Compounded Board Game

 

Are you an homeschool mom or a parent who is trying to make chemistry interesting to your kids?   Or are you a chemistry teacher who is looking into a creative way to teach your students about compounds?

I think I might just have the game for you - COMPOUNDED.

Compounded is a game in which players take on the roles of lab managers, competing to complete the most compounds with elements that they are managing before their competitors finished - or before their lab explode.

Players can freely trade elements, lab tools, and even favors between each other.  

The game is very well designed and the cardboard parts are sturdy.  There is no way you can bend them (unless you use sheer force that is!).   Even the cards themselves are thicker than normal playing cards in other games I have seen.   

The box comes with a instruction booklet, periodic table scoreboard, lab tools, flame tokens, wild element tokens, personal fire extinguisher, 100 plastic elements, cloth element bag, wooden start player lab key, 68 compound cards, thick cardboard work benches for each player, as well as wooden player pieces with custom stickers.

The game can accommodate 2 to 5 scientists and can last from 30 to 90 minutes.   This game is suggested for ages 13 and up. 

Compounded is available to purchase at your favorite gaming store even on amazon.ca.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Dice Hate Me Games for sending me Compounded for review purposes.  I was not monetarily compensated for this review.  Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way.  All opinion expressed here are only my own.

Monopoly Voice Banking

Move over old Monopoly games, here comes a new version this Christmas season - Monopoly Voice Banking -  which allow you to control the game with the power of your voice.
In this electronic version of the game, Mr. Monopoly is the Banker and manages player's money via his top hat. The Monopoly Voice Banking game features lights and sounds, and comes with an interactive Mr. Monopoly banking unit in the form of a top hat. 

This iconic Monopoly top hat is voice activated and the personality of Mr. Monopoly shines as he handles the transactions.  He keeps tabs on player's money and properties so there's no cash or cards to think about. (I suspect that many will like the fact that a banker is not necessary for this particular version of a classic game!)  You simply have to talk to Mr. Monopoly (aka the top hat) and he will respond to you.

For example, press the token's button and say, "Buy St. James Place."   Mr. Monopoly will track the transaction and keeping the game moving.  With the Monopoly Voice game, players will travel more rapidly around the board aiming to be the person ending with the most money and the highest property value in order to win.

The game also got a revamped gameboard with darker colors than the original Monopoly.   I tend to like the darker background as well as the brighter colors on it as it give a more electronic feeling to the game.

Apparently this version of Monopoly will allow to play the game faster as you simply have to speak your decision to Mr. Monopoly and he will manage everything.  This allows you build your properties sets and get the houses and hotels up faster.

The box includes the Top Hat banking unit (including top and brim), the gameboard, four tokens, twenty-two title deed cards, one Get Out of Jail Free card, four reference cards, sixteen houses, sixteen hotels, two dice, and a game guide.

The game was designed for ages 8 and up and will allow 2 to 4 players.  Note that demo batteries are included in the game but you will need to replace them with 3 AA batteries.

The Monopoly Voice Banking game is available at your favorite store, even on amazon (Canada and US).

   

Disclaimer: Thanks to Hasbro Canada for sending me the above mentioned product for review purposes . I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Equate – The Equation Thinking Game

Equate is a board game that will challenge you in dealing with equations.  Think of it as though it is a bit like Scrabble but with a twist on mathematics instead of letters. The goal of the game is to obtain a high score as often as you can by creating equations  and position them horizontally or vertically. 

In a way it is a different kind of board game where the family can have fun creating equations in a crossword-style. Equate is a great math board game for family and classroom. You can earn higher scores using division or fraction tiles and landing on premium board positions. 

Advantages in playing Equate are:

• Learning fractions as you play.
• Develop a strategy while playing.
• Improve thinking skills including practicing critical thinking, engaging in creative reasoning, and utilizing spatial reasoning.
• Develop number sense by practicing mental computation, master addition and multiplication facts, learn fraction concepts.
• Use algebraic reasoning.

The Equate Junior Tile Set is a friendly tile set for beginners. This set contains 176 tiles including whole numbers with more 0s and 1s than the Original Tile Set, fractions with denominator 2, the four basic operations with more addition and subtraction tiles than multiplication and division tiles and equal symbols.

The Equate Advanced Tile Set contains 197 tiles including negative and positive integers, integer exponents, fractions, the four basic operations, and equal symbols.

This game is perfect for 2 to 4 players or teams. Also you can have many levels of play for ages 8 to adult.

This is a great way to practice doing math while having fun with your friends or family.  

Equate The Equation Thinking Game and the Equate Junior Tile Set are available for purchase on the online store of Conceptual Math Media.  Also available on their store is the Equate Advanced Tile Set and the Original Tile Set.  Tile Sets are sold for the price of $10 US and the game is sold for the price of $26 US.

Disclaimer: These products have been provided courtesy of Conceptual Math Media. for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Coinhole

Coinhole – The Tabletop Coin-Bouncing Party Game
From Hasbro

About the game

It's the tabletop coin-bouncing party game! Players bounce the included Coinhole coins onto a table as they attempt to sink them through the Coinhole board hole. Multiple gameplays allow players to compete individually or in teams. With the Coinhole game, turn a tabletop into an instant party!
• Includes 2 Coinhole boards, 4 Coinhole coins, carrying case, and instructions.
• The tabletop coin-bouncing party game
• Multiple ways to play
• Compete individually or in teams
• Excellent for parties
• Bounce the Coinhole coins and try to sink them in the game board hole
• Ages 8 and up
• For 2 or more players.

My Thoughts

I wasn’t too sure about this game.   My husband thought it would be a great challenging game for get-together or to play with our kids.  So when we received it I was curious to say the least.  And yet this simple game could be the fun during a get-together with friends or challenge your kids and spouse to see who in the family is the best. 

Mind you this game comes with two board and four coins (two coins per side), so if you plan to do a bit of competition with the family, you will have to take turns.

Three games can be played with it…

Relay with two teams: The goal of this game is to the the first team where ever team player bounces a coin into the hole.   You will have to form two even teams and stand on the same side of the table as your team.  Players will have to attempt to bounce their coin through the hole as quickly as possible.  The team who finish first, then needs to place their board on top of the other team with the holes aligning.    The other team gets one chance to sink the coin through the top hole.  If they miss, they loose the game.  If they can make it, then the opposing team has to make the shot.  This will go on until one team misses.

Team coinhole – 2 teams:  The objective of this game is to be the team with the most hole sinks or coins on the board.  The first team to 21 points win.  This game is played with two teams of two players with one teammate stading on the opposite side across from their partner. If the coin lands in the hole you score three points.  If the coin land on the board you score one point.  

Speed Chase: This particular game is for more advanced players.   The goal is to win everyone’s coin at the table by bouncing coin into the hole and be the last player standing.  This game is players with four players.  Each player begins with one coin.  In this game, when you sink the coin in the hole you pass the board around the table.  If the boards catch up to each other, you have to stack them up and tins the coin through the top hole.   If you miss you are out of the game.  If you are able to do it, they you pass the stacked boards to anyone of your choosing.  You pursue the game until only one person remain.

I think this game has potential.   I am pretty sure my husband will come up with other ideas of games for it.   Still this game can be challenging and stressful at the same time.   The competition in it can make this game a great party game with friends.

Coinhole is available for purchase at your favorite store, even on amazon.ca and amazon.com.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Hasbro Canada for sending me the above mentioned product for review purposes . I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

DROPMIX–Music Gaming System

There is a new game in store this Christmas season – DROPMIX from Hasbro and Harmonix.  Essentially the game is a music mixing game which uses a mix of physical cards that possesses embedded chips.   However, be warned that you will need either an Apple or Android  device to play the game because you have to download the app and communicate with the board via Bluetooth.

The box comes with 60 cards and an electronic game board with five marked spaces.     Each cards represent a different song.   Note that you will also have the possibility to purchase new music samples by getting new cards as booster packs.  Each booster packs contains different number of cards.

Each card can be used on at least one of the four colors represented on the board.  Each color represent a specific aspect of a song.  For example: while yellow will highlight vocals, blue on the other end would have the drum tracks.   So all you have to do is drop the card in the appropriate spot in order to create a mix or make points.

Some cards (FX) will trigger special events while other ones are considered Wild Cards which means you can play them in any mix slots.  You will need 15 cards to make a playlist.  Oh and the cards have a different level of power from 1 to 3.   A card with a power level of 3 will have more impact on the mix compared to a card of power level 1.

As mentioned before the board has five spaces to insert the cards.  Three of these spaces will accept cards of two different colors while the two other spaces only accept a specific color of card.  

There are three ways of playing Dropmix.

• CLASH: The goal is to reach 21 points first.   You can explore a variety of combos in this version.   Strategically play your cards in order to win and expect the unexpected with the music you create.
• PARTY: In this mode, you will work together to answer requests quickly in order to get the highest score.  
• FREESTYLE: In this mode, you can discover new music by connecting the cards on the board.  You have the possibility to customize and tweak the mix until to are satisfied with what you have.  Then you can show it to your family and/or friends.

Additional cards can by purchase with the DROPMIX Discover Packs (series 1 or 2) or the DROPMIX Playlist Pack (Derby-Pop, Astro-Electric, Ouroboros – Rock, or Mirrors – Hip Hop).  Below is an example of some of the songs you could have in the cards.

If you have a budding DJ in your home or if yourself like to mix songs, I think that this game will be interesting.   Not everyone is a big fan of music and mixing your own tunes so I am unsure on how this game will be received.  However, I can see potential with it because you can make your own music for parties and so on.  So yes, the game is in interesting concept that is worth checking if you are into music and mixing. 

DROPMIX and the packs are available at your favorite store, even on amazon.ca and amazon.com.

DROPMIX Starter Kit

Discovery Packs

 

 

Playlist Packs

 

Disclaimer: Thanks to Hasbro Canada for sending me the above mentioned products for review purposes . I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Rollors

Recently we were looking to new lawn games for us to play when we are at the RV or at home.  One of the games I stumbled upon was Rollors which essentially is a game that will remind you of bocce and horseshoes. 

The game offers a unique alternative to regular lawn games that probably most of people know.   It includes oversized wooden disks (the rollors) as well as two wooden goal set 25 feet apart.  

The goal of the game is for one player (or team) to get the most points.    How do you do that?  Well quite easily actually because all you have to do is to roll the disk toward a goal.  The disks closest to the goal win. 

As you can see it is not always easy to be close to the goal.  But with time and practice it is feasible.   I personally found the best way for me to roll the disk is to hold it in my hand and flipped my hand toward the ground.   My disks often went close to the goal.   You can measure the distance of the disk by using the cord included in the package.

The set comes with six disks – 3 blues and 3 reds – as wel as two goals and the cord for measure the distance.

We were disappointed a bit to see that the game was only for two players at first but I have recently discovered that you can purchase expansion packs in order to have more players on your game.  I wish I had known this because I would have requested two sets of expansion packs for our family.  You see we are six people and when playing a lawn game it would be more fun to have enough rollors for everyone.

Still the game is fun.  I enjoyed playing with it.  Not everyone in my family enjoyed it as much as me but I suspect it is because some had difficulties to get their rollors near the goal.   But again – practice makes almost perfect.   With more playing time I think that this game will become quickly one that everyone will enjoy.

This game is perfect for the entire family and can be played everywhere – at camping, on the beach, in the park, in your yard (if it is big enough!)…

You can purchase the game online at their website or on amazon.ca and amazon.com.

The base game and expansion packs on Amazon.ca

  

The base game and expansion packs on Amazon.com

   

 

Disclaimer: I have received the base game of Rollors from Bolaball for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Educational Board Games

If you are looking for educational games this time of the year, you should check some of the games below from Family Games America.  

 

Math Table Junior

Math Table Junior will give a good springboard to young mathematicians when it comes to addition and subtraction.  The game is composed of a doubled-sided game board, four racks, 60 numbered tiles from 0 to 20 and the game rules.   The goald of the game is to place your tiles and perform addition or subtraction until all the tiles are used.   Basically the game is very similar to Scrabble but with numbers instead. This game will take about 30 minutes to play.  It can be played to up to four people and is recommended to ages 5 and up.   An older version of the game is also available which is call Mathable Classic.

Mark My Words

• Making words has never been so fun! Each player is given a number of letter tiles to use to make words and score points. As letter tiles keep getting added to the board, new words MUST be made and then marked down for points! This game is definitively educational and will require creativity.   It is perfect for parents to play with their kids as all ages can have fun with it. 

• To play it is pretty easy.  Turn the tiles face down and pick 14 each. Put the rest aside.   Flip the tiles in front of you and each player places one of their letter tiles anywhere on the board.   Once this is done, every time a new letter tile is added to the game, it must touch one of the already positioned tiles and a word (or words) must be made.  If you make a word, you count it as 1 point.   The player who has the most point is the best word maker.

•  

Rational Thinking

Rational Thinking is a quick game that will challenge your brain cells with fifty cognitive creations to test your ability to think clearly while problem-solving.   Each of this challenges will make you use your grey cells in order to use facts and reasoning in order to find an answer that is rational.   Solutions are included in the back of each cards included in this pack.  So try to solve the question or conundrum before flipping it over for the answer!

What I particularly like about this little game is that you can play in English or in French as the challenges are written in both languages.   It would make a great tool to use to break the ice on a get-together or just to challenge friends around the dining table.

 

IQ Challenge

• This quick game will challenge you to complete the 50 cards in 30 minutes to reveal your IQ Rating. Memory, analytic, abstract, spatial and math questions will put your problem-solving skills to the test.  This cognitive creation game is great for people ages 10 and up.  To play you will have to set a time limit of 30 minutes.   It would also be preferable to have paper and pencil close by so that you can make quick calculations.    You will have to answer as many questions as you can during the allotted time.  At the end, tally up the answers and look at the score card in order to find your IQ rating.

• This game is also bilingual which is very interesting.

 

• Are we there yet?

• Have you ever driven somewhere and your kids keep asking “Are we there yet?”.  Maybe this little question brings fear in you… but next time you drive with the kiddos in the vehicle you will be able to take this interesting game that will set the wheels of fun in motion for a travel game that will help them spend a bit of time to be observant with what is outside.   The game comes in a little red auto bag that contain everything you need to play Eye-Spy while on the road.  The goal of the game is to sight the most travel items on the travel cards to win points.  Each player will get five cards.   You will have to set a limit whether in time or distance for the fame.   The player who accumulates the most cards by sighting the most items wins.  

 

Risk Factor

• Risk Factor is a quick game that can be quickly summarize by this: When to stop and when to risk a roll is what this game is all about. In the package you will find 9 dice faced with the following letters: T-E-N-O-N-E.  The goal of the game it for you to collect 10 points when spelling T-E-N or 1 point when the word O-N-E is made. However if you take a risk and roll without forming a word, you lose your accumulated points! Yes you’ve read it correctly, you lose ALL your points.  So even if you cannot spell T-E-N make sure you can at least spell O-N-E to make 1 point and stay in the game.  Here’s the catch though, when you spell T-E-N, you will have to remove the Ts out of the game.  Same thing happens for the Os when you spell O-N-E.  The game continues in turn with players rolling, spelling, putting Ts and Os aside for points and then risking additional rolls or losses.  The first to reach 200 points wins this dicey diversion.

**When you put the T and O dice aside for points, put them face up so you know what is ten points and what is one point.

 

Milky Words

• Milky Words is a quick letter game that anyone ages 8 and up can play.  The game is simple.   Spill 3 letter die from the milk carton and be the first to bellow a word that  starts with the first letter, includes all green letters and excludes all red. This game will challenge you to develop quick-thinking and creativity.  It is a great educational and challenging word game. This game is only available in English. 

 

 

 

Most of these fun games are available on amazon.ca.

   

   

Disclaimer: Thanks to Family Games America for sending me the above mentioned products for review purposes . I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Fast Flip

I recently received a quick game from Blue Orange Games called Fast Flip!.  Let me tell you more about this game.

What the game is all about.

Get ready to scramble for the match in this crazy fruit salad! Match your fruits to a number, or numbers to a fruit; you don’t know what match you’ll have to find next! Whether you play with the tokens or with the cards alone, all players of any age will be fast flipping for this brain teasing match up. The game comes complete in a tin for your cards and tokens, making it an easy travel item. The magic distribution of fruits on the cards guaranties that there is always one correct answer. You just need to be the fastest to find it!

My Thoughts

My first impression of Fast Flip! was that it seemed easy to play and quick to learn.  I was right – this is really an easy game that anyone could enjoy if you like games that are somewhat rapid to play.  The cards are double-sided – on one side you will see either a number or a fruit while on the other side you will see a bunch of fruits printed on them.   Before playing, shuffle the cards together and place them facedown in a pile (i.e. you won’t be able to see the side with all the  different fruits printed on it.).

The container contains 54 cards, 10 tokens and the rules.  The token are made of sturdy cardboard that will be easy to grasp for everyone.  The cards are triangular and quite large which makes it a bit awkward to shuffle I find.   If me an adult find it difficult to shuffle them you can imagine how little hands can have trouble as well.  However, I love the original shape of the cards which makes it an out-of-the-ordinary game.  There are three games in this little box which is very interesting because each game are unique and different at the same time.  

The first game is called Flip It!  In this particular game all players play simultaneously, racing to find a match.   This is played over a series of rounds.   At each round, when everyone is ready one person will flip the top card of the pile and place it face up next to the pile so that all can see the different fruits printed on it.  As fast as you can you need to look at the new faceup card and compare it with the card on top of the facedown pile.  If the facedown card shows a fruit, then you have to race to determine how many times that fruit is printed on the faceup card.   If the facedown card shows a number, then you will race to find which fruit is printed that many times on the faceup card.  The first player to call out the correct answer scores the faceup card as one point.  The game is over when there is only one card left in the deck. 

Can you sense the competition building while playing this game?   Personally I hate the stress of it but I can see how it can be interesting for competitive kids and/or adults.

Game number two is called Token Grab.  The box also contains tokens – either fruits of numbers.  You will have five of each – so for the numbers it will be 1,2,3,4,5 and the fruits will have strawberry, raspberry, orange, banana, and pineapple.   The fruits are adorable I find with little faces smiling at you.   While setting up for this particular game, you will have to arrange the ten tokens face up in reach of all players.   This time around, when you find the correct match, you will have to grab the correct token instead of calling out the answer.   This is perfect for a quieter game I find.   When you claim the token, you keep it faceup in front of you within reach of all players.    Scored tokens can be scored by other players on future rounds.  When one player has four tokens in front of him/her, then the game ends immediately and that player is the winner.   You can also play a shorter version of the game where you can decide that the winning player is the one with two or three tokens in front of him/her.

Game three is titled Token Live.  For this particular game, you will have to arrange the tokens in a row.   The order is not important so do whatever you feel like it at that moment.   The tokens will determine which match you are looking for each turn.  When a new card is flipped faceup, players will treat the left-most token as though it were on the back of the card.  Whoever first calls out the correctly matching symbol or number scores the token as 1 point.   The player with the most tokens after all 10 tokens have been played wins.

The skills your kids will develop while playing Fast Flip will be visual perception, processing speed as well as focus and attention.  All these can help your kids to become more observant and quick to respond.

As much as I would like to recommend this game for bringing with you at an appointment, I hesitate to do so simply because I know how kids can get excited about this kind of game and might start yelling when calling a fruit or quantity.    However, if your kids can control themselves and respect the quietness of a waiting room, this game a great to keep them occupied for a little while.  On the other hand, this game is perfect for a quick family fun time (plays in about 15 minutes) or for down time at camp or a retreat.     It could also be perfect to keep the kids busy while camping during a rainy period of time.   The game is perfect for ages 7 and up and can be played for two to eight players.  The box is easy to carry around in your purse or a bag.

I think this game has interesting twist but like I said I would be careful in which environment I would play it as some places prefer quietness over excitement.   I can see how this game would allow the children (and the adults as well) to stay sharp in their observation and quick in their reaction.   Just because I dislike the stress of being the first to call a fruit based on the card/token doesn’t make this game not fun to play.  It is just my personality who do not enjoy that kind of competitiveness.   However, I know that other people would enjoy it.  It can make a great game for kids or adults.   Can you picture adults playing this game at a party?  I sure can… and I also can see them laughing and having a good time.   So whether you consider this game for a child, a young adult in college or university or an adult, I think it will bring joy, competition and good memories to whoever receive it.

Fast Flip! is available at our favorite game store – even on amazon.ca and amazon.com.

  

Disclaimer: Thanks to Blue Orange Games for sending me the game. I was not monetarily compensated for this post . Please note that the post was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Tantrix Discovery Game Pack

It’s summer time and face it – there will be time when your kids will say the dreaded words “I’m bored!”  Well be joyful right now because I have a great game that will kick the boredom out of their life and had some challenge at the same time.  The game is Tantrix and I have received the Discovery Game Pack to review.  First let me tell you how I discovered Tantrix.

Not too long ago, I had to bring my second son to the orthodontist for a consultation.   His older brother is at the end of an orthodontic treatment but his specialist is a bit far from our home.   Just for the drive alone I am looking forward to finish these treatments.   Anyhow, our dentist has recommended a guy that is much closer to home – a 10 minutes drive maximum compared to a 30-40 minutes drive (one way).   So we decided to go check him out.   So Dominic got some x-rays done and we sat with the orthodontist and his assistant to discuss treatment.  Turns out we have to way 6 months which is about the time when oldest brother will be done with his own treatments!   Anyhow, as we were talking about what needed to be done, the assistant gave Dominic Tantrix to play with as we chatted.     I thought it was a great game to have at the RV or to simply challenge yourself while waiting somewhere.

However, what I didn’t know is that the game exists since 1988 and that you could also play online of download an app on your device.

Now you might be wondering – what is Tantrix?  Well Tantrix is a coffee-table strategy game that comes from New Zealand.   The game has to be resolve with skill and chance.   It is a fun family game that will bring some interesting memories while you play it.

The Tantrix Discovery Game Pack contains 56 numbered tiles which can be used in 4 unique challenges:  Discovery Puzzle, Rainbow Puzzle, Tantrix Solitaire, and Tantrix Strategy Game.

Discovery Puzzle consists in building loops of various shapes and sizes starting with tiles 1-3.  The more tiles you add, the more challenging the puzzle.  This is what we were originally introduced to.  The game can be played with up to 30 tiles.   For the purpose of this post, I decided to take only 14 tiles for the pictures.

Once you resolve the three tiles loop, you can add a fourth one.   As you can see on the image below, the #4 is red which means that I have to make a red loop.

The four tiles loop being completed, the fifth tile tells me that I still have to make a loop in red.

And then the sixth tile informs me that I need to do a loop in blue the next time.

And you pursue this pattern until you finish all the tiles you have selected for your game.  My husband tried it and was able to do up to 10 tiles which was how many I had taken out for him to try out.  He thought it was a bit too easy.  Me on the other hands I was stuck at 8 tiles.  So depending of the ability of a person to resolve problems like this it could be easy or difficult.

The bag I have received also have three other games.

Rainbow puzzle consist in splitting the tiles into five color-coded piles and form unique loops or lines of color.  The objective is to solve all the five puzzles and you would need the 56 tiles sorted into 5 piles.  For the Green tiles you will have to make a green loop with all ten tiles.   For the Yellow tiles you will have to make a yellow loop with the 12 tiles.  For the White puzzle, you will have to make a loop with all nine tiles but you have to figure out which color it will be.  The Blue puzzle will challenge you to make a 0-tile pyramid whilst building a continuous blue line that passes through all tiles of the pyramid.  Finally the Red Puzzle will challenge you to make a 15-tile pyramid whilst building a continuous red line that passes through all tiles of the pyramid.

Tantrix Solitaire requires you to make a red line or make a red loop using 14 tiles.   And finally, Tantrix Strategy Game will challenge players to form the longest line or loop.  In order to do this, you will have to develop skillful moves and a competitive spirit.

As you can see there are plenty of fun time inside this bag of tiles.   It is perfect to bring while travelling whether you are going at the beach or the campground.   It is easy to carry if you go to appointments where you know that you will have to wait a bit.  But the biggest bonus I find is that it will challenge your kids to develop quick thinking and resolve problems in order to complete the game you decide to do.

 

Disclaimer: Thanks to  Family Games America for sending me the above mentioned product for review purposes . I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Smash Up Core Set

Recently I have received a copy of Smash Up to review and over the week-end my husband and I have discovered this game.   The game is for 2 to 4 players but apparently we keep hearing or reading that it is better when you play 3 people.  Personally, we will try to tweak it have 6 players so that our kids can play with us.  We realize that it could make the play time a bit longer if we do so.   

The goal of the game is pretty simple – use your minions to crush enemy bases and the first player to score 15 victory points wins!  The game is essentially a shufflebuilding game where you select two factions which contains twenty cards each, shuffle them into a forty cards deck and compete to smash bases.  

As I mentioned previously there are 8 factions in this game.   Let me present them to you:

• Aliens
• Dinosaurs
• Ninjas
• Pirates
• Robots
• Tricksters
• Wizards
• Zombies

Each faction is composed of twenty cards.  You will need to choose two factions in order to play.

You will also have sixteen bases included in the game.   Before the game start, you will shuffle the bases and positioned some for play.  You will have to put as many bases as you have players plus one.  For example, if you are three players you will put four bases on the table.   The rest of the bases are put on the side for future use when a base if conquered.  Oh!  Each base also has a breakpoint that needs to be conquered as well as three value point listed on the card for the first, second and third.  Bases also possess an ability that could be done during or after conquest.

So the first player to play is the person who got up the earliest that morning.  Most board games have funny rules to decide who is the first player.   It had some twist I find!  Play continues clockwise.   On your turn you will play one minion, one action, play one of each or play none.  Once you have finished your turn you can pick two cards for your hand.  You cannot have more than 10 cards at a time in your hand.  

To play a minion, you will select a base and put the minion card beside it, facing toward you.   Do what the card says and move on to the next step.   To play an action, show your card and do what it says.   Once you have finished, you need to discard the action unless it has an ONGOING ability.

Slowly as the game progress, you will check regularly if the base is ready to score.  Scoring a base happens if    the total power of all minions on that base equals or exceeds the bases’s breakpoint.

When a base is score, the player with the most power on it is the winner.  That player gains victory points equal to the number on the left on top of the base.   The second highest gains the middle number and finally the third place gets the number on the right.   Once a base is score, all cards return to the discard piles of each player except the ones who have some special ability allowing them to move to another base.  Once a player reach fifteen value points, the player wins the game.

For the price of the game, you get quite a bit in it – 8 factions, amazing dividers, and 16 bases.  The game is easy to learn and play.  You should expect a game time of about 45 minutes.  This game is perfect for ages 12 and up.   However, I am pretty sure that my younger kids ages 8 and 10 will grasp the concept quite rapidly – maybe even faster than me…   After two games with my husband, I have yet to win.  However, even if I get frustrated because I do not completely get the ability that I need to do or simply because my hands is packed with minions with no actions (or vice versa), I persevere and I hope to win Smash Up one day.

Smash Up has also a bunch of expansions which will make you game even more interesting like Awesome Level 9000, The Obligatory Cthulhu Set, Science Fiction Double Feature, The Big Geeky Box (Essentially this is a storage box which allows you to store the game and its expansions in it.   It also contains plastic dividers, one factions and two bases.), Monster Smash, Pretty Pretty Smash Up, Smash Up: Munchkin, and It’s Your Fault.  And from what I have seen on BoardGameGeek.com a new expansion titled Cease and Desist is coming out this year.

Smash Up and all its expansions are available for purchase at your favorite game store, even on amazon.ca and amazon.com.

AMAZON.CA

   

   

   

 

AMAZON. COM

  

  

  

 

Disclaimer: Thanks to AEG for sending the above mentioned game for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this post . Please note that the post was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Valley of the Kings: Afterlife

Valley of the Kings: Afterlife
By Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG)

About the game

When you die, you can take it with you!

Take on the role of Egyptian nobles at the time of the pharaohs, preparing for their death and burial in the Valley of the Kings.  Using an innovative deck-building mechanic with a crumbling pyramid, players fill their tombs with jewelry, chambers, weapons, tomb art and other treasures.  The player who collects the most valuable artifacts in their tomb wins the game.

Our Thoughts

My husband and I played Valley of the Kings: Afterlife recently and we had a great time learning this game.  Essentially the game is a deck-building game but with a different twist as it uses a pyramid design to allow you to purchase your cards.   Let me explain.

After learning how to play the game, we decided to used our lazy Susan in order to be able to switch the play between the two of us.   We find that when it comes to deck-building games it is good to be able to have the flexibility to flip the game play between the persons playing in order to make a better decision.     So we set up our stock (which contained the level II and level III cards), the boneyard (aka the destroy pile), and the pyramid before starting our play.

Each player gets starter cards which are composed of level I cards.  You will receive in your hand 4 Shabtis, 3 Urns, 2 Boxes of Food, and 1 Offering Table.   You also get a Tomb card as well as a reference card if you need it.   In front of you, you would set up your area in whichever way you desire. 

The goal of the game is to get the more points.   Each turn you play you can do one of three things: 1) buy a card from the base of the pyramid, 2) execute the action listed on a card, 3) entomb a card (once per turn).  How can you buy?  Well each card has a cost which you can find at the top right corner.  For example the Sphinx has a cost of 7.   Each card also have value which allows you to purchase other cards.   The Sphinx has a value of 3 which is indicated in the gold area on the left of the image.   Each card also has an action which allow you to do something else.  Again in the case of the Sphinx the action allowed is to put the next card you take or buy this turn into your hand.  For this specific action it means you will be able to use the new card right away.  Also as you play and purchase cards, the pyramid will crumble allowing the cards located at the top to come down in place on the pyramid.  Once you have crumble the pyramid you can incorporate more cards at the top.  However, the pyramid will always have  only six cards.

There are three types of cards: starter cards (the ones you received initially in your hand), the unique artifacts (like the Sphinx, Ibex statue and so on), and the sets (mummification, jewelry, chambers, weapons, and tomb art).

As you play, you need to entombed cards in your Tomb.   At the end of the game the entombed cards will be used to score the victory points.     For starter cards and unique artifacts the victory points are calculated based on the VP listed on the card.  Simply add these up.   However, there is a different twist in calculating the points for the sets.   In this case, when you have entombed sets you have to determine how many different cards in each set you have (do not count duplicates) and then square the results.  Here’s what my tomb looked like when we finished the game.   So for my Chambers set (orange cards)I had five cards in this set which gave me 25 (5x5) victory points.   The rules also include a scoring example for people who might have difficulty in calculating the points. Also a quick note on our setting… My husband discovered that it would be more visual for him to see the cards stacked in categories so that is what we have decided to do but the idea is to stack your entombed cards under your Tomb. 

We really enjoyed playing Valley of the Kings: Afterlife and look forward to play many more games with it.   It is different than the other deck-building games in many ways as you entomb cards and purchase cards from a pyramid.   There is strategy in this game as you have to build set within your tomb in order to score more points.  Consequently, you have to be aware at what your opponent is doing and think before crumbling the pyramid so that you do not give an advantage to your opponent.     The instructions are easy to follow and very clear from what we have seen.  There was one time we wondered about the action associated with a card and we checked for more insights in the instructions book which provided more information about that card.   However, most cards are very easy to understand.  What I particularly like as well is the tidbits of historical information found at the bottom of each cards where you will be able to read about how the Egyptians used different things in their everyday life or preparation for the afterlife.  This game is perfect to wrap-up some studies about Ancient Egypt.  Thought it is mentioned 14 and up for this game, I am pretty confident that my 8, 10 and 12 years old would understood the rules and pick up the game rapidly.   They already play other types of deck-building games that are above their ages.

The best part is that even if Valley of the Kings: Afterlife is a stand-alone game, it can be mixed with the original Valley of the Kings to play a different game each time and also play up to 6 players.    We enjoyed Valley of the Kings: Afterlife so much that we will probably invest in getting the original Valley of the Kings so that we can play with our four kids as well. 

The box contains 96 artifact cards, 4 tomb cards, 4 reference cards and a rule book.  The game is planned for 24 players but it also include a solitaire rules if you desire to play alone.  Expect a playtime of about 45 minutes.

Good news for people who enjoy the Valley of the Kings games – a new version titled Valley of the Kings: Last Rites will be available soon.  In this new version you must hire artisans, builders, and priests to prepare  your tomb for the afterlife.  Again you will be able to mix this one with the two previous titles in the series. 

Both Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Kings: Afterlife are available at your favourite game store – even on amazon.ca and amazon.com.

    

  

Disclaimer: Thanks to AEG for sending the above mentioned game for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this post . Please note that the post was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.