Board Game Review! Village Crone from Fireside Games

Greetings Fellow Board Gamers!

 

Our featured game for the weeks of October 11 and October 18 is a game from Fireside Games, Village Crone.

Village Crone on Board Game Geek – here.

* Note – This is not a ‘How to Play’ or tutorial type article. This is a review of the game components and brief review of game play.

You and your fellow players are medieval witches who have stumbled upon Wickersby, a village without a crone in this worker placement, resource management game with spellcasting!

Wickersby is built from 6 modular boards, with different locations holding the ingredients flour, fire, silver, and soil. Send your familiars out to harvest these ingredients and use them to cast spells in order to complete Witch’s Scheme cards. Each of the cards is worth 1, 2, or 3 points, which also indicates how difficult the scheme is to complete. Make villagers fall in love, turn them into frogs, or teleport them to different locations as you work to complete your Witch’s Schemes. Every scheme you complete brings you closer to the 13 points needed to win and be declared The Village Crone!

This is a resource gathering and worker placement type of game, with a little bit of sabotage sprinkled on top!

Rules

The rule book is a easy to follow and it doesn’t take long to find a rule if you need to reference the rule book during play.

Components and Game Play

You can find a review video on my YouTube channel that shows all of the components with a brief description and also a review of the game play.

You can follow this link directly to my video – HERE.

Summary

This game is just really cool with how it’s set up and how it plays. You could easily re-skin this game for other IP’s, just like Castle Panic was (hint-hint, Fireside! We need a Star Trek version!). I love the separate board pieces and how you can rearrange the board for loads of different game set ups. I like the mechanics of the game, and I like how the turn order works. The turn order keeps players engaged in what the other players are doing, and the game seems to flow smoothly because of it.

We had lots of fun with this game, not just trying to complete schemes, but also trying mess each other over. I saw that there wasn’t a very good rating for this game on Board Game Geek, and I don’t think it deserves such a low rating. There are games that I’ve played that are terrible and have a very high rating on BGG. I get that everyone is different and has games they prefer over others, but I think Village Crone got the short end of the broomstick. Guess it goes to show, you can’t always trust BGG ratings! You should always demo a game several times before making your own judgement on it. I was definitely surprised as how much fun this game was!

What the Players Said

Wednesday – The game has a good balance between strategy and fun. I like the replay-ability you get with being able to rearrange the board tiles. It’s also easy enough for newer board game players, but still fun and engaging for experienced board game players.

Brian – I think it’s a good game and I really like it. It has intricate details, but it’s not confusing. It’s overall a fun game, and it’s really fun to mess with other players too.

Olivia – I like the game story, like how we’re all witches and we’re messing with a town and the other witches around the town. It’s a really easy game to learn and fun to play!

Buy or Bye?

Buy!

This game just moved high up on my priority list. It’s fun with any number of players and can be played as a solo game. If I spend $50 or more on a game, that’s something I want an option for – solo play.

Have strategies or tips for this game? Leave them in a comment!
Have cool accessories or custom pieces? Show them off!
Thanks for reading and be sure to like, follow, and subscribe for more gaming and Star Trek related content!

Board out and game on!

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Board Game Review! Tower of London from WizKids

Greetings Fellow Board Gamers!

Our featured game for the weeks of September 27 and October 4 is a game from WizKids, Tower of London.

Tower of London on Board Game Geek – here.

* Note – This is not a ‘How to Play’ or tutorial type article. This is a review of the game components and brief review of game play.

In Tower of London, players fight for control of the tower using their influence to occupy different buildings and gather ravens. Each turn players play two cards: the first card determines which building their Beefeater (guard) goes into, and the second card has a special power that triggers from the perspective of the Beefeater just placed.

At the end of a round, certain areas of the tower are scored based on who controls the majority of buildings, by having the most Beefeaters in each. The game ends at the end of three rounds or when a player collects 7 ravens, in which case the game ends immediately.

This game is about positioning your Beefeaters so you control more buildings than the other players in a particular color section, while trying to avoid having your Beefeaters taken out.

Rules

The rule book is a little confusing, but it’s a quick read. There are more than just a few typos in the rule book and while it doesn’t impact the game, it’s sad to see so many errors from a company that likes to boast so often about their board games.

Components and Game Play

You can find a review video on my YouTube channel that shows all of the components with a brief description and also a review of the game play.

You can follow this link directly to my video – HERE.

Summary

Oh boy. So, there are lots of things I don’t like and two things that I do like. I like the Raven tokens and I like the art for the Ravens on the cards. I don’t like the poor wording on the Event cards and player cards. I don’t like how the quadrants are off centered from the creases in the game board because it makes for an overly confusing time trying to visually interpret the quadrants. I don’t like that folks who are color blind could have a difficult time trying to play this game. There isn’t a clear way to tell the colored tokens apart, like different shapes or whatnot, and the player cards are not marked with a symbol or anything either. I don’t like that there aren’t any tokens or markers for ‘destroyed’ buildings. I don’t like the overall game play – it’s kind of boring actually. It’s also easy for someone to get ganged up on too and by the end of round two, they might as well not be playing anymore because they have zero chance of winning. I don’t like the convoluted turn order either. You’ve got Rounds, then Phases, then Steps within a Phase, then Turns – it’s all way to complicated for what we thought was going to be a light to medium game.

I also don’t like that game components were missing from the box and also that several of the Raven tokens have chips in them.

What the Players Said

Wednesday – I don’t like the poorly worded abilities on the cards. The most fun thing in the game was messing with opponents’ Beefeaters.

Olivia – The art is pretty and the flavor text on the Events is kinda humorous. I wish the quadrants lined up with the creases in the game board.

Sol – There is a major optical problem with the board creases and the quadrant lines. They don’t line up and they probably should. Don’t play if you’re color blind. The cards have awkward sizes too. It takes several times playing the game to get used to it, but it’s kind of fun if you can get past those things.

Buy or Bye?

BYE

There should not be that many typos in the rule book and the wording on the cards shouldn’t be so confusing. The game doesn’t look like it was playtested much but I’m not really surprised by this, #BecauseWizKids. This is not a game I’ll ever buy, even at a seriously discounted price.

Have strategies or tips for this game? Leave them in a comment!
Have cool accessories or custom pieces? Show them off!
Thanks for reading and be sure to like, follow, and subscribe for more gaming and Star Trek related content!

Board out and game on!

Board Game Review! Starfall from Pandasaurus Games and IDW Games

Greetings Fellow Board Gamers!

Our featured game for the weeks of September 13 and September 20 is a light tactical, bidding, and set building game from IDW Games and Pandasaurus Games, Starfall.

Starfall on Board Game Geek – here.

* Note – This is not a ‘How to Play’ or tutorial type article. This is a review of the game components and brief review of game play.

The night is still, cloudless and dark. An oasis of interstellar magic lies beyond the stratosphere: countless stars, burning comets, planets, ivory moons, nebulae, and perhaps even a beastly black hole or two. It’s all up there for the finding. At the Royal Hinterland Observatory, endless elaborate sky formations are within reach of discovery — but you have to lay claim before your fellow astronomers nab the glory for themselves. StarFall is a clever game of wits, bidding, and quick thinking in which the aim is to obtain the most impressive portfolio of cosmic curiosities.

This game has a light tactical aspect with some bidding. Players try to collect sets of items for more points or to block an opponent from scoring more points.

Rules

The rule book is a quick read and the learning curve is very small. The game can be easily explained in a matter of minutes. The scoring can get slightly confusing if not explained properly, and you’ll likely need pen and paper to add up your scores.

Components and Game Play

You can find a review video on my YouTube channel that shows all of the components with a brief description and also a review of the game play.

You can follow this link directly to my video – HERE.

Summary

I like games that make me think ahead. This is definitely one of them. If you don’t have access to the entire pool of tiles, you have to think about the odds of not getting a second Black Hole, or if it’s worth it to try and collect Nebula tiles. You also have to think about potentially spending tiles with stars on them instead of your stardust. I love playing this game and it’s simple enough to learn. The complexity comes with tactics and strategy and calculating odds.

Turns go quickly and players need to pay attention to what everyone else is doing. This is not a game for everyone, but it’s a game that everyone can play.

What the Players Said

Wednesday – It’s unique and has pretty art, but I thought it was boring to play.

Olivia – It’s a pretty game with pretty pieces and it’s fun and easy to play.

Buy or Bye?

Buy!

This game is one that’s got mixed reviews among my locals, so it doesn’t get played as much as I’d like to play. I absolutely love this game and play it anytime I have a chance.

Have strategies or tips for this game? Leave them in a comment!
Have cool accessories or custom pieces? Show them off!
Thanks for reading and be sure to like, follow, and subscribe for more gaming and Star Trek related content!

Board out and game on!

Board Game Review! Dragons & Chickens from Devir Games

Greetings Fellow Board Gamers!

 

Our featured game for the weeks of August 30 and September 6 is a party game from Devir Games, Dragons & Chickens.

Dragons & Chickens on Board Game Geek – here.

* Note – This is not a ‘How to Play’ or tutorial type article. This is a review of the game components and brief review of game play.

In this game by Josep Maria Allue and Dani Gomez, illustrated by Siscu Belliso, the winning player is the first to leave the dungeon with the most treasure. Keep a keen eye, because beyond collecting treasure, players must hide from a terrible dragon, catch chickens…and of course, steal from their companions.

This a fun party game for all kinds of players!

Rules

The rule book is a quick read and the learning curve is very small. The game can be easily explained in a matter of minutes.

Components and Game Play

You can find a review video on my YouTube channel that shows all of the components with a brief description and also a review of the game play.

You can follow this link directly to my video – HERE.

Summary

I’ve played plenty of party games and this one is definitely a hoot. It’s way more fun than I thought it would be, and it’s not as much about dexterity as other games that incorporate dexterity. The main focus of the game of recognition – you need to be able to recognize shapes and items easily and then be able to determine if there are more of those than the others. The only time dexterity comes into play is if the Dragon shows up and then you have to race for the shield. The good part about that is you don’t have to be first, just don’t be last! The other times it comes into play is if there are items tied for the most or if there is an unlit torch. But dexterity is only a real factor for those that notice the visual queues.

I like that this game plays quickly. I think the setup is what seems to be the slowest part because you have to divide the cards evenly among the players. I do like that you don’t have to be the fastest person to win this game. So long as you don’ get caught by the dragon, you won’t lose treasure. And if you happen to get caught, if you have a Chicken card, you can avoid the Dragon by giving it to him.

This is a game I’d definitely play with kids or at a family get together. It’s fun and easy to understand and doesn’t require long explanations. I’m not sure it would be a good gateway game, but it’s definitely one that you can play with folks that aren’t serious board gamers and everyone can have a good time.

What the Players Said

Brian – Always look for matches and don’t worry so much about the Dragon. It’s a really fun party game.

North – Don’t let the title fool you! This is a game worth playing. It’s a great family game with a super easy learning curve.

Wednesday – I love the fast paced panic and how very violent it can feel for being short game, but it’s very fun! It’s surprisingly fun, but I don’t like touching other people, so I don’t like that part.

Katie – I love the chickens! It’d be really great as a gateway family game. Super easy and would be great for kids. I love the treasure chest and shield components. I love the art and how the Dragon is hidden and not always easy to spot right away.

Buy or Bye?

Buy

This is a game I need to keep with me wherever I go. It’s a great game for various occasions.

Have strategies or tips for this game? Leave them in a comment!
Have cool accessories or custom pieces? Show them off!
Thanks for reading and be sure to like, follow, and subscribe for more gaming and Star Trek related content!

Board out and game on!

Board Game Review! Ticket to Ride from Days of Wonder

Greetings Fellow Board Gamers!

 

Our featured game for the weeks of August 16 and August 23 is a unique game from Days of Wonder, Ticket to Ride.

Ticket to Ride on Board Game Geek – here.

* Note – This is not a ‘How to Play’ or tutorial type article. This is a review of the game components and brief review of game play.

Ticket to Ride is a cross-country train adventure in which players collect and play matching train cards to claim railway routes connecting cities throughout North America.

The longer the routes, the more points they earn.

Additional points come to those who can fulfill their Destination Tickets by connecting two distant cities, and to the player who builds the longest continuous railway.

This a lightly competitive game that lots of players can enjoy. There is some light reading on the ticket cards, which could make it difficult for younger players that can’t read yet to complete the Tickets. You’re trying to complete Tickets while completing additional routes for more points.

Rules

The rule book is a quick read and the game is very easy to learn. The difficulty comes in the tactics and the randomness of the cards. It’s not hard to play at all, but your strategy and tactics will not be the same, based on your draws or the selection from the face up cards.

Components and Game Play

You can find a review video on my YouTube channel that shows all of the components with a brief description and also a review of the game play.

You can follow this link directly to my video – HERE.

Summary

I’ve played the USA and Europe version of Ticket to Ride and I thoroughly enjoyed both. The Europe version is slightly different, but both play similar. I haven’t played any of the other versions. The USA version of the game is the one we will be playing on August 16 and 23 (2018). Ticket to Ride is such a wonderful family game and it’s a lot of fun. It’s definitely easy enough for folks that aren’t frequent board game players. It’s also a great gateway game to get those folks into more advanced board games as well.

I like how the strategy and tactics can change in the blink of an eye, depending on what face up cards are available and what cards you draw. I also like that you can get additional Ticket cards and that there is a drawback for not completing them, which prevents players from hoarding too many.

What the Players Said

Katie – The pieces are cute and fun. The game feels almost too easy to play, but it’s a lot harder to play when the board is upside down.

North – The states could use a different color treatment or lighter shading or something to make the cities easier to locate. I still love it and it’s a staple for my collection. “Tickets, please!”

Wednesday – I like the steampunk look but I hated playing it. It feels clunky and I don’t like the game play or strategy.

Buy or Bye?

Buy

I need to add this game to my collection. It’s fun, strategic, and engaging.

Have strategies or tips for this game? Leave them in a comment!
Have cool accessories or custom pieces? Show them off!
Thanks for reading and be sure to like, follow, and subscribe for more gaming and Star Trek related content!

Board out and game on!

Board Game Review! Takenoko from Studio Bombyx

Greetings Fellow Board Gamers!

 

Our featured game for the weeks of August 2 and August 9 was a super cute gateway game from Studio Bombyx, Takenoko and Takenoko: Chibis.

Takenoko on Board Game Geek – here.
Takenoko: Chibis on Board Game Geek – here.

* Note – This is not a ‘How to Play’ or tutorial type article. This is a review of the game components and brief review of game play.

A long time ago, the Emperor of China offered Japanese Emperor a Giant Panda as symbol of peace.

Your delicate mission is to take care of the animal by growing a bamboo plantation.

But be careful with the sacred animal and its unhealthy appetite for the crispy shoots..

The Takenoko Chibis expansion offers you even more of tenderness!

You’ve been taking care of the imperial panda and the emperor is very satisfied! He hands over a second animal’s care: a female! You will need to try twice as hard to take care of the couple… and their babies!

This a light competitive game that can appeal to players of all ages. You’re trying to complete goals by placing tiles and moving the Panda and the Farmer with only two actions each turn, plus a bonus from a die roll.

Rules

The rules are easy to understand and fairly straight forward. I like rule books that aren’t convoluted and are simple enough to understand in a single read through.

Components and Game Play

You can find a review video on my YouTube channel that shows all of the components with a brief description and also a review of the game play.

You can follow this link directly to my video – HERE.

Summary

This is another game that’s high on my list of favorites for several reasons. It’s simple enough for young children to play, but there is strategy to keep adults engaged. The components are cute and well made. There’s something charming about wooden game components as opposed to plastic ones. The tiles are large and brightly colored. And the reminders on the player card are simple enough for children that haven’t learned to read yet. My locals enjoy playing this game as well.

The base game is great game, but the Chibi expansion makes this an amazing game. We played the base game for a long time before the Chibi expansion and we loved it. Once the Chibi expansion came out, it fixed some of the slower areas of the game and added more cute pieces to an already cute game. I would recommend that folks try the base game a few times before adding the Chibis. The Chibi expansion adds a few things but it doesn’t change the overall game play.

What the Players Said

Katie R. – I freaking love this game and pandas! I love how the tiles have unique art and all the game pieces so cute. It’s all so cute and it’s a great way to get family and friends to play board games because it’s so easy to learn and play, and it’s lots of fun!

J. North – I love pandas! Takenoko is fun and a great game. It’s also a great gateway game.

Olivia W. – This game is very cute and easy to learn and play. I love playing this game.

Buy or Bye?

Buy!

I loved this game so much that I bought the expansion as soon as it released. If you haven’t tried this game yet, put it on your list to try!

Have strategies or tips for this game? Leave them in a comment!
Have cool accessories or custom pieces? Show them off!
Thanks for reading and be sure to like, follow, and subscribe for more gaming and Star Trek related content!

Board out and game on!

Board Game Review! Pandemic from Z-Man Games

Greetings Fellow Board Gamers!

 

Our featured game for the weeks of July 5 and July 12 was a cooperative game from Z-Man Games, Pandemic.

Pandemic on Board Game Geek – here.

* Note – This is not a ‘How to Play’ or tutorial type article. This is a review of the game components and brief review of game play.

In Pandemic, several virulent diseases have broken out simultaneously all over the world! The players are disease-fighting specialists whose mission is to treat disease hotspots while researching cures for each of four plagues before they get out of hand.

The game board depicts several major population centers on Earth. On each turn, a player can use up to four actions to travel between cities, treat infected populaces, discover a cure, or build a research station. A deck of cards provides the players with these abilities, but sprinkled throughout this deck are Epidemic! cards that accelerate and intensify the diseases’ activity. A second, separate deck of cards controls the “normal” spread of the infections.

Taking a unique role within the team, players must plan their strategy to mesh with their specialists’ strengths in order to conquer the diseases. For example, the Operations Expert can build research stations which are needed to find cures for the diseases and which allow for greater mobility between cities; the Scientist needs only four cards of a particular disease to cure it instead of the normal five—but the diseases are spreading quickly and time is running out. If one or more diseases spreads beyond recovery or if too much time elapses, the players all lose. If they cure the four diseases, they all win!

The 2013 edition of Pandemic includes two new characters—the Contingency Planner and the Quarantine Specialist—not available in earlier editions of the game.

Pandemic is the first game in the Pandemic series.

You and your team are the only things standing in the way of deadly diseases that threaten the world. The fate of humanity is in your hands.

As skilled members of a disease-fighting team, you and the other players work together to keep the world safe from outbreaks and epidemics. Only through teamwork will you have a chance to find a cure.

Pandemic is a cooperative board game in which players work as a team to treat infections around the world while gathering resources for cures. First published in 2007, the game’s unique combination of cooperative gameplay, engrossing premise, and compelling design have proved a hit with everyone from hardcore gamers to casual players. The Pandemic game line now includes multiple expansions and stand-alone titles.

 

Co-Op games are definitely favorites among my group. Pandemic has various difficulty levels and every game feels different because there are more character role options than player spots. This means you might get a role one game and not see that role in the next game!

Rules

The rulebook is easy to read and follow. I was able to understand all the basics and some of the additional rules after one reading of the rulebook. Player aids match the rulebook descriptions of the abilities as well.

Components and Game Play

You can find a review video on my YouTube channel that shows all of the components with a brief description and also a review of the game play.

You can follow this link directly to my video – HERE.

Summary

I love how the game feels difficult or hopeless at times – like the diseases are overwhelming your team, but then all of a sudden, one right draw can set you on a path to victory. I also like how you can do everything right and still not win. The randomness of the game is what makes it fun and exciting for me. The components are durable and the colors are all bright and appealing. The only issue I see is that some colorblind players may need help with some of the pieces.

This game promotes the most co-op play I’ve ever seen in a co-op style game. You don’t have just one person dictating what everyone should be doing, because all the players can easily come up with options or solutions to a current situation.

What the Players Said

Wednesday – The game is definitely ‘infectious’ and I love how the difficulty level adds to the fun. And I love the co-op play. I don’t like how one card or one wrong draw can ruin your best laid plans though.

Paul H. – Fun. I like the whole game and everything about it.

Sean – I liked that the roles are unique and how much the game can change depending on the various combination of roles. I dislike that you can lose after only eight Outbreaks.

Hannah N. – I like the game overall, especially that it’s co-op. Who knew diseases could be so much fun!

Olivia W. – I like the variations in the roles. I like the randomness of the infections and how random, or not random sometimes, the Outbreaks can be. The stress and the fun is contagious! The co-op is fun and to die for!

J. Hollis – Extremely fun and I love how strategic the game can be, but also how simple and easy it is to learn.

J. North – The most fun game to lose at! It’s also simple enough to be a gateway game for new players that are likely to be more co-op players than competitive type players.

Buy or Bye?

Buy!

I do not own this game yet, and I feel like I absolutely need it in my collection.

Have strategies or tips for this game? Leave them in a comment!
Have cool accessories or custom pieces? Show them off!
Thanks for reading and be sure to like, follow, and subscribe for more gaming and Star Trek related content!

Board out and game on!

Board Game Review! Shark Island from Upper Deck Entertainment

Greetings Fellow Board Gamers!

Our next featured game for the weeks of July 19 and July 26 was a semi-cooperative game from Upper Deck Entertainment, Shark Island.

Shark Island on Board Game Geek – here.

* Note – This is not a ‘How to Play’ or tutorial type article. This is a review of the game components and brief review of game play.

Shark Island™ – A cooperative game for 2-5 players that pits up to 4 Shark Hunter Players against a monstrous Great White Shark Player working to terrorize the island. The Hunters must work together and search the surrounding waters to find and kill the Shark in a rapid form of card combat. The Shark must outsmart the Hunters and accumulate enough terror to win the game.

 

Co-op games are usually a favorite with my locals. This game is actually semi-cooperative. One person is the Shark and the rest of the players are the Hunters that are trying to kill the Shark.

Rules

The rulebook looks overwhelming, but a majority of the pages are filled with large pictures and unnecessary over explaining. I struggled through the rulebook because of that and was relieved when I had finished reading it. I didn’t fully understand how to play most of the game after reading it the rulebook. There are even some weird rules that seem to contradict the player aid on the shark’s screen… and I can’t figure out why there are two Shark Tokens.

Components and Game Play

You can find a review video on my YouTube channel that shows all of the components with a brief description and also a review of the game play.

You can follow this link directly to my video – HERE.

Summary

I was overly excited to play a game that I thought was going to be a throwback to ‘Jaws’, but instead, we got a pile of confusion and a casino game.

This game has lots of ‘phases’ and some things, like the dice symbols, work one way in one phase and differently in another phase. The confusion this causes is a little discouraging for both the Shark and the group of Hunters. The lack of player aids for the Hunters is another major negative for me. I don’t like that the Shark is the only player with an easily accessible Turn Order Guide.

I also feel like the game is slightly unbalanced because every game I’ve played, the Shark has won. The Hunters would do minimal damage (like… 1 or 2), or no damage at all. It also felt like the Shark would win combat too easily. The Shark would get two Shark cards in almost every single combat.

It feels like there is way too much going on in this game and it could have been a fun game if not for all the over complicated rules and phases and tokens for every little thing. I know lots of players prefer complex games, but if I wanted to play a game this complicated, I’d play Ascendancy or Firefly and have lots more fun. If you like games like this, give Shark Island a try. I know it appeals to some players out there!

What the Players Said

The players didn’t have much to say about the featured game. The ones that chose to play, didn’t want to play more than once.

Buy or Bye?

Bye, Bye, Bye

Like an NSYNC song… This is not a game for me or the majority of my play group. I’ll opt out of this game if someone suggests it. I just don’t have the patience for such a tedious game.

Have strategies or tips for this game? Leave them in a comment!
Have cool accessories or custom pieces? Show them off!
Thanks for reading and be sure to like, follow, and subscribe for more gaming and Star Trek related content!

Board out and game on!

Board Game Review! Machi Koro from IDW Games

Greetings Fellow Board Gamers!

 

Our next featured game for the weeks of June 21 and June 28 was a fun economy and city building card game from IDW Games, Machi Koro (with Harbor and Millionaire’s Row expansions).

Machi Koro on Board Game Geek – here.

* Note – This is not a ‘How to Play’ or tutorial type article. This is a review of the game components and brief review of game play.

You CAN build Rome in a day.

Machi Koro is a fast-paced, dice-rolling city builder. in the game, players compete to be the first person to build up their simple village into a sprawling metropolis. Originally designed and released in Japan, Machi Koro has developed a dedicated fan-base around the world. Excited fans have been eagerly anticipating an English translation, and the game has already garnered a “seal of excellence” from The Dice Tower among many other accolades.

Armed only with your trusty die and a dream, you must grow Machi Koro into the largest city in the region. You will need to collect income from developments and build public works, and steal from your neighbors coffers. Just make sure they aren’t doing the same to you! Machi Koro is a fast-paced light-hearted game for you and up to 3 friends. They say you can’t build Rome in a day, but Machi Koro will can be built in under 30 minutes!

I like city building computer/video games, like Sim City, and this beings a city builder to the table. It also brings in the randomness that having other players adds as opposed to the AI of a computer game.

Please keep in mind that this review is covering the base game and two of the expansions.

Rules

The rules are actually really well written and easy enough to follow. The only confusion I’ve encountered is when we added the expansions and had to differentiate between ‘constructed landmarks’ and ‘landmarks’. The constructed landmarks are the properties that you build in order to win the game. The purple cards and City Hall are landmarks but not constructed landmarks. All the red, blue, and green cards are establishments.

Components

There aren’t many components to this game, but what there is, is plenty! You have a large deck of cards and they’re standard quality card stock. My copy has held up well over time without card sleeves. Sleeves for this game are not easy to track down, so if someone knows what size fits Machi Koro, please feel free to share that in the comments.

There are two plastic dice that are basic plastic board game dice. I got a green and blue one in my game, and I’ve yet to figure out why they included two different colors. The color of dice has no bearing on game play that I know of.

The coins are standard punch board coins, and over time, they will wear down a little. Several of mine are showing definite wear and tear. If you can, substitute plastic or acrylic coins which is a great solution for worn coins.

The ‘Renovation’ tokens are standard punch board tokens and probably won’t see a ton of wear and tear because there is only a few cards that use them.

Setup & Clean Up

We played with two expansions and the rules (including set up) are somewhat different when you add in multiple expansions. Set up isn’t too difficult for one person to handle. You shuffle the deck and reveal ten different cards (stacking duplicates). Each player takes a set of starter cards and three coins. Set all the Renovation tokens to the side. Randomly select a first player and begin play!

Game Play

Game play is super simple. You roll one die (or maybe two if you have your Train Station built) and check for cards with that number and follow the instructions on the cards. The cards trigger in a particular order: Red – Blue & Green – Purple. Then you build a structure or construct one of your landmarks.

Turn Order
1. Roll Dice
2. Check Red Cards
3. Check Blue and Green Cards
4. Check Purple Cards
5. Build
6. Pass Dice

Super simple, super easy – but there is chaos that can ensue when there are a bazillion different cards on the board. You want to build establishments that help you earn coins to construct landmarks. Once someone has constructed all their landmarks, they win!

Summary

This game was heavily played when I first bought it, but after a while, we did get a little bored with it. It’s only because the game play is very simple and playing this game once a week is still a little too often. But – That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t own it! We play Machi Koro at least once every few months on average and everyone has fun. We just limit how often we play it to avoid burnout.

Overall, it’s a fun and entertaining game, just don’t make it your only game.

What the Players Said

Wednesday – Love the game. It’s a business simulator that’s easy on the brain.

Allie H. – I like that it’s challenging to win sometimes, but not how it can be stressful. I do enjoy playing it though.

Olivia – I like how you need strategy and a variety of cards to win and you can’t just buy all of one card to win.

Buy or Bye?

Buy

This is a game that I’d recommend folks have in their collection, but as I mentioned before, be careful and don’t over play it!

Have strategies or tips for this game? Leave them in a comment!
Have cool accessories or custom pieces? Show them off!
Thanks for reading and be sure to like, follow, and subscribe for more Dice Masters, HeroClix, and Board Game related content!

Board out and game on!

HeroClix Review and Unboxing! TMNT Unplugged Fast Forces, Dice & Token Pack, and Gravity Feed

Greetings Fellow Clix Fans!

 

I finally ordered my first ever, sealed case of HeroClix. I couldn’t be happier with the set I chose! I also got the Fast Forces and the Dice & Token Pack for the set as well. Here is a brief review of the Fast Forces and Dice & Token Pack, as well as a breakdown of the case (two Gravity Feeds) for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Unplugged!

You can find my unboxing videos on my YouTube channel, Dice Dice Kitty. My Fast Forces and Dice & Token Pack are in one video, here. My case unboxing is in another video, here.

Dice & Token Pack

The Dice & Token Pack is just like the others that WizKids has made as far as quality. The token images are thematic to the set theme and the dice are not the same color as the ones from the first TMNT dice, but the image is similar. It’s not as large or defined as the image from the first TMNT dice and I would have liked a different image, but the turtle face is okay. I do love that the dice are purple and green, because Donnie is my favorite turtle!

I love the pixel images on the tokens and I also like that they included Bebop and Rocksteady in this D&T Pack instead of Splinter and Shredder again. Each token with a turtle has the turtle’s face and weapon of choice featured on it as well as their signature color as the background color of the token.

I love this Dice & Token Pack, and since my other TMNT dice and my Star Trek dice don’t roll well for me, I’ll be using this set for a while.

Fast Forces

Fast Forces are a great way to help casual players obtain extra thematic pieces. I don’t ever expect a piece from a Fast Forces to become a meta or competitive piece and this Fast Forces seems to fall in line. Fast Forces typically don’t come with a rulebook, PAC, or maps. You only get the figures and their cards, usually.

This Fast Forces only comes with five figures, which I thought was a little unusual. I’m used to Fast Forces having six figures and the corresponding cards. This Fast Forces has a punch card of six bystander tokens, but for me, that doesn’t make up the difference of a whole character. I would have preferred token bystanders to cardboard ones in place of a sixth character. With the cardboard bystanders, they still could have put a sixth figure in the Fast Forces.

Cardboard Bystanders:

Here are the cards for the pieces in the Fast Forces:

Shredder seems kinda fun and so do the turtles, but really only for casual play. I’d be surprised if any of these show up in competitive play. If you’re starting out in HeroClix and you’re looking for some fun pieces to use at your local events, this is a great Fast Forces for that. You can easily build a TMNT Ally theme team with the four turtles and some extra pieces from some boosters. The turtles are 50 points each, so you’d need another 100 points for a 300 point game. That’s easy to do with a handful of boosters or pieces from a previous set. You could forego the theme team probs and build a 300 point Martial Artist theme team straight from the Fast Forces by adding Shredder at his 100 point starting line to the four turtles.

I really feel like this Fast Forces needed one more dude in it. Another villain would have been great to put with Shredder and then you’d be able to play TMNT vs TMNT Villain! Why not Krang?! Missed opportunity.

And before someone says – “But there are bystanders in it that you can add to the team.”

Yes, there are bystanders. But they don’t have keywords and there are only 70 points total between the six bystanders. I guess you could put the turtles against Shredder and the bystanders… Not sure how much fun that will be since bystanders can typically only take one hit.

Mr. DDK brought up a good point about the Laser Drone bystander and its weird trait. He thinks they gave it [PASSENGER]: 0 so it can’t carry anything at all. It has flight, but giving it the [PASSENGER: 0] prevents it from picking up other tiny dudes and carrying them.

Case – Two Gravity Feeds of Boosters

Feed One

Commons
I pulled one of each common, except for 001 and 006, which I pulled two of.

Uncommons
I pulled all of the uncommons except for 017.

Rares and Super Rares
I pulled one of each of the following rares: 019, 024, 027. I pulled one of each of the following super rares: 032 and 033.

Feed Two

Commons
I pulled one of each common, except for 002 and 009, which I pulled two of.

Uncommons
I pulled all of the uncommons except for 014, 016, and 018. I did pull a 017 in this feed, which completed my uncommon set.

Rares, Super Rare, and Chase
I pulled one of each of the following rares: 020, 021, 026, 028. I pulled one super rare: 034 and one chase: 038.

Here are the cards for all the different pieces I pulled in my two feeds:

 

Final Thoughts

I actually cancelled my Batman TAS pre-order so I could get a case of this set. I’m super happy with my case and have no regrets about swapping. I couldn’t be happier with Donatello as my chase piece and I can’t wait to buy more of this set! I love the pixel pieces and I think they’re unique and interesting compared to the rest of the HeroClix pieces out there. Pixels won’t work for every set of TMNT, or even every IP, but it works for this set of TMNT and I think it works very well.

I don’t mind the sculpt reuse at all, especially since there are so many new sculpts in this set. I don’t mind that the reused sculpts are on super rares either. It helps keep costs down a little so the price of our booster packs doesn’t increase. I’d rather keep prices the same and play with pieces that have the same sculpt, instead of having prices go up just to have a different sculpt. I don’t think they should reuse sculpts on OP prizing, unless the sculpt is really awesome, like that War Machine from one of the last WKO’s. His sculpt was a reused one, but it was pretty awesome.

My only real issue is that they Fast Forces has five characters instead of six and in place of the sixth character, there are cardboard bystander tokens. I still feel they should have put actual plastic tokens in the Fast Forces since they left out that sixth character.

Overall, I love the set and I like the Fast Forces and the Dice & Token Pack. This is a great time for me to be a HeroClix player!

What do you think of the new pixel style?
What is your favorite piece?
Did you pull any awesome pieces from your packs?
Leave me a comment here or on Facebook at Dice Dice Kitty and let me know! Thanks for reading and please remember to like, follow, and subscribe!

    
Live long, and Prob it!