Long Weekend, Freedom, and all the games you can squeeze into eight hours

Hey hey! I've had three weeks off the pressure of blogging. At first it was great, then I started to get this creepy sick guilty feeling. Like I was blowing off work, or avoiding visiting grandparents. You know it feels good when you do it, but it's also sort of inconvenient, and there's better things to do, and look puppies! I kind of got myself into a rut where I felt like my first blog back was going to have to be an apology for being away for three weeks. Then I realised that it's my life, and if I don't live it my blog will get really boring.

Tuesday Reviewsday: Small World

Players: 2+  
Playtime: 45minutes+
Replay Value: 10/10

Small World (released in 2009) is a brilliant example of a game that has been play-tested, balanced, re-tested, re-balanced, critiqued, and trialed, then put on a shelf for six months before being play-tested again with fresh eyes. There may be overpowered combinations, and 'weaker' combinations, but after just one play through you'll learn to lynch whoever is winning at the time as you fight to control most of the Small World.

Tuesday Reviewsday: Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot

Players: 3+  
Playtime: 30minutes+
Replay Value: 2/10

Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot, released in 2002 and followed by a plethora of expansions, is a terrible game. Someone forgot to play test this, and the rules were written at 4am after too many shots of laced-coffee. The jokes barely raise a chuckle, and the game play is too messy to allow glorious 'Take that!' moments.

Tuesday Reviewsday: Zombie Dice

Players: 2+  
Playtime: 5-10 minutes

Replay Value: 5/10 

Zombie Dice (another Steve Jackson game) is a quick and simple dice rolling game that is great for getting you in the gaming mood. You play as zombies. Hungry zombies. Each dice rolls dictates whether you collect brains for your winter stash, the humans run away, or you get shot.

At the start of your turn, you pull 3 dice out of the container and roll them. Each brain is worth one point. Footprints mean the person has run away. The shotgun blast is, well, as shot in the head. Don't worry you are a super zombie and can handle getting shot twice times, but the third time puts you on the ground.

Tuesday Reviewsday: Munchkin

Players: 3+  
Playtime: 45minutes+

Replay Value: 10/10

Munchkin is a role-playing card game based on old-fashion dungeon crawlers which makes it sound complicated and boring. However Munchkin strips away the tedious character creation, grumpy dungeon master and in-depth creation of a big complicated fantasy world, and just leaves you with good ol' fashion monster squishing, back stabbing and hilariously illustrated shenanigans.

Tuesday Reviewsday: Games library

So for the last couple of months I've managed to stick to the schedule and review one board game a week. I'm a little chuffed with myself for managing this level of committee, but I'm starting to run out. Not all the way out, here's my games library, reviewed and to-be-reviewed:

• Pandemic - Base game (done) On the Brink expansion (done) and In the Lab expansion (coming soon)
• Lords of Waterdeep - Base game (done) and Scoundrels of Skullport expansion (done)
• Betrayal at House on the Hill (done)
• Takenoko (done)
• Star Fluxx (done)

Tuesday Reviewsday: Star Fluxx

Players: 2+ 
Playtime: 5-45minute

Replay Value: 10/10

Star Fluxx was released in 2011. There are currently 16 different versions of Fluxx, including the original, Cthulhu Fluxx and Stoner Fluxx, however, we opted to purchase Star Fluxx. This game is stupid fun. I mean those together and separately, it's stupid, it's fun, it's stupid fun. The rules are quite simple, you deal each player three cards. First player is decided by whoever says "I'm going first" and draws a card. Then they play a card. Then the next player draws one, and plays one. Super duper simple. In fact those are the only rules that exist when you start the game.

Tuesday Reviewsday: Scoundrels of Skullport

Players: 2-4
Playtime: 45minutes +

Replay Value: 8/10

Scoundrels of Skullport is an expansion to Lords of Waterdeep (which I reviewed back in November). Released in 2013 it includes two different expansions, three new boards and a mountain of new Intrigue and Quest Cards, as well as new buildings and Lords.

You can use one or both of the new expansions. Using only one expansion means adding 3 buildings to the base board, but has no other effect on set-up. Using both expansions adds 6 buildings to the board, and each player gets another agent.

Tuesday Reviewsday: Takenoko

Players: 2-4, better with more players

Playtime: 45minutes

Replay Value: 7/10

Takenoko is probably the lightest game I own. It's good to pull out every now and then to remind myself that not every games needs to have 12 layers of strategy and contingency plans. Sometimes it's gardening and feeding the roly poly fat panda.

Takenoko was released in 2011. Unlike the majority of my library it is a simple and pleasant concept, where you help build a lovely garden, grow beautiful bamboo, and then feed it to a roly poly panda.

Tuesday Reviewsday: Pandemic - On the Brink

I'm going to assume you have read my review of the base game Pandemic, or know how the gameplay is structured.

If you have played Pandemic or read my review, you know that you lose. A lot. But for some reason I decided to go out and buy the Pandemic expansion On The Brink. And now I have three new and brilliant ways to lose.

Tuesday Reviewsday: Betrayal at House on the Hill

Players: 3-6, semi co-operative - more players is always better

Playtime on the box: 60minutes

Actual playtime: Up to 2 hours
Replay Value: 7/10

Is there someone in your group who likes to read the manual cover to cover? Good, invite them over and give them the rule book. Make them read it twice while you are cooking dinner. Then keep the rule book close at hand to answer your ten thousand questions.

Betrayal at House on the Hill was released by Avalon Hill and Wizards of the Coast in 2004. You are cast as a motley assortment of characters who have stumbled into a haunted house. So, of course, you decide to go exploring.

Tuesday Reviewsday: Pandemic

Players: 2-4 Co-operative

Playtime on the box: 45minutes

Actual playtime: Depends how quickly the game stomps you
Replay Value: 10/10 - I will never turn down a game of Pandemic

Now that the Ebola scare has quieted down (in my corner of the world at least) it seems safe to talk about Pandemic. Released in 2007 by Z-Man games, Pandemic is a devilish horror of a game where you are a Centre for Disease Control team trying to save the world. Designed by Matt Leacock, it is a beautifully balanced game where you are constantly hovering between life and death by plague.

A two-player game after set up

Tuesday ReviewsDay: Lords of Waterdeep

Players: 2-5 (I found it best with 3)

Playtime on the box: 60minutes

Actual playtime: 90minutes +



Lords of Waterdeep was released by Wizards of the Coast in 2012. It is based in the Dungeons and Dragons universe but you won't need any background knowledge to enjoy the game.

Reading the rulebook makes Lords of Waterdeep seem like an overcomplicated nightmare but after the first round of game play it feels ridiculously simple. After playing four games I find myself daydreaming and plotting how I can win the game next time. It's an "hours to learn, lifetime to master" kind of game and the number of people you're playing against alters game play dramatically.