Overboss Duel is exactly what it sounds like, a battle between two Overbosses to see who is the best in this title from Brotherwise Games.
Based in the Boss Monster world created by Brotherwise Games, Overboss Duel focuses on building your own power while weakening the other boss. Each turn you and your rival place location tiles and monsters, but you need to watch out for wandering heroes that will slow your progress to increasing your power. The overall mechanics also follow their Boss Monster game, making learning even easier if you have played those previously. The game also introduces four new bosses, along with updated versions of the classic King Croak and Belladonna bosses. The boss at the end with the most power wins.
Their Boss Monster game has you play as one of the bosses where you build dungeons with the goals of killing the heroes so Overboss fits perfectly within the world. It is however a step up in visual quality. BM had more of an 8-bit look to it where Overboss and Overboss Duel both have more of a 16-bit feel.
The art style makes you feel like you are in a classic Zelda game or Gauntlet, namely from the NES. I am loving the style, it is exactly what caught my eye with other Brotherwise’s titles. Gameplay is quite simple and from what I’ve been told by players of the original Overboss it is even more streamlined compared to the original game. In most games, if given the chance, I will always choose to play one of the bad guys but in Overboss Duel you get to be the BIG bad guy and I’m here for it. Even my son who never wants to play a villain had fun with this one and it is well worth the play.
Any time Exploding Kittens releases a game we look forward to it. Consistently their titles are among our family’s favorites so when they shared this with us we were more than excited. With Charades players try to get others to guess what they are pretending to be. I have always been terrible at this as most of the connections I make to different people or things most people weren’t making. You also can’t use any words to give hints either. On A Scale Of One To T-Rex flips some of these rules on their head.
With this game it doesn’t matter who knows what you are trying to act out, what matters is how intensely you do it. If you and another player have the same intensity level then you get points. On top of that the players all do theirs at the same time. When doing this in a large group can make things pretty loud quickly. Being the father of three things tend to get loud but that is where the problem with this game was for us. Two of my children have sensory issues and the volume of the game became too much for them.
For a party game this can be quite fun, just need to make sure anyone with sensory issues aren’t around while you play, it can get a bit overwhelming for them.
Necromunda has been one of those games that will always hold a special place in my heart. Thanks to Games Workshop we have the opportunity to dive back into the underhive.
This is not the first time we’ve delved into the world of Necromunda, nor the first time we’ve received review materials from Games Workshop. As with any other item we’ve received the shared opinions are not influenced by the source. This isn’t the only Necromunda item we received either- we were sent a copy of the House of Blades and the Mercator Nautica Syphoning Delegation from Forge World and we will be discussing them each!
Hive War
Hive war includes two full gangs (House Escher and House Delaque), a full set of objective tokens and additional Zone Mortalis terrain. For both gangs these are the same as can be found in the normal gang boxes. Objective tokens are the same as the original Second Edition boxset as is the Zone Mortalis terrain. Each of the items in this box can be ordered separately but you are getting them at a discount getting them boxed together. The only difference in this box is that the rulebook is updated to include all FAQ changes prior to the book’s printing!
Set in the Warhammer 40k universe, Necromunda is a hive planet that produces munitions for the Astra Militarum. The planet is covered in massive hive cities but below these are the homes and territories of numerous gangs, most of which have aligned themselves to one of the major house- Escher, Delaque, Goliath, Orlock, Cawdor and Van Saar. Each house operates under strict morals and rules that members must abide by.
Gameplay is as solid as before- when you played with the FAQ rules previously there is no transition to the new rulebook. This is not a new edition, just an updated printing. Any chance at more terrain, models I don’t have, more objectives and additional models for your favorite faction is a win for sure and for me this box has that in spades. Escher have always been my favorite House to play so additional models are great as that will allow me to try some new load outs that will also appease the WYSIWYG crowd as these will already have the weapons.
House of Blades
In addition to containing the most up to date lore on House Escher, House of Blades features rules for the main fighter types- Queens, Matriarchs, Death-Maidens, Wyld Runners, Sisters, and Little Sisters. Additionally you will find rules for the various abilities or weapons used by this House and even how to hire the various brutes and thugs. This includes how to hire the Syphoning Delegation as well! This book is a must for fans of House Escher or any other House that wants to know more about their enemies.
Mercator Nautica Syphoning Delegation
The Delegation has some special ties to House Escher but can work with any law abiding gang. With this trio I love the concept draining the water from my enemies to then sell to others for a profit. Aesthetically they look like they might belong with a Tau army in 40k but really feel like a call out to days of first edition when we had elite members from high up in the Spyre coming down to eradicate some of the gangs. The chosen paint scheme GW used I feel is too bright so I will be doing something a bit darker but am looking forward to the task as well as fielding them with my Eschers.
Aeronautica Imperialis returns with it’s second starter box Skies of Fire with two new factions- Adeptus Militarum and Tau!
At this point Skies of Fire is more or less old hat having been released about a year ago now but we just love all things with Aeronautica Imperialis so here we are! We’ve talked about AI in the past, when we were with PopNerdTV, and gameplay-wise the game hasn’t really changed since then. Where similar games play on a two dimensional board and those two dimensions are the only ones you need to worry about it was a shock to consider my movements on third dimension. Height is a big factor in the game, too low and you’ll crash, too high and you’ll stall your craft.
The models have a lot of detail, far surpassing those of games like X-Wing and with comparable costs. With X-Wing I can purchase a single ship for about $10-20 where in AI I can purchase four craft for $40-60 and have more detail. The only downside to this comparison is that X-Wing models are preassembled and prepainted.
Verdict:
This game is a must play for fans of the dog fighting/space ship variety, especially if you are looking to improve on the basic mechanics of X-Wing. Whenever I played X-Wing I always wanted something more and variety wasn’t what I was craving, with Aeronautica we got it in spades. The complexity and realism of the fight makes this game a much more impressive contender in the genre and I hope we continue to see it in shops for years to come, some of us are still waiting on the Chaos releases.
It’s common for Games Workshop to release multiple new starter boxes using the same rules but is Warcry Catacombs another example of this?
Definitively Warcry Catacombs is not just the same game with new plastic wrap, there is so much more. The boxset features two new warbands, never before seen in the Eight Points and unlike the original starter one of them is from the Order Grand Alliance! A different alliance isn’t all that’s new, some of the terrain and one of the maps features a lava-filled chamber that changes how you play the game. When within the Catacombs you no longer have towers to climbs, which is a complete game changer for the Corvus Cabal. Warbands that use height to their advantage will be hindered by the low ceilings but it isn’t the end of Corvus Cabal as some may have predicted. Corvus Cabal has the ability to wall run above their foes so even though they can’t scale the tower to smash down on unsuspecting prey but they can pass freely allowing them to stop behind their foes.
The biggest downside in this box the the durability of some of the models. This is not something new when it comes to Aelves, nimble characters make for leaner models and a leaner model makes for limbs, weapons and features that are more likely to break with a little pressure. That being said they look absolutely fantastic. The core book is still the same and remains one of the cleanest and most well developed games I’ve had the pleasure of playing but the new features bring both a unique style of play and an easy way to switch to more narrative based gameplay.
Corvus Belli returns with the fourth edition of their hit skirmish tabletop game Infinity, aptly named Infinity N4.
This is the first time I’ve ever been able to play Infinity, and I can’t believe I haven’t sooner as the I also learned that the rules and model stats are available on their website for FREE! This means you can try the game out and various models to figure out if the game is for you AND if you have the right army. Now, assuming you’ve played and are ready to purchase your first army, where do you start? Simple. You purchase a faction pack and a rulebook, unless of course you prefer a digital copy and then the free one will more than do the job but without all the lore.
Having never played the game itself before, I did play the spinoff Aristeia game a couple years ago, I didn’t know what to expect. The models have always been fantastic, both fun to paint and looking great on the table but no idea how the game played. I’m told this edition is very much streamlined compared to N3 but I couldn’t confirm this was the case during my playing of the game. I did find it fast paced and much more dynamic than most games. It was quite a bit of fun too but I just wish that the models had assembly guides to make their assembly much easier without having to track down multiple angles of pictures to ensure proper assembly.
Those that know me, even just a little, will know that I am not a fan of sports, watching or playing. For some reason though I’ve always had a soft spot for Blood Bowl. I have played every iteration of the video games on the Xbox and both of the previous releases of the tabletop game. I even read some of the older books. So how is that I love a sports themed game when I detest sports? It’s all about the conflict. A game where you can have an ork kill or maim a player outright is one I am more than willing to give a solid try. Each time I’ve played I’ve lost on the tabletop and still found it quite enjoyable. The Season 2 Edition seemed like the perfect chance to finally beat my son.
Not much has changed in terms of general gameplay, but at the same time EVERYTHING has changed. That’s a bit of an exaggeration but we are seriously talking about some big changes. First off is in value- the core box comes with enough models to play a full team! This is huge! Every iteration previously required you to purchase additional boxes to have enough on the pitch. I hope this is the trend going forward. Previous editions made an effort of using star players but they always felt like they were missing something. With Season 2 we get to see them offer a bit more panache on the field, no longer just cool looking models. The rulebook includes rules for a plethora of star players, each with their own special stats to make playing them more worth it. It even adds another layer to setting your roster. Additionally previous editions required you purchase your heavy hitters separately but you get one for each team.
As always when it comes to causing carnage on the field I’m no slouch but when it comes to planning through openings to score points there is still some sort of disconnect. Playing multiple games with my son he managed to win each time but not before losing several players along the way. We had a total blast with the game and hope to try out a few of the other teams as they release using the new ruleset. The rules are much easier to understand than in previous editions, leaving fewer questions regarding how to interpret them. If you enjoy sports, fantasy tabletop games or beating the crap out of your opponent you will enjoy this game.
The Exploding Kittens have released another feline-centric game with A Game of Cat and Mouth.
In our house there is one species of pet that ranks higher than all others and that is the majestic feline. My son’s love for cats is so strong that if there is a cat on it or it is cat themed it is almost guaranteed to win him over. It’s no surprise that Exploding Kittens is one of his all time favorite games to play. When he learned that the team behind it were releasing another cat themed title he was more than excited. We received our copy of A Game of Cat and Mouth soon after he heard the news.
Players rapidly use magnetic paws to launch balls through the eyes, nose or mouth holes in the divider between sides. The first player to get all white, all yellow or the single black ball on the opposing side wins. The launchers themselves make use of the most powerful magnets I’ve ever seen that didn’t have electricity amplifying their strength.
Getting the balls through the holes require a bit of skill but with a little practice and even a four year old can do well at the game. The entire family has a blast with this game. This game is so much fun it even draws the attention of one of our own cats.
Poetry for Neanderthals is another family fun game created by the team at Exploding Kittens.
The Exploding Kittens team are back with another insane concept for a family game in Poetry for Neanderthals. Since it’s inception Exploding Kittens has been a staple in our household and the team of the same name was responsible for several of our favorite family games. Conceptually the game is quite simple, dividing into two teams players will take turns describing a word or phrase but must do so using only single syllable words. If at any point they gesture, use more than one syllable, use the word they are trying to describe or a few other instances or rule breaking then they will get hit with the inflatable club. Not going to lie but I felt like Captain Caveman while wielding it over my daughter’s head.
Every player during our games end up getting hit at least once or twice, most of us for gesturing. I was really bad at giving clues without moving because I am naturally very animated when I talk.
The game is a great exercise for the old noggin because you have to be a quick thinker to score points and avoid losing them at the same time. First game was parent’s versus the kids and some of the kids got bored early on (one was watching a movie and the other was too distracted to play) and so we started over for a round of boys versus girls. It was a close game but us boys won by only a couple points. Everyone that played to the end loved the game (4 of 6 members of the household) and the other two had fun until pulled away by the call of the children’s film on tv. We are all looking forward to the next game night we get to spend on this game.
