their deep researches into the background of any game they design, in this JSMN being no exception for the designers (formally named FM Game Studio). Players of JSMN take the role of gentlemen that dabble in magic in this gothic and eldritch London of the XIX century.
Mansions of Madness Second Edition is one of the most profoundly improved new editions of any game that I can remember. The engrossing, challenging narrative game was in serious need of a reworking that enabled players to focus on the good things instead of the minutiae. Mansions of Madness 2E delivers.
Imagine you spent your day slaying trolls and goblins. You saved your fair share of princesses (or princes) from tall towers guarded by evil wizards (or witches). After a long day of questing, you just want to go where everybody knows your name. Barring a trip to Boston, a tavern, known world-wide for their brews, will have to do.
This particular tavern’s brew is The Dragon. The Dragon is so highly coveted that the tavern’s customers are willing to fight tooth and nail for a single sip, let alone the last flagon left in the joint. That is exactly where we find ourselves at the start of a game of The Dragon & Flagon.
No Honor Among Thieves, a game of daring heists in a fantasy city where you will assemble a crew of rogues and an arsenal of equipment and skills to aid you in stealing swag from a number of high profile targets. Even with a well tooled up crew the chances of taking down the Lord's Manor or the Treasury on your own are rather slim, so you'll have to employ the assistance of your fellow thieving crews. They will be able to lend you crew members and play their cards to help you in the heist. To entice another crew to your job you're going to have to negotiate and this must be agreed up front, that is until the sudden but inevitable betrayal.
In Via Nebula players help to rebuild the once prosperous valley by harvesting resources, transporting them to building sites and converting them into buildings to fulfill contracts. Through an action selection mechanism standard to many Wallace designs, and a competitive pick-up and deliver element, players earn points for exploring, exploiting and building. After the first to complete five contracts, the builder with the most points is heralded as the Hero of Nebula. Architects as heros? Yeah, these people must be desperate…
Antarctica is an area control/resource majority game. In order to win, your scientists are going to have to control whole sections of Antarctica, build research stations and other buildings, and conduct the most/best research to leap ahead of your opponents. In the wilds of Antarctica, it’s every scientist for himself.
Costa Rica is a push-your-luck exploration set collection game. Players have explorers in six expeditions and are trying to collect the best photos of rain forest animals. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.
Heroes of Normandie is a casual romp through World War 2. The game make no pretenses that it’s not an super-serious war simulator with it’s cartoony graphics and cheeky humor. However if you are as serious gamer, don’t let that dissuade you, there is actually a lot of depth here to be enjoyed. Combat happens quickly and often in Heroes of Normandie, so expect a lot of intense action in your games.
Players wake up in the middle of the Lost Woods. Each turn, players may move along the map or build unexplored areas by drawing a map card from one of the decks: North, South, East or West. Map building leads players to new weapons, potions, magic spells, pesky gold stealing gnomes and enemy battles for gold.
In Battle Gnomes!, players will take turns recruiting gnomes, organizing their gnomes or yards for attack and defense, and sending the gnomes out to battle. Each player may use action and battle cards to help turn the tide in their favor and foil their rivals. Players will also use weapon and defense items to equip their gnomes and yard items to bolster their offenses and defenses. The winner of a battle will collect a defeated gnome and the first player to collect three will win the game!
In Ice Cool, one player acts as the hall monitor while the other players take on the role of the students. As a student player, you are trying to collect your three fish from around the schoolhouse. The hall monitor, in turn, is trying to catch all of the students and collect their ID cards. As players achieve their goals during the game, they’ll draw victory point cards. At the end of the game, the player with the most VPs wins.
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